MOORS-STRATEGY AND TACTICS-DISCUSS

[HistGamer]

Hi guys, this is my Moorish tactic that seems to work well. Feel free to try it out and please comment. And if you have any other strategies or tactics strictly for the Moors then, please post it.

Units required:
2 Lamtuna Spearmen
2 Hashashim
2 Dis Christian Knights
2 Christian Guards
1-2 Desert Archers
1 Dis Arab Soldiers
1 Urban Militia
General

Formation-Battle Plan
Both(2) the Lamtuna Spearmen(SCHILTROM FORMATION) placed like this(no overlaping)- OO , with the Dist Arab soldiers right on the front line of the 2 lamtuna spearmen. Thin the Dist Arabs if necessary to overlap the 2 schiltrom spearmen. The Dist Arabs are put forward due to their higher armour, they are used to soak up infantry charges while the lamtuna spearmen slugg it out behind.

Behind this unique usage of schiltrom formation, is the main infantry line. The middle would be the urban militia while the sides/flans would consists of the better soldier, Dist Christian Guards and the Hashashim as they both can pack a punch with their high damage. Archer behind the main infantry line, turn on flaming projectiles.

Cavalry on far flank of both sides with the General.

Strategy:
As the enemy makes their way towards your unique schiltrom spearmen, slowly advance your main battle line forward. When the enemy infantry charges your schiltrom spearmen, congratulation, you already have the advantage. As the enemy infantry charges on your formation, they will slowly enveloped and pincer around your spearmen due to the unique placement of schiltrom. But this is what you want, quickly have ur Urban militia in the middle run charge forward to hold the formation while your hashashims/dis christian Guards flank the the enemy pincer on the side. Aha, now you have cover their flanks and mid. Ensure your cavalry charge on the backs of the mass enemy infantry on the back to ensure full rout. Have your Lamtuna Spearmen push forward with the schiltrom formation with the aid of urban militias(now that ur dist arabs is mostly if nto all dead), so that the enemy is so packed together that when you cavalry close on their behind they are doom.

Lamtuna Spearmen are chosen due to their high morale, discipline and training. They are very hardy troops that would form a solid lien and stay with you. Remember-PUSH YOUR WAY THROUGH with the schiltrom to further weaken and break the enemy.


TRY IT OUT AND PLS COMMENT!!!

[Viking Prince]

Welcome to TWC and a special welcome to the M2TW General Discussion!!!

You only get to be a virgin post once. I am glad to see it is to start a thread!

Against what enemy? A mobile mounted threat such as Egypt or a Jinetes based threat from Iberia or an Italian crossbow and spear threat? It seems you are a bit weak in mobility and might be assuming too much that you will be on the defensive without needing to counter a missile threat. I might be wrong though, since I do not play one on one live.

[HistGamer]

Thxs Viking Prince, I am honoured to have you as the first replier of my first post, i have read a lot of your posts and threads and found them inspiring and impressive(one reason to join this community=)) My strategy is mainly aim at heavy bulk knights and infantries such as the spainish, danish , mainly all the european countries. Yes, I do acknowledge that this tactic lack mobility and is especially vulnerable to archers(England for eg) due to the light infantry i relied on. Please try it out in custom or online battles, and tlel me how well it works for you!

[Commander5xl]

so hes saying against more Italian and German factions like HRE, Danes, and the Italian factions, so invasion to central Europe anyone lol, my strategy is using luring using the missile cavalry that Moors have, they dont rely havily but they can and lure them into the cross bow range and right into my Latuma or dis arab cavalry, while they are occupired with me 2-4 missile cavalry i swing about 3 units of christian cavalry behind and then use a sandwhich technique with the spearmen advancing steadily and the enemy focus on them while getintg under fire from the crossbowmen, and then you come in with the christian gaurds either right to the genreal or the heart of the enemy line. The trick with moors is chaos, and men, so many men doing so many things and make the AI go nuts with being attacked every which way and not being able to get their hands on your men ,and when they do to see 4 more come in for every 1 death.

[HistGamer]

Mmm, I like the critism, mind you, I still got a few plans and tactics up my sleeves, and are still drawing up new ones=P. I would try to post a formal tactic that counter archers and be more offensive about the whole thing. And do please read my other thread "Fakes/Distractions", it covers how to eliminate archers in a few easy steps.

In the meantime, happy Gaming
P.S Don;t forget to comment!

[Franbo]

I would try to post a formal tactic that counter archers and be more offensive about the whole thing

Recently been playing the moors and I have found that taking along a couple of javeliners seems to work well.

1. Set them to loose formation
2. Charge them forwards when the archers stand off
3. They will cause some casualties while likely being the main archer target
4. While this is going on your archers (further back) can take down most of the enemy archers (and remain undamaged to take on the later enemy infantry)
5. Pull the javelins back once the enemy archers have been dispatched
6. Proceed with the rest of the battle plan

Clearly it will depend on what the enemy is fielding whether this is a good approach.

This is based on a single game as the moors where the enemy seems to generally have his archers in front with spearmen a short distance behind. The usual cavalry v. archers approach seems to run afoul of the spearmen - which is why I find this approach works quite well.

Franbo

[Raidon_the_Hun]

@HistGamer
What would your strategy for a siege battle as the Moors?

[Commander5xl]

bring lots and lots of men. Only way, that and the grand bombard FTW! leave nothing standing!

[Raidon_the_Hun]

that and the grand bombard FTW! leave nothing standing!

I love that strategy!

I probably should have specified, I meant defending a castle. I started a campaign as the Moors and was wanting some tips on fighting as them.

[Paulus Rubio]

@ Raidon the Hun: I've just finished an Epic Campaign game with The moors, and I've got some tips for you.

First off all, try to take Lisbon as soon as possible. I conquered that settlement within 5 rounds, and that gave me a major advantage.
Then I expanded by taking some adjacent rebel settlements. Try to get Valencia rather quickly. That's a heavily defended wooden castle, with an spanish national hero, so it might be smart to let one of the AI controlled factions besiege it first. And when they fail (they usually do), then you go in and crush the remainders.
I also expanded into Africa rather quickly, so send a medium sized army towards the 2 rebel settlements all the way south in Africa.
Now for the military tips.
The problem with the Moorish military, is that their early troops simply refuse to wear or use armor. When fighting early spanish\portoguese units this is not a big deal. Use Desert Archers (kick ass skirmirshers) Berber Spearmen and Desert Cavalry, these are mobile, cheap and useful troops.
My first problem came when I tried to claim the last spanish castle. It had 2 generals(1 king), and 2 units of Feudal Knights. I won the fight, but a very large number of my spearmen died. So after this I found out I had to adjust. Many of the early Moorish units are great, but only against lighter enemies. So I split my armies into 2. All the units with the Desert combat bonus I shipped to Africa, while the rest, was left in Europe. All of my Desert Archers, Berber Spearmen, Desert Cavalry, Camels and the rest of my troops that so relucantly refused to wear armor of any kind was sent on a mission to defeat Sicily, who'd claimed Tunis and Aleppo.
So I had to build me a new army to take on France, in the northern theatre. I hired some units of Mercenary Spearmen, and made some Peasant Crossbowmen (they have 12 missile attack, and are Armour Piercing) and dismounted Arab Cavalry.Grenadine Jinetes can also be recruited in mid-game, and they are very useful against heavy cavalry. Arab Cavalry with 2 armor upgrades are also quite handy, but still inferior to european knights. If you can get your hands on some Hashashim, be sure to recruit as many as possible. These are great in offensive siege battles!
Fighting against the heavily armoured western european forces can be a pain in the ass. You dont get Christian guard until very late in the game. Use crossbow militia or peasant crossbowmen and Grenadine Jinetes against their heavily armoured cavalry and infantry. Urban Milita are also useful if you dont have access to Hashahim.
Hope this can help you.
I found the Moorish faction very amusing, and after the invention of gunpowder, you got a major advantage! It's also satisfying not having to care about the pope!

[Dawnchaser]

Well i can say that the moors have qiute good roster in all periods when compared to your enemies. Early on you get basically a mix between iberian and muslim units. Use them wisely and they will be the bane of the christians. First don't engage your desert cavalry in a shoot-out with jinetes!!! They will loose badly, instead use the superior range of the desert archers and crossbow units. Use your Desert cav to inflict casualties on foot or mounted knigts after the Jinetes have been routed or reduced in numbers significantly.
You have great variety of missile units right off the start. Mix Desert archers with Militia Crossbows for field battles and i suggest using a unit of javelinmen. They shine in both offensive and defensive sieges and with a little micro are good enough in field battles (higher ground really is the way to go).
Later on your units get more robust so you can substitute your light armies with western styled ones. Just trade most of your spearmen for Dis. Christian Guard and Hashashin and your arabian cavalry for Grenadine lancers and later Christian Guard. In the ranged department you must rely on your Desert Archers and the Pesant crossbowmen (dont be fooled this is not your typical pesant ). As for the MC Grenadine Jinettes and Mounted Crossbow men are a logical upgrade over Desert cav and Camel Gunners are just terrific.

All in all the only 'tough' period is the early one where you must rely on alternative tactics and the use of light troops to defeat your enemies .