Barbary pirates?

**Slaists** · 04-02-2009, 15:35

Has anyone noticed any Barbary pirates in the game? Historically, they used to be quite a nuisance to European Mediterranean and East Atlantic trade. I do not seem to notice them anywhere. Once I destroy the Carribean pirates, pirates disappear from everywhere.

**LykianLad** · 04-02-2009, 15:37

isnt that what the Barbary States are supposed to represent?

**anweRU** · 04-02-2009, 15:38

The Barbary States have three regions, and will happily raid trade routes and attack fleets in the Med. They are at war with all Christian factions. They are very active at the start of any campaign. Usually their fleets get destroyed by the Med factions (Venice & Genoa have their uses after all), and sometimes Morocco will go and conquer them.

**Mailman653** · 04-02-2009, 15:53

In the few campaigns I've been able to have, pirates have rarely been a problem, there are too few of them I think. Plus Morroco or Spain usually blocks the route through Gibralter so nothing from the Med can go in or out.

**mbrasher1** · 04-02-2009, 16:04

Playing as Spain, I once had a major problem with them. My fleets were all out beating up on Pirates, protecting trade fleets and them the BPs blockaded my only trade port in Spain -- Cartagena -- with 12 galleys, cutting off 100% of my trade income. It took me several turns together to get a fleet together to deal with the 12 galleys, during which time I realized to have your tax income cover your upkeep...

**Quillan** · 04-02-2009, 17:39

The initial Barbary States fleets usually die off in the beginning of the game. Once they do, they seem to rebuild their fleets but keep them in port unless they have a juicy target available. I have never seen them raiding a trade route, but that could be because every time they do the Med fleets drive them off. They have attacked me when I tried to send a single ship nearby, though.

**miotas** · 04-03-2009, 00:32

Originally Posted by mbrasher1

Playing as Spain, I once had a major problem with them. My fleets were all out beating up on Pirates, protecting trade fleets and them the BPs blockaded my only trade port in Spain -- Cartagena -- with 12 galleys, cutting off 100% of my trade income. It took me several turns together to get a fleet together to deal with the 12 galleys, during which time I realized to have your tax income cover your upkeep...

you can kick an enemy fleet out of a port with an army, even one unit will be enough. They wont be destroyed by you army but at least they wont be in you port anymore.

The barbary pirates were a significant problem in my GB campaign, they sat on my med trade route, blocking a total of $15000 income, and on top of that, the nation below the strait of gibraltar(can't remember tha name) were sitting in the strait and i couldn't get past despite have military access

**Skott** · 04-03-2009, 02:07

Originally Posted by miotas

the nation below the strait of gibraltar(can't remember tha name) were sitting in the strait and i couldn't get past despite have military access

Morocco

**Forward Observer** · 04-03-2009, 04:58

Originally Posted by miotas

you can kick an enemy fleet out of a port with an army, even one unit will be enough. They wont be destroyed by you army but at least they wont be in you port anymore.

The barbary pirates were a significant problem in my GB campaign, they sat on my med trade route, blocking a total of $15000 income, and on top of that, the nation below the strait of gibraltar(can't remember tha name) were sitting in the strait and i couldn't get past despite have military access

The country below Gibraltar is Morocco, and I ran into the same problem with them blocking the Strait of Gibraltar. Playing as the English, I had no choice but to attack their ship and thus declare war on them just to get through. Since the strait is almost 8 miles wide, that Moroccan ship must have been pretty damn large.

Also playing as the British, the secret to dealing with the Caribbean pirates quickly is not to fight their fleets, but instead take their two island capitals--one on the Leeward Islands and one on Trinidad. By combining your two small fleets in the Caribbean, combining the 4 units in the Bahamas a adding 3 more unit that you build on Jamaica, you can take both pirate capitals by the end of 1702 in six turns.

Bingo, the pirate fleets disappear, you have two regions in your possession, and an army capable of landing in Georgia to take on the Cherokee by 1705---all without sending a single ship or unit from the British Isles

Cheers

**Mailman653** · 04-03-2009, 05:18

Is it possible to make peace with either faction? It sounds interesting if you could enter into an alliance of some kind and have them plunder everyone elses trade routes minus your own. Maybe give them some finacial backing as well.

**Megas Methuselah** · 04-03-2009, 07:57

I allied with the Barbary Pirates as the Huron Confederacy not long ago. But the Pirates are like a rebel faction; you cannot have diplomatic relations with the buggers.

**Didz** · 04-03-2009, 11:09

I'm allied to them in my Ottoman Campaign and have been steadily feeding them free technologies to boost their threat to the European nations. They got into a war with Morrocco which enabled me to liberate (and keep) Algiers and eventually knock Morrocco out of the game capturing their city opposite Gibraltar and two valuable Atlantic ports. Spain keeps trying to barter for them but so far its no deal.

However, interestingly Morrocco did field quite a number of units of Barbary Pirates in their army which are pretty nasty melee troops and more than a match for the desert warriors I had at the time. Fortunately, they didn't like artillery.

**Slaists** · 04-03-2009, 15:28

Originally Posted by Didz

I'm allied to them in my Ottoman Campaign and have been steadily feeding them free technologies to boost their threat to the European nations. They got into a war with Morrocco which enabled me to liberate (and keep) Algiers and eventually know Morrocco out of the game capturing their city opposite Gibraltar and two valuable Atlantic ports. Spain keeps trying to barter for them but so far its no deal.

However, interesting Morrocco did field quite a number of units of Barbary Pirates in their army which are pretty nasty melee troops and more than a match for the desert warriors I had at the time. Fortunately, they didn't like artillery.

Well, it's quite fair (the similar units), in my opinion. Historically, Morocco actually was the source for a good portion of the 'barbary pirates' (some of whom raided all the way up to Iceland).

What surprises me more is how Morocco falls if one captures Tangiers. Tangiers was historically not even the capital of Morocco at the time... Europeans held Tangiers (and other coastal Moroccan towns) for quite a while, while Morocco (and Berbery pirates) were striving on.