Nate's Faction-Specific Guides
Table of Contents:
I: Nate's Faction-Specific Guide to Naval Warfare
II: Nate's Faction-Specific Guide to Siege Warfare
III: Nate's Faction-Specific Guide to Garrisons
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The Complete Faction-Specific Guide to Naval Warfare:
There are 17 various vessels in all, spread across 4 tech levels. Unlike your land forces, which you command personally, the computer automatically calculates all engagements at sea. Thus, it is of the utmost importance that your fleets be of higher quality, and if this is not possible, then they should greatly outnumber your foe. It was thought that a guide would thus be of great use in learning how your own captains compare to your rivals.
Name - Attack/Defense/Soldiers - Factions
Tier 1 Vessels:
Dhow - 5/6/25 - Moors, Egyptians, Turks
Cog - 5/8/25 - English, Scots, French, Germans, Poles, Hungarians, Spanish, Portuguese
Longboat - 8/5/25 - Danes
Galley - 8/7/25 - Venetians, Milanese, Sicilians
Lad'ya - 10/4/37 - Russians
Dromon - 7/9/37 - Byzantines
Tier 2 Vessels:
Holk - 10/12/37 - English, Scots, Russians, French, Germans, Poles
Dragon Boat - 12/10/37 - Danes
War Galley - 12/12/37 - Hungarians, Spanish, Portuguese, Venetians, Milanese, Sicilians, Moors, Turks, Egyptians
Fire Ship - 16/10/37 - Byzantines
Tier 3 Vessels: (Gunpowder)
Gun Holk - 16/16/37 - English, Scots, Danes, Russians, French, Germans, Poles
Lanternas - 18/18/50 - Byzantines, Hungarians, Spanish, Portuguese, Milanese, Sicilians, Moors, Turks, Egyptians
Galleass - 26/20/50 - Venetians
Tier 4 Vessels: (Ocean-faring)
Caravel - 15/15/37 - Spanish, Portuguese
Baghlah - 18/22/62 - Moors, Turks, Egyptians
Carrack - 30/30/62 - Byzantines, English, Scots, Danes, Russians, French, Germans, Poles, Hungarians, Venetians, Milanese, Sicilians
Grande Carrack - 35/35/75 - Spanish, Portuguese
Factions with Admiralty Building: English, Danes, Portuguese
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Summary: Tier 1 Ships focus on using archers to disable enemy sails, followed by ramming and boarding actions. As such, the two Orthodox factions have a significant advantage with their larger ships. Both the Russians and the Byzantines build Tier 2 sized vessels at the Tier 1 level. The 3 Italian factions possess respectable power with their Galleys, the Danes Longships are still better than the North European Cogs, and the Muslim factions at least have something to move troops in that is slightly better than a log raft.
At the second Tier the Byzantines still firmly control naval technology. Most ships of this level incorporate light artillery fire and heavier marine contingents. The Byzantines with their Greek Fire thus possess a clear advantage. However, the Muslim factions and the Iberian factions have made great strides forward so that they are on a comparable level with the Italians. Northern Europe, excepting Hungary however, still lags far behind... and the Danes seafaring traditions only make them slightly better.
With the advent of gunpowder a slight shift in power becomes noticeable. Gunsmithing technologies now determine the ease with which your ships sink the enemy. Venice, with its advanced cities, thus is now the clear leader of the pack. The majority of other factions are clustered just behind, and the Northern European powers still lag while fielding ships at essentially a Tier lower in size.
Finally, in the latest stages of the game oceangoing vessels become available and bring about another shift in the balance of powers. Vessels here begin to focus on delivering large broadsides of cannonfire. Spain and Portugal are a whole level above their competition, while the Muslim powers fall far, far behind. Every other faction is grouped together with a sharing of similar technology.
In conclusion, in the long run, Portugal is the greatest naval power with two ocean-going vessels; one for troop ferrying and exploration, and another for naval engagements. Both are capable of being upgraded at Portugal's Admiralty, which leaves the Spanish a close second. The Muslim factions are easily the worst navies. They place lowest at both the start and finish, with their Baghlah being so horrible when compared to Carracks that a Muslim player should obviously make it a point to achieve victory before ocean-faring vessels become available. Venice and the Byzantines are both solid performers, doing well in all eras and reigning supreme in some. Sicily and Milan do not particularly excel in any era, but neither do they lack. The Northern European factions are completely outclassed until ocean-faring vessels become available and depending on the players style may very likely tie the Muslim factions for their landlubbery ways.
The Complete Faction-Specific Guide to Siege Warfare:
There are 3 easily constructible common pieces of Siege Equipment, 3 Early Artillery pieces shared by all factions, 10 available forms of Gunpowder Artillery, and of course the art of Espionage. It was thought that a guide would thus be of great use in learning how to best use these various instruments.
Siege Equipment: Any army engaged in a siege has the option to supplement their forces with Battering Rams, Siege Ladders and Siege Towers. These tools see the greatest value in the Early eras against Cities, but if other options are not available, they can still be used at any point in the game... albeit with diminishing chances of success.
Battering Rams: Rams can only target Palisades and Gates, not Walls of any sort. The second drawback found with this engine is that Gates are normally the most heavily defended portions of a City or Castle, and a few flights of fire arrows will see your Ram left as only so much ashes and cinders. Lastly, it can take a Ram a good deal of time to bash thru an iron portcullis found in later Castles. However, lacking Artillery fire, a Ram is still a vital piece of equipment for any army with a cavalry contingent. Defending units gain a hefty bonus while fighting on their own Walls, a Ram however allows the attackers to enter the settlement directly and fight the defenders on a level playing field.
As a defender, you should always thus remember to make it a point to target Rams and their crews. Even Peasants can defend the Walls against much "better" infantry, but a breach in your Gates will usually spell swiftly approaching doom for your militias.
Siege Ladders: Ladders provide their crews with no cover whatsoever while approaching the Walls. Worse yet, the men using them will be severely disadvantaged trying to take a defended section of Wall, as they must attempt to climb and fight at the same time and due to their gaining the Walls a single man per ladder at a time. Nevertheless Ladders are cheap to build, much more difficult for defenders to destroy than Rams or Towers, and are capable of being used quickly if a section of Wall is undefended. Unlike Rams and Towers, units carrying Ladders are able to run. If the defending force has very little, or no infantry, a Ladder can allow your missile units to easily gain the walls and then fire unopposed upon the enemy cavalry.
If you are defending and have at least one unit per set of attacking ladders, for the most part you may simply ignore them. Any unit attempting to gain your walls will be massacred by your defenders with only the slightest casualties on your part.
Siege Towers: Towers are in most respects a better solution on the same principals as Ladders. The unit pushing the Tower towards the Walls has some cover from enemy fire, can prepare to assault the Walls safely, and can gain said Walls in a rush instead of individually. Potential drawbacks as mentioned exist in that the Towers can be set alight by defending bowmen and are the most expensive siege equipment, in man hours, to prepare.
As a defender you should know that Towers present a greater problem than Ladders, but Rams should still be your first priority to neutralize. A Tower can be a thorn in your side, but with the hefty bonus to defending units, for the most part you should be able to beat back any unit which assaults you thru the Tower. If you have the archers to spare, it is possible to burn the Tower down along with any soldiers within it. Timed correctly, you can cause heavy casualties to an elite assault unit in this manner.
Early Artillery: All Factions share the ability to build three early forms of Artillery: the Ballista, the Catapult and the Trebuchet. These devices give you the ability to assault any fortress, no matter it's size; but they will later be replaced by much more effective artillery.
Ballistas: The Ballista is for the most part simply an anti-troop device and its bolts can pierce several soldiers at once, but it can also be used much like a long-range Ram to smash down Gates and Palisades. The Ballista is able to fire flaming missiles, but the hit in accuracy for the most part makes this prohibitive. In a pinch, Ballistas can also be used to knock down stone Walls; however, the process - if succesful - will be slow and tiresome.
Catapults: The Catapult is the first device which will truly allow you to assault any fortification with a reasonable chance of success. It lobs stones in a shallow arc which renders it somewhat inaccurate against troops, but capable of smashing thru even stone walls. If troops are clustered however, the Catapults area attack can be devastating. The Catapult also can fire flaming ammo, and this has a significant impact on enemy morale, but the already inaccurate shots will become even more so.
Trebuchets: Lastly, the Trebuchet functions as a vast improvement on the Catapult. It too lobs boulders at enemy troops and Walls but the higher arc of its shot, the greater power it brings to bear, longer range, and its various ammo types make it the preeminent pre-gunpowder siege weapon. A Trebuchet, with its high arc is capable of firing over walls to smash troops and buildings within a settlement; or conversely to be used by defenders to return fire on their attackers without damaging their own walls. The Trebuchet is not very accurate when aimed at troops unless they are clustered, and even then it will miss a large percentage of the time. However, when it does find its mark, the results of its area attack will be satisfyingly grisly. An added dimension to the Trebuchet is that in addition to its regular complement of boulders which can be fired normally or with burning rags attached, the Trebuchet can also launch rotting cow carcasses at enemy soldiers. While seldom lethal, this has a most debilitating effect upon enemy moral. It is important to note again that these cow carcasses are a secondary type of ammunition and do not deplete the Trebuchets normal stock. All Early Artillery pieces come with a crew of 20.
Name - Vs. Troop Attack/Vs. Building Attack/Defense - Factions
Tier 1: Ballista - 55/10/8 - All
Tier 2: Catapult - 55/30/ 8 - All
Tier 3: Trebuchet - 55/90/8 - All
Gunpowder Artillery: Almost every Faction has a slightly different progression in its abilities to build these advanced Artillery pieces. The Ribault, Monster Ribault and Serpentine are designed specifically for firing upon enemy troops, they are of extremely limited value when assaulting enemy defenses. All three of these weapons fire shots which may strike several soldiers in a row. The Serpentine is more effective overall than either of the Ribaults as it both outranges them and causes a greater rate of casualties. The Monster Ribault still has a niche however as 36 rapidly fired large barrels will cause severe morale damage to any unit. The Mortar, while an early development, sees continued value due to it's high arcing shot - similar to the Trebuchet - unlike other Gunpowder Artillery.
The majority of other weapons follow a steady track in improving power, range, and accuracy from the first Bombards to the pinnacle of gun-smithing; the Basilisk. All of these weapons can fire exploding shots, which cause a wide area of damage but are less accurate. Depending upon the situation it may even be better for you to leave your Gunpowder Artillery firing normal shots which bounce and can strike both the unit fired upon and soldiers behind it. The Cannon has slightly increased attack power over the Culverin, but the Culverins greater accuracy makes it more deadly overall. The Turks Monster Bombard presents the other anomaly in this chart due to it's massive damage output, but horribly inaccurate fire... additionally, the Monster Bombard is the only one of these weapons incapable of firing an exploding shot; the gigantic boulders it tosses are damage enough, should they hit. It should be noted that while many of these pieces carry the same attack value, the affected area of attack increases with the power of the weapons; so although a Monster Bombard has the same Vs. Troop Attack as a Cannon, a hit from a Monster Bombard will cause many more fatalities. Also all Gunpowder Artillery come with a crew of 20.
Tier 1 Gunpowder Artillery:
Bombard - 55/120/8 - All
Tier 2 Gunpowder Artillery:
Mortar - 63/150/8 - English, Scots, Venetians, Sicilians
Ribault - 63/5/8 - English, Scots, Danes, Poles, Hungarians, Spanish, Portuguese, Venetians, Milanese, Sicilians
Grand Bombard - 55/180/8 - Russians, French, Germans, Spanish, Portuguese, Milanese, Moors, Turks, Egyptians
Tier 3 Gunpowder Artillery:
Serpentine - 63/10/8 - Danes, French, Germans, Poles, Hungarians
Cannon - 63/250/8 - Danes, Russians, Poles, Sicilians, Moors, Turks, Egyptians
Culverin - 63/230/8 - English, Scots, French, Germans, Spanish, Portuguese, Venetians, Milanese
Tier 4 Gunpowder Artillery:
Monster Ribault - 63/5/9 - Venetians, Milanese
Basilisk - 63/330/8 - Russians, French, Germans, Hungarians, Spanish, Portuguese
Monster Bombard - 63/1000/9 - Turks
Espionage: The final way to bypass a settlements defenses is thru the use of a Spy, or better yet, the use of Spies. A single well trained Spy can give in the neighborhood of a 50% chance to find the gates open to your approaching army. A team of 3 experienced Spies will almost certainly meet with success. In the early and middle game this remains the most effective and speedy way to capture enemy settlements. There is no waiting to build Siege Equipment, nor any slow and unwieldy baggage train of Artillery. In the later game, this tactic still remains useful, albeit with less effectiveness. It becomes increasingly important to silence enemy towers with Artillery as those towers grow larger and more powerful with upgraded settlement defenses. One alternative to this problem is to combine the power of your agents and send a team of both Spies and Assassins. The Assassins can sabotage the Tower upgrades to the Walls, making the betrayal complete.
However, the likely larger and more professional garrisons still mean that simply charging thru the gates is a good recipe for having your troops caught in a bottleneck, and then sent running for the hills. With caution then, it remains often a devastatingly effective attack to send your cavalry racing for the betrayed gates; usually they can charge on thru before the enemy has time to move his troops from the walls to defend. Moving units can then be caught disorganized and panicked as they file out from the base of Towers and are quickly routed.
As a defender you should thus always keep at least one Spy in your own settlement to provide counter intelligence and keep the risk of an enemy Spy successfully infiltrating at a minimum.
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Summary: In the early years Spies are the most effective and quickest way to take settlements. If the enemy is heavy in infantry, then Rams are the second choice; if he is predominantly cavalry, then Ladders or Towers. Care is needed to insure that Rams and Towers survive to be used, if necessary deploy screening units in front of them to soak up enemy fire. As a defender, especially target first Rams, then Towers, and lastly worry about defending your Walls from exposed soldiers attempting to use Ladders.
In the middle game Spies remain effective for the most part, Catapults are useful and Trebuchets are the device of choice. Defenders too should deploy Trebuchets in settlements they expect to be attacked, as the Trebuchets high arcing shot will be able to clear their own walls and savage the enemy. It is worth noting that by infiltrating Assassins with your Spies you can have an effective siege tatic even thru the late game.
After the advent of gunpowder, Basilisks are the ultimate possible all around gun, equally useful at destroying enemy Walls and troops. Culverins or Cannons prove useful to those factions which cannot obtain the necessary technology to build Basilisks. Serpentines are the most useful Gunpowder Artillery piece for mowing down enemy soldiers if a Basilisk cannot be built. Monster Ribaults are also good anti-troop devices, and a precisely timed explosion of Barrage Fire can turn the tide of battles. The Monster Bombard while extraordinarily inaccurate will utterly pulverize enemy Walls, and if lucky, can destroy whole swathes of enemy troops. Lastly, the Mortar - despite being out-classed by newer guns in power, range and accuracy - remains useful to both attackers and defenders with its high arcing shot.
The Ribault is largely ineffective, a unit of Arquebusiers or Musketeers will perform much better. Bombards and Grand Bombards should only be built by players unable to do any better.
In conclusion, The Russians, French, Germans, Hungarians, Spanish and Portuguese have the greatest advantage with their ability to field Basilisks. The Turks, Venetians and Milanese also have access to Artillery pieces which are potentially extremely useful. The English, Scots, Venetians and Sicilians have an added dimension to their tactics with their ability to build the high-arcing Mortars. All other factions end up paying for their lack of advancement with the blood of their soldiers.
The Complete Faction-Specific Guide to Garrisons:
There are 22 infantry, 8 missile and 4 cavalry militia units. Although at a quick glance most factions appear similar in their progression; a closer look reveals that many units share names, but not abilities. With cities allowing for the free upkeep of militia units, these garrisons become an integral factor to maintaining public order and the security of your cities. Walls, Barracks, Masons' Guilds and Merchants Guilds are your only sources for militia troops. It was thought that a guide would thus be of great use in comparing the various factions abilities to field these units.
Name - Attack/Charge/Defense/Soldiers/Missile Attack (if any) - Abilities - Factions
Walls:
Walls provide the ability to train a minimal garrison. Only Egypt and Russia gain the ability to construct Archer Militia instead of Town Militia. The Italians also field a better form of infantry in their Italian Militia. For details on the units, simply consult the Tier 1 Barracks list.
Town Militia, Byzantine Town Militia, Muslim Town Militia, Eastern European Town Militia, Italian Militia
Archer Militia, Egyptian Archer Militia
Barracks:
Tier 1:
Town Militia - 5/2/7/75 - Bonus in Woods & Snow - English, Scots, Danes, French, Germans, Spanish, Portuguese, Venetians, Milanese, Sicilians
Byzantine Town Militia - 5/2/7/75 - Bonus in Woods - Byzantines
Muslim Town Militia - 5/2/7/60 - Moors, Turks
Eastern European Town Militia - 5/2/4/60 - Bonus in Woods & Snow - Poles, Hungarians
Italian Militia - 7/3/9/75 - Bonus in Woods - Venetians, Milanese, Sicilians
Archer Militia - 2/1/1/60/5 - Flaming Arrows, Vulnerable to Missiles, Bonus in Woods & Snow - Russians
Egyptian Archer Militia - 2/1/1/60/5 - Flaming Arrows, Vulnerable to Missiles - Egyptians
Tier 2:
Spear Militia - 5/2/7/75 - Schiltrom, Bonus Vs. Cavalry, Bonus in Woods & Snow - English, Scots, Danes, French, Germans, Poles, Hungarians, Spanish, Portuguese
Byzantine Spear Militia - 5/2/7/75 - Bonus Vs. Cavalry, Bonus in Woods & Snow - Byzantines
Russian Spear Militia - 5/2/7/75 - Bonus in Woods & Snow - Russians
Muslim Spear Militia - 5/2/7/75 - Bonus Vs. Cavalry - Moors, Turks, Egyptians
Italian Spear Militia - 7/3/13/75 - Schiltrom, Bonus Vs. Cavalry, Bonus in Woods - Venetians, Milanese, Sicilians
Tier 3:
Saracen Militia - 7,3,14,75 - Schiltrom, Bonus Vs. Cavalry - Turks, Egyptians
Scot Pike Militia - 7,2,1,75 - Spearwall, Bonus Vs. Cavalry, Very Long, Vulnerable to Missiles, Bonus in Woods & Snow - Scots
Sword Staff Militia - 7,3,10,60 - Spearwall, Armor Piercing, Very Long, Well Armored, Bonus in Woods & Snow - Danes
Archer Militia - 2,1,1,60,5 - Flaming Arrows, Vulnerable to Missiles, Bonus in Woods & Snow - English
Byzantine Archer Militia - 6,1,3,60,5 - Flaming Arrows, Bonus in Woods - Byzantines
Crossbow Militia - 2,1,1,60,9 - Armor Piercing, Vulnerable to Missiles, Bonus in Woods & Snow - French, Germans, Spanish, Portuguese
Eastern European Crossbow Militia - 6,1,7,60,9 - Armor Piercing, Bonus in Woods & Snow - Russians, Poles
Moors Crossbow Militia - 6,1,8,60,9 - Armor Piercing - Moors
Pavise Crossbow Militia - 6,1,14,60,12 - Armor Piercing, Long Range, Bonus in Woods & Snow - Venetians, Sicilians, Hungarians
Genoese Crossbow Militia - 6,1,15,60,12 - Armor Piercing, Long Range, Good Stamina, Bonus in Woods - Milanese
Tier 4:
Urban Militia - 11,2,18,60 - Moors
Swordsmen Militia - 11,2,18,60 - Bonus in Woods & Snow - Spanish, Portuguese
Bill Militia - 13,4,1,60 - Armor Piercing, Vulnerable to Missiles, Bonus in Woods & Snow - English
Halberd Militia - 5,2,1,60 - Spearwall, Armor Piercing, Very Long, Vulnerable to Missiles, Bonus in Woods & Snow - Germans, Poles, Hungarians
Muslim Halberd Militia - 7,3,8,60 - Armor Piercing - Turks, Egyptians
Heavy Pike Militia - 9,3,11,75 - Spearwall, Bonus Vs. Cavalry, Very Long, Well Armored, Bonus in Woods & Snow - Scots
Voulge Militia - 5,2,6,60 - Spearwall, Armor Piercing, Very Long, Bonus in Woods & Snow - French
Russian Cavalry Militia - 7,3,11,40 - Wedge - Russians
Italian Cavalry Militia - 8,5,15,40 - Wedge, Well Armored - Venetians, Milanese
Tier 5:
Heavy Bill Militia - 15,5,10,60 - Armor Piercing, Well Armored, Bonus in Woods & Snow - English
Pike Militia - 7,2,1,75 - Spearwall, Bonus Vs. Cavalry, Very Long, Vulnerable to Missiles, Bonus in Woods & Snow - French, Germans, Spanish, Portuguese, Venetians, Milanese, Sicilians
Masons' Guild:
The Masons' Guild provides the highest level infantry militia available. For details on the units simply consult the relevant Barracks unit list entry.
Tier 1:
Russian Spear Militia, Muslim Spear Militia, Byzantine Spear Militia, Spear Militia, Italian Spear Militia
Tier 2:
Russian Spear Militia, Urban Militia, Swordsmen Militia, Italian Spear Militia, Muslim Halberd Militia, Bill Militia, Halberd Militia, Heavy Pike Militia, Voulge Militia, Sword Staff Militia
Tier 3:
Urban Militia, Muslim Halberd Militia, Heavy Bill Militia, Pike Militia, Heavy Pike Militia, Sword Staff Militia
Merchants Guild:
The Merchants Guild provides cavalry militia. The Headquarters building boosts the experience of its cavalry militia by 1.
Merchant Cavalry Militia - 6,2,14,40 - Well Armored - English, Scots, Danes, French, Germans, Poles, Hungarians, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian Cavalry Militia - 8,5,15,40 - Wedge, Well Armored - Venetians, Milanese, Sicilians
Byzantine Cavalry Militia - 7,3,10,40 - Byzantines
Russian Cavalry Militia - 7,3,11,40 - Wedge - Russians
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Summary: The Egyptians and Russians both have an advantage due to their Walls producing useful Archer Militia instead of quickly outdated Town Militia. Units with Armor Piercing, Spearwall and Very Long stats all are much more useful than their rivals. Units which combine two of these traits are deadly enough to be used for more than merely winding the porticullis up and down. Thus, factions like the Scots, Danes and French have special advantages here. In the early stages of the game, Archers are more useful due to their ability to defend against Rams and Towers; in the later game however, Crossbowmen are more useful with their Armor Piercing bolts. The Italians and Hungarians thus will be able to defend their settlements well in the later portions of the game. The Italians have another advantage in their militia cavalry. They are the only factions which can produce a unit suitable for more than simply harrying archers or chasing routing foes.
In conclusion, overall the Italian factions have the most useful garrisons, particularly the Milanese. The Danes, Scots and French all have good melee defense units also. Those six factions have the useful option of bolstering their armies with city trained troops, and finding only a marginal drop in effectiveness. The Russians and Egyptians have a boost to their early ability to defend themselves, although this will wear off with time. All other factions are able to build adequate garrison troops, but they should for the most part make sure to keep said troops behind strong walls.
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