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Lords of the Realm II
Nobles/Unit FAQ v1.1
Written By: NXMT
E-Mail: nxmt01 (at) gmail (dot) com
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UPDATES: 13th May 2006
Cleaned up the faq. Removed and added necessary comments and
info. Changes particualrly noticeable in the units section.
Updated e-mail address.
1. Introduction
2. Nobles of the Realm
a0. The Baron
b1. The Knight
c2. The Bishop
d3. The Countess
3. Troops
e4. Archers
f5. Crossbowmen
g6. Knights
h7. Macemen
i8. Peasents
j9. Pikemen
k10. Swordsmen
4. Legal Stuff
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- 1. INTRODUCTION -
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Lords of the Realm II is a simple, yet addictive medieval themed
strategy game developed by Impressions. Lords II can be considered one
of the many underrated games out there which explains why it's fanbase
is small when compared to the likes of Warcraft. As mentioned above,
Lords II involves keeping your people happy and conscripting men into
your army for national conquest. There are no complicated mechanics
that requires days of training making the game easy to pick up.
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-2. NOBLES OF THE REALM -
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a0. The Baron
Stance: Defensive
-The Baron's way of handling his counties is very laid back. He'll
beef up his starting county for many years so you don't really have
to worry about him at the beginning. However, after he's done
cementing his strongholds, he will lash out like the plague. In two
seasons alone, the Baron can conquer two additional counties. That is
just how powerful he can get and proves that quick expansion isn't
always the answer.
Military: Strong & aggresive
-His armies are a force to be reckoned with. His troops consist mostly
of melee units such as Pikemen and Swordsmen and very few ranged
units. However, the Baron is known to make large units of Knights
that can number over a hundred. When fighting it out with the Baron,
use extreme caution.
Enconomy: Good
-The source of the Baron's sudden seizure of power after many years is
due to his great management of his counties. After conquering a
Baron-ruled land, you will notice that everything is in moderation.
A perfect balance that leads to excellent output. His people are
healthy but not perfect.
Dirty Tactician: No
-The Baron will never send armies of peasants to ruin your crops, not
unless he has to. Using dirty tactics is more of a last resort for
him rather than a necessity.
Usefulness: Average
-Allying yourself with the Baron is somewhat questionable. As long as
he does not possess the capabilities to expand, he will never send a
force to assist you and when eventually he does gain enough
resources, he will shatter the alliance and probably try and take you
out. Even if he does not, it would only be a matter of time before
he absorbs the surrounding counties.
Strategies:
You must NEVER let the Baron gain momentum. If the Baron is on a
winning streak, quickly recapture his lands and try to hold him off
for as long as you can otherwise, render his lands useless by selling
off all the food and taxing the people at 18%. Remember, the Baron is
the sort that likes to build up slowly so use his own strategy against
him. It is unwise to provoke him as he will surely rain his wrath on
you no matter how far you might be.
b1. The Knight
Stance: Aggresive & reckless
-You can find the Knight warmongering on all sides. As soon as he
finds himself capable of expansion, he will send an army out. He will
even attack you if you're county is close enough but usually after
the last attack, his army would be too weak and oftenly, his
remaining units become nothing more than crop destroyers.
Military: Large but mediocre
-His armies are large. Larger than the Baron's but his impatientness
leads him to fill his armies with unarmed men. His armies are very
disruptive as he has a habit of sending wave after wave of men at you
to cripple you slowly before moving in for the final blow... and that
final blow which will consist of an army slightly better than the
last few mediocre ones is a sign that he's giving you one final push
before burning out.
Economy: Average
-The Knight won't be winning any awards for managing economies. It's
mostly industry-based and his people are living off with just the
right amount of food. While his people are healthy, it's easy to
create mayhem when it comes to their health.
Dirty Tactician: Yes
-Other than destroying crops and industrial sites, he will severely
wreak havoc on your people's happiness with continuous invasions that
serve nothing more than to ruin you from the inside out. When the
need arises, he will destroy an entire county by selling off their
food, insane conscriptions and taxing them at high levels.
Usefulness: Terrible
-Never never ally yourself with the Knight unless you're looking for
a cheap way to conquer new lands for yourself. The Knight is
warmongering so you can be sure he will send a force to aid you
should you call for it but expect the same brand of military
mediocrity. Otherwise, avoid him. The only time you should be sending
messages to him is to prompt him into sending a force "after" you.
Strategies:
It's easy to smoke him out of his sanctuary by destroying his
resources then you can use his own dirty tactics against him. By
continuously provoking him, he will send out whatever he's got which
means lousy units that you can easily crush and ultimately, eliminate
him from the crown race.
c2. The Bishop
Stance: Balanced
-The Bishop is neither aggresive nor defensive. He strikes when he
needs to and stays back when he has to. Unlike the Baron however, he
takes action faster and builds his foundation on the resources of two
or more counties. Is known to build stone castles often. Be wary.
Military: Good
-The Bishop's army is the total opposite of the Baron's. Plenty of
archers and peasants but melee units tend to be nothing more
than shields for the ranged units. While he does not posses the same
military power as the Baron, his insane amount of archers can easily
wipe out armies. Even well balanced ones.
Economy: Good
-The economy in his counties are not special but can be considered
very good. His people are well fed and when not pressured by
invasions, they prosper. Like the Baron, the Bishop can lash out and
conquer several counties out of nowhere after years of silence.
Dirty Tactician: Seldom
-Like the Knight, the Bishop is fully capable of ruining you from the
inside out but only seldomly. It's better to keep him completely off
your lands and backed into a corner.
Usefuleness: Terrible
-The Bishop is incapable of doing anything that's worthy of your
alliance. You can't even trust him not to break the alliance because
he most certainly will and sometimes, it catches you totally
off guard and in the process, lose a land or too. The Bishop does
whatever he wants, whenever he wants making his moves very
unpredictable and thus, making him very untrustworthy and dangerous.
Strategies:
Eliminating the Bishop is as easy as conquering a netural land.
Straightforward invasion works best. Having problem with the archers?
Fix it by recruiting swordsmen or knights. He's only dangerous when he
has multiple lands as he is capable of repairing "broken" counties.
Your moves against him must be swift or he will counter them.
d3. The Countess
Stance: Balanced
-Almost identical to the Bishop. Expansion whenever possible or
defensive if need be. However, she has a meaner bite than the Bishop
meaning more caution should be taken if she decides to expand in your
direction.
Military: Strong and Balanced
-Her strength on the battlefield can equal the might of the Baron. She
has no real preference in units so her armies are heavily balanced.
Strong in range, strong in melee, it can be difficult to overcome her
especially in a siege. However, her approaches are direct and slow.
With the right amount of speed, you can bring her down with ease.
Economy: Excellent
-Her economy is the strongest out of all the other nobles. Her people
tend to achieve perfect health status and most of the time, get
double rations and occasionally, triple. Even a weak county will be
up and running in no time with her management.
Dirty Tactician: No
-The Countess seems incapable of using dirty tactics. Or at least, in
my experience. She is an excellent economist so dirty tactics don't
seem likely for a woman of her abilities.
Usefulness: Good
-She makes a great ally who will help you should you call for it. She
will remain at the very end until you start to detoriate from
countless invasions and mismanagement of economies. It's alot like
stacking items on top of each other. The more you have, the more
likely it is to fall and the Countess will waste no time capturing
what you took so long to take.
Strategies:
The only real strategy against the Countess is to simply fight with
fire. You don't have to be aggresive. Just keep her at bay. Try not to
leave her cornered as she will most certainly send a massive force
even if you do decide to play dirty. For some reason, sieging her
castles are much touger than the rest so take your time, build up a
good army and take her down with one blow.
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- 3. TROOPS -
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e4. Archers
Offense: Average
Defense: Bad
Speed: Good
Range: Excellent
Firing Speed: Excellent
No army is complete without the archers. An idividual shot might not
do much damage but the key to massive enemy casualties lies in a
rain of arrows. Fairly easy to create and worth every crown. Their
excellent range lets them kill effectively from afar and are an
invaluable asset to a castle's defence. However, make sure they are
well protected as archers have no armour and are terrible in melee
combat.
f5. Crossbowmen
Offense: Excellent
Defense: Average
Speed: Average
Range: Average
Firing Speed: Bad
Similar to archers but cannot fire as far or as fast. However, their
arrows pierce armor making them deadly against any unit. In melee,
they last slightly longer than archers because of their light armor.
Slightly more expensive to create than archers.
g6. Knights
Offense: Excellent
Defense: Good
Speed: Excellent
The powerhouses of the battlefield. Extremely fast because of their
horses and packing alot of strength. However, they die just as fast
as they kill and are easy pickings for the crossbows. Useful when
trying to waste the enemy's boiling oil pots. Despite their
excellent on the field, knights cannot dig up moats! Extremely
expensive to create. Good for making quick work of the enemy's
numbers.
h7. Macemen
Offense: Good
Defense: Bad
Speed: Good
Cheap but EXCELLENT units. Macemen are one of the cheapest units to
create but pack alot of power! Their terrible defense is made up by
their speed and surprisingly good offense. Great for disrupting the
enemy formations. Their best use comes in the early stages of the
game in medium status counties. An army of a 150 macemen can conquer
a neutral county easily.
i8. Peasants
Offense: Bad
Defense: Bad
Speed: Average
Human shields. Peasants offer nothing to the battlefield except be
a distraction and a cheap way to prevent you from reaching their
archers which can surprisingly be a deadly combination. Primary
purpose is to dig up moats and attack boiling oil pots. Cost nothing
to create.
j9. Pikemen
Offense: Average
Defense: Excellent
Speed: Bad
Pikemen are the best defenders not because they're wearing heavy
armor. But it's because of their long reach pikes. They can attack
a few times before the enemy reaches them. Extremely slow though.
Cheap to create. One of the three recommended moat digging units.
k10. Swordsmen
Offense: Good
Defense: Good
Speed: Average
Probaby the best unit in the game. Versatility is the key. Good in
attacking and their armor provides good defense even from archers.
One of the three recommended moat digging units simply because they
can outlast many peasants in an arrow barrage... save for crossbow
bolts. Fairly easy to create but worth every crown.
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- 4. LEGAL STUFF -
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(c)NXMT