Originally Posted by Martok
Heh. The whole bit with camels actually goes back a few years -- ah, memories!
The origins of it is as follows: For those here that haven't played MTW, just keep in mind the following fact about camel units in Medieval (1):
- They receive a combat bonus when fighting in desert provinces.
- Horse units in MTW also suffer a morale penalty when fighting against them (because of their unpleasant smell).
- Camel units are both cheap *and* have modest building requirements.
Thus, recruiting camels in multiplayer battles gave one a pretty effective fighting force for not much money; and in the singleplayer campaign, the Muslim factions can quickly churn out camels to help buff up their armies. :2thumbsup:
Anyway, when the MTW multiplayer community was more active, Mithrandir was a frequent combatant online. Fairly early on his multiplayer career, he became a rather fervent proponent of using camels in battle -- he was particularly fond of the Almohads' Berber Camels (along with the rest of the Almos' unit roster). Ever since then, he's become famous for injecting the occasional camel comment/reference into his posts.
As for why I myself am such a fan of camels, that mostly stems from the simple fact that I play the Egyptians quite frequently in my MTW campaigns (they're my second favorite faction after the Spanish). While I still don't consider myself a true "expert", I have been playing the game long enough (over 4 years now) that I'm keenly aware of the role my beloved Bedouin Camel Warriors often play in my Eggy campaigns. Aside from Spanish Jinnettes, I can't think of another unit that has played a more crucial role in my armies. :yes:
