M2TW Army Compositions

[Rhyfelwyr]

I've played through four three-and-a-bit campaigns now, and I've been trying to play each faction individually and give each campaign some unique flavour. I've played as Scotland (226 turns), Venice (domination), France (long campaign), and Sicily (still playing). The list below is some of the most effective armies I've developed, just wondering how everyone else fought.

Scotland

Tried to roleplay the Scots by building Gaelic-style Highland armies in the early game based around a Highland charge, and then pike and spear armies later on, with some knights etc.

Early Game:
1x General's Bodyguard
2x Border Horse
5x Highland Nobles
8x Highlanders
4x Peasant / Highland Archers

Mid Game:
1x General's Bodyguard
2x Border Horse
3x Mailed / Feudal Knights
5x Spear Militia
5x Scots Pike Militia
4x Highland Noble Archers

Late Game:
1x General's Bodyguard
2x Border Horse
3x Feudal Knights
4x Dismounted Feudal Knights
4x Noble Pikemen
3x Highland Noble Archers
3x Mercenary Arquibusiers

Venice

I found that my Italian militia armies were deadly in the early game, but after a hundred turns or so I quickly realised that their time was running out after my militia army was defeated heavily by an army of armoured sergeants and dismounted knights. I was roleplaying the city state, so I didn't get a Castle till after that defeat, and only then did I realise what I was missing. Although its a city state, Venice gets some of the best castle infantry in the game. So I soon put these new units to use in my reformed armies.

Early Game:
1x General's Bodyguard
1x Carroccio Standard
2x Mercenary Frankish Knights
12x Italian Spear Militia
4x Pavise Crossbow Militia

Mid Game:
1x General's Bodyguard
1x Carroccio Standard
4x Mailed / Feudal Knights
4x Dismounted Feudal Knights
6x Italian Spear Militia
4x Pavise Crossbow Militia

Late Game:
1x General's Bodyguard
1x Carroccio Standard
2x Stradiots
2x Mounted Crossbowmen
2x Dismounted Feudal Knights
4x Venetian Heavy Infantry
4x Pavise Crossbow Militia
2x Venetian Archers
2x Arquebusiers / Musketeers

France

Tried to roleplay the classic feudal Kingdom by keeping plenty of castles and raising armies with a core of mounted knights with some levy footmen as backup. Enjoyed plenty of success throughout my whole campaign with these armies, although I was held back financially by my expensive knight units and my lack of cities in ratio to my castles.

Early Game:
1x General's Bodyguard
2x Mounted Sergeants
5x Mailed Knights
8x Sergeant Spearmen
2x Peasant Crossbowmen
2x Peasant Archers

Mid Game:
1x General's Bodyguard
2x Mounted Sergeants
5x Feudal Knights
3x Dismounted Feudal Knights
5x Armoured Sergeants
4x Crossbowmen

Late Game:
1x General's Bodyguard
2x French Mounted Archers
5x Chivalric Knights
3x Dismounted Chivalric Knights
3x Armoured Sergeants
2x Pikemen
2x Aventuriers
2x Scots Guard

Sicily

Here I've really been going for a feudal feel, and tried to raise top-notch cavalry armies in the true Norman spirit. I've had some great military success in this campaign, although the costs of maintaining an island empire in patched M2TW has proved really tough, I've had the Portuguese, Spanish, Moors, and even the Papacy (when island taken by Spanish) all going for my islands at Cagliari and Ajaccio. Combined with being attacked by Milanese and French at Milan and Marseille, and a besieging crusader state in Cordoba, I'm really struggling right now. Still, the military side of things have been going pretty well.

Early Game:
1x General's Bodyguard
2x Mounted Sergeants
10x Mailed Knights
4x Italian Spear Militia
4x Muslim Archers

[Shahed]

Well done, that's a good list. I particularly like the variety.

I've posted this in another thread, so I figured I'd copy and paste here as well.
It's nothing big, just a fun setup I like to use for the Moors.

Muwahid Gunpowder Combined Arms Army 1

• 1 Bodyguard.
• 1 Christian Guard.
• 2 Grenadine Jinettes_Heavy Mail.
• 4 Camel Gunners.
• 4 Sudanese Gunners_Padded Armor.
• 4 Handgunners.
• 4 Canon.

DEPLOYMENT


Here's another thread you might find interesting:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=85435

[Rhyfelwyr]

Cheers for the link Sinan, I like that gunpowder Moorish army as well, a fully light / gunpowder army is something I have not tried yet.

Also I'll make some pics to show my deployments, I like to come up with different strategies for each faction.

[Shahed]

My pleasure. Me too, I love doing that, gives a great wargaming feeling. I like doing that even more than playing, most of the time, but I always end up playing (lol). I posted a "challenge" for that army as well, it's not that easy to use against a decent heavy Euro army, but it's great fun. In campaign it's a lot more effective of course, since you generally run into a lot of weaker armies than this.

[Rhyfelwyr]

Yeah I know what you mean, I love reading those descriptions of battles you get in old history books with all the blocks and then wedges for cavalry etc, just thinking about it adds a lot to the immersion when playing for me.

[Shahed]

Hey I found a link to the challenge thread, there's a few good screenshots of deployment and all, in here: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=85758