Post by littlecorporal on Jan 16, 2021 9:00:45 GMT
From wikipedia:
In 1671, the taifa rebelled, killed the agha, and placed one of its own in power. The new leader received the title of Dey. After 1689, the right to select the dey passed to the divan, a council of some sixty nobles. It was at first dominated by the ojaq; but by the 18th century, it had become the dey's instrument. In 1710, the dey persuaded the sultan to recognise him and his successors as regent, replacing the pasha in that role, although Algiers remained a part of the Ottoman Empire.
The dey was in effect a constitutional autocrat. The dey was elected for a life term, but in the 159 years (1671–1830) that the system survived, fourteen of the twenty-nine deys were assassinated.
Barbary raids in the Mediterranean continued to attack Spanish merchant shipping, and as a result, the Spanish Navy bombarded Algiers in 1783 and 1784. Spain retained a presence in Morocco. Algeria consistently opposed Spanish fortresses and control in nearby Morocco.
Part I: Getting Started
Two star countries offer their own advantages and disadvantages. In 1809, Algiers starts on the fringes of the map with a weak economy and army. Your starting resources are a single formation light cavalry, a privateer, a coastal cannon, a level 1 factory (Oran), a level 4 city (Algiers), a level one port, and one general, Qajar.
Qajar is at 64/4 on double guards. He has 1 star in infantry and movement. He has an item, the war horse, which is of course useless on infantry. Nevertheless, his skills make him a valuable asset, architecture and steersman (reduced naval damage). Architecture is the best skill for small conquest countries because it can give your economy a critical, early boost. Steersman is also useful because as Qajar marches across Africa, he is vulnerable to Spanish naval fire.
The first big decision you have to make is whether or not to add a general to the single light cavalry. While it's tempting to want that perfect unit for your generals, it can greatly prolong your conquest. Still, putting a top general on an inferior unit also is undesirable. For me Sakurako is the perfect candidate. Movement and reliable damage are just what we need.
Spanish Invasion R1-20
Dey, the Sultan has allied with the French and now we can grow rich on our enemies' plunder and strong in our arms. The French have begun attacking the Spanish border, now is an excellent time to sneak attack.
Objectives: Alibacente, Zaragoza, Madrid, Dresden
Time: 20 rounds
The initial rounds will be spent getting Algeria in a strong economy and the tavern in Dresden.
Add Sakurako to the cavalry. The Moroccan border has a factory with a siege cannon next to a coastal fort. Sakurako gets there on R2, attacks, then attacks and occupies on R3. By transport, crossover to Spain. Attack and seize Alibacente.
Have Qajar stay in Algiers abd build to a level 6 city, then move Qajar and privateer west along the coast. Usually the Spanish frigate in Valencia attacks. Move the privateer west and let the frigate hit Qajar. Then counterattack with coastal cannan, Qajar, and privateer. Have Qajar upgrade the factory twice. When he arrives in a factory, upgrade, upgrade again at the beginning of the next round, buy transport, and go to Spain.
The Spanish and French behave differently each time. Sometimes Spain will send 2 privateers, a frigate, a guard cav, and 2 light cav; othertimes everyone stays home. Usually France attacks Zaragoza in R8 or 9. Sometimes the French generals go around.
Have Sakurako attack, and you should be getting close to the resources to buy a double heavy artillery for Isabella in Alibacente. If needed have Isa hit Zaragoza and then Sakurako crosses into Spain.
Qajar and Isabella cooperate with Junot and Ney to seize Madrid. Sakurako races up to Dresden to get the tavern by R20.
Part II: Build for Victory R20-40
Objectives: Porto, Lisbon, Seville, Berlin, Vienna, Warsaw
Dey, fighting has broken out on all fronts! Iberian resistance has toughened and our advance force in Germany is outnumbered. We need reinforcements if we hope to survive.
Once you capture Dresden, spend sometime to survey the map. In 1809, there is a big variety in AI strategies. Sometimes Radetzky and Blucher go to Italy, France, Poland, or Sweden. The same for other generals. Your strategy during the middle rounds is to control the middle. The first 20 rounds are spent more or less fighting in isolation, the middle rounds are about supporting your allies.
The major campaigns of the middle round to watch:
1. Britain will attack France and Netherlands. Napolean almost always successfully defends Paris, but sometimes Netherlands falls.
2. Prussia and Russia usually invade Denmark and Sweden from opposite sides.
3. Ottoman come under attack from Russia and Moldavia, via Thrace.
4. Rhine attacks Berlin and Vienna
5. Italy attacks Vienna
6. Russia, Prussia, and Austria attack Poland.
Your basic strategy is to build your economic base in Spain, add units and generals in Germany, and help your allies.
You already have used 2 general slots for Sakurako (light cav, now in Dresden) and Isabella (double heavy artillery). You should have 2 to 4 more generals available depending on how many you play with. In Dresden, 3 excellent infantry generals are available:
Wrede R21 3 inf* 2* move, 64/3, formation use dble MGs
Blasius R33 3 inf*, 2* move, 86/5, formation, spy, use guards, has +4 rifle and snare drum
Kleist R42 4 inf*, 3* move, 110/4, trench, use guards
Each costs 5 medals. If you only get one Blasius is the best; he destroys coastal cannons on one shot. Kleist gets guards up to 3 move hexes.
Before adding tavern generals, build units for your own HQ generals. Back to the tactics.
Portuguese War
Dey, we have seized the Spanish capital. We are threatened on the West by the Portuguese. Support our French allies and eliminate the threat.
DON'T SLEEP ON PORTUGAL!!!
Portugal does nothing for 30 rounds and then they come out hard. Junot will leave Madrid and attack Lisbon and Porto. If you don't help him, he will get killed. Instead, have Isabella go with him to draw fire from artillery and forts, send two line infantry to grab facilities and flank. Send Qajar north to capture the facilities in Basque. Use architecture to upgrade. Once you have taken Lisbon, have Isabella attack Joyes in Seville. As soon as victory looks assured, send Qajar by ship North to England and have Isabella go by land through France. You want to have both generals en route by R35.
Sending both generals away is risky. If you saved Junot, he will lead your regular units back to Morocco. Slimane will come out in round 30. Any easy way to kill him us send a light cavalry to occupy the farm next to Rabat early. Slimane quickly starves. Ney and Lannes rarely help much.
The German War
Dey, our weak forces must help our allies. If they should fall, we will be crushed by our enemies.
Unfortunately, this is the part where any guide becomes somewhat useless. The situation in 1809 central Germany is so chaotic, it's unlikely any two situations will be the same. The flip side is that with speedy generals, chaos is your friend.
Sakurako should look for weak spots in the enemy lines. Factories are the best targets as she can take out a light artillery in two hits (R1 attack, R2 attack and occupy. Spam light artillery. Since you should be producing lots of iron, you dont need to worry about the costs. Ideally, she captures Prague, Brunn, Debrecen, Kishnev and nearby factories. This will take pressure of Ottoman and Wallachia.
Put Lan or other cav general on double AC. She hunts down enemy infantry and cavalry. Use spammed artillery to take out forts. Ideally she saves Dambrowski in Warsaw, he is a powerful ally once he is released. Poland starves easily, dont stand on their farms.
Keep an eye on the tavern in Minsk. Sacken (R25) and Yermolov (R47) can help. Sometimes Kutozov just stays in Minsk. If he does, leave him until later.
To take Berlin, send Wrede and Victoria north on double machine guns to flank Wilhelm, bring along a unit to seize the city. Wilhelm's return fire is puny, but his defensive art always activates at the worst times. After Berlin, move east along the Baltic sea and remove the threat to Sweden.
To take Vienna, Charles will wreck any attackers, instead surround him with double line infantry. Then send in one heavy cavalry to charge. Once he is confused, begin attacking.
As Blasius and Kleist become available, consider what the map will look like in the 5 rounds or so it will take them to get to the front. Blasius is very helpful in Britain against the forts. Send him via Netherlands to kill Sidney and other British troops there.
The End Game R40-65
Glorious Dey, our armies are on the march! The infidels tremble at our approach. Sultans and emperors beg for your favor. We must finish our war and establish the worldly caliphate!
By R40, you should be in a strong position to quickly finish off the conquests. If you supported your allies, now they will help support you. Raevsky, Benningsen, and
Morousis attack Istanbul without support and get defeated. Junot finishes the conquest of Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. The French invade Britain and Dambrowski clears out the Ukraine. Sweden invades Riga and retakes Finland.
You should also be strong. Madrid, Vienna, and Berlin are the base of a strong economy. Feel free to spam as much as you can, this isnt a princess run.
Victoria and Wrede push into Russia along the coast. Lan goes through Minsk and Vilnius up to St. Petersburg. Sakurako heads north from Odessa, taking Kiev, Kaluga, and Smolensk.
In Britain, Qajar, Isabella, and Blasius should be arriving about the same time. In Britain, your main concern is taking Portsmouth and London before Elphinstone (R49) and Picton (R50) become available. It's not necessary to add them.
Unlike most conquests where its recommended to avoid Southern England, this one you don't have any choice. Seize facilities and spam the strongest units. Britain has a full bank account but hasnt rebuilt initial units. Generally a single formation unit remains on most facilities except Leeds which spams cavalry. Don't leave facilities untaken at the end of rounds! Britain will replace that single light cav with a double AC. Use Blasius and Isabella to attack forts, Qajar and units to take cities.
With minor variations, I have followed this basic strategy 3 times, each time ending R65. Good luck!
Kleist is available in R42. He can be dispatched to any areas that you missed, like Denmark or Lvov.
In 1671, the taifa rebelled, killed the agha, and placed one of its own in power. The new leader received the title of Dey. After 1689, the right to select the dey passed to the divan, a council of some sixty nobles. It was at first dominated by the ojaq; but by the 18th century, it had become the dey's instrument. In 1710, the dey persuaded the sultan to recognise him and his successors as regent, replacing the pasha in that role, although Algiers remained a part of the Ottoman Empire.
The dey was in effect a constitutional autocrat. The dey was elected for a life term, but in the 159 years (1671–1830) that the system survived, fourteen of the twenty-nine deys were assassinated.
Barbary raids in the Mediterranean continued to attack Spanish merchant shipping, and as a result, the Spanish Navy bombarded Algiers in 1783 and 1784. Spain retained a presence in Morocco. Algeria consistently opposed Spanish fortresses and control in nearby Morocco.
Part I: Getting Started
Two star countries offer their own advantages and disadvantages. In 1809, Algiers starts on the fringes of the map with a weak economy and army. Your starting resources are a single formation light cavalry, a privateer, a coastal cannon, a level 1 factory (Oran), a level 4 city (Algiers), a level one port, and one general, Qajar.
Qajar is at 64/4 on double guards. He has 1 star in infantry and movement. He has an item, the war horse, which is of course useless on infantry. Nevertheless, his skills make him a valuable asset, architecture and steersman (reduced naval damage). Architecture is the best skill for small conquest countries because it can give your economy a critical, early boost. Steersman is also useful because as Qajar marches across Africa, he is vulnerable to Spanish naval fire.
The first big decision you have to make is whether or not to add a general to the single light cavalry. While it's tempting to want that perfect unit for your generals, it can greatly prolong your conquest. Still, putting a top general on an inferior unit also is undesirable. For me Sakurako is the perfect candidate. Movement and reliable damage are just what we need.
Spanish Invasion R1-20
Dey, the Sultan has allied with the French and now we can grow rich on our enemies' plunder and strong in our arms. The French have begun attacking the Spanish border, now is an excellent time to sneak attack.
Objectives: Alibacente, Zaragoza, Madrid, Dresden
Time: 20 rounds
The initial rounds will be spent getting Algeria in a strong economy and the tavern in Dresden.
Add Sakurako to the cavalry. The Moroccan border has a factory with a siege cannon next to a coastal fort. Sakurako gets there on R2, attacks, then attacks and occupies on R3. By transport, crossover to Spain. Attack and seize Alibacente.
Have Qajar stay in Algiers abd build to a level 6 city, then move Qajar and privateer west along the coast. Usually the Spanish frigate in Valencia attacks. Move the privateer west and let the frigate hit Qajar. Then counterattack with coastal cannan, Qajar, and privateer. Have Qajar upgrade the factory twice. When he arrives in a factory, upgrade, upgrade again at the beginning of the next round, buy transport, and go to Spain.
The Spanish and French behave differently each time. Sometimes Spain will send 2 privateers, a frigate, a guard cav, and 2 light cav; othertimes everyone stays home. Usually France attacks Zaragoza in R8 or 9. Sometimes the French generals go around.
Have Sakurako attack, and you should be getting close to the resources to buy a double heavy artillery for Isabella in Alibacente. If needed have Isa hit Zaragoza and then Sakurako crosses into Spain.
Qajar and Isabella cooperate with Junot and Ney to seize Madrid. Sakurako races up to Dresden to get the tavern by R20.
Part II: Build for Victory R20-40
Objectives: Porto, Lisbon, Seville, Berlin, Vienna, Warsaw
Dey, fighting has broken out on all fronts! Iberian resistance has toughened and our advance force in Germany is outnumbered. We need reinforcements if we hope to survive.
Once you capture Dresden, spend sometime to survey the map. In 1809, there is a big variety in AI strategies. Sometimes Radetzky and Blucher go to Italy, France, Poland, or Sweden. The same for other generals. Your strategy during the middle rounds is to control the middle. The first 20 rounds are spent more or less fighting in isolation, the middle rounds are about supporting your allies.
The major campaigns of the middle round to watch:
1. Britain will attack France and Netherlands. Napolean almost always successfully defends Paris, but sometimes Netherlands falls.
2. Prussia and Russia usually invade Denmark and Sweden from opposite sides.
3. Ottoman come under attack from Russia and Moldavia, via Thrace.
4. Rhine attacks Berlin and Vienna
5. Italy attacks Vienna
6. Russia, Prussia, and Austria attack Poland.
Your basic strategy is to build your economic base in Spain, add units and generals in Germany, and help your allies.
You already have used 2 general slots for Sakurako (light cav, now in Dresden) and Isabella (double heavy artillery). You should have 2 to 4 more generals available depending on how many you play with. In Dresden, 3 excellent infantry generals are available:
Wrede R21 3 inf* 2* move, 64/3, formation use dble MGs
Blasius R33 3 inf*, 2* move, 86/5, formation, spy, use guards, has +4 rifle and snare drum
Kleist R42 4 inf*, 3* move, 110/4, trench, use guards
Each costs 5 medals. If you only get one Blasius is the best; he destroys coastal cannons on one shot. Kleist gets guards up to 3 move hexes.
Before adding tavern generals, build units for your own HQ generals. Back to the tactics.
Portuguese War
Dey, we have seized the Spanish capital. We are threatened on the West by the Portuguese. Support our French allies and eliminate the threat.
DON'T SLEEP ON PORTUGAL!!!
Portugal does nothing for 30 rounds and then they come out hard. Junot will leave Madrid and attack Lisbon and Porto. If you don't help him, he will get killed. Instead, have Isabella go with him to draw fire from artillery and forts, send two line infantry to grab facilities and flank. Send Qajar north to capture the facilities in Basque. Use architecture to upgrade. Once you have taken Lisbon, have Isabella attack Joyes in Seville. As soon as victory looks assured, send Qajar by ship North to England and have Isabella go by land through France. You want to have both generals en route by R35.
Sending both generals away is risky. If you saved Junot, he will lead your regular units back to Morocco. Slimane will come out in round 30. Any easy way to kill him us send a light cavalry to occupy the farm next to Rabat early. Slimane quickly starves. Ney and Lannes rarely help much.
The German War
Dey, our weak forces must help our allies. If they should fall, we will be crushed by our enemies.
Unfortunately, this is the part where any guide becomes somewhat useless. The situation in 1809 central Germany is so chaotic, it's unlikely any two situations will be the same. The flip side is that with speedy generals, chaos is your friend.
Sakurako should look for weak spots in the enemy lines. Factories are the best targets as she can take out a light artillery in two hits (R1 attack, R2 attack and occupy. Spam light artillery. Since you should be producing lots of iron, you dont need to worry about the costs. Ideally, she captures Prague, Brunn, Debrecen, Kishnev and nearby factories. This will take pressure of Ottoman and Wallachia.
Put Lan or other cav general on double AC. She hunts down enemy infantry and cavalry. Use spammed artillery to take out forts. Ideally she saves Dambrowski in Warsaw, he is a powerful ally once he is released. Poland starves easily, dont stand on their farms.
Keep an eye on the tavern in Minsk. Sacken (R25) and Yermolov (R47) can help. Sometimes Kutozov just stays in Minsk. If he does, leave him until later.
To take Berlin, send Wrede and Victoria north on double machine guns to flank Wilhelm, bring along a unit to seize the city. Wilhelm's return fire is puny, but his defensive art always activates at the worst times. After Berlin, move east along the Baltic sea and remove the threat to Sweden.
To take Vienna, Charles will wreck any attackers, instead surround him with double line infantry. Then send in one heavy cavalry to charge. Once he is confused, begin attacking.
As Blasius and Kleist become available, consider what the map will look like in the 5 rounds or so it will take them to get to the front. Blasius is very helpful in Britain against the forts. Send him via Netherlands to kill Sidney and other British troops there.
The End Game R40-65
Glorious Dey, our armies are on the march! The infidels tremble at our approach. Sultans and emperors beg for your favor. We must finish our war and establish the worldly caliphate!
By R40, you should be in a strong position to quickly finish off the conquests. If you supported your allies, now they will help support you. Raevsky, Benningsen, and
Morousis attack Istanbul without support and get defeated. Junot finishes the conquest of Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. The French invade Britain and Dambrowski clears out the Ukraine. Sweden invades Riga and retakes Finland.
You should also be strong. Madrid, Vienna, and Berlin are the base of a strong economy. Feel free to spam as much as you can, this isnt a princess run.
Victoria and Wrede push into Russia along the coast. Lan goes through Minsk and Vilnius up to St. Petersburg. Sakurako heads north from Odessa, taking Kiev, Kaluga, and Smolensk.
In Britain, Qajar, Isabella, and Blasius should be arriving about the same time. In Britain, your main concern is taking Portsmouth and London before Elphinstone (R49) and Picton (R50) become available. It's not necessary to add them.
Unlike most conquests where its recommended to avoid Southern England, this one you don't have any choice. Seize facilities and spam the strongest units. Britain has a full bank account but hasnt rebuilt initial units. Generally a single formation unit remains on most facilities except Leeds which spams cavalry. Don't leave facilities untaken at the end of rounds! Britain will replace that single light cav with a double AC. Use Blasius and Isabella to attack forts, Qajar and units to take cities.
With minor variations, I have followed this basic strategy 3 times, each time ending R65. Good luck!
Kleist is available in R42. He can be dispatched to any areas that you missed, like Denmark or Lvov.
