[M2TW AAR] Moorish AAR - Resisting the Reconquista

[skulkrinbait]

My second AAR, here's the rules I will be playing to:

1. Vanilla MTW2.

2. Settings to Hard/Hard (I'm not very good at this game but it's a step up from Med/Med that I used in my first AAR!)

3. I will always use family members to manage settlements and control armies. If a family member dies when commanding an army then their army must return to the closest friendly settlement as soon as possible. If a settlement is left uncommanded then a family member from an army must return to lead it and if there are no spare family members then the next one to come of age etc will go there.

4. I will end all battles when the "continue battle" option appears to more realistically simulate typical casualites of battles in the middle ages.

I think that covers it!

[skulkrinbait]

The Struggle Begins

It's the year 1080AD, the infidels have slowly but surely been forcing our people south, out of the Iberian peninsula towards our traditional homeland of North Africa.



The Empire of the Moors

The Moorish Empire at the moment is in trouble, the settlement of Cordoba in the North is exposed to Spanish and Portuguese aggression, the Castle at Granada is small and weak.

Our other settlements are many miles to the South and East across the straights of Gibraltar. Algiers in the East is very isolated but happily our brothers in the East, the Egyptians are fellow Muslims and so hopefully friendly towards us. Only our most ancient city of Marrakesh enjoys some form of protection being nestled between the Atlas Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.

Sultan Tahar - Leader of the Moors



Sultan Tahar is old, having presided over the gradual decline of his people as they have been slowly forced south by the Christian Infidels, he is a weak leader. He has little time to change the course of events if he wants to be remembered more fondly by his people after his death.

Cordoba - The Moorish Capital



The Sultan is garrisoned with a small force at the capital Cordoba. He will need to bolster this garrison with some urgency if he is to turn the tide of Christendom.

Heir to the Throne



Crown Prince Miswar, Tahar's son and heir to the Moorish throne shows more promise than his father and has more time on his side. He has been diligently running the ancient settlement of Marrakesh far to the South.

Marrakesh



The garrison of Marrakesh is small but more than enough to deal with the limited threats in the area. It is likely that some of these forces will be transferred North to more disputed areas.

Qasim



Finally, Tahars middle son Qasim has been entrusted with the Castle at Algiers far in the East. This Castle will be the base where most of the Moorish military will be recruited from, it being a well-established fortification with good facilities.

Algiers Garrison



The garrison at Algiers is also small and due to the fact that the Egyptians are to the East this force will be needed to guard against possible invasion from that faction. While the Egyptians are Muslim themselves they cannot be trusted until diplomacy has been initiated with them.

The Moorish Dynasty



The Moors have a small Royal Family with just two heirs who have come of age, Tahars youngest son will soon join them however.

Portugal



The first task that Tahar undertakes is to send his emisarry to seek council with the Portuguese. Surprisingly they seem quite friendly and agree to a trade agreement and to share map information. While this is good news at this stage while the Moors are weak, the Portuguese are not to be trusted long term.

Merchant Route



Sultan Tahar realises that the Moors will need money to be able to fight off the Christian menace that approaches from the North and a merchant is instructed to find new trade routes.

Adoption



Out of the blue comes the news of a possible candidate for Adoption, the 21 year old Aswad Filali. He appears to be a promising military leader and while his loyalty is rumoured to be dubious, it is agreed that he can join the family, but a close watch will have to be kept over him.

Sultan Tahar's Legacy



The Sultan is dead! Old age killed him, his legacy will not be a great one as he presided over a slow and lingering decline of the Moorish Empire in Iberia. However, he has sewn the seeds of a recovery and perhaps his successor can reverse the recent trend.

Sultan Miswar



The new Sultan is crowed and begins his reign. It is a new dawn for the Moors and a sense of optimism pervades the air, it's a turning point for the Moors.

Treachery!



The good news is soon replaced by treacherours news as a general who had been leading a unit of archers from Marrakesh to reinforce Cordoba has deserted the Moorish banner! This dog must be put down quickly.

Ayub the Handsome



It is with luck that the newest Moorish family members came of age just recently in the nearby town of Cordoba. Ayub the Handsome is not a great leader but he will be given the job of putting the traitor to death in open combat.

Cordoba's Garrison



There is a large garrison for Ayub to choose from as he makes his way out of the city on his mission to kill the renegade general. In the end he leaves the gates with just his bodyguard and two units of Arab Horse, to give him speed.

Closing for Battle



Ayub soon finds his quarry on a hill to the West of the city of Cordoba. The two sides close for battle, his horsemen eager to close on the foe.

[Bla_bla_bla]

Brilliant!

[BlackBart213]

Very nice! I read the ending of your Scottish campaign and was wondering who you were going to play as next, and presto! Here we are.

I played as the Moors once, they're very challenging.

[Nack]

Good luck, I'm sure the spaniards will be a difficult opponent. I look foward to read this AAR.

[Laconian]

I agree good work so far.

[skulkrinbait]

Cavalry to the Fore



Ayyub brought up his cavalry in good order, his own bodyguard consisting of crack heavy cavalry and two units of light Arab cavalry, famed for their speed.

To Battle!



It was a bright day and the enemy forces could clearly be seen holding their position atop a small incline. The Moorish cavalry stood to receive their orders from the General and were soon ready to begin their mission.

Charge!



It was clear that the rebels would try to hold the high groun and rain arrows down upon the advancing Moors as they struggled up the hill. Ayyub realised this at once and so urged one of his units of Arab cavalry to charge up the hill and outflank the rebels from the right. By ordering this charge he would minimise the amount of time the enemy had to fire on his men and therefore hoped to reduce losses.

Committed to Battle



As soon as the rebels began to fire on the approaching cavalry, Ayyub screamed out the order for the rest of his horsemen to charge directly at the enemy. Now that the enemy were concentrated on firing at the most advanced unit of cavalry, he hoped his main force would escape unscathed.

Seeing this turn of events the cowardly traitor commanding the enemy archers ordered them to fall back quickly, to rough ground.

Clash of Steel



It was to no avail for the foe, the archers could not get away from the hooves of the magnificent Moorish horses and were soon being trampled underfoot by the cavalrymen.

Revenge!



The enemy captain, who had once been a member of the Moorish army, was soon spotted trying to flee the carnage. One of Ayyubs personal bodyguards had the honour of killing this swine, his horse running the dog down in a fitting death.

Victory!



The enemy archers, seeing their pitiful leader killed soon threw down their weapons and begged for mercy. This they were granted and the final toll showed that the Moorish military are not to be treated lightly.

This will be the first battle of many as the Moors strive to hold on to their lands and look to regain their former glory.

Viva Espana



The Spaniards have agreed to a trade agreement with us, my diplomat has done well and this should also give us some time to prepare defences against future Spanish aggression, which must surely come at some stage. The Infidels are not to be trusted!

Infiltrator



As expected the Portuguese show their true colours as being enemies of Islam. A Portuguese spy has been found and killed in Cordoba. This marks the Portuguese as our first target when the time comes for war.

[Bla_bla_bla]

Yet another Brilliant part. i like how you finished with a cliffhanger of the purtogese (spelling?) being your next target!

[BlackBart213]

Very awesome...kill those Portuguese infidels!

[Nack]

Kill the portuguese! they are useless compared to the spaniards and you could use some of their positions

[Laconian]

I would be advice a bit of caution before you declare war on Portugal. If they are allied with Spain the situation could be difficult.

[Parky]

nice to see another AAR from you .
post an update soon.

[skulkrinbait]

Conquest



As the new year dawns, 1094 AD, thoughts turn to conquest with the coming of age of a new member of the Royal Family.

French Letters



Far to the North, the Moorish Diplomat has made contact with the French. Although they agree to our trade agreement proposal, my diplomat informs me that they didn't seem overly friendly, perhaps we may have trouble brewing in the future with these people.

Coming of Age



My eldest son, Faraj has come of age. He shows some promise of becoming a good commander in future although he has always been something of a sickly child. I decide to give him the task of running the garrison at the Castle of Granada and give him orders to oversee the production of military units there.

News of War



There has been some good news, a war has started between two of our potential foes, the French and Portuguese. While my instincts suggest this will not be a long war it reduces the chance of either of these neighbouring factions attacking us in the near future. We can look to expand our borders in relative peace.

Siege




The First Moorish army, led by Sultan Miswar, was now being assembled at Cordoba, ready for an expedition of conquest. Ayyub the Handsome, the Sultan's brother would be left behind in charge of the settlement, the Sultan being more qualified for such a mission of conquest.

Before deciding on a target for this force to conquer, an important meeting was convened in the Royal Palace, with all the Sultans advisors present.

"So, the question is which of the infidels we should take on first." stated the Sultan.

"Majesty, if I may make a suggestion." piped up the Sultans chief advisor. "We should strike the Portuguese hard before they can
draw up their plans against us. Our spies report that they have been approaching the Spanish with a view to an alliance against us and as we already know they are hostile towards us."

"This would be foolish!" shouted Ayyub, standing as he made his outburst. "The Portuguese are a well-drilled and experienced military unit, while I have every faith in our own soldiers, they lack experience and are green. Sending them against the Portuguese would be asking for trouble and would certainly encourage the Spanish to join against us."

"I agree and have another suggestion that may appeal to his majesty." started one of the more junior advisors. "Far to the East, there's a rebel settlement, a Castle located at Valencia. Attacking these rebels would probably not result in either the Spanish or Portuguese attacking us."

"I agree with you." Replied the Sultan. "Although the rebel leader is none other than El Cid, famous throughout Iberia as being a strong leader of men. If we do take them on then we would have to try to siege them rather than try a full on attack. It is decided, we will ride tomorrow."

And so the First Army of the Moors rode East and arrived at Valencia. Orders were given for a long siege, the attackers outnumbering the defence by two to one, but lacking the experience of El Cids men.

An Unwanted Visitor



While the Moorish capital at Cordoba was fairly weak, with the First Army of the Moors out on a mission, the Portuguese sent a diplomat with a grave demand.

Their diplomat had the temerity to ask for money in return for not attacking, he was sent away with short shrift, but this news reinforces the fact that the Portuguese are likely to be our foe sooner than later.

[u]Alliances[u]



Even worse news is that the English have just signed an alliance with the eveil Portuguese, surely they are now paving the way for a declaration of war against the Moors?

Portuguese Diplomacy



My fears are being reinforced as the Portuguese sign a truce with the French and ally with the Milanese. Surely war against us is just around the corner? I consider recalling the army from it's siege of Valencia but decide against it as the enemy forces inside their castle must soon be out of food. Instead reinforcements from around the Sultanate are ordered to Cordoba, which will be the front line city if war does break out.

Brahim Al Ramid



One of my sisters has found herself a husband at last. Brahim will be a useful asset if a war does develop as he is a promising commander and staunchly loyal to the crown.

Standing Against the World



More news of alliances, this time the Spanish cementing their friendship with France and Milan. Surely this must end ill for the Moors as Spain and Portugal appear to be joining a major power block including France that will be able to crush the fledging Moors.

All settlements are no producing soldiers as quickly as they can, war is now imminent.

The Siege Ended



At last the siege of Valencia is coming to an end. El Cid sallies forth but has taken grievous losses during the siege and emerges with barely 200 men, outnumbered 4 to 1 this surely has to end in favour of the Moors.

[u]Leave the Siege Engines[u]



Sultan Miswar was taken off guard by El Cid's emergence from the Castle of Valencia and many of his men were still tending to their siege engines. Seeing his chance El Cid ordered his elite cavalry units to charge straight into the midst of the Moorish lines.

The initial charge hit with such force that it pushed a hole straight through the middle of the Moorish lines and split the army into two.

Exploiting the Breakthrough



Seeing how successful his initial strike had been, El Cid decided to keep the momentum going and ordered his bodyguard to continue the charge deep into the Moorish rear. Here there were the reserve units of the Moorish siege army, including Sultan Miswar himself with the Royal Bodygard.

Miswar, was still shocked by the emergence of the enemy and stunned by the impact. He could see dozens of his own men laying dead and wounded on the battlefield.

For a moment things looked grave for the Moors, but, regaining his composure the Sultan issued a short volley of commands.

He ordered his best spear units, including some Nubian spearmen to move in from the flanks to encircle the main rebel cavalry force that was now finishing off the Moors in the centre of their lines. At the same time he urged his own bodyguard to charge the bodyguard of El Cid.

The clash was terrible as the two bodyguard units met, the Moors lacking experience and it began to show as slowly the rebel horsemen killed their Moorish counterparts with little loss on their own part.

Redemption



Just in the nick of time for the Sultan, two events happened simultaneously.

His best spearmen were able to engage the rebel horsemen, trapping them and encircling them as they finished off their grisly work. The spears were soon taking a terrible toll on the horsemen.

At the same time, another unit of spear came charging to the aid of their leader, falling on the rear of El Cid's bodyguard, they began to butcher their way towards the valiant enemy leader.

Rebel Retreat and El Cid's Death



This had all happened in the nick of time for the Moors as the enemy infantry were just about to join the fray, when their cavalry units began to rout. El Cid himself was slain by the thrust of a Moorish spear and seeing their leader dead the whole rebel force began to run back into the safety of the Castle of Valencia.

Entering the Castle



Fortunately for our valiant forces, the enemy were unable to barricade their doors before our advance elements could arrive and force entry.

Soon after seeing this and taking into account that their leader was dead and the main force of their army dead or fleeing, the enemy surrendered. Valencia was ours!

Death Toll



El Cid may have lost but he showed how good a leader of men he was as his forces slew more of us then we slew of them. Had they been another unit of cavalry stronger then the battle would probably have gone the other way.

Iberia



This conquest increases our spehere of influence in Iberia, although the new settlement is exposed to the North and will need a large garrison to defend it.

[Nack]

El Cid... dead Oh well, it happens every campaign. :/

Anyway, good work, I'm enjoying this AAR

[Bla_bla_bla]

Lol. The brave El cid got in over his head!

Well done. Another brilliant part.

[BlackBart213]

Good job. You're well poised to strike at both Portuguese territories now!

[skulkrinbait]

Contemplation



It is the year 1126 AD, after our recent conquest it is time to take stock and consolidate our gains.

Marriage



My sister Zizi has chosen a husband for herself. Abdelatif of Coria will make a good general and we are indeed in need of such a man to lead our armies, however I will have to ensure he is kept under observation as he is actively disloyal.

The Holy Roman Empire



My Diplomat arrived at the capital of the HRE and had an audience with their Prince Henry. Another trade agreement has been cemented and now the Moorish Sultanate grows rich as trade pours into our lands.

War!



The French have attacked! An army has besieged our new settlement of Valencia, the French marching out of the North without warning, catching the defence by surprise. It is a large army but despite being caught off guard our defences are strong and should be a match for the French infidels.

Inspecting the Troops



The Moorish defences are strong, the backbone of which is formed of Berber Spears, who are quite doughty in their defence. Augmented with some Desert Archers, Town Militia and Spears they should be able to hold onto the Castle of Valencia.

Vilain de Dampierre



The enemy leader, while loyal, has little experience of commanding armies in battle, so confidence is high as the French lay siege.

The Enemy Army



The enemy army is large, outnumbering the defenders by perhaps as much as 50%. While their exact composition cannot be identified, they do have some peasants and archers in their ranks and so do not appear to be an elite force.

To Battle



While the French built up their siege equipment, ready to attack the castle gates, I took the prudent step of ordering a relief force led by Ayyub the Handsome to move up to help the defence.

This move tipped the balance of numbers in our favour, just in the nick of time as the French began their assault.

Attack!



The French moved towards our gates as a mob, with a siege tower and ladders on their flanks and a ram in the centre. My archers made good use of this time while the French were at their most vulnerable and killed many foes with flaming arrows.

Closing



As the French siege tower arrived at the walls, my Berber Spears made ready to repulse the invaders.

Ladders



On the North side of the gatehouse, a unit of French Sergeants had scaled their ladders and were busily engaging a unit of our Berbers, a bloody struggle ensued for control of the walls.

The Gates are Breached



Soon enough the French ram had reduced out gate to rubble and the enemy issued forth into the settlement, as blood might run from a festering wound. My spears were ready to contain them as they entered.

Towering Battle



The enemy siege tower was beginning to disgorge it's occupants as the gates fell. The shock of the gates being broken gave the French additional impetus on this flank and it looked as though the Moors may rout.

Brink of Defeat



The main French force was pushing back our valiant defenders and enlargening the breach they had made around the gates. We lacked enough spearmen to keep them back and things were looking serious as some gaps began to appear in our forces cordoning off the French.

The Moors were begining to waver in their defence and I had to order a charge from my Royal Bodyguard to restore confidence to our linses, but now everything was committed, we had no reserves. Despite being thrown back momentarily by the charge from my heavy cavalry, the French came back to hold sway and forced back our men once more.

Suddenly, just as defeat looked imminent, a loud horn was heard outside the gates!

Ayyub's Charge



Praise be to Allah! My brother, Ayyub the Handsome arrives in the nick of time, drivig his heavy cavalry into the French rear at the gate he spreads panic through their forces. Suddenly a great victory has been snatched from the jaws of defeat!

Grinding down the French



Despit this turn of events, with the exception of a couple of weak French units, their forces didn't turn and run and kept fighting. The battle was bloody indeed around the gate and Ayyub couldn't do more as his main force of footmen was still some way behind, having led the charge of his bodyguard to save the main Moorish force he was now isolated.

End Game



At last more French began to shred from the battlefield as my Berber Spears had won the battle for the walls and were able to descend into the enemy flank with some surprise. Although the French were now fleeing, their cavalry still continued the fight, although now badly outnumbered.

Victory!



At last the French capitulated and fled, the final death toll shows that my forces fought valiently indeed and we decimated the French army. Hopefully we should now buy time to prepare our forces for further French incursions.

[vonKrysiak]

I really like the pictures, especialy the borders - But I would advise to stick with the black ones!

[skulkrinbait]

England vs Spain



News arrives from afar that the English have declared war on Spain. This is more good news as it means that Spain will have it's hands full and should therefore buy more time for the Moors. My fear of a power-block of Spain, Portugal and France all joining forces against us has been allayed somewhat. At least for now.

Once More Unto the Breach



The French are tenacious, I'll give them that. Another French armies pitches up outside the Castle of Valencia and lays siege. Our garrison there has been badly depleted with the recent battle but the enemy force is small itself and so we feel safe enough behind the walls of the Castle.

The Folly of French Youth



Mahiet le Brun is a mere 21 years old, this boy has been sent against us with his rag tag assortment of men and he lacks the experience or command to trouble us much I suspect.

French Forces



This French army is not as strong in terms of numbers as it's predecessor, although we cannot be sure of it's composition as my spies have been unable to penetrate to glean much information.

Moorish Veterans



The Moorish forces that fought and won the last battle agains the French are quite weak numerically, but the experience they gained from this fight makes up for that.

French Second Wave



It soon becomes apparant that the French are bringing up more forces, they obviously are aware that their current besieging army with it's inexperienced leader wont be enough for the job in hand.

Anglo Scot Hostilities



While the French muster their forces, one of my messengers manages to get through their besieging lines with news of war between the Scots and English. This news isn't exactly shocking to my ears, the infidels often have their petty squabbles, in fact it would be more of a surprise to learn that the English and Scottish were not at war for a change.

French Siege Ended



Instead of sitting and waiting for the French armies to join forces and attack, I decide to lead my forces out onto the field to engage them singly.

We meet the French a few miles outside the Castle walls with the forces still not united, one force on a steep hillside for protection and the nother reliveing force marching towards them. To my surprise, their leader appears to have gone missing, whether he's been recalled to Paris or died from some foul diease I know not, but it bodes well for the Moors in the coming battle.

Closing For Battle



Seeing the enemy forces split we head for the smaller relief force, the other enemy force occupying good defensive terrain, we can leave them for later.

Javelins



Quickly, I ordered a unit of my Horsemen forward to harrass the smaller enemy force, that consisted mainly of Spearmen. As long as they could avoid getting into a fight with the single unit of enemy Heavy Cavalry in the area they could wreak havoc in this French formation. They engaged with their Javelins from the enemy right flank and were soon causing heavy casualties.

Cavalry to the Fore



The enemy spears continued to march towards my main formation despite their losses from the cavalry. I decided to take advantage of them ignoring this force and ordered the horsemen to charge into the rear of the spearmen as they marched.

Concentration



At last the French responded after having one of the spear units almost decimated, their Heavy cavalry chased off my lighter horsemen but as this was happening my archers came into range and started showering down a volley of fire.

The main French force watched proceedings safe on their hillside.

Feint



I watched in disbelief as the French now turned through 90 degrees and marched straight across the front of our force that was now deployed in good order using the terrain to good effect. Was this some kind of trick by the French?

Charge!



Seeing the enemy in some disarray I ordered a cavalry charge, led by my own bodyguards. We hit the enemy spear in their flank and pushed them forcefully back down the hill whence they came!

French Rout

It didn't take much for the French to turn and run, only their heavy cavalry put up any kind of resistance but they were soon overwhelmed by sheer numbers as our spearmen also reached the battle.

This turn of events had the desired effect of bringing the other French units down from their eyrie high up on the mountainside.

French Run the Gauntlet



Thinking the French were at last going to commit their main force to battle I drew up my lines in good order and awaited their approach. However, it soon became clear that the French were not seeking battle but were running away, the cowardly infidels!

Quickly I ordered my cavalry to cut them off although the enemy horse unit was too quick for us to catch. We hit them hard in the flank.

Melee

The French captain with his heavy cavalry saw his main force had been intercepted and so valiantly wheeled back and urged his unit to try to outflank the Moorish army. At the same time one of their archer units had managed to break free from the battle as was ready to fire in aid of their spearmen. Seeing this I ordered a cavalry charge to break them up.

French Collapse



The French captain had the right idea but was too late, by the time his unit arrived the rest of the French army was routing. Bravely the French engaged but they were hopelessly outnumbered and soon crushed.

Final Reckoning



What had looked to be a close battle on paper had turned out to be a rout as the superior tactics and men of the Moors had prevailed!

[BlackBart213]

*claps* very well done! Show those French infidels that the power of the Moors will not be denied!