Krak de Chevaliers, The Siege Of Arqah

Objectives

‘The main part of the army is laying siege to Arqah but the men are becoming disheartened. Start construction of a new castle, Krak de Chevaliers and begin ale production to increase troop morale. There are large bands of raiders nearby that may prove to be a threat’

Resources

Supplies

  • 75 wood
  • 4 iron
  • 50 apples
  • 500 gold
  • 5 bows
  • 5 pikes

Trade

ResourceBuySell
Wood41
Stone147
Iron4523

Notes

Krak de Chevaliers is the first map in the Crusader historical campaign where you have the option to place your keep. The placement for this can be critical in the development of your castle. There are two sites available, the first being the obvious high ground which can be defended by placing gatehouses at the top of the East and West entrances. The second site is on the edge of the fertile land to the right of the map. You may find advantages and disadvantages for both sites, but predominantly building near the fertile land, or at least placing the granary within easy access to the farms will ensure a good and regular food supply.

I decided to place the keep on the rocky outcrop, as close to the fertile land as possible, in keeping with the recommendations accessed through the hints & tips option. Setting up a food supply here can be a little problematic and a granary placed too far away from the farms may cause you a few headaches as you look to expand the population. Start by placing a few apple orchards and four woodcutters. Use these to clear the fertile land of trees, giving you the option to build more farms later on. I also managed to get a hop farm in straight away bearing in mind the ale requirement. Once the wood is sufficient, look to build two wheat farms, a mill and bakeries. With the food chain relatively secure and in full swing, you can look to both defend the castle through walls and gatehouses and set up weapons production. Don’t increase your population too quick; make sure you are able to feed your people first.

You have two distinct areas of stone to quarry relatively close to the castle keep and in theory once the two entrances have been blocked to enemy troops via a gatehouse, you can sell the stone at the marketplace.

Fires can be a problem in Krak. Make sure you place wells around the buildings and consider leaving areas of ‘untouched’ land to stem the flow of flames should you be particularly hard hit.

The ale requirement whilst playing at normal level was certainly achievable within a relatively short space of time. As you are able to increase your population, look to build more breweries and hop farms to increase production of ale.

The invasions you will face throughout this map can be controlled by a combination of troop recruitment and a few strategically placed swordsmen. Initially I concentrated on archers and had two fletchers’ workshops manufacturing bows. Their range and relatively low recruitment costs were ideal, but you will need more than this to withstand the invasions. I built one iron mine to enable swordsmen to be armed and recruited. Placed outside the gatehouses and protected by archer fire, I didn’t face too many problems in defending Krak. The tall towers were used in places to further improve range.

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