Scotland (Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms)

Britannia Campaign

Introduction

Scottish emblem as depicted in Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms.

With seemingly more Norwegian forces arriving on his northern doorstep every day, and a precarious relationship with the power hungry English to the south, the Scottish King currently finds himself in a tenuous situation. While the King's wife may be an English princess, it would seem England's desire to conquer Ireland and control Wales has spread their armies thinly about the Isle, therefore if the chance to re-capture former Scottish territories to the south should arise, the King must be alive to the opportunity.

Scotland will also need to consider their diplomatic options when dealing with the Norwegian and English peoples, as it would be unfortunate and potentially fatal for Scotland to become involved in wars on two fronts. As an alternative, an early, pre-emptive invasion of Ireland or Wales may give Scotland the upper hand they need to press on and deal the powerful English a severe blow.

Strengths

Makes excellent use of spears and pikes.

Weaknesses

Lacking in cavalry, and the nobles often prefer to fight on foot.

Territory

• Perth - Large City

  

  The map highlighting Scottish territory from Brittania's faction selection screen.

• Aberdeen - Town
• Dumfries - Town
• Edinburgh - Large Town
• Glasgow - Minor City
• Inverness - Castle
• Stirling - Wooden Castle

Gameplay

Scotland is one of the five playable factions in the "Britannia" campaign of the Medieval II: Total War expansion, Kingdoms. It begins with seven territories in the northern region of Britain. Its default capital is Perth, a large town toward the northeastern coast, just south of the Norwegian castle, Wick. It shares borders with Norway and England, as well as a number of rebel settlements.

In addition to the standard conquest requirements for short and long campaigns in "Britannia," (25 and 35 total regions, respectively) Scotland must hold the specific settlements of Edinburgh, Castle Town, Glasgow, Kirkwall, Skye, and the Isle of Islay. Edinburgh and Glasgow are both Scottish territories from the start, while Castle Town and Kirkwall belong to Norway, and Skye and the Isle of Islay are both rebel holdings. What all of these settlements have in common is that they are all within the borders of modern day Scotland, and are therefore well within reach of anyone playing Scotland in game.

Naturally, anyone playing as Scotland in "Britannia" will want to deal with Norway first and foremost, as they hold two of Scotland's six target settlements, are within reach of the two under rebel control, and begin the game at war with Scotland. Norway's strength lies in its shock infantry, such as the Gotland Footmen, which serves as an effective counter to Scotland's emphasis on spearman class units. Fortunately, Scotland has a wealth of effective defensive units, which can be used to counter this advantage. Scottish archers, while not the best in "Britannia" are more than capable of weakening Norway's armies while they advance. Once they reach your forces, they'll hopefully be easier to keep at bay while you move cavalry into flanking positions, which Norway lacks the proper spear units to deal with, limited only to the subpar spear militia.

After defeating Norway, a number of options lie open to Scotland. Scotland could continue expanding southwards, taking the remainder of its required territory from the kingdoms of England and Wales, and potentially the Baron's Alliance, or it could launch an invasion of the Emerald Isle, which could very well be under total English control at this point, but there's always the possibility that the Irish AI managed to organize itself. There isn't necessarily an objectively better option out of the two, although your decision will likely be influenced by England's attitude toward you, especially if they attempt to invade you before you've subjugated Norway. Regardless of your decision, however, a conflict with England is virtually inevitable.

As is always the case when warring with England in the "Britannia" campaign, one should counter the English emphasis on heavily armored infantrymen by fielding a number of missile or artillery units to weaken them during either side's advance. Your own infantrymen should have an easier time defeating the weakened regiments, or at least holding them long enough for your cavalry to flank them. In addition, one should take full advantage of Scotland's emphasis on spears and pikes to counter English cavalry. The English control a large portion of Britannia, but as long as one keeps their weaknesses in mind, they shouldn't have much trouble conquering them. In addition, it may be within Scotland's interest to form an alliance with the Baron's Alliance, especially during a short campaign, as none of Scotland's target settlements are English territories, or within the reach of the early Alliance.

Should Scotland find itself at war with Wales, you will benefit from fielding armies emphasizing cavalry and heavy infantry. Wales is largely reliant on its light and missile infantry, which are both highly vulnerable to cavalry charges. However, Wales also has a decent selection of spearmen, which the AI tends to take advantage of, so it's generally wise to counter them with other infantry units. As for Ireland, Scotland's emphasis on spearmen makes it a highly effective counter to Irish armies, which generally rely on their powerful cavalry regiments.

Anyone warring with Scotland, on the other hand, would do well to remember that the faction is reliant on its spear and pike units, making cavalry rich armies a poor choice when engaging them. As with engaging the English, it is wise to use missile and artillery units to weaken Scottish forces during the advance, preferably while focusing on their spearmen and heavy infantry. Your own infantry will be more capable of dealing with the weakened units, and holding them for flanking maneuvers by whatever cavalry units you do decide to field against them. Send spear