Comment 3 for bug 667286

Okay, I just evaluated what 3) would amount to:

1) a new ware (called recruits_axe or something along the line. I am unhappy with hatchet as all other weapons are axes, so I'd like an axe here at well)
2) as the axefactory does not have trunks as input wares, this axe would therefore cost 1 coal + 1 iron. This makes a barbarian soldier more expensive: 2x coal + iron instead of coal + iron + trunk. It is still less expensive than the empire soldier (by 2 trunks).
3) the axefactory and the metal workshop would no longer produce lumberjack's axes (they do not produce other tools either)
4) and it means that barbarians need one more building (the enhancing of the metal workshop) to produce soldiers.

I think this impacts early game strongly enough without affecting mid and lategame very strongly. The barbarians still have the cheapest soldiers, but their cost reflect more their true value (which I estimate at ~75% of an empire soldier). I will go ahead and implement this change now, then I will do another test game with Kristin.