Armoured Mastiffs

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“They have great dragging jowls and fangs like daggers, blazing eyes of burning yellow that flash fire and shoot off sparks, gaunt bellies, and flanks long and lean with ribs showing. They are tireless and very powerful."

— Aztec eyewitness of Spanish war dogs in America

In game[edit | edit source]

Dog spain icoa.png
Armoured Mastiffs — Vital statistics
Armoured Mastiffs

Very weak melee unit with a strong high-speed attack that makes them effective against a wide range of land units.

Prereq: Build time HP LOS Attack Attack speed Movement
speed
Upgrades to
Level 2: Mercenaries Military
12.5s
(188t)
145 8 15 2.1s
(32t)
22
Cost Created from Armour Weapon range Specialty
Base Ramp Pop
Food.jpg: 60;
Ore.png: 40
Food.jpg: 2;
Ore.png: 2
1 Town Watch Guild.png 4 Melee
  • Bonus damage versus light units, especially rabble and gun infantry.
  • Attack penalty versus structures, siege weapons, heavy units, and infantry with shields.

Spain

Overall strategy[edit | edit source]

Being fast, agile and intimidating due to their appearance and behaviour, dogs could be trained to maim, rend and kill, while staying staunchly loyal to their masters. As a result, humans have spent centuries trying to breed the perfect dog — one that would be loyal yet efficient at its work, regardless of what it was. The Spanish, however, chose instead to clad war dogs in armour, making them harder to kill and far more lethal to unarmoured foes.

The Armoured Mastiffs are meant to represent these dogs which the Spanish trained for use against unarmoured targets, such as Moorish tribesmen and Aztec warriors who did not have metallic armour. These large and lumbering killing machines proved to be a conquistador's best friend in the wilds of the New World when the Spanish began their quest for colonial hegemony beyond the Atlantic Ocean. Armoured Mastiffs are stronger and tougher than normal War Dogs, making them great if used against an enemy's light infantry, especially crossbow units. Against heavy armour, however, Armoured Mastiffs are far than impressive, and are quite easily frightened by the sound of gunfire as well.

Unit summary[edit | edit source]

  • Ready for War — Unlike Peasant Levies, Skirmisher Levies can be used to escort your troops on campaign.
  • Untrained — The ranged attacks of Skirmisher Levies will often go wild, making them very vulnerable in frontal action.
  • Longbow Levy raised by England and Wales, armed with longbows have improved rates of fire and accuracy.
  • Akritae, available to Byzantium and Armenia, cost more, but are even more effective at whatever they do.

Notes[edit | edit source]

History[edit | edit source]

Law enforcement in the Mediaeval Era was very much ramshackle at best. In some areas like China, Byzantium and the Middle East a picked body of officers were actually established to oversee the administration of justice and punishment; elsewhere, armed posses or militia were used. These were fulltime, semi-professional armed men who were supposed to be ready for combat at all times, even in peace. The most famous of these institutions was the Anglo-Saxon fyrd, which was first introduced by Alfred the Great, and which continued to survive in some form or the other well throughout the Mediaeval Era.