Kingdom of Makuria

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

These artillery pieces resemble giant crossbows, on a simple wheeled carriage. They can hurl javelins with great accuracy, and the power of these machines means that their bolts can pierce any armour.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Constructed of wood and capable of flinging stones large enough to crush a man's head, the catapult was a common site on the ancient Roman battlefield. Now in the medieval era, the catapult is being replaced by newer and more powerful weapons.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Constructed of wood and capable of flinging stones large enough to crush a man's head, the catapult was a common site on the ancient Roman battlefield. Now in the medieval era, the catapult is being replaced by newer and more powerful weapons.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The counter-weight Trebuchet is an evolution of the man-powered mangonel and catapults dating back before the 11th century. It has quickly spread throughout the world as an effective siege engine capable of lobbing large wall- crushing boulders.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Alodia is a fertile region to the south. Its milder climate allowed more body protection than could be easily tolerated in the fiery heat of the north. As such, Nubias heaviest horsemen come from this land, coated in great heaps of quilted armor.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Not the Tradition of the Faction
• Rare
• Reduced Men per Unit
• Costly to Field

Description

The only peoples to value horses more than Nubians were their Arab rivals, who could field great quantities of them. These men are a vital middle ground between the lumbering heavy horse and the swarms of semi-nude warriors that otherwise encompass Makurian armies.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Not the Tradition of the Faction
• Rare
• Reduced Men per Unit
• Costly to Field

Description

The relationship between the Arab world and the Nubian one was often contentious. Even so, some Arabs took up arms to serve its Christian kings from time to time.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Like other Sudanese peoples, archery was a prized skill among these desert tribesmen.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Strong Tradition
• Easier to recruit due to Tradition

Description

The Beja were most famous for their skill as camel herders. In this capacity, they were a important part of the Nubian army, one that made a gruesome impression on the Arabs they commonly faced in battle.Their weapon of choice was the javelin and they fought mounted on their famous “wine-colored” camels which were prized throughout the Islamic World for their swiftness and trainability. The Bajā often raided the towns of Upper Egypt and Nubia; their swift camels allowed them to withdraw deep into the desert beyond the reach of government forces. (Amar Salem Baadj, The Struggle for North Africa between Almohads, Ayyubids, and Banū Ghāniya: Late Twelfth to Early Thirteenth Centuries A.D (University of Toronto, 2013) p. 150)

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The Beja and Afar peoples of the sun-baked wastes of the eastern Sudan remain to this day a proud warrior people. They fight quickly and lightly, blurring the lines between skirmisher and soldier.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The kings of Makuria are ably aided by this cohort of knights, dressed in a eye-catching blend of african and byzantine costume.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Strong Tradition
• Easier to recruit due to Tradition

Description

Nilotic tribespeoples were common mercenaries in the Sudan, fighting in striking style with large hide shields and short spears.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The edges of Makuria are along great tracts of wilderness, bordered by hostile powers and peoples. It seems only fitting they should be protected by equally wild men.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Renowned Unit
• Superior Capability

Description

Nubia was famed above all else for its archers. It was a poison arrow, fired from a Nubian bow that was the gravest fear of both Arabs and invaders of years past.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Perhaps the greatest sign of Nubias christian faith was its pride in the gallant warrior saint, a mounted knight who smote the enemies of his peoples. These warriors personify this ideal, fighting lightly, but full of vigor, with lance and shield. They wear a motley style of armor reminiscent of the Roman ideal but deeply steeped in African norms of dress.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Most Nubians fought lightly. This extended to the prized cavalry core, most of whom rode as lightly as their compatriots on foot, with kilt, cap, and shield being the only sources of protection.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Quilted armor is common in the Sudan. It provides good protection against all manner of blows, giving these warriors time for their short stabbing spears to cut their enemies to size.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Quilted armor is common in the Sudan. It provides good protection against all manner of blows, giving these warriors time for their short stabbing spears to cut their enemies to size.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Low-quality Missile Troops

Description

Slingers remained useful in Africa long after they had waned in the west. From Morocco to Somalia, it was a valued aspect of warfare well into the Medieval Period, albeit seen as a weapon of the poor.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The lay infantry of Makuria are lightly equipped and even more lightly armed.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The slow seep of Islam into Nubia accompanied the creation of ever-heavier mounted horsemen. They wear chainmail, a incredible luxury for most in this region, showing their status as men of means. Cavalry similar to these would be recorded in the Sudan well into the Modern period.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

It is slow to reload and lacks the distance of drawn bows but makes up for it in power.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

These knights dominate both society and the battlefield in medieval Europe. Under the feudal system each man owes military service to his lord in return for protection, a grant of land, and the peasants to work it. Trained as warriors from birth, their favourite tactic is the headlong charge. Despite the simple tactics, their strong armour, heavy lances, and martial prowess mean that only the most resolute can resist them

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Knights would often dismount and fight on foot when the situation demanded it. Dismounted they make excellent heavy infantry.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

"Squires are used to do what a knight would consider too low, and mounted sergeants are used to do what a squire would consider too low even for him" -- "Since common peasant couldn't afford a horse, but there was still the need for a rapid scout unit (and noble knights considered scouting a dishonourable task), trusted sergeants who showed cunning behaviour were given second-choice horses and used as a light and fast cavalry force, usually sent ahead of the main army to scout the area and harass enemy light troops or carriages. Being fast, they can easily outmanoeuver infantry and heavy cavalry, allowing them to hit fast and hard unprotected targets such as archers or supply convoys, but they should never be used against actual cavalry and trained infantry."

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

"To be ranked a servant may seem ridiculous to a noble, but for most, it is the best they can hope to achieve" -- Coming from the Latin term "servientem", meaning "servant", sergeant is a rank used in almost every European army of the time (and still today). While each nation had its own technical meaning for the rank, generally the sergeant was the highest rank a low-born commoner could aspire to, since all higher offices were reserved for the nobles. Being promoted sergeant required that a soldier had survived many battles, and had performed many acts of valour (usually visible from the scars most sergeants sported), and meant better equipment and a higher salary (usually a larger part of the loot), which for most soldiers could mean the difference between returning to their homes as a serf and becoming an actual free land-owner. Usually sergeants oversaw training and equipment of small units, and led them in battle. Sometimes, sergeants were grouped together and used as a powerful fist to break the enemy lines, or to defend a focal point: well armed and experienced, these veterans are not to be underestimated.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

It is slow to reload and lacks the distance of drawn bows but makes up for it in power.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

These knights dominate both society and the battlefield in medieval Europe. Under the feudal system each man owes military service to his lord in return for protection, a grant of land, and the peasants to work it. Trained as warriors from birth, their favourite tactic is the headlong charge. Despite the simple tactics, their strong armour, heavy lances, and martial prowess mean that only the most resolute can resist them

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Knights would often dismount and fight on foot when the situation demanded it. Dismounted they make excellent heavy infantry.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

"Squires are used to do what a knight would consider too low, and mounted sergeants are used to do what a squire would consider too low even for him" -- "Since common peasant couldn't afford a horse, but there was still the need for a rapid scout unit (and noble knights considered scouting a dishonourable task), trusted sergeants who showed cunning behaviour were given second-choice horses and used as a light and fast cavalry force, usually sent ahead of the main army to scout the area and harass enemy light troops or carriages. Being fast, they can easily outmanoeuver infantry and heavy cavalry, allowing them to hit fast and hard unprotected targets such as archers or supply convoys, but they should never be used against actual cavalry and trained infantry."

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

"To be ranked a servant may seem ridiculous to a noble, but for most, it is the best they can hope to achieve" -- Coming from the Latin term "servientem", meaning "servant", sergeant is a rank used in almost every European army of the time (and still today). While each nation had its own technical meaning for the rank, generally the sergeant was the highest rank a low-born commoner could aspire to, since all higher offices were reserved for the nobles. Being promoted sergeant required that a soldier had survived many battles, and had performed many acts of valour (usually visible from the scars most sergeants sported), and meant better equipment and a higher salary (usually a larger part of the loot), which for most soldiers could mean the difference between returning to their homes as a serf and becoming an actual free land-owner. Usually sergeants oversaw training and equipment of small units, and led them in battle. Sometimes, sergeants were grouped together and used as a powerful fist to break the enemy lines, or to defend a focal point: well armed and experienced, these veterans are not to be underestimated.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

"Squires are used to do what a knight would consider too low, and mounted sergeants are used to do what a squire would consider too low even for him" -- "Since common peasant couldn't afford a horse, but there was still the need for a rapid scout unit (and noble knights considered scouting a dishonourable task), trusted sergeants who showed cunning behaviour were given second-choice horses and used as a light and fast cavalry force, usually sent ahead of the main army to scout the area and harass enemy light troops or carriages. Being fast, they can easily outmanoeuver infantry and heavy cavalry, allowing them to hit fast and hard unprotected targets such as archers or supply convoys, but they should never be used against actual cavalry and trained infantry."

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

"I... do profess and promise chastity, giving up all property, and obedience to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary and to you...Master of the Teutonic Order, and to your successors, according to the Rules and Regulations of the Order. And I will be obedient to you, and to your successors, even unto death." -- The Ritterbrüder are the highest ranking members of the Teutonic Order, taking an additional vow of chastity: usually members of great German noble houses, these men fear no enemy, both in politics and on the battlefield. Armed and equipped with the finest products of the Empire's most renowned blacksmiths, the Ritterbrüder ride into battle atop powerful steeds, pride and joy of generations of breeding.Their charge can shatter all but the most stubborn pike formations, and usually their enemies don't even try to resist, breaking formation in a desperate attempt to flee their doom, only to be trampled upon by their stallions. The Ritterbrüder however aren't invincible, as all this armour makes their charge quite slow: as such, light skirmishers can safely shower them in arrows and javelins, only to retreat when the Ritterbrüder try to chase them. Thus, they must be supported by light troops, otherwise they might find themselves cornered and taken out one by one by a cunning foe.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

"Half-brother, Double the fury" -- The Haldbrüder were full-fledged members of the Order, but ranked lower since they took only half the oath (they didn't take the chastity vow). Still, their zeal, fanatism and martial prowess match their higher ranking brothers. Being usually members of minor noble houses, they can afford horses and finely crafted armours, and as such serve as medium shock cavalry, trampling over lesser enemies while the Ritterbrüder engage the enemy elite troops. Since their armours aren't as heavy as the ones used by the Ritterbrüder, they are better at flanking the enemy and fighting against the fast Lithuanian cavalry.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The counter-weight Trebuchet is an evolution of the man-powered mangonel and catapults dating back before the 11th century. It has quickly spread throughout the world as an effective siege engine capable of lobbing large wall- crushing boulders.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The first primitive gunpowder siege artillery, bombards were created in China and Western Europe in the early 14th century and spread to the rest of the world by the late 14th century. They are forged from bronze or iron, and designed to fire stone balls that crumble enemy defences.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Not the Tradition of the Faction
• Rare
• Reduced Men per Unit
• Costly to Field

Description

The only peoples to value horses more than Nubians were their Arab rivals, who could field great quantities of them. These men are a vital middle ground between the lumbering heavy horse and the swarms of semi-nude warriors that otherwise encompass Makurian armies.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Not the Tradition of the Faction
• Rare
• Reduced Men per Unit
• Costly to Field

Description

The relationship between the Arab world and the Nubian one was often contentious. Even so, some Arabs took up arms to serve its Christian kings from time to time.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The kings of Makuria are ably aided by this cohort of knights, dressed in a eye-catching blend of african and byzantine costume.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Renowned Unit
• Superior Capability

Description

Nubia was famed above all else for its archers. It was a poison arrow, fired from a Nubian bow that was the gravest fear of both Arabs and invaders of years past.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The edges of Makuria are along great tracts of wilderness, bordered by hostile powers and peoples. It seems only fitting they should be protected by equally wild men.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Alodia is a fertile region to the south. Its milder climate allowed more body protection than could be easily tolerated in the fiery heat of the north. As such, Nubias heaviest horsemen come from this land, coated in great heaps of quilted armor.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Most Nubians fought lightly. This extended to the prized cavalry core, most of whom rode as lightly as their compatriots on foot, with kilt, cap, and shield being the only sources of protection.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Quilted armor is common in the Sudan. It provides good protection against all manner of blows, giving these warriors time for their short stabbing spears to cut their enemies to size.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Low-quality Missile Troops

Description

Slingers remained useful in Africa long after they had waned in the west. From Morocco to Somalia, it was a valued aspect of warfare well into the Medieval Period, albeit seen as a weapon of the poor.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The lay infantry of Makuria are lightly equipped and even more lightly armed.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

These knights dominate both society and the battlefield in medieval Europe. Under the feudal system each man owes military service to his lord in return for protection, a grant of land, and the peasants to work it. Trained as warriors from birth, their favourite tactic is the headlong charge. Despite the simple tactics, their strong armour, heavy lances, and martial prowess mean that only the most resolute can resist them

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Knights would often dismount and fight on foot when the situation demanded it. Dismounted they make excellent heavy infantry.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

These knights dominate both society and the battlefield in medieval Europe. Under the feudal system each man owes military service to his lord in return for protection, a grant of land, and the peasants to work it. Trained as warriors from birth, their favourite tactic is the headlong charge. Despite the simple tactics, their strong armour, heavy lances, and martial prowess mean that only the most resolute can resist them

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Knights would often dismount and fight on foot when the situation demanded it. Dismounted they make excellent heavy infantry.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

"Half-brother, Double the fury" -- The Haldbrüder were full-fledged members of the Order, but ranked lower since they took only half the oath (they didn't take the chastity vow). Still, their zeal, fanatism and martial prowess match their higher ranking brothers. Being usually members of minor noble houses, they can afford horses and finely crafted armours, and as such serve as medium shock cavalry, trampling over lesser enemies while the Ritterbrüder engage the enemy elite troops. Since their armours aren't as heavy as the ones used by the Ritterbrüder, they are better at flanking the enemy and fighting against the fast Lithuanian cavalry.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

"I... do profess and promise chastity, giving up all property, and obedience to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary and to you...Master of the Teutonic Order, and to your successors, according to the Rules and Regulations of the Order. And I will be obedient to you, and to your successors, even unto death." -- The Ritterbrüder are the highest ranking members of the Teutonic Order, taking an additional vow of chastity: usually members of great German noble houses, these men fear no enemy, both in politics and on the battlefield. Armed and equipped with the finest products of the Empire's most renowned blacksmiths, the Ritterbrüder ride into battle atop powerful steeds, pride and joy of generations of breeding.Their charge can shatter all but the most stubborn pike formations, and usually their enemies don't even try to resist, breaking formation in a desperate attempt to flee their doom, only to be trampled upon by their stallions. The Ritterbrüder however aren't invincible, as all this armour makes their charge quite slow: as such, light skirmishers can safely shower them in arrows and javelins, only to retreat when the Ritterbrüder try to chase them. Thus, they must be supported by light troops, otherwise they might find themselves cornered and taken out one by one by a cunning foe.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

PLACEHOLDER

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The Gun to end all Guns. The Great Bombard is made for one purpose only, the utter destruction of enemy defences. This massive Bombard fires a stone ball weighing well over half a ton, obliterating any but the most massive walls in one shot. Unfortunately the down side of all this firepower is that it takes an eternity to reload.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Not the Tradition of the Faction
• Rare
• Reduced Men per Unit
• Costly to Field

Description

The only peoples to value horses more than Nubians were their Arab rivals, who could field great quantities of them. These men are a vital middle ground between the lumbering heavy horse and the swarms of semi-nude warriors that otherwise encompass Makurian armies.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Not the Tradition of the Faction
• Rare
• Reduced Men per Unit
• Costly to Field

Description

The relationship between the Arab world and the Nubian one was often contentious. Even so, some Arabs took up arms to serve its Christian kings from time to time.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The kings of Makuria are ably aided by this cohort of knights, dressed in a eye-catching blend of african and byzantine costume.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Renowned Unit
• Superior Capability

Description

Nubia was famed above all else for its archers. It was a poison arrow, fired from a Nubian bow that was the gravest fear of both Arabs and invaders of years past.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The edges of Makuria are along great tracts of wilderness, bordered by hostile powers and peoples. It seems only fitting they should be protected by equally wild men.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Alodia is a fertile region to the south. Its milder climate allowed more body protection than could be easily tolerated in the fiery heat of the north. As such, Nubias heaviest horsemen come from this land, coated in great heaps of quilted armor.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Most Nubians fought lightly. This extended to the prized cavalry core, most of whom rode as lightly as their compatriots on foot, with kilt, cap, and shield being the only sources of protection.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Quilted armor is common in the Sudan. It provides good protection against all manner of blows, giving these warriors time for their short stabbing spears to cut their enemies to size.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

The lay infantry of Makuria are lightly equipped and even more lightly armed.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

These knights dominate both society and the battlefield in medieval Europe. Under the feudal system each man owes military service to his lord in return for protection, a grant of land, and the peasants to work it. Trained as warriors from birth, their favourite tactic is the headlong charge. Despite the simple tactics, their strong armour, heavy lances, and martial prowess mean that only the most resolute can resist them

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Knights would often dismount and fight on foot when the situation demanded it. Dismounted they make excellent heavy infantry.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

"Half-brother, Double the fury" -- The Haldbrüder were full-fledged members of the Order, but ranked lower since they took only half the oath (they didn't take the chastity vow). Still, their zeal, fanatism and martial prowess match their higher ranking brothers. Being usually members of minor noble houses, they can afford horses and finely crafted armours, and as such serve as medium shock cavalry, trampling over lesser enemies while the Ritterbrüder engage the enemy elite troops. Since their armours aren't as heavy as the ones used by the Ritterbrüder, they are better at flanking the enemy and fighting against the fast Lithuanian cavalry.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

"I... do profess and promise chastity, giving up all property, and obedience to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary and to you...Master of the Teutonic Order, and to your successors, according to the Rules and Regulations of the Order. And I will be obedient to you, and to your successors, even unto death." -- The Ritterbrüder are the highest ranking members of the Teutonic Order, taking an additional vow of chastity: usually members of great German noble houses, these men fear no enemy, both in politics and on the battlefield. Armed and equipped with the finest products of the Empire's most renowned blacksmiths, the Ritterbrüder ride into battle atop powerful steeds, pride and joy of generations of breeding.Their charge can shatter all but the most stubborn pike formations, and usually their enemies don't even try to resist, breaking formation in a desperate attempt to flee their doom, only to be trampled upon by their stallions. The Ritterbrüder however aren't invincible, as all this armour makes their charge quite slow: as such, light skirmishers can safely shower them in arrows and javelins, only to retreat when the Ritterbrüder try to chase them. Thus, they must be supported by light troops, otherwise they might find themselves cornered and taken out one by one by a cunning foe.

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

This fearsome artillery piece is the pinnacle of late Medieval gun engineering. With greater range, damage and accuracy than all the guns that come before it, no enemy emplacements nor troops can stand up to its fearsome bombardment

Strengths & weaknesses

• Ordinary Unit

Description

Resembling the iron bowl from which it gains its name, the Mortar was created to lob shots over intervening walls. Useful in dealing with units skulking behind walls for protection, or to whittle away besieging troops outside your own walls. The mortar's capabilities makes it an excellent siege weapon for both attacker and defender.