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The Clans
Bruce
If you want a challenge, clan Bruce is a good place to start. You're surrounded
by no fewer than six clans. With only a narrow southern strip of land on the
water, the terrain does little to aid your defenses. To establish a good
east/west defensive line, you should quickly annex clan Buchanan to the west and
clan Angus to the east, which will isolate the other four clans to the North and
South.
Buchanan
Clan Buchanan is sandwiched between clans Stirling and MacGregor, with Clan
Lamont on a ragged peninsula jutting out to the West. Although the southern
border is narrow, it's defended by water, so you can concentrate your defensive
efforts on the west and east. Your first attack should focus on clan Stirling.
Annexing this territory triples your East/West border and all but eliminates
direct approaches from the Ssouth, thanks to the inlet that extends to the East.
Cameron
Clan Cameron opens with a massive landlocked territory that wraps around the map
in a large "C." This territory is very difficult to defend because of its vast
borders. Your earliest priority should be to defeat and absorb clan Fraser to
the
East. This strategy eliminates an enemy that can easily enter your territory
from
three directions.
Campbell
The sea is your greatest ally if you start a campaign with clan Campbell, thanks
to a western border that's protected by water from Fort William in the North, to
Craignish in the South. To extend your East/West border and eliminate the threat
of attack from the East, you should take over clan Gordon’s territory. This
strategy isolates clan Cameron to the North, and clan Graham to the South.
Farquharson
This is a tough place to start because of to a vast southern border that faces
three formidable clans (Lyon, Guthrie, and Menzies). Additional clans will be
revealed to the Eorth and East, and with clan Forbes sitting at your Northeast
corner, you're completely surrounded. No time to make jewelry here; you’d best
concentrate on building armies and watchtowers. Your first attack should focus
on
clan Menzies. Their defeat gives you an eastern coastal border, which means one
less boundary line to defend.
Keith
With its northern and eastern borders protected by the sea, clan Keith has an
easier path to victory. Your opening territory also stretches to the West,
cutting off Menzies to the South and Forbes to the North. Eliminate these
enemies
quickly, and you can establish a strong foothold early in the campaign.
Lamont
This clan has a long, narrow territory that benefits from a coastal border to
the
South and Southwest. However, a broad northern facing exposes the clan to attack
from clans MacLachan and MacGregor. It's imperative for clan Lamont to punch
through to the North and quickly eliminate MacGregor. But this is only the
beginning. More rival clans await the North, East, and South, making this a very
challenging campaign.
MacDonald
An island clan, MacDonald is protected from its mainland enemies. However, this
location also makes it more difficult to attack and expand to the East. It's
best
to spend your early days building a strong military force, because expansion
requires that you spend most of your time on the road.
MacGregor
This is one of the more geographically balanced clans. With the sea to the West
and a territory that stretches inland to the East, you have a strong starting
position. Your best bet is to annex clan Campbell to the North, which extends
your coastal border on the West and enables you to sweep to the Southeast and
absorb clans Buchanan and Graham. This strategy leaves clans Lamont and
MacLachan
isolated to the South.
MacKenzie
Prepare to defend massive borders early in the campaign if you select clan
MacKenzie. Fortunately, this vast territory ends at the sea on its western
border, and the immediate enemies to the North are the tiny clans Ross and
Munro.
Once these two clans are defeated, you can march north and secure the remaining
peninsula territories.
MacKintosh
Except for a small northern area on the water, this clan is surrounded on all
sides. Clans MacPherson and Grant present the most immediate threats to the
Southeast. By pushing in this direction, you can cut a path to the water and
effectively cut off your competition to the North and South.
MacLean
If you like having your back to the water, the island clan of MacLean should be
to your liking. However, this is no small island. Your territory stretches far
to
the North, although your only identified neighbor is clan Cameron to the East.
Once you absorb this clan, you can move West to the opposite coast and cut off
the remaining clans to the North and South.
MacLeod
MacLeod is the most isolated of the island clans, with the strongest natural
defenses in the game. However, the water also makes it very difficult to expand
to the mainland.
Munro
Protected by the sea on its eastern border, clan Munro is positioned to expand
quickly in either direction. Clan Ross is ripe for the taking, and, once it's
annexed, you can easily take over the remaining coastal lands to the North.
Scott
If you're up to the challenge, clan Scott places you just North of England,
where
three aggressive clans (Home, Douglas, and Johnstone) surround you. If you like
to fight from the get go, the territory of clan Scott is the place to start your
campaign.
Wallace
The accomplishments of William Wallace are magnified when you look at clan
Wallace’s opening position on the map. A relatively tiny territory, this clan
has
only a small coastal border on the West, and five rival clans on the North,
East,
and South compress it from the other directions. If you want to live the story
of
Braveheart through the eyes of its hero, be prepared for a battle like no other.
Workforce
Builders
Raw Materials Needed: stone and timber
As the name implies, builders construct dwellings of all kinds, including
normal "domestic" buildings and specialized military structures. Construction of
domestic buildings takes place without your input and, by default, the builders
concentrate all of their efforts on these projects. However, when you begin
construction on a special building, such as a keep or watchtower, you must move
the Production Bias slider bar to the right, to shift builders from domestic
projects to your new buildings.
Farming
Farmers are good things, especially when you have hungry troops to feed. Farmers
are responsible for tending the fields, as well as raising the animals. Except
for clan Cameron, all of the clans have a "reasonable" amount of farmland.
Additionally, coastal clans have the added resource of the sea as a source for
fish. If your town lacks certain resources, you may need to trade with other
friendly settlements or venture out beyond your allies. If Auto Management is
turned on, you need only to worry about the amount of food you are dispensing to
your people.
Quarriers
The amount of natural stone deposits varies from clan to clan. Quarriers work
within the natural resources of the land to process stone for construction.
Clans
Cameron, Farquharson, Macgregor, Mackintosh, and Scott have the richest deposits
of stone. Quarriers may also unearth varying amounts of gemstones that can be
used for trading. You can switch from stone to gem mining by clicking on the "I"
in the upper left-hand corner of the Quarriers box, and changing the focus from
Stone to Gems in the detail box on the lower right. However, due to an almost
constant demand for construction, you are best to focus on stone, rather than
jewels.
Bakers
People do not live by bread alone, and thanks to the bakers, the Highlanders
have
a bit of variety in their simple diets. The bakers use grain, dairy, and fish
(if
it is available), to make bread, cheese, pies, and haggis.
Armourers
Armourers will likely be your most frequent stop on the workforce allocation
screen, as their products are the most tangible of all goods. You fight all of
your battles for Scotland’s freedom with the weapons, armors, and machines of
war
that these craftsmen produce.
Foresters
You will very likely spend a great deal of time urging your foresters to produce
more timber for construction. The best way to increase your timber production is
to shut down all but the most essential trades. Shift as many workers as
possible
to foresting. An increased work force will fill the woodshed quickly. For
example, 16 woodcutters produce 259 units of timber per year, but 230 foresters
chop down trees at the rate of 3,731 units per year. Obviously, your settlement
would die if you kept everyone chopping wood for a year. But for short periods
of
time, increasing your forester crew is the best way to fuel an aggressive
building program.
Miners
Miners are responsible for unearthing metal ore, which is used in weapon
production. Metal ore stores build very slowly. For example, 60 miners produce
only 2 units of ore per day.
Tailors
They say the suit makes the man, and the tailor’s job is to keep everyone happy
and well-clothed. There are only two options on the Tailors’ detail screen: make
clothes or stop making clothes. It is not necessary to allocate very many
workers
to keep an average-sized settlement in spiffy duds. This is definitely one of
the
first places to look when you need extra workers for building or weapon-making.
Jewellers
Jewelry is a luxury that does not require your attention, unless you prefer
spending your time making rings and necklaces instead of expanding your kingdom.
You can alter production at any time, by clicking on the "I" in the lower left-
hand corner of the Jewellers box, and then clicking on the Ring or Necklace icon
in the detail area. If you can’t meet payroll, you can also sell your treasures
to the townspeople, who are always ready to buy a ring and fill your coffers.
-----------------------------------
Trade
Trade Routes
For a quick update on current trade routes in your kingdom, click the Trade
Routes icon (red and blue arrows) on the button bar along the bottom of the
screen. Using the General Map screen, all trade routes are shown as dotted
lines.
Additionally, a scrolling list of trade caravans appears on the right-hand side
of the screen. Along with each caravan’s destination, you find a description of
the cargo and how much time the caravan has remaining in its journey.
While this screen provides a wealth of information, you must click on the Town
Trade icon (purple and green arrows) to create a new caravan, or assign an army
to guard duty. If you have an army to spare, it certainly doesn’t hurt to guard
your most important caravans. However, there is no need to guard every caravan.
In fact, as you expand your kingdom, you will find that most caravans are
traveling strictly within friendly boundaries. It is possible for attacking
armies to strike a caravan as they move toward your cities. However, you are
better off assigning your armies to regular guard duty, which takes them across
the trade routes. Additionally, the positioning of watchtowers and keeps
provides
adequate protection for your caravans.
Before assembling a new caravan, click on the two arrow buttons in the lower
right-hand corner of the screen to scroll through your stores. Note the name of
the current town, village, or settlement in the upper left-hand corner of the
screen. After finding the settlement with sufficient supplies to generate a
caravan, click on the icon that represents your desired mode of transportation
(cart, horse or ox, or peasant power), and then select a destination.
Next, you must decide what goods to place in your caravan. You can also send
money for purchasing supplies at the caravan’s destination. To do this, click on
the moneybag on the right-hand side of the screen, and then right-click on the
money bag below the map window. To send merchandise from the town stores, just
click on an item on the right, and then right-click on a slot in the caravan box
on the left.
If you want to attach an army to the caravan, click on the View Armies icon
located above the Auto setting on the upper right-hand side of the screen.
Select
an army from the list, and then right-click on the right side guard portion of
the caravan. Finally, click on the Send Caravan icon (green arrows) to send the
wagon on its way.
Military Forces
Line Infantry
These soldiers are armed with close combat weapons, such as swords, axes, and
maces, for use in direct contact with the enemy. The name of these front-rank
fighters refers to their most effective tactical formation: the line. Because of
the short reach of their weapons, these troops are best deployed in the line’s
shoulder-to-shoulder formation, so that all soldiers can fight the enemy at the
same time. Line infantry should be the best-armored soldiers in your army, as
they consistently bear the brunt of the attacks.
Line infantry should invariably form the bulk of your fighting forces. In a
standard field army, maintain between 1/2 and 3/4 of your number in line
infantry. The weapons and armor of your line infantry should also be varied, so
you can employ the proper weapons against any given target. Some troops are too
valuable to waste on a diversion; conversely, other troops are too poorly
equipped to be given the more dangerous tasks. Bigger is not always better.
Pole Arms
A warrior equipped with a long-handled weapon, such as a long spear, great axe,
or pike, can stand behind the front rank of line infantry and attack the enemy
over the heads of the line soldiers. This complicated formation allows you to
effectively double your offensive power, while exposing only half the number of
your troops to the enemy. This formation gives a 2 to 1 disadvantage in combat
to
each enemy soldier on the front line of battle, making their lives short and
miserable. Pole arms should never constitute more than 25 percent of your total
force. Your line infantry should outnumber them by at least a factor of two, to
ensure the adequate coverage and protection needed to maintain the reinforced
line of battle described above.
Pikes
William Wallace used a pike wall to break the English cavalry charge in the
movie
Braveheart, and you can do the same thing in the game. Cavalry is tremendously
expensive and consumes horses, which are a rare commodity. To use a simple
sharpened pole to eliminate such a precious piece of the enemy army is a
visceral
joy that must be experienced to be understood. Although vulnerable to enemy
infantry if left unprotected, a solid rank of pikes can silence charging
horsemen.
These specialized weapons should not equip more than one or two 15-person
squadrons of your army. Pikes are at their best when set against a cavalry
charge, impaling the incoming horses and riders alike. In Braveheart, the pikes
are equipped with halberd heads lending them an additional chopping ability
similar to traditional pole arms. When no enemy cavalry is present, use pikes in
the same manner as your pole arms, striking at the enemy from behind a rank of
line infantry.
Archers
Bows provide your army with the ability to strike at the enemy without immediate
retribution from melee weapons. Their offensive power far outweighs the mere
impact of their arrows, for they also cause panic, disorder, and confusion in
the
enemy ranks as they rain death from an unreachable source. Positioned wisely, a
safe distance behind your main line of battle, archers can spell the difference
between victory and defeat. Although they will not fire into melee for fear of
hitting friendly troops, they can hammer the enemy from a distance. This ability
may even be employed to force the enemy to engage when facing superior line
infantry, as they face a worse fate being slowly whittled away by your arrows.
Archers are not very strong in hand-to-hand combat. Their offensive power really
only is useful as a supplement to a standard line of battle. As such, they
should
comprise no more than 20 percent of your total army force. Employ the proper bow
against the various types of enemy soldier: longbows at range, shortbows against
lightly armored targets, and crossbows against heavy armor. Bowmen provide the
ideal garrison force. Feel free to man your ramparts with up to 50 percent
archers, as they will be able to fire down on any attacking force with little
fear of reprisal.
Cavalry
Menacing, gallant, and powerful, mounted soldiers provide the single hardest
punch on the thirteenth century battlefield. Cavalry are not suited for all
jobs,
however, and sending them into the wrong situation is a deplorable waste of a
precious and expensive resource. Sometimes, cavalry is more powerful when not
committed to the battle. Fast and deadly, reserve cavalry presents an uncertain
threat to the enemy since it can quickly crash down on any point of your
choosing, forcing the enemy to tie up precious troops as reserves in
anticipation
of their charge.
Cavalry is powerful but is so expensive as to necessitate sparing and careful
use. Refrain from using more than one or two units of cavalry in an army. The
presence of any more units represents an opportunity cost that would be better
spent to equip the rest of the army with more advanced weapons and armor.
-----------------------------------
Military Production
Your army is built around the weapons and armor that your blacksmiths produce in
your clan’s settlements. You may allocate peasants to the smithy and set their
production in the Workers screen. As with any other trade, the maximum number of
peasants that can be allocated to weapon and armor production is indicated by
the
blue semi-circle, while the actual number of smiths working is shown by the tan
portion of the field. You can also see the exact number of blacksmiths with a
glance at the number shown in the top bar.
Building powerful armies requires a great deal of coordination. Each settlement
can produce only one type of weapon or armor at a time, so you want to produce
the various implements of war needed in several settlements. Once your arms are
built, use caravans to transfer them to the town with the highest morale and
number of available peasants. Be sure to guard these caravans, as allowing the
precious weapons to fall into enemy hands would be disastrous! You must transfer
the weapons to a central town, as opposed to creating small forces armed with
whatever weapons are locally available; existing armies from different towns
cannot be combined. Be methodical and patient in your army construction, as you
will use your core armies over the course of the entire game.
You must choose your arms production settlements carefully, based on economic
health and wealth. Peasants who are employed as blacksmiths are so at the
expense
of taking them from tending livestock and tilling fields, so there must be an
ample population capable of sparing these extra workers. Don’t allocate extra
blacksmiths in seasonal or temporary shifts, because this affects the overall
experience of your pool of smiths. As the same blacksmiths stay on the job over
time, they gain skill in their trade. With increasing skill, the blacksmiths in
that settlement can produce new, more powerful weapon and armor types. Keep this
skill investment in mind when deciding where you wish to produce arms; you want
to make long-term commitments to keeping your blacksmiths in business.
Army Creation
Mustering your army is one of the highlights of your career at the head of a
Scottish clan. Selecting from the pool of weapons that are available, you must
endeavor to build a balanced fighting force that is tailored to your own
personal
fighting style.
Use the Military screen to begin building your military muscle. The "Toggle
Equipping" button is used to view the weapons and armor that are available at
the
current settlement. As mentioned above, you must transport your available arms
to
one town with a high number of peasants available for recruiting. To begin
recruiting soldiers into your ranks, you must first select a weapon from the
equipment scroll list by left-clicking on its icon. You may pick up one weapon
at
a time or double-click to select all available weapons of that type. Once you
have picked up the desired number of weapons, you may add armor or shields to
the
kit by selecting their icons in the same manner.
Once you pick up the desired equipment mix, you may simply left-click once on
the
Peasant icon to recruit as many soldiers as you have selected equipment kits. To
start a new army, click on the crossed swords of the Create Army icon. A new
army
appears with the soldiers distributed as few 15-soldier squads as possible. Any
extra soldiers remain active in your cursor. You may either create another new
army or disband the soldiers by using the Disband icon, which returns their
equipment to your stockpiles and the peasants to the available pool.
Create the best balance of soldiers you can, based on the information provided
above and the weapons that are at your disposal. Early in the game, you won’t
have many choices, but as more become available you can manufacture weapons,
ship
them to your recruiting town, and recruit advanced soldiers into your army by
bringing it home for refitting.
New recruits begin their military careers as inexperienced soldiers ("green"),
with the same loyalty as the town in which they were recruited. Whenever
possible, leave a new army leaderless and assign it to "Training," using the
Mission icon on the Military screen. After 2-4 weeks of intensive drills and
instruction, the army progresses to Regular experience grade, which proves far
more effective on the battlefield than mere recruit grade.
-----------------------------------
Other Forces
Peasants
The commoner was the most oppressed member of Scottish society. Although your
peasants do not directly feel the burden of English rule in Braveheart, they
suffer from outbreaks of plague, intermittent lack of food and resources and, of
course, casualties when inducted into the army. Although all tradespeople (such
as foresters and quarriers) are technically peasants with paying jobs, only
those
who are idle, as displayed in the upper-left quadrant of the Workers screen, can
be drafted into military service. The number of peasants in the Idle Workforce
box corresponds to the number of peasants available in the Military screen.
Spies
Throughout history, spies have lurked in the shadows, risking life and limb to
bring valuable information back to their leaders. You can send a spy on a
mission
by clicking on the Spy icon in the Military screen. Once the spies are active,
click on the Send Spy icon in the lower left-hand corner to send them on their
way. Select an enemy town on the map to initiate the mission.
You receive notification when your spy arrives at his or her destination. Aside
from the basic spy stats you receive on the General Map screen, you can continue
your "kilt and dagger" operation by holding down Ctrl key and clicking on the
town. This takes you to the 3D world, where you can walk around and explore
buildings. It isn’t advisable, but you can also attack anyone in your way. Be
careful not to arouse the curiosity of the town guard as you check out the
settlement.
Scouts
Spies worm their way inside settlements, but they have a tough time remembering
anything about their journey. That’s where scouts come into play. A scout
wanders
the countryside, noting locations of settlements and their borders, and other
characteristics of the terrain. Scouts are assigned missions in the same way as
spies.
Messengers
A messenger is your only communications link to other clans. Once you select a
destination for your messenger, you have a choice of actions. Click on one of
the
messages and go back to the business at hand. When the message is received, you
will receive an answer in a pop-up screen.
-----------------------------------
Economy
Natural Resources
Our examination of creating a balanced workforce begins with a discussion of
natural resources. Each clan possesses a unique territory that is capable of
producing varying amounts of life-supporting materials-namely food, timber,
stone, and metal ore. Additionally, the size and geography of a clan’s territory
have an important effect on its economy.
Food
Each clan begins the game with different resources. The only constant is
farmland, which appears in "reasonable" quantities everywhere, except for clan
Cameron. With fairly equal amounts of farmland, the production of food depends
more on micro-management than on acreage.
To achieve steady food production, you must keep your bakers and farmers busy.
Maintaining adequate food stores is your best defense against the plague,
although even in the best of times, it can rear its ugly head. By the same
token,
a sudden increase in farming and baking can force the plague to recede a little
sooner. However, you can never really relax. The plague comes and goes with the
weather, so keep a close watch on your food stores and production forces.
Finally, diversify your food production and build up equal quantities of bread,
haggis, cheese, and pies.
Security
Second to food, the inhabitants of your settlements and villages value their
peace of mind, which is a direct result of military presence. While you balance
food production, assign your builders to the production of protective
structures.
Build a watchtower as soon as possible, followed by a keep, and eventually a
castle. This building period may negate your ability to maintain food stores,
but
the effects are temporary, and you can refocus your workforce when the necessary
structures are finished.
Clothes and Jewels
It takes more than haggis to keep your economy humming along. Keep your
quarriers
busy, and your jewellers should have enough precious metal to create gold rings
and necklaces. Your people are always ready to buy a trinket, and the revenue
goes straight into the clan treasury. Rings bring a price of 4-5 pounds, while
necklaces fetch about 75 pounds apiece. In addition to selling jewelry to your
own people, you can load up caravans and make money off of rival clans (see
the "Trade" section for more information on creating caravans). Send a guard
along to protect your caravan in hostile territory. Your people also enjoy new
threads once in awhile. However, the tailors’ impact on your economy is only
slight, so don’t devote too many workers to tailoring.
Armies
Fighting is a way of life for the clans of Braveheart, so raising and keeping
powerful armies is vital to your survival. However, you must always monitor your
armies and, whenever possible, trim expenses to keep your military from draining
the clan economy. Here are a few tips for keeping a tight grip on your military
budget:
Protect your settlements with garrisoned watchtowers, keeps, and castles, rather
than large standing armies.
Don’t send your trade caravans too far into enemy lands. By keeping the trade
routes close to home, they will be under the protection of your military
structures, removing the need for a an armed guard.
As your kingdom grows, reduce or disband the armies in your interior settlements
that are no longer under threat of attack.
Reduce the size of your armies whenever possible, to turn non-taxable soldiers
into tax-paying peasants.
Battlefield
Tactical Considerations
Before deploying your first soldier, you must consider the strategic situation.
No battle is ever fought simply for the sake of fighting; you must always keep
in
mind what brought your soldiers to the field of battle. Ideally, you will be
attacking an enemy town as you progressively bring more provinces under your
clan’s rule. Sometimes, however, you have to defend your own lands against a
rival clan’s invading army. The strategic situation will help you decide what
battles are worth seeing through to the end and what battles are too costly to
press.
Pre-Battle Screen
Before each battle, you are provided with a summary of the enemy forces you will
be facing. In an open field battle or in a battle in which you are attacked, you
are also provided with the number of enemy troops arrayed against you. Though it
does not include a qualitative assessment, it certainly helps to know the number
of enemy troops you will be facing. Note that the Pre-Battle screen does not
tell
you which of your own forces is engaged, so be sure to keep careful track of
where your campaigning armies are at all times, especially when they have almost
reached their destination or an enemy unit enters their patrol area. When that
happens, you know you can expect a battle soon.
The Setting
Once you have arrived in the 3D battle world, take quick stock of your
situation.
Is the battle in the highlands or on the plains? Is a beach, impassable
ridgeline, or other natural boundary present? What is the weather like? What
time
of day is it? These factors will contribute a great deal toward the character of
the coming battle. With the cover of terrain or inclement weather, you will be
able to deploy your men out of sight of the enemy. You can exploit such
concealment to achieve a tactical advantage by maneuvering troops into your
enemy’s flank or rear.
Look for high ground and make a note of its location. You should make a strong
effort to occupy the high ground on the map, as it will afford you with several
advantages. As all combat is muscle-powered in the fourteenth century, being
higher than your opponent requires the enemy to climb up to engage you, gaining
fatigue as it does so. Troops situated on the high ground can see farther and
more clearly, adding to their battlefield intelligence. A charge from the high
ground carries extra impetus thanks to gravity, lending another advantage to
elevation. Lastly, swinging a weapon at a target that is lower than you takes
less energy, giving your soldiers an extra edge in melee combat.
Preparing for Battle
Before engaging the enemy, you must prepare your lines for battle. Your troops
start the battle in long, open-order lines, a formation that is attractive but
better suited to the parade grounds than the field of battle. Hopefully, you
constructed your army according to the guidelines presented in the "Military
Forces" section of this Prima Fast Track GuideTM. If you have done so, you will
be able to employ a formidable fighting formation, capable of dispatching an
enemy army even three times your size.
-----------------------------------
Forming the Line
One by one, deploy your soldiers in a proper combat formation to maximize your
combat power. Form your line infantry into a contiguous front rank. These
soldiers will form your "main line of battle," around which you will base the
rest of your troops.
Deploy your pole arms, such as spears and pikes, just behind the main line.
Wielders of pole arms will double your line’s combat power as they strike at the
enemy from behind their comrades who are armed with shorter-ranged weapons.
Behind both of them, your archers are best suited to provide supporting fire
along the line. Once your army is so arrayed, potentially three of your soldiers
can be attacking a single enemy at one time, even when only facing them from the
front, a combination that will quickly lead to your opponent’s defeat.
If you have any cavalry, consider deploying them well behind your main line as a
reserve. Removed from the initial impact, you can use your horsemen to ride
around the flank of the enemy once you have engaged, delivering the "coup de
grace" in a thunder of charging hooves. Reserve cavalry may also be used to
decisively plug any holes that develop in your line, helping you avoid instances
of breakthrough. As you gain experience, you will develop a feel for the best
time to release the cavalry in battle.
Lastly, use a unit of lightly-armed and armored troops as skirmishers, or use
cavalry to fill the role. Skirmish troops are essential to the successful
conduct
of your battle. Few lines ever survive initial contact with the enemy. Thus if
you disrupt the enemy line with your disposable skirmishers, you will then be
able to bring your own ordered line crashing down upon his or her ragged troops
with a devastating effect. Skirmishers are also quite adept at leading entire
portions of the enemy line on wild goose chases, owing greatly to their high
speed
Battlefield Reconnaissance
Once your lines have been established, you are ready to find the foe. One of the
most difficult parts of the standard Braveheart battle is actually finding the
enemy. You start out of sight of the opposing army, which allows you to approach
stealthily in the hopes of catching your enemy off-guard. Of course, the
opponent
is often trying to do the same to you, so you must exercise caution as you
search
for the enemy line.
Skirmishers are perfectly suited to scout the enemy line. Select a skirmish unit
and spread it in a long column in front of your main line. Although you cannot
see the enemy initially, the battle usually opens with your army facing in the
direction of the enemy. Note the direction your troops are facing on the compass
in the radar window in the upper left corner of the Battlefield screen, and move
your scouts off in that direction.
As your scouts root out the enemy, deploy units to protect each of your flanks
against similar maneuvers by the enemy. The AI clans like to send out a single
brave scout in search of your lines, and your reconnaissance group will be well-
prepared to deal with the trivial threat posed by a single soldier. However, a
lone scout is often capable of eluding detection, so a flank guard will assure
you a measure of defense should the enemy move on one of your flanks before you
find it.
-----------------------------------
Engaging the Enemy
Once you have located the enemy, the next logical step is to destroy it. All
battles eventually come down to the point of the sword in Braveheart. No matter
how well you have laid your plans, your skill in conducting the inevitable clash
of soldiers is of paramount importance in winning the battle.
The Bait and Hook
Although it is certainly possible to march your army over to the enemy position
and engage it on its ground, it is far more advantageous to draw the enemy into
your own prepared position. Using your fast skirmishers, try to attract the
attention of a handful of enemy units by running close to them. The enemy
commander may deem it adequate to dispatch a small portion of his or her line to
deal with your small skirmish unit. Run your skirmishers back to your lines with
the enemy contingent in tow. Once you have regained safety in numbers, you can
make short work of the enemy pursuers with the help of your main line.
The enemy commanders will not be so cooperative when they realize their patrol
will not be returning. Reorder your line after you dispatch the enemy patrol,
and
redeploy your skirmishers. Run back to the enemy lines, and get them to follow
you again. The skirmisher can draw them all the way back to your ordered main
line, facilitating the destruction of the disordered mob. Your troops will be
ordered in a fresh combat formation, while the enemy’s troops will be winded and
completely disorganized after the chase. With these advantages, you will make
short work of the enemy force.
Mastering the Melee
When your lines have merged with the enemy into a whirlwind of flashing iron and
flailing arms, it may seem as if your job is done. On the contrary, managing the
conduct of the melee clash is among the most important of all battlefield tasks
for the would-be King of Scotland. By issuing deliberate and considered commands
to your people within the swirling maelstrom of hand-to-hand combat, you can
maximize your chances against the enemy.
Watch the lines closely in the melee. You will notice that your soldiers who are
not directly adjacent to enemy soldiers spend a great deal of time wandering
aimlessly, unless they can reach past a friendly pole arm to strike at the
enemy.
More often than not, this situation arises after you have vanquished one or more
foes-leaving a gap in the enemy line and a cluster of unengaged friendly
soldiers
where once there was a surrounded enemy.
Select any such unengaged soldiers immediately, using the drag-and-drop
selection
box if possible. Order them to move "directly away" from the melee battle,
drawing them out into open ground. Once they have extracted themselves from the
melee, order them into a line with the formation commands, walk them around the
rear of the enemy, and throw them once again into the brawl. This time, they
will
have plenty of enemy soldiers to fight. Better yet, they will be hitting the
opponent in the rear, denying it a chance to strike back until it turns to face
your flanking soldiers. By the time the enemy does turn around, it is often too
late.
Continue to observe the progress of your soldiers in combat. Do not be afraid to
pull some soldiers out of the battle to reorganize them as above. Others from
the
rear ranks fill in the gap they leave, and you will have created a fresh new
line
of troops. Their impact can be a valuable tool in turning the tide of a melee.
If
your soldiers are clearly losing the battle, it is always acceptable to retire
from the field in order to fight another day.
Bruce
If you want a challenge, clan Bruce is a good place to start. You're surrounded
by no fewer than six clans. With only a narrow southern strip of land on the
water, the terrain does little to aid your defenses. To establish a good
east/west defensive line, you should quickly annex clan Buchanan to the west and
clan Angus to the east, which will isolate the other four clans to the North and
South.
Buchanan
Clan Buchanan is sandwiched between clans Stirling and MacGregor, with Clan
Lamont on a ragged peninsula jutting out to the West. Although the southern
border is narrow, it's defended by water, so you can concentrate your defensive
efforts on the west and east. Your first attack should focus on clan Stirling.
Annexing this territory triples your East/West border and all but eliminates
direct approaches from the Ssouth, thanks to the inlet that extends to the East.
Cameron
Clan Cameron opens with a massive landlocked territory that wraps around the map
in a large "C." This territory is very difficult to defend because of its vast
borders. Your earliest priority should be to defeat and absorb clan Fraser to
the
East. This strategy eliminates an enemy that can easily enter your territory
from
three directions.
Campbell
The sea is your greatest ally if you start a campaign with clan Campbell, thanks
to a western border that's protected by water from Fort William in the North, to
Craignish in the South. To extend your East/West border and eliminate the threat
of attack from the East, you should take over clan Gordon’s territory. This
strategy isolates clan Cameron to the North, and clan Graham to the South.
Farquharson
This is a tough place to start because of to a vast southern border that faces
three formidable clans (Lyon, Guthrie, and Menzies). Additional clans will be
revealed to the Eorth and East, and with clan Forbes sitting at your Northeast
corner, you're completely surrounded. No time to make jewelry here; you’d best
concentrate on building armies and watchtowers. Your first attack should focus
on
clan Menzies. Their defeat gives you an eastern coastal border, which means one
less boundary line to defend.
Keith
With its northern and eastern borders protected by the sea, clan Keith has an
easier path to victory. Your opening territory also stretches to the West,
cutting off Menzies to the South and Forbes to the North. Eliminate these
enemies
quickly, and you can establish a strong foothold early in the campaign.
Lamont
This clan has a long, narrow territory that benefits from a coastal border to
the
South and Southwest. However, a broad northern facing exposes the clan to attack
from clans MacLachan and MacGregor. It's imperative for clan Lamont to punch
through to the North and quickly eliminate MacGregor. But this is only the
beginning. More rival clans await the North, East, and South, making this a very
challenging campaign.
MacDonald
An island clan, MacDonald is protected from its mainland enemies. However, this
location also makes it more difficult to attack and expand to the East. It's
best
to spend your early days building a strong military force, because expansion
requires that you spend most of your time on the road.
MacGregor
This is one of the more geographically balanced clans. With the sea to the West
and a territory that stretches inland to the East, you have a strong starting
position. Your best bet is to annex clan Campbell to the North, which extends
your coastal border on the West and enables you to sweep to the Southeast and
absorb clans Buchanan and Graham. This strategy leaves clans Lamont and
MacLachan
isolated to the South.
MacKenzie
Prepare to defend massive borders early in the campaign if you select clan
MacKenzie. Fortunately, this vast territory ends at the sea on its western
border, and the immediate enemies to the North are the tiny clans Ross and
Munro.
Once these two clans are defeated, you can march north and secure the remaining
peninsula territories.
MacKintosh
Except for a small northern area on the water, this clan is surrounded on all
sides. Clans MacPherson and Grant present the most immediate threats to the
Southeast. By pushing in this direction, you can cut a path to the water and
effectively cut off your competition to the North and South.
MacLean
If you like having your back to the water, the island clan of MacLean should be
to your liking. However, this is no small island. Your territory stretches far
to
the North, although your only identified neighbor is clan Cameron to the East.
Once you absorb this clan, you can move West to the opposite coast and cut off
the remaining clans to the North and South.
MacLeod
MacLeod is the most isolated of the island clans, with the strongest natural
defenses in the game. However, the water also makes it very difficult to expand
to the mainland.
Munro
Protected by the sea on its eastern border, clan Munro is positioned to expand
quickly in either direction. Clan Ross is ripe for the taking, and, once it's
annexed, you can easily take over the remaining coastal lands to the North.
Scott
If you're up to the challenge, clan Scott places you just North of England,
where
three aggressive clans (Home, Douglas, and Johnstone) surround you. If you like
to fight from the get go, the territory of clan Scott is the place to start your
campaign.
Wallace
The accomplishments of William Wallace are magnified when you look at clan
Wallace’s opening position on the map. A relatively tiny territory, this clan
has
only a small coastal border on the West, and five rival clans on the North,
East,
and South compress it from the other directions. If you want to live the story
of
Braveheart through the eyes of its hero, be prepared for a battle like no other.
Workforce
Builders
Raw Materials Needed: stone and timber
As the name implies, builders construct dwellings of all kinds, including
normal "domestic" buildings and specialized military structures. Construction of
domestic buildings takes place without your input and, by default, the builders
concentrate all of their efforts on these projects. However, when you begin
construction on a special building, such as a keep or watchtower, you must move
the Production Bias slider bar to the right, to shift builders from domestic
projects to your new buildings.
Farming
Farmers are good things, especially when you have hungry troops to feed. Farmers
are responsible for tending the fields, as well as raising the animals. Except
for clan Cameron, all of the clans have a "reasonable" amount of farmland.
Additionally, coastal clans have the added resource of the sea as a source for
fish. If your town lacks certain resources, you may need to trade with other
friendly settlements or venture out beyond your allies. If Auto Management is
turned on, you need only to worry about the amount of food you are dispensing to
your people.
Quarriers
The amount of natural stone deposits varies from clan to clan. Quarriers work
within the natural resources of the land to process stone for construction.
Clans
Cameron, Farquharson, Macgregor, Mackintosh, and Scott have the richest deposits
of stone. Quarriers may also unearth varying amounts of gemstones that can be
used for trading. You can switch from stone to gem mining by clicking on the "I"
in the upper left-hand corner of the Quarriers box, and changing the focus from
Stone to Gems in the detail box on the lower right. However, due to an almost
constant demand for construction, you are best to focus on stone, rather than
jewels.
Bakers
People do not live by bread alone, and thanks to the bakers, the Highlanders
have
a bit of variety in their simple diets. The bakers use grain, dairy, and fish
(if
it is available), to make bread, cheese, pies, and haggis.
Armourers
Armourers will likely be your most frequent stop on the workforce allocation
screen, as their products are the most tangible of all goods. You fight all of
your battles for Scotland’s freedom with the weapons, armors, and machines of
war
that these craftsmen produce.
Foresters
You will very likely spend a great deal of time urging your foresters to produce
more timber for construction. The best way to increase your timber production is
to shut down all but the most essential trades. Shift as many workers as
possible
to foresting. An increased work force will fill the woodshed quickly. For
example, 16 woodcutters produce 259 units of timber per year, but 230 foresters
chop down trees at the rate of 3,731 units per year. Obviously, your settlement
would die if you kept everyone chopping wood for a year. But for short periods
of
time, increasing your forester crew is the best way to fuel an aggressive
building program.
Miners
Miners are responsible for unearthing metal ore, which is used in weapon
production. Metal ore stores build very slowly. For example, 60 miners produce
only 2 units of ore per day.
Tailors
They say the suit makes the man, and the tailor’s job is to keep everyone happy
and well-clothed. There are only two options on the Tailors’ detail screen: make
clothes or stop making clothes. It is not necessary to allocate very many
workers
to keep an average-sized settlement in spiffy duds. This is definitely one of
the
first places to look when you need extra workers for building or weapon-making.
Jewellers
Jewelry is a luxury that does not require your attention, unless you prefer
spending your time making rings and necklaces instead of expanding your kingdom.
You can alter production at any time, by clicking on the "I" in the lower left-
hand corner of the Jewellers box, and then clicking on the Ring or Necklace icon
in the detail area. If you can’t meet payroll, you can also sell your treasures
to the townspeople, who are always ready to buy a ring and fill your coffers.
-----------------------------------
Trade
Trade Routes
For a quick update on current trade routes in your kingdom, click the Trade
Routes icon (red and blue arrows) on the button bar along the bottom of the
screen. Using the General Map screen, all trade routes are shown as dotted
lines.
Additionally, a scrolling list of trade caravans appears on the right-hand side
of the screen. Along with each caravan’s destination, you find a description of
the cargo and how much time the caravan has remaining in its journey.
While this screen provides a wealth of information, you must click on the Town
Trade icon (purple and green arrows) to create a new caravan, or assign an army
to guard duty. If you have an army to spare, it certainly doesn’t hurt to guard
your most important caravans. However, there is no need to guard every caravan.
In fact, as you expand your kingdom, you will find that most caravans are
traveling strictly within friendly boundaries. It is possible for attacking
armies to strike a caravan as they move toward your cities. However, you are
better off assigning your armies to regular guard duty, which takes them across
the trade routes. Additionally, the positioning of watchtowers and keeps
provides
adequate protection for your caravans.
Before assembling a new caravan, click on the two arrow buttons in the lower
right-hand corner of the screen to scroll through your stores. Note the name of
the current town, village, or settlement in the upper left-hand corner of the
screen. After finding the settlement with sufficient supplies to generate a
caravan, click on the icon that represents your desired mode of transportation
(cart, horse or ox, or peasant power), and then select a destination.
Next, you must decide what goods to place in your caravan. You can also send
money for purchasing supplies at the caravan’s destination. To do this, click on
the moneybag on the right-hand side of the screen, and then right-click on the
money bag below the map window. To send merchandise from the town stores, just
click on an item on the right, and then right-click on a slot in the caravan box
on the left.
If you want to attach an army to the caravan, click on the View Armies icon
located above the Auto setting on the upper right-hand side of the screen.
Select
an army from the list, and then right-click on the right side guard portion of
the caravan. Finally, click on the Send Caravan icon (green arrows) to send the
wagon on its way.
Military Forces
Line Infantry
These soldiers are armed with close combat weapons, such as swords, axes, and
maces, for use in direct contact with the enemy. The name of these front-rank
fighters refers to their most effective tactical formation: the line. Because of
the short reach of their weapons, these troops are best deployed in the line’s
shoulder-to-shoulder formation, so that all soldiers can fight the enemy at the
same time. Line infantry should be the best-armored soldiers in your army, as
they consistently bear the brunt of the attacks.
Line infantry should invariably form the bulk of your fighting forces. In a
standard field army, maintain between 1/2 and 3/4 of your number in line
infantry. The weapons and armor of your line infantry should also be varied, so
you can employ the proper weapons against any given target. Some troops are too
valuable to waste on a diversion; conversely, other troops are too poorly
equipped to be given the more dangerous tasks. Bigger is not always better.
Pole Arms
A warrior equipped with a long-handled weapon, such as a long spear, great axe,
or pike, can stand behind the front rank of line infantry and attack the enemy
over the heads of the line soldiers. This complicated formation allows you to
effectively double your offensive power, while exposing only half the number of
your troops to the enemy. This formation gives a 2 to 1 disadvantage in combat
to
each enemy soldier on the front line of battle, making their lives short and
miserable. Pole arms should never constitute more than 25 percent of your total
force. Your line infantry should outnumber them by at least a factor of two, to
ensure the adequate coverage and protection needed to maintain the reinforced
line of battle described above.
Pikes
William Wallace used a pike wall to break the English cavalry charge in the
movie
Braveheart, and you can do the same thing in the game. Cavalry is tremendously
expensive and consumes horses, which are a rare commodity. To use a simple
sharpened pole to eliminate such a precious piece of the enemy army is a
visceral
joy that must be experienced to be understood. Although vulnerable to enemy
infantry if left unprotected, a solid rank of pikes can silence charging
horsemen.
These specialized weapons should not equip more than one or two 15-person
squadrons of your army. Pikes are at their best when set against a cavalry
charge, impaling the incoming horses and riders alike. In Braveheart, the pikes
are equipped with halberd heads lending them an additional chopping ability
similar to traditional pole arms. When no enemy cavalry is present, use pikes in
the same manner as your pole arms, striking at the enemy from behind a rank of
line infantry.
Archers
Bows provide your army with the ability to strike at the enemy without immediate
retribution from melee weapons. Their offensive power far outweighs the mere
impact of their arrows, for they also cause panic, disorder, and confusion in
the
enemy ranks as they rain death from an unreachable source. Positioned wisely, a
safe distance behind your main line of battle, archers can spell the difference
between victory and defeat. Although they will not fire into melee for fear of
hitting friendly troops, they can hammer the enemy from a distance. This ability
may even be employed to force the enemy to engage when facing superior line
infantry, as they face a worse fate being slowly whittled away by your arrows.
Archers are not very strong in hand-to-hand combat. Their offensive power really
only is useful as a supplement to a standard line of battle. As such, they
should
comprise no more than 20 percent of your total army force. Employ the proper bow
against the various types of enemy soldier: longbows at range, shortbows against
lightly armored targets, and crossbows against heavy armor. Bowmen provide the
ideal garrison force. Feel free to man your ramparts with up to 50 percent
archers, as they will be able to fire down on any attacking force with little
fear of reprisal.
Cavalry
Menacing, gallant, and powerful, mounted soldiers provide the single hardest
punch on the thirteenth century battlefield. Cavalry are not suited for all
jobs,
however, and sending them into the wrong situation is a deplorable waste of a
precious and expensive resource. Sometimes, cavalry is more powerful when not
committed to the battle. Fast and deadly, reserve cavalry presents an uncertain
threat to the enemy since it can quickly crash down on any point of your
choosing, forcing the enemy to tie up precious troops as reserves in
anticipation
of their charge.
Cavalry is powerful but is so expensive as to necessitate sparing and careful
use. Refrain from using more than one or two units of cavalry in an army. The
presence of any more units represents an opportunity cost that would be better
spent to equip the rest of the army with more advanced weapons and armor.
-----------------------------------
Military Production
Your army is built around the weapons and armor that your blacksmiths produce in
your clan’s settlements. You may allocate peasants to the smithy and set their
production in the Workers screen. As with any other trade, the maximum number of
peasants that can be allocated to weapon and armor production is indicated by
the
blue semi-circle, while the actual number of smiths working is shown by the tan
portion of the field. You can also see the exact number of blacksmiths with a
glance at the number shown in the top bar.
Building powerful armies requires a great deal of coordination. Each settlement
can produce only one type of weapon or armor at a time, so you want to produce
the various implements of war needed in several settlements. Once your arms are
built, use caravans to transfer them to the town with the highest morale and
number of available peasants. Be sure to guard these caravans, as allowing the
precious weapons to fall into enemy hands would be disastrous! You must transfer
the weapons to a central town, as opposed to creating small forces armed with
whatever weapons are locally available; existing armies from different towns
cannot be combined. Be methodical and patient in your army construction, as you
will use your core armies over the course of the entire game.
You must choose your arms production settlements carefully, based on economic
health and wealth. Peasants who are employed as blacksmiths are so at the
expense
of taking them from tending livestock and tilling fields, so there must be an
ample population capable of sparing these extra workers. Don’t allocate extra
blacksmiths in seasonal or temporary shifts, because this affects the overall
experience of your pool of smiths. As the same blacksmiths stay on the job over
time, they gain skill in their trade. With increasing skill, the blacksmiths in
that settlement can produce new, more powerful weapon and armor types. Keep this
skill investment in mind when deciding where you wish to produce arms; you want
to make long-term commitments to keeping your blacksmiths in business.
Army Creation
Mustering your army is one of the highlights of your career at the head of a
Scottish clan. Selecting from the pool of weapons that are available, you must
endeavor to build a balanced fighting force that is tailored to your own
personal
fighting style.
Use the Military screen to begin building your military muscle. The "Toggle
Equipping" button is used to view the weapons and armor that are available at
the
current settlement. As mentioned above, you must transport your available arms
to
one town with a high number of peasants available for recruiting. To begin
recruiting soldiers into your ranks, you must first select a weapon from the
equipment scroll list by left-clicking on its icon. You may pick up one weapon
at
a time or double-click to select all available weapons of that type. Once you
have picked up the desired number of weapons, you may add armor or shields to
the
kit by selecting their icons in the same manner.
Once you pick up the desired equipment mix, you may simply left-click once on
the
Peasant icon to recruit as many soldiers as you have selected equipment kits. To
start a new army, click on the crossed swords of the Create Army icon. A new
army
appears with the soldiers distributed as few 15-soldier squads as possible. Any
extra soldiers remain active in your cursor. You may either create another new
army or disband the soldiers by using the Disband icon, which returns their
equipment to your stockpiles and the peasants to the available pool.
Create the best balance of soldiers you can, based on the information provided
above and the weapons that are at your disposal. Early in the game, you won’t
have many choices, but as more become available you can manufacture weapons,
ship
them to your recruiting town, and recruit advanced soldiers into your army by
bringing it home for refitting.
New recruits begin their military careers as inexperienced soldiers ("green"),
with the same loyalty as the town in which they were recruited. Whenever
possible, leave a new army leaderless and assign it to "Training," using the
Mission icon on the Military screen. After 2-4 weeks of intensive drills and
instruction, the army progresses to Regular experience grade, which proves far
more effective on the battlefield than mere recruit grade.
-----------------------------------
Other Forces
Peasants
The commoner was the most oppressed member of Scottish society. Although your
peasants do not directly feel the burden of English rule in Braveheart, they
suffer from outbreaks of plague, intermittent lack of food and resources and, of
course, casualties when inducted into the army. Although all tradespeople (such
as foresters and quarriers) are technically peasants with paying jobs, only
those
who are idle, as displayed in the upper-left quadrant of the Workers screen, can
be drafted into military service. The number of peasants in the Idle Workforce
box corresponds to the number of peasants available in the Military screen.
Spies
Throughout history, spies have lurked in the shadows, risking life and limb to
bring valuable information back to their leaders. You can send a spy on a
mission
by clicking on the Spy icon in the Military screen. Once the spies are active,
click on the Send Spy icon in the lower left-hand corner to send them on their
way. Select an enemy town on the map to initiate the mission.
You receive notification when your spy arrives at his or her destination. Aside
from the basic spy stats you receive on the General Map screen, you can continue
your "kilt and dagger" operation by holding down Ctrl key and clicking on the
town. This takes you to the 3D world, where you can walk around and explore
buildings. It isn’t advisable, but you can also attack anyone in your way. Be
careful not to arouse the curiosity of the town guard as you check out the
settlement.
Scouts
Spies worm their way inside settlements, but they have a tough time remembering
anything about their journey. That’s where scouts come into play. A scout
wanders
the countryside, noting locations of settlements and their borders, and other
characteristics of the terrain. Scouts are assigned missions in the same way as
spies.
Messengers
A messenger is your only communications link to other clans. Once you select a
destination for your messenger, you have a choice of actions. Click on one of
the
messages and go back to the business at hand. When the message is received, you
will receive an answer in a pop-up screen.
-----------------------------------
Economy
Natural Resources
Our examination of creating a balanced workforce begins with a discussion of
natural resources. Each clan possesses a unique territory that is capable of
producing varying amounts of life-supporting materials-namely food, timber,
stone, and metal ore. Additionally, the size and geography of a clan’s territory
have an important effect on its economy.
Food
Each clan begins the game with different resources. The only constant is
farmland, which appears in "reasonable" quantities everywhere, except for clan
Cameron. With fairly equal amounts of farmland, the production of food depends
more on micro-management than on acreage.
To achieve steady food production, you must keep your bakers and farmers busy.
Maintaining adequate food stores is your best defense against the plague,
although even in the best of times, it can rear its ugly head. By the same
token,
a sudden increase in farming and baking can force the plague to recede a little
sooner. However, you can never really relax. The plague comes and goes with the
weather, so keep a close watch on your food stores and production forces.
Finally, diversify your food production and build up equal quantities of bread,
haggis, cheese, and pies.
Security
Second to food, the inhabitants of your settlements and villages value their
peace of mind, which is a direct result of military presence. While you balance
food production, assign your builders to the production of protective
structures.
Build a watchtower as soon as possible, followed by a keep, and eventually a
castle. This building period may negate your ability to maintain food stores,
but
the effects are temporary, and you can refocus your workforce when the necessary
structures are finished.
Clothes and Jewels
It takes more than haggis to keep your economy humming along. Keep your
quarriers
busy, and your jewellers should have enough precious metal to create gold rings
and necklaces. Your people are always ready to buy a trinket, and the revenue
goes straight into the clan treasury. Rings bring a price of 4-5 pounds, while
necklaces fetch about 75 pounds apiece. In addition to selling jewelry to your
own people, you can load up caravans and make money off of rival clans (see
the "Trade" section for more information on creating caravans). Send a guard
along to protect your caravan in hostile territory. Your people also enjoy new
threads once in awhile. However, the tailors’ impact on your economy is only
slight, so don’t devote too many workers to tailoring.
Armies
Fighting is a way of life for the clans of Braveheart, so raising and keeping
powerful armies is vital to your survival. However, you must always monitor your
armies and, whenever possible, trim expenses to keep your military from draining
the clan economy. Here are a few tips for keeping a tight grip on your military
budget:
Protect your settlements with garrisoned watchtowers, keeps, and castles, rather
than large standing armies.
Don’t send your trade caravans too far into enemy lands. By keeping the trade
routes close to home, they will be under the protection of your military
structures, removing the need for a an armed guard.
As your kingdom grows, reduce or disband the armies in your interior settlements
that are no longer under threat of attack.
Reduce the size of your armies whenever possible, to turn non-taxable soldiers
into tax-paying peasants.
Battlefield
Tactical Considerations
Before deploying your first soldier, you must consider the strategic situation.
No battle is ever fought simply for the sake of fighting; you must always keep
in
mind what brought your soldiers to the field of battle. Ideally, you will be
attacking an enemy town as you progressively bring more provinces under your
clan’s rule. Sometimes, however, you have to defend your own lands against a
rival clan’s invading army. The strategic situation will help you decide what
battles are worth seeing through to the end and what battles are too costly to
press.
Pre-Battle Screen
Before each battle, you are provided with a summary of the enemy forces you will
be facing. In an open field battle or in a battle in which you are attacked, you
are also provided with the number of enemy troops arrayed against you. Though it
does not include a qualitative assessment, it certainly helps to know the number
of enemy troops you will be facing. Note that the Pre-Battle screen does not
tell
you which of your own forces is engaged, so be sure to keep careful track of
where your campaigning armies are at all times, especially when they have almost
reached their destination or an enemy unit enters their patrol area. When that
happens, you know you can expect a battle soon.
The Setting
Once you have arrived in the 3D battle world, take quick stock of your
situation.
Is the battle in the highlands or on the plains? Is a beach, impassable
ridgeline, or other natural boundary present? What is the weather like? What
time
of day is it? These factors will contribute a great deal toward the character of
the coming battle. With the cover of terrain or inclement weather, you will be
able to deploy your men out of sight of the enemy. You can exploit such
concealment to achieve a tactical advantage by maneuvering troops into your
enemy’s flank or rear.
Look for high ground and make a note of its location. You should make a strong
effort to occupy the high ground on the map, as it will afford you with several
advantages. As all combat is muscle-powered in the fourteenth century, being
higher than your opponent requires the enemy to climb up to engage you, gaining
fatigue as it does so. Troops situated on the high ground can see farther and
more clearly, adding to their battlefield intelligence. A charge from the high
ground carries extra impetus thanks to gravity, lending another advantage to
elevation. Lastly, swinging a weapon at a target that is lower than you takes
less energy, giving your soldiers an extra edge in melee combat.
Preparing for Battle
Before engaging the enemy, you must prepare your lines for battle. Your troops
start the battle in long, open-order lines, a formation that is attractive but
better suited to the parade grounds than the field of battle. Hopefully, you
constructed your army according to the guidelines presented in the "Military
Forces" section of this Prima Fast Track GuideTM. If you have done so, you will
be able to employ a formidable fighting formation, capable of dispatching an
enemy army even three times your size.
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Forming the Line
One by one, deploy your soldiers in a proper combat formation to maximize your
combat power. Form your line infantry into a contiguous front rank. These
soldiers will form your "main line of battle," around which you will base the
rest of your troops.
Deploy your pole arms, such as spears and pikes, just behind the main line.
Wielders of pole arms will double your line’s combat power as they strike at the
enemy from behind their comrades who are armed with shorter-ranged weapons.
Behind both of them, your archers are best suited to provide supporting fire
along the line. Once your army is so arrayed, potentially three of your soldiers
can be attacking a single enemy at one time, even when only facing them from the
front, a combination that will quickly lead to your opponent’s defeat.
If you have any cavalry, consider deploying them well behind your main line as a
reserve. Removed from the initial impact, you can use your horsemen to ride
around the flank of the enemy once you have engaged, delivering the "coup de
grace" in a thunder of charging hooves. Reserve cavalry may also be used to
decisively plug any holes that develop in your line, helping you avoid instances
of breakthrough. As you gain experience, you will develop a feel for the best
time to release the cavalry in battle.
Lastly, use a unit of lightly-armed and armored troops as skirmishers, or use
cavalry to fill the role. Skirmish troops are essential to the successful
conduct
of your battle. Few lines ever survive initial contact with the enemy. Thus if
you disrupt the enemy line with your disposable skirmishers, you will then be
able to bring your own ordered line crashing down upon his or her ragged troops
with a devastating effect. Skirmishers are also quite adept at leading entire
portions of the enemy line on wild goose chases, owing greatly to their high
speed
Battlefield Reconnaissance
Once your lines have been established, you are ready to find the foe. One of the
most difficult parts of the standard Braveheart battle is actually finding the
enemy. You start out of sight of the opposing army, which allows you to approach
stealthily in the hopes of catching your enemy off-guard. Of course, the
opponent
is often trying to do the same to you, so you must exercise caution as you
search
for the enemy line.
Skirmishers are perfectly suited to scout the enemy line. Select a skirmish unit
and spread it in a long column in front of your main line. Although you cannot
see the enemy initially, the battle usually opens with your army facing in the
direction of the enemy. Note the direction your troops are facing on the compass
in the radar window in the upper left corner of the Battlefield screen, and move
your scouts off in that direction.
As your scouts root out the enemy, deploy units to protect each of your flanks
against similar maneuvers by the enemy. The AI clans like to send out a single
brave scout in search of your lines, and your reconnaissance group will be well-
prepared to deal with the trivial threat posed by a single soldier. However, a
lone scout is often capable of eluding detection, so a flank guard will assure
you a measure of defense should the enemy move on one of your flanks before you
find it.
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Engaging the Enemy
Once you have located the enemy, the next logical step is to destroy it. All
battles eventually come down to the point of the sword in Braveheart. No matter
how well you have laid your plans, your skill in conducting the inevitable clash
of soldiers is of paramount importance in winning the battle.
The Bait and Hook
Although it is certainly possible to march your army over to the enemy position
and engage it on its ground, it is far more advantageous to draw the enemy into
your own prepared position. Using your fast skirmishers, try to attract the
attention of a handful of enemy units by running close to them. The enemy
commander may deem it adequate to dispatch a small portion of his or her line to
deal with your small skirmish unit. Run your skirmishers back to your lines with
the enemy contingent in tow. Once you have regained safety in numbers, you can
make short work of the enemy pursuers with the help of your main line.
The enemy commanders will not be so cooperative when they realize their patrol
will not be returning. Reorder your line after you dispatch the enemy patrol,
and
redeploy your skirmishers. Run back to the enemy lines, and get them to follow
you again. The skirmisher can draw them all the way back to your ordered main
line, facilitating the destruction of the disordered mob. Your troops will be
ordered in a fresh combat formation, while the enemy’s troops will be winded and
completely disorganized after the chase. With these advantages, you will make
short work of the enemy force.
Mastering the Melee
When your lines have merged with the enemy into a whirlwind of flashing iron and
flailing arms, it may seem as if your job is done. On the contrary, managing the
conduct of the melee clash is among the most important of all battlefield tasks
for the would-be King of Scotland. By issuing deliberate and considered commands
to your people within the swirling maelstrom of hand-to-hand combat, you can
maximize your chances against the enemy.
Watch the lines closely in the melee. You will notice that your soldiers who are
not directly adjacent to enemy soldiers spend a great deal of time wandering
aimlessly, unless they can reach past a friendly pole arm to strike at the
enemy.
More often than not, this situation arises after you have vanquished one or more
foes-leaving a gap in the enemy line and a cluster of unengaged friendly
soldiers
where once there was a surrounded enemy.
Select any such unengaged soldiers immediately, using the drag-and-drop
selection
box if possible. Order them to move "directly away" from the melee battle,
drawing them out into open ground. Once they have extracted themselves from the
melee, order them into a line with the formation commands, walk them around the
rear of the enemy, and throw them once again into the brawl. This time, they
will
have plenty of enemy soldiers to fight. Better yet, they will be hitting the
opponent in the rear, denying it a chance to strike back until it turns to face
your flanking soldiers. By the time the enemy does turn around, it is often too
late.
Continue to observe the progress of your soldiers in combat. Do not be afraid to
pull some soldiers out of the battle to reorganize them as above. Others from
the
rear ranks fill in the gap they leave, and you will have created a fresh new
line
of troops. Their impact can be a valuable tool in turning the tide of a melee.
If
your soldiers are clearly losing the battle, it is always acceptable to retire
from the field in order to fight another day.