Is Spain hard or easy?

[Egbert]

I've heard different things about Spain as a faction in Medieval II. Are they easy-, hard-, or medium-difficulty to play as in the Grand Campaign (overrall)? Is there military very balanced, or is it strong in certain areas and weak in others? How is there starting position?

Thank You!

P.S. I have played as Spain, but I haven't gotten too far yet.

[Marcus Septim IV]

for me easiest thing ever maybe some trouble with the moors but dont wory play hard/hard ul make it ....

[Vampo]

I would say that Spain is an Easy or Medium rating.

For a start, they have a very good starting position. Once you secure the Iberian Peninsula, it is quite easy to spread into North Africa and Northern Europe. It could be tough at the start if fight against the Moors, Portugal and France at the same time though.

They also have a very strong roster from the early game all the way through to the late, including Jinetes, Conquisdores, Sword and Buckler Men and Tercio Pikemen.

[Celsius]

i say they're pretty easy, just watch out for france and the moors

[Magno]

Relatively Easy, next to England it is the easiest I believe.

[aion2006]

Dont forget Sicily. lol.

[Iron Juggernaut]

The Sicilians are also my favorite, Aion. You've got yourself a nice corner and a small area to work with. Good starting off faction to play as.

I've played as the Spanish before, and the only trouble I've ever had with them is either against the French, Portuguese, or Moors (if you get a good trade faction going, though, the Moors tend to leave you alone). One of the first assignments I got was to take over the Pamplona region from the Pope. Unfortunately, that erupted when a diplomatic deal went bad into a war that was actually more bloody than I'd expected it to be (lasted 4 turns). We won, though.

I have noticed, though, as the Spanish you have a big problem with religious unrest, since the Moors also move into the lower portion of Spain (the Granada and Cordoba regions specifically). You might have trouble here and there with that, but riots and whatnot are not common with my guys (but then again, my king and all my governors have max dread, and the "Brutally Scarred" trait).

As a final note, take careful precautions if the English invade the French within the first 15 turns. I've had trouble with that especially since the French and English have duked it out more than once on my territory, and I've gotten involved here and there with force, making me a hostile to both factions. From the get-go, you can take Bordeaux and Rennes since they're just Rebel owned at the start, but there again, the English like to land invasion forces there for some reason (more frequently of the two: Rennes).

[jsktrogdor]

They're easiest faction in my opinion, just based on geography and their neighbors. Also they have an uber economy if you manage it well.

- France will have other things to worry about so unless you give them a hole they'll leave you be.

-Muslim enemies readily availible so you can expand without worrying about rep, or excom.

[The Noble Lord]

Spain is similar to England. But it goes towards the south and expands
in the north Africa and southern France. After you conquer the Iberian peninsula first.


CHEERS

[roy34543]

Its a bit hard early on but really simple after that. its a great faction for learning all the mechanics though.

[Tankfriend]

That's my opinion as well. The beginning can get quite hard because you potentially have to face France, the Moors and Portugal (maybe some others if the game goes weird) while having a rather weak starting economy. As soon as you have firm control over the entire Iberian Peninsula, the game is getting easier the further it progresses because the economy starts to produce more and more profits (slaves and gold in Africa aren't that far away either) while you're also getting better units. With the availability of gunpowder and the arrival in America, Spain imo becomes one of the most powerful factions if the unit roster is put to good use (musketeers, basilisks, conquistadores, sword&bucklers, tercio pikemen plus superior ships).

[jsktrogdor]

I actualy did have one problem playing as spain, once I got control of timbukto (lol theres no hope of me spelling that). I had a problem with rebels, its just a little bit challenging to manage those south african states because of their huge size.

[Xamt]

i have to vote for easy as well ...

superb starting position (lets you expand wherever you want and is extremely easy to defend)

great overall roster (good hv. cavalry and possibly the best light cavalry - jinetes, also good infantry both offensive and defensive and good gunpowder units)

and last but not least, you can get to the Americas first

[Augustus Lucifer]

Agree with the rest of the posters in this thread. Spain has a very nice economy, once you have North Africa from the Moors and all of mainland Spain you will be reeling in 200k+ at enough a turn to pay for 3 full stacks and all city improvements without any depletion. The early game can be tough if you run into problems with France or get called on a Crusade before you're ready and feel obligated to go, but overall they're probably one of the easiest factions besides Scotland. Also, if you play your cards right you can actually war the Moors with the Portugese, grab some land, and then get Ceasefire offers from the moors ans war the portugese with them, or vice versa, as both of the other factions are looking to gain an edge and find an ally, so if it isn't them vs you, you're in good shape. And as previously stated, you can expand into Egypt lands without repercussion, but don't overextend yourself because Milan, Venice, Sicily, and France all get antsy and might attack you after you've come out of the conflict for mainland spain.

Cheers,
Augustus