Heat of the Desert SHC
Video Playthrough.
Mission 13 - Heat of the Desert
Start conditions: Two adversaries: Caliph The Scorpion, Caliph The Jackal
Particularity: Numerous herds ofarting position
4000 gold for player 2000 gold for adversaries
Considering your ?miserable? keep?s position on the southern corner of the map, you have no choice but taking the offensive.
Begin to build:
one granary, one market, one armoury, and barracks. Then fill your armoury with bought bows and quickly recruit many archers; I guess 50 archers are enough. Of course, crossbowmen might be better and stronger, but in this special case, you need a speed bonus.
Deploy several groups of archers assisted by your initial spearmen upsetting or destroying the adverse production of food, iron, and stone.
On the green area, you have to erect two square towers, each of them manned by 10 archers. Two mangonels (+engineers!) ordering sustained fire against the two hostile gatehouses (or keeps) will assist you to disturb a constant building up of the adverse settlements.
Withdraw your advancing troops on top of your secure towers, as soon as the enemy will start his counter attacks by Arabian swordsmen and slaves.
Your military superiority should be sufficient to survive these hostile reprisals without serious injuries. After these attacks, both opponents will be paralysed.
Economically it will be the best to place two or three woodcutters, two apple orchards, 1 wheat farm, 1 hops farm, 1 bakery, 1 brewery (later 1 inn to raise your popularity) and to start an intensive exploitation of the north-western stone and iron resources. That?s all you have to do for a stable development.
If you are willing, you freely can set in motion a petty arms factory (fletchers, tanners, blacksmith and armourers), but it isn?t imperative at all.
The sale of stone and iron soon will bring you in a position to finish the two weakened caliphs by an army of mercenaries.
Overall, it?s a relatively easy scenario, that shouldn?t cause serious problems.
Stratego.