Prussia (Empire: Total War)

Flag of Prussia under a Monarchy

Flag of Prussia under a Republic

Prussia is a major faction in Empire: Total War.

Description

Prussia itself has only been “German” since the 13th Century, when the Teutonic Knights carved out a new Christian state on the Baltic coast. The present Kingdom of Prussia is a new state, the result of a union between the duchies of Brandenburg and Prussia, and it is a Kingdom only because the current ruler, Elector Frederick III has decided to improve his status to that of King! In doing so, however, he has been careful not to offend the Holy Roman Emperor, the Archduke of Austria, and calls himself the King “in” Prussia, not the King “of” Prussia. The form of words is a fig leaf: Frederick is King. And he is the king of a potentially powerful and influential Protestant nation, a centre of gravity within “the Germanies” for all those who would look elsewhere for a lead than Catholic Austria.

The Prussians believe – not without reason – that their virtues as a people can carry them through any trouble: martial discipline, sacrifice, a sense of order, but this sense of duty should not be confused with ignorance or intolerance, no matter what others may say. Prussians have always had to fight, but that has made them competent, not bloodthirsty. They have the potential to become a great continental power thanks to their martial traditions, many of which can be traced back to the Teutonic Knights. These could form the basis of a truly world-beating army. Under the right guidance, they could unite the German-speaking peoples into a single entity, dominate the Baltic and, perhaps, extend their reach far beyond the confines of Central Europe.

General Information

Victory Conditions

Short Campaign

Capture and hold 15 regions by the end of the year 1750, including: Bohemia & Moravia, Brandenburg, Austria, Wurttemberg, Rhineland, Poland, Silesia, Bavaria, East Prussia, Hannover, Saxony, Alsace-Lorraine, Denmark, and West Prussia.

Long campaign

Capture and hold 25 regions by the end of the year 1799, including: Bohemia & Moravia, Brandenburg, Austria, Wurttemberg, Rhineland, Poland, Silesia, Bavaria, East Prussia, Hannover, Saxony, Alsace-Lorraine, Denmark, and West Prussia.

World domination

Capture and hold 40 regions by the end of the year 1799, including: Brandenburg.

Basics at start

• Protectorates – None
• Allies – None
• Trade Partners – Poland-Lithuania, Hannover
• Enemies – Barbary States, Pirates
• Religion – Protestant
• Government – Absolute Monarchy
• Ruler – Friedrich I (King)
• Population – 2,165,685
• Prosperity - Moderate
• Prestige – Weak
• Treasury – 8000
• Technology – Plug Bayonet
• Gentlemen – Gottfried Liebniz (Brandenburg)
• Missionaries – Gottfried Arnold (East Prussia)
• Rakes – Karl Moor (Brandenburg)
• Generals - Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau (Berlin), Alexander zu Dohna-Schlobitten (East Prussia)
• Admirals - None

Europe Theatre

Berlin, Brandenburg

• Starting Buildings – Barracks, Cannon Foundry, Royal Palace, Conservatorium
• Infrastructure - Basic Roads
• Population – 1,216,906
• Wealth – 5783
• Religion – Protestantism 95.0%, Catholicism 5.0%
• Starting Towns/Ports – Mecklenburg Farmland (Peasant Farms), Lussatia Farmland (Peasant Farms), Rostock (Trading Port), Potsdam (Weaver’s Cottage), Magdeburg (College)
• Later Villages/Ports – Wismar (Town), Stetting (Town), Koslin (Town)

Konigsberg, East Prussia

• Starting Buildings – Barracks, Governor’s Palace, Cannon Foundry, Settlement Fortifications
• Infrastructure - Basic Roads
• Population – 948,779
• Wealth – 4051
• Religion – Protestantism 80.0%, Catholicism 20.0%
• Starting Towns/Ports – Masuria Farmland (Not Developed), Tilsit (Craft Workshop Weavers), Tannenburg (Coaching Inn)
• Later Villages/Ports – Memel (Port)

Unit Roster

Prussia has arguably the game's best line infantry, with reloading skill most other nations can only dream of. Prussian line infantry have better charging statistics and morale than average; in exchange, however, they are slightly more expensive to train and maintain. They have slightly inferior melee skills to the very best of their opponents in this regard (Russia and Britain), but this is more than offset by their early access to bayonet technology, as well as slightly better morale and charge bonuses than average line infantry. In addition, Prussia has access to a very generous pool of elite alternatives: 15 superior line infantry, and 6 life guards (superior versions of regular guards). On even hard mode and above, line infantry are easily the best early game choice to recruit, due to their excellence and their relevance in the late game.

In addition to being unusually excellent, Prussian Line Infantry are also initially very cheap, due to a combination of good ruler traits, the Absolute Monarchy government type, and a phenomenally good war minister.

Grenadiers

Prussian grenadiers are heavy troops that are most devastating in the early game but still retain usefulness in the late game. Given the excellent capabilities of Prussia's regular line infantry, grenadiers hold perhaps a smaller place in this nation's army than those of some others; however, Prussian grenadiers possess both superior statistics and cheaper costs than regular grenadiers, making them quite competitive even in this roster. 

Cavalry

In addition to the regular lineup of cavalry most European factions have, Prussia has access to a handful of excellent light cavalry with the DLCs: Bosniaks (superior Uhlans), Death's Head Hussars (light cavalry with very high defensive values), and 2nd Hussars (superior Hussars). Death's Head Hussars are accessible very early on in the game. Unfortunately, all the DLC units are limited to one regiment in most circumstances.

Prussian heavy cavalry, while rather plain in terms of variety, benefit from the fact that their Garde du Corps have higher defensive values than their Household Cavalry counterparts.

Skirmishers

Prussia has some great options regarding light infantry. Prussian Jaegers, their equivalents for Riflemen, can be trained twice as quickly as their counterparts with the only drawback being the fact that they may only be recruited in Brandenburg and East Prussia; Frei-korps are oversize, superior light infantry regiments that can also handle themselves in a melee.

Artillery

Prussia has access to the full standard roster of European artillery, with no strengths or weaknesses to speak of.

Ships

Same as the above, although a viable navy may be difficult to build given Prussia's relatively landlocked position and the hostility of its sea-faring neighbor, Sweden.

Overview

Starting with two isolated regions in eastern Europe and surrounded by aggressive rivals, Prussia is difficult to play as. However, it has the potential to create one of the most well disciplined and powerful armies in the world. Due to the great Prussian military tradition, they have a an early advantage in military technology in the form of pre-researched Plug Bayonets - and a college instead of a school, greatly increasing their initial research rate. Diplomacy is difficult for the Prussians, as their early enemies have many allies.

Prussia could consider attacking Denmark first, as Denmark is militarily frail and possesses valuable lands. However, those who are careless with their diplomacy risk a two front war with both Austria and Poland, as well as the German states. Although such a proposition isn't impossible to overcome, it can severely hamper empire growth.

Due to its poor starting position, Prussia greatly benefits from securing allies. Careful diplomacy is the key to Prussia's ability to prosper in the early game. Since Prussia is on friendly terms with Great Britain, an alliance with the British is beneficial and their army and especially their navy is one of the best in the game. Sweden can also be a potential ally, for they share a similar distaste for Poland-Lithuania, and an alliance secures Prussia's north. Sweden, however, is historically very unfriendly with Prussia, so it may need to be offered a sizable amount of money or other benefits to be coaxed into an alliance. Hannover can be a great ally, at least temporarily, to secure the east and to prevent them from declaring war. Although difficult to achieve, the Ottoman Empire can be a useful ally, being an enemy of Prussia’s enemies, Austria and Poland-Lithuania. Poland-Lithuania itself can be a great ally in the short term, freeing up Prussian troops to concentrate on attacking Austria and the minor German states.

Because Prussia starts out with two unconnected regions, uniting them by taking West Prussia from Poland can be tempting. Before seeking dominance over Europe or any overseas colonies, Prussia can then conquer the surrounding factions to provide a foundation for a German empire. Any attempt to unify the other German states will mostly likely result in a major war as most of them are protected by other major powers.

Trivia

• The flag used by Prussia under Absolute Monarchy or Constitutional Monarchy is the flag of the Kingdom of Prussia which is historically anachronistic as this flag was used from 1892–1918. A more historically appropriate flag would be the 1701-1750 flag or 1750-1801 flag.
• The flag used by Prussia under Republic is the flag of Germany which is historically anachronistic as this flag was adopted in its modern form in 1949 and its earliest historical appearance was in 1848.