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Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Why play as the Hungarians?
3. Units Overview
a) Infantry
b) Ranged Infantry
c) Cavalry
d) Ranged Cavalry
e) Artillery
f) Ships
g) Agents
h) Summary of Units - What to use
4. Starting Provinces
5. Starting Royalty
6. The Hungarian Campaign
a) Starting in the Early Period
b) Starting in the High Period
7. Contact Info
8. Legal Info
9. Version History
1. Introduction
The Hungarians were not playable in the original Medieval Total War, even
though they were still an AI faction. They were introduced as a playable
faction in the expansion, Viking Invasion (there is a way to play as them
in the original Medieval Total War, but there is really no point, as you do
not get any unique units or Glorius Achievements objectives). This guide aims
to answer every question you have about the Hungarian faction, offer a
complete strategy of their campaign, and advise you on which military units
you should be using on that campaign. I decided to write this guide because
I could see that not many (if any) people actually used the Hungarian faction,
in their campaign or otherwise, and I could also see that nobody knew of their
potential if used correctly. I hope you enjoy this thoroughly, and I advise
that you read all other parts before reading the campaign strategy.
2. Why play as the Hungarians?
Now, this is probably a question many people wonder when they see a Hungarian
faction guide, but there are many reasons. They have a potential incomparable
unit roster in the Early Period, which sets them up for the later game. These
are units that few people actually know about, such as the Szekely and Avar
Nobles, and those that are well known but not overated: Steppe Cavalry, Steppe
Heavy Cavalry, and the all of the 'Chivalric' units. Hungarian players also
have a much more rewarding Glorius Achievements mode game. They score one GA
point for every province they conquer, much better than the near-impossible
crusader objectives of other Catholic Factions. Finally, they have a good
starting position, with a lot of potential. Overall the Hungarians really
are a well-rounded and potentially powerful faction, with many interesting
and little known units.
3. Units Overview
This section will look at every unit available to the Hungarians, showing all
stats, and giving a description and rating out of five. It is divided up
into seven sections: Infantry, Ranged Infantry, Cavalry, Ranged Cavalry,
Artillery, Ships, and Agents. These sections are again divided into the
units of each period: Early Period, High Period, and Late Period. All units
are available into the next period unless said otherwise. The ratings should
only be thought of as ratings for the concerned units period, e.g. Feudal
Knights' rating of 4/5 is the rating it gets for the Early Period. This
section also shows full required buildings (and sometimes provinces), for the
units. Other buildings in brackets after the required buildings are the
prerequisites for these buildings. At the end there will be given a general
summary of what units should be used in each age.
a) Infantry
Infantry will form the main line of battle, but that doesn't go to say that
they are the best. They come in the largest unit sizes, and are fairly cheap,
so you'll end up having many of these, supported by better and more expensive
units.
Early Period
------------
Peasants
Unit Size: 100
Cost: 50 Florins
Upkeep: 37 Florins per year at 100 men
Requirements: Fort
Stats:
Charge: 4
Attack: -2
Defence: -4
Armour: 1
Morale: -2
Description: As far as soldiers go, these are hopeless. Their stats are
horrid, and because of their likeliness to rout, they are more often than
not a hindrance than a help. They are, however, quite cheap, and, because
they come in a 100 man unit, their main use comes in stopping rebellions from
erupting.
Rating: 1/5
Urban Militia
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 100 Florins
Upkeep: 30 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Town Watch
Stats:
Charge: 4
Attack: 2
Defence: -1
Armour: 1
Morale: 0
Description: Cheap, fairly reliable infantry. Only a Town Watch is needed to
train these, so they may form your early infantryline. Still, be aware of
their low defence and morale; they should never be used head on by themselves.
Rating: 2/5
Spearmen
Unit Size: 100
Cost: 150 Florins
Upkeep: 50 Florins per year at 100 men
Requirements: Fort, Spearmaker (Town Watch)
Stats:
Charge: 5
Attack: -1
Defense: -1
Armour: 1
Morale: 0
*Defense Bonus Vs. Cavalry*
Description: Better than Urban Militia, purely for their 100 man unit. Only
better than above mentioned in Charge, worse in attack. Until you can upgrade
to Armoured Spearmen (see below), these should form your main infantry line.
Rating: 2.5/5
Militia Sergeants
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 150 Florins
Upkeep: 30 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Town Guard (Town Watch, Keep)
Stats:
Charge: 4
Attack: 2
Defense: 3
Armour: 3
Morale: 0
*Attack bonus Vs. Armoured Troops*
Description: Good, solid, secondary infantry with an attack bonus against
armoured opponents. They are quite reliable and do not need a great deal of
technology to be trained. Still prone to routing, and only come in a 60 man
unit.
Rating: 3.5/5
Feudal Sergeants
Unit Size: 100
Cost: 200 Florins
Upkeep: 62 Florins per year at 100 men
Requirements: Fort, Spearmaker's Workshop (Spearmaker, Keep)
Stats:
Charge: 5
Attack: 0
Defense: -1
Armour: 1
Morale: 2
*Defence bonus Vs. Cavalry*
Description: These will form the main infantry line of most Catholic factions
in Middle-Late Early Period, but probably not yours. Armoured Spearmen are
recommended (see below), but if you are looking for better Morale and a little
more attack you can use these.
Rating: 3.5/5
Armoured Spearmen
Unit Size: 100
Cost: 250 Florins
Upkeep: 50 Florins per year at 100 men
Requirements: Fort, Spearmaker's Workshop (Spearmaker, Keep)
Stats:
Charge: 5
Attack: -1
Defense: 2
Armour: 3
Morale: 0
*Defense bonus Vs. Cavalry*
Description: These should definately be your main (and possibly only) infantry
in the Early Period. 100 man unit, good defences; these are the best spearmen
available. Don't use them on the offensive despite their strong charge.
Rating: 4/5
Slav Warriors
Unit Size: 100
Cost: 100 Florins
Upkeep: 37 Florins per year at 100 men
Requirements: Fort *Can only be trained in the Provinces of Prussia,
Pomerania, Poland, Silesia, Bohemia, Lithuania, Smolensk, Chernigov, Muscovy,
Moldavia, Volhynia, Kiev, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria*
Stats:
Charge: 5
Attack: 0
Defense: -2
Armour: 1
Morale: 0
Description: You'll find early on that you'll be able to train these in most
of your provinces. They are nothing special, but they are better than
peasants, and need only a Fort.
Rating: 2/5
Feudal Men-at-Arms
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 175 Florins
Upkeep: 45 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Swordsmith (Spearmaker, Keep)
Stats:
Charge: 3
Attack: 3
Defense: 2
Armour: 3
Morale: 2
Description: A great all-rounder. Similar to Militia Sergeants, but with more
much needed morale. If you are more inclined to use infantry, a line of
Armoured Spearmen backed-up with these is the best you can get.
Rating: 4/5
Woodsmen
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 75 Florins
Upkeep: 22 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort *Can only be trained in the provinces of Livonia,
Lithuania, Norway, Novgorod, Poland, Sweden, Silesia, Volhynia*
Stats:
Charge: 8
Attack: 1
Defense: -1
Armour: 2
Morale: -2
Description: Cheap, secondary infantry. They have an irresistible charge,
but horrible defence and morale, so it is clear that these should be used only
for flanking an enemy, never attacking full-on. For that purpose they are
quite good, but their morale still lets them down.
Rating: 3/5
High Period
-----------
Chivalric Sergeants
Unit Size: 100
Cost: 300 Florins
Upkeep: 62 Florins per year at 100 men
Requirements: Fort, Spearmaker's Guild (Spearmaker's Workshop, Castle)
Stats:
Charge: 5
Attack: -1
Defense: 3
Armour: 3
Morale: 0
*Defence bonus Vs. Cavalry*
Description: These should form your main infantry-line from the start of the
High period until the end of your campaign. Good Defense, Armoured, 100 man
unit, Good Charge. Morale is the only problem here.
Rating: 4/5
Chivalric Men-at-Arms
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 250 Florins
Upkeep: 52 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Swordsmith's Workshop (Swordsmith, Castle)
Stats:
Charge: 3
Attack: 4
Defense: 3
Armour: 4
Morale: 4
Description: Chivalric Men-at-Arms will instantly become your offensive
infantry from the year 1205. Great, balanced stats, and they don't break the
bank. Stock up on these.
Rating. 4.5/5
Halberdiers
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 300 Florins
Upkeep: 45 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Town Militia (Citadel, Town Guard)
Stats:
Charge: 2
Attack: 1
Defense: 6
Armour: 5
Morale: 0
*Attack bonus Vs. Armoured Troops*
*Attack bonus Vs. Cavalry*
Description: As you can see, they have whopping Defense and Armour, and,
attack bonuses against both Cavalry and Armoured troops. They eat up Mongol
Heavy Cavalry completely. Only downside is their morale and high
requirements.
Rating: 4/5
Late Period
-----------
Pikemen
Unit Size: 100
Cost: 250 Florins
Upkeep: 62 Florins per year at 100 men
Requirements: Fort, County Militia (Town Militia, Fortress)
Stats:
Charge: 4
Attack: 1
Defense: -1
Armour: 1
Morale: 2
Description: Their stats make them appear as if they are an Early Period unit,
but they are misleading. Pikemen can fight several ranks deep, so you could
well have all of your Pikemen fighting at once. They also come in a 100 man
unit, which is very useful. If you don't have the technology for these I
wouldn't recommend them; you might as well go with the Chivalric Sergeants.
Rating: 3.5/5
b) Ranged Infantry
These are great supporting units for other Infantry, offering a cover of
constant fire, which doesn't give the opponent much time to think and act. You
should definately start upgrading your bowyers to get the crossbow and
arbalest units in the High Period.
Early Period
------------
Jobbagy - *Hungarian Unique Unit*
Type: Javelinmen (Short Range)
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 150 Florins
Upkeep: 22 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort
Stats:
Charge: 4
Attack: -1
Defence: 0
Armour: 2
Morale: 0
Ammo: 4
Description: The first Hungarian Unique unit you'll be able to use, these need
only a Fort. They are not that useful as a ranged unit or as light infantry,
but at least they are better than peasants in combat.
Rating: 2/5
Slav Javelinmen
Type: Javelinmen (Short Range)
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 125 Florins
Upkeep: 22 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Spearmaker (Town Watch) *Can only be trained in the
Provinces of Prussia, Pomerania, Poland, Silesia, Bohemia, Lithuania,
Smolensk, Chernigov, Muscovy, Moldavia, Volhynia, Kiev, Croatia, Serbia,
Bulgaria*
Stats:
Charge: 1
Attack: 0
Defence: -2
Armour: 1
Morale: 0
Ammo: 4
Description: Worse than Jobbagy (see above), and need more buildings, not to
mention provinces. Horrible.
Rating: 1/5
Archers
Type: Foot Archer
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 225 Florins
Upkeep: 37 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Bowyer (Town Watch)
Stats:
Charge: 1
Attack: -1
Defence: -2
Armour: 1
Morale: -1
Ammo: 28
Description: Good ranged unit, although Hungarians seem to favour horse
archers. Archers have 7 times the ammo of a javelinman.
Rating: 3/5
Bulgarian Brigands
Type: Light Infantry
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 300 Florins
Upkeep: 30 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Master Bowyer (Bowyer's Guild, Citadel)
Stats:
Charge: 1
Attack: 2
Defence: 0
Armour: 2
Morale: 0
Ammo: 28
Description: While these are very good units, they need many expensive
buildings just so you can train them. They can act as a good light infantry,
but the requirements are too steep: by the time you get them they'll probably
be rendered obsolete.
Rating: 2.5/5
High Period
-----------
Crossbowmen
Type: Crossbowmen (Can't Fire in Rain)
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 200 Florins
Upkeep: 22 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Bowyer's Workshop (Bowyer, Keep)
Stats:
Charge: 1
Attack: -1
Defence: 2
Armour: 3
Morale: 0
Ammo: 28
*Short Range*
Description: The first crossbowmen type unit you can use, these are different
to the Archers of the Early Period. They can shoot only over a short range,
and can't fire at all in rain, so although they are powerful, they can
sometimes be unreliable.
Rating: 3.5/5
Pavise Crossbowmen
Type: Crossbowmen (Can't Fire in Rain)
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 225 Florins
Upkeep: 22 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Bowyer's Guild (Bowyer's Workshop, Castle)
Stats:
Charge: 1
Attack: -1
Defence: 2
Armour: 3
Morale: 0
Ammo: 28
*Pavise Protects from Missiles*
*Short Range*
Description: These are the same as Crossbowmen (see above), except they carry
a Pavise, which means they cannot be hit by missiles. This also makes them
move a little slower, and they are a little more expensive, so you may want
to go for the more mobile, cheaper version on attack, and keep these for
defense. They also need an extra bowyer upgrade in order to be trained.
Either way they are superb units.
Rating: 3.5/5
Arbalester
Type: Arbalester (Slow rate of Fire)
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 275 Florins
Upkeep: 22 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Bowyer's Guild (Bowyer's Workshop, Castle)
Stats:
Charge: 1
Attack: -1
Defence: 2
Armour: 3
Morale: 0
Ammo: 28
*Missiles very good Vs. Armoured units*
Description: The best ranged infantry unit before gunpowder, Arbalesters have
a greater range than crossbowmen, but a slower rate of fire. Still, they are
fairly accurate and their missiles do mass damage to armoured units.
Rating: 4/5
Pavise Arbalester
Type: Arbalester (Slow Rate of Fire)
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 300 Florins
Upkeep: 22 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Master Bowyer (Bowyer's Guild, Citadel)
Description: These are the same as Arbalesters (see above), except they carry
a Pavise, which means they cannot be hit by missiles. This also makes them
move a little slower, and they are a little more expensive, so you may want
to go for the more mobile, cheaper version on attack, and keep these for
defense. They also need an extra bowyer upgrade in order to be trained.
Either way they are superb units.
Rating: 4/5
Stats:
Charge: 1
Attack: -1
Defence: 2
Armour: 3
Morale: 0
Ammo: 28
*Pavise Protects from Missiles*
*Slow Moving*
Handgunner
Type: Handgunner
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 200 Florins
Upkeep: 30 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Gunsmith's Workshop (Gunsmith, Gunpowder)
Stats:
Charge: 1
Attack: 1
Defence: 3
Armour: 4
Morale: 4
Ammo: 10
*Weapons cause fear*
*Can't Fire in Rain*
Description: The First gunpowder ranged infantry unit at your disposal, the
Handgunner is not a reliable unit. Stay with the Arbalesters, these are no
better.
Rating: 2.5/5
Arquebusier
Type: Arquebusier (Accurate)
Unit Size: 60
Cost: 175 Florins
Upkeep: 22 Florins per year at 60 men
Requirements: Fort, Gunsmith's Guild (Gunsmith's Workshop, Gunpowder)
Stats:
Charge: 1
Attack: -1
Defence: 3
Armour: 4
Morale: 0
Ammo: 10
Description: These are the only useful gun units at your disposal. Even then,
they are only marginly better than arbalesters, who you will be able to use far
before these and have the tech for more easily.
Rating: 3.5/5
c) Cavalry
I tend to think that Cavalry should be the back-bone of a Hungarian player's
army, especially in the Early Period. There are many good units here that
require little buildings and upgrades, and can be relied on to turn the
tide of battle.
Early Period
------------
Horsemen
Type: Medium
Unit Size: 40
Cost: 175 Florins
Upkeep:
Requirements: Fort, Horse Farmer (Farmland 20%)
Stats:
Charge: 6
Attack: 3
Defence: 0
Armour: 2
Morale: 4
Description: For a so-called foot soldier on a horse, these are great. They
need only a Horse Farmer, so you can start building them in the very first
turn of your campaign. Well-rounded stats, most notably the morale, which is
unfortunately lacking in many units of the Early Period. Can only be trained
in the Early Period.
Rating: 3.5/5
Mounted Sergeants
Type: Medium
Unit Size: 40
Cost: 175 Florins
Upkeep: 50 Florins per year at 40 men
Requirements: Fort, Horse Breeder (Horse Farmer), Spearmaker's Workshop
(Spearmaker, Keep)
Stats:
Charge: 8
Attack: 2
Defence: 2
Armour: 3
Morale: 2
Description: This is the standard horseman of other Catholic Factions. The
problem with them is that you need to build a Keep for the requirements,
which takes a lot of time and money. Useful unit, but you might as well go
with the Horsemen.
Rating: 3/5
Royal Knights (Early)
Type: Heavy
Unit Size: 20
Cost: 325 Florins
Upkeep: 62 Florins per year at 20 men
Requirements: Fort, Royal Court (Royal Palace, Keep)
Stats:
Charge: 8
Attack: 4
Defence: 3
Armour: 4
Morale: 8
Description: Your King and Princes are made up of these units, so you will be
getting quite a lot of these for free. They have the same stats as Feudal
Knights (see below), but have half the unit size and so are more expensive.
They do not need many buildings to train, so feel free to train these if you
have large sums of money.
Rating: 4/5
Feudal Knights
Type: Heavy
Unit Size: 40
Cost: 425 Florins
Upkeep: 105 Florins per year at 40 men
Requirements: Fort, Royal Estate (Royal Court, Castle), Armourer's Workshop
(Armourer, Castle), Horse Breeder (Horse Farmer)
Stats:
Charge: 8
Attack: 4
Defence: 3
Armour: 4
Morale: 8
Description: These are probably the best cavalry units that most Catholic
factions will train in the Early Period, and they are, except they need a lot
of buildings which cost a lot of money just so you can train them. In the
long run they are cheaper than Royal Knights, as they have double the unit
size, and they set you up for Chivalric Knights in the High Period.
Rating: 4/5
Avar Nobles
Type: Heavy
Unit Size: 40
Cost: 425 Florins
Upkeep: 60 Florins per year at 40 men
Requirements: Fort, Horse Breeder (Horse Farmer), Armourer (Spearmaker, Keep)
*Can only be trained in the province of Moldavia*
Stats:
Charge: 6
Attack: 3
Defence: 5
Armour: 7
Morale: 4
Description: These are my favourite units in the entire game. They have very
low requirements for a unit of their kind, and are very, very reliable. These
should form the bulk of your army. Unfortunately, you can only train these in
the Early Period.
Rating: 4.5/5
Steppe Cavalry
Type: Light
Unit Size: 40
Cost: 150 Florins
Upkeep: 40 Florins per year at 40 men
Requirements: Fort, Horse Farmer (Farmland 20%) *Can only be trained in the
provinces of Muscovy, Volga-Bulgaria, Khazar, Pereyaslavl, Chernigov, Ryazan,
Kiev*
Stats:
Charge: 6
Attack: 2
Defence: 1
Armour: 3
Morale: 0
*Fast*
Description: Great Light Cavalry, perfect for pursuing Horse Archers or
capturing routing units. Cheap, and can be trained in many neighbouring
provinces. Can't really hold their own against heavier units, though.
Rating: 3.5/5
High Period
-----------
Royal Knights (High)
Type: Heavy
Unit Size: 20
Cost: 525 Florins
Upkeep: 62 Florins per yeat at 20 men
Requirements: Fort, Royal Court (Royal Palace, Keep)
Stats:
Charge: 8
Attack: 5
Defence: 5
Armour: 7
Morale: 8
Description: These are the upgraded High Period version of the Early Period
Royal Knights. Your King and all of your heirs will be upgraded, but your
other Royal Knights will not. These have the same stats as Chivalric Knights
(see below), but only come in a 20 man unit, so are costly. The need little
technology in order to train them, however. They are very, heavy cavalry, and
very reliable, but be careful with them, as they have only 20 men.
Rating: 4/5
Chivalric Knights
Type: Heavy
Unit Size: 40
Cost: 675 Florins
Upkeep: 85 Florins per year at 40 men
Requirements: Fort, Baronial Court (Royal Estate, Citadel), Amourer's Guild
(Armourer's Workshop, Citadel), Horse Breeder's Guild (Horse Breeder)
Stats:
Charge: 8
Attack: 5
Defence: 5
Armour: 7
Morale: 8
Description: The best new cavalry unit of the High Period. Great stats, and
double the man-power of Royal Knights. High technology, but worth it.
Rating: 4/5
Lithuanian Cavalry
Type: Heavy
Unit Size: 40
Cost: 225 Florins
Upkeep: 50 Florins per year at 40 men
Requirements: Fort, Master Horse Breeder (Horse Breeder's Guild), Armourer's
Guild (Armourer's Workshop, Fortress), Swordsmith's Guild (Swordsmith's
Workshop, Fortress) *Can only be trained in the Provinces of Lithuania,
Livonia, Volhynia*
StatS:
Charge: 6
Attack: 2
Defence: 3
Armour: 4
Morale: 2
Description: Now, I could accept somebody using these if they appeared in the
Early Period, and if their requirements were significantly lower, but these
are absolutely pointless. Poor stats for High Period, and more expensive
requirements than Chivalric Knights. And you can only build them in three
remote provinces. These are duds. More worthless than peasants in their
age. The only use I can see for them is bribing the generals of them in
Lithuania and Livonia. Even then, you will be jipped.
Rating: 0.5/5
Late Period
-----------
Royal Knights (Late)
Type: Heavy
Unit Size: 20
Cost: 650 Florins
Upkeep: 62 Florins per year at 20 men
Requirements: Fort, Royal Court (Royal Palace, Keep)
Stats:
Charge: 8
Attack: 5
Defence: 7
Armour: 9
Morale: 8
Description: The last upgrade for Royal Knights, these are the last kind of
Knight you will be able to train (no Gothic Knights). They are incredible
units, but if you find the prices too steep, stick with the Chivalric Knights.
Rating: 4/5
d) Ranged Cavalry
These represent the tactics used by Eastern European soldiers, and should
definitely be used by a Hungarian player. These work a bit different to the
Infantry versions, but they are still used to disrupt enemy lines and to
generally annoy the opponent.
Early Period
------------
Horse Archers
Type: Light
Unit Size: 40
Cost: 250 Florins
Upkeep: 40 Florins per year at 40 men
Requirements: Fort, Horse Farmer (Farmland 20%)
Stats:
Charge: 2
Attack: -1
Defence: 0
Armour: 2
Morale: -1
Ammo: 28
*Fast*
Description: Fast and Light, these are good for peppering enemy units and
luring them into traps. Bad stats though, and clearly overshadowed by
Szekely. Stick with them: they are only four turns away.
Rating: 2.5/5
Mounted Crossbowmen
Type: Light
Unit Size: 40
Cost: 300 Florins
Upkeep: 50 Florins per year at 40 men
Requirements: Fort, Horse Breeder (Horse Farmer)
Stats:
Charge: 2
Attack: 0
Defence: 2
Armour: 3
Morale: 2
Ammo: 28
*Fast*
*Slow Rate of Fire*
Description: You wouldn't think it would take over a hundred years for mounted
crossbowmen to realise that they can dismount their horses so that you might
be able to train infantry crossbowmen, but maybe that's just me. These are
similar to Horse Archers, but with much better stats. Unfortunately, their
slow rate of fire kind of defeats the whole purpose of a ranged cavalry unit.
Rating: 2.5/5
Szekely - *Hungarian Unique Unit*
Type: Medium
Unit Size: 40
Cost: 375 Florins
Upkeep: 50 Florins per year at 40 men
Requirements: Fort, Horse Breeder (Horse Farmer) *Can only be trained in the
provinces of Hungary, Volhynia, Moldavia*
Stats:
Charge: 4
Attack: 3
Defence: 1
Armour: 3
Morale: 4
Ammo: 28
Description: These are the second kind of Hungarian unique unit. They are
Horse Archers, and, at a pinch, Medium Cavalry. They do their job well, and
need only little technology for training.
Rating: 3.5/5
Steppe Heavy Cavalry
Type: Medium
Unit Size: 40
Cost: 450 Florins
Upkeep: 45 Florins per year at 40 men
Requirements: Fort, Horse Breeder's Guild (Horse Breeder), Armourer
(Spearmaker, Keep) *Can only be trained in the provinces of Muscovy,
Volga-Bulgaria, Khazar, Pereyaslavl, Chernigov, Ryazan, Kiev*
Stats:
Charge: 2
Attack: 3
Defence: 4
Armour: 5
Morale: 4
Ammo: 28
Description: These are probably the best Horse Archers are available to you,
and even then only a little better than the Szekely. You need to have one of
the Steppe Provinces, too, so if you are expanding in the other direction you
will probably never use them. Still great as both a Horse Archer and a Medium
Cavalryman. Doesn't need too many buildings, but more than Szekely.
Rating: 3.5/5
e) Artillery
Early Period
------------
Ballista Crew
Unit Size: 8
Cost: 175 Florins
Upkeep: 10 Florins per year at 8 men
Requirements: Fort, Siege Engineer (Bowyer)
Construction Time: 2 Years
Ammo: 40
Catapult Crew
Unit Size: 10
Cost: 225 Florins
Upkeep: 12 Florins per year at 10 men
Requirements: Fort, Siege Engineer's Workshop (Siege Engineer, Keep)
Construction Time: 2 Years
Ammo: 30
Mangonel
Unit Size: 24
Cost: 525 Florins
Upkeep: 30 Florins per year at 24 men
Requirements: Fort, Master Siege Engineer (Siege Engineer's Guild, Citadel)
Construction Time: 2 Years
Ammo: 25
High Period
-----------
Trebuchet Crew
Unit Size: 20
Cost: 350 Florins
Upkeep: 25 Florins per yeat at 20 men
Requirements: Fort, Siege Engineer's Guild (Siege Engineer's Workshop, Castle)
Construction Time: 2 Years
Ammo: 25
Bombard Crew
Unit Size: 18
Cost: 275 Florins
Upkeep: 22 Florins per year at 18 men
Requirements: Fort, Bell Foundry (Gunpowder, Castle)
Construction Time: 2 Years
Ammo: 25
Demi-Culverin Crew
Unit Size: 12
Cost: 325
Upkeep: 15 Florins per year at 12 men
Requirements: Fort, Bell Foundry (Gunpowder, Citadel)
Construction Time: 3 Years
Ammo: 25
Culverin Crew
Unit Size: 14
Cost: 550
Upkeep: 17 Florins per year at 14 men
Requirements: Fort, Master Foundry (Gunpowder, Fortress)
Construction Time: 3 Years
Ammo: 25
Serpentine Crew
Unit Size: 12
Cost: 325 Florins
Upkeep: 15 Florins per year at 12 men
Requirements: Fort, Master Foundry (Gunpowder, Fortress, Cannon Foundry),
Gunsmith's Guild (Gunpowder, Gunsmith's Workshop)
Construction Time: 3 Years
Ammo: 40
Organgun Crew
Unit Size: 8
Cost: 275 Florins
Upkeep: 5 Florins per year at 8 men
Requirements: Fort, Master Foundry (Gunpowder, Fortress, Cannon Foundry),
Gunsmith's Guild (Gunpowder, Gunsmith's Workshop)
Construction Time: 2 Years
Ammo: 5
f) Ships
Naval domination is a key in any campaign; build many of these.
Early Period
------------
Barque
Type: Coastal Waters
Cost: 700 Florins
Upkeep: 20 Florins per year
Requirements: Fort, Shipwright (Port, Keep)
Construction Time: 3 Years
Stats:
Attack: 1
Defence: 2
Speed: 3
Strength: 0
High Period
-----------
Caravel
Type: Deep Sea
Cost: 900 Florins
Upkeep: 12 Florins per year
Requirements: Fort, Shipyard (Shipwright, Keep)
Construction Time: 3 Years
Stats:
Attack: 3
Defence: 3
Speed: 1
Strength: 0
Cog
Type: Deep Sea
Cost: 1000 Florins
Upkeep: 20 Florins per year
Requirements: Fort, Shipbuilder's Guild (Shipyard, Compass, Citadel, Cannon
Foundry), Cannon Foundry (Gunpowder, Bell Foundry, Citadel)
Construction Time: 4 Years
Stats:
Attack: 4
Defence: 2
Speed: 2
Strength: 0
Carrack
Type: Deep Sea
Cost: 1500 Florins
Upkeep: 16 Florins per year
Requirements: Fort, Master Shipbuilder (Shipbuilder's Guild, Compass,
Citadel), Master Foundry (Cannon Foundry, Gunpowder, Fortress)
Construction Time: 4 Years
Stats:
Attack: 6
Defence: 3
Speed: 3
Strength: 0
g) Agents
Agents cannot be used in battle in any way. Instead, they are used for things
in the campaign, to do with diplomacy, and religion. Nevertheless, they are
still useful and sometimes essential. You can conquer Europe without ever
waging war.
Early Period
------------
Emissary
Cost: 100 Florins
Requirements: Fort, Royal Palace
Purpose: Emissaries are used to ask for alliances/ceasefires with other
factions (through marriage or by dragging them onto the other faction's
king/emmisary). They can also be used to bribe enemy armies (by dragging onto
them).
Assassin
Cost: 200 Florins
Requirements: Fort, Tavern (Keep) *Gain +1, +2, +3 valour when trained in
provinces that have an Alehouse, Drinking Den, Rookery respectively*
Purpose: Assassins can be used to assassinate enemy (or your own, unloyal)
generals. In this fashion you can eliminate an enemy faction by murdering
all of the king's heirs, and the king himself. The chance that the Assassin
will succeed in his mission depends on how much valour the assassin has.
Spy
Cost: 100 Florins
Requirements: Fort, Brothel (Tavern, Keep) *Gain +1, +2 valour when trained
in provinces that have a Stew, Bawdyhouse respectively*
Purpose: Spies can be used to reveal general's secret vices to the population,
which causes rebellions. Just their prescence causes rebellions, also, so
if you have 5-10 spies in an enemy province, they are sure to rebel.
Catholic Bishop
Cost: 100 Florins
Requirements: Fort, Church (Keep)
Purpose: Catholic Bishops raise the percentage of followers to Catholicism in
a province, over time.
Cardinal
Cost: 150 Florins
Requirements: Fort, Cathedral (Church, Citadel)
Purpose: Cardinals are simply upgraded Bishops, who raise the number of
followers of Catholicism at a faster rate.
Inquisitor
Cost: 200 Florins
Requirements: Fort, Monastery (Church, Castle)
Purpose: Inquisitors cause inquisitions in the province, lowering chance of
rebellion and raising zeal, but when the inquisition gets out of control, the
affects are reversed. They can also be used on general to judge them as
heretics (like assassins).
Grand Inquisitor
Cost: 300 Florins
Requirements: Fort, Reliquary (Church, Monastey, Citadel)
Purpose: Grand Inquisitors are super inquisitors who raise the zeal sky high
but also kill many people while doing so.
Princess
Requirements: Can only be used when they have come of age.
Purpose: Works like an Emissary, but marries into the other Factions, meaning
that if they are destroyed and some rebel provinces are left, you have claim
to them.
h) Summary of Units - What to use
This section will give the verdict on which units to use in each age.
Early Period
------------
In the Early Period, your army will be very cavalry heavy. You should start
the game by training a few horsemen as your melee cavalry, and then, when
technology permits, start the training of Szekely. Combine this with some
spearmen as infantrymen to give your army some stability (and upgrade to
armoured spearmen when able). After you have captured the province of
Moldavia, tech up and start the training of Avar Nobles, who will be your best
unit for the rest of the Early Period. Train as many of these as you can.
After further conquests, you may also want to add some Steppe Cavalry or
Steppe Heavy Cavalry as light and medium horse archers respectively (Steppe
Heavies are better than Szekely, but have more requirements).
In Further Summary:
Early Game:
Horsemen
Szekely
Spearmen
Middle Game:
Szekely
Avar Nobles
Armoured Spearmen
Late Game:
Avar Nobles (possibly Feudal Knights instead if your technology permits)
Steppe Heavy Cavalry
Armoured Spearmen
Steppe Cavalry
High Period
-----------
In contrast with the Early Period, your High Period armies will become the
complete opposite; instead of Cavalry Heavy armies, you will have Infantry
Heavy armies. You will no longer be able to train Avar Nobles and Horsemen,
and your Horse Archers will be somewhat outclassed by crossbowmen. In
addition to that, there are two new powerful infantry units in the High
Period: Chivalric Sergeants and Chivalric Men-at-Arms. The Sergeants
should form the bulk of your armies, while the Men-at-Arms should support them
with more offensive strategies. You may also want to add crossbowmen to your
armies, to counter the new armour types in the High Period (and upgrade to
Arbalesters when possible). Also, there are Halberdiers: extremely heavy
infantry equipped with polearms and attack bonuses to cavalry and armoured
units. It would be advisable that you add these to your army when the
technology allows, especially when fighting the Golden Horde. The best
cavalry unit in the High Period is by far the Chivalric Knights, even though
they have extremely steep requirements. Until you can train them, use your
royal knights as cavalry support: they have the same stats as Chivalric
Knights but have half the unit size and are more expensive (still, you get
some for free with your nobility).
In Further Summary:
Early Game:
Chivalric Sergeants
Chivalric Men-at-Arms
Crossbowmen
Royal Knights (Chivalric Knights if you have the technology)
Middle Game:
Chivalric Sergeants
Chivalric Men-at-Arms
Arbalesters
Halberdiers
Royal Knights (Chivalric Knights if you have the technology)
Late Game:
Chivalric Sergeants
Chivalric Men-at-Arms
Arbalesters
Halberdiers
Chivalric Knights
4. Starting Provinces
This Section will show the Provinces you start with, in all Periods. It will
also show all buildings and units in these provinces, and what the title of
office grants the governer of these provinces.
Early Period
------------
Province: Hungary
Buildings: Fort + Motte + Bailey, Town Watch, Horse Farmer
Units: 3 units of 40 Horse Archers, 1 unit of 100 Peasants, 1 Emissary, 1
Princess (Princess Sara)
Title of Office: +2 Loyalty
Province: Carpathia
Buildings: None
Units: 1 unit of 40 Horse Archers, 1`unit of 100 Peasants
Title of Office: +1 Loyalty, +2 Dread
Province: Croatia
Buildings: None
Units: 1 unit of 40 Horse Archers, 1 unit of 100 Peasants, 1 unit of 21
Royal Knights (King)
Title of Office: +1 Loyalty
High Period
-----------
Province: Hungary
Buildings: Castle, Improved Farmland 60%, Horse Breeder's Guild, Armourer,
Town Militia, Bowyer's Guild, Spearmaker's Guild, Royal Palace
Units: 1 unit of 40 Mounted Sergeants, 1 unit of 40 Mounted Crossbowmen, 1
unit of 100 Spearmen, 1 unit of 21 Royal Knights (King), 1 Emissary, 1
Princess (Princess Caterina)
Title of Office: +2 Loyalty
Province: Carpathia
Buildings: None
Units: 1 unit of 40 Mounted Crossbowmen, 2 units of 100 Peasants
Title of Office: +1 Loyalty +2 Dread
Province: Croatia
Buildings: Watch Towers
Units: 1 unit of 40 Mounted Crossbowmen, 1 unit of 100 Peasants
Title of Office: +1 Loyalty
Late Period
-----------
Province: Hungary
Buildings: Citadel, Border Fort, Armourer's Guild, Bowyer's Guild, Horse
Breeder's Guild, Improved Farmland 60%, Royal Palace, Spearmaker's Guild,
Town Militia, Baronial Court, Swordsmith's Workshop, Metalsmith, Gunsmith's
Guild, Church
Units: 1 unit of 40 Chivalric Knights, 1 unit of 40 Mounted Crossbowmen, 1
unit of 60 Handgunners, 1 unit of 21 Royal Knights (King), 1 Emissary, 1
Princess (Princess Borbala)
Title of Office: +2 Loyalty
Province: Carpathia
Buildings: Castle, Border Fort, Church, Town Watch, Improved Farmland 20%,
Horse Farmer
Units: 1 unit of 60 Chivalric Men-at-Arms, 1 unit of 60 Crossbowmen, 1 unit of
100 Peasants
Title of Office: +1 Loyalty +2 Dread
Province: Croatia
Buildings: Keep, Watch Towers, Port, Town Watch, Church
Units: 1 unit of 60 Chivalric Men-at-Arms, 1 unit of 40 Mounted Crossbowmen,
1 unit of 100 Peasants
Title of Office: +1 Loyalty
5. Starting Royalty
This section will show how your Royal Family looks when you start in either
the Early, High, or Late Period. All stats are displayed.
Early Period
------------
King:
King Lazlo I
Age: 26
Married: Yes
Valour: 1
Influence:
Easy: 6
Normal: 4
Hard: 4
Expert: 4
Piety: 9 (Full)
Dread: 4
Command: 3
Acumen: 4
Location: Croatia
Vices and Virtues:
Truly Pious: +4 Piety
Princes:
Prince Lazlo
Age: 12 (Underage)
Prince Bela
Age: 8 (Underage)
Princesses:
Princess Sara
Age: 15
Valour: 0
Location: Hungary
Princess Zsofia
Age: 4 (Underage)
High Period
-----------
King:
King Andras II
Age: 39
Married: Yes
Valour: 2
Influence:
Easy: 6
Normal: 4
Hard: 4
Expert: 4
Piety: 3
Dread: 4
Command: 3
Acumen: 3
Location: Hungary
Vices and Virtues:
Skilled Defender: +1 Command when in own provinces
Princes:
Prince Andras
Age: 13 (Underage)
Prince Lazlo
Age: 7 (Underage)
Princesses:
Princess Caterina
Age: 19
Valour: 0
Location: Hungary
Princess Jozsa
Age: 8 (Underage)
Late Period
-----------
King:
King Karoly I
Age: 39
Married: Yes
Valour: 2
Influence:
Easy: 6
Normal: 4
Hard: 4
Expert: 4
Piety: 3
Dread: 3
Command: 3
Acumen: 5
Location: Hungary
Vices and Virtues:
Expert Defender: +2 Command when in own provinces
Princes:
Prince Karoly
Age: 13 (Underage)
Prince Andras
Age: 7 (Underage)
Princesses:
Princess Borbala
Age: 18
Valour: 0
Location: Hungary
Princess Sarolt
Age: 12 (Underage)
6. The Hungarian Campaign
This section will cover the whole campaign as the Hungarians. It mainly
covers the Early Period, because it is the most crucial period of the game,
and sets you up for what you want to do later on in the game. Bare in mind
that, even though it appears so, this is not supposed to be a 'walkthrough'.
It is really just a guideline of what you should be aiming for, and each step
in the guide should be considered suggestions for your campaign: remember,
nothing as such is needed to be done in this game; you can rule your empire
however you want, this guide is really just that: something that guides your
decisions, and gives you examples of what you could do with your empire. I
will start slowly with specific moves and the like, but I will eventually be
giving general suggestions.
Game Modes
There are two different game modes for the campaign (even though one of them
encomposes both). They are 'Attain victory by conquering all provinces', and
'Attain victory through Glorius Achievements'. I highly recommend the Glorius
Achievements mode, as it is more fun and shows that you are accomplishing
something. Glorius Achievements for Hungarians may appear boring and bland at
first glance, but it really is balanced with the other factions. While the
Hungarians have only the objectives of Homelands (Hungary, Carpathia, Croatia)
and Conquest, Conquest is a lot easier than other factions, who appear to be
able to score more points. For Hungarians, one point is scored for every
single province, but in other factions they have to capture four or five
provinces just to get one conquest point. In the end it is completely
balanced. If you are up to a challenge then try the conquering all provinces
one, as Glorius Achievements for the Hungarians is Insanely Easy on the Easy
Difficulty. I suggest using the normal difficulty with Glorius Achievements
for semi-experienced players, and Hard on either mode for veterans. Expert
Mode should only be attempted by the most experienced players. That being
said, I will try and make the campaign guide applicable to all game modes and
difficulty settings, even though it is really geared towards Glorius
Achievements, and may appear too slow for a conquest game.
a) Starting in the Early Period
i) Full Campaign Strategy
Part 1 - The Balkans
Now, as you will see as you load up your Hungarian campaign, you do not really
start with all that much. Croatia and Carpathia have nothing spare a unit of
peasants and a unit of horse archers (Croatia also has your king). You will
want to build Forts in these provinces immediately. Hungary has a few
buildings, most notable of these being the Horse Farmer, which lets you train
Horse Archers and Horsemen. But we'll get back to them later. Hungary has a
unique unit, the Szekely, which is a kind of horse archer. I suggest you
start training these, so build a horse breeder. If not, I suggest either a
spearmaker so that you can start training infantry in Hungary, or a Royal
Palace so that you can train emissaries and eventually Knights. You will see
that you are bordered by four Factions: The Holy Roman Empire, The Polish,
The Byzantines, and The Italians. You are also bordered by three rebel
provinces: Serbia, Wallachia, and Moldavia. The latter of these is the most
valuable, purely for its capability to train Avar Nobles, arguably the best
cavalry unit of the Early Period. You will want to bring your full military
force to this province, so move your King and his horse archers to Hungary
(leave the peasants), and start training either a unit of Horsemen or Horse
Archers in Hungary for use next turn. You will also need to assign the
governers for your provinces. For Hungary, you will want a high acumen
general, so that you can make more profit from this already profitable
province, so have a look at all of your generals to find the 'smartest' one.
Make sure his loyalty isn't to low, and drag the marker from Hungary, onto
him. For Croatia and Carpathia you will simply want a high loyalty general so
that they don't rebel. Find some suitable generals and make them the
governers. You also start with an emissary and a princess. Both can be used
to forge alliances. You will see the king of Poland in Poland, the King of
Italy in Venice, and the King of Germany in Austria. Just drag your agents
onto them. If you want to ally with different nations, feel free to search
the world for them. Now that you have set your empire in motion, end the
year. Now you will see that your coffer has emptied considerably. But, you
may have got a message that the Pope has awarded you 1000 florins. This is
because your king has full piety. Your buildings will have started their
construction, and the Horsemen that you trained will be ready. If you want
train another unit of Horsemen, do so. Move the King and the Horse Archers
that you moved last turn, accompanied with the new Horsemen, into Carpathia.
Make sure your agents are active, and, if there is nothing else you want to
do, end the year. You may have made some Florins this year, and again the
Pope may have awarded you 1000 Florins. You are now in a position where your
army can attack Moldavia, so join the extra unit of Horse Archers in Carpathia
(the one coupled with the peasants) with your bigger army, and drag them into
Moldavia. Remember to train any units in Hungary you want, make sure your
agents are active, then end the year. The rebels in Moldavia whom you have
attacked may flee, but if they don't I suggest you command the attack
personally, peppering them with arrows from your Horse Archers and Flanking
them with your other cavalry. Once Moldavia is conquered, you will see that
your Forts in Croatia and Carpathia are built and your Horse Breeder in
Hungary also. This now leads onto the next part of your campaign, but first
I will say to remember to build a Fort in Moldavia, and to make sure there
will not be a rebellion, by lowering the taxes, providing more units from
Carpathia, and assigning a high loyalty governer.
Part 2 - An Army marches on its Stomach
Now that you have simple fortifications up in your provinces, it is time for
some peace and prosperity. You will now want to develop your cities so that
you can make a tidy income, while still keeping a fine military eye out.
Considering that your empire is largely landlocked, and your only trading
province so far is Moldavia, the key to this is farmland, and mines. Hungary
is a big farming province, and Croatia has mines. Carpathia has a combination
of the both. Once you have quailed any possible rebellions in Moldavia with
reinforcements (peasants) from Carpathia, you should move your military force
from Moldavia, combined with any trained Szekely from Hungary, to attack
Wallachia. Use the same tactics as you did to conquer Moldavia, and you
should have a new province. You may need some more assisstance to prevent
rebellions. Meanwhile, you should be building farmland in Hungary and
Carpathia, Mines in Croatia, and, after you have finished the Fort in Moldavia
your main aim there is to train Avar Nobles. To do this I suggest building in
this order: Farmland 20%, Horse Farmer, Horse Breeder, Town Watch, Spearmaker,
Keep, Armourer. This will take 24 years. You should also train Szekely in
Hungary, Slav Warriors in Croatia (just one or two units to send into Serbia
after it is conquered to prevent rebellion there), and Peasants in Carpathia
(to prevent rebellion in Moldavia and Wallachia). Make sure your list of
allies is growing, also. Keep building farmland and mines in all provinces,
and capture Serbia. Assign governers if it hasn't been done yet, and keep a
reasonable garrison in each province. Soon your annual income will be 1000+
Florins, and when it is, you can start building military buildings in Hungary,
upgrade to a Keep, start building ships in Croatia - or anything else you want
to do. But once you get the facilities to train Avar Nobles, start pumping
them out. I also highly recommend capturing Kiev aswell as Moldavia, so that
you can train Steppe Cavalry and Steppe Heavy Cavalry. After you have the
required buildings for Avar Nobles, you also should start a trading port in
Moldavia, by building a shipwright, ships, and making a line of them to
trading ports such as Venice, Constantinople. Egypt, Antioch, and Tripoli.
Once you have trained enough Avar Nobles, and any other units, it is time for
your first real military campaign.
Part 3 - Eastern Europe
Now your empire is ready for some expansion, and there are three prime areas
for this. You can either push west and war with the Holy Roman Empire, move
South-East and fight with the Byzantine Empire, or go north and attack the
Polish. The easiest target is Poland, their armies are made up largely of
Slav Warriors and Javelinmen, and these units fair very poorly against your
own armies. They also have few provinces, and usually have less influence and
therfore allies than your own faction. You can launch your armies from
Hungary into Poland and from Moldavia into Volhynia (which they usually
conquer). Apart from these provinces, they will have Silesia, and most
likely Prussia, Pomerania, and Lithuania (these last three provinces are
extremely rebellion-prone, so this could be their own undoing, or yours). Just
make sure that you aren't excommunicated; assault the castles, move quickly,
because it just may give the Germans another excuse to attack you. And they
will. One way or another you'll probably end up in a war with the German
Holy Roman Empire. And although they have a lot of land, their armies aren't
usually of the best quality, and they are nearly always at war with either the
French or the Italians. If for some reason you do not end up warring with the
Germans, the Byzantine lands could be a good choice for your further
expansion. They are always at war with the Turks and Egyptians, who both have
massive armies, so if you happen to strike at the oppurtune moment, they may
be at war on three fronts. They are also extremely Slav-happy, but they have
very, very good units, most notably the Byzantine Infantry, Byzantine Lancers,
and Kataphraktoi, which are their version of Royal Knights. They can be
quelled pretty easily if attacked in this fashion, but just remember that
they have a fairly developed navy, and that you will need to have one also in
order to defeat them. I cannot stress how important it is to have complete
naval domination over enemy factions, no matter who you are playing as. If
you can send endless amounts of troops to the other side of Europe without
them ever touching you, you are unstoppable. If you have pushed further into
Western Europe you may come into conflict with the French, English or
Italians, but they are also usually fighting on more than one front. Also,
you may come into contact with one of the Iberian civilisations, and these are
usually the most powerful, dangerous, and treacherous. If you are playing in
conquest mode, your best bet would be to muster up all of the mercernaries you
can before launching a full scale assault on them (either the Spanish or the
Almohads). If you are playing in Glorius Achievements mode, you may very well
have gotten the maximum conquest points possible, so you might want to
concentrate on your empire than further expansion. Keep building more </pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
upgrades in Moldavia and Hungary (and Kiev if you have it), and set up some
trading ports. You will need a lot of money and military power to survive
the coming onslaught.
Part 4 - The Coming Horde
As you reach the year 1205, the start of the High Period, you will probably
already have the required buildings in some provinces to build many of the
new High Period units. These include the Chivalric Sergeants, Chivalric
Men-at-arms, and Arbalesters. Do not stop building these until the Golden
Horde has been defeated. You may also notice that you can no longer build
Avar Nobles, which is a shame, but now you can build Chivalric Knights. By
the year 1230 you should have a huge army, and I suggest that if you had taken
Khazar, Volga-Bulgaria or Georgia, you should let rebels or other factions
take them. The Mongols will enter in these provinces, with a massive army of
incredible units. The Mongol Heavy Cavalry is the most dangerous of these,
but Halberdiers eat them for breakfast. It is quite possible that the
Byzantines have tried to fight them off (if they are still around), but they
usually retreat. Wait until their army spreads across the Steppe, then join
your armies and send them all in together. Keep pumping out more troops, and
the Mongol threat will eventually diminish and be gone totally. Just make
sure you conquer the Steppe lands and keep them free of rebellion, otherwise
the Mongols may return.
Part 5 - The Great Hungarian Empire: The End of your Campaign.
Now that the major obstacle that was keeping you from unleashing your full
force and dominating the world is gone, you can do so with ease. Take out the
Middle East and North Africa if you haven't done so already, using your
supreme navy, and then crush the Iberian civilisations. Now all that should
be left is Italy, and possibly some of Scandinavia and western Europe such as
England. Muster up your full force, but keep in mind that the bigger your
empire the more prone to rebellion it is, so keep large garrisons. Beat down
the papacy and his neighbours, then round up the remaining factions and
swallow them up. Of course, this sounds a lot easier than it actually is, so,
if you are playing conquest, you may want to opt for 60% domination, or if
you are on Glorius Achievements mode, you may want to sit it out till the year
1453, growing rich, and fortifying your borders. Either way you should be
able defeat the other players using these tactics, so, good luck.
ii) Summary of Early Period Campaign Strategy
Part 1 - The Balkans
- Assign all titles, move agents to ally with neighbouring factions
- Build Forts in Croatia and Caparthia, Horse Breeder in Hungary
- Train Horsemen/Horse Archers in Hungary
- Move full military force (bar garrison peasants) to attack Moldavia
- Secure Moldavia, build Fort there, and assign high dread and loyalty
governor
Part 2 - An Army Marches on its Stomach
- Build Farmland in Hungary and Caparthia, Mines in Croatia and Caparthia
- Move Military force to take Wallachia and take the province; build a fort
there and assign governor (high dread and loyalty)
- Take Serbia and secure it, assign governor
- Possibly take Kiev also, to train Steppe Cavalry and Steppe Heavy Cavalry
- Once Fort is completed in Moldavia build in the following 24 year order:
Farmland 20%, Horse Farmer, Horse Breeder, Town Watch, Spearmaker, Keep,
Armourer
- Continuously train Avar Nobles in Moldavia
- Make sure economy is booming with profit from farming and mining
- Build a port and shipwright in Moldavia, move ships to trade with Venice,
Constantinople. Egypt, Antioch, and Tripoli
Part 3 - Eastern Europe
- Swoop on the Polish simultaneously with your Avar Nobles and Armoured
Spearmen armies, and quickly assault castles and crush them to avoid
excommunication.
- If attacked by Germans, push west with your armies accompanied with any new
units that can be trained in your new province Poland
- Try not to war with other Catholic factions
- If you are not attacked by Germans (or others), lauch an assault on the
(weakened) Byzantine Empire
- Make sure that you have sufficient naval domination to nullify Byzantium's
large fleet
- Isolate the Byzantines to their island provinces and raid and ransom their
king for large sums of money
- Look to attack the Egyptian and Turkish factions once the Byzantines are
defeated
Part 4 - The Coming Horde
- Train massive armies of Chivalric Sergeants, Chivalric Men-at-Arms,
Arbalesters, and Chivalric Knights (if you can).
- Sacrifice the provinces of Khazar, Volga-Bulgaria, and Georgia to rebels.
- By the year 1230, you should have a huge army.
- When the Mongols arrive, wait for them to spread their armies across the
steppe, and then destroy each one by one (do not worry about holding
provinces).
- Once they are defeated, capture the steppe lands.
Part 5 - The Great Hungarian Empire: The End of your Campaign
- Move your forces to the frontier and expand rapidly.
- Opt for 60% victory if going for conquest (recommended).
b) Starting in the High Period
Part 1 - The Quest for Constantinople
Starting in the High Period can be a bit different to starting in the Early
Period, considering the units available and your neighbours. The Byzantine
Empire has become considerably smaller, and they no longer have
Constantinople. However, this means that their former empire has largely been
taken over by rebels, and most of their technology (i.e. buildings) in these
provinces are still intact. This means that they are ripe for the taking. In
the same fashion as starting in the Early Period, you only start with 3
provinces, and only one of these, Hungary, is developed at all. And it is
considerably developed. You can build Chivalric Sergeants and Halberdiers
from the very first year, and, because Hungary has the iron resource, you can
also build a metal smith to upgrade your units. I suggest that you work
towards a Swordsmith's Workshop, so that you can start training Chivalric
Men at arms. In your other provinces, Croatia and Carpathia, there is
nothing, spare some border forts in Croatia. Build Forts in these provinces,
and then an inn or some other military buildings; there is really no need to
develop these provinces that much, since you will soon be getting some really
advanced provinces. Remember to assign governers for your provinces. In a
few turns you should have trained a sizeable army, including your king, and be
ready to invade. The best province that is bordered on Hungary is Bulgaria,
which contains a Citadel, and can then provide another military base for your
next campaigns. After Bulgaria is taken, proceed straight through to
Constantinople, before the Byzantines reclaim it, or the Turks invade it.
I suggest that if you are laying siege, and have quite a large income, (or
enough) to bribe the besieged rebels, as this means that when you take the
province, no damage will be done to its many and advanced facilities.
Depending on whether or not you did this, you may or may not have a fortress
in Constantinople, but even so, it has advanced buildings that give titles,
and you should definately assign these to your high ranking/high acumen
generals. After Constantinople is firmly held, sweep back through the rebel
provinces, taking Greece, Moldavia, Wallachia and Serbia. Greece and Serbia
also provide good military bases. By now you should be trying to make an army
consisting of Chivalric Sergeants, Chivalric Men at Arms, and if you can, some
Chivalric Knights. Remember, when you are campaigning against an enemy, to
call up every single mercernary you can find (providing you are not going
bankrupt). You are now probably bordered by five factions, including the
German Holy Roman Empire, the Russians, the Polish, the Byzantines, and the
Turkish. You may also be bordered with Crusader states, particularly the
English. Now, the Byzantines and the Turks often get into a war with each
other, and you can definately profit from this. It is probably better to side
with the Byzantines, as they are very weak, and the Turks will eventually
attack you anyway. Your Chivalric units can easily defeat the Turkish Early
Period units, and you may even have a 6+ star general, with all the titles
that Constantinople brings. Even if you do not defeat the Turks completely,
make sure you push them back beyond Trebiizond, Rum, and Lesser Armenia, so
that they have only undeveloped provinces and no income to train new armies.
At this point it would be good to turn on the Byzantine Empire,who will soon
want to have their city, Constantinople, back in their pocession. If you have
succeeded in limiting them to just Nicea on the mainland, and maybe an island
or two (such as Rhodes), then you can make a hefty profit. If you manage to
capture their king on the mainland, you can ransom him for 10,000+ Florins,
and then repeatedly invade his islands, ransoming him. Even if it is only
done once, it is well worth it. By this point you will probably have the
Balkans, most or all of Turkey, and of course, your Homelands. And, by this
point, it is most likely time for the arrival of the Golden Horde.
Part 2 - The Khan of the Golden Horde
The reason that I stated to let the Turks keep Armenia, Georgia etc., is that
these are the provinces that the Golden Horde may invade, thus weakening them
and defeating the Turks. It is extremely hard to get an alliance with the
Mongols, even if you are at full influence, and there is really nothing you
can do to stop them from attacking your provinces. Luckily, there are rebels,
the Russians, and sometimes the Egyptians or Turkish to weaken his armies,
and, by the time they are on your borders, the Golden Horde have usually
broken their army up somewhat, to defend their provinces against their new
enemies. Rally your armies, and move them onto the Mongol borders, in case of
attack, and call up any mercernaries you can. The Russians, your biggest
rival in GA mode (they have the same conquest rate as you, border on rebel
provinces, have many homelands points, and extra objectives), will have a
tough time fighting them, and may be pushed back into 1 or 2 provinces, which
is a great help after you have defeated the Mongols. If you keep pushing back
on Mongol borders, and bring your full force into one province at a time, the
Mongols will have a hard time fighting you back, as they have no good units
that they can train (bar Steppe Cavalry), and for some reason, they seldom
risk rebellion by sending their full military force. Even as their Empire
fragments into seperate provinces, you still have to concentrate on defeating
their formidable army, because once you have done this, you can easily sweep
through and conquer. The Mongols leave behind a path of destruction, so you
have to make sure that the Steppe provinces do not rebel and leave you with
further problems. With enough Chivalric Sergeants, with Chivalric Men at Arms
for support, the Mongols will cease to exist. With the pressure of the Golden
Horde now off your back, you can proceed to conquer other empires. If you are
playing in Glorius Achievements mode, you may have already got full conquest
points, which means that you are basically unbeatable in points.
Part 3 - Expansion and Victory
Now, the position of the Hungarians means that they have some good areas to
expand in, and that they can avoid excommunication. Poland are probably very
weak, so you could quickly plow in there with your Chivalrics and defeat them,
but by doing this, you risk excommunication from the Pope, which in turn means
that other Catholic factions will attack (and crusade against) you. There is
the Russians, if they haven't already been defeated, and I think that they
are the best option, because, like Poland, they are probably extremely weak
from the Golden Horde's assault on their provinces, so if you can take them
out, it would be very benificial (especially in GA mode, as is mentioned
above). To the south, the Turks may still be in power, and probably the
Egyptians, and it is also probable that a Catholic faction (in particular the
Spanish), have managed to plow into the Holy Land. If they haven't, then
after the Russians have been conquered, I suggest that you sieze the Muslim
lands, into Iberia (or wherever they have reached). This will take quite a
long time to do, but as long as you have Chivalric units in large numbers than
you will have no opposition. But, total (or 60%) conquest is just about
impossible without Total Naval Domination. It is extremely important to have
a sizeable navy, so that you can send troops to a colony on the other side of
Europe in just one turn. This also means that you can sieze rebel provinces
or provinces taken by civil war, attack any faction that becomes
excommunicated, and campaign against any faction you like (or don't like).
Constantinople is your best option as a port, as it already has good
facilities, and from 1260, you can make ships with cannons etc. Naval
Domination also means that you will gain an incredible amount of money from
trade, so be sure to build ports in every sea neighbouring province. If you
have siezed all of the Muslim lands, then your only option for expansion is
to attack Christendom, but don't worry, they'll attack you first! The biggest
thing this game hates is the player winning, so every faction will ally
against you, in an attempt to cut you down to size. If you are going for
conquest, then call up every military force you can, every mercenary, and just
try to defeat the factions one by one, attacking their major armies, and
stopping them from becoming a great empire themselves (I highly suggest 60%
domination, it is still a great feat). If you are simply trying to wait out
the game until 1453 in Glorius Achievements mode, then make sure that you keep
large garrisons in all provinces, to stop rebellion, and make sure the
garrisons in border provinces are of advanced units, so that other factions
cannot make an easy invasion. Make sure you get to your full Conquest points,
then the game is yours.
7. Contact Info
I am open to readers sending me any questions, comments, suggestions, or
errors that I have made by e-mail.
My e-mail address is:
[email protected]
Full credit will be given to the sender if their information is used in this
guide.
8. Legal Info.
This guide is Copyright 2004 David Garland
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other
web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a
violation of copyright.
9. Version History
v1.00 - Guide Completed
v1.10 - Section 'Starting Royalty' added, ASCII re-worked, error concerning
construction time fixed, added Emissaries and Princesses to units in
'Starting Provinces'.
v1.20 - Added Section b) Starting in High Period, added agents to unit
overview, fixed a couple spelling errors.
v1.30 - Added Secton h) Summary of Units - What to use to the Unit Overview,
fixed up ratings of gunpowder units, added Summary for Early Period Campaign.
End Guide
