User manual GAMES PC MEDIEVAL II - TOTAL WAR

SEGA PC DISC ­ NOTES ON USE HEALTH ISSUES Use this software in a well-lit room, staying a good distance away from the monitor or TV screen to not overtax your eyes. Take breaks of 10 to 20 minutes every hour, and do not play when you are tired or short on sleep. Prolonged use or playing too close to the monitor or television screen may cause a decline in visual acuity. In rare instances, stimulation from strong light or flashing when staring at a monitor or television screen can cause temporary muscular convulsions or loss of consciousness for some people. If you experience any of these symptoms, consult a doctor before playing this game. If you experience any dizziness, nausea, or motion-sickness while playing this game, stop the game immediately. Consult a doctor when any discomfort continues. CONTENTS HAIL COMMANDER! WELCOME TO MEDIEVAL II: TOTAL WAR! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 INSTALLATION . . . . Requirements . . How to Install . . Installation Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................................5 ......................................5 ......................................5 ......................................5 ......................................5 ......................................5 ......................................6 ......................................6 ......................................6 ......................................7 PRODUCT CARE Handle the game discs with care to prevent scratches or dirt on either side of the discs. Do not bend the discs or enlarge their center holes. Clean the discs with a soft cloth, such as a lens cleaning cloth. Wipe lightly, moving in a radial pattern outward from the center hole towards the edge. Never clean the discs with paint thinner, benzene, or other harsh chemicals. Do not write or attach labels to either side of the discs. Store the discs in their original case after playing. Do not store the discs in a hot or humid location. STARTING MEDIEVAL II: TOTAL WAR The Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . Single Player Menu . . . . . . . . . Multiplayer Menu. . . . . . . . . . . Load Game Menu . . . . . . . . . . Options Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . HELP, ADVICE & THE TUTORIAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Learning How to Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Tutorial ­ "Hands On" Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Your Advisors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Receiving Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Advice Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Asking for Advice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Using Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 CAMPAIGNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Grand Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Starting a Grand Campaign. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 PLAYING THE GRAND CAMPAIGN . . How to Win a Campaign . . . . . The Campaign Map View . . . . Moving the View . . . . . . . . . . The Control Panel . . . . . . . . . The Review Panel . . . . . . . . . The Mini-map Panel. . . . . . . . Starting Play - Your First Turn . Before Ending Your First Turn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................................9 ......................................9 ......................................9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Medievel II game discs contain software for use on a personal computer. Please do not play the discs on an ordinary CD player, as this may damage the headphones or speakers. * Also read the manual of your personal computer. * The game discs may not be used for rental business. * Unauthorized copying of this manual is prohibited. * Unauthorized copying and reverse engineering of this software is prohibited. EVENTS & MISSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 What Are Events?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Your First Event Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Who Gives Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Mission Rewards & Penalties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Faction & World Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Historical Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 CHARACTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Characters of Medieval II: Total War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Viewing Character Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Military Class Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 1 Generals . . . . . . . . . . . . . Captains . . . . . . . . . . . . . Admirals . . . . . . . . . . . . . Agent Class Characters. . . Priests/Imams . . . . . . . . . Diplomats . . . . . . . . . . . . Princesses. . . . . . . . . . . . Spies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assassins . . . . . . . . . . . . Merchants . . . . . . . . . . . . Character Attributes . . . . . Improving Your Characters Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Retinue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 15 15 15 16 16 17 Armor Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Upgrading Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . Weapon Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Guilds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Faction-Specific Buildings . . . . . . . The Settlement Details Scroll . . . . . The Trade Scroll & Trade Resources. Converting Settlements . . . . . . . . . City Upgrading & Conversion. . . . . . Castle Upgrading & Conversion . . . . USING AGENTS . . . . . . . . Using Merchants . . . . . Using Priests & Imams. Using Spies. . . . . . . . . Using Assassins. . . . . . Using Diplomats . . . . . Using Princesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 31 31 31 31 32 32 33 33 33 USING ARMIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Total War Armies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Who Commands in Battle? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Unit Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Forming Armies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Moving Armies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Merging Armies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Splitting Armies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Merging Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Unit Experience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Hiring Mercenaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Building Forts & Watchtowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Picking Your Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Setting an Ambush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Attacking with an Army . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Using Reinforcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Multiple Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 USING FLEETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Total War Fleets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Who Commands in Naval Battles? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Moving Fleets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Using Fleets as Transports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Merging & Splitting Fleets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Attacking with a Fleet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Blockading Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Trouble at Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 RUNNING SETTLEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 What do Settlements do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 How Do I Manage a Settlement? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Settlements on the Campaign Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 The Settlement Scroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Understanding Cities & Castles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Castles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 The Governor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Constructing Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 The Building Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Repairing Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Recruiting Units, Ships & Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 The Unit Information Scroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Recruitment Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Retraining & Upgrading Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Upgrading Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 RELIGION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Religion in Medieval II: Total War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Spreading Your Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 The Pope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Excommunication & Reconciliation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 The Papal States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 The College of Cardinals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Papal Elections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Election Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Special Religious Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 CRUSADES & JIHADS . . . . . . . . Crusades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Requesting Crusades . . . . . . Joining or Leaving a Crusade Crusading Army Effects . . . . Ending Crusades . . . . . . . . . Jihads. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 DIPLOMACY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 The Diplomacy Scroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Demeanor ­ Reading Their Reaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Making Proposals & Declarations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Proposal Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Proposal Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 MANAGING YOUR EMPIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 The Faction Overview Scroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 The Diplomacy Overview Scroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 The Family Tree Scroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 New Family Members. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 The Faction Rankings Scroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 The Rosters Scroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Your Job as Faction Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 How to Make Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Rebellion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 How to Deal with Loyalty & Rebellion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 BATTLES IN MEDIEVAL II: TOTAL WAR How Battles Work in Total War . . The Battle Deployment Scroll . . . Attackers & Defenders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 2 3 How to Win Battles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Deploying your Units for Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Placing Units During Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 The Battle View & HUD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 The Battlefield View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 The Battle Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 The Battle Review Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 States & Effects on Units in Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 The Battle Mini-map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 The Battle Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Morale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Routing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Factors that Reduce Your Morale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Factors that Increase Your Morale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Ways to Attack the Enemy's Morale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Fatigue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Giving Orders ­ Moving & Attacking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Multiple Selections, Grouping & Formations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Selecting & Ordering Multiple Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Using AI Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Using Formations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Attacking other Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Using Special Abilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Taking Prisoners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Battle Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Prisoner Ransoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 SIEGES & SIEGE BATTLES . . . . . . . . . Launching a Siege . . . . . . . . . . . . Victory in Siege Battles . . . . . . . . Using Siege Equipment & Artillery Capturing Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Defending in Siege Battles . . . . . . Sally Battles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Defensive Fortifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 HAIL COMMANDER! WELCOME TO MEDIEV II: TOTAL WAR! AL Medieval II: Total War is a truly epic strategy game that puts you in charge of one of the powers of the Middle Ages, allowing you to lead your soldiers on the field of battle, as well as plan the expansion of your empire across the Old World. Unlike most other strategy games, Total War games separate the action of battle from managing your empire's affairs. These are the battle and campaign sides of the game respectively. Medieval II: Total War offers the complete warfare experience, with realistic battle mechanics and historical accuracy. You will need to master the same tactics that actual field commanders used in real combat situations, and you will do it with exactly the same sorts of troops, armor and weapons that took to the field of battle in the Middle Ages. This is the time of great leaders such as Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. This is the time of noble knights, mighty castles, acts of chivalry, religious crusades and deadly treachery. This is your time to conquer the world! INSTALLATION Requirements Please make sure your computer system uses either Windows XP or Windows 2000. Medieval II: Total War is not compatible with earlier versions of Windows, or non-Windows operating systems. Medieval II: Total War also requires the latest DirectX 9.0c compatible drivers for your DVD drive, sound card and video card to operate at its best. If you have any problems running the program, older sound or video drivers are the most likely cause. How to Install · Before installing, close all other applications. · Insert Medieval II: Total War DVD 1 into your DVD drive. If you have Autoplay enabled, the title screen will display shortly after inserting the DVD into your drive. If Autoplay is not enabled, simply double-click on My Computer and then double-click on your DVD Drive to launch the game installer. On the title screen click the Install button to begin the installation process and then follow the on-screen instructions. · After Medieval II: Total War is installed, your computer will install Microsoft DirectX 9.0c drivers (if you do not already have them). When DirectX installation is complete, you may need to restart your computer for the new drivers to take effect. For more information on DirectX 9.0c, see the relevant Help file. · Now you can run Medieval II: Total War from the Start menu or by clicking Play on the DVD title screen. Please note that the game requires you to have a Medieval II: Total War DVD in your DVD Drive at all times in order to play the game. Installation Key Your copy of the game comes with an installation code, which should be located inside the case. When you install the game you will need to type in this key. Your installation key is unique and without this key, you will not be able to play the game. Please enter the key exactly as it appears on the case. Keep your installation key safe and private - do not give it to anyone else as this may impair your ability to play multiplayer games. HISTORICAL BATTLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Playing a Historical Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Winning a Historical Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 CUSTOM BATTLES . . . . Choosing Conditions. Customize Battle . . . Selecting Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 MULTIPLAYER BATTLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Setting up a Multiplayer Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 The Multiplayer Lobby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Using Chat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Hosting a Multiplayer Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 CREDITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 STARTING MEDIEV II: TOTAL WAR AL The Main Menu · Single Player ­ This will take you to the SINGLE PLAYER MENU from which you can start a Grand Campaign, Custom Battle, Quick Battle or play a Historical Battle. · Continue Campaign ­ This will automatically load your last saved campaign game/auto-save and allow you to continue your conquest. 4 5 · Multiplayer ­ Accesses all of the multiplayer modes available. For detailed instructions on getting started with multiplayer, see the Multiplayer Battles section of this manual. · Load Game ­ Allows you to load saved campaigns, custom battles and battle replay movies. · Options ­ Adjusts the options available for Video, Audio and Game Controls. · Quit ­ Exit Medieval II: Total War and return to Windows®. Any options that you cannot currently access will be "greyed-out" until you can use them. To quickly quit the game hit the ESC key on your keyboard. Single-Player Menu · Tutorial ­ The recommended way to start playing Medieval II: Total War! This will guide you through how to play the game. · Grand Campaign ­ This begins your epic conquest of the Old World as the ruler of one of the great powers of the Middle Ages. · Custom Battle ­ Fight the battles you want to fight, the way you want to fight them. Choose the place, the conditions, the rules, the armies and create your dream battle scenarios. · Quick Battle ­ Instantly teleports you to a battlefield where a pre-assembled army awaits your command. You must adapt your tactics to the troops you have been given to become victorious. · Historical Battle ­ This gives you a chance to relive the greatest battles of the medieval era. An opportunity to prove that you yourself could have defeated the superior French army at the Battle of Agincourt. Clicking on the "Back" button located in the bottom left corner takes you back to the main menu. This option will be available in many of the menu pages. Alternatively, you can press the ESC key on your keyboard. Multiplayer Menu · Online Battles ­ With an internet connection in place, you will be able to test your skill against other aspiring strategists across the world using the GameSpy® engine. · LAN Battles ­ This option will allow you to battle your friends across a Local Area Network connection. All users will need a copy of Medieval II: Total War on their computer. · Player Name ­ This is your game name/call-sign that is displayed within LAN and Online battles. · Email Address ­ This acts as your register to play online and across a LAN. · Password ­ For a secure gaming experience, your password is used to protect your account; this stops other players from using your account online or across a LAN. DO NOT give out your password; it should be kept private! · Visit www.totalwar.com ­ Here you'll find information, hints and tips for your game, downloads, and links to our user forums. Load Game Menu · Load Campaign ­ This will load any saved games that you have made while playing in the Grand Campaign. This will also include your auto-saves that are created at the end of your last turn. · Load Custom Battle ­ This allows you to load your saved preset custom battles and your last quick battle. You are able to save your settings for custom battles when setting them up in the custom battles menu. · Load Battle Replay ­ Loading replays will allow you to watch your victories or defeats. While viewing your replay file you are unable to affect units in the battle but you are able to speed up and slow down the battle. This is a great way to learn from your mistakes or savour your victories. Saved games can be made throughout different parts of the game. Campaign save games can be created while on the campaign map. Battle replays can be made at the end of each battle. Custom battles have more saving options that will be explained in a later section of this manual. Options Menu · Video Settings ­ This contains all your game settings in regards to your graphics and overall look of the game, for advanced visual options click on the "Show Advanced Options" icon under Graphical Quality. · Audio Settings ­ This contains all your sound settings. Use the sliders to adjust the various sound levels in the game. · Keyboard Settings ­ This lists all the game shortcut keys for the camera, battles, campaigns and other miscellaneous controls. To save/load your new keys click on the "Load/Save Settings" button. If you want to revert back to the game default keys click on the "Restore Default Settings" button. · Game Settings ­ Use the sliders to adjust your in-game camera movement speed - left being slower and right faster. This menu also contains an adjustment for your game unit size, which increases or decreases the amount of units your armies have on the battlefield. Another feature allows the user to play with minimal UI to view more of the battlefield. · View The Credits ­ This will present you with the list of the fine men and women that made this game. Some "Video" and "Audio" settings will be able to be changed via the in-game options panel. This is accessible by pressing the ESC key and choosing the relevant menu option. HELP, ADVICE & THE TUTORIAL Learning How to Play Medieval II: Total War provides a very deep strategy experience with countless options. To ensure that you can focus on ruling your empire rather than reading this manual repeatedly, there are three features to explain how things work: · The Tutorial · Your Advisors · Help Buttons The Tutorial ­ "Hands On" Lessons The first option in the Single Player Menu takes you to the Medieval II: Total War Tutorials ­ The Norman Conquest, a Prologue that comes in two parts. Starting off is the "Battle of Hastings" where you will receive lessons on how to fight battles in Medieval II: Total War. Then secondly, "The Norman Conquest," where you will receive hands-on lessons on how to control your empire in a campaign including two siege tutorials, one for a city and one for a castle. It is very strongly advised that you play through both parts of the Tutorial before starting a Grand Campaign. Your Advisors Like any medieval king or sultan, as the ruler of a vast realm you will have advisors to assist you through your reign in Medieval II: Total War. Since there are very different skills to master on the battlefield compared to planning your strategies across the campaign map, you have two different advisors to assist you: · Sir Robert is your trusty battle mentor. He will give you advice on how to use the battle controls and, more importantly, alert you to situations that arise in battle that require your attention. Listening to Sir Robert is a sure step on the path to victory. · Lady Gwendolyn is your voice of wisdom when controlling your faction on the campaign map. She can advise you about settlements, recruitment, your empire, diplomacy, religion 6 7 and anything else you deal with in the strategic side of Medieval II: Total War. Receiving Advice When an advisor has something important to tell you, their portrait will appear on a small panel in the top left corner of the screen. The message will also appear as text in a speech bubble beside their portrait. Sometimes at the end of that speech bubble is a checkbox ­ click on it if you wish to avoid hearing advice on that topic again in future. You can reset all the advice being blocked in the Game Settings, by hitting the ESC key during the campaign. The controls that surround the advisor's portrait are: The magnifying glass button will show you the location that is relevant to the advice being offered. Click on this button to have the advisor demonstrate how to carry out an action in the game. They'll take you through a step-by-step process so you can see how a part of the game works. This Advisor Speech & Text button toggles between offering advice as speech & text, text only, or speech only. The X button dismisses an advisor, closing the Advisor Panel. The panel will return when new advice is being brought to your attention. Advice Preferences You can adjust the amount of advice you receive before starting a Grand Campaign or during a campaign in the Game Options. You will find these settings when starting a Grand Campaign. · Turn Advice Off - Stop the advisors from appearing on screen at all. The only exception is when you actually request help or advice. · Only Vital Info ­ Your advisors will only give you warnings and vital status updates. · Get Me Started - Your advisors will give you enough help to play the game, but give you room for your own experimentation. · Tell Me Everything ­ Your advisors will provide detailed instructions and explanations of most aspects of the game as you play. Asking for Advice The Settlement Scroll has an icon of the advisor that you can click to receive a construction or recruitment suggestion. If you are unsure of what to recruit or build next in a settlement, you can click on this button for help. The advice given will be determined by whether the player has selected the Construction Panel or the Recruitment Panel. Using Help Throughout Medieval II: Total War you'll see a "?" button on scrolls and information panels, typically in the top-right corner. Click on this to bring up help information about the relevant part of the game ­ This help will arrive via your advisor. Campaign is a truly epic achievement ­ they generally take days, or even weeks, to complete. Starting a Grand Campaign From the Main Menu, select Single Player, then select Grand Campaign. Before you start playing, you must select a faction. This is also where you decide on any special settings you'd like for this particular campaign. Once you've adjusted the settings for the campaign you are about to play, click on the "Next" button in the bottom-right corner of the screen to begin! The campaign settings & options include: · Campaign Rules: Choose between short and long victory conditions. Conditions vary from faction to faction. · Advice Level: Determines amount of advice given in the campaign. · Difficulty: The higher the difficulty the more effective AI-controlled factions are, and the more other factions will take offence to diplomatic transgressions. · Battle Difficulty: The higher the difficulty, the more effective AI controlled opponents are in battle. · Manage All Cities: Selecting this will allow you to manage cities without having a governor in residence. · No Battle Time Limit: Selecting this will remove the time limit from campaign battles. · Show CPU Moves: Selecting this will track the movement of armies and characters visible to the player during the CPU factions' turns. PLAYING THE GRAND CAMPAIGN How to Win a Campaign Your main goal in the Grand Campaign is to expand your empire by conquering regions of land, either near or far. Your secondary goal will be to either take control of a certain settlement or wipe out an opposing faction. That secondary goal will depend upon whether or not you selected to play a long (standard) or short campaign. Let's look at understanding what's in front of you at the start of the campaign to get you on the road to conquering the world! The Campaign Map View The first time you play the Grand Campaign, your campaign advisor Lady Gwendolyn will give you a tour of your lands, and show you some ideal targets to strike at first. After her tour, you will have control of the campaign map view yourself, and this is your basic window to the world in Medieval II: Total War. You will see that the campaign map has all sorts of climates and terrain types over it and that the lands are divided into different regions, marked out by borders. The colors of the borders show you which faction controls the land. Firstly, these are the following things you will see around the campaign map as you play Medieval II: Total War: · Settlements. These appear as either cities or castles on the map, with a name plate. The amount of filled color on the banner above the settlement indicates the power of the force garrisoned within it. · Armies. These appear as a military figure with a banner above them. The amount of filled color of the banner above the army indicates its overall power. Command stars beside an army represent the experience of the General leading it. · Agents. These include all the non-military character types such as Spies, Assassins, Priests, Merchants, Diplomats and Princesses. Some types of agent are always controlled by the CPU, such as Heretics, Witches and Inquisitors. · Resources. Around the map you will see various trade resources out in the countryside. These show what goods can be exported from the region they are in and also where CAMPAIGNS The Grand Campaign The Grand Campaign is the "main game" of Medieval II: Total War, where you not only lead your armies into battle, but also manage an entire empire. These two things are handled quite separately ­ You take your time planning where to send armies and managing the affairs in your realm. However on the field of battle, you need to react swiftly and decisively to any threats or opportunities. Your overall goal in the Grand Campaign is to lead your people to become the most dominant empire in the world, seeking to control a huge area of land, and either have control of a certain region or outlive a particular opposing faction. Victory in the Grand 8 9 Merchants can stand to earn trade bonuses. · Sea-Crossing Points. At various points around the map there are green arrows that represent points land-based armies can cross without a fleet. · Dark Areas. These represents areas of the map that your faction cannot see, due to not having a character close enough to show who or what is there. The completely black areas are totally uncharted. Moving the View You can move your view of the campaign map in the following ways: · Move the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen to move the view in that direction. · Use either the arrow keys or the 1, 2, 3 & 5 keys on your numeric keypad to move the view in the appropriate "compass point" direction. · Use your mouse wheel (or + & - keys if no mouse wheel present) to zoom the view in and out. · Click on the mini-map (bottom left of screen) to instantly move the view to that location in the world. You can also get more information about what you see in the area you're viewing by: · Mousing-over a character or object to receive more information in a pop-up tooltip. · Right-click-and-hold over the map without a unit or settlement selected to get confirmation of what sort of terrain is at the cursor's position. The Control Panel In the bottom right of the screen you will find the Control Panel ­ This is where the basic controls and information for the campaign can be accessed. · Faction Shield button. Click on this to open a panel that has information on your faction, your relations with other factions, and if you're playing as a Catholic faction, information on the Pope. · Selection Information & buttons. The currently selected army, settlement or character will have its name displayed here. Click on the buttons on either side of the information to cycle through selectable settlements and characters. End Turn button. Click on this button to end your turn, while the number beneath it shows the current turn number. The Review Panel Display Area is the large area below the tabs. This display area changes based upon which of the tabs you have selected. For example, if you have the "Army" Tab selected, you will see military units. If you have the "City" tab selected, you will see the buildings within a settlement. The main way to use the review panel area is to right-click on any card in the panel area to get an Information Scroll on that unit, building or character. The Mini-map Panel In the bottom left of the screen you will find the Mini-map Panel ­ This is where you can quickly look to see what faction owns each region that your own faction can presently see. It is also where you will find the Missions button. · + and - buttons. Click on these two buttons to zoom the mini-map display in or out accordingly. · Missions button. Click on this button to open up the Missions Scroll. There you will find a record of all current missions your faction is undertaking (see below). · The Mini-map. Click on the panel to center the campaign map view on that location. Starting Play - Your First Turn The part of Medieval II: Total War that is played on the campaign map is turn-based ­ simply meaning that each faction in the game takes turns moving its armies and managing its settlements and affairs before the next one does. This means you can take as long as you like to plan out your moves on the campaign map; there is no time limit at all. Each turn you will usually do the following things (all detailed in later sections of the manual): · Check your event messages · Move armies and fleets, attack with them · Move agents, use their skills where appropriate · Recruit units in settlements · Select buildings to construct in settlements · Check that your settlements are free of problems · Work towards completing a mission You · · · · · will also sometimes have the need to do other things like: Engage in diplomacy with other factions Hire mercenaries outside of a settlement Upgrade the armor or weapons of your units Repair buildings and retrain units Combat Heresy · · Construction button. Click on this when a settlement is selected to open up a scroll with its construction options. Click on this with a General selected outside of a settlement to build a fort or a watchtower. · Recruit button. Click on this when a settlement is selected to open a scroll with its recruitment options. Click on this with a General selected outside of a settlement to hire mercenaries. · Finances button. Click on this to bring up your faction's Financial Details Scroll. The number beneath it shows your current treasury amount. The Review Panel In the middle of the bottom of the screen you will find the Review Panel ­ This is where you can see what units, buildings, agents and fleets are in a given location. This is where you will transfer units in and out of your armies. At the top of the panel you will see the Review Panel Tabs: · Army/Navy Tab. Click to see what units are in the currently selected army/navy or settlement. Right-click to open up the Military Forces Roster to list all of your faction's armies. · City Tab. Click to see what buildings are in the currently selected settlement. Rightclick to open up the Settlements Roster to list all of your faction's cities and castles. · Agents Tab. Click to see what non-military characters are in the currently selected army or settlement. Right-click to open up the Agents Roster to list all of your faction's agents. · Fleets Tab. Click to see what ships are in the currently selected fleet or settlement. Before Ending Your First Turn There are lots of things you can do, even in the first turn of the game. Details on all of your options are covered in the following sections of the manual, but here is a quick overview of wise things to do before considering hitting the End Turn button: · Look for idle armies and agents that you may wish to use this turn. You can do this quickly by using the selection buttons on your Control Panel. · Check for settlements that have an empty construction queue or recruitment queue. You can do this quickly on the Settlement Roster Scroll. · Look for foreign armies and agents that could threaten your settlements or armies, and ensure that you are prepared for what they might do. 10 11 EVENTS & MISSIONS What are Events? In Medieval II: Total War, events are reports relating to things happening within your faction, or news from around the world. These events arrive as square icons that drop down the left side of the main display area, which you then click on to get the full message ­ Which could be anything from information about a declaration of war, news on a natural disaster or announcements of royal weddings. There are literally hundreds of events in Medieval II: Total War to face as a ruler in the medieval era. To use event icons: · Click to open an event icon to see the full description of whatever has happened. · Right-click on an event icon to dismiss it. Your First Event and Mission The first event icon that appears when you start a campaign is a mission ­ That mission will be given to you by your Council of Nobles to take control of a nearby Rebel settlement within a certain number of turns. All missions have a time limit. Important Tip: Completing missions is always optional. However ignoring them means failing them, and sometimes there is some sort of penalty for failure. You can always check on your current missions by clicking on the Missions button in the corner of the Mini-map Panel to view the Missions Scroll. Who Gives Missions? Missions can come to you from several sources, and they may vary in importance to how you're managing your faction. The sources of missions are: · Council of Nobles. These missions are essentially advice from the nobility of your realm as to what they believe would be in the best interests of your people. · Guilds. Guilds are essentially trade powers and knightly orders that will interact with your faction throughout the game, depending on what you build and promote in your realm. Their missions will typically involve their "trade." · The Pope. Catholic factions will receive orders from the Pope. As you would expect, he takes your success or failure in the missions he gives personally. · Faction Heirs. You may be approached by the successor to another faction's throne, asking that you help speed up his ascension to power by killing his current Faction Leader! Mission Rewards & Penalties When you complete a mission, there is always a reward that comes with it. Not all missions have a penalty for failure, but any mission that does will have the penalties detailed in the Missions Scroll. It is always wise for you to assess what the rewards or penalties will mean for your current plans for your faction, and what effort will be required to complete the mission. If something happens that would prevent you from being able to complete the mission, it will be cancelled ­ this does not count as failure. Rewards may include things such as: · A financial reward · A bonus unit · Improved relations with another faction Penalties may include things such as: · Excommunication from the Catholic Church · Having an Inquisitor sent to your lands · A deterioration of relations with another faction Faction & World Events Most messages are going to be reports about things that have happened in your faction, such as what units were recruited, what buildings were completed, family members that died or a mission to undertake. You will also receive news of diplomatic happenings, such as declarations of war, or an announcement that some foreign power has become the richest kingdom in the world. Reading these messages will help ensure that you are aware of things going on both within your borders, and far beyond them as well. Historical Events Sometimes a message will be about a discovery in the world, or an event that heralds new possibilities or problems. An example would be the discovery of gunpowder, which is arguably the most important advance in the history of military technology. Some historical events will just prove to be amusing, interesting or terrifying, but ensure that you read these messages to be informed of new opportunities that arise as the game progresses. CHARACTERS Every figure seen on the campaign map is a "character," and they fall into two basic classes: military characters and agents. Using these characters will be explained in the Using Armies and Using Agents sections of this manual, but here you will learn their role and how to read information on a specific character. Viewing Character Information When you double-click on any character on the campaign map, or right-click on their card in the Review Panel, you call up a scroll that has information on the selected character. Here you can access all the key information about this individual. The Character Information Panel details include: · Name: The character's name, which may alter depending on their title, or an epithet they are known by. · Age: The character's age in years. Nobody lives forever. · Character Class: This shows what type of character it is. · Attributes: The names of the attributes are listed on the left, with the meters to the right filling with images as the attribute is higher. More on attributes below. · Retinue: The personal followers and items that go wherever the character does. These affect the character's attributes. · Traits: Traits can be everything from physical characteristics, to a representation of experiences and natural abilities. These can be positive or negative, and they affect the character's attributes. Military Class Characters These are the characters that appear as soldiers or ships on the campaign map. Their use is covered in Using Armies. Generals Available to: All factions Role: Commands armies and governs settlements Generals are the most important characters in your faction, as they are the only ones who can recruit mercenaries, build field structures and govern settlements. They also have a positive effect on troops being led into battle. The way you use them will greatly 12 13 determine what sort of leaders they will become and what their strengths and weaknesses will become. Generals that weren't bribed to join your faction are considered to be a part of your "Family Tree" and can become successors to the throne of your empire. Captains Available to: All factions Role: Temporary commander When an army has no General a Captain from within one of its units will step forward to lead the army. Captains do not earn traits from accomplishments in battle unless they are promoted to a General ­ something that may be offered to you during play. Armies led by a Captain are more prone to bribery from foreign Diplomats. Admirals Available to: All factions Role: Naval commander Admirals command a fleet of ships in battle, and can develop their combat ability in the same way that a General can ­ by winning battles. They cannot govern a settlement like a General; they are a purely naval commander. Agent Class Characters These characters are specialists that perform tasks away from the battlefield. Mastering their use can help to ensure that aspects of your faction's workings such as religion, trade and diplomacy all run smoothly. Priests / Imams Available to: All factions Role: Preaching and Denouncing Priests and Imams are religious men who ensure that their people's faith is spread throughout their lands. They are also the only characters aside from assassins that are capable of dealing with Heretics, except they perform a heresy trial, rather than a physical attack. Diplomats Available to: All factions Role: Diplomacy Diplomats are refined men who are sent to negotiate with foreign dignitaries. Although Princesses can also enter diplomacy, only a Diplomat can attempt to bribe a foreign army, settlement or character, and are thus extremely useful for wealthy factions. Princesses Available to: Catholic and Orthodox factions Role: Marriage and Diplomacy A Princess is a member of the ruling family of her faction, whose main ability is to marry a General. This can be as part of a marriage alliance to a Faction Heir, an attempt to "steal" a foreign General or to marry someone within her own faction. She can represent her people as a Diplomat. Spies Available to: All factions Role: Espionage and Propaganda Spies are intelligence operatives that are capable of moving undetected by foreign forces. Their main task is to infiltrate foreign settlements, where they will report on the buildings and garrison behind the walls. When within an enemy settlement, Spies inspire unrest in the population, and may also help disable wall defenses. Finally, Spies are also the most effective character at spotting other hidden agents. Assassins Available to: All factions Role: Elimination and Sabotage Assassins are similar to Spies in that they have a good chance of moving and operating undetected, except that their job is to directly target a person or building for elimination. Assassination attempts are considered an act of war. Merchants Available to: All factions Merchants are men who serve your people by traveling to far off lands to find resources and establish a lucrative trade route back to your capital. Merchants can attempt to put a foreign Merchant out of business ­ however this does not count as an act of war, nor does entering foreign lands. Character Attributes The attributes shown on the Character Information Panel are your most direct means to assess your characters' weaknesses. Command Used by: Generals and Admirals This is a measure of a General's ability to lead troops in battle and the higher his Command rating, the better the morale of his troops and the greater his ability to rally his troops who are routing (see Routing). Piety Used by: Priests/Imams and Generals This shows how devout a character is seen to be. For Generals this affects the happiness of settlements he governs and his chances of surviving an inquisition. For Priests, it affects how effectively they convert the populace to their religion, as well as their chances of denouncing a Heretic or Witch. Chivalry / Dread Used by: Generals This shows how honorable or dishonorable this man's actions in both rule and war may be. Letting prisoners go free, showing bravery in battle and abstaining from taxing the people harshly are examples of chivalrous behavior. Executing prisoners, exterminating large numbers of people and ruling oppressively are examples of dreadful behavior. Dread generals can cause fear to inspire a morale penalty in their enemies, while chivalrous generals can inspire a morale boost in their own troops. Chivalry and dread also have an effect upon the population of a settlement governed by a General with either attribute. Loyalty Used by: Generals This shows how seriously this character honors their role of servitude. During the course of Medieval II: Total War there will be numerous situations that will test the loyalty of your Generals, and the higher this attribute, the more likely they shall honor their pledge to you. Authority Used by: Faction Leader This shows the amount of respect commanded by a Faction Leader. A Faction Leader with high Authority is more likely to retain the loyalty of his Generals, while a leader with low authority is more likely to face rebellion. Charm Used by: Princesses This shows how effective this woman is at swaying those she deals with. The higher a 14 15 princess's Charm, the more effective she is in diplomacy, and the more likely she will be to successfully convince a General to marry into her family. Influence Used by: Diplomats This shows how effective this man is at convincing others to accept diplomatic proposals during negotiations. The higher a Diplomat's Influence rating, the more effective is his diplomacy. Subterfuge Used by: Spies and Assassins This shows how effective this man is at performing acts of stealth and espionage. For Spies it affects their ability to infiltrate an enemy army or foreign settlement undetected. It also determines how much unrest they cause via propaganda once behind the walls, as well as their chances of opening the gates in a siege. For Assassins it effects their ability to successfully eliminate a target marked for assassination or sabotage. Both Spies and Assassins use Subterfuge to remain unseen from other characters, as well as spot hidden foreign agents. Finance Used by: Merchants This shows how efficient this man is with money and trade. It affects a Merchant's ability to acquire a foreign Merchant's assets, and also the amount of income generated from standing on a trade resource. Improving Your Characters As your characters do things in the campaign, they will begin to develop traits and gain followers as they either succeed or fail. Sometimes they will develop traits just as a result of sitting around or being in a certain environment. With both logic and observation, you should be able to see a connection between what you do with your characters, and what sort of traits they develop. Leave a General in a town with a big tavern forever and he'll eventually turn to drink. However, pro-active behavior is the way to develop positive traits and gain more useful followers. There are literally hundreds of things that can lead to receiving traits, followers and items. Here are some examples of them: · Hereditary traits, both through bloodline and the parents' beliefs. · The outcome of a battle · Personal involvement in battle · Getting married · Succeeding or failing at agent missions · How you have Governors manage their settlements · Completing certain missions · Building certain buildings · The environment the character lives in Traits Traits can come in several different forms. It is important not to think of these as abilities earned but side effects of the character's life up until this point. Your involvement with your characters' traits comes in making decisions as to where they will be and what they will do. If your characters develop negative traits, the best way to deal with them is to either acknowledge it as a weakness of the character or attempt to redeem themselves with positive actions. Examples of types of Traits: · Physical characteristics · Personal beliefs · · · · Leadership styles Experience in an activity Insanities Fears and hates Retinue A character's retinue is their entourage of followers, as well as their personal belongings that they keep with them on their journeys. Some of your followers and items can be transferred from one character to another by clicking on the item or individual and dragging them onto the portrait of another character. Of course, there are some items that characters will not part with, and there are followers who simply will not be told who they will accompany. USING ARMIES Total War Armies Your armies are your primary weapon in the Medieval II: Total War campaign. Each army contains 1-20 military units that move and fight together. When you select an army on the campaign map, you will immediately see what units it contains in the Review Panel. Things to know about armies on the campaign map: · Click on an army on the campaign map to select the entire army. · Any gold stars to the left of the army show the Command rating of the general in charge (0-10); the more stars, the better the General is at leading in battle. · The banner color and symbol shows the owning faction. · The darker color that "fills" the banner from the bottom shows the strength of the army. The stronger the army: the more of the banner will be filled from the bottom. · There are certain things that armies led by a Captain cannot do. Only armies led by a General can hire mercenaries and build fortifications. Who Commands in Battle? The commander of an army is determined by the following rules: · The General with the highest Command rating is the Commander. · The only exception is when the Faction Leader is present, he is always the Commander, regardless of his Command rating. · The commanding General's unit card will be marked with a gold star. We will cover commanding armies in battle in Medieval II: Total War Battles ­ this section covers forming armies, and using them in the campaign map. Unit Types There are several different classes of unit on the battlefield, and it is vital to understand the basic role that they play. Some types of unit are very effective against other types. It is best to know this before you begin recruiting units. The basic types are: · Light Infantry. These are troops who are lightly armed and armored, and are best used in support roles to attack or defend in unison, rather than be used in an important position in a front line. · Heavy Infantry. These are troops who are heavily armed and/or armoured and are generally good at engaging other infantry. · Spears. These troops are specialized infantry armed with lengthy pole-mounted weapons that are ideally suited to forming a defensive line, especially against cavalry. Their role makes them vulnerable to missiles. · Missile. These are troops who are armed with ranged weapons that can strike enemy targets at a distance. They are usually very vulnerable in hand-to-hand combat. · Light Cavalry. These are mounted troops who are somewhat lightly armed and armored, but extremely swift and mobile. They are excellent at chasing down routing enemies, but poor against spears. 16 17 · Heavy Cavalry. These are mounted troops who are well armed and armore and used as a strong, fast attacking force. They are poor against spears. · Missile Cavalry. These are mounted troops who are armed with ranged weapons such as bows. They are generally poor at melee combat but can hit and run, making difficult targets. · Artillery. These are mobile war machines or cannons that can be used as powerful ranged weapons on both enemy troops and settlement walls and defenses. They are poor at defending themselves and typically require defending infantry to protect them. Forming Armies To form an army, you need to either recruit new troops in a settlement or hire mercenaries with a general outside of a settlement. Troops can be pulled together from multiple places and merged together to form a larger, more capable army. Tips on how to have a balanced army: · Always try to have a mix of infantry, spears, missiles and cavalry. This will ensure you have a unit to counter whatever the enemy sends at you. · When first building an army, start with infantry. Most missile, cavalry and artillery units are poor at standing their ground without help. Tips on how to produce an army for a special purpose: · If you're creating a siege army, include artillery units capable of destroying walls. This is more reliable than building siege equipment during siege. · If you're creating a defensive garrison, missile units are extremely effective from walls and can be defended with little infantry. · If you're looking to capture prisoners, ensure you have multiple cavalry units to make chasing down routers easier. Moving Armies Select an army by clicking on it. Once selected, there are numerous ways to move the army, some involving attacking or merging with other armies: · The highlighted area shows every place in the game world that the army can move during the current turn. All actions (moves and attacks) cost movement points, and as these are used the distance an army can move for the remainder of the turn will reduce. · Right-click on the spot where you want an army to go. A large arrow will show the proposed route for the army. · Right-click-and-drag to show the route changing for an army as its destination changes. · Right-click on an enemy or neutral army or settlement to attack it. The cursor will change into a sword to show that an attack is possible. Attacking a neutral army or settlement is a declaration of war on that faction. See Battles in Medieval II: Total War to learn about how to command in battles. · Right-click on another of your faction's armies (not an ally!) to merge the selected army into the stationary one. There are further details about merging armies that are covered below. · Right-click on a friendly settlement (not an allied settlement) to merge the army with the settlement garrison (if any). The army will move into the settlement, and if the army has a General and the settlement doesn't have a Governor, then the General will be automatically appointed as the new Governor. See the Running Settlements section for more information. · Red highlighted areas are in enemy zones of control, which means that they are adjacent to an enemy army. Movement in red highlighted zones is restricted. Armies cannot move directly between red spaces on the map. They must move away from their enemies (or neutral armies) before marching back into contact. · Right-click beyond the green highlighted area to set a multi-turn movement order. The route will be shown as normal, except with a multi-colored line, with each color representing one turn's movement. The army will move as ordered unless its path is blocked or is given new orders. · Armies that can move no further will have no highlighted zone around them when selected. They will kneel to show their resting state. · Armies are also shown as kneeling figures when they are hidden in woodland terrain and ready to ambush any passing enemies. Merging Armies Move an army onto another friendly (same faction) army or settlement to merge the two forces. It may be useful to merge units before attempting to merge two armies. You can't merge units at the same time as merging armies. · The general with the highest Command rating is always in charge of a merged army. When an army led by a Captain is merged with a General's army, the Captain is reduced to the ranks and disappears. · If fewer than 20 units in total (in both armies) are involved, then the merging process is completely automatic. If there are more than 20 units (total, in both armies) involved in the merging, then the Merge Armies Scroll will appear. · Select the units in either army that you wish to move to the other army. You can make multiple selections holding down the CTRL key as you click. · Some units may be greyed out. These have already moved as far as they are able this turn, and therefore cannot move (merge) to another army. · Click on the transfer arrow button in the middle of the scroll once you're happy with the army compositions. You can also drag-and-drop units between the two armies on this scroll. · Once you are happy with the merged armies, click on the "tick" button in the lower right hand corner of the scroll. Splitting Armies There will be times when you need to take some units out of a large army or garrison and send them elsewhere ­ This is splitting armies. · Select the units you wish to move using their unit cards in the Review Panel in the center of the Control Panel at the bottom of the screen. · You can use the SHIFT and CTRL keys while selecting to make multiple selections. Hold down the CTRL key and double-click on a unit card in the review panel to select all the units of that type. · Move the cursor to the spot you want the selected units to go, then Right-click to order them to move there. · You can also drag-and-drop the selected units from the review panel to an appropriate location in the game world. · In both cases, the new army that is breaking away from the original one will appear next to the force it is leaving and march to the new location. Merging Units After battles, there is a strong chance that you will have taken some casualties, and not all of your units will have their full compliment of men in them. Even if a unit has only a few men remaining, it will still take up one of your 20 unit slots, and may be too small to engage effectively anymore. To deal with this, you can merge two units of the same type together. · Click-and-drag one unit onto another in the Review Panel, and the two will merge. The men in the unit being dropped are added to the target unit. 18 19 · The dragged unit may vanish if all its men are used in this way. Any "spare" men remain in their original unit. · You can auto-merge depleted units in an army by pressing the M key. Important Tip: Be aware that the experience rating of the two units being merged will be averaged out in the process. Unit Experience The number and color of the chevrons on the unit card in the Review Panel show unit experience. A unit with experience can be relied on in combat, and will usually beat an otherwise identical unit. Chevrons can also be gained by units under Generals with high Command values or as a result of good training facilities (buildings). · No chevrons indicate that the unit has little or no battle experience. · Bronze chevrons show that the unit has some experience in battle. · Silver chevrons show that the unit has much battle experience and is composed of highly experienced soldiers. · Gold chevrons show that the unit is full of veterans of field warfare who can always be relied upon. Hiring Mercenaries An army led by a general can hire mercenaries when outside of a settlement. Using mercenaries can be somewhat expensive, however they offer you immediate support away from a friendly base. Click on the Recruit Mercenaries button in the Control Panel (it replaces the Unit Training button that shows when a settlement is selected). When there are no mercenaries available the button is greyed out. · This brings up the Army Details Scroll, showing the General and the list of available mercenaries. · Click on any mercenary unit to select it and add it to the "queue" of mercenaries to be hired. You can deselect a mercenary unit for hiring by clicking on it once again. · Right-click on a mercenary to bring up details about the unit. · Click on the "Hire all queued units" button at the bottom of the scroll. Forts can be extremely useful in defending strategic "choke points" such as mountain passes: an enemy will have to lay siege to the fort before he can advance. It's even possible to build a "wall" of forts to isolate an area. Picking Your Ground An important thing to note about the campaign map in Medieval II: Total War is that the terrain that you see is very much a reflection of what you'll see in the battle map when two armies do battle there. If you position your army on hills and an enemy army attacks you, you will have the opportunity to position your troops on hills ­ a reliable defensive tactic. Some unit types are less effective in certain terrains, while others are more effective. For example, a unit of archers can fire further when shooting from higher ground, but are very ineffective when firing at a target in the woods. Finally, positioning troops next to a friendly or allied army will see them join as reinforcements during battle should one ensue. See Using Reinforcements below. Tip: When you have no unit or settlement selected, right-click-and-hold on the campaign map to check what the terrain type is at that point. Setting an Ambush When an army is moved into "Woodlands" terrain, it can become hidden from the enemy ­ This is considered being placed for an ambush in Medieval II: Total War. The ambushing army will attack any enemy army that moves next to them, without giving them an opportunity to position their forces before battle. Attacking with an Army When you have an army selected right-click on the enemy army or settlement you wish to attack: · The most important piece of information is the Balance of Power in the center of the scroll. When you move the cursor over the crossed swords you can see the odds for the coming battle. · The Battle Deployment Scroll will appear. This gives a breakdown of your forces and the enemy arrayed against you. · Reinforcements from adjacent armies are also shown here. See Using Reinforcements, below. · Click this button to fight the battle for yourself, taking control of your units on the battlefield. This gives you the most control and is ­ we think ­ the most fun! · Click this button to have the CPU fight the battle out automatically for you and give a result. Casualties may be heavier than if you fight the battle for yourself, and you cannot protect your General from harm, so he may be killed. · You can cancel your attack. When you do this your army will withdraw to a nearby location. · If you're attacking a settlement, then this is dealt with in the Sieges & Siege Battles section of the manual. Using Reinforcements Reinforcements can join an attack. When a battle is auto-resolved, their strength is simply taken into account. When a battle is fought out in detail, they will actually join the battle in some context: · When one army attacks, any other friendly army (yours, or belonging to an ally) that is adjacent to the army or settlement under attack can be reinforcements. · The army that attacks is the one that you control directly. Make sure that your forces are all in the red zone of control of an enemy army, or cancel the attack and then move up another army to act as reinforcements before entering battle. Things that affect what sort of mercenary units are available: · The region of the world the general is in. · Recruiting on the coasts allows the hiring of mercenary fleets. · Being on a Crusade or Jihad - some units will only join a General on a religious cause. Building Forts & Watchtowers Only an army under the command of a General can build watchtowers and/or forts. When this is not possible this button is greyed out. · Clicking on the Construction button brings up the Field Construction Scroll. From here you can select either a Watchtower or a Fort - Each has a cost associated with it. · Watchtowers are permanent structures that you can erect in your lands to give your faction a better view of incoming foreign armies and characters. · Forts require a garrison to remain in play. If it is empty and does not have a garrison at the end of any turn it will fall into disrepair and be removed from the campaign map. · Forts do not actually belong to any faction. If one faction constructs a fort and leaves it empty, another faction's forces can move into the fort and take it over ­ be aware this is a declaration of war. · A General can build as many watchtowers and/or forts as you want in a single turn, limited only by movement points (his ability to move to a new site). 20 21 · Any adjacent army that is commanded by a General or a Captain can be placed under AI control on the battlefield by clicking on the checkbox next to the "AI control" icon. This will see that army arrive as one complete force on the battlefield. · Any adjacent army that is not under AI control will give the player total control of the reinforcements that arrive. Remembering that there is a limit of 20 units per army, reinforcements will appear as and when a "slot" in your army is available, either through casualties or because a unit has run away. · Reinforcements on the battlefield always appear from a direction that matches their position on the campaign map. Multiple Attacks You will notice that most times when you defeat an enemy army that they retreat a few steps rather than vanish. It is very important to be aware that your armies are capable of attacking multiple times per turn, provided that they have the movement points required to do so. Thus instead of allowing a defeated army to scamper away to rebuild itself and bother you later, you can move in to attempt to wipe the force from the map. Using Fleets as Transports If you want an army or agent to board a fleet, you will have to bring them to the shore to do so. Select the land-based army or agent and move the cursor over your fleet. The cursor will change to a boarding symbol to show that this move is possible. · Right-click to confirm the boarding order. From now on, movement orders to the fleet will include its passengers. · To disembark passengers, select the fleet and then right-click on a coast. Everybody aboard a fleet will then disembark at this spot. Any and all agents will be attached to a disembarked army. · If you want to partially unload a fleet select the units or agent(s) in the review panel, and then right-click on the campaign map on the coastal area where you want them to disembark. Merging & Splitting Fleets To merge two fleets, simply move one fleet to the location of another. If the two fleets have more than 20 ships in total then you'll be asked to decide exactly which ship ends up in each fleet. In every other case one large fleet of 20 or fewer ships will be created. Keep in mind that you cannot merge two Admirals into one fleet if one of them has earned a Command star. If you wish to split a fleet, select the ships you want to form a new fleet in the Review Panel and then drag-and-drop them to the destination for your new fleet. They will automatically leave and a new admiral will be appointed for the new fleet. Any passengers stay with the original fleet. Attacking with a Fleet As previously stated, all naval battles are auto-resolved, meaning all you need to do is select a fleet and set them towards the enemy. To start a naval battle, click on your fleet to select it, and right-click on the fleet you wish to attack. · Fleets that lose ships in combat will lose any military units or characters that the lost ship(s) happened to be carrying. · The Command rating of the fleet's Admiral influences its fortunes in battle. · After combat the losing fleet will either sink or pull away from the victorious enemy. Blockading Ports It is possible to blockade an enemy port and cut its trade links with the outside world. The blockaded faction will not receive sea-trading income each turn that the blockade is in force. · Select a fleet, then right-click on the port you wish to blockade. A barrier will be placed around the port to show that a blockade is in force. · You can lift a blockade at any time by moving your fleet away from the port. · You can break enemy blockades by successfully attacking the blockading fleet. Victory will break the blockade. Trouble at Sea Aside from the fleets of enemy factions, there are two major perils at sea ­ pirates and storms. Pirates are Rebel ships that will aggressively assault your own forces. Storms however can cause fleets to lose entire ships, and any military units they are carrying on those ships will be completely lost as well. Although the effects of a storm are less severe in shallower waters, avoiding them altogether is the only truly safe way to deal with them. USING FLEETS Total War Fleets The naval ships that you see on the campaign map seas are fleets. Each fleet has an Admiral, who has his own Command rating for combat at sea. Fleets engage each other in the same way that armies do, only that the battle is always auto-resolved. Fleets serve two other very useful roles aside from assaulting enemy fleets: · Transporting. Fleets can be loaded up with a full army and agents to take them to distant shores they otherwise cannot reach. · Blockading. Fleets can be used to close the passage into foreign ports, cutting off the sea trade of the settlement in the same region. Who Commands in Naval Battles? As stated under "Admirals" in the Characters section, there can only be one Admiral per fleet ­ So he always commands the fleet. The basic things to know about Admirals are: · Admirals earn Command stars from winning naval battles, improving their performance in future conflicts. · Once they earn a Command star, Admirals cannot merge with another Admiral. Moving Fleets Fleets move much like armies, but there are a few key differences due to the nature of being at sea. After you have selected a fleet: · A green movement area will surround it. The fleet can move to any point within this zone during its turn. Coastal squares will be included in this zone when there are passengers on the fleet, as they could disembark into one of these land squares. · Red spaces in the movement zone are adjacent to enemy fleets. · You can order a fleet to move beyond the green zone, in which case it will remember its orders and a colored line shows where the fleet's headed. Each color segment shows a turn's worth of movement. · The Review Panel in the center at the bottom of the screen will change to show the ships in the fleet along with characters and military units on board. · The movement rate of your fleet changes as they enter deeper or shallower waters. Travel around the shallows is much quicker and safer. · At the beginning of the game, no faction has a ship capable of making ocean voyages. This will change with certain events during the game, and eventually the following ships will become available to make such a journey: Baghlah, Caravel, Carrack and Grande Carrack. 22 23 RUNNING SETTLEMENTS What do Settlements do? In the Grand Campaign, settlements serve as both military training centers, as well as your money-making machine. They form the central population centers from which you will recruit men into service, tax the populace and establish an infrastructure to support trade. There is always one settlement per region, representing the civil center for that area of land. Medieval II: Total War allows the owner of a region of land to maintain their settlements as either cities or castles ­ with the ability to change between the two, with certain limitations. You will need both cities and castles in your realm if you are to be successful, as they both play very different roles. How Do I Manage a Settlement? Firstly, to properly manage a settlement, you need to install a General to serve as Governor (unless you selected "Manage All Cities" in the Grand Campaign settings prior to starting). If you do not do so, you will not be able to control any of the following tasks that are involved with properly managing a settlement: · Recruit units for your armies, and agents for your non-military tasks. · Construct new buildings, which will improve various aspects of your setlement's workings and capabilities. · Adjust the tax rate in cities to ensure that they generate as much income as possible for your faction. · Retrain units, to replenish their ranks and also upgrade their weapons and/or armor if the right buildings are present. · Repair buildings that may have been damaged by siege attacks, rioting or ominous disasters of terrifying proportions. · Keep control of public order. If you do not do this, you will face the prospect of riots and possibly even a rebellion in the settlement. All of these things will be explained throughout this section of the manual. Settlements on the Campaign Map Cities and castles are represented on the campaign map with a figure that looks appropriate for the size, type and culture of the settlement. Each settlement has its own label that includes basic details about the settlement's status. These details are: · Settlement Name - The top line includes the name of the settlement, and will also show an appropriate icon if it is suffering from revolt or the plague. · Income - The number beside this icon shows the income generated by the settlement each turn. A negative value means that the settlement is actually running at a loss. · Public Order - This icon shows the overall happiness of the settlement population: Green ­ happy, Yellow ­ content, Blue ­ disillusioned, Red ­ rebellious. · This icon shows whether or not the population of the settlement is increasing in numbers or not: Green - Indicates the population is growing, Amber/Orange Indicates the population is stable, Red - Indicates the population is falling. This is a matter of concern. · This icon appears if a unit is being trained in the settlement. Green indicates training is in progress, Red indicates the recruitment queue has stalled. · This icon appears if a building is being constructed or repaired in the settlement. Green indicates construction is in progress, red indicates the construction queue has stalled. · This icon appears if the settlement is being auto-managed. The Settlement Scroll Regardless of whether it is a city or a castle you wish to examine, to view it's Settlement Scroll, double-click on the settlement on campaign map. Here you will see the Governor Panel at the top of the scroll, followed by the basic details and settings of the settlement, and then finally the Recruitment / Construction Panel. The basic details displayed for settlements are: · Income. The amount of florins this settlement is generating for your treasury per turn. · Public Order. The percentage shown here represents what level of public order is being maintained, with 100% being considered stable. The further this drops below 100% the more likely the settlement is to experience rioting, or possibly even rebellion (losing the settlement to Rebels). The higher this is above 100%, the happier the population is with their situation. · Population. This is the number of people living in the settlement, and has a direct effect upon upgrading all cities, and some castles. · Population Growth. The percentage shown here represents the current population growth, or decline per turn. A settlement with high population growth will be able to be upgraded sooner. · Automanage. Click on the checkbox to put the settlement's building and/or construction tasks under CPU control. · Tax Rate. This shows the current level of taxation on the people in the region: Low, Normal, High, and Very High. Only cities can have their tax rate adjusted - Use the arrows to cycle through the settings. Higher rates yield more tax income for your treasury, but also result in a direct drop in public order. · Race Settings. Certain Islamic factions create facilities to support horse racing festivals. Use the arrows to adjust how often the races are held ­ More frequent races improve happiness, but cost money to hold. Understanding Cities & Castles Cities and castles are very different sorts of settlements, but the way you improve them is identical ­ by constructing buildings. The difference lies in what buildings you can construct within the two different types of settlement. Being able to choose where your cities and castles lie can be very useful, and the smaller ones can be converted to the other type of settlement. Note that it is very important to understand that if you intend to convert your settlements in the future ­ some types of buildings do not belong in both settlement types, and therefore won't survive a conversion. There will be more on constructing buildings and converting settlements below. Firstly it is necessary to understand how the two different settlement types work. Cities Cities are settlements that revolve around supporting trade and a large population. In fact, it is population that drives these places - When a city reaches a high enough population it will be ready to grow into a larger settlement with the construction of better walls. Inside cities you will find constructions such as inns, markets, town halls, religious buildings, and schools of alchemy. Aside from bringing wealth to your realm, these buildings offer access to agents that can be of great use to your faction's cause. Cities provide the benefits of: · The ability to set the tax rate for the region as desired. · Several types of buildings that support and improve trade income. 24 25 · · · · Buildings that spread your faction's faith greatly. Buildings that allow you to recruit spies, assassins, priests, diplomats and merchants. Buildings that allow the recruitment of militia and siege artillery. Free upkeep for some militia units while garrisoned. Cities come with the problems of: · Public unrest leading to riots, or even rebellion. · Corrupting Governors with a wealthy environment. · Usually lacking in buildings to recruit cavalry and missile infantry. · Only one defensive wall for sieging forces to breach. City upgrading works as follows: City Size Village Town Large Town City Large City Huge City Population Required 400 2000 6000 12000 24000 Wall Required to Upgrade N/A Wooden Palisade Wooden Wall Stone Wall Large Stone Wall Huge Stone Wall · Governors with a high Piety rating are better at reducing disorder caused by religious unrest and provide an influence bonus to the public order of the settlement. · Governors with a high Chivalry rating provide an influence bonus to the public order and population growth of the settlement. · Governors with a high Dread rating provide an influence bonus to the public order of the settlement. · Governors can also have traits and retinue that improve various aspects of how the settlement functions, detailed in their tooltip displays. · The General with the highest Piety rating will be installed as Governor. The people generally prefer to serve under a man of faith ­ They are both spiritually sound and generally educated as well. Constructing Buildings Settlements are a collection of buildings and the way to develop and improve your cities and castles is to construct various buildings and facilities. This is done by clicking on the tab labelled "Construction" to open the Construction Panel. · Click on the Construction Tab to see what buildings are available for construction. · The number of different buildings shown in the Construction Panel depends on the type of settlement, the size of the settlement and what you have already built there. · Right-click on a building in options or the Construction Queue to bring up the relevant Building Information Scroll to see what benefits you will receive from the available construction options. · Buildings with construction costs that are beyond your treasury are greyed out, but can still be added to the queue for construction when funds become available. · Click on a building in the Construction Panel to add it to the Construction Queue. If you can afford the buildings, and there are no other items currently waiting to be built, the cost of the building is immediately deducted from your treasury. · The leftmost building in the queue will be shaded to show that work has begun, and the number of turns until completion is shown. The shading is gradually removed as progress is made over a number of turns. · Click on a building in the Construction Queue to cancel the construction order. Any allocated funds are automatically returned to your treasury. · Buildings in the Construction Queue are completed in left-to-right order. You can alter the order of construction work by dragging-and-dropping the building pictures until you are happy with the construction order. · Some buildings can only be constructed if you are approached by a guild, or a knightly order. The Building Browser At the bottom of the Settlement Scroll is a button that will open up the Building Browser. This is where you can find all the information you need on all of the things you can construct. The Building Browser is split into two parts - the left panel provides an image display showing what buildings of the currently selected building type are available with the different sizes of settlement. The panel on the right is where you can see all the building types that are available in a city or a castle, depending on which tab you have selected. · The settlement images on the left show what level your settlement is currently at. Greyed out items represent the sizes your settlement can grow to later. · The building images beneath the "City" heading show which levels of this type of building type are available in a city. Greyed out items represent buildings you have yet to construct. Right-click on any building image to see its Building Information Scroll. Castles Castles are military settlements with strong defenses that oversee the surrounding lands, collecting the taxes at a set rate with a rigid regularity. This makes them the ideal place to train men for military service, and make a stand. Castles can be upgraded to a larger size that can play home to more effective structures, simply by constructing the next level of castle in the Construction Panel. That is until you wish to upgrade to the two highest castle sizes, "Fortress" and "Citadel". These also require a certain population already in the settlement before you can construct them. Castles provide the benefits of: · Naturally high public order. · Very strong defenses, including multi-ring walls at the higher levels of castle size Castles come with the problems of: · Not being able to adjust the tax rate. · Usually lacking in buildings that improve trade. · Usually lacking in buildings that recruit agents such as Spies, Assassins, Diplomats and Merchants. · Usually lacking in academic buildings. Castle upgrading works as follows: Castle Size Motte & Bailey Wooden Castle Castle Fortress Citadel Population Required 4500 9000 Defences Keep only 1 Wooden Wall 1 Stone Wall 2 Stone Walls 3 Stone Walls The Governor Your Generals take on a very different kind of leadership role when you move them into a settlement to become its Governor. His Command rating may be what makes a General capable on the battlefield, but it is actually his reputation for Piety and Chivalry or Dread that will make him a better man for the job. 26 27 · The building images beneath the "Castle" heading show which of this type of building are available in a castle. Greyed out items represent buildings you have yet to construct. Right-click on any building image to see its Building Information Scroll. · If a building image does not have an equivalent building in the other type of settlement for that settlement size/level, then the building will have to be destroyed if you choose to convert the settlement. · When this icon is colored, it shows that you can currently construct this type of building in your settlement. · When this icon is greyed out, it shows that you cannot yet construct this type of building in your settlement. · The types of buildings that you currently have constructed in your settlement have their name shown in black in the panel on the right. · The types of buildings you have not yet constructed in your settlement have their name shown in a lighter shade in the panel on the right. Repairing Buildings Buildings can be damaged through rioting, natural disasters and siege assaults. It's quite possible to damage a town without taking it and, the longer an assault takes, the more "collateral damage" is done during the battle. Repairing buildings works in a similar fashion to new Construction. The cost of repairs is usually substantially less than the cost of a new building, both in terms of cash and time. · Click on the Repair Tab to see what buildings require restoration work. This will be greyed out if no buildings are damaged. · Instead of being presented with Construction Options, there is a collection of Buildings Needing Repair. · Click on any damaged building to add it to the Construction Queue. It can be draggedand-dropped in the queue, and clicked to cancel the work as described above for new construction work. Recruiting Units, Ships & Agents To form armies, construct ships and enlist the service of agents, you will need to recruit them in a settlement. Recruiting units and agents costs money, which will be deducted from your treasury to cover their training, equipment and starting wages ­ Once recruited, units, ships and agents go into a Recruitment Queue. They will arrive for service in the following turn, so long as they are in one of the recruitment slots. There are several key things to know about how recruitment works before you begin: · Recruitment Slots ­ As a settlement grows in size, it gains more recruitment slots, allowing it to recruit more units per turn. · Recruitment Queue ­ As you select units to recruit they are added to the Recruitment Queue. · Recruitment Pools - Units are recruited from a "pool" of men that are ready to be trained into service, the number in the top-right corner of the unit image represents how many units are ready to be trained right now. When you take men from the pool to recruit a unit, it will replenish back up to its limit over time. · Recruitment Effects Combine ­ If you have two buildings that can recruit the same unit in one settlement, that unit will have a larger recruitment pool limit, and will replenish more quickly. · Buildings Allow Recruitment ­ You will need to construct buildings in order to recruit units. · Agent Limits ­ There is a limit to how many agents, such as Priests/Imams and Merchants, you can recruit. When you construct higher level churches and markets respectively, you will increase the amount of agents you can put into service. You will find these limits on the relevant Building Information Scrolls. To recruit units & agents in your settlements: · Click on the Recruitment Tab to see what units are available for hire on the Recruitment Panel, with the Recruitment Queue shown at the bottom. · Click on a unit in the main section of the Recruitment Panel to add it to the Recruitment Queue. If you can afford to train the unit, and there are free recruitment slots available, the money is immediately spent. The men required to recruit the unit are removed from the pool immediately. · Units with recruitment costs that are beyond your means are greyed out, but can still be added to the Recruitment Queue when funds become available. · Units may also be greyed out if there are insufficient "spare" men in their unit pool to form a unit. Mouse over the unit you wish to purchase and you will receive a tooltip that will advise how long until you are able to recruit this unit again. · All ships are treated as military units, but they appear at the port in the settlement's province. · The leftmost units in the queue will be colored to show that training has begun, and that they will arrive next turn. · Click on a unit in the Recruitment Queue to cancel the training order. The unit will disappear from the queue, and any allocated funds are returned to your treasury. · Up to nine units can be entered into the Recruitment Queue. When the queue is full, all units in the Recruitment Panel will be greyed out and unavailable. · You can alter the order of recruitment by dragging-and-dropping the unit cards. · Right-click on a unit card to bring up the relevant Unit Information Scroll. The Unit Information Scroll This scroll shows information about a given unit. This includes historical background, and the unit's in-game effects, including the all-important training and upkeep costs. The Unit Information Scroll also allows you to disband your units. This saves your faction upkeep costs of the unit. · Click on this button to disband the unit. The soldiers in the unit are added back to the unit pools for the region's settlement. This allows the men to be available for recruitment again if the need arises, although it does "cost" any military experience that the men might have gained. 28 29 Recruitment Buildings If you want to field the best units available to your faction, you will need to know which particular buildings will provide you with the ability to recruit these troops. These three lists below show building types that can always recruit units, types that can recruit agents and finally some factions that get bonus recruitment from some types of buildings. Buildings types that recruit units: · Walls ­ Cavalry units · Castles ­ Knight (Cavalry) units · City Barracks ­ Militia Infantry and Gunpowder units · Castle Barracks ­ Infantry units · Ranges ­ Missile units · Stables ­ Cavalry units · Siege ­ Artillery units · Gunsmiths ­ Cannon units · Military Academy ­ Special Elite units · Horse Racing ­ Cavalry units · Plaza del Toro ­ Cavalry units · Knights Templar ­ Knight (Cavalry) units · Hospitaller Knights ­ Knight (Cavalry) units · Teutonic Knights - Knight (Cavalry) units · Knights of Santiago ­ Knight (Cavalry) units · Hashashim's Guild ­ Special Infantry units · Woodsmen's Guild ­ Special Missile units · Masons' Guild ­ Special Militia Infantry units · Merchants' Guild ­ Special Cavalry units Building types that recruit agents: · · · · · Churches/Masjids ­ Priests/Imans Inns ­ Spies and Assassins Markets ­ Merchants Town Halls ­ Diplomats Academy (castle) ­ Spies, Diplomats and Assassins Armor Types These are the levels of armor available to units, and also the Smith building required to upgrade to that armor level. Armor Types Unarmored Padded or Leather Light Mail Heavy Mail or Breastplate Partial Plate Full Plate Advanced Plate Smith Building Required None Leather Tanner Blacksmith Armorer Heavy Armorer Master Armorer Armor Factory Factions that can gain special recruitment options from certain buildings: · Holy Roman Empire ­ High level Town Hall buildings · Milan ­ Town Hall · Venice ­ Town Hall · Turks ­ Town Hall · Russia ­ Town Hall · Hungary ­ Assassins' Guild and Inns · Denmark ­ Churches Upgrading Weapons There is only one level of weapon upgrade capable for any given unit. To upgrade a unit's weapon, you simply need to have the right kind of building present, and not already have the upgrade. Weapon Types These are the types of weapons that can be upgraded in settlements ­ If you want to check to see what weapon type a unit has, you'll find it listed on its Unit Information Scroll. Weapon Type Melee Gunpowder Troops Cannons Artillery Weapon Upgrade Building Swordsmiths' Guild Alchemists' Lab Alchemy School University The Guilds In Medieval Times, the guilds used their widespread influence to regulate trade throughout the western world. Each guild represents a particular trade, study or order ­ such as the Masons' Guild, Theologians' Guild or the Knights Templar. · All guilds offer benefits. You can look in the Building Browser to see which guilds are available to your faction, then check the benefits that come with each guild available on their Building Information Scrolls. · Some guilds are only available to certain factions. The Knights of Santiago for example are specific to Spain and Portugal. · Guilds are "invite only." Guilds approach you about constructing a guild house in your settlements. They are more likely to offer to do this if you support their trade or cause. · Guild Houses and Minor Chapter Houses. These are the lowest ranks of a guild building, and cost 1000 florins to build. They can exist in any settlement in your faction. · Master Guild Houses and Major Chapter Houses. These are the second ranks of a guild building, and cost 2000 florins to build. Only one can exist in any given faction's lands. · Headquarters. These are the highest rank level of guild building, and cost 3000 florins to build, but offer incredible benefits. Only one of these will exist in the entire world at any given time. · Keep working for upgrades. You will need to continue to support your guild's interests to receive an offer to upgrade it to the next rank of building. Thus, only factions that truly focus on something find a guild headquarters in their lands. Faction-Specific Buildings There are a series of special buildings that are only available to a small selection of factions, sometimes even just one, that are called Faction-Specific Buildings. These structures offer benefits that are often unique, and thus, can help their faction to develop an edge in a certain aspect of their empire. For example, the Turks, Egyptians and Moors can all construct Horse Racing buildings to recruit cavalry in cities - a genuine advantage. Retraining & Upgrading Units You can replenish a unit's numbers and ensure that it has the best weapons and armor that a settlement can provide by retraining it. Replenishing a unit's numbers requires that you have a building present that can recruit the type of unit you want to bring back to full strength. Upgrading weapons and armor requires you to have a certain building, have the funds to pay for the upgrade and finally satisfy some other conditions (see Upgrading Armor and Upgrading Weapons). A unit in a garrison is eligible to be retrained if it meets one of the following two conditions: · The unit is numerically under strength: it has taken losses and has fewer men in its ranks than when it was originally trained. Under-strength units that are retrained may have any battle experience diluted by the raw recruits who enter their ranks. · If a unit is able to upgrade it's armor or weapons (see below). Important Tip: Be aware that retraining costs money, and can be quite expensive when you wind up upgrading and replenishing your units at the same time. Upgrading Armor The obvious advantage of upgrading a unit's armor is that it becomes better at taking damage in battle and surviving ­ useful for any unit on the field. · Different units have varying levels that their armor can be upgraded to. The higher the level a smith building is, the higher the level of armor it can upgrade a unit's armor to. 30 31 your faction. This is covered in detail in the USING AGENTS section of the manual. The Settlement Details Scroll This scroll allows you to review the settlement in detail, and see what factors are contributing to the overall Population Growth, Public Order, Income, and Religion of the regions. · For each of these four areas of interest, the positive factors are shown above the negative factors. · The exception to this is that the Religion details show the dominant religion on top, and the breakdown of the minority religions in the bottom row. · Move the cursor over each icon and a tooltip will appear telling you what it represents. Use this information to discover what is preventing your settlement from running at its best. · The other important, perhaps vital, piece of information shown beneath the Religion details is the length of time that the settlement can withstand a siege. This represents the surplus food that the settlement has in storage. · Click this button to bring up the Trade Summary Scroll. This will allow you to see how your settlement is generating taxable income. · Click on this button to make this settlement your capital. This is where all new Generals and reward units from Missions will appear. The Trade Scroll & Trade Resources There are two ways to raise the income from a settlement: one is to change the tax rate (through the Settlement Scroll); the other is to improve the economic structures in a settlement. Taxable trade income is improved by having better traders and markets in your settlements, and by the quality (and number) of connecting routes to other settlements (roads and sea routes). There are three potential generators of taxable income: trade, farming and mining. All of these can be improved by constructing different buildings, although all three also rely on the resources in the province. · Any resources in the surrounding province will be traded automatically, if only within the local settlement. · Mines can be built to extract precious metals that can be seen on the campaign map as metallic resources. These need to be constructed like any other building. · Farms increase the income from farming and the growth rate of a settlement as more food is generated. However, not all regions are equally fertile, so don't expect farms to have the same effects in all parts of the world. That said, a settlement always benefits from farming improvements. · Market buildings in a settlement improve the efficiency of trade, and the amount of money it generates. It will also allow you to recruit Merchants. · A Port (and its subsequent upgrades) allows trade goods to be moved greater distances, with a consequent increase in the value of exports and imports. Ports always appear on the coastline of the region, although they are part of the settlement. They also help train naval units, of course. Finally, landlocked regions cannot have ports. · Sea Trade buildings also increase your overall trade income after you have constructed a Port, and allow more trade fleets to connect to your settlement via the port. · Roads allow trade goods to be carried to neighboring settlements automatically. They also allow the faster movement of armies and agents as well. · Merchants can also be sent to distant trade resources to earn extra trade income for Trade routes are shown on the map as convoys of wagons moving along roads, or as dashed lines between ports. Trade routes can be blocked by enemy armies (including rebels and bandits) on land, and by enemy fleets at sea. Converting Settlements One of your construction options will often be to convert your settlement from city to castle, or vice-versa. This involves re-arranging the basic layout of the settlement defenses, and takes both time and money. It is very important to note several key things about converting settlements: · When a city settlement has grown to become a "Large City," it can no longer be converted to a castle. · Be aware that when you convert a "Citadel," it will convert to a "City" ­ a lower level settlement. · Use the Building Browser to check to see which of your settlement's constructions can exist in both settlement types. City Upgrading & Conversion City Level Village Town Large Town City Large City Huge City Population to upgrade to this Level 400 2000 6000 12000 24000 Conversion to Castle... Motte & Bailey Wooden Castle Castle Fortress No longer possible No longer possible Castle Upgrading & Conversion Castle Size Motte & Bailey Wooden Castle Castle Fortress Citadel Population Required 4500 9000 Conversion to City Village Town Large Town City City USING AGENTS Agents are not military characters, but have their own form of aggressive ability in Medieval II: Total War. For most agents, using their "Active" abilities is as simple as right-clicking their particular target ­ whether it be a city to infiltrate for a Spy, or a General to kill for an Assassin. · Agents move and merge like armies do. · When an agent succeeds or fails when using an ability there is a chance their traits will be adjusted ­ Directly affecting their main attribute (eg. A Spy who infiltrates successfully may see an increase in their Subterfuge rating). It is best to send agents on easier tasks at first to help them develop some experience. · The number of Merchants and Priests that a faction can recruit is limited. Building larger Markets and Churches respectively will raise the limits. · Princesses arrive for service when they come of age. You can check your Family Tree (covered later in the manual) to see when your next noble daughter may be due to begin serving her people. Using Merchants Trading - Passive ability Merchants generate trade income for their faction when they stand on a trade resource on the campaign map, sending the precious goods or minerals back to their faction capital. 32 33 There are several things to know about how trade works: · Checking income per turn. You can see how many florins per turn the currently selected merchant will earn from a trade resource by mousing-over the resource and reading the tooltip. · Finance rating. The higher a Merchant's Finance rating, the more florins they will generate per turn. · Trade rights. Having trade rights with the faction that owns the resource a merchant is trading increases the amount of florins generated. · Resource value. The amount will vary based on the actual resource itself. Resources like gold and silk are valuable commodities. · Distance bonus. The further the closest instance of a trade resource is to a merchant's capital, the greater a bonus he will get to the trade income he will earn from it. Acquisition ­ Active ability Acquisition is when one merchant attempts to forcibly seize the assets of another merchant, putting them out of business. Success means an immediate financial bonus, and control of any trade resource the foreign merchant may be standing on. Failure could either mean an annoyance or the end of the aggressor's career. · Right-click on a foreign merchant to make an Acquisition attempt. The chance of success will be shown on a panel ­ press the Acquisition button to proceed. · A merchant's Finance rating is the primary factor in determining success or failure. · Acquisition is not an act of war, though it may well annoy the faction that you are attacking in this economic manner. Using Priests & Imams Preaching ­ Passive ability Priests and Imams are constantly spreading their faith in the region they are in, which effectively "converts" a percentage of the population from the other religions, over to his faction's religion. · Piety rating. A Priest or Imam's Piety rating directly affects how great a percentage of the population that they can convert. · More is better. Multiple Priests or Imams can work in a region together to convert the population more quickly. · Preaching is not a transgression. Preaching in another faction's lands is not considered a diplomatic transgression or an act of war. Denouncing ­ Active ability Priests and Imams can rid their lands of Witches and Heretics by attempting to denounce them at a trial for Heresy. Success means the blasphemous individual is put to death. Failure to denounce a Heretic can result in him escaping, or converting the Priest into another Heretic. Failure to denounce a Witch can result in the woman escaping, or worse, destroying the Priest. · Right-click on a Witch or Heretic to make a Denouncement attempt. The chance of success will be shown on a panel ­ press the Denounce button to proceed. · A Priest or Imam's Piety rating is the primary factor in determining success or failure. · A Priest or Imam that has traits stating they have some Unorthodoxy is more likely to become a Heretic during denouncement attempts. Using Spies Infiltration ­ Active ability Spies will attempt to infiltrate any army or settlement they are moved into, unveiling information about the target. Success means the information is gathered and displayed immediately. Failure will mean that the Spy will either be driven away before they gather information, or killed in the event that they are caught in the act. · Right-click on a settlement, army or agent to make an Infiltration attempt. The chance of success will be shown on a panel ­ press the Infiltrate button to proceed. · Subterfuge rating. A Spy's Subterfuge rating directly affects their ability to infiltrate a settlement successfully. · If a Spy infiltrates a settlement, they will begin to spread propaganda to instil a small sense of unrest ­ affecting Public Order. · Act of war. Unlike most agent actions, if caught, an infiltration attempt will be counted as transgression. If the spy succeeds however, the enemy is none the wiser ­ secrecy is part of the success. · Leaving voluntarily. Double-click on the settlement your Spy is in, select the Agents tab on the Review Panel, then click on your Spy on the Enemy Settlement Details Scroll. He can be moved out of the settlement as normal. Stealth ­ Passive ability Spies are constantly attempting to remain unseen by other factions, so even though you can see your spies on the campaign map all the time, the other factions cannot. · Subterfuge Rating. A Spy's Subterfuge rating directly affects their ability to both remain hidden, as well as detect other hidden agents, such as Spies and Assassins. · Constant, not foolproof. Even though stealth is a constant effect, it is not foolproof, and there is always a chance of being detected by a foreign character. Using Assassins Assassination ­ Active ability Assassins are capable of targeting any one character on the campaign map for termination, regardless of whether they are out in the wilderness or inside a foreign settlement. Success means the targeted character is killed, and their faction will be unaware as to who was responsible. Failure will mean that the Assassin will either be driven away without completing the job, or killed in the event that they are caught in the act. · Right-click on a settlement, army or agent to make an Assassination attempt. The chance of success will be shown on a panel ­ press the Assassinate button to proceed. · Subterfuge rating. An Assassin's Subterfuge rating directly affects their chances of assassinating a target successfully. · Assassination traits. Some traits that an Assassin can earn will improve or worsen the chances of success for assassination. · Act of war. Unlike most agent actions, if caught, an assassination attempt will be counted as an act of war. If the Assassin succeeds however, the enemy is none the wiser ­ secrecy is part of the success. Sabotage ­ Active ability Sabotage works much like Assassination, except that the target is always a building in a settlement. Success means the targeted building is destroyed, and their faction will be unaware as to who was responsible. Failure will mean that the Assassin will either be driven away without completing the job, or killed in the event that they are caught in the act. · Right-click on a settlement to make a Sabotage attempt. The chance of success will be shown on a panel, if not click on the "Sabotage" tab ­ press the Sabotage button to proceed. · Subterfuge Rating. An Assassin's Subterfuge rating directly affects their chances of sabotaging a building successfully. 34 · Sabotage Traits. Some traits that an Assassin can earn will improve or worsen the chances of success for assassination. 35 · Act of war. Sabotage is an act of war, with similar consequences as described under assassination, should the assassin be caught. Stealth ­ Passive ability Assassins use Stealth in exactly the same way that Spies do (see Using Spies). Using Diplomats Diplomacy ­ Active ability Diplomacy is the act of negotiating with other factions in Medieval II: Total War, and is very different to all other agent actions ­ It is covered in its own section of the manual (see DIPLOMACY). · Right-click on an army, character or settlement to enter diplomacy with them. · Influence rating. A Diplomat's Influence rating has an effect on his chances of making successful proposals during diplomacy. · Able to bribe. Diplomats can attempt to bribe foreigners over into their own faction's service during diplomacy. No other character can do this. · Only Generals, Captains, Settlements and other Diplomats can actually be approached to make a diplomatic proposal. All other character types can only be approached for bribery, and some characters cannot be bribed at all, such as Princesses, Faction Leaders and Faction Heirs. Using Princesses Marriage ­ Active ability This is a special kind of marriage, where the Princess attempts to marry a General ­ either a General from her own faction, or a foreign General. If the General is from her own faction, he will always accept. If she succeeds in marrying a foreign General he will leave his faction to join hers. If she fails, she will either continue to serve her people, or be disgraced and never to be heard from again. · Right-click on a General to make a Marriage attempt. The chance of success will be shown on a panel ­ press the Marriage button to proceed. · Charm rating. A Princess's Charm rating directly affects her chances of making a successful marriage attempt. If the General is from another faction, his Loyalty rating also has an effect on the chances of success. · Princesses cannot attempt to marry Generals from an Islamic faction (Egypt, Turks, Moors) or factions that do not have Princesses. · A General who marries a Princess receives a Loyalty rating bonus, making him less susceptible to bribery and thoughts of rebellion. Diplomacy ­ Active ability Princesses use Diplomacy in exactly the same way Diplomats do, except: · After Right-clicking on a character or settlement from another faction, a list of suitable marriage targets is presented. Press the Enter Diplomacy button on the bottom of the panel to initiate diplomacy instead. · Princesses cannot bribe. Unlike Diplomats, a Princess cannot attempt to bribe other characters during diplomacy. They can however enter a marriage alliance. · Charm rating. A Princess's Charm rating has an effect on her chances of making successful proposals during Diplomacy. RELIGION Religion in Medieval II: Total War Although your victory conditions in the Grand Campaign do not involve any religious goals, religion is something that you must treat with respect, even as the ruler of a vast empire. Faith played an enormous role in both daily life and politics in the medieval era, and this is represented in the Grand Campaign. Your basic concerns with religion are: · Ensuring your religion is dominant in your regions. · Ensuring Heresy does not get out of hand in your regions. · Considering how your actions may affect your relationship with other factions of your religion, or the Pope. Spreading Your Faith To ensure that your lands are free of religious problems, you will need to invest some money in building Churches or Masjids, and also in recruiting Priests or Imams. Churches and Masjids will help their faith spread so that a percentage of the population that follows other religions will change to your faction's religion. Priests and Imams have the same effect in the regions that they stand in. · You can check the religious breakdown of the population of a region by looking at its Settlement Details Scroll. · It can be advantageous to send a Priest or Imam into a region you plan to conquer if the population there has a different religion to your faction. This is not considered an act of war or diplomatic transgression. · A Heretic will spread Heresy in the regions they enter in the same way a Priest or Imam spreads their religion. The Pope The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and the Faction Leader of the Papal States, which are the lands belonging to the Church. As an individual with a huge amount of power, the Pope's personality will have an effect on all of Christendom. He may believe in "holy" war against the people of other religions, or he could abhor violence altogether. He may also be a shining example of righteous beliefs, or corrupted by the power his position has afforded him. It is also important to note that the Pope was once but a humble Priest. The experiences during a Priest's life will have an effect on what sort of spiritual leader he will become should he one day be elected as Pope. · To see an overview of the current Pope, click the Faction button on the Control Panel, then click on The Pope tab at the top of the scroll. · The Pope's age, plus anything known about the Pope's personality can be found beside the Pope's portrait. · Click on this button, left of the Pope's portrait to request that he call a Crusade (see CRUSADES & JIHADS below). · The columns of crosses in the lower part of the Pope Overview Scroll represent the Pope's view of the Catholic factions. The more crosses, the more he respects and admires that faction. Excommunication & Reconciliation The reason that maintaining a healthy relationship with the Pope is so important for Catholic factions is that if he deems that a Catholic Faction Leader is behaving poorly, does not support the faith properly or is actively opposing him, he may excommunicate the Faction Leader in question. When the Pope excommunicates a faction, it is only the leader that he has a problem with. However, this is no consolation for the people of that faction who are still cut off from the 36 37