Original Thread: Peninsular Campaign Guide
Original Author: ♔Old Dragoon♔

Peninsular Campaign Guide
NTW: Peninsular Campaign Guide for the Spanish


Warning: This is not your normal guide. This will be a "bare bones" on how to get the Spanish up and running economically as well as militarily again after being virtually destroyed as a fighting force, but there is always hope...This is where this guide may be of some use. It will show you how to make money the old fashioned way (raid it!) and how to give the French 'the cold steel' (fight like a soldier!). It will end with getting a good foothold on the Iberian and giving the French a lesson in a new type of war!

Getting Started:

As Spain you have a unique situation compared to the other factions, you have the chance to fight behind the lines with your 'guerrilla' units. That's right these units are most important for Spain. Why might you ask? You can do a lot with them then just being cool to fight guerrilla warfare behind French lines. They will be explained later in detail. At this point just look over the map. You will see that a few things have changed. The agents have changed, the trade has changed, and obviously now the way you conduct war has changed. If you are a defensive player and a 'turtler' then you may want to rethink your faction selection. Why? Because, you will let the French build up and they may make it too impossible for you to defeat. Why again...because you have little money starting out. Your funds are 2000, and you will make next to nil' unless you take your two largest armies and put the whoopin' on the frogs very quickly.

So like I said before you go gallivanting around study the map look for regions you can see that are not defended well. Look for resources that will be useful for your economy and military. Look at your military and you will see that all is not lost. Be smart with them as those two largest armies are your only hope. Don't not waist them or spread them thin or you will be asking for trouble very quickly. Lastly look for where you can take your guerrilla armies (located on the far north regions) on wee bit of raidin.' Once you have taken a few minutes to have a look over, we will begin with the economy....yes you have to learn how to make money. The Peninsular Campaign is a little different than
regular NTW but not so much.

I almost forgot! You are allied and trade partners with Great Britain and Portugal
. Do not expect a lot of help from them other than being a safe haven for your troops to march north. You can watch them generally help out in the west and northwest. Don't worry to much if you follow this guide you can be your own best friend, (Britain so far in my campaign is not liberating so that maybe their game or the AI is not sure what liberating is about) and make sure that Spain is not ruled under another yoke.

Making Your Opening Moves Count:

Ok, I know there is nothing here that seems remotely hopeful, but you are about to see your assets and funds and how use them properly ladies and gents. First you will see that the funds are indeed 2000. You will see a 'wee mission there as well with a chance to win 2000 by building a mere 'trader ship'. Do it! No bones about it man the 'lil yellow region on the bottom left is where you will find a port for your trader to be built...again...Do it! I know the Hussars and Lanceros look tempting but don't waste your dinero on those blokes. Build the Trader. The faster you get 2000 the quicker you pass Juan Valdez's bank roll if you get my meaning.

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Secondly you will see below the two main armies you will field as the Spanish. We will discuss 'guerrilla tactics' later. Circled in blue you see that they are modest and modestly led so nothing that special. They are descent enough to do what you need them to do. Use them wisely or lose them for good. You will not be able to re-build quickly and they AI could very well mop you up.

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This pic shows you your list of commanders which is very important to manage your armies' whereabouts...of course the Iberia is not terribly difficult. It just looks rather tidy eh?

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Keeping careful tabs on your dinero is very, very important. Right now I am only going to clear about 269 dinero. Not too bad, but not a winner either.

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After figuring out what you are going to spend the next thing I always do is get the 'agents' rolling. As Spain you have priests and guerrilleros (basically spies) so use them well as well. The best thing to do and what I did is march those lads out to the nearest region capital so they can do their 'dirty work' and prepare for your invasion.

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In other Total wars sometimes good luck pays off. While taking my 'guerrillero' out on his journey he stumbled onto an enemy 'provocateur' working for the French. I decided it maybe worth killing since I found out my guerrillero has a 57% chance of success. Not too bad in my opinion.

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Now in this case as well as the other, I chose to move my priest to the next target for the Spanish Army because the city of Cordoba is rather weak. Granada has a bigger force and will take me longer to get my troops ready for the assault on that old city. It is your choice in the end eh?

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OK, now is the time to take the lads out for a walk towards Cordoba. Like I said earlier they are easy prey.

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Guerrilla Style: (still part of the opening moves)

As I said earlier the guerrilla units would be discussed in more detail and how to use them to there most effectiveness. Don't think of them as open regular units and use them as such. They will not perform well in that arena. Use them as 'hit and run' units and as raiding units behind the French lines. I am not going to discuss the individual units you can see you have a lancer, hussar, and light skirmish infantry and all that. What I am going to show is options to make them effective for your playing style. You can raid and 'hit' the French when they bring reinforcements up piecemeal (rest assured they will do this.)

Now you have two guerrilla commanders Mendoza and Anchia. Use them wisely or you will lose them quickly. As I said they cannot stand up like regular units, they are light and use them as such or like I said they will be gone in a blink of an eye. They also have some unique traits like "slaughtered family" for Mendoza. Read the traits you will get a kick out of them for sure. Anyhow, you can see Mendoza
and and Achia's description below.

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I chose to take Achia and his 'crew' out for some raiding around Cantabria (you can see the location in the Map HUD.) Then I plan to take him to the coast and follow along the tree line raiding resources and the like and then maybe take out some 'stragglers' on their way to reinforce a larger army. That is Achia's purpose here.

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Mendoza's banditos are further east and are in great location to raid 'trade routes.' What is so special about trade routes? Well friend that just like NTW in sea or land you can raid trade routes and get some 'other money.' That's right! When you click on a cross road that will let you click on a major highway so to speak your unit lands on them and bam you get a 'skull and cross-bone' pirate style flash and then you will be officially collecting some booty after a turn. First I had to raid the resource for kicks then I am taking Mendoza to the crossroads located south of Catalina town there circled in red. Do this and you are another step away from getting mucho dinero. Now I have moved these guerrilla armies to their limit.

One last thing you need to know is that in combat they can be moved all around the enemy army’s zone. You cannot put them in the enemy's startup zone, but they can be placed all around. You can set up your ambush and wait for the Frenchy's to try and find you and really hit them hard. Then melt away and do it all over again. I recommend this strategy if and when you want to try the 'mettle' of these blokes.

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Now the opening moves are complete and maximized...yes sometimes less is better. No need to spend your sum on lancers, hussars and all that. Keep it simple initially. There is plenty of time for the grandeur.

To Arms!!! Tips for Fighting with the Spanish:

All right hopefully you are still with me at this point. The army bound for
Cordoba is ready to 'get it on.' First thing is to ease into your fights with Spain. Don't bite off more than you chew etc. Start of with Cordoba as I did gain a province and confidence. You can see you should win this hands down. Conserving casualties is your goal here as well as thrashing the French.

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In this battle I am attempting a Fredrick the Great strategy of 'Oblique Order' of attack on the French right, and I am using a decoy force to entice the French to attack them instead of my ‘flanking force.’.

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The main units attempting to flank the French are marching in column for speed. You can see it is line, militia and cavalry.

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Making the French fall for my ruse is sometimes tricky for AI's sometimes it works other times it doesn't no matter how you conceal your force. The French are moving straight for through the town, while my decoy units move forward to meet them. As you saw the decoy unit is made up of a commander, skirmishers, and a artillery.

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The lads are doing their best to make the plan of attack happen. So far so good!

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I had to bring the decoys closer, because the French were moving their line to meet my flanking effort. Hopefully they will bite now.

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And here they come lads! Give them some lead boys! Pore it on them! Just our luck the real strength of the French is on the right. The decoys are going to receive the armed citizens not the militia and line units!

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There is plenty of time as the flankers start to roll up the French line

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Unlike Ney at Waterloo...The infantry is supporting a cavalry attack. They are also giving the French the cold steel as well.

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The decoy force is now getting into an undesired melee. The flanking force must get there in time to save the skirmishers.

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It is done the French line is decimated beyond repair.

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Sometimes the spoils of a good effort is a dead enemy general.

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Finally victory is achieved. The plan went completely as conceived.despite the first set back of moving the decoy units forward. The AI French went for the bait hook, line, and sinker. Now I am being a gentleman and selecting 'end battle.' If I was playing a guerrilla army I might slaughter them all, but I am not so I chose to end it. It is your call to do as you please and all.

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Only losing 181 is not bad considering everyone is armed with muskets and all. Choosing the 'Oblique Order' may not be good for you, but it is fun to see a tried strategy work. Now of course this is a mere skirmish compared to what’s to come later. Just building some confidence and giving you ideas as well.

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Next you have the choice to Loot or Peacefully Occupy. Choose to Occupy if you don't want to create more problems. The populous just got the looting and much, much more from the French, so don't bring that on you really. I know it's a game but look at the negativity if you Loot compared to occupy. Look at the long term versus the short term.

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Now the other army you have in Valencia to the east. Take them to the south west to the next province over and take that city as well. The fight will be very similar to Cordoba. After that you then will have a fight for Granada. Don't waist time for build up. Leave the militia to guard your new acquired provinces and join the two armies to assault Granada. Once you have done this you will have a grand foothold in the Southern Iberia and now a force to be reckoned with! Don't worry too much about your economy after this as well. You will be clearing around 1500-2000 after this unless you go for the grand units. Again, it is your call after all and all that.

Conclusion:

In this guide you have been given ideas that can lead to success in your campaign as Spain. You have been instructed how to fight guerrilla as well as traditional tactics and how to fight economically. Applying all or any these methods are purely suggestion and not guaranteed to lead to success. However, they will give you a good grasp at reconquering the Iberian for Spain and a taste of it for sure.