Medieval 2: Total War Heaven

Scotland: Gameplay Information

Scotland rely on their castles for their decent units, as all the Highland units can be recruited from there. The most basic unit the Scots can recruit are the Highland rabble- this motley crew cost 10 florins more than your basic peasant, and have less attack and defence. Their saving grace, however, is the moral- 3 as opposed to 1. Thus, they are the best kind of cannon fodder. It gets much better- Highlanders, the next unit available from a castle, can be thought of as the best light early infantry in the game, with a whopping 11 AP attack, though they suffer from a very poor 4 defence. These guys should be flung at the enemy at the quickest option, helped along by the fact that they can be re-trained easily, and they'll form the main line for much of your game. Behind them and on the flanks the Highland Nobles with their hefty two-handed swords can demolish most things when used right. Perhaps one of the most valuable units to the Scottish player, these should be ideally conserved for battle-winning situations that they're designed to take. Don't waste that 6 charge stat! Scotland also get the average Dismounted Feudal knight, but from a Citadel come the Noble Swordsmen. They're effectively shiny Chivalric Knights, but they have less upkeep (175 instead of 225) and will simply not let you down.

Scotland also have the distinction of having some decent pikes. Highland pikemen and Noble pikemen both come from high-end castles, and while the Highlanders give a surprisingly good account of themselves with higher stats than the average pike militia, it's the Nobles that steal the show. Encased in plate, they should beat Tercio pikemen quite happily with superior defence, though they lose out to the Aventuros of Portugal. Even if you're one of many who can't get pikes to work properly, the Nobles should merit a place in your line primarily for their longevity in battle- provided you don't let them get flanked, of course. From the towns come the Scots Pike militia which is your basic Pike militia, and the Heavy Pike militia- the city's version of the Noble pikes. Though they have lower stats all round, a couple of these in a street or gateway should see off most enemies- a militia from Hell for the Mongols. They're free upkeep, too, so there's no excuse in not having a few in your major cities.

In the archery range, the Scottish player can recruit the normal peasant archers, but also the Highland and Noble archers (Notice a theme with Scotland?) However, don't be fooled- these Highlanders aren't the semi-decent lot of the infantry types. They have poor moral of 3, a missile attack of 5 (with the same range as peasant archers) and a defence four. They do have an AP attack of 7 in close combat, but so do the longbowmen of England, and you wouldn't put them into combat, would you? Thankfully, they're only 320 florins each, so you can chuck them into all kinds of situations if you're short on man power, but you're going to have to wait until you can recruit the Noble Highland Archer unit for any hope of winning the missile duel. Even so, it's going to be a stretch- they still have the range of the peasants, and have one more missile attack than your basic longbowmen (And lack the AP) but they do have a melee AP attack of 9, higher moral and a defence of 12 (Of which 4 is skill, so against missiles that's still a semi-decent 8). Perhaps they would be best thought of as a kind of light infantry with bows if it wasn't for the fact they're recruited from a higher-tier building, but they give a fairly decent account of themselves.

Cavalry is another area the Scots lack. As well as having the terrible merchant cavalry militia (charge 2, moral 3), they also have to cope with having no cavalry units past the Feudal Knights. Nothing. Not even a mounted crossbow unit. Border horse aren't too shabby because of their fast-moving trait, but they have less defence than a mounted sergeant unit of other factions. The Scottish player has to rely on several things with their cavalry- numbers, choosing their battles, the knightly orders or creativity in tactics- often you're limited to the first and last ones! However, the Templars have been known to set up shop in Inverness if you don't convert too many pagans by the time you reach fortress or minor city level, but luckily in multiplayer you can recruit the holy Knights without such hassle.

Table of Contents

• Campaign Overview
• Recruitable Units
• Constructable Buildings
• Back to Faction Information Page

Campaign Overview

A quick glance at the campaign map seems to put Scotland isolated- cut off from the world and allies. In fact, Scotland probably has the most straightforward campaign of them all, as the British Isles form a one way street down into the town centre that is Europe. To start with you're going to have to take out the English- my personal playing style is to go for them straight away while they're still on the same level as you, taking York and down into Nottingham within the first few turns, but other players may wish to secure the rebel Irish and Highlanders West and East respectively. Either way, you've got a fairly decent starting army with enough highlanders to do the job. Your family members will have to form the basis of your hard-hitters, but it's the same for all factions. Using bravery and picking your battles as best as you can, you should wipe the English clean quite quickly- the mercenary Galloglaich found in Scotland and Ireland will easily outclass anything the English have to offer if you can hire them- they're even better than Highland Nobles!

After the Isles are united under St. Andrew's cross, you have the luxury of a choice- finish off the English in Caen and wade into what can easily turn into Total War in France, the melting pot of Europe, or set sail for Scandinavia. The latter has lots of nice resources for your merchants, and has good trade, but will scatter your empire more- besides, Denmark's units are all rather nasty, especially the Huscarls, though your Highlanders are cheaper and have more attack than the Viking Raiders. If you do chose this path, you'll probably want to take the coastal settlements in the Netherlands and north France for some nice sea trade, but the rebels are surprisingly strong- don't go there thinking it's a roll-over.

If you chose the 'interesting' (or 'Suicidal', as some forumers put it) option, you'll need to capture French castles as quickly as you can- the sergeant spearmen can prove to be a pain, and your lack of decent cavalry will mean the French have the upper hand. Watch for the high-attack crossbows, too, but as you reach the south coast you'll find a more deadly enemy- the war machine of Milan will 9 times out of 10 come knocking to ask questions of your light infantry with its crossbows and superior militia. The Holy Roman Empire, too, will be eyeing your lands, but they should be easier to beat back. It is here you stand at a crossroads- play defensive in middle Europe and go for Spain, or show the Italian and German upstarts just why their ancestors never conquered Scotland.

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Recruitable Units

The following table contains all of the units that Scotland can recruit in Multiplayer and Custom Battles. For the Grand Campaign, use the "All" period with the following corrections:

• Units in (Brackets) are mercenaries and therefore cannot be trained in campaign, although any general can recruit them in the field if he has space in his army and there are some available.
• Units in [Square Brackets] cannot be recruited in campaign, they are for Multiplayer and Custom Battles only.
• Units in Italics can only be recruited in certain regions (eg. The New World) or after a certain event (eg. The discovery of gunpowder).

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Constructable Buildings

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