France (M2TW Faction)

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

Overview

Much like the Holy Roman Empire, France starts with weak units when compared to what other factions get at this time. However by the late period they have arguably the best unit roster. In the early period, France is average in terms of troops available but has a very good opportunity to expand in all directions thanks to the large amount of nearby rebel settlements.

Infantry

French melee infantry are mainly defensive, with only dismounted knights being able to fill any real assault role. But defensively French infantry can be a serious hindrance to any attacking army, they have access to voulgiers and pikemen in both cities and castles, both of which can be lethal in the narrow confines of a city. The French are also in a position to recruit mercenary Swiss and Flemish pikemen should the need arise.

Missile

French missile troops are not up to the quality that their English or Milanese neighbors can bring to bear, with a few exceptions such as the longbow armed Scots Guard and the crossbow wielding Aventurier, both of which can double as heavy infantry and are possibly the most skilled of the hybrid missile/melee units on the map. Fortunately for France's foes, these elite units require a large amount of development to gain access to and have small recruitment pools. The Scots Guard themselves have another weakness - due to their use of a longbow they will be too tired to fight effectively in melee if they use all their ammo, so they require some micromanagement on higher difficulty levels.

In terms of artillery, France have an excellent selection, being able to recruit Serpentines as well as Basilisks.

Cavalry

France in Medieval II: Total War has the best heavy cavalry of the catholic factions, including the ability to recruit Lancers, described as the "ultimate knights". In addition to this, France have the ability to recruit mounted longbowmen as French Archers, available from a military academy.

Likely expansion

Early in the game France has the ability to expand in nearly any direction and being able to ruin the game for another faction simply through denying them extra rebel settlements, if you can put up with the pope an early destruction of the Holy Roman Empire and Milan would be the most beneficial and would knock out the most strong early threats to you. If you want to cut England off quickly, take Rennes and Bruges. However if you wish to stay in the pope's good graces it might be best to simply eradicate Portugal and Spain while creating a alliance with the Holy Roman Empire which will almost entirely cover the potential eastern threats you can get. After that you can march on the Moors and southward even reaching Timbuktu which is very merchant-effective. As France's knights and ranged power are very strong in the late game you should literally be able to destroy any other factions left, barring a strong England, Spain, or the Timurids and Mongols

In conclusion

France has a very versatile army that can deal with any threat if used properly. Their pike militia can effectively defend cities at a low cost. France needs these things due to their position, neighbouring two of the greatest powers of the medieval period, both historically and in the game, (the Holy Roman Empire and England), and a possible further 3 powers, (Milan, Portugal and Spain). Despite this France is one of the more rewarding factions due to these challenges.

Diplomacy

Quickly make an alliance with Scotland, as England will be split, and Scotland needs England destroyed just like France does. Apart from this your diplomatic options depend on where you intend to attack first.

Medieval 2: Total War | Factions:
Aztecs | Byzantine Empire | Denmark | Egypt | England | France | Holy Roman Empire | Hungary | Milan | Mongols | Moors | Papal States | Poland | Portugal | Russia | Scotland | Sicily | Spain | Timurids | Turks | Venice | Rebels