Huns (BI faction)

**frogbeastegg** · 10-02-2005, 18:42

Guide.

Unregistered · 10-03-2005, 10:27

My plan was to split up the horde and head straight for Rome and Constantinoble right off the bat with some serious sacking along the way.

I re-arranged the stacks so that I had one "strike force" in each of the two hordes consisting of 8 horse archers, 1 general, 5 cavalry, and 6 spearmen. Don't slam the spears, they finally come into their own in BI. Tactic is simple: spearmen attack the front, cavalry sneaks behind the enemy and the horse archers harass the flanks.

I bribed every diplomate along the way and sent them off to strategic locations for later, and put 1 diplomate, the spy and the assassin into the faction leader's stack which was heading for Rome.

I also hired mercenaries like they were going out of style because the minute you settle down, the horde melts into the population.

Pillaging the villages and thrashing the scene in general we arrived like a scruffy bunch of Hell's Angels at Lollapalooza outside the gates. I attacked both cities simultaneously. Cease-fire was forced down my throat for 5 consecutive turns, but eventually I got a window, and they fell like dominos.

Now I squatted the 2 best cities in the game, and had left the rest of the barbarian hordes scrambling for new homes in my wake. They all pretty much decided that the Romans had the best real estate. All my diplomates negociated trading rights with everybody who'd settled down, but strangely enough nobody wanted to by my maps.

While I cranked out spearmen for the garrisons, I sent out my mercenaries to basically pocket the world. The mercs from Rome took the Balkans, and I shipped the mercs from Constantinoble to Greece to sack the ERE and the Sassanids. This has me swimming in cash, which I need to start 2 armies of elites for the final conquest, and that's where I am now. I don't foresee any real complications from this point on.

My final 2 armies will be composed of 12 horse archers, 1 general, 5 cavalry, and hopefully 2 onagers each. Every unit I don't need will get the pink slip because elites are hella expensive.

**Chimp** · 10-03-2005, 10:29

That was me, Chimp. Sorry I forgot to log in.

**Chimp** · 10-07-2005, 11:29

I can give you the next best thing to give you an overview of what units are available to which factions. Be aware that not all spear units can form the schiltrom or the shieldwall maneuvers. Franks, Saxons and Lombardi can do the shieldwall, and the Ostrogoths, Burgundi and the Goths can do the schiltrom, as far I remember. I'm not sure what the Romans can do, but my money is on the shieldwall.

By the by, as my campaign unfolded I readjusted my army many times. As I began to see the true power of horse archers, I eventually dished the spearmen altogether so that I had 12 horse archers, 6 cavalry (general included) and 2 merc infantry with sapping ability. The horse archers I divvied up in 3 groups to surround the enemy and put them on fire at will and skirmishmode, and the cavalry were the strikers screen for horse archers. I also added a gaggle of souped-up spies to tag along my marauders. First I'd send in the spies to hopefully open the gates [if not, withdraw and try again], the mercs would sap and withdraw, then I'd flood the city from all sides Mongol style. That's the best army composition I've found so far that can do everything, although the mercs are solely there for the sapping, which is less than optimal. I wish cavalry could just unmount and start digging, but I guess that's beneath them. *ga-harr ga-harr*

As for eliminating hordes, the trick is to wait until you have a night commander and attack by night. That way there won't be any reinforcement and you can "just" pick them off one by one.

Do be aware that horse archers can friggin' SWIM, so bridge battles have taken on a rich new dimension as well!

**Dragoncrusader** · 10-10-2005, 19:50

Great strategy Chimp.
I tend to agree with you that there is no point in settling down unless it is in Roman territory as you find yourself low down in the tech tree and with a poor economy. I did not invade the two capitals but instead I marched into the heart of the Balkans and captured two good Roman towns Aquinium and Salonika as my base. This gave me two minor cities with stone walls with enough good buildings so that I could produce decent units right from the start. But even so, the economy is poor and you start off with a large minus income and it takes time and some agressive campaigning to get up to a break even point. The horde is just too large to settle down profitably unless it is in a very big city. So keep pillaging!

**Afro Thunder** · 10-11-2005, 12:56

I think it also helps to not destroy the Sarmatians and Roxolani right off the bat, because they might just come back to haunt you one day. It's better to bypass them and move on to richer targets (your objectives Rome and Constantinople, and everything in between essentially).

Here's another theory that I thought of a while ago: Sit and wait while the Vandals burn themselves out and other factions get weakened by wars, then move in when the Vandals either find a place to settle or are weakened to the point where they aren't a threat.