Idea generated after 3K announcement. Would like recommendations and advice. I’m learning to design civs by direct practice, because there’s not enough time pre-3K to study enough, and forums will be full for a while of reviews after that… thing… releases.
Please give directed advice if possible, thanks.
Brittany (Breton)
Before the integration with France, Breizh (in the Breton language) was a Briton colony mixed with local Celts and Viking invaders (some of them get through). Infantry/Naval/Defensive I suspect, and certainly pre-gunpowder. Well, Defensive is a bit difficult but…
Civ bonus: All foot units -20% gold cost (affects UU, Swordsmen, and Archers).
Civ bonus: All foot units move 5% faster, Spear and Skirmisher lines move another 5% faster (so 10%)
Civ bonus: All buildings +2 LOS over water (if game engine allows), or just Docks +2 LOS.
Civ bonus: Fishing ships +5% speed.
Civ bonus: Home Waters. All ships within line-of-sight radius (perhaps code to have the radius refer to line of sight) of a Dock, TC or Castle receive +50% turn rate (not that important a stat in AOE2 but can still help micro) and +10% move speed. Reasoning: if you have a fortification or major settlement in an area and don’t chart the nearby waters, you are doing it wrong.
Civ Bonus: Land units and villagers can also garrison in docks.
Castle UT: Kommune Breizh, Town Centers get 1 arrow base, Docks can shoot arrows if garrisoned (base attack is equal to current tower with upgrades, for calculating number of arrows, base arrow count 0), and +5% gather speeds within weapon range of TCs and Docks.
Imperial UT: Armorique Eternal, all units +1/+1 melee/pierce armour, and +2 in all non-maxed bonus armor classes, so a bit less direct damage and some counter damage reduction. It’s negligible relative to magnitude of major counters such as spear line anti-cav bonus, but it’s still worthwhile against many other interactions (i.e. archers retreating under skirmisher fire). Obviously, for the region once called Armorica (EU4 still has a province named ARMOR here) there’d be something about armor!
Team Bonus: Docks build 50% faster
Barracks: Champions, Halberdiers, the 3 techs.
Range: Arbalest, Elite Skirmisher, Thumb Ring.
Stable: Light Cavalry, Cavalier, Bloodlines, no Husbandry.
Siege: Battering Ram, Onager, Heavy Scorpion (poor at offense, but okay in defense)
Dock: Galleon, Fast Fire Ship, Demo Ship, Dromon (or regional equivalent), but no Shipwright due to lack of centralized shipyards (can be added if balance reveals need).
Blacksmith: Full.
Monastery: No Heresy, no Redemption, no Atonement, no Theocracy.
University: No Siege Engineers, Bombard Tower, or Architecture.
UU: Moraer, relatively quick (1.1 or better base speed) shock infantry, about 10/12 base/elite melee attack per 2 reload, with small bonus (+2 or +3) vs cavalry, larger bonus vs siege (+5 or better), some conversion resistance, 2/1 melee/ranged armor base, elite 2/2 base. Possibly around 55 HP (65 Elite), 55 food, 25 gold base (shock infantry is poor against swords, but the higher base armour leaves it some niche uses). Basically, these work like Eagles.
Aquitaine (Occitan)
Descended from Visigothic Kingdom of Toulouse, Frankish Empire, and with enough English influence before the Hundred Years’ War. In other words, probably cavalry and archers, mostly archers. To model them before final inclusion into France, can be pre-gunpowder for diversity (As France and many other Europeans are shown post-gunpowder).
Civ Bonus: 20/20/40% Archer Line gold discount in Feudal/Castle/Imperial, as defending against Frankish heavy cavalry incursions from the north required massed Crossbowmen and preferably Arbalesters on fortifications. This frees up gold for heavy cavalry line-holders, and I always found 45G pretty unreasonable for Archer line anyhow.
Civ Bonus: Farmers work 5% faster, Farms regenerate harvestable food pool 20% faster (No longer limiting on Farmer gather rate for well-placed farms)
Civ Bonus: Non-military ships carry 10% more (i.e. transport slots, trade income, fish), portraying Angevin Empire trade connections.
Team Bonus: Mounted units +1 melee and +1 cavalry class armor (Hints at working with Franks or what would later become Teutons under the Carolingian Empire, oh so very long ago)
Castle Age UT: Aquitanian Vineyards: Food equilibrium price is 5 higher than other players at the market (basically, sells higher). Useful if you want to sell food for gold at any point, but mostly in trash wars, hence their trash unit selection isn’t so great and they don’t have Paladins.
Imperial Age UT: Aquitanian Keeps. Towers fire one extra full-powered arrow. (Makes them more competitive compared to Castles)
Barracks: Champions, Pikemen, the three basic techs.
Range: Arbalester, Elite Skirmisher, Heavy Cavalry Archer (because Franks have it) Thumb Ring (Franks don’t). No gunpowder though.
Stable: Light Cavalry, Cavalier, Bloodlines and Husbandry (can keep running away from Frank Paladins at least)
Siege: Capped Ram, Siege Onager, Heavy Scorpion, no bombard cannon to model them before their final inclusion into France, and to distinguish from France.
Docks… War Galley, Fast Fire Ship, Demolition Ship, Dromon (for pre-gunpowder), they do have all the techs though (Franks lack Shipwright)
Blacksmith: Full.
Monastery: No Heresy, no Sanctity, because Avignon being in the Occitan region shows how unholy the clergy can be (“kill them all and let God sort it out”).
University: No Bombard Tower, no Siege Engineers.
Castle Techs: Have all the common techs.
Unique Unit: Aquitainian Longbowmen. 25W/45G (versus 35/40 for Briton Longbows, or 25/36 for the discounted Crossbowmen). 40 HP base (+5 over Briton), 0/0 base armor, 1/1 elite. 6 base range (upgraded 8, which is 1 short of Briton Castle Age Longbowmen, 1 more than Crossbowmen). 5 base attack (1 less than as Briton). Elite upgrade about 600F/1000G (less food than Briton, but more gold cost), elite has 45 HP, 1/1 base armor, 6 attack, reload 2, 7.5 range (10.5 after all upgrades, Britons get 12 and generic Arbalests get 8). For increasing ranged firepower, some longbows behind your Crossbowmen/Arbalests would be useful, forming a natural second row. The minor differentiation (only 1 range gap) in Castle Age is also why the discount on Crossbowmen in Castle Age isn’t so steep.
Flavour text: Claims that these are hired Briton mercenaries are lies and slander, and shall be persecuted under Aquitainian law!
Bavaria (Bavarian)
Cavalry/Infantry… hold on I see Teutons, Austrians, Bohemians and my Swiss are all represented as their post-gunpowder selves, the only pre-gunpowder Germanics being Vikings (except cannon galleons which can be replaced) and Goths. We know Bavaria is an entity that formed sometime around 550, and their laws were written down between 739 and 748. So, they can be pre-gunpowder post-Goth Germanics. And I guess I can foist Schwarz Reiter (twin-pistol + sword heavy cavalry) on Saxony (more appropriate location on the North German Plain anyway) this way!
Civ Bonus: Lumber camps generate 10% income in gold, due to alpine timber trade.
Civ Bonus: Men-At-Arms, Longsword and Elite Skirmisher upgrades free upon age up.
Civ Bonus: Wood buy/sell prices at market up to 10 points better than others (see math a couple comments down, it starts off weaker than trading fee bonuses but gets stronger later) thanks to alpine timber and salt trade, caps when buy/sell values are equal at the equilibrium though (no cheesing!).
Castle Age Unique Tech: Frontier March: Reduce barracks, archery range and light cavalry food costs by 20%. As the front line of the Carolingian Empire and successors against eastern incursions by Avars and Slavs, our levies need to bring some of their own supplies and not expect us to provide everything. It’s their homes that are being defended, after all.
Imperial Age Unique Tech: Imperial Crossroads. +1 range and +2 line of sight for all fortifications. The mountain passes controlled by Bavaria are key to maintaining communications across the Alps. We must keep them clear of bandits, raiders… or other intruders. Does not reach Teuton Castles (13) or Korean Keeps (13) levels of range though, only 12 range (remember this civ has Bracer unlike Teutons).
Team bonus: Barracks +25% work speed and can shoot arrows if garrisoned.
Barracks: Champions, Pikemen, the three techs.
Range: Crossbowman, Elite Alpine Skirmisher (see UU), no Thumb Ring
Stable: Light Cavalry, Paladin, with Bloodlines and Husbandry
Siege: Capped Ram, Onager, Heavy Scorpion.
Docks: War Galley, fire ship, heavy demolition ship, dromon, clearly not a major water civ even if riverine trade and combat let them understand shipbuilding to a degree (yes Shipwright, no Drydock).
Blacksmith: Full.
Monastery: Only Sanctity, Fervor, Redemption, Atonement, Devotion and Heresy. Lacks Block Printing, Illumination, Theocracy, Faith. Herbal Medicine is up in the air.
University: Lacks Heated Shot, Bombard Tower, Treadmill Crane, and Architecture.
Castle Techs: All the basic techs are there.
Unique Unit: Alpine Skirmisher. 30F/35W (5F more than Elite Skirm), 40 HP (5 more than Elite Skirm), 4 Pierce attack (+1 from Elite Skirm, but 1 less in bonuses against archers, spearmen and cav archer), range 5 (same), 0/3 base armor (-1 Pierce armor compared to Elite Skirm), halved attack delay, 1.1 base speed (0.96 for baseline Skirmisher line), no minimum range and 95% base accuracy (vs 90%). Elite upgrade costs 500W/400G or so, for +5 HP (now 10 over Elite/Imperial Skirm), +1 base attack, +1 in each bonus, +1/+1 armor, +0.05 base speed (to 1.15) and 100% base accuracy.
An archery range upgrade named something like “Superior Skirmisher Training” for Elite Skirmisher to merge into Elite Alpine exists in Imperial Age only (after you research Elite Alpine first). It costs say 400 food, 400 wood, scaling optional as I doubt you’d have more than 80 Elite Skirmishers. Vietnamese team bonus (normally getting Imperial Skirmisher tech available) would be wholly eclipsed here, so would switch to removing the upgrade time here (researches instantly on paying) instead.
April Fool’s Joke: Announce that Bavarians can train a nerfed version of the COBRA Car cheat unit from the special Bayerische Motoren Werke building (Trade Workshop with the clutter removed shows a big garage in most skins), because the immediate design ancestor to the AC Cobra, the AC Ace, used a pre-WWII BMW engine.
Switzerland (Swiss)
Due to terrain and history, should be Pike/Archer focus, defensive siege weapons better than offensive, only auxiliary cavalry. Turns out just giving them more period-accurate pike columns seemed good enough to push the enemy off the field, so I didn’t fit any archer buffs in (despite William Tell being a crossbowman hero).
Civ Bonus (Eco): Medieval communes, villagers move and work 5% faster within weapon range of any defensive building (or Town Center), this is similar to the commune-based bonuses or techs that many other European factions should have (though they developed earlier or later for some).
Civ bonus: +5/+10% speed for Spear-using infantry (Including UU) in Castle/Imperial (with Squires it reaches 1.2, can’t catch a no-Husbandry Paladin’s 1.35 but still fast for infantry). The reasoning is that while manoeuvring in formation is usually difficult for medieval armies, Swiss pike squares are disciplined and coordinated enough to move at a higher collective, coherent speed than typical, and also not too weighed down by full heavy armour (unlike dismounted knights who the Swordsmen line obviously represent). That’s what gives momentum to their attack columns.
Civ bonus: Base 0.5 range on Spear Line (if that is enough to allow attacking past each other in any direction), +1 spear line (not UU) melee attack per age starting in Feudal (not huge but not nothing).
Castle Age Unique Tech: Canton Militia Obligations, -20% food cost of skirmishers, spearmen line (does not include UU) and light cavalry.
Imperial Age Unique Tech: Deep Attack Columns, doubles range on Pikes/Halbs and (Elite) Swiss Guard, so they can attack past two infantry units in any direction. Now is it clear why the Swiss Guard can command a higher price than Swordsmen?
Team Bonus: Monasteries work 20% faster (the Swiss Guard works at the Vatican), including Relic gold generation.
Barracks: Champions, Halberdiers, with the three techs (Arson, Gambesons, Squires)
Range: Arbalest, Elite Skirmisher, Hand Cannoneer, Thumb Ring.
Stable: Only up to Light Cavalry and Knights. Bloodlines but no Husbandry. Generally obsolete in Imperial Age but the Light Cav can do some work if absolutely necessary.
Siege: Battering Ram, Onager, Heavy Scorpion, Bombard Cannon
Dock: War Galley, fast fire ship, heavy demolition ship, Cannon Galleon, no Shipwright or Drydock, this is NOT a Naval civ, but if you make them take to the sea, they will use what knowledge they have to scrape something together.
Blacksmith: Full.
Monastery: No Theocracy, may be missing one or two other techs.
University: No Siege Engineers (Swiss powers not exactly renowned for going out and conquering, though their mercenaries are famous) but yes Heated Shot (it is intuitive enough for a defensive civ to grasp even when living far inland).
Defences: Fully upgraded, except no Sappers at castles (this also affects woodcutting rate slightly as trees are not downed in one chop).
UU: Swiss Guard, armored halberdiers with higher attack and taking much less anti-spear bonus damage. Expected stats: 60F/30G, 60 HP, 1/1 melee/pierce base armor, 7 base melee, reload 3, range 0.55 (if 0.5 can reach past another infantry in any direction, then plus 0.05 for initiative), same speed as spear line, damage bonuses match basic Spearman (weapon less specialized). However, the key of this unit is 50% bonus damage resist (Infantry, Spearman and Unique Unit classes).
Elite upgrade about 800F/500G for +10 HP, +1 base attack, +1/+2 Spearman and Infantry armor (total 3 Infantry armor, so now Elite Jaguar’s 6 anti-infantry bonus is halved to 3, then down to 1 due to resistance, while Hand Cannoneer is down from 10 to 3, and Elite Cataphract anti-infantry down from 12 to 4), damage bonuses up to Pikeman level. If this unit manages to mass up, it can cut through most other infantry cost-effectively. enemies would be well advised to bring very strong melee-armored infantry (e.g. Teutonic Knights) to hold the line, siege engines (especially Scorpions) to smash through, or cavalry archers to kite. We know the percentage bonus damage reduction mechanic is possible because Sicilians receive 33% less bonus damage, formerly 50%.
Charlemagne’s Legacy Campaign Candidates
Bretons: Probably a campaign focusing on early Middle Ages, including:
Battle of Ballon (845): Nominoë defeats Charles the Bald (Franks).
Viking Raids: Alliances/conflicts with Norse settlers (e.g., Siege of Nantes 843).
Annexation by Francia (939): Last stand of Alan II.
Aquitainian/Occitan: Probably one campaign more on the Aquitaine side, with some names such as “Acquiring Acquittal”. The Occitan campaign, if one exists, may use “It was Occidental” or similar somewhere. Should include scenarios such as:
Eleanor’s Divorce (1152): Sparks the Angevin Empire vs. France wars.
Siege of Toulouse (1217-18): Occitan resistance vs. Simon de Montfort.
Cathar Heresy: Defend Montségur against crusaders (1244).
Bavarian: Focus on the Duchy’s wars with the Franks and later the Avars.
Tassilo III’s Rebellion (787): Last independent duke vs. Charlemagne.
Avar Wars (790s): Bavarians as Frankish frontier shock troops. (Probably has titles like “Bah, Avaria…”)
Hungarian Raids (900s): Lechfeld precursor battles.
Swiss:
Probably a few scenarios such as Rütli Oath (1307), the mythical founding of Switzerland (heroic scenario). Could review some of their mercenary campaigns from earlier. Need Austrians for a Swiss-Habsburgs campaign.