Gunpowder!

[Eikon the Magistrate]

75% Potassium Nitrate
(KN03) +10% Sulphur +15% Carbon


Being used to MTW1 with its oddities concerning this type of unit I never gave gunpowder the respect it deserved. Usually the time constraints on the campaign or the cost involved prevented that.

Recently, I began to play with the Portugese and decided to continue after victory. Mainly to see how/if gunpowder had improved. In previous campaigns the Aztecs of the new world cut through many infantry/calvary units quite easily and the campaigns always seemed long.

I built my gunpowder army and sent it to the new world with a couple militia stacks to hold onto my winnings so as to keep my "good" army good.

My gunpowder army

1x Culverin
1x Officer
2x Knight of Santiago
16x Portugese Arbequeser/Musketeer
(NO HANDGUNNERS!)

I completely decimated the Aztecs with that same single army. I wish I knew how to save a screenshot from the game =( cuz it was completely ridiculous. (someone tell me how plz!)

My greatest victory that I can recall since MTW1 .... 17 portugese dead 1935 Aztec dead!

The same turn I took the stack and attacked another Aztec army.... 2 portugese dead
811 aztecs!

Needless to say the Aztecs are no more. The same gunpowder army that destroyed the Aztecempire has returned to europe and is currently kicking Danish butts. Musket fire is not AS effective against heavy armor but more so than arrows anyways. Last battle I had with the Danes was 150/900 with another gunpowder stack, but it was new recruits not my vets..sooo

Id like to point out that not a single unit from my aztec conquest has required retraining yet, the army is still numerically sound at present. After 6 victorious battles my most serious casualty was losing 1 of my 2 culverins in the unit.

The ranges and effect of mass gunfire on medieval troops is truly orgasmic and since I have so many of my stack being ranged it makes outflanking your opponent very easy. In my glorious victory over the Aztec I found I could often put musketeers in front and behind their troopsincreasing the carnage considerably.

They (gunpowder troops)are simply the most devastating and impressive units in the game, although I am and remain a spear fanatic for the early years, Im certainly a Modernist now when I need to be.

I suppose the only downside for gunpowder is defense of cities and castles... they are not an army for that it would seem. Unbeatable on the field except against perhaps a heavy calvary army on flat ground.

[Eikon the Magistrate]

... Also gunpowder units have many more shots available than any arrow units.(probably a 2/3-1 ratio maybe more) I haven't run out of ammo yet except on the culverin. And if you run out.. withdraw!

[WhiskeyGhost]

The morale penalty helps, and particularly if your using long ranged gunpowder units (Camels of DOOM, or musketeers). Try using handgunners, and i bet you they will end up stomped by just about everything.

[Eikon the Magistrate]

Try using handgunners, and i bet you they will end up stomped by just about everything.

YES! Which is why I will never field these hamstrung-at-birth peasants. Although sometimes 1 or 2 will sneak in idk how..

[Ramses II CP]

Handgunners and pikes do okay together IMHO. Put both in a long line with the HGs standing inside the lowered pikes on guard, and let the AI try to fight through them.

Otherwise HGs are one of those hard to use units.

[PBI]

Portuguese Arquebusiers are in my opinion the best gunpowder unit in the game. They are as deadly as musketeers and almost as long-ranged, plus they can look after themselves in melee and don't crumble so quickly under fire. Coupled with Aventuros they make my favourite infantry army in M2TW so far.

I believe handgunners are meant to be more melee units with an initial ranged attack to be used before the charge, kind of like legionaries, rather than straightforward missile units. I've not ever really got them to work very well in either role though.