Spanish Army Composition

[Kaiserina Kratos]

So, I would like to ask some of your opinions on what my spanish army should be composed of during the early, mid, and late games for it to be effective and powerfully balanced

[barney85]

Early army should have professional spearmen (4) almughavars or javlinmen (4) crossbows (2), jinetes (4) mailed knights (2) and some catapults and general for morale boost.

For mid/late era, get 4 units of pikemen, 4 of musketeers, 2 sword and buckler, 3 heavy cavalry and 1 light cavalry. 2 cannons and whatever else including a general

[PrestigeX]

Early..

Spear Militias -- 4-6 - with alteast Leather upgrade.

2-3 peasant crossbow / crossbow militia
2 Merc Crossbow

Jinettes 2-4
Mailed Knights 2-4
Family Member

fill out with more infantry, merc spears, etc.. but I'd say that unless it is for a Garrison , avoid the foot javelins -- a unit or two of amulghavars can be Awesome as like a commando unit during a battle , but not as 'line troops' .

Focus on the cavalry.


Mid Game

4-6 Pavise Xbowmen, Swordsmen Militia (get lots!) -- Knights ofcourse 2-4 , 2 Jinettes, a Fam Member, and maybe some arty for siege assault.

Late Game.

4 Tercios, 2 Muskets/Arquebusie, 4 Pavise Xbowmen, 2-4 Sword'n'Buckler Men, 2 Mounted Crossbowmen, Fam Member, 2-4 Gendarmes/Chiv Knights/ Or Conquistadores

[Aeratus]

Early:

Anything you can get, basically. The best units are peasant crossbowmen, mailed knight, jinetes, and dismounted feudal knight

Mid Game:

Pavisse Crossbowmen, Feudal/Chivalric Knights, Jinetes, Dismounted feudal/chivalric knights, swordsmen militia

Late Game:

For offensive armies, I prefer musketeers and Chivalric Knights/Gensdarmes only (no need to bother with other units when you can simply snipe them off with musketeers or run them down with a spam of Knights, benefited from a horse breeders guild, swordsmiths guild, and jousting lists)

For defensive armies, tercio pikemen, sword militia, crossbowmen, and jinetes.

[Kaiserina Kratos]

Thanks guys, I already started my spanish campaign and followed some of your early game suggestions here. It's working quite well, though Im still 80 turns in. Keep your suggestions coming.

[Sulfurion Blackfyre]

Combine Almughavars with Spear Militia early to make for an awesome main line (spears in front, almughavars/javelinmen behind throwing javs, they completely decimate enemy infantry). In early game also use Jinetes, don't bother with Mailed Knights, Jinetes are better and faster. And that's basically what you need.

[eugenioso]

like everything, a balance is always good. spain focuses on excellent medium and heavy cavalry, well supported by chapter houses knights, as well as their many breeders guilds.

they have good medium infantry in the way of sword and buckler men, and great medium cavalry with the jinetes. also they get the standard chilvaric knights, great units. but spain really shines lategame with their gunpowder units. the tercio pikemen can hold off most attacks, while the musketeers can fire farther than any archer unit.

[... where did it run?]

For offensive armies:

Early - jinetes and mailed knights (you'll need to starve settlements)
Middle - feudal knights (both mounted and dismounted) as bulk of your army. All others as auxilaries according to your taste.
Late - chivalric knights (both mounted and dismounted) as bulk of your army. All others as auxilaries according to your taste. If you want something exotic ship conquistadores.

Then countering mongols you might want to employ more x bows, muskets (if you fixed fire by rank problem) and some pikes (just to stay behind your missile units for protection). But still use chilvarics.

Then facing timur the lame you would like to have jinetes. Javs works very effectivly against elephants.


For some people extensive use of generic units is boring then playing specific faction. Well for me to command armies of knights in armor is always fun. Expecially fighting the hordes.

[ImperialAndre]

late game: 10 Tercio pikemen 4 musketers 2 generdarme 3 baskilisk 1 familymember

if you know how to use pikemen (double stack) there unstoppable to anything but missiles and they have more men in each unit also + cheap upkep and longer reach.

4 musketers they outshot and outrange any other unit no ned for more

2 gendarme they are diciplined and great flankers once the enemy is comited charge the missiel units cause a chain routs along with the general.

3 baskilisk because art is more effective when used in numbers and direct hits helps when attacking enemy that has long range missiles.

tercio pikemen is easier to replace than musketers so by having a smaller number of muskets and gendarme you can more esaly replace them sending cavalry and guns from the rear up so there always full number.

[Parzival2211]

Gendarmes are more expensive than even chivalric knights and weaker. I also never had discipline issues with my knights, which is why I don't see the point in using gendarmes rather than knights.

[shikaka]

Gendarmes are more expensive than even chivalric knights and weaker. I also never had discipline issues with my knights, which is why I don't see the point in using gendarmes rather than knights.

Gendarmes can be recruited from a city, knights come from the fortress line. This alone is a big plus

[ImperialAndre]

also sence my pikemen takes care of the melee trops and my guns constantly gunnning down the enemy melee trops the gendarme dosent have to face the melee trops so they take care of missiles and artillery crews this they exel at sence they are very well armoured while my general is doing hammer and anvil and then its a mop up operation.

the gendarme have the charge so i can charge the enemy inf if i want to but sence i let the infantry do the heavy work as in history and keeping my cavalry for shock and chain rout effect.

you get more useful trops in cities lategame than in castles

[Old Geezer]

Jinetes and more Jinetes. Entire armies of Jinetes. Occasionally, for fun, a few Knights of Santiago. You can even use them to besiege and taunt the enemy to come out if you do not have too many of them. They stay super effective up to the point of skewering Elephants and heavy horde cavalry. When they are up to level 9 chevrons they are very accurate. Use them to charge missile units and to run down slower heavy knights when they route. Have you ever had to fight an army composed of half or more Jinetes? They are huge headache even if you can win the battle.