Arguin Territory

[Skott]

The city of Arguin lies just one territory south of Merrakesh and west of Timbuktu. Boats cant travel there and every time I send a army from Timbuktu its leader always mysteriously dies and/or then the army defects to rebels. I never have messed with the territory before so not sure why this keeps happening. I can only assume the game does this intentionally to keep me from taking the city and territory. Anyone know what the deal is with this city and territory?

[General Zhukov]

Got it before in my Spanish campaign. Just walked in from Timbuktu. The only sad part was that I had had Timb. for 100 turns without knowing anything lie west of it.

[Quillan]

You can't get there by boat until after the event "The World is Round", the one that allows you to start exploring the new world. For some reason, there is a spot over on the western coast of Marrakesh where coastal waters are classed as impassable to all but the ocean-going vessels. The settlement itself also doesn't show on the map until that time. It's possible to get there by land, as the previous posters have said. Just go west from Timbuktu and then swing north once you get near the coast. It's a very long walk, and it's so far out I'm not surprised a captain or disloyal general would revolt along the way. Until that event, the only thing it can trade with is Timbuktu, and they both have identical resources (ivory, gold and slaves) so they only trade common goods. Building markets and such is worthless until the event. Same thing with ports and ships there, however, you would want to have them built by the time the event happens just so you could take advantage of them once it occurs.

In my game, I sent over a 7 loyalty general, 4 Hospitaller knights and 2 mounted crossbows; it's a long enough walk for an all mounted army. Imagine how long it would take slogging along with infantry via LPC. I just hired mercenary Sudanese tribesmen when I got ready to take Timbuktu and again for Arguin, then disbanded them once I had the city taken and adequately garrisonned. It's a good place for merchants, even though you'll wind up losing some finance to the "Loyal to Coin" line of traits.

[Zenicetus]

It's a good secondary target after taking Timbuktu first. Was your general old? Is there a chance he just died of old age? Armies do tend to defect down there if they aren't led by a general.

I sent a general-led half stack on the path west from Timbuktu, curving up at the edge of the impassable desert zone. It's a valuable province. IIRC, there is one gold resource and two ivory down there, and you can build a mine. The sea trade is valuable too, once you build up a port there.

I'm not sure about access by sea. I tried to send a fleet down from Marrakesh to pull the general out, after taking the town (didn't want to do the long march across the desert). I got stuck just south of Marrakesh where a bunch of English, Russian (?) and Sicilian fleets got hung up in a traffic jam, and I couldn't get past. That area is a bottleneck on the map for sea routes, like northern Italy is for land routes. But it should be passable if there's no traffic jam. It doesn't make sense that you couldn't hug the coastline, unless there's a block built into the game, forcing the player to take Arguin the hard way, by land. Can someone confirm this?

(Edit) Ah, okay, Quillin has the scoop. So that's why the other factions' fleets were jammed up there.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Building markets and such is worthless until the event.

These buildings give increased pop growth which really help develop poor areas. By the time "the world is round" event you may have a good port and military close to the new world with a bit of care with building priorities.

[Skott]

I have sent 3 armies with generals and 1 without a general. The first had a older general aged 51 or 52. When he died I figured just old age. The captain and army then deserted. I sent another general in his 30s and he died of natural causes and then the captain and army deserted next turn. Then I sent another army and general in his 20s and he died as well. Then two or three turns later the captian and remaining army also deserted. I then sent in a army with no general and it desrted about halfway to alguin. I can get a spy to Arguin no problem. Military forces however seemed doom to failure for some reason.

All the generals were loyal. In this campaign I'm not taking on any generals that have disloyalty traits. Also the deaths and desertions start 'after' I enter into the Arguin territory from the Timbuktu territory. This is really odd and has me baffled. Either I got a bugged game or there's something built into the game that prevents an army getting to Arguin before 'The World Is Round' episode, which I havent gotten to yet. I'm running the v1.1 patch but I dont know if thats a cause of the problem or not. This is the first campaign (Spanish) I bothered to try for Arguin.

[NightStar]

I just took that village with the Milanese, slogged there with an general in his fifties and took it easily. The damn Moors suprised me and took Timbuktu by sending 3 stacks at it in succession.....so my elderly General is heading back to retake it (no point in keeping him in Arguin)

This is all before "The World is Round" event.

[StoneCold]

Maybe it was a successful assassination attempt by the other factions' assassins? March with a high level spy in the stack and see how it goes?

[sapi]

Try using a cheat to move your general into the territory and see if he dies the next turn...

[Vlad Tzepes]

... All the generals were loyal. In this campaign I'm not taking on any generals that have disloyalty traits. Also the deaths and desertions start 'after' I enter into the Arguin territory from the Timbuktu territory. This is really odd and has me baffled. ...

If your faction leader's authority is low, captains will desert quite often, AFAIK. Happened to me with stacks traveling such short distances as from Insbruck to Venice...

[pevergreen]

I had a seven unit stack of pirates stuck outside Arguin...and that with no Rebel Spawns....Its funny cause they were stuck

[katank]

Even after the world is round event happens though, Arguin still doesn't get any sea trade for me. Kinda weird. Anyone else have this?

[Afonso I of Portugal]

Playing Portugal i took both Timbuktu and Arguin just a few turns ago by bribing. Easy i must say! let me see if i can get good money from Timbuktu's caravan trade routs or Arguin's slave trade.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbuktu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arguin

[baron_Leo]

I took Arguin in my Portugese campign without problems (after World is Round) and it does have sea trade, and it does generate lot's o' money...I don't know what your problem could be. I am using Lands to Conquer mod but don't think that it affects this

[Gorm]

You can't get there by boat until after the event "The World is Round", the one that allows you to start exploring the new world. For some reason, there is a spot over on the western coast of Marrakesh where coastal waters are classed as impassable to all but the ocean-going vessels.

this is historically accurate. until the Portuguese found a way around these treacherous waters it was considered to be the edge of the world.

[Skott]

I havent bothered with it anymore since I lost the 4th army. I got merchants down there around Timbuktu and some on the Arguin side as well. I might try again after the 'World Is Round' phase begins but for now I'm working my way thru France and Turkey, and the Mongols just showed up Near Baghdad. So got alot on my plate just now.

[madchoochter]

I didn't have any problem taking Arguin after Timbuktu except the damn long walk to get there but I sent a holy hit squad a few turns in advance of my army. The area was pretty much Catholic by the time my army set foot in it.

[Ar7]

this is historically accurate. until the Portuguese found a way around these treacherous waters it was considered to be the edge of the world.

Indeed, for a long time it was thought that the Canary Island were the edge of the world and even if there was land passed them, it was considered too hot for people to live there. This was due to the assumption that if you go south it will always get hotter.

The waters were considered too swallow for the ships to pass or too treacherous, don't remember exactly.