Medieval Total War - Viking Invasion v1.00 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Medieval Total War: Viking Invasion Guide to: _______ __ __ _____ /__ __// / / // ___/ / / / /___/ // /___ / / / ____ // ___/ / / / / / // /____ /_/ /_/ /_//_______/ __ __ __ __ __ _______ _ ___ __ _ __ / / / // / / // / // _____/ /_ / __ / //_ / / / / /___/ // / / // / // / ____ //_\ / /_// / ///_\ / / / / ____ // / / // // / /_ // ___ / / / // ___ / / / / / // /__/ // / // /____/ // / / / / // / / / / /_/ /_//______//_/ //________//_/ _/_/ __/_//_/ _/_/ / _____ _ _____ _______ __ ______ __ / __/ /_ / ___//__ __// // __ // / / / /__ //_\ / / / / / // / / // / / / ___/ / ___ / / / / / // /_/ // / / / / / / /___ / / / // // / / /__/ /_/ _/_____/ /_/ /_//_____//_/ / ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 4. Starting Provinces 5. The Hungarian Campaign 6. Contact Info 7. Legal Info 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 six sections: Infantry, Ranged Infantry, Cavalry, Ranged Cavalry, Artillery, and Ships. 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. 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: 3/5 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 even though gunsmiths are better: gunpowder comes late in the game. 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 (until Gunpowder) 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 (until Gunpowder) 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 better than the Arbalester, but are soon rendered obsolete with the arrival of the Arquebusier. Not awfully reliable; upgrade to Arquebusier as soon as you can. Rating: 3.5/5 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: Not only the last ranged infantry unit you will be able to train, but also the best. They have a fast rate of fire and shoot with deadly accuracy. Only problem I have found with them is that they burn through their ammunition pretty quickly, but they don't fare too badly in combat when flanking. Rating: 4/5 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, 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), 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), 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), Bell 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 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 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) 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) 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. 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. 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 22 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 bee 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 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 Khan of the Golden 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 al 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. 6. 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: animalboy72@hotmail.com Full credit will be given to the sender if their information is used in this guide. 7. 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. End Guide