The Moors

[RollingWave]

I loved the Alomhads in the first series so after finally finishing off the British game I decided to give them a go.

they're even more fun this time around! just in a different way!

the desert cavs (or really javlin cavs in general) are pretty rigged. just have about 4 units (or more is fine) running around them when your main body approachs and you should be winning easily unless your massively outclassed or out positioned. pelting them from the sides or back with javline is pretty devastating. espically since they can then double up and just charge the enemy missile units after they use up the ammo.

They do have some serious trouble fighting in seiges though, in those cases auto resolve might work better. they need a lot of urban militas and christian guards to win in those. sudanese jav man are pretty useless in the open but could be useful in this situation i suppose.

I'm doing just a M/M so obviously I can do thing a bit differently. I played nice with the Christian factions to start while i take the two crazy mine rebel province and build up a reasonable structure. particularly getting lots of agents going. by the time the first Crusade was called I had most of Iberian converted to muslim and considerable amount of spies and assasins ready. I saw that Lisban had virtually no garrision and just took it. then Leon had a muslim revolt (assinating priest and sabatoging churches for the win!) and i took that out easily. then calling a Jihad to finish off Spain.

Since the Crusade is still going toward Jerusalm and most of the middle Europe states are busy killing each other. I'm having a field day so far. finding all the rebels in your large provinces are a pain though. espically when you have nothing but militas at youre disposale. (i had to build ballistas in there just so I have something more effective then risking my generals against javlin.)

[kitbogha]

the desert cavs (or really javlin cavs in general) are pretty rigged. just have about 4 units (or more is fine) running around them when your main body approachs and you should be winning easily unless your massively outclassed or out positioned. pelting them from the sides or back with javline is pretty devastating. espically since they can then double up and just charge the enemy missile units after they use up the ammo.

You got that one right. They are much better than I originally thought. Their dual use is very handy. I often use them to start off routs by charging en masse into units they have been depleting with their javelin attacks.
I do, however think that they can be useful in seiges too. I am currently holding Ajaccio, much to the displeasure of various Catholic factions and am being repeatedly attacked by Milan, The Papal States and Sicily. My Desert Cavalry are fantastic at just harrassing the flanks of the invaders as they approach up the hill then staying off to one side and picking them off as they rout. Honestly between the two units (which are now on Gold chevrons for experience) they have got to have taken 2000-3000 prisoners, and killed 300-400 attackers. I have been using the same stack-Two units desert archers, two nubian spearmen and two Desert Cavalry, time and time again (always retraining after each seige), and they have seen off about seven seiges.
I think that the Moors are a great faction to play and I am really enjoying them.
Two questions-
1) When do I get gunpowder (I'm already on turn 101)?
2) How do I get Christian Guard?

[RollingWave]

1. I'm pretty sure it's 1400, so your pretty close.

2. IIRC Christian guards are build at the largest city. i'm not sure if you need the highest barrack or just the walls.

I've decided to play the peaceful Muslim and didn't run at Spain / Portugal right away. waiting for the Christians to start killing each other (and go on a endless Crusade to the other direction) but then Spain attacked Cordoba while i'm busy killing El Cid's empire . but early game it's pretty hard for anyone to win a heads on seige without massively out numbering the opposition. and I just had all my desert cavs stationed near the gate house and barraged them with javlin after they broke through (pinning them down with Spear militas.. who i don't care much if they took friendly fire anyway) now that the Crusade is heading towards Antioch and my economy is almost set... they'll get it ... soon.

[kitbogha]

1. I'm pretty sure it's 1400, so your pretty close.

2. IIRC Christian guards are build at the largest city. i'm not sure if you need the highest barrack or just the walls.

Thanks RollingWave. I played last night (until 1.30 am, not the best idea when I needed to be up at 5.15 to go to work, but hey, it's an addiction an I am not responsible for my actions), and just as my vision was beginning to blur along came gunpowder!
I am not a peaceful Muslim, although early in the game I did ally with Portugal and Spain (a ploy for peace until I had dealt with all of the Rebel settlements in the area, but they weren't to know) and they both stabbed me in the back. Rather foolishly for them as it transpired...
Since then my campaign has been one of relentless war on the treacherous Catholics. I have taken all of Western Europe, except for Caen (which is the last French castle) and Rheims (England's last toehold on the continent) and my armies follow the orange banners into the Italian peninsula. My mighty warriors have defeated five crusading armies at the gates of Bordeaux and eight sieges of Ajaccio.
Money is finally starting to roll in (as soon you can take Timbuktu and get spamming merchants-there's serious trade opportunities down there!!). Strangely, my stock is going down with the other Muslim factions, although I have never been anything but nice to them. Thye don't even feature in my short-medium term plans of conquest. Maybe I'm just getting too powerful for comfort. I await Egypts ill advised attack on my Eastern border..
Now with the coffers filling and the armies of Islam awaiting, the Sultans thoughts turn towards another jihad-possibly directed at the foolish HRE, who have just failed in their attempts to take Milan from me.....

[Iavorios]

Gunpowder after ver. 1.02 comes around 105-112 turns. Crisitian guards come out of huge walls or chaliph stables. Dismounted ones come from armory in citadels.

[Fadly]

Moors early infantry are suck. until the urban militia and the dismounted christian guard are available i relied heavily on cavs. by 100 turn, most of my early light cavalries are gold or silver chevron and i'm loth to disband them. the best cavs that i think available early on are Granadine Jinetes. it excel in both range and melee fighting, given the right tactics, though you can't expect it to go toe to toe with the heavy cavs or charging directly into a line of spears.

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