How to play as the Moors
Moors M2TW Faction
This faction strategy concerns the oft-forgotten Moorish faction which can be one of the most exciting and fulfilling to play. Starting in the precarious position of southern spain, your adversaries will often unite to push you out of europe with better equipped spearman, specialist archers and far heavier cavalry. But all is not lost, for a "Deconquista" is entirely feasible.
The Campaign Map
You will start with several poor regions in africa and a couple in Andalusia. The first moves you make and where you concentrate your forces initially will impact on your entire game. The following is a (humble) "to-do list" to prevent you re-enacting Boabdil's lamentation when he saw the Alhambra for the last time.
1) Concentrate your forces near Cordoba. Those cavalry units and spearmen in africa are next to useless right now. Form a respectable army stack, they wont be up to going toe to toe with a crusading army, but it will make your historic enemy Spain think twice about investing into Al-Andalus.
2) Take Valencia. This is normally (outside of many mods) a rebel held city. Take your low grade army and beseige the eastern coast castle. Now this castle is held by a certain "El Cid" so it will be up to you if you want to assault this ferocious infidel or starve him out.
3) Try not to fight Portugal and Spain at the same time Try to ally the Portugese. Keep your enemy in front of you. Prepare for war with the Castillians
4)Make war with Spain. You can achieve this with one stack, albeit with difficulty, and one moderate defeat can leave your entire empire open. Two stacks are ok, three are easier (though expensive). Drive on Toledo and Leon at the same time if possible. Use the bridge below Leon to hold off reinforcements for Toledo if you wish to starve the latter out.
5) The Pyrenees should be your northern border. To secure the Iberian peninsula, you should build forts along the Pyrenees with a decent army hovering aroung the centre. Use peasants or spear militia. It will be up to you whether you want Portugal to exist. Making them a vassal can be lucrative
6) Make lots of money. How so do you say? Three words: Tim-Buk-Tu. Take it. Secure it. Love it. Around this Shang-rila, is merchant heaven. Gold and ivory and more gold. You can make up to 10,000 florins per turn just from around this area. Block the straits of Gibraltar, and your merchants will be unmolested. Other trade resources exist towards the west near Arguin and around Marakesh and Tunis. This time next year, you'll be a millionaire.
You've secured your northern borders. You're in possession of decent troop producing cities like Toledo. You're making some nice money. It is now up to you what you want to achieve. Help your muslim brothers in the east by relieving them of the burden of some land? Distance and the desert can be prohibitive however. The mediterranean islands can be conquered and defended. Or perhaps you want to take revenge for the Battle of Poitiers now Charles Martel is in his tomb?
Before discussing your army composition remeber to turn Granada into a city (its too far from the frontlines to be useful) and never, ever give out your map information...ever. Unless you want English Dimounted Knights, Milanese Crossbowmen or Venetian Heavy Infantry landing near a city two turns away from your nearest army.
The Moorish Army
Some may say the moors lack hard hitting early units. Some may say they lack decent late units. Some may even say that no moorish unit can stand up to a decent Christian knight's charge. These people are...well pretty much right. BUT TBC
