The Thebuchet embargo...

[Tankai]

How come only some factions get trebuchet? How does the whole trebuchet recruitment thing work?

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

You recruit a trebuchet just like any other unit, you just need the appropriate building for it. I don't see why would you use it though, because it will slow down the entire army and the siege equitment you can build in 1 turn is just as good.

[Claudius Julianus]

You recruit a trebuchet just like any other unit, you just need the appropriate building for it. I don't see why would you use it though, because it will slow down the entire army and the siege equitment you can build in 1 turn is just as good.

Well an other reason to have a trebuchet if you play a catholic faction is the Pope and his warnings, he has the nasty habit sometimes to threat you with excommunication when you beside an other Catholic Faction city or Castle so some times is very crucial to attack the same turn and not to wait.

[-SaH-]

Besides, trebuchet coms quite late, You need 3rd stage building, I can't remember now, but You can't build it until Large City...
And I think (99% sure) that all factions can build it.

[Satrio Eko]

you just need a Siege Works building to build a trebuchet. but are you sure you gonna use trebuchet? they deal only weak damage to wall compared in vanilla m2tw. and as Baltic Warrior says it will slow down your army.
may i know the faction you are playing?

[Navajo Joe]

I approach this differently to BW, I send an army to besiege that does not include artillery, they begin to build siege gear, then a second army will follow more slowly with siege weapons, they will take 2-3 more turns to arrive, meanwhile my first army keeps siege and the defenders slightly weaken. When the second army army arrives, the siege weapons join the main army, there role is to knock out the gatehouse and the gate, not the walls. I generally use ladders to assault the walls and keep my rams for 2nd wall if a Fortress or Citadel

[Shaun]

Mobile siege equipment can be good for cheekily taking undefended settlements from the enemy before they can send reinforcements. A catapult is almost always sufficient for this, though, so I don't see the need to build trebuchets.

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

Mobile siege equipment can be good for cheekily taking undefended settlements from the enemy before they can send reinforcements. A catapult is almost always sufficient for this, though, so I don't see the need to build trebuchets.

A good point.

[Strengelicher]

Mobile siege equipment can be good for cheekily taking undefended settlements from the enemy before they can send reinforcements. A catapult is almost always sufficient for this, though, so I don't see the need to build trebuchets.

I beg to differ - a catapult (or to be more specific, 1 unit of catapults = 2 catapults) cannot take down stone walls in one turn for lack of power/ammo if you play the battle out on the battle map (I would consider autoresolving an exploit in this situation). However, one unit of trebuchets can. Also, trebuchets can be used in defensive siege battles to fire over walls, eg to knock down siege towers. And: trebuchets can fire cow carcasses to demoralise the enemy (best applied in field battles - in siege battles, your own cow carcasses will often get in your way).

In answer to the OP: Any faction can recruit the trebuchet to my knowledge. You need to build the siege works (3rd tier).

[Shaun]

I beg to differ - a catapult (or to be more specific, 1 unit of catapults = 2 catapults) cannot take down stone walls in one turn for lack of power/ammo if you play the battle out on the battle map (I would consider autoresolving an exploit in this situation). However, one unit of trebuchets can. Also, trebuchets can be used in defensive siege battles to fire over walls, eg to knock down siege towers. And: trebuchets can fire cow carcasses to demoralise the enemy (best applied in field battles - in siege battles, your own cow carcasses will often get in your way).

In answer to the OP: Any faction can recruit the trebuchet to my knowledge. You need to build the siege works (3rd tier).

Never knew that, but then again in my games I very rarely see stone walls. Could you still destroy the gatehouse, though, with a catapult?

[Strengelicher]

Never knew that, but then again in my games I very rarely see stone walls. Could you still destroy the gatehouse, though, with a catapult?

Excellent question - in fact I don't know. I was only recently made aware of the fact that catapults can knock down the gates and have not had an opportunity to try it out. If that is possible and catapults can do it, that would of course give them another upside.

[Tankai]

It takes siege works to build the trebuchet and I know all about sieges, that's not the point.

Playing as Byzantines I was able to recruit trebuchet with siege works, but as Venice I couldn't, they didn't show up in the list.

Presently Im playing with Crusader states and Im not able to get Trebuchet after building the siege works, just like venice. But I noticed, before taking cairo, That the sarracens were building trebuchet there in their siege works, so I thought it might be a territorial thing, but even after taking cairo and its siege works, I was able to recruit everything, including the great cross, but no trebuchet.

[Navajo Joe]

Tankai r u using BGR4 or 5?

[Tankai]

Neither.

[poisoned goat]

I just checked the EDB. All factions, except for the rebels, have access to trebuchets. Trebuchets are unlocked for most factions at 1180, which is why you can't build them while the Romans and ME factions can.

[Tankai]

Yes, I thought it was something like that. I'll see what happens further in the campaign.

[Kataphractos]

However, one unit of trebuchets can

No, it can't. At least two units are required. And if you're attacking a fortress, better bring four or five.

Never knew that, but then again in my games I very rarely see stone walls. Could you still destroy the gatehouse, though, with a catapult?

You can destroy the gatehouse so that it can't dump oil (I hate when the AI does that to me), but AFAIK, you can't destroy the gate itself, at least not that I've seen. I know in vanilla you can target the gate with a unit of ballistas and break it open with them, though. But then again you could also knock down a stone wall with a single ballista unit, too (can't do that in SS).

[poisoned goat]

You can destroy the gatehouse so that it can't dump oil (I hate when the AI does that to me), but AFAIK, you can't destroy the gate itself, at least not that I've seen.

You can. Catapults/trebuchets are horribly inaccurate on small targets, so you have to march your siege equipment as close as you can without triggering settlement defenses in order to get a better chance at breaking down the gates. And you only need one cata/trebuchet to siege a fortress if you do this.