The Scots

Scotland is establishing itself as a major power in the time frame of Norman Invasion. With many of the rival kingdoms nearby having collapsed in the previous centuries, the only serious contenders are the English to the south and the Norse on the islands and to the north. Still, the Scots have much work to do before they can rest assured of their dominance in the region.

The Scots must take a multi-pronged approach to dealing with their enemies. Every other faction has a relatively obvious path set for them at game start: the Normans need to conquer England; the English need to hold their own; the Norse need to push south; the Welsh need to expand east. The Scots are sandwiched between a minor, but aggressive, power in the north and a major, but currently very distracted, power to the south.

Like the English, the Scots begin play with a major finance problem. Unlike the English, the Scots don’t have the benefit of beginning the game with tons of their best troops ready for action - but then, the Scots don’t have to worry about the Normans on their doorstep, either. And the Scottish debt is reversible, provided the regional rebels are subdued early. Fortunately, the presence of those very rebels paradoxically makes the Scots’ job a little easier.

The Scottish homelands are middling growers, meaning it’s possible to get away with some tax increases in larger settlements like Dun Eideann and Dun Breatainn. In the first turn, take a tour of your realm and make tax adjustments where appropriate, allowing for enough population growth to see you into advancing some of those important settlements.

Don’t neglect the regional descriptions (found in the building panel screen) either. In addition to giving some interesting historical background, the regional descriptions can tell you which of your regions are Mormaerdoms, which allow you to train Mormaer Horsemen, an important unit for the Scots. Only 4 of your regions are Mormaerdoms; of these, it’s likely that Scoine, your capital, will advance to the highest city level first.

Scoine is also important for another reason: in addition to qualifying as a Historic Capital, it is the coronation place for your king. Like the English and Normans, the Scottish king needs to be crowned in order to avoid bad traits that affect not only the king himself but all your governors, in the form of penalties to law and influence. Keep your king in Scoine for a turn, long enough for him to get the “Crowned” trait, and you’ll avoid those penalties.

In the vicinity of your capital, you also own Dun Chailleann to the northwest, and Cellrigmonaid to the southeast. Both are relatively slow growers, but Cellrigmonaid can be an important (and safe) trade post. Farther northeast is Obair Dheathain (Aberdeen), a small settlement particularly vulnerable to Norse attack if you wait too long before pushing your borders north. It too can be a good trade location, especially once you’ve kicked the Norse off the mainland and done some building.

On the west coast is Dunadd, the old capital of Dal Riata, the proto-kingdom of the Scots. The Norse may attack here eventually - they possess Dun Tuilm, which borders this region to the north - but with its stockade walls and situation on a natural fortress, Dunadd should be able to resist an assault with even a nominal garrison.

Two more natural fortresses exist in your homelands: one at Dun Breatainn, southeast of Dunadd, and the other at Dun Eideann (Edinburgh). These two settlements are your fastest growers and can provide you with the bulk of your troops. Dun Breatainn, as a central location, is a good place to build your first Stables building, so you can quickly get those Light Horsemen to any front. Dun Eideann is particularly suited as a trade center, but is also positioned to provide quick troops to your southeastern border, in case the English decide to strike at you first.

That southeastern border is strengthened by two smaller settlements, Dynbaer and Magilros. The former is a Mormaerdom, so you’ll want to focus on growing the population by keeping taxes relatively low and avoiding training if possible.

Getting started

Broadly speaking, there are 3 strategic options for the Scots at the outset: Norse first, English first, or rebels first. Rebels are often weak and disorganized, but the rebel presence in southwest Scotland in particular is nothing of the kind. The two non-aligned settlements in the region, Anainn and Futerna, are home to some particularly advanced troops, like Nobles, that can tear through your starting armies if you’re not careful. Of the 2 towns up for grabs, Futerna is more advanced and is the greater prize, so it may make the better first target - provided you’re able to gather as many starting troops as possible, put them under a good leader, and see them to victory.

The northern rebels hold 3 settlements, but it’s likely that the Norse will have moved on at least one of these. Move your starting troops near Scoine, under the generalship of your (crowned) king, north through the valley near Dun Chailleann. Farrais is slightly to the east of the northern mouth of this valley, and is the best town in the area to take, as it’s already protected by a stockade and prevents the Norse from circling round east toward Aberdeen and your heartlands.

Once you’ve taken a few rebel settlements, you can be certain that the Norse will attack you. So, you may decide on a pre-emptive strike. Sadly, the closest Norse settlement to you is Dun Tuilm, north of Dunadd - although it appears to be on an island, it is actually accessible from the mainland via a land bridge. Dun Tuilm is a smaller settlement than it looks, meaning it won’t provide you with much money, and it is strongly protected by a stockade and natural fortress. Taking such a place by storm will cost you many lives due to the strength of the towers and defences, so it’s usually a better idea to leave Dun Tuilm for later and wait out the siege if you can afford it.

The Norse have two other settlements to the far north of Scotland, and of course they will have taken a rebel settlement or two. The problem is, none of the towns north of the mountains is particularly wealthy; most, in fact, are unwalled villages. Once you push the Norse off the mainland, however, you’ll have access to their islands, and one in particular deserves mention: the Orkney islands are home to the Norse capital Kirkjuvagr, which is also a Historic Capital. Capturing this will make all of your settlements more loyal (for awhile), so it’s clearly a priority.

It’s understandable that you’d want the Norse out of Scotland, and that you’d pursue them to their islands to finish them off, but be aware that the Norse are capable of hording. If you conquer their last settlement and have left a Norse family member alive somewhere, you’ll suddenly be faced with a large counter-invasion of several Viking armies. Whether you want to deal with this or not will be based on how strong your army is at the time, how badly you want that final settlement, and how badly you hate the Norse. To play it safe, you may consider leaving the Norse alive but crippled on one of their islands - Maughold on the Isle of Man, for example - and asking for ceasefire and trade rights, which the AI is usually open to once you no longer share a land border.

Finally, the Scottish player could forget about the north and focus instead on the biggest faction on the map, your neighbor to the south, the English. Following such a course of action might be desirable for several reasons. The southern lands tend to be richer, more built-up, and more populous than your own. There are several tempting targets within easy reach, such as Bebbanburh and Jorvik (York). And getting involved in southern politics early is a great way to ensure that you’re not made irrelevant by events out of your control: if the Normans or Welsh start to expand, for example, you could intervene before they become too powerful to fight.

However, entirely neglecting the northern half of Scotland to focus on the English is unwise. The Norse are your immediate threat; if you haven’t made advances into their theater of operations, you run the risk of losing critical settlements like Dunadd or, God forbid, Scoine. Fight the Norse in the highlands so you don’t have to fight them in the lowlands.

And the English, though the largest faction on the map, have major problems of their own. It’s likely that they will be far too distracted with the Normans (and possibly the Welsh) to contemplate an invasion of Scotland. Since you’re not at war with them anyway, it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie and wait until they make the mistake of attacking you - then is the time to march into Yorkshire and put some heads on pikes.

On the battlefield

Thanks to your starting debt, you won’t have to worry about which troops to train for some time. Once you’ve taken some towns and clawed your way back to profitability, you’ll have some choices to make.

The Scots, like the Welsh, depend on many different troop-types to see them to victory on the battlefield. For some factions, troop diversity isn’t really an issue. The Normans win with their cavalry; for them, infantry is nice to have, but may not really see much action outside of sieges. The English and Norse are footsloggers, and depend on the big guys with axes (or spears) to do their killing. But the Scots player must learn how to wield all the weapons in his arsenal.

The basic formation for the Scots is a flexible battle-line, backed with archers or slingers and supported by horsemen. For the early years, the most numerous element of the battle-line will be Spearmen, your most rudimentary troop type. Spearmen are a strictly no-frills unit: no shield-wall, no javelins, nothing fancy. They may look a little ragged, but they’re fast and their large numbers will keep them fighting - most of the time.

Spearmen will be supplemented by Mercenary Rabble for much of the game. Available for hire in the field in Scotland, you’ll find Rabble are cheap, fast and dirty fighters who perform well in a supporting role (on the flanks or behind your main battle-line) or as garrison troops.

Eventually, at a 2nd-level barracks, you’ll be able to train more Swordsmen and Longspearmen. Swordsmen are sturdy, reliable soldiers who can hold their own in most any fight. Thanks to their numbers, they can even stand against Hirdmenn or other heavies long enough for your horsemen to get into position for a charge. Swordsmen will do most of the heavy lifting in your battle-line for most of the game.

Longspearmen have one use: killing cavalry. Unfortunately, in the early years you won’t be doing much of that. The Norse can’t train cav; ditto for the English. However, if you find that the Normans or Welsh are starting to do well, you’ll want to bring some Longspearmen with you. Keep them behind your battle-line and use them to kill any horsemen they can catch, but keep them out of melee with infantry types when possible.

You can also take advantage of the trainable mercenaries, available at the tavern line of buildings. In your Scottish regions, these will consist of Mercenary Fyrdmen, Gall-Gaedhill, and Ostmen. They are all very expensive, so will probably see use only late in the game, and then probably only when you need a quick infusion of troops. The Ostmen are the prize here: they’re probably the best troops for grinding away in melee.

For ranged capability, the Scots have a couple options: Bowmen or the Mercenary Slingers you can find for hire outside of town. Bowmen are best kept behind your main line (or just in front of it, to retreat when the enemy gets too close); the slingers work best on the flanks. A nice feature of the slingers is that they are effective against armour - very handy when fighting the Norse Hirdmenn, especially since the Scots otherwise lack armour-piercing units. Slingers are also cheap, so be sure to snap them up whenever they’re available.

Your initial cavalry is limited to the Royal Horsemen that make up your bodyguard, and Light Horsemen, which are also trainable at the lowest level of stables. These Light Horsemen are nothing like the Light Cavalry of the Normans: they are javelin-throwers and skirmishers who can also be useful for quick charges. As with most cavalry units, micromanaging is required to get the best out of them - don’t simply rely on their skirmish feature to keep them out of trouble. In fact, it’s often best to take them out of skirmish so you can be in charge of exactly where and when they move. To get your money’s worth, try to wait until all of their javelins are cast before they charge - and make sure that charge is into the rear or flanks of an enemy already tangled up with your forces. Once the charge is done, pull them out and set them up to try again.

Your Royal Horsemen are sturdier, and cause fear among enemy infantry - a nice feature when fighting hordes of rebels or low-level Norse units like Spearmen or Vikingr. Again, it’s best to keep them out of skirmish mode so you can direct their actions. Since you’ll be in debt for awhile and unable to train your own troops, Royal Horsemen are the only new soldiers you’ll get - when a prince comes of age or an adoption or marriage occurs. Accept all such offers in the early going, unless you’re really holding out for a better candidate; the tough horsemen they bring to the table are always most welcome.

In later years, when you develop some of your cities to the highest level, you’ll find new units to supplement your armies. Armoured Spearmen are available at the highest level barracks, along with Nobles (in Scotland, at least). The Armoured Spears can’t make a shield-wall, but since your battle-line needs to be more flexible anyway that’s not such a drawback. Nobles are shield-wall capable, but it’s probably best to keep them out of it in most situations, to allow them to swiftly attack the most dangerous infantry. They also carry a war-flag which will inspire your other, less elite troops to keep fighting, and their excellent armour and weaponry makes them a match for most other infantry in Britain.

Perhaps the signature Scottish unit, though, is the Mormaers. It will be some time before you can train them; when you can, Dynbaer will likely be the most convenient location for getting them near the front lines. Mormaers only have 24 men per unit (on default unit sizes), but they make up for it by scaring foot soldiers and inspiring friends with their war-flag. In addition to casting javelins, they can also mix it up in melee with their swords - but because they’re so rare, you may find yourself keeping them out of the fray a bit more than your other troops. That’s probably not a bad idea; Mormaers can certainly fight, but they’re not the equivalent of Norman Knights. After they’ve charged, keep them in melee but check frequently to ensure they aren’t taking too many losses.

For the early years, you’ll be able to exploit the Scottish terrain to your advantage, especially against foot-bound enemies like the Norse. On the march, be sure to end turns on hills if you suspect a counterattack, even if it means stopping before you’ve exhausted all your movement points. Defending a relatively clear hillside is the perfect battle scenario for the Scots. It allows you to use your ranged units to fullest effect and keep your troops fresh while the enemy toils uphill. Light Horsemen are great at harassing the approaching enemy in these situations; send them out to either side of the enemy and let them unleash their javelins. Any infantry who go after them will simply tire out, and when they give up and trundle back to their main force, that’s the time to spring your charge.

Most of the time, your battle-line can’t just slug it out with enemy infantry. Even if you manage to whittle down your foe’s troops using the above tactics, a little finesse is required. Try to ensure good matchups between your soldiers and the enemy: your strongest troops, Swordsmen and Nobles, should attack the enemy’s strongest troops; your weakest soldiers, Spearmen and Rabble, should flank or mob an enemy target from multiple sides. Meanwhile, you’ll need your Light Horsemen to dash back to the melee, and rush your Royal Horsemen around to the sides or rear, in order to charge the bad guys and hopefully make a quick end of the battle.

Because the Scots need plenty of open space to perform these maneuvers, you’ll want to avoid most bridge battles, siege assaults, or fights in heavily-forested terrain. When defending a bridge, pull back from the crossing to give your cavalry room to do their thing. When besieging a settlement, wait for the enemy to attack you with a relief force, and then run down all of the besieged soldiers who join the attack. And when fighting in the woods, pray.

Endgame

Once you’ve dealt with the Norse, you’ll notice that your quest for 30 settlements and victory will put you somewhere south of the Humber, assuming you don’t try a seaborne invasion of Wales. And although the Scottish navy is certainly capable - your Gaelic Longboats can be quite handy against pesky blockades - attacking the Welsh offhand is probably not the best idea. That said, if you should happen to take Aberffraw by surprise, you’d be capturing yet another Historic Capital, giving all your subjects something to be happy about. And if this is your only quarrel with the Welsh, they may even be amenable to a ceasefire, provided you don’t share any land borders with them.

But in most scenarios, winning the game means fighting the English and/or Normans - and perhaps the Welsh, if they’ve expanded. As soon as you can afford it, get a spy or two down near London and Winchester to see how the Norman invasion is going. Sometimes the Normans will stall near Canterbury; sometimes they’ll storm all the way to York. If the latter is the case, bring some Longspearmen and be prepared for a tough fight against lots of fast, heavy, hard-hitting cavalry.

If the Normans have stalled, though, you should be able to bring your experienced troops to bear against the English with great results. Their northern troops are typically Fyrdmen and middling soldiers; all of their family members are usually fighting Normans in the south or Midlands. With luck, you won’t have to face many Housecarl-types.

And make no mistake: luck is important to the Scots, perhaps more so than any other faction. The Norse can train solid infantry, and enjoy some sea superiority; the English have a reliable core of Housecarls; the Normans have their fearsome knights; even the Welsh, seemingly so similar to the Scots, have a more devastating cavalry and archery combination. To achieve victory in Norman Invasion, the Scottish player will have to use every trick up his sleeve, and hope that conditions in the south, where he initially has no control, will be favorable when the time comes to flex his muscle.