Iberian Tribes (TWR2 Culture)

Iberian Tribes (TWR2 Culture)
Name:	Iberian Tribes
From Game:	Total War: Rome II
Cultural Group:	Barbarians
Playable Factions:	Yes

Overview:

Culture Traits

• Scouts: Increased chance for all characters to discover hidden agents and armies
• Warrior People: +4 public order from the presence of an army in a province

Factions:

Arevaci

• Horsemanship: -20% recruitment cost for all cavalry units
• One People: Major diplomatic bonus with all Iberian factions

Lusitani

• Mighty Warriors: +2 experience rank for infantry recruits
• Ambushers: +50% chance of successfully launching an ambush

In game:

• Iberian Culture Traits increase the chances of any character spotting spies, helps armies avoid ambushes, and means armies provide increased public order in a province even when not in a settlement.
• As an Iberian faction geography will often play an important part of your campaign strategy. Iberia's position and terrain lends themselves well to ambushes, with multiple potential choke points at river crossings and ambush sites within the forested valleys. Once secured Iberia is also easier to defend from outside attack, as access by land is limited to three routes from Gaul in the north east, and a single ferry crossing at the southern tip where it meets North Africa.
• The Iberian Tribes rosters are built for offence, ambushing and flanking more than defence. Most units carry some form of javelin, giving them the ability to inflict significant damage even before entering into melee range. This makes them very effective when ambushing, where you want to deal as much damage as possible as quickly as possible before the enemy can react. Iberian units are however often light on armour which makes them weaker in protracted battles, though almost all have shields of some kind giving at least some protection against ranged attacks. The combined effect is to make most battles between Iberian factions early on a bloodbath with mass casualties on both sides, though they fair better against other cultures. When playing Iberians it is important to use any advantages at your disposal such as ambushing, flanking and positioning your forces well to gain the upper hand. But if you can pull it off you can beat superior, better armoured and more numerous opposition forces.
• Another factor to consider is that Iberia is a rather resource rich area of the map. Within the 4 provinces (11 regions) which make up Iberia you'll find Iron (to improve your weapons and armour); Horses (to make your cavalry faster); Marble (to make your buildings within that province cheaper and improve public order across your empire); Olive oil (to improve your agriculture); and Wine (to improve your public order across the empire.) All of these also provide different types of income, making securing the Iberian peninsula not only a good strategic goal, but a profitable one too. It can however also make you a target for other factions seeking those resources.

In history:

• Expert scouts and fearsome warriors, the tribes of Iberia do not back down from a fight.
• As in the game, Iberia was a resource rich land. This made it a tempting target for foreigners including the Greeks, Carthage and Rome, all of which tried to colonise and/or conquer Iberia during this period.
• Iberian mercenaries served in multiple conflicts both before and during the period of the Grand Campaign, including the Sicilian Wars, the Peloponnesian Wars, and the Punic Wars, in which thousands of Iberians served in Hannibal's army.