Let's Play: Thera Total War

[IGdood]

The Lycaeum is the last upgrade to the Alchemy line of buildings. Since weapons only have 1 upgrade.....I think the building also adds in a probability that named characters passing by will get additional retinue members and such.

Seems like I've trained up enough spies to earn this achievement. Now spies across my faction will have better stats on recruitment.

Okay, so Naboo wasn't the last Hispanic settlement. I seem to find more of these as I scout around....

I found a rebel fortress next to Faustian lands earlier. Called the Castle der Otterbach. Units look pretty formidable. I'm not gonna assault it, no way. I'll starve it out.

Cabracan has surrendered!

The Tahar may throw countless soldiers at us, but all that'll do is give our shields a new paintjob.

A plague? Again?

Yeah, definitely not assaulting something like that.

Naval invasions are always a great alternative to having to trek through a neutral faction's lands (and pissing them off).

Forgot if I ever took a pic of this building. Basically it unlocks upgrades for the higher-tier units, I believe.

Alright, I look forward to this! URA!

Found myself a slight incline to take a vacation on.

The AI decides to park its army on a very tall mountain that would've been disastrous for me to assault. Well, I win by timer.

I felt like I was cheating, but I guess even the Hispanics are tired of fighting me.

The game thought this victory was epic, so I was given the option to adopt this hired general into my family, this turning his bodyguard into something that's actually useful and giving him more personality traits.

Off to Mekkei!

Wow Paulinus, only 19 and you suddenly find this treasure.

The Mekkei Tahar garrison doesn't seem too pleased seeing us there.

Well, form a V and do a barrel roll! We'll have to hold these guys off until the reinforcements arrive.

I let off some pila, but then turn off fire at will to save ammo for when their infantry arrive.

Well, those skirmishers just love to keep their distance....so...SEND IN THE DOGS.

Follow the examples of the canine! FORWARD, SAMNES GLADIATORS!

Some cavalry smash into my Uruk Hai. Ouch.

Well, there was a short period of time where I didn't take screenies......basically elephants smashed into my lines, I got a lot of legionnaires to throw pila and shit. Jezails blazed and I manage to down their general. At great casualties.

Some cavalry cut down my doggies and the gladiators....but ROCKET CROSSBOW LY KAN ARE HERE.

Uruk Hai to the rescue. I just realized, maybe I can nickname the Uruk-Hai "Uhai", like that FE 7 boss. Harharhar.

I. HATE. IMMORTALS.

Another of their captains is taken down with a stab to the gut.

That sent the rest of their amy routing. WE MUST GIVE CHASE!

Well, there are a few people who just keep on running away (but not routing) from my legionnaires. I hate it when that happens.

Move move move! With the reinforcements we can now take these guys out.

Split up and surround them. It's like the laws of surface area. The more troops in contact, the faster things will go. Fucking science of war!

Katanas are just better.

Here I managed to get one of the finishing moves; poor guy on the floor is begging for mercy and the ronin just cleaves him.

FINISH THEM.

[IGdood]

Well, another victory.

Hmm, guys took down more Tahars than I expected...

Mekkei belongs to us now.

You've caught the eye of my faction heir, deary. Perhaps this is enough for a dowry?

Very good. Time to get married.

I wonder how long these alliances are going to last....

Good to know having a good wife gets him nice traits.

The Tahar don't have any soldiers left. They're gone.

Whew. Now I don't need to face anymore elephant troops.

Hmmm...

Another major player gone, huh?

Well, who's the new faction leader now?

Hmm...maybe I'll just let him do garrison duty...

Now, time to look for the Men of Wotan's territories. This is Gaelic territory.

Sycorax territory. Sailing on. Yes, the ships are loaded with soldiers.

Hmm...this island belongs to the Kingdom of Avalon....

Dracule. Not interested. Used to be Vashta though.

Aha! Here they are. You will share the fate of the Hispanics.

As I land, I find new mercenaries eager to join our ranks.

Dragon Boat -Best set of stats I've seen so far. Better than our Romulan galleys.

Mercenary Ribault - It's like a primitive machine gun, sadly outclassed by Rocket Launchers. However, it still has its use.

Halvgud Svard Man - Holy fuck, check out those stats. It's fucking Ogma with a badass beard. Don't got anymore room in my current army though.

Yxorman - Pretty cool-looking axemen with a slew of abilities that might make them pretty reliable to use. A little iffy on the defensive side though.

Gral Man - Mercenary crossbowmen, inferior to Aventuriers but still reliable thanks to anti-armor.

Kossack Lancers - Good charge bonus, won't last long in a melee however. Fast moving trait is good.

Galloc Mae - 2-handed axemen, but....stats look pretty pitiful. Anti-armor is great, probably will shine when I let them loose on armored units thanks to good stamina.

Pict Bandits - Really? I guess they're great meatshields.....but the hide anywhere trait can come into use.

The garrison at otterbach decides to sally...they should've done that earlier..

Don't think I'll ever get used to seeing Romans, Orcs, Renaissance soldiers, and dogs in the same screenshot.

And crusading knights. One has to wonder what they think of our god, Mithras.

They're not gonna last long.

FIRE CROSSBOWS!

PUSH FORWARD! LITERALLY!

They sure rout fast for people who are desperate to live.

I need more cavalry in my armies. So I can pull off massive charges like these.

Conquered. Now all those Faustian armies standing nearby is making me uncomfortable.

Lol, princess got too old.

Second naval army making its way to Wotan lands. Passing by the Teutonics.

Grendel was....undefended.

Unlocked new unit.

Woodsmen - Exactly what it says in the name. Militia unit probably better off for garrison duty instead of actual fighting.

Ooh, nice. Maybe we can see some interesting retinue additions.

Hm...going north now.

More scouting reveals several Hispanic settlements right next to mine. HOW did I not see these?!

[IGdood]

Grimmhelda has fallen, heheh.

Going to the northern continent, we find more mercenaries!

Rohan Heavy Cavalry - Not sure if they're related to Lords of the Rings, but anyways,great stats all around.

Rohan Archer Cavalry - Okay-ish horse archers, we Romuli have Clibinarii. Buuuuut, these guys have a pretty surprising charge bonus of 6.

Rohan Archers - Good ranged units that can double up as medium infantry? Yes please.

Rohan Swordsmen - My legionnaires have better stats, and a pilum each too. Still, these guys will be useful in replacing my losses.

Well....this wasn't the last Hispanic settlement. I'm sorry but your princess is in another castle moment? jee...

Maybe they're on this last island.

[IGdood]

UPDATE TIMEZ

Hired up an all-Rohan army. Waaay too many Wotans for comfort.

I think this is the last of the Hispanics.

Good. I was getting tired of fighting them.

Oh what the FUCK!?

Well I'm not gonna let some order of fanatics go after my lands. Prepare to die!

Nice uniforms. Hm.

Whoa, shit, those are some pretty long halberds. And they got shields too.

Soldiers, advance!

As my lines close in, the enemy crossbowmen also run towards me. Time for a minor shootout.

While the shootout goes on, the beleagured garrison reinforcements attempt to attack some Teutonic cavalry. It didn't end well for them.

After some time, the Teutons abandon the shooting and send all their infantry forward. I do the same. May the best man win!

Yeah, some of my crossbowmen got caught in the middle...ah shucks.

A quick rear attack from Kossacks routs these bums.

Triarii attempt to take down the elite knights.

Annnd my other light cavalry are busy chasing down their crossbowmen, and trying to avoid their melee infantry. Doesn't always work.

The battle continues....

Anyone know German? They've got nice helmets.

Well they're alone now. Their halberd-wielding friends have been crushed.

Pwned, assholes.

Well, they did a pretty good number, but we Romuli are superior.

They don't take the ransom. Fools.

Previously I had scouted out the Teutonic lands before I was at war with them. Now they've got an army knocking on their doors.

Scouting out the islands to the west of the map, I see that these islands are still rebel-owned. Invasion on the way.

Hm, that was fast. Then again the heirs are pretty old by the time they get to be faction leader.

Hm, 31 years old. Maybe I can make something out of you.

Teufellund is under siege!

A second invasion army has landed at the Wotan's door.

Oh, man, you won't believe this. That island of rebels has some of the more insane mercenary troops.

Mahisha Yar - I'm not some shitty reptarii. I will rip you limb from limb.

Mahisha - Full grown Mahisha Yar, the ones that tore my legionnaires a new one, then ripped off their armor and force-fed them their shields. Of course I'll fucking hire these guys.

Gua Chichil Warriors - Stats aren't so great, but they've got great stamina, excellent morale.... meatshields at best, maybe they can chase down archers or run in front of enemy cavalry or something. And anti-armor.

Zaca Teco Raiders - Hide anywhere is nice, but can their stats let them do any real damage? Maybe.

Mammuc Riders - Lacks any ranged attacks, unlike the other elephant units. Hell, these are fucking wooly mammoths! Only 10 units though.

[IGdood]

More updates! Only Rewjeo's responding, so I hope I'm doing something right here.

I can totally hear him singing "TROLOLOLOOOOOOL~"

Boravaia has fallen!

Well, looks like a Wotan relic has fallen into our hands, heheh.

The Wotan sure are a bit quicker to react to getting besieged. I'm under attack!

I've put the reinforcement army under AI control, but I won't be commanding it. I'll let the AI do something on its own. I'm sure those Rohan dudes can make themselves useful.

Well, Russians are quite morbid, especially during the wintertime, sir.

INCOMIIIING!

LY KAN, FIRE BACK DAMMIT!

Hey, reinforcements, you're facing the wrong direction!

Foolish Wotan, putting their ranged units up front. UNLEASH THE HOUNDS.

They've got their own Kossack Lancers, who are no match for my Uruk Hai.

These flaming bombs are really killing off my guys.

CHARGE!

The general manages to evade all enemies and get to the siege equipment.

All hell begins to break loose as enemies begin to flood in from almost every possible direction. The Rohans only seem to be concerned about routing (dunno wtf is screwing them over)

I find my forces disorganized, separated, under attack, surrounded, put into what I'd like to call a tactical hell.

And even with the pause button for some reason I can't keep track of everything.

Zomming out doesn't help. Highlighting units helps a bit.

Minimap on the lower left helps some more. Damn, looks like I'm surrounded or something. And each of those little blocks on the left of the screen means some friendly unit has routed off the battlefield. It's the Rohans.

Huh, shouldn't you be shooting or something?

Surprisingly, the Ronin were able to stand up to the enemy Royal Bodyguard.

Holy shit, that's a lot of red....and not enough green.

Luckily, most of the enemy seems to be made of low-tier troops, but I can't cut through them fast enough.

My archers don't look like archers.

Chasing after ranged units is a pain.

Well, somehow we won, after a lot of goose-chasing and dying and running around.

AI Army performance was pretty shitty. Not sure if it's due to them taking the brunt of the enemy or just plain bad tactical performance.

Let's see if they'll pay...

Guess not. CHOPPING BLOCK TIME.

Well, city's mine.

Well, at least it gives me one of the Wotan treasures, heh.

Hmm...I wonder if the Teutonic order will be wiped out soon. Where are their lands anyways?

Well actually here's one.

More armies on the way, bitches.

Annnd back to the island of monsters, I'm gonna assault a city for the heck of it.

Pretty cold for a supposedly tropical place. Ladders, to the walls!

Shooting at me from the walls. Your fancy dress will not save you!

Aztlan Warriors may be hard to kill in melee combat, but they're surprisingly frail against ranged attacks. Lack of armor.

Don't you just love that beautiful lorica segmentata armor?

Reptarii Swords are doing meh.

Archers, fire back!

Mancu Warriors doing their part....

Bodies begin to pile on the walls, heheh.

[IGdood]

Run. Run away! You can run but the legion will find you.

Gotta commend these guys for bravery.

The suckers run! Chase them back to the city square!

Pictured: A few legionnaires huddled together whilst strolling down the street.

Hack them apart!

They've got Aztlan Warriors...taunting us!?

General what's-his-name gives zero shits and charges straight in.

Annnnd the Aztlan made mincemeat out of my general. And then his bodyguard. =( Stupid, stupid me.

Well, they end up killing quite a few infantry, and then finally they're dead.

Hmm.....maybe I could've done better... -sigh- Just wasted a general like that. And not just a regular, hired general, but a member of the royal family.

Still regret losing my general....gaaaah....

Kuban shall fall next.

MOAR new mercenaries.

Rohan Nobles - Nice attack. Defense is meh, but these guys are shock infantry, not line-holders. Plus, Zweihanders are cool swords.

Rohan Guard - Ever so slightly inferior version of Rohan Nobles. They do have a bonus against armor though.

Rohan Lancers - Even better than Rohan Heavy Cavalry. High defense, high charge bonus. Definitely will hire these guys.

And the Teutons lose land to us for the first time.

Meanwhile, there seems to be more settlements to be found north of Cusco. I got a new replacement general. Name is Spartacus Apollo.

Volborn was the next to fall. Wotan ain't strong anymore.

Kuban also.

Intipunku is the next settlement Spartacus Apollo has found. BESIEGED.

Keep on steamrolling the Wotan, heheh.

Spy uncovers a rebel town...looks like I can strike here next.

Let's do this....without getting my general killed.

Mahisha, PUSH THAT TOWER!

LOL Mammoths

Damn, one siege tower burning already. Shoulda stuck to ladders.

Mahisha, ripping shit up since 0 AD.

Second siege tower is burning, luckily nothing else is burning.

Damn arrows whittling off my guys. I hate towers.

And the others are climbing up.

Eventually I manage to clear off the walls, and my guys pour down the streets, only to be stopped by a group of pissed off Aztlan Warriors, who then begin on a roaring rampage of rending.

Pssst, Bodaway Warriors, slip to the side.

AND BURN, GIANTS.

And I don't even bother melee'ing the remaining people. Just....burn.

Okay I lied, I stabbed a few.

Intipunku is ours, with the general still intact.

Huh, Valhalla allying with the Wotan. I wonder what that bodes for me.

Maybe the Valhalla will join the Wotan in war against me?

Bullshit.

Hey, this island is owned by the Uruk dominion. LANDING HERE.

And it has its own mercenaries!

Varia Brigand Horsemen - Like the Kossacks Lancers, they're only good for charging. That's about it.

Edited July 31, 2011 by skitarii

[IGdood]

Varia Brigands - Uhh...well... hiding anywhere is nice for ambushing. I guess they have their uses...

Brigands Archers - Meh. Average ranged unit.

Vikian Mercenaries - Shitty like the Peronis Auxilia unit

Ooh, a swordsmith's guild. Improves the attack of melee infantry trained there, I think.

Wow, curse you Valhallan scum! I'll deal with this besieging army when i gather enough forces.

Huh, found more Teutonic lands....

Landed an army, besieged Gothsburg. No general in the army though, so I can't see what the local mercenaries look like.

Let's see what I can uncover here...

Landed a general on the other side south of Gothsburg. Found a LOT of new mercenaries.

Medici Crossbowmen - Great defense for ranged unit, pretty good resistance to ranged attacks. Heck, I can almost use these guys as melee infantry in a pinch of I have to. And yes, they wear shields on their backs, called a Pavise.

Medici Sergeants - My Triarii/Spartan Hoplites are better. Still, these guys have their uses against cavalry. They're cheap.

Broken Lances - Standard-issue heavy cavalry, meant for killing things.

Dismounted Broken Lances - Insane armor rating, definitely a must have. Plus, their armor is quite fashionable.

Germanic Foot Knights - Sexier than Mancu Warriors, plus they have good stamina.

Germanic Knights - Dude, check out that defense. 24. That's....almost royal bodyguard level.

Teutonic Order ain't happy I'm besieging them, so they're gonna try and beat us back.

Since we're outnumbered, let's do shield wall.

That's some really shiny armor you got there. Will it protect you from the Uruk Hai?

Archers, LET LOOSE!

And the enemy knights immediately charge at my shield wall. Luckily, not many of us die.

Do not let them push through! HOLD THEM BACK!

Checking out their bodyguard unit stats....whoooaaaa...

No harm unleashing the dogs....heheh.

Second army inbound....let's shift a bit.

Looks like my archers can take down these shielded crossbowmen.

The Uruks will protect the flanks.

And the Praetoriani cavalry go chopping down enemy crossbows.

Can't break through my shield wall, eh?

Thought I'd finish things faster by charging cavalry at the enemy bodyguard. They....cut down my poor Praetoriani Equites in a few seconds. All of them.

A lone family member tries to charge my archers. They quickly cut him down.

Yeah I killed their king too, in the process. And win!

Gothsburg is mine ! YEAH

So is Machu Picchu.

Huh, the besieging Valhallan army left.

[Rewjeo]

The Rohan Guards DO have a bonus against cavalry. Look at the screenshot again.

Also, I love how the Wotan have a unit with Light Infantry in its name but is actually Heavy Infantry.

[IGdood]

The Rohan Guards DO have a bonus against cavalry. Look at the screenshot again.

Also, I love how the Wotan have a unit with Light Infantry in its name but is actually Heavy Infantry.

Edited post. Bah. YOUR CLAIMS ARE NO LONGER VALID. -___-;;;;;

[IGdood]

And so the story of the Romuli Empire continues....

We've besieged the settlement of Medici. Last of the Teutons.

What? Fine, fine.

Alright, teutons, let's see you put up a sally.

Triple line. Auxiliaries in the front with shield wall, actual Romuli legionnaires in the middle line, ranged units in the rear. Swordsmen and other miscellaneous units on the flanks.

Hurry up, Otjuk!

I'm kinda liking those helmets.

An initial charge by the Christ Knights prove useless, as they are quickly shot to death.

We are so disciplined. Straight lines!

I usually let my archers pick their targets....unless there's some unit that's really threatening.

YUURRAAAAGGGHHH

They routed shortly after.

Yeah, I dn't think you can dodge that. Unless you're Kent. Who's the fastest FE cavalier anyways?

Their whole force is running away, so it's time to send my cavalry in to kill them all.

Although a few crossbowmen stayed behind to fight.

Almost. Every. Single. One. killed by my general.

The remaining few are pushed back to the fortress square, where they are torn apart by my Uruks.

And my swordsmen.

I thought maybe Star War's "Imperial March" would be very fitting music here.

Dude on the right posed for the screenshot.

Medici is ours! Now we can train those green-colored mercenary troops.

Join the Pale Knights in your defeat.

Uh, sure, why not.

Now how about you marry my faction leader?

Fuck, she's barren?!

The Avalon are busy at war with the Royaume. With the Avalon on my side, I can focus elsewhere...like the Valhallans, Uruks, and....maybe...the Lao Che. Gotta break my alliance with the Lao Che first. I dislike seeing an unsightly, ivory splotch on my map of purple.

Fighting the Valhallans.

"Yo, I think we landed on the wrong island."

"So what? Let's hire some natives and get conquering!"

Some new mercenaries on this continent, it would seem.

Wolf Braves - Typical javelin-throwing troops.

Dog Soldiers - Superior archers to the Mesopec ones I hired.

Let's hide in the forest. Useful if you find yourself surrounded.

Time to send an army west...to the Uruks...or something.

Lokke belongs to the Empire now.

Marching on. Huh, is this where all the Rohan troops come from?

Ravenborg has fallen also.

We've sent the Wotan to join the Hispanics in death.

Elsador has fallen. Seriously, where have all their armies run off to?!

Then again, I'm sending in troops from throughout my Empire. Spartans, elephants, Mancus, etc.

Jomsborg will be the next to fall.

Rohan too. Ironically,many of the besieging army's units are Rohan.

Jomsborg falls.

[IGdood]

Eh, this one's under siege. Guess we'll move elsewhere then. Eastwards!

Ah, it's been a long time, Uruk. Let's see how you fare against my Cataphractii!

Oh my, is that what they are?

Monster Bombard, FIRE!

Damn Ly Kan Archers, longer-ranged than my guns.

Praetoriani Gunners, OPEN FIRE! Sidenote: I chatted around on the mod forums, and the creator was thinking of changing the Praetoriani Gunners into Praetoriani Flamethrower Troops.

CHHAAARGE, 2 HP Uruks be damned!

Unfortunately, charging the Uruk gan bodyguards was a bad idea. Not only did it fail hard, they took down my cataphracts and caused them to rout.

Charging my gunners? They can hold you guys off any day!

Priests? What? DIE!

Meanwhile, my brigands catch a group of Demos Hoplites, who were trying to pursue my cavalry.

Take out their HP! OPEN FIRE!

Can't let them chase around our Clibinarii Horse Archers, can we?

Now let's try charging again...from a different direction.

Took down one of their generals, by a spearman, no less!

After some time of charging, withdrawing, and charging, only a few bodyguards are left. I send what's left of my brigands after them. Really, they (the Uruk and the brigands) are both scum. We're doing the world a favor when both die.

Cavalry charge kills the uruk Alpha King.

Brigands never stood a chance.

The legionnaires charge....after the brigands are dead.

For the lulz, I decide to release the ones I've captured. So I can fight them again, at a later date, perhaps.

Verstov now belongs to me!

Annnd the captain is adopted into the royal family for pulling something like that off.

Seems like I've unlocked more units (not mercenaries) to recruit at Verstov fortress.

Varia Axemen - I guess they can do something against light cavalry and armor....otherwise cheap for garrison duty.

Vikia Levies - They've got some more defense than the Vikia Mercenaries, which puts them into okay-tier.

Vikia Horse Archers - Useful for pissing off the enemy. Quick, shooting on the gallop.

I wonder how many soldiers the lao Che have. Hopefully none.

Sorry pal but I'm gonna conquer you, mmkay?

You've got one turn's time to prepare.

Finding more Uruk lands...

I'll just starve this garrison out.

No sir, no ceasefire for you.

Your turn is up. ATTACK!

Allies no more. Time to color the map purple.

Wow, their lands are rather undefended.

What have they been doing all these years? Sit there and do nothing?

Rohan has fallen, heheh.

[IGdood]

Annnd the Valhallans strike back, probably wanting to regain their lost dignity.

No island is safe!

Lao Che settlements fall in quick succession.

Hmm, the odds don't seem to be in our favor today. Let's take a look, shall we?

Catapults, eh?

That's a rock. Good thing they only do little damage to my buildings....or they kept missing, I wasn't paying attention.

The gatehouse may be destroyed, but its towers are still intact. The gate itself is intact. I really don't get the point of destroying a gatehouse anyways.

Eventually they run out of stones to hurl at me and so the ladders and siege tower go forth.

Siege tower is burning down, burning down, burning down~

The ram does about 2% damage per hit. It takes about 4-5 seconds to hit once.

The first few attackers lose their courage, and rout.

A few cocky legionnaires hurl pila through the hole the ram made.

Now that there's a big hole everyone starts throwing.

What, routing already?!

Nevermind.

It's a clusterfuck meatgrinder. Reminds me of fighting the Mongols int he original Medieval 2.

Enemy reinforcements take their time strolling around the place.

Anyone here claustrophobic?

Shieldwall is NOT OP, I tell ya.

Breaking a sweat, champs?

Second wave, incoming!

Annnnd the Vikings duke it out on the walls. The ones I hired and theirs, I mean.

A few of them make it off the walls and go for my general. Swordsmen, get up there!

I think that's the bodyguard unit of regular hired generals of the Valhallans. They got 2 HP....and double-sided axes. nice.

Things looked great until a bunch of heavy cavalry showed up and broke though. Shit.

Holy fucks, they're bolting for the city square. GO! GO! GET THERE EVERYONE AT ALL COSTS!

GOOOOOOOOOOOO

My general personally gets in there and starts killing Kossacks.

Huh, they ran past the city square.

Nevermind, they're back! KILL EM

Finally they break...and try to escape through my forces. No.

Jomsborg remains under Empire hands.

Besieged, Sraken!

Lao Che aren't offering me a challenge.

Fuck off. I'll send you to Valhalla with my assassins.

Damn, shouldn't have autoresolved this one to save time. Would've lost a lot less soldiers....especially the good ones.

New unit....

Rabbit Boys - Archers with a somewhat higher than usual missile attack....and in great numbers (150 vs. 120)

[IGdood]

Valhallans got only 1 province remaining....gonna steamroll, gonna steamroll!

Rohan Nobles and their huge swords.

Standard triple line, let's go!

A few javelin cav get in my way, but the Rohan Horse Archers quickly snipe them off.

Fireballs light up the dark sky, and occasionally, throngs of smoking hot Romuli soldiers.

Mere peasants are no match for us!

This is how a real axeman charges. Woodsmen are wannabes!

Most of the Valhallan forces are melee troops, and are stuck beating up my line. Their catapults are left vulnerable!

Rohan Nobles slugging it out with the bodyguards.

They rout ever so easily....

More Lao Che lands come under siege...

I think it's time to give the Valhallans a final farewell....after I build these ladders.

Next lao Che city!

Alriiiight, the final battle for Valhalla!

Time to wait around in a corner..

Well not really, I was harassing a few guys with my horse archers.

Let's see if I can defeat their first army before this second army can help them.

Argh, general fail (me). I let my crossbowmen get massacred by charging cavalry.

The others get charged also, but otherwise seem to be doing okay.

SPARTANS SEND CAVALRY TO HELL

Bodyguards vs, Guard. hahahaa...I thought that was funny.

And well, the first army is mostly defeated. Time to shift the whole formation!

While the infantry shift facing, the cavalry go around distracting and cutting down Valhallans out of line.

Chaaaaarge!

Bonked their general.

Mwahahaha, flee, cowards!

Yeah the second army kinda just fled.. Now there's one more coming.

Rohan horse archers are decent in melee, and having run out of ammo I send them to catch enemy javelin cavalry.

Let's kill this general!

The actual royal bodyguard for the Valhallans actually suck. Their defense is 19.

Got their king.

Fast and furious. The battles just seem a lot faster than Empire Total War's. Or maybe it's because this game is older and loads faster.

You're probably wondering why I mostly seem to choose the Exterminate option. 1. It keeps public order high. 2. Generals who are already down the road to Dread should be given options that increase their Dread rating. If they are naturally Chivalric then I'd choose the Chivalric options for them. Otherwise you'd get a general who is neither Dreaded or Chivalric, which makes him useless.

THE VALHALLANS ARE NO MORE!

[Rewjeo]

I tend to exterminate after a certain point. I mean, when some settlements try to rebel AFTER I've exterminated them AND they're on daily games/races AND low taxes, I don't wanna take the chances. So basically the core of my empire is the only place doing much for me.

[IGdood]

I tend to exterminate after a certain point. I mean, when some settlements try to rebel AFTER I've exterminated them AND they're on daily games/races AND low taxes, I don't wanna take the chances. So basically the core of my empire is the only place doing much for me.

And a full garrison. Damn their rebellious thoughts. KILL EM ALL!

I can't help but start laughing every time I see "the Bastard" after a character name.

Almost immediately their horse archers are already shooting my guys.

So I send the dogs after them. Just for the heck of it.

SHIELD WALL BLOCKS CAVALRY CHARGES BITCH

And the Uruk's high attack makes them more than a fair match for these bodyguards.

My gunners weren't so lucky.....

Elephants? Oh heeeell no not elephants.

Good thing Praetoriani are fast enough to hurl pila and kill off the elephants before they reach my lines. Heheh, they did a quick 180 and routed.

Finally,the Lao Che footsloggers catch up to their cavalry.

I think the Qin Ronin have nicer looking armor.

My general spots some rocket launchers.....big no-no.

So now the majority of their spears are throwing themselves at my line. And I shoot them from the sides.

And my general gets into a pretty close call with a bunch of Lao Che cavalry, but he kills off their general. Heheh.

Nice katana, but you're dead.

Shoot ANYONE who exits that gate.

I didn't beat them by the time the timer ended....so it was a draw.

Yet the settlement still transfers to Empire control.

NEXT.

Uuhhh, no, I'm allied with your enemy, the Kukulcan. Good day to you.

Go away

Cheers.

I did a double take when I saw this message popup. Damn. What.

Fuck you Avalon and Faust. This is starting to feel like my other Let's Plays.

There's no way I'll win this....

LAST STAND TIME. DO YOUR BEST!

Their bodyguard is the first to go into battle. YAAAAH!

HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK. 20 ARMOR!? 31 DEFENSE? WHAT THE FUCK!? DUDE. WHAT. WHAT. WHAT. That's like GOD MODE. WHAAAAAAT!!??

SEND IN THE MAMMUCS FOR FUCK'S SAKE

For massive damage, the mammucs send them running. However, that doesn't mean shit since I didn't kill off any generals.

Meanwhile, their infantry (quite shitty by the way) try to fight my forces.

Routing already?

Arrows create mists of blood as they find their marks. Maybe I can hold out until the timer ends?

HOLY FUCK A FRESH ROYAL BODYGUARD I CAN KISS MY ASS GOODBYE

SEND IN THE MAMMUCS!

THEY TOOK DOWN MY MAMMUCS NOOOOOOOO

My infantry fail to hurt them. Maybe killed 1-3 but....

They're back for blood! LOTS OF IT

HOLY SHIT WHAT THE HELL

I've never been owned so hard on this scale before....

Maybe I can take my frustrations out on this battle...

[IGdood]

This is how ribaults work.

WHY AREN"T YOU DYING

Nevermind, took down a toughie.

Flaming beehives took care of that group.

My Zaca teco infantry are no match for the Uruk. Seems like these "native" units make up for their crap stats with cheapness though...the Paynal and Kukulcan and Sycorax nations have tons of armies running around.

Disregard my earlier statement they took down the general.

Medici spearmen charge. Although the enemy were wavering already this seemed to push it.

That was a short massacre.

Well....now I need to get that lost settlement back....

The turn the Dracule seized that settlement, I built a lot of ships, gathered some generals, gathered unneeded garrison units, hired a ton of mercenaries, and sent them to their island. PREPARE TO BE CRUSHED.

The faster I finish off the Lao Che, the faster I can divert those forces elsewhere.

Ooh, fancy item.

Steamroll steamroll

Heh, now the Uruk serve ME.

Landing my armies everywhere

Huh, they called off the siege on Verstov. Surprising.

As my armies land on the southern tip of the Dracule island I see new mercenary units.

Vladviks - Better range than the Gran Mal crossbowmen. Good stamina is nice, since shooting for too long will tire out units (unless they're using guns).

Frankish Knights - The worst knight mercenary I've seen, with 1 less defense than the Crusader Knights. Broken Lances and Germanic Knights all the way. Still, I'll probably end up using them since charge bonus is all cavalry really need anyways.Plus, knights are cool. Maybe their armor can be upgraded.

Frankish Foot Knights - Glorified spearmen given the title of knights. Will probably serve in fighting against the Dracule bodyguards.....if they can even get through that 31 defense.

Slav Knights - High morale is nice. Only 1 more charge bonus, but hey, I can use every cavalryman I get if they send a lot of ranged units at me.

Hussars - I guess as medium cavalry they can serve a role when I'm out of knights.

Time for battle! Will keep updating as I play!

[Rewjeo]

Well, that bodyguard could've been worse. I read that sentence as 20 ATTACK and 31 defense. Can you imagine 20 attack, 12 charge, and 31 defense?

Also, why won't cavalry ever listen to me in RTW? I lost two units of skirmishers in a battle because my cavalry refused to listen to me, and then I nearly lost my general because he decided HEY LET'S CHARGE HEADLONG INTO THAT PHALANX

Also, WTF is up with autoresolve in naval battles around Greece? I'll be attacked, the bar will be 3/4 mine, and then I suffer a CRUSHING DEFEAT. WTF? Whatever, I started a new game as Brutii (when this happened) and I got the Greeks, Thracians, and of course myself going against the Macedonians. I've got a full stack going and I've yet to see another one break eleven units, though, so I can suffer some casualties every now and then. Oh, and Bastarnae ARE awesome. Thracian mercs aren't so great, though. I lost 15/40 of a unit fighting a unit of villagers and a unit of hoplites with just ten guys left. Then the Bastarnae and two other Thracian mercs came in and won that battle easily.

[IGdood]

Well, that bodyguard could've been worse. I read that sentence as 20 ATTACK and 31 defense. Can you imagine 20 attack, 12 charge, and 31 defense?

Also, why won't cavalry ever listen to me in RTW? I lost two units of skirmishers in a battle because my cavalry refused to listen to me, and then I nearly lost my general because he decided HEY LET'S CHARGE HEADLONG INTO THAT PHALANX

Also, WTF is up with autoresolve in naval battles around Greece? I'll be attacked, the bar will be 3/4 mine, and then I suffer a CRUSHING DEFEAT. WTF? Whatever, I started a new game as Brutii (when this happened) and I got the Greeks, Thracians, and of course myself going against the Macedonians. I've got a full stack going and I've yet to see another one break eleven units, though, so I can suffer some casualties every now and then. Oh, and Bastarnae ARE awesome. Thracian mercs aren't so great, though. I lost 15/40 of a unit fighting a unit of villagers and a unit of hoplites with just ten guys left. Then the Bastarnae and two other Thracian mercs came in and won that battle easily.

That would be.....insane. It'll make my elite troops look like children..... Like bringing a knife to a gunfight.

I click multiple times.....well more like 3-4 times at a place I want my cavalry to go. If they even start to deviate off course I click again (usually with gratuitous use of the pause button >_>)

Autoresolve in Rome isn't as fair as the bar says it is. RNG likes to screw you over. Get's a bit better in medieval. Autoresolve really goes on the player's side in Shogun 2, to the point where you can win battles that you can't win if you played it yourself (usually it was the other way around)

Anyways, update time. Things are starting to get heated in Thera.....

Previously, 3 armies of Lao Che are going to do battle with me. This is the record....

....very rainy, thunder claps and lightning abound. Not a very cheerful day for a battle, just the way I like it. I've got my siege weapons just ever so slightly in front of my infantry line. That way the crew can retreat (and later return to) quickly. How do you make the crew abandon their equipment? Force melee with them, and before they get themselves killed, click behind the lines and make them run.

Endless rockets rain down on the enemy.

YO DAWG IMMA POSE WHILE I FIRE ROCKETS

SO LOUD UP HERE

Enemy elephants! Shoot 'em down!

Katanas are NOT going to help you here.

Samurai battle!

And some random Lao Che spearmen whom I've never seen before.

The rear charge with cavalry never gets old. Just so fun seeing people fly.

And usually guarantees a rout.

Run! SEND MORE ENEMIES, WE KILLED ALL THE CURRENT ONES.

The elephants that charged my ronin (and routed) are now running amok into the Lao Che lines. Hey, thanks for killing yourselves. You did me a big favor.

Running a bit low on rocket ammo. Looks like the next clash will depend on skill of arms.

I wonder if the rain will put out those flaming pots. Fat chance.

Took a screenshot right before a charge and during a lightning strike. Epic.

Gunners, withdraw!

Whoever decided to charge my elephants is an idiot. TIME TO GET TUSK'D.

Wasn't there always some debate about legionnaire vs. samurai or something? Well legionnaires win.

More katana dueling.

Ha, their Khan shows up. Unfortunately I'm charging in the other direction.... No worries.

My other cavalry are busy cutting down routers and destroying catapults.

One khan (Lao Che general) down.

The third army didn't get to me due to the time limit.

Because I'm in a good mood you guys can go back. So I can beat you up another time.

Lao Che's only got one more settlement now.

I end turn and see this.......looks like Thera's going to be washed in blood. Not Romuli blood. THEIR BLOOD.

Fucking Faust!

Meanwhile, I invade some more Dracule territories.

I never saw this mercenary before, but it popped up around the cities Romeo and Juliet.

Mercenary Monster Ribault - If you thought the regular ribault was a primitive machine gun, this one is even more so. Barrage fire just makes it shoot all 36 barrels, but then it takes forever to reload. Otherwise, it shoots more often.

Speaking of bringing a knife to a gun fight....this is kinda what I'm doing now with the Faust. I've never thought them before, but all I know is that from my Empire Total War experience, NOT letting your enemy shoot their guns is the key to winning.

Lots of pikemen mercenaries, heheheh, along with armor upgraded Aventuros.

Ho shit, are those bayonets?

Nice armor.

Faustians are advancing. They're gonna try and shoot me up before I can get into formation.

Luckily, guns are still slightly shorter ranged compared to crossbows and bows. They lack armor too. But then they've got massive firepower, and so I'm losing the shootout. Not that I even planned to get into a shootout phase anyways, I'm thinking how to approach the Faustians.

Alright, let's try a cavalry charge.

Bad choice, apparently bayonets double up as short pikes, keeping my cavalry at a distance and providing for a huge anti cavalry bonus. Fuck, reminds me of Empire Total War's square formation. Shit.

Faustians don't have horse archers, but they've got pistoleers. Arrggggh, annoying bastards sniping my cavalry.

PIKEMEN, FORWARD!

C'mon legionnaires, you can do this.

Crusader Knights (and their French accents) CHARGE.

Pistoleers are no match for knights! You rely on guns too much!

You cannot win! LENGTH MATTERS

This song happened to be playing. Epic.

[IGdood]

Fuck you, I've got lances!

BAYONETS WILL NOT STOP US. FORWARD. (not really, my legionnaires were being pushed back)

I wish I had some Forlorn Hope. They're like super high-attack power infantry.

YOUR HALBERDS ARE TOO SHORT.

Caught their captain. Equites Auxilia got him.

Ha! And the computer thought I was going to lose this one. Still, quite a few casualties from all the bullets flying around.

NO MERCY

I thought that was one of my more epic battles. Maybe I just like muskets and bayonets.

[IGdood]

Tiny update today, didn't feel like playing Thera today (got sucked into Super Robot Wars: OG)

It's winter time, and I'm taking the fight to the Reich. If I beat these two armies at the border then I am free to enter the Reich lands and start seizing their territories.

Ooh, huge forests. This should be interesting, since trees provide cover from ranged attacks. Bad thing is cavalry will receive combat penalties. Still, I'll try to force the Faustians into melee combat as soon as I can.

As we marched toward the enemy, enemy reinforcements from the back caught up to us and began firing....what to do....

Send in the hounds! Army, turn around!

Things sort of degenerate into chaos as the trees block my view and I'm running everything around (and losing cavalry). It didn't help that Faustian Grenadiers were nuking the living shits out of my soldiers.

Luckily, grenadiers suck balls against cavalry.

So pretty much most of my cavalry are dead (from being shot)....

The Faustian line wavers, and as they rout, they're cut down.

Improving dread, cutting off one head at a time.

I'll do this battle...another day..... I wonder how the Faustians perform in a siege assault. Perhaps I should stay off the walls?

[IGdood]

I decided to stay on the walls.

Only the legionnaires and the cavalry are on the ground. Defending units get bonuses fighting on the walls, to the point where even spearmen (and on occasion, ranged units) can hold off anti-infantry infantry (swords,axes, non-spears, etc.)

Musketeers got an armor upgrade, and so they're sporting helmets.

Forlorn Hope? Sure, your siege assault is hopeless.

Hurl javelins! And try not to get killed.

Unfortunately once on the walls my Bandidos begin to die in an obscenely high rate, faster than the rise of the US debt.

Cuirassiers? No problem. TRIARII!

Huh, routing already? Siege attackers receive morale penalties on the walls, but I expected more from them.

Meanwhile, my numari are getting their asses kicked.

Triarii doing alright, though.

I have protection from your bullets, Faustians!

As their ram finally breaches the gates, chunks of wood flew everywhere. Then pila flew back.

Can't use your guns in here now, eh? SHIELD WALL.

Faustians SUCK in melee combat.

And the Faustian captain clutches his side, trying to stop a wound from bleeding inflicted from a very, very angry Praetorian. Should've worn more armor, fool.

And as the Faustians break and run, boiling oil is poured on them. Have a nice barbecue.

And one of the unfortunate Faustians was kicked to the ground, stabbed in the back with a boot on his neck. Thanks for the show, Praetorian. Now get back to your shield wall.

Your technological prowess may be astounding, but in a good, old-fashioned siege, you cannot break the impenetrable Romuli shield wall.

Our next battle takes us to the Dracule province Varnavik. Here I'm being attacked from multiple sides (seem familiar?) Maybe I can see how well my European knights do.

I deployed in the wrong direction. They're coming from behind. Dammit, I hate it when the campaign map seems to say you're getting hit from the front but it's the other way around. Fuuuuck.

Luckily, I manage to get my wits together (it's not a big deal, I just make it seem like it is) and change direction.

Shiny armor much? I'm actually pretty torn between my favorite armor. I like the legionnaire one, but I'm also a sucker for shiny armor pieces.

Pavise crossbowmen are one of my favorite units to use (original Medieval 2 included), if only because they can punch hard, stay alive in a shootout, and survive (to some degree) against enemy infantry. They're slow as hell though.

Spearmen in front of deploying horse archers = slaughter. TROLLFACE

C'mon, give us your best shot, Dracule knights! (Good thing there aren't any royal Dracule bodyguards present.)

Blood knights? I've got German knights (and their hilarious accents, they speak English with a very guttural tone) "CCHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGEEEE"

Ouch. Why don't my peasants get huge fucking polearms? All they get is a small shield and a tiny spear.

Crazy Draculians, using siege weapons whilst my troops are in melee with theirs? They ended up bombing their knights. If it's blood you want, THEN YOUR BLOOD WILL FLOW. KNIGHTS, CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHGGGGGGGGE!

Ignore the archers. GO after the siege weapons.

Whoa, more flaming pots? From behind?!

Tear-shaped shields are pretty nice, although I like the rectangular ones more.

Your puny knives can't penetrate the finest plate armor!

Hm, looks like I'll have to take care of these enemy reinforcements. Only siege weapons = asking for cavalry charge.

Lanciarii - Hey don't hog all the glory, we're coming with you!

Knight - But your lances are puny!

Lanciarii - >_> Compensating for something?

Seriously, look at the size difference.

Took one Draculian captain out. Cleanly sliced in the gut.

A rear attack sends the remainder of these Draculian forces running.

Nice shield designs. (Yes, I like detail in my video games, thank you very much.)

Some spearmen from the enemy reinforcements have caught up to us, but they're quickly turned into ground paste from my knights.

Another captain bites it.

Romuli cavalry, CHARGE! Unfortunately they suck at it....compared to the knights.

Took down the third captain, skewered by a lucky Medici sergeant.

And now a shootout with the remaining forces.

They didn't last long.

[IGdood]

Realizing that they can't win by shooting, they charge. Good thing though, my archers were out of arrows anyways.

And my cavalry just ran a half-circle and hit their crossbowmen from the side.

Then they ran another half circle to hit the Draculian troops (who were fighting my own)

Hm, so there were 4 armies. Didn't realize that.

Our next battle takes us to the southern tip of the Draculian lands, where my Renaissance-influenced army has landed. They're a bit short on soldiers.

This time I ended up deploying facing the right direction of the army who was going to hit me from behind. Unfortunately, it consisted of only one unit. The majority were coming in from the "front."

Eh, they're pretty far away so I won't worry about them.

Bah, brigands. Sent my general after them and shifted my troops elsewhere.

Great. Horsearchers. I can't catch them, and they decide to shoot at my shieldless pikemen.

So I send my Uruks after them. Maybe they'll catch something.

They caught some worthless brigands.

Then for some reason the horse archers pull off a noob move. Charge my triarii. It was a slaughter for them.

My musketeers handle the other group of horse archers.

And my Uruk did manage to catch themselves some pesky flies. And a cold.

Meanwhile, the main Dracule force runs their way to me.

Then they halted. Within range of my guns. For about 3-4 minutes, enough time for me to shoot down most of their elites.

Then they gather their wits and charge.

Anyone who thinks they can charge through this and win is either retarded or a tactical genius. The latter option is impossible.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

They did score a few Uruk kills...hmmm.

I didn't even pay attention to their infantry.

Then there was a third group that decided to camp out on the hill in the corner, and I win by timer.

Exterminate the fortress, just so I can increase Dread.

Sack the city, because cities yield lots of money when sacked.

Bring it on, Dracule and Faust! The Shield Wall awaits!

[IGdood]

The forces of the Lao Che mount a last stand. Judging by my own troop composition, they just might be successful....

Yessir.

Well,the day starts off quite awkwardly. The rocket launchers refused to shoot unless they walked a few steps.

Meanwhile a few of their rockets begin to fly at my forces. Also, there's another one coming in from the flank.

My rockets manage to get their elephants to run amok. Well, that's a relief. Oh wait, there's more than one elephant unit running around.

Fuck getting shot. CUT OFF THEIR HEADS!

Other than holy shit I'm getting charged in all directions there isn't much else to say about this screenie.

Hey look, their Khan is right in the middle of all my soldiers. Greeeeaaaat.

-sigh- There's too much cavalry in my army, and not enough solid, line-holding infantry.

Woops, they took down my general. This battle is a loss.

We...we must hold them back! Keep to the shield wall!

Glad the Uruk are too bloodlusted (and too stupid) to know what R-O-U-T means.

I only manage to rout individual units, but it's never enough to start a full-on panic in their army. Damnit.

And the Uruk are finished off by a charge from their king....urgh.

Well...you've only delayed your doom by half a year. Just half a year. Celebrate all you want. You haven't fought true Romuli troops today.

=(

T^T

Q_Q

Half a year from now....

Meanwhile, my armies slam into the Faustian strongholds.

And I bleed their bureacracy and royal family white. The more characters I remove, the less bodyguard units I'll have to deal with.

And my other forces make landings into the Dracule territories.

We will seek out your islands and take over them, one by one. You cannot hide under your stones forever, ants.

Wisaaka is ours again....the poor soldiers there avenged.

What madness is this!? The Valiente are attacking! 2 settlements under siege!?

Well, this is convenient. I don't need to circumvent their lands anymore to avoid pissing them off. I'll just take them on my way to the Reich.

Siege, siege, siege.

Kinda running a bit short on money, so I'm sacking everything I conquer.

Dead with a snake in your bed.

I'll just autoresolve this.

The Lao Che are gone. Good to see all that stuff colored purple.

I've lost count as to how many armies I've landed already.

[IGdood]

A small landing force is attacked by the Dracule. I wonder if they'll last.

Woops, faced the wrong direction again. Let's shift.

Eat Pila, you unwashed heathens!

Charge!

The siege weapons managed to rip a few holes in my guys, but for the most part getting their crew made them stop firing.

Cutting down hordes of spearmen.

OH FUCK IT'S A DRACULIAN ROYAL BODYGUARD

Triarii, stop them!

I try to take out as many people as possible so I can focus on the bodyguards.

Ack! They took out my captain.

Spearmen are doing NOTHING.

More spearmen, and I don't have the numbers.

Archers getting charged, surprisingly only 40 of them died.

And being badasses they manage to fight off enemy spearmen.

Really? 160 Legio Caesaris in shield wall gone? Or was it those catapults in the distance? (yeah, there were more.)

While the legionnaires try to survive, the cavalry and archers work together to beat off spearmen.

Alright, let's go shoot those bodyguards at point blank range. Not like it'll do anything, bastards having 20 armor.

Yes. Let's shoot at this range.

Cavalry galloped off to take out a few catapults....-sigh-

THESE ARROWS WORK AS WELL AS MORPH SNIPERS WORK ON OSWIN.

Argh. Next time.

Okay, the Valiente are gathering their armies and fighting off our invasions. We're outnumbered, but if we fall, at least we've got 2 more armies (1 Spartan, 1 pure Romulan) heading this way. And of course, all the settlements south of here are generating troops.

Those pikemen should be very weak to archers, yes? Let's see how pike wall fares against shield wall.

Oh fuck. 3 armies at once? Should've known, seeing as how they're all led by named generals/family members. This means I'll be expecting 3 royal bodyguard units wandering around.

ARCHERS, OPEN FIRE!

DIE. DIE. DIE.

HURL PILA! GET THEM BEFORE THEY REACH US!

So many of them are dying, yet they continue to march.

SHIELDS UP! It's about to get nasty!

PRESS FORWARD! FUCKING DIE ALREADY!

A few assholes hit my flank where my weaker units are positioned. Time to use the good ol' Caesar's Bodyguard charge.

The charge takes out quite an amount of Valiente infantry, but it doesn't quite break them. Charging again is made difficult from pikemen walking around.

YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR US. Casualties are beginning to rack up from all the pikes (1st, 2nd, and 3rd rows are allowed to attack,whilst most infantry units can only have their front row attack)

Argh! Took a hit from a bodyguard. WITHDRAW!

By withdrawing I mean charge to the other direction.

[IGdood]

Gotta get away from their bodyguard....archers out of ammo.... well, archers, you're gonna be light infantry.

ARCHERS, SWARM THE ENEMY

NOW I can charge this bodyguard.

He flees. I wish named characters were as easy to kill now as they were in Empire Total War.

CHARGE THEIR INFANTRY!

Shit. That was only their first army. More on the way.

Regroup!

Their third army is in the corner to the top right.

Here we go again...

Gah, frickin cavalry in the way.

Great, those guys are running away.

Took out a general....

Unfortunately, the one with the most weapons pointed at me wins. This battle turned into a numbers game. I ran out of arrows, so I'm doomed. Kinda.

My general tries his best to break as many enemy units as he can, but....no use.

ARGH

3 defeats....in a row.....man. That hurts morale.

The Sycorax finally make their move. Hmm.....I don't have any forces to spare on that island, though...

We must march harder! (by the way, the kingdom of Avalon hasn't made its move against me yet despite being at war with me)

Thanks, ally.

Hm, a Faustian army attempts to defeat me. Let's see if this will be my 4th defeat, or a break to the losing streak.

Once again, deployed in the wrong direction despite me telling myself where they'll be coming from based on the campaign map.

Elephant Jezails, you know what to do.

Bah, a quick cavalry charge sends their line infantry running for their lives.

Meanwhile, the other line is being shot up by crossbows.

BLAM BLAM BLAM

Die KRAUTS

My aventuriers get their asses kicked in close combat (forgot to withdraw them)

but the enemy routs, all the same.

Well, we won. Morale booster for me.