| “ | This is too easy! Fight harder! | ” |
| — The Pig, destroying enemy buildings |
Duc Truffe (more commonly known as The Pig) was an antagonist in the Stronghold series, and one of the AI opponents in Stronghold Crusader and Stronghold Crusader 2 downloadable content: The Princess and the Pig.
Biography
When The Pig was abused and starved by his father at a young age for his physical deformity (squashed nose and pointed ears) as such he ran away as soon as able and joined a group of bandits in the back country, proving himself strongest and most cunning among them. He rose to lead the band and began taking the best foods from each raid. He took to overeating, and as a result became morbidly fat. It is unknown how Duc Volpe convinced the king to make the bandit into a Duke. But a duke he became, becoming The Wolf's enforcer on the battlefield. While still not that bright, he is relentlessly aggressive, and displays a low cunning for which he becomes infamous in the games.
He was given control of the kingdom's breadbasket, where he proved a capable, though brutish, administrator. After killing a number of high ranking people during the war, including Lord Woolsack, a bishop, and an Unknown Lord. He was eventually brought to justice by the player and is later seen in flashbacks tied to a post shot full of arrows.
He was survived by his two sons who took their titles from the men that he had killed, Earl Hogsfoot, and Bishop Redham, respectively, resembling his greediness and brutality. They sided with The Wolf when they discovered how and by whom their father was killed. They were eventually captured.
Character
Lacking any concept of etiquette The Pig is usually seen picking his nose or scratching his crotch in plain view of the public. The brute is seldom seen without a cooked animal carcass of some description in one grubby hand and during negotiations he takes delight in ripping off bits of its flesh with his free hand to cram into his mouth. The Pig rarely speaks unless he is barking an order, so he may appear to onlookers as less than bright. However, underestimating him on the battlefield is likely to prove fatal. As a whole the Pig is a greedy leader who places unreasonable taxes on his people.
The Pig has a good sense of humor, much like the Rat, but when under attack, he becomes flustered very quickly. He also enjoys singing, although he is not very good at it. The Pig is not usually cruel to his workers, however his greed can lead to frustrations about their production levels, and if this happens, he can be.
He will however, if he is not doing badly, often defend your castle or attack an enemy when asked to. He also is sometimes agreeable to requests for goods, particularly cheese (which he has a lot of) and so this makes him useful as an ally if you find yourself running out of food.
When talking to the player, he is usually eating, and his grasp of English is not very good. He is vindictive and has little patience with fools. He is somewhat afraid of The Wolf and is often bullied by The Snake.
Castles and Strategies
In Stronghold
In Stronghold the Pig is a considerably more difficult opponent than he ever is in Stronghold Crusader. In one mission the Pig sends pikemen along with macemen and crossbowmen and catapults to siege the player's castle. His personal castle is also a trademark of superior design, containing several types of towers manned by archers enjoying the benefit of braziers and crossbowmen. Pikemen are responsible for the defense of the inner courtyard. The castle itself is surrounded by killing pits and flame pits. The Pig, ‘Duc Truffe’ is the third lord to be killed in the campaign. It was later revealed in Stronghold 3 that he was executed by being tied to a post and shot with arrows.
In Stronghold Crusader
In Crusader, the Pig remains a very aggressive and brutal enemy. His swift macemen may prove troublesome and his economy is a reliable source of funding his war efforts.
The Pig's castles are usually very large, hosting several square towers with crossbowmen atop, strengthened by thick layers of high walls and an outer layer of low walls. He runs a productive industry of blacksmith's and fletcher's workshops, along with numerous tanners inside. Crossbowmen guard the gatehouses and the keep as well, and several hidden killing pits are located at stairs and choke-points.
The Pig uses an overwhelmingly large number of macemen in his attacks, frequently accompanied by siege engineers, who construct battering rams and catapults. A modest number of crossbowmen is also brought to battle.
For more details, read here: The Pig/Strategies (SHC)
In Stronghold Crusader 2
The Pig inherits his core strategies from Stronghold Crusader and extends his economic options quite a bit.
His castle layout is based on a square, surrounding the keep with walls and adding square towers to each corner, with an inner ring of wall around the gatehouse. He guards the exterior with crossbowmen, but he has a great number of macemen as well on the keep. The Pig emphasizes on heavy weapon production and places numerous workshops, as well as a handful of breweries and the inn for bonus popularity and taxes. Several houses are placed outside the castle.
The Pig likes to regularly harass with medium sized groups of macemen and crossbowmen, most often aiming at hovels and other buildings. His attacks consist of the same troops, and his siege camp produces a bunch of catapults for ranged bombardment.
Dealing with the Pig
For tips on how to beat the Pig, see: The Pig/Counter-strategies (SHC)
Quotes
Note: in Stronghold Crusader, the Pig will command his servant to carry messages, when he is the player's ally.
For the Pig's quotes see:
For the servant's messages see: Quotes:Servant
| Stronghold Crusader / Stronghold Crusader Extreme Characters | |
|---|---|
| Stronghold Crusader | The Rat • The Snake • The Pig • The Wolf • The Sultan• The Caliph • Saladin • Richard The Lionheart |
| Stronghold Crusader Extreme | Emperor Frederick • King Phillip • The Sheriff • The Abbot • The Marshal • The Wazir • The Emir • The Nizar |
| Stronghold Crusader 2 | The Rat • The Wolf • Saladin • The Caliph • Richard The Lionheart • The Shah • The Slave King • The Sultana |
| DLC | The Princess • The Pig • The Templar • The Duke • The Emperor • The Hermit • The Jackal • The Khan |