Scotland (M2TW Faction)

Scotland (M2TW Faction)
Name:	Kingdom of Scotland
From Game:	Medieval II: Total War
Religion:	Catholic
Culture:	Northern European
Playable:

Overview

Scotland is a faction located in the north of Great Britain. Despite its position however, it has always been oppressed by England to the south and it is up to the player to make England submit to Scottish rule. Playing as Scotland will yield an interesting campaign. With the goal of uniting Britain and capturing the holy city of Jerusalem, Scotland is sure to endure much bloodshed and conquest on the road to glory.

In order for Scotland to win the normal campaign, it must take Jerusalem and 45 other provinces. On the shorter campaign the Scots need to hold 15 regions, outlive the English, and capture Jerusalem.

Religion

Scotland is a Catholic faction, which usually forces them to preform the Pope's will, unless they wish to be excommunicated. Being Catholic does have its advantages though. It allows the Scots to take part in crusades. Completing missions handed down by the pope allows the player to be rewarded. These rewards may be vital to any Scotish king. Inquistors may give the Scotish royal family a problem if they find their way to Britain. This can be easily prevented by naval patrols.

Military

Infantry is where Scotland's military might can be found. Learn to fear Scotish infantry.

Infantry

Scotland is an infantry based faction. Early on they can recruit useful highlander units from their castles. After Scotland develops its fortifications they can recruit the higher teir units of most factions, including dismounted fuedal knights. From towns and cities the Scots can recruit several types of useful spearman. Noble Swordsmen are able to easily match England's heavy infantry. Scotland's use of pikemen is important. Without them English cavalry would destroy their armies. Noble pikemen are a force to be feared by cavalry based factions. Since most of Scotland's nobles prefer to fight on foot though, most of their armies will be infantry based and because of that, less maneuverable.

Missiles

Scotland is lacking when it comes to ranged units. Most of their archers have inferior range. Despite this their archers are more suited to close combat than most missile units. Noble archers are well armoured, considering that they are archers, and can actually take on lighter infantry units. Another problem later on is the lack of gunpowder based units. This can be supplemented by mercenaries, but not completely. There are not many times that you will find Scotland shooting at her enemies when they can get up close and personal.

Cavalry

Scotland is lacking in cavalry forces. Most of their heavier cavalry doesn't appear till later in the game and these units can easily be matched or exceeded by most factions. They have decent light cavalry though. The border horse might prove useful for backing up miltia based spear units. They may prove useful for flanking but relying on them for heavy action is not advised, because they are poorly armoured when compared to other cavalry.

Artillery

When it comes to artillery units Scotland has an average, but not great, selection of artillery units. They have the usual non-gunpowder artillery that is useful for taking down the walls of fortifications. Later on mortars can prove useful for settlement defense and to take down enemy archers. Beyond that the Scots posses the usual artillery force of most factions.

Strategy

A person may play by their own strategy, but many play as Scotland by using the following strategy.

Expansion

At the start of the campaign, Scotland has only its capital, Edinburgh, and the surrounding land of the province under it's influence. The Edinburgh province is bordered by a number of rebel provinces. To the south is York, which is controlled by local English rebels. North of the starting postion lies Inverness. Two the west and across the strait, Ireland waits to brought under control. Players may chose their own strategy when it comes to conquering these settlements. Most players opt to take control of York before the English do to gain access to Wales and ultimately Caernarvon castle. If the player adopts this blitz strategy he can deprive England of much needed settlements. Even if the player manages to do so, he or she should proceed with caution when taking Northern Scotland and Ireland.

Taking the settlements to the south of Scotland often results in attack by England if the settlements are poorly defended. If a player or the AI is able to counter-act this quickly enough, most of Britannia will have fallen under Scotland's control. With these provinces, the Scots can build up their economy and military. When this has been carried out, the Scotish Kingdom becomes the top player in the British Isles. It would be best for the player, at this point, to seize upon the opurtunity to push the Normans back across the channel. After becoming the undsiputed ruler of Britain, it is up to the player to choose his next conquest.

Opting to go on a Crusade may be a wise endevour. Or crossing the channel and continuing the conquest of the English might be a fair decision. Sailing east to Scandanavia may be a good bet. When Scotland controls 50 provinces and the Holy City of Jerusalem its campaign is ultimately won. In the end the player dictates how this is done.

Defence

At the initiation of the game, England is Scotland's main advesary. The best defense is offense for the Scotish. The majority of players make this a reality by using a blitz tactic to capture all of the rebel settlements to south of them. After all of the rebel settlements are taken, a defensive garrison can be setup in York and Caernarvon. The key to this defence however, is to know when to turn it into an offensive action. Scotland needs to capture all of the rebel settlements to the south and keep them garrisoned while claiming the highlands and Ireland. The player may choose a different strategy, however. The most important thing is to know when to strike and not to let England build up it's forces.

During all of this military and economic build up, it may be wise to establish an alliance with England's other enemy mortal enemy, France. By doing so, it is possible for the player to force the English into a two-front war and ultimately victory.

Another thing Scotland may need to look out for in the beginning of the game, is the chance of a possible naval invaision. The chance of this happening is extremely small, but still possible. It is most probably wise to patrol the northwestern coast of Europe and watch for Danish naval boats.

Diplomacy

It may be wise to recreate the 'Auld Alliance' with France. It would benefit Scotland greatly. This alliance will force the English to fight on two fronts. Keeping England busy is an important goald for the Scotish people. When you find yourself crossing the channel into Normandy the French may prove, a worthy ally.

Another vital component to your diplomatic negotiations would be the procurement of trade rights with as many factions as possible. Send a diplomat, via navy, to do so. The more trade partners Scotland can get, the more income it's going to have. This income is vital to expansion and defesne.

Lastly, it may be a good idea to stay on the Pope's better side. Having the Pope in Scotland's favor will greatly help in with the conquest of Britannia.

Economy

At the start of the campaign, the Scotish Kingdom does not have a great economy, so it may be wise to capture Dublin, upgrade it to large town and build silver mines. The British Isles do not have as many economic resources in comparison to other parts of the campaign map. Getting trade rights with as many factions as possible will help immensly. Later on, seizing the holy lands around Jerusalem may introduce much needed Florins into your coffers. Beyond trade rights and mining, it's all about upgrade settlements and expanding.

Medieval 2: Total War | Factions:
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