The early morning sun peaked over the horizon and bathes the gently rolling wooded hillsides in an amber glow. A perfect day for war.....
I am the King of Spain. Holding a precarious position on the northwest of the Iberian peninsula my thoughts turn immediately to dramatic expansion. Two territories is simply not enough for a ruler of my stature! Those rebels in Portugal have been leading border raids and the time has come for some sword edged retribution.
My son the Prince Manuel, who admitadly is a psychotic pederast the poor lad, takes the head of an army of tough Spanish warriors. 200 Spearmen, 60 Urban Militia, 60 Archers, 160 Spanish Jinette Cavalry and his own bodyguard of 20 Royal knights are at his disposal to make the strategically significant coastal territory of portugal a part of the holy Spanish Empire.
The starting placement is not good! The rebels, 200 Spearmen, 300 archers, 60 Urban Militia and 40 Mounted Feudal Sergents, have arranged themselves on the opposite hillside gaining a clear height advantage. My son, in between touching up kiddies and torturing prisoners has actually become a fairly wiley commander and does not relish charging uphill into fire from 300 archers! He orders a forced march wheeling around their right flank and climbing the hill at some distance. Level pegging. The cowardly enemy general does not like this new situation and retreats.
Time is ticking away but the scene is set. My troops occupy a ridge which has an upward sloping bowl to the west and north and a flat plain to the east. The enemy occupies the north of the bowl halfway down the slope. The height advantage, as in his troublesome bedroom antics, is now my son's!
Two units of Jinette Cavalry approach the enemy front line and hurl their javalins at the massed ranks. Spearmen go down but a retreat is required to escape withering bowfire. The enemy general and his 39 mounted companions edge up the slope to the west with a squad of Urban Militia. My son moves to intercept with his own squad of Militia. This feels like the point when its all on a knife edge......CHARGGGGGGEEEEEEE! My spearmen flood down the hillside followed by an extended line of archers. Two units of Jinnettes stay with them on the right flank and one on the left. The remaining Jinettes flank the enemy to the left and turn, preparing for an attack from the rear.
The Spearmen lock into battle with their opponents. The Jinettes ont he right flank squeeze between the Feudal Sergents and Militia further up the slope and circle beind the enemy spears to massacre their archers. My Royal Knights and urban militia charge down upon the enemy general and his Militia using full advantage of the height differance.
It all sways back and forth for a bit and then my men start to capture prisoners and the decimated enemy archers begin to flee the field. One unit of Jinnette from the right charge uphill into the back of the enemy generals units. The Jinnettes that circled the left hit the back of the enemy Spearmen and....it all falls apart for my opponent! Men start to flee left and right, my fast and mobile cavalry cut them down and take prisoners by the score. Victory!!!! The enemy general flees with his 2 remaining mounted companions and escapes. 400+ enemy dead for the loss of about 40 brave Spaniards. It has been a good day.
The territory adds to the wonder of my empire and riches pour into the central coffers. Hurrahhhh.....whats this though....the Portuguese are unhappy with their new masters. I can feel rebellion coming on.....
Sounds like Medieval Total War. Watch out for those nasty Moor's nipping over from Tunisia.
Yep it's Medieval Total War, and you will address me as My Exaulted One. :D
You rebel scum!
The rebellion in Portugal was quashed with barely a ripple. Bunch of uppity peasants and a couple of squads of cavalry. Standard hack and slash and stuff with a pile of enemy bodies at the end. Take that.
The next move to secure further riches for my illustrious empire was the conquering of Aragon. If this was done it would cut of the Almohads from Europe and provide a more secure base for expansion. An army of Spearman, Royal Knights, Jinettes and Archers invaded and attacked the Aragonese King directly and his 3 sons. This was important! This could wipe them out completely.
My forces gathered on a plateau rising to the north and surrounded by wooded bowls and other rounded hill tops. The terrified enemy King had split his forces into spearmen/cavalry and archers/militia. The former staight ahead and the latter down the slope in the trees on my right flank. Piece of cake.
An impetuous squad of Spearmen and two squads of Archers stood their ground and dared the enemy on the right to move. The rest of the battle hardened horde started forward at a steady march directly toward the enemy until 500m seperated us. The enemy held. 400m....250m....still they held. What was waiting for me? Something in the trees maybe?
A squad of jinette cavalry received scouting orders and weaved down the hillside and through the trees on the left in a bid to find any hidden units and get behind my enemy. Still he stood. 5 units of Spearmen and 5 of Royal knights in straight ranks 150m from my front line.....
...Suddenly a squad of enemy Knights peeled of from the left flank and started to chase down my Jinettes! The Jinettes doubled back as quick as possible and the enemy knights were hit full in the side by a company of my own knights under Prince Pedro. First unit to be routed. Enough was enough.
My Spearmen charged forward as a single wall of screaming fury! (well I'd had a beer and the game sucks you in ok) Despite the slight upward gradient the boys held and even made it through to engage some of the enemy princes and their bodyguard knights. Cavalry skirted to the left and right led by my noble king and engaged all remaining units. The enemy was now fighting on all sides and in a rapidly decreasing circle. A few broke and ran as their king fell, skewered through the head with a lance. AHHH HAHA HAHAHA AHHAHA.
The remaining fools cowering in the trees were mopped up quick smart and Europe and Africa were isolated by the might of the glorious Spaniards. Alas after the battle my mighty king died of natural causes and Prince Pedro had to step up and fill his shoes.
The territories to the north were thick with English and French, currently engaged in a war of attrition with each other. Time to play them off against each other and further expand my glorious empire...
I have just bought it, oh play.com is a wonderful thing.
Careful, or Prince Pedro will get on the Pope's shit-list and be excommunicated.
It's absolutely HUGE. A full campaign from the early era will take a good few weeks to complete. Awesome fun though! The AI can be a bit predictable sometimes but then it can also foll you and pound you to dust.
Go the Byzantines or Egyptians first go :D
"Careful, or Prince Pedro will get on the Pope's shit-list and be excommunicated."
The French have already been excommunicated and so are ripe for the plucking. I'll let them cream the English then kick some ass.
Fair enough, i remember when i played as the English. I promptly conqured Scotland and Wales and taxed the shit out of them. when the Scots rebelled i won the battle and had all the survivors slaughtered MUHAHAHAHAHA
Is there an option to go the Scots ILBM??
There is in the expansion I believe. Not in this one though, it's just a territory that gives you a headache cause it constantly rebels :D
Thats true, it is a bit of a pain. although there is the consolation of facing the peasant army with armoured cavalry and longbowmen.
Highlanders are great shock troops too.