Mauri Guide

[RexPelasgorum]

This guide is for the Mauri Factions. it was tested on H/H difficulty level, with the 4TPY script.

Faction overview:
The Mauri start with 2 settlements in Sahara, Ghardaia and Dimmidi, having also the possibility to capture the more western rebel settlement, Tindouf. Howewer, i suggest that you should not attempt any movements in the desert for now, but prepare to go and strike directly towards the Coast held by the WRE.

Prepare yourself for tough battles. If it is to win, you will need to fight all battles personally. This is due to the fact that the Mauri soldiers are weak, and they are good just to skirmish. If you do not fight all the battles personally, your campaign will likely end in failure from very the start.

There are basicaly 2 ways of capturing the North African coast:

1. You raise large armies in both Ghardaia and Tindouf, and send them to fight one after another the smaller WRE border stacks, and when you find the right moment, take one of the coastel settlements. This tactic is good, but it is a sort of "cat and mouse" play, you need good scouting to avoid larger WRE stacks wich could destroy you, and it will last at least 40 turns to accomplish.
2. You leave one of your settlement to rebel (Ghardaya, for example), and you horde your faction ! This tactic is going to give quicker results (after 20 turns or so is likely that you are going to master the North African coast), but on the other hand when you sack settlements you can gain due to some errors huge amounts of cash (hundreds of milions) wich will ruin your gameplay.

Regarding troops, your basic troop will be the Berber Spearmen. You can recruit it in 0 turns, wich means you can have large amounts of them. They are good, and they can hold the line against very low quality WRE militias wich are likely that you are going to encounter, and may resist for a few minutes against better troops.

As missile units, you should always have at least one unit of Desert Archers. They are not that good against infantry, but they can slaughter from a distance the enemy light cavalry wich you will surely encounter (Equites Mauri).

Young Warriors and Old Warriors are also a must for your army, as they can literarily rain javelins against the enemyes. While they are still peasants, they can produce a large amount of casualtyes to any enemy troops. They can decimate almost any troops, howewer if they are caught in mellee, they are going to flee the field imediately.

Desert cavalry with Javelins is good for skirmishing, but otherwise is a rather useless unit. Howewer, is good to have a couple of them in your army in order to chase the fleeing enemyes, as these are fast cavalrymen.

Berber raiders are very good cavalrymen, they are a sort of elite in your army. Use them wisely as they are very expensive and costly. They are preety good in melee also, against lighter enemy cavalry.

Berber Swordsmen, while they are fewer in numbers, and more expensive, can be usefull in sieges , or in hacking a way trough more densely packed enemy formations.

The General Bodyguard is your main melee unit. it is the single one capable of confronting in melee most of the enemy units you will encounter. Howewer, you will need to protect him at all costs.

Regarding mercenaryes, you should hire them whenever you find them. Bucellary are simply great, and you will need them when facing larger WRE stacks, or during the sieges. Take any mercernary you find !

In battle :

-retreat when you are outnumbered.
-avoid melee as much as possible.
-avoid engaging in decisive battles.
-if a large stack comes towards you, lure it into a siege against one of your settlements. Use lots of missile units on the walls. Lots of them.
-hunt down the small enemy stacks, avoid the large ones.
-when you siege forts, never assault.
-never assault cityes unless you have a large numericall superiority (like 5:1)
-keep your Saharan settlements pagan, the coastal settlements christian (not just for historicall accuracy, but also for administrative reasons)

After you manage to conquer the North African coast, your first priorityes should be to build a fleet (in order to protect your possesions from WRE incursions). You should also watch for the Vandals, they are your next enemy on the list. When fighting them, use the same tehnique like fighing against the WRE.

ERE attacks you rarely. Between your possesions and those of ERE there is a vast expanse of desert. Build some watchtowers overthere as early warning signs. You will now if ERE attacks with a few good turns before they actually begin to threaten your settlements.

Also, watch for the rebels. Saharan provinces tend to be full of rebels wich block the few existing trade routes. Bribe them if you can, or hunt them down.

So, good look !

[Echbart]

Thnks for this!!!

[Deus ret.]

Yes, interesting recommendations indeed. Might start a desert war campaign....!

[RexPelasgorum]

They are one of the most interesting factions, for sure.
Especially in this version, in wich after numerous suggestions, Ramon diferentiated them from the Lakhmids