Armenia/Strategic Overview

Faction Overview	Strategic Overview	History

• Strengths: Exceptionally strong defensive capability, extensive number of units — four cavalry units at all times, and a maximum of five religious orders.
• Weaknesses: Does not get Centralisation and is thus weak in the Imperial Era.

Armenia is one of the more oddball factions around, which sacrifices efficiency for variety. Armenia is known for its sword line, consisting of well-armoured but slower-moving medium infantry, and also has some Byzantine influence, and this is seen from its ability to train and/or spawn Akritae, which are a special skirmisher levy shared with the Byzantines. Armenia also trains four types of cavalry, as opposed to the three normally allotted to other factions: light cavalry and knights for melee support against archers, skirmisher cavalry to remove enemy cavalry, and cavalry archers which are specialised in killing infantry. In addition, Armenia also has its own unique cavalry — Aspataka Cavalry are Light Cavalry units that come into the game one age earlier than others, while Aspataka Skirmishers enjoy more efficient range and rate of fire compared to normal Javelin Cavalry. Armenia however does not have access to the Centralisation upgrade, meaning that its cavalry and infantry will be extremely inefficient during the Imperial Era, but as it will be shown later on, this handicap isn't as great as it would be thought to be.

Despite the seeming Muslim appearance of Armenian units and structures, Armenia is still nonetheless a nation wedded to Christ, (in the Castle Age, you can upgrade its Saracen-styled lancer to a European-styled knight) and this is obvious from how Lesser Armenia, also known as the Cilician kingdom, connived with the Catholics during the Crusades. Armenia suffers from being an Orthodox nation: like the Byzantines and the Russians, the final tier of stable and infantry units is not available, but this does not matter greatly given how many perks Armenia gets. Not only can it count on the support of the knightly brothers who are trained from the Nobles' Court, but it also has access to some enhanced buildings through accessing Divine Mandate: these buildings are enhanced versions of their normal versions, and have defensive capabilities, making besieging Armenian cities troublesome.

The story on Armenia thus follows a single script line: wood can be saved on buildings, which can be used to forward build stables and barracks, which in turn feeds into the Armenian infantry line. In the Castle Age, composite bowmen and azats can be fielded to break down enemy infantry, accompanied by its diverse number of cavalry units. Armenian buildings also can function as static point defences in an offensive manner: use the Eununchs' Court to hinder enemy troop movements, and spew forth mercenaries. The best mercenaries on hire for the Armenians would be Camel Archers, Freelancers and Genoese Crossbowmen, which will shore up Armenia's inherent weaknesses in the Imperial Era ... , and Composite Bowmen, while not very effective against archers, are still just as effective as they would be against heavy infantry, while Azats can be used to kill off enemy archers. Allies and diplomacy are vital for the Armenians: good factions to be allied with would be Portugal, whose technological prowess can be used to shore up what vulnerabilities the Armenians have, and wealth-producing nations such as Japan, Burgundy or Venice, which can then be used to recruit mercenaries and chivalric orders to stiffen Armenian resistance.

Faction summary

• Highly defensive faction with a somewhat technologically backward but varied army with the addition of chivalric orders.
• Azat So? — Azats, although slower on foot, are fairly tough warriors that can be used to hold lines, even in the face of enemy archer fire.
• Snuff Powder — With so much wood saved from construction and potential gains from buildings sped up Armenia is better suited for spamming archers and siege machines, rather than gunpowder units. Yet this should not be a deterrent for matchlock-mad players. If you need units in a jiffy, go for arquebusiers and culverins instead of springalds and crossbows.
• Bank Book and Cheque — Do not neglect your taxation dues, trade and universities: you need wealth and knowledge to create chivalric orders and your unique units.

Best age(s)

Dark and Castle.

Strategic Overview
Basic gameplay	Rise of Chivalry	Renovatio Europam