Strategy & Tactics for Minor & Emergent Factions

[Alwyn]

The All Factions Unlocked mod is one of the most popular mods here. Most Hosted Mods, if not all, unlock at least some minor factions. Empire Total Factions unlocks minor and emergent factions. Why is playing minor factions popular? Perhaps it's the challenge of playing a smaller nation, fighting not just to expand but to survive. Perhaps it's the attraction of being an 'underdog'. Perhaps people like the idea of leading soldiers who "fight for freedom, a driving force stronger than the word of any general" (this quote is from the the introduction to episode 3 of the Road to Independence campaign).

As I see it, playing a smaller nation requires a different approach on the campaign map and battlefield. This is especially true if you are relying mainly on less powerful units (such as militia, irregular, light and shock troops, as I do when using my Minor & Emergent Factions Unit Pack).

Why are different strategies and tactics needed? Here are some examples:-

1. The challenge of expanding without losing your home region

Playing as a major faction, I often start by taking a region in the Caribbean or the Americas. Playing as Scotland and Savoy, I built one decent-sized army (I could afford only one). As Scotland, I took the pirate-controlled islands in the Caribbean. As Savoy, I took Georgia and Texas. In both campaigns, while my army was in the Americas, a nearby faction in Europe took my home region (Britain took Scotland, Genoa took Savoy's home region). It seems that, if we play as a smaller nation, we need to defeat a neighbouring country first before trying to build a colonial empire.

2. The challenge of avoiding defeat when a nearby nation attacks (and they have a stronger army)

Ambush

Playing as Ireland, I had a similar problem to the previous examples - Britain would attack Ireland after a few turns, in most campaigns. As Ireland, I could not build an army quickly enough which was capable of defeating the army which Britain would send, in a standard battle. So, playing with a mod (which gives more units the 'paths seldom trod' ability), I set up an ambush. To set up an ambush in Empire Total War, you need to:-

- Assembly an army which is only composed of units with the 'paths seldom trod' ability
- Move this army to an area with trees, such as the north of Ireland near the land bridge with Scotland.
- Keep this army still (and unseen by the enemy) for several turns. After that, the figure representing the army on the campaign map crouches down, showing that the army is hidden and ready to ambush.
- If an enemy army attacks, you have the opportunity to intercept them. Take that opportunity and you will ambush them. You will be able to set up your units in locations surrounding the enemy (although this is not always the best way to win) and the enemy army will deploy in a column.

Ambushing is difficult to achieve because you have to be able to predict the path the enemy will take to attack you (and that path has to cross a forest; also, you have to keep your army in that forest unseen for a few turns). I have only been able to ambush another army successfully when playing as Ireland, or when I have found a similar 'choke point' on the campaign map which the enemy army is likely to approach one of my region capitals through.

When an army is crouching on the campaign map, you can send other units with 'paths seldom trod' to join this army (the hidden army remains hidden). This means that you can send your first unit to hide on the campaign map (so that you establish a hidden army before the enemy sends units which can see them) and build up your army by sending more units to join the hidden army.

I have experimented with different tactics in ambushes. The successful tactics were:-

(a) Charge the enemy as soon as the battle begins, while they are still in a column. You can see this tactic in action in this post and the following post.

(b) Form a thin line (two soldiers deep rather than the usual three) of infantry on the far side of a forest from the area where the enemy deploys (if a forest is available; the forest provides some protection from enemy artillery and disrupts the enemy line when they approach.) Hide some early light infantry (if you are using a mod which allows your faction to recruit such a unit, or if you can recruit units such as Rangers, Guerillas or Native American Musket Auxiliaries) in a wooded area, not too close to the enemy. Wait for the enemy army to attack your thin line. When they are engaged, send your hidden light infantry to attack them. If possible, surround them (that is one reason why your infantry line is thin - the other reason is so that they will take fewer casualties). You can see a map illustrating this tactic in this post.

Migrate

Perhaps losing your home region cannot be avoided, or maybe you would like to try a different strategy. It can be possible to play on after losing you home region (this might not work in some situations, for example if you lose your home region in Europe and your only other regions are outside Europe).

For example, playing as Morocco, I successfully defended my capital against a British army. (Some people have criticised the AI for not using naval invasions. Playing as both Hannover and Morocco, I have experienced naval invasions, even when playing on Normal campaign difficulty.) Then a Spanish army attacked and took my home region. Fortunately, Morocco had expanded to the east, taking the regions which belong to the Barbary States at the start, so I could play on.

3. The challenge of paying for the upkeep of your army after the enemy blockades your trade port

When playing as a smaller nation, a nearby country can send ships to blockade the trade port (if you have one) in the region which belongs to your capital city. That can ruin your economy, making it impossible to pay for the upkeep of your army. As a smaller nation, you probably do not have a shipyard which would enable you to build frigates. There are mods such as Empire Total Factions and my Navy Recruitment mod, which allow trade ports to build frigates. However, a minor faction might struggle to pay for the upkeep of both an army and a navy, in the early part of the campaign (and, after your port is blockaded, you cannot build ships there until the blockade is ended).

Here's one possible solution: have a revolution as soon as possible. Why do that? Because, to have a revolution, you set taxes to the maximum level for several turns and do not recruit units or construct buildings. Playing as Ireland, and having a revolution as quickly as possible, I can accumulate a lot of money.

How do you have a revolution? Set taxes to maximum in your capital region (and exempt any other regions you own from taxes, unless you want them to rebel as well). Do not recruit units or build/improve buildings. Move any land units out of your capital (or disband them). Public order, at least for the lower classes, needs to remain below zero for three turns. Wait three turns - you will have a strike, then a riot, then a rebellion. When the rebellion begins, you can side with the government or the rebels - choose the rebels. You will now have control of a rebel army (and nothing else - your regions are greyed out). Capture your capital city. (Then set your taxes back to normal, or you will have another rebellion!). A few factions, such as the Westphalia and the Thirteen Colonies, cannot do this because the rebels belong to a different faction. (If you do this when playing the Thirteen Colonies, the rebels belong to the United States. If you want to play as the Thirteen Colonies, have a rebellion and become a republic, you can do that with my These United Colonies mod, here. On that thread, there is an explanation of how to have a rebellion as the Thirteen Colonies, here).

The money generated by the revolution enables Ireland to sustain an army (and replenish units after battles) even after a British ship has blockaded my only trade port. (Of course, that money will run out eventually - I still need to defeat Britain fairly quickly - but, with the money generated by the revolution, victory becomes possible.)

Perhaps other players who like playing as smaller nations would like to comment on which strategy and tactics work for you? (Of course, this might vary, depending on which mod(s) you are using.)

[Akarios]

Another tactic is to trade with all your neighbors, even the ones you know you have to fight eventually and build as large a bank account as possible while building up your army, all the while looking at your neighbors (especially the other minors) with an eye towards a quick blitzkrieg against them to seize additional regions and create some strategic depth. Be mindful that trade is often more lucrative than direct taxation. With a large bank, you can afford to go a turn or 2 running mostly off savings while you take a neighboring region. Once you've managed that 3-4 times, you'll have enough depth to be freer with gameplay. (i.e. you can afford to play more like a major power)

[Alwyn]

Good idea, Akarios! For smaller nations, the big question in the early campaign often seems to be how to pay for a large enough army to expand, and this looks like a good strategy.

[poa]

as morocco i allow myself to cheat and give england & france military access on turn 1, i cant survive otherwise. otherwise i prefer the diplomacy on the original: firstly the only thing giving military access would net you was the enemy taking a stroll into your most vulnerable point before declaring war. ....... secondly i dont remember AI selling off regions in the middle of a war to screw you on the region as i was approaching ......thirdly there was a kind of exploit if you really devoted resources, altho that exploit was also available to AI factions, namely that if you sent trade ships and managed to occupy a slot, AI could not attack the ships already in a slot, it was kind of a safe haven

[Akarios]

I have often found playing as one of the Italian states very rewarding. It's especially useful in that you have almost nothing but other minors around. The thing to watch for is that as Savoy or Genoa, France will typically try a land campaign against you (unless it's deeply occupied in other wars) or as Venice or the Papal (umm... Italian) States, England, sometime around 1710. You should try to take at least 1 of your neighbors before then, otherwise you end up fighting for survival.

Another tactic I've had some success with as one of the Italian powers, is to beat up on the Barbary States as long as possible, then about 1705-06, start demanding Algiers and Tunisia in exchange for peace. If you've managed to build up some money or a small army which you are comfortable sending off to besiege Tripoli, all the better. By about 1708, they'll usually give in and you'll have 2 fairly lucrative regions for minimal cost.

[Leonardo]

For smaller nations, the big question in the early campaign often seems to be how to pay for a large enough army to expand, and this looks like a good strategy.

Another strategy is to get rid of obsolete units as soon as possible, perhaps use them for a suicidal defence force, should the enemy launch a surprise attack.

But don't wait for to long as it will drain your treasure too much, instead use diplomacy and demand money when negotiating for technologies or when a major nation wants to form an alliance and/or demand military access.

I often use that strategy when playing Prussia as their starting armies has a couple of obsolete units such as Demi-Cannons, Pikemans.


However, don't miss the option to dismiss ministers as they often have ancillaries/traits better suited for other minister positions than they started with.

One way to make better use of them is to move them around by selecting a minister and hold the left button on your mouse then move them on a different minister and drop it.