Britannia Campaign
Welsh emblem as depicted in Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms.
Introduction
Determined to prevent the ongoing English encroachment into Welsh territory, Llewelyn ap Gruffydd has now declared himself King of Wales, and with the help of his brother Daydd, recently succeeded in liberating the people of Gwynedd Is Conwy from their English overlords. With these defiant acts, Llewelyns intentions are now apparent to all, and open warfare on the Wesh-English border is nigh.
Llewelyns greatest strength is his ability to unify the Welsh people, something which the English nobles are most aware of, and they will surely seek to end his life as quickly as possible in an effort to break the spirit of the Welsh people who follow him. As Welsh armies are primarily comprised of light infantry and archers, their generals will need to emply clever tactics to ensure their forces can overcome the armoured juggernaut that is England.
If Llewelyn is successful in ending the English threat to Wales, many believe he will not simply becontent with this victory, and will instead look to ensure the Welsh people are never again threatened by another faction of the British Isles.
Strengths
Has a number of units capable of fighting in multiple roles.
Weaknesses
Lacks heavy infantry.
Territory
- Caernarvon - Fortress
The map highlighting Welsh territory from Brittania's faction selection screen.
- Montgomery - Large City
- Pembroke - Wooden Castle
Gameplay
Wales is a playable faction in Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms as part of the "Britannia" campaign. It generally has a weaker slew of units than its rival, England, as it has its back to the water. It begins with three regions toward the southwestern coasts of Britain. Wales begins the game with one of Britannia's two fortresses, Caernarvon, (the other of which being the English Nottingham) not only under its control, but set as its capital. Wales starts with only three territories, making it the smallest of the five playable factions. However, this isn't to say that Welsh territory isn't defensible.
When playing as Wales, the player is given a monumental task: whether you decide to play a long or short campaign, you will be required to eliminate or outlast England, as well as hold Caernarvon, London, and Dublin in order to achieve victory. England, of course, starts with considerably large tracts of land; a total of 22 regions. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that England will eventually have to deal with the Baron's Alliance uprising, which will take a portion of England's land with it, but remains a somewhat daunting task. Defeating England should undoubtedly be the top priority of anyone attempting to play as Wales. The Welsh unit roster is fairly well rounded, but lacking in heavy infantry. In this particular class they are limited to the Rhyfelwyr axemen. This gives the Welsh something of a mobility advantage over their English adversaries, but also means they are somewhat fragile. Those who play as Wales will want to rely on more than simple brute force to defeat their opponents, tailoring their armies to the strengths and weaknesses of their chosen foes. For example, Wales is home to a number of capable marksmen. Use your missile infantry, and perhaps even artillery, to weaken your enemies' forces during their advance, then use your infantry to hold them while positioning your cavalry for flanking maneuvers. As the Baron's Alliance faction is virtually identical to England in terms of its roster, the same should hold true for them as well, should you choose to attempt to conquer them as well.
After conquering England, it is likely within Wales' best interest to conquer Ireland; provided England hadn't already conquered them; which is entirely possible, considering the state of Ireland's forces at the start of the campaign. Regardless of whether or not Ireland still exists at this point, it will be within Wales' best interests to invade the Emerald Isle and whoever is currently inhabiting it, if they hadn't already done so during their war with England. Since Dublin is one of Wales' three target settlements, it should probably be the first target of such an invasion. From there, it is entirely up to individual players how they wish to continue.
When playing against Wales, one should remember that the faction's strength lies in its light and missile infantry, which leaves them rather vulnerable to cavalry. Similar to dealing with the English, one should use their missile units and artillery to weaken any spearmen and heavy infantry Wales brings with it, who can then be finished off by your own infantry, once they've moved into range, or even a well placed cavalry charge. The cavalry themselves are usually rather capable of combatting the lighter units after the initial charge.