Path of Peace, Chapter 9 – Sword Production

by Stratego

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MISSION BRIEFING:

I wish to strengthen the Royal Guard, and so require a reliable supply of arms from our country. Whosoever produces the required weaponry first will win the big contract.

Objectives:

  • WIN – Acquire 100 swords
  • LOSE – Your Lord dies or Edwin acquires 100 swords first

Map size: large
Starting date: continues from end of chapter 8
Starting stats: 39,900 gold, 300 honour, 64 population, 100 popularity
Starting goods: 28 apples, 88 bread, 2 meat, 143 wood, 120 stone, 10 pitch, 5 wheat, 10 flour, 2 hops, 5 ale, 6 candles
Buildings added: bastion, medium gatehouse, stone staircase, blacksmith, iron mine
Buildings lost: none
Buy/sell: wood, stone, bows, spears, cloth, hops, ale, pitch, apples, bread, cheese, meat, wheat, flour, grape and wine
Starting units: 26 armed peasants, 57 spearmen, 116 archers, 5 swordsmen
Available units: armed peasants, archers, spearmen

How about a competitive scenario?

In peace mission #9, the important thing is to produce 100 swords first. You’re in a contest with Sir Edwin (the yellow opponent on the northern peninsula) who’s starting by a narrow margin of a handful of swords. Don’t worry, this task is fairly easy! You will notice that your castle estate has changed a little bit during your absence one mission ago.

The amount of your starting goods and provisions is depending on how you managed the previous three missions (more or less efficiently). You may also be proud of a full treasury that would help to discharge any financial problems in the end. You can confidently ignore a few minor structural changes (dairy farms, wheat farms…etc.); you just should pay attention to an insignificant armoury which will be very suitable for the production of armours and consequently for the recruitment of knights or swordsmen.

“Whitle”, your new eastern estate and part of your growing confederation is rich in iron resources. However, there isn’t any existing infrastructure. Therefore, you should concentrate on your closer northern neighbour “Wintertop”, diligently mining iron since the beginning years of the campaign. Place two additional iron mines there, and two ox tethers as well. The friendly people of Wintertop have been leading a modest life for many years, so they’ll feel very happy if you give them one or two apple orchards and a hunter’s post in the long term.

Now activate that existing carter post there ordering a constant supply of 50 iron ingots. Right away, you’ll see a horse-drawn vehicle leaving Wintertop and delivering iron to your stockpile. Immediately heat up your sword production and tear down again all your present fletchers’ and pole turners’ workshops, regaining free space for at least 10 blacksmiths. If necessary, place another hovel and use all the gaps for an effective placement of your sword producing industry.

Don’t panic! In fact, Sir Edwin will be cheating after one game year. He will buy 25 swords from an external supplier and increase his lead. Keep cool and force your sword production very calmly, there’s no hurry!

Just rely on your iron supplier “Wintertop” and keep on watching your busy blacksmiths carrying swords to your armoury. Sooner or later you will catch up with Edwin. Some time all the steam will be gone and Edwin’s workers will leave the castle, maybe because of lack of food, nobody knows… Edwin’s sword production will come to a standstill!

Food consumption should find its level on “extra rations” and a high tax rate (exorbitant taxes) will be bearable throughout the entire mission. To be on the safe side, it’s also advisable to prepare for the subsequent mission, where Sir Grey will be asking for your military protection. Seize the opportunity and recruit as many archers as possible if you haven’t done it yet in the previous missions.

A contingent of 100-120 men or even more should be a strong task force, assisted by about 50 or 60 spearmen. To begin with, retrieve all your surviving “veterans” still waiting for new orders near the former outlaw camp in Whitle. Lead them down to the new deployment area, the plains next to Whitle’s stockpile.

While recruiting soldiers in your barracks you can also click on the little green flag (there’s a panel inside) in defining an assembly point in Whitle (or wherever you want). Every new recruit is now automatically heading to that point. Don’t stop strengthening and completing your military forces by gathering about 120 archers and 50/60 spearmen close to Sir Grey’s castle in the east.

Purchase bows and spears if need be. The financing is unproblematic because you’ve got plenty of gold! For a faster recruitment, you can either temporarily shut down your woodcutters, for instance, or erect another hovel. Any of both possibilities will exempt several peasants or workers at the same time then being available for various military options.

Shortly before you achieve the demanded 100 swords send out your auxiliary troops towards Sir Grey’s castle.

Victory!

Stratego

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