Civilization Idea: Bedouins

The Bedouins represent the nomadic and semi-nomadic people group of the same name living in the Middle East and North Africa, mostly Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula. While the Bedouins did not conquer anything to my knowledge, they did engage in raiding and sacking of various camps, villages, caravans, and monasteries. The Bedouins have the Middle Eastern architecture set, with a unique castle based on Tel Arad, an ancient Israelite fortress adjacent to a village historically occupied by Palestinian Bedouins. The Wonder is Saint Catherine’s Monastery, which is on a site important to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and also has a connection to the Bedouins, being built by Wallachian soldiers who became Bedouins, and it was later captured by the Bedouins.

The civilization is a camel civilization, but also has excellent cavalry archers and cavalry in general. Like the Cumans and Goths, Stone Walls are completely missing, so hyper aggression is necessary.

Because of their historical tendency to raid instead of engage in large battles, the civ’s playstyle revolves all around fast but weak units that hold up poorly in sustained fighting. It also has elements befitting a nomadic civilization, and is in general very unconventional.

Well, enough of the introduction. Let’s get into it!

Civilization Bonuses

  • Mills spawn two goats when completed (limit of 2 Mills per age)

The Bedouins have traditionally been herdsmen, raising both goats and sheep, as well as camels. Their livestock was raised for meat, milk, and wool.

  • Destroyed buildings refund 50% of their cost

The Bedouins, being semi-nomads or full nomads, rarely had permanent dwellings, and either resided among ruins or lived in mobile tents.

  • Pack Camels can be trained in Mills

Camels are very common in Bedouin society, and are used for transportation as well as for food. They are typically raised alongside goats and sheep, as mentioned above. I’ll go into more detail about this unit later.

  • Raider Tents available starting in Dark Age

This is a reference to the Bedouin tradition of raiding other tribes, caravans, or settlements. I’ll go into more detail about this building later.

  • Team bonus: Camel units +2 LOS

This is a reference to the Bedouins relying on camels for a great many things, especially travel.

Unique Unit 1: Ghazi

  • The Ghazi is a fast but weak cavalry archer, with 45 HP (50 for Elite), no armor, and a speed of 1.45, a tad slower than the Light Cavalry. It has only 5 attack, with 5 range, but it has a charge attack of 5 (7 for Elite) that takes 30 seconds to recharge (25 for Elite). This charge attack is distinguished by an arrow with a straight trajectory, like the Composite Bowman, but then all other projectiles are normal. The charge attack is unblockable for all targets except buildings.

  • The Ghazi’s intended playstyle is to weave in and out of enemy engagements, using the charge attack to get hits off against enemy armies, then retreating before it takes damage. If it is caught out against an enemy army and cannot escape, it will perish, meaning that it requires a great deal of player concentration and micro to be effective. It will most likely only be a capable unit in the hands of competent players.

  • In Arabic, the word ghazi refers to warriors or defenders of the Islamic cause. However, in Bedouin society, the word has an association with raids carried out against their enemies, often to steal livestock or other supplies.

Unique Unit 2: Pack Camel

  • This is a totally passive unit with no combat abilities. It costs 75 food and can be trained at the Mill. Its main purpose is to boost the movement speed of villagers by 10% and their carry capacity by 3 within an 8-tile radius. However, it can also be used as an alternative scout, particularly in Nomad starts, because it benefits from the team bonus of extra camel unit LOS, so it ends with 6 LOS, greater than the Scout Cavalry initially. While it is rather expensive for the Dark Age, its value in scouting and then being used as an economic boost can be very useful. It moves at a speed of 1, so slower than the Scout Cavalry, but its better LOS can make up for that.

  • Since the Pack Camel is considered a camel unit, it takes the appropriate bonus damage, and while it cannot attack, it does benefit from the cavalry armor upgrades and Husbandry, making it marginally better in the late game with 2 base melee and pierce armor. Since the Bedouins do not have Bloodlines, it remains with the same 50 hit points throughout the game.

Unique Building: Raider Tent

  • This building costs 175 wood, like the other standard military buildings, and in essence functions like a combination of the three. It is able to train swordsmen, Scout Cavalry, Camel Riders, and Cavalry Archers, though their respective buildings must be built to upgrade them. For prerequisites and aging up, it counts as a Barracks. The Raider Tent is essentially a one-stop shop for all raiding unit necessities, which is very useful.

Unique Technologies
Maghazi: Raider Tent units move 10% faster and are trained 50% faster

  • Cost: 400 food, 400 gold

  • This technology improves the Raider Tent’s raiding ability by making the units trained there produced faster. While their normal building variants are improved in speed, since that’s a stat change to the units themselves, only the production speed boost applies to Raider Tents. The Bedouins have access to both Squires and Husbandry, which stack with this technology, making their swordsmen, light cavalry, Camel Riders, and Cavalry Archers the fastest in the game, the latter being 5% faster than Cuman units and the former being 5% faster than Celt units. However, key hit point and armor upgrades are missing, making the units fast, but very weak in direct combat.

  • The term maghazi now typically refers to Muhammad’s initial military campaigns, but it originally referred to pre-Islamic Bedouin raids for plundering purposes. It is one of the etymological origins for the French word razzia, which is now a loanword in English.

Dromedaries: Camel Rider gold cost replaced with 20 extra food

  • Cost: 800 food, 600 gold

  • This technology, while expensive, makes Camel Riders cheaper in total resources than that of any other civilization, and they become a trash unit as well. It pays for its gold cost after only 10 units, so the payoff is very quick. Camel Riders’ food cost changes from 55 to 75, but 60 gold is saved for each unit. They become marginally cheaper than generic Hussars, making them a cost-effective counter in trash fights, though they are still missing 20 HP and 1/2 armor.

  • Because Hussars, Pikemen, and Paladins are missing, Heavy Camel Riders should make up the core backbone of a late-game Bedouin army. Despite their lack of robustness in sustained fighting, they are the only unit cheap and sturdy enough to be cost effective in large engagements against enemy cavalry. They should essentially replace Pikemen in late-game trash wars, since Spearmen are inadequate against enemy Hussars.

  • Dromedary is another word for the Arabian Camel, which is the main pack animal for the Bedouins. They typically appear in the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa, especially the Sahara Desert. Dromedaries have not appeared in the wild for at least 2000 years; for all of their known history, they have been domestic animals. The only major population of feral dromedaries to date is in Australia, which is also the main source of dromedaries for modern Saudi Arabia.

Tech Tree

Missing Units: Pikeman, Eagle line, Arbalester, Elephant Archer line, Hussar, Paladin, Battle Elephant, Steppe Lancer, Siege Onager, Heavy Scorpion, Fast Fire Ship, Heavy Demolition Ship, Elite Cannon Galleon, Dromon.

Missing Techs: Gambesons, Bloodlines, Redemption, Atonement, Heresy, Illumination, Block Printing, Theocracy, Hoardings, Plate Barding Armor, Ring Archer Armor, Masonry, Fortified Wall, Guard Tower, Heated Shot, Treadmill Crane, Bombard Tower, Arrowslits, Gold Shaft Mining, Stone Shaft Mining, Shipwright.

6 Likes

Their tech tree is very limiting with the exception with exception of Aztecs and Viking every civ has at one trash units with full upgrades in both of those cases they have UT and bonus that make their trash usable. in fact with the exception of the Siege Ram Trebuchets ,and Bombard Cannons no unit has FU. Despite being ostensible a raiding civ their light cav lack Bloodlines and PBA. (I know that is to balance Trash Camels but why are they missing Hussar?) Their Camel lines are simulatiously both oppressive and underwhelming. In castle age they just lack Bloodline and besides being trained in raider tents they have no real bonus. In imperial age they are a downgrade until you are able to afford the UTs which is quite expensive for a must get in which case they destroy all cavalry. But my biggest problem is they have no answer to Archers they Lack RAA for their skirms, they lack PBA and bloodlines for their light cav, and they don’t have Onager or Heavy Scorpions.

I like the Ghazi as a UU the combinations of fast speed, charge attack, low HP and PA reinforce the intended playstyle that said the elite should have 6 atk and I would probably reduce the charge time by 5 seconds.

When I came up with this civ concept initially, I thought it was far-fetched and unrealistic. However, there can be a campaign for the civ centered around Salih ibn Mirdas, who conquered Aleppo and interacted with multiple civs in the game. I think this civ has a lot of potential with a more balanced tech tree.

1 Like

Isnt bedouins the same as arabs/saracens?

2 Likes

Yesn’t. Bedouins are nomadic, and I wanted to try something different.

The design itself is interesting too bad not many have commented on it.

Why not give a shot at making a kurd civi concept?

1 Like

Maybe I will. I also want to do a Latins civ at some point soon, representing the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.

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images

Okay, hopefully I’ll come up with 2 more Camel civs within a week. Since I’m too lazy to study history, I’ll just try to create a balanced civ.

That will always end well…

Looks like Bedouins can be a total opposite of Saracens. Saracens is no eco (Market eco) into strong military civ. Bedouins can be a fish+sheep eco into weak military.

Don’t have any idea on Kurds. Only thing I know is Saladin was a Kurd.

Shame that Saracens didn’t get any bonus for light cavalry. Every early medieval Arab battles documentary I have seen in YouTube had some Light Cavalry maneuver. The least Saracens could get a 2nd UU replacing Hussar that restores the speed reduction of LC from Scout. And maybe a cost twist on the upgrade price, like -50 food but +50 gold.

Now for Bedouins :

Camel & Cavalry Archer civ

Team Bonus
Cavalry Archer units +2 attack bonus vs building.

Civ bonus
Can build Pasture that replaces Farms.
TC spawns 2 Cavalry Archers upon construction from Castle Age.
Camel units take 50% less bonus damage.

Pasture (Size - 2x2, Cost - 150 wood, Time - 40 seconds, rest are same as Mill)
Pasture can be used as a drop off building for Shepherd only. It ican also train sheep for 15 food in 15 seconds.
[Advantages - 1) Huge wood savings. 2) Infinite food.
Disadvantages - 1) Slow food gather rate. 2) Needs constant attention.

Unique Techs

  1. Cavalry Archer gold cost -50%. (400 food, 200 gold, 45 seconds)
  2. Camel units deal 25% trample damage within 0.5 tile. (800 food, 600 gold, 60 seconds)

Unique Unit
Camel Warrior - A multipurpose camel unit.
Cost - 50 food, 50 gold
Training Time - 18 seconds
HP - 115, 145
Armor - 1/1
Attack - 8, 11
Attack Bonus - +4, +8 vs cavalry
ROF - 1.9
Speed - 1.45

Technology Tree
Missing things:
Buildings - Stone wall, Farm
Barracks - Champion
Archery Range - Arbalester, HC
Stable - Bloodlines, Paladin, SL, BE
Siege Workshop - SR, SO, BBC
Blacksmith - Plate Mail Armor
Monastery - Atonement, Heresy, Illumination, Theocracy
Dock - Galleon, Dry Dock, Elite CG, Dromon
University - Architecture, Fortified Wall (No stone wall anyway), Keep, BBT, Arrowslits
Castle - Hoardings
Eco - Two Man Saw

1 Like

So I like eveything I see here, but I wanna move a bit farther away from the camel side and closer to the light cavalry and infantry side.

The saracens atm look most like arabs of the Syria/Iraq region. There were more noticeably different from the egyptians and the tribes of the arabian peninsula - the latter of which might be a better civ mold for the bedouins.

Said tribes used light cavalry, cavalry archers, camels, and oddly enough heavy infantry. I would suggest adding a second UU as a replacement for the champion upgrade and add back plate mail armor to the tech tree. Name it the mubarizun - what the elite heavy infantry were called. They were as well armed and armored as the region got and were specialized in dueling so being a champion replacement works out in alot of ways.

Second, the archery range actually looks a bit too good - the bows of the rashidun were noted to have shorter range (less power) than the persians and romans but they fired alot faster. A better reflection of this might be to remove bracer and ring archer armor and heavy cavalry archer and have a UT or civ perk to boost the attack rate of archery range units.

Consider the alt Bedouins:

Camel and Infantry civ:

Team Bonus
TC’s can function as markets with a 10% reduced commodity fee.

Civ bonus
Can build Pasture that replaces mill.
Start with 2 draft camels.
Archery range units have +2/4/6 vs villagers per age.
Camels take 25%/33%50% less bonus damage.
Infantry benefits from villager upgrades (loom, sappers, wheelbarrow, handcart).

Pasture - size/cost/build time same as mill
Trains sheep for 15 food in 15 sec. Animals in LOS radius do not decay.

Unique Techs

  1. Fursan - unique unit and knight line gain charge attack of +8 every 15 sec
  2. Mubarizun - militia line take 50% less damage from units in melee combat.

Unique Unit
Name for the camel warrior - ghazi

Draft Camel - Trained at TCs, markets, and mills. Dropoff point for resources
Cost - 35 food, 35 wood
Training Time - 30 seconds
HP - 200
Armor - 0
Attack - n/a
Speed - 1.2
.

Technology Tree
Missing things:
Buildings - Stone wall, Farm
Barracks - Gambesons
Archery Range - Arbalester, HC, HCA
Stable - Paladin, SL, BE
Siege Workshop - SR, SO, BBC
Blacksmith - Ring archer armor, Bracer
Monastery - Atonement, Illumination, Theocracy
Dock - Galleon, Dry Dock, Elite CG, Dromon
University - Architecture, Fortified Wall (No stone wall anyway), Keep, BBT, Arrowslits
Castle - Hoardings
Eco - Two Man Saw

2 Likes

Certainly unique. Currently no civ has this tag. Though Malians and Byzantines have bonus for both line.

That’s OP as a Team Bonus. Can be a civ bonus but I’ll avoid another market bonus for another Arab civ. That will be too similar.

Romans UT.

Saracens on ######## Totally broken.

I want to consider this suggestion, but it seems more appropriate for the Rashidun than the Bedouins.

A civ bonus then, it’s a bit more key for this civ than the saracens;

The desert and oasis setup of the tribes of arabia lead to a lot of scattered, smaller kingdoms as opposed to larger centers of population, since they never had the food for to have the latter in their homelands. That, then, meant very little ability to develop tech and infrastructure - they didnt have much in the way of precious resources , entertainment, or technology that could impress the neighboring romans and persians.

The lack of everything in the desert meant that facilitating trade through the harsh desert as caravans for greater powers is basically all they had to avoid being complete barbarians. The reason for making it a team bonus is a nod to the fact that the Romans and Persians were in conflict over (among many, many things) hegemony over the desert trade routes connecting the Mediterranean with the Indian ocean. The bedouins were key in enabling that focal point for both parties.

Tbh, the spanish bonus would make the most sense, but I really dont wanna be too same-y.

Eh, I was aiming for a build-a-coustillier. The fursan was a cavalry unit developed by the Rashidun and remained a force for the bedouin tribes even after the Abbasid revolt. It supposedly had a reputation for its charge attack, excelled vs infantry, and was classed as a heavy cavalry - one plus one plus one is three, thats really all the thought that went into it.

Yea, ok. Im not sure what exactly was in the water I was drinking at the time. Just displace it with the former team bonus.

A new team bonus may be;
Outposts cost 15 wood and can have a garrison space of 5. Does not fire arrows, but garrison increased LoS for every garrisoned unit.

Was aiming for Ridda wars and post Umayyad. The main idea is to fill the aoe2 time range, isolating for the poeple native exclusively to the arabian penninsula.

Here’s the new version:

Infantry and Camel civilization

Civilization Bonuses:

  • Mills spawn two goats when completed (limit of 2 Mills per age)
  • Siege weapons deal +20/+25% bonus damage in Castle/Imperial Ages
  • Raider Tents available starting in Dark Age
  • Swordsmen, Knights, and Camel Riders trained and upgraded 25% faster

Team bonus: Camel units +2 LOS

.

Unique Unit: Fursan (medium cavalry unit that reduces enemy unit attack by 1 with each hit)

Unique Building: Raider Tent (building that can train Swordsmen, Scouts, Camel Riders, and Cavalry Archers)

Unique Technologies: Mubarizun (Swordsmen and Camel Riders attack 50% faster), Al Khamsa (horse units cost -25%)

Tech Tree Changes

  • Receive Gambesons
  • Lose Parthian Tactics
  • Receive Bloodlines
  • Receive Siege Onager
  • Receive Heavy Scorpion
  • Receive Ring Archer Armor
  • Lose Bracer
  • Receive Masonry
  • Receive Guard Tower
  • Lose Siege Engineers
  • Receive Stone Walls and Gates

Did Bedouins trade a lot? I thought other Arabs that settled on city were known traders while Bedouins were mostly shepherd and fisherman.

And such bonus already exist. Granted it is only +5 for Romans Knight but in the end, it is a repeated bonus.

I think limitation is not necessary. 100 wood investment for a slow generation of 170 food is fine.

Counterweights | Age of Empires Series Wiki | Fandom but free. Sorry not only that’s the same bonus as Saracens, it is actually a better bonus for free.

I did that because I didn’t want people to spawn endless goats, but maybe you have a point.

Perhaps it can be limited to Siege Workshop units then. Or the values can be reduced to 15% and 20%.

Still better than Saracens. How about no siege bonus? Or just rams to which Saracens have no bonus.

I wanted to include it as a reference to the Bedouin siege of Aleppo orchestrated by the guy I mentioned in an earlier comment.

Yeah, that can work.