What to do with AUM

[Doug-Thompson]

Russians get Vikings. They'll still die, but will do some damage and cost even less than AUM. I'd suggest getting the valor bonus from Norway then upgrade them in Sweden, an iron province, for weapons.

AUM are a great unit, definitely one of my favorites. They're showing their age by the middle of the high period but by then they've built up lots of valor and are getting a valor bonus in Grenada and, for the human player, weapons upgrades in the iron provinces of Spain.

Another option is Steppe Heavy Cavalry. People think of them as horse archers but their melee stats are very good. Almohads tend to have lots of Desert Archers, a very good anti-HA unit, but Steppe Heavies are a tougher target for archers than most. So, you might get to fire off enough arrows before charging to seriously cut down the AUM's.

[katank]

AUMs are still very powerful even late into the game due to the valor bonus which keeps them on the level of CMAA and plentiful Iron in Iberia.

the rest of the almo roster is also good.

the murabitin inf in particular is very effective jav which can also melee and works as pursuit inf.

I usually get Cyrenacia to produce v2 Saharan cav and upgrade them instead of using ghulam cav.

sure, you don't have as much of a punch when charging but you get higher attack and can pursue better.

DAs are also good but lose its appeal a bit when compared with arbs for raw killing power.

[Fragony]

Russians get Vikings.

They do? I have never been able to build vikings as Russia Which provinces get them? This makes Russia a specacular faction!

[Oleander Ardens]

Aren't the Vikings just in "early" and the Russians just in "high" and "late" ?

IIRC they are buildable in Finland and Novgorod, but has been a long time since my last Niv. game...


Cheers

OA

[Doug-Thompson]

They do? I have never been able to build vikings as Russia Which provinces get them? This makes Russia a specacular faction!

Re: Russians and Vikings.

Don't pay any attention to me. I've gone senile.

No, they don't. Sorry for the confusion.

[katank]

whatchya talking about? Danes and Novgorod get viks in early with a fort.

doug, I hope you aren't going on technicalities of Russia not being Novgorod. they are the same faction.

[Doug-Thompson]

Danes get Vikings all the way through the game, not just in early, and the original post was about Russians.

[Mount Suribachi]

Those who think the AUMs aren't that good aren't using them properly

Despite what others say, the rest of the Almohad roster is weak, especially once you get out of early, and the lack of a decent spear unit is a real weakness.

In the Almohad PBEM, during the reign of one Caliph, I managed to conquer Italy, The Papacy (twice), France, England and the HRE, using an army that was approx 50% AUM. The only units that put up a decent fight were Order Foot and Swabian Swordsmen (who chopped them to pieces). And for a sword unit, they can put up a decent stand against cavalry too, certainly long enough to try and get help there.

[katank]

hmm, novgorod get viks. I'm dead sure of that.

ok, Russians don't. Now I stand corrected.

thanks, doug.

[McGowan]

You know, fighting against the Almo's, I've never had any real difficulty with their AUMs. There were a couple of pesky situations, but the only real difficulty I've had is with hordes of Berber camels and Saharan Cavalry. I tend to be an infantry heavy player, and my inability to close with the camels, either with foot or with the few cavalry I use, annoys me. I end up wasting my arrows on them, while that fast Saharan cav just flanks me.

I know the 'solution' is to fight on a hill or in the woods, but that's only 100% viable advice if one is defending, the attacker has to go to the enemy. I find offensives into Almohad territory to be frustrating unless I can use bribery and take advantage of a civil war.

All of that said, playing as the Almohads, I find the AUMs to be excellent troops, provided they stay out of the desert. Spanish Jinettes are the bane of their existence, of course, but I find Berber's to be more than a match for Jinettes in equal numbers. Of course, the Egyptians and the Spanish seem to be the two powers that can truly stand against the Almo's in the Early era, and they just happen to be the two major powers on the Almo's borders. It's always harrowing, waiting to see if I can manage a breakout, or if bad misfortune will o'ercome me.

Back on topic, what I mean to say is that the AUM is an excellent unit, but I personally have never seen the AI use the unit appropriately to it's full potential, and consequently have never had too much difficulty dispatching them. Shoot them full of arrows on their approach, stop them with a group or two of militia sergeants and then flank with whatever you have to hand. Simultaneously, focus any remaining firepower against some of the easily routed units in the Almo line up (plenty to choose from), as soon as they start to run, your outnumbered and flanked AUMs will turn tail.