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No, this does not fit in with my plans.
— Frederick, refusing to attack an enemy

Emperor Frederick is an AI player encountered in Stronghold Crusader and Stronghold Crusader Extreme.

Background

The character is based on the holy Roman emperor, Frederick I Barbarossa who, during the third crusade, allied himself with King Phillip II Augustus of France and King Richard (The Lionheart) of England. Unfortunately during the crusade, Frederick drowned in a river outside of Antioch and would never again see his homeland. With his death, his army panicked and fell into despair. Only a small portion of Frederick's once mighty imperial army survived.[1]

Character

Just like the real Frederick, the in-game character can be considered a true strategist. He is slow and confident, takes his steps very carefully and employs a variety of tactics to bring his enemies on their knees. He is very diplomatic towards both his allies and enemies and does not lose his confidence when he is turning out to be losing. As opposed to his age, Emperor Frederick is not a tired old man, who throws everything away after an unsuccessful attack or two. He is not cruel either and prefers fighting over vengeance. He is not disheartened if his castle towers are destroyed by an enemy, refusing to become distracted by this turn of events.

He is seen keeping his scroll close, with information about the enemy armies and castles and information about his own tactics within reach at all times.

Castles and strategies

Frederick_Castle_Building

Frederick Castle Building

Emperor Frederick is a wise and patient opponent. More than any other AI player, even the Wolf, Emperor Frederick requires a great deal of time and resources to establish himself before becoming a formidable force. Once his castle is complete and his economy is in full motion however, Frederick can get very rich very quickly.

The Emperor runs a very productive industry backed with a robust food production and military force. He mines stone and iron in hefty quantities, as well as he supplies the equipment for soldiers entirely by himself. He also utilizes taxation with heavy popularity bonuses that comes from ale production and high rations.

Frederick's castles are often triangular in shape, surrounding the [keep]] with thin walling and moat, as well as with perimeter turrets with crossbowmen and archers. The upper peak of the fortification usually features a smaller engine fort, housing square towers with additional mangonels. The settlement is not clear of danger however, as there are some random killing pits deployed in various places around.

Frederick's strategical planning also helps him on the battlefield. He usually sends in archers, crossbowmen and swordsmen when attacking his enemies, a formidable force of combined arms. Moreover, several engineers constructing trebuchets also contribute to the attacks. Between sieges, Frederick sends raiding groups of knights in an attempt to demolish farms and other industrial facilities.

Overall Emperor Fredrick's attack pattern is very similar to Lionheart's, however with less coordination (with Tunnelers and less Siege equipment) and no fear factor bonus. He can be considered a weaker attacker but a much better defender and harasser than Richard due to higher number of archers and usage of crossbowmen alongside the knights that make stone supplies sad.

For more details, read here: Emperor Frederick/Strategies

Castles

Dealing with Emperor Frederick

For tips on how to beat Emperor Frederick, see: Emperor Frederick/Counter-strategies

Quotes

For Emperor Frederick's quotes, see: Emperor Frederick/Quotes

References

Stronghold Crusader / Stronghold Crusader Extreme Characters
Stronghold Crusader The RatThe SnakeThe PigThe WolfThe SultanThe CaliphSaladinRichard The Lionheart
Stronghold Crusader Extreme Emperor FrederickKing PhillipThe SheriffThe AbbotThe MarshalThe WazirThe EmirThe Nizar
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