Germans/Strategic Overview

Faction Overview	Strategic Overview	History

• Strengths: Highly defensive civ, suitable for hit and run attacks. Strong infantry component, highly ideal for aggressive play using frequent raiding against slower opponents.
• Weaknesses: UUs have little or no armour, no professional infantry, poor Axial Age game, shockingly primitive infantry.

The Germans of Warbirth represent the proto-Germanic peoples settled around the Baltic region around the time of the Bronze Age, most notably the Urnfield cultures. These are warlike cultures, dedicated towards ruthless survival and defence, and in Warbirth, the Germans have units and bonuses that reflect well these doctrines. Food can be extracted from forestry activity, as long as your citizens are working on gathering timber. Equally, your first Senate is also built for free and instantaneously, making it easy to set your capital where you need it.

German military doctrine relies heavily on a very stratified tribal society, ranging from cavalry and elite infantry, to lower-level "trash" units, such as slingers and spearmen. While the lack of a Barracks may be some reason for concern, there are several fairly powerful units that nevertheless play well to German strengths. For instance, Speutagardaz, a form of pikeman, can be recruited off the bat from any Hovels you have constructed, while Skaduganganz light infantry are recruitable from the Warriors' Hall, and Nakwadaz "Naked Spearmen" are recruited from a Sanctuary. Coupled with the German propensity for cavalry, and you have a fairly mobile and fast-striking faction. The only problem that the Germans suffer is the lack of intermediate infantry units as well as proper heavy cavalry - or even any, at the start of the game. A German army caught out in the open early is very much easy meat for a chariot-driving Egyptian faction, or an Assyrian army replete with hardened heavy infantry.

Like most European factions, the Germans tend to use mostly infantry, with a smattering of cavalry here and there, thus being somewhat technologically inferior compared to other Bronze Age cultures of Warbirth.

The main strength of the Germans lies in their UUS - the Nakwadaz, the Speutegardaz and the Skaduganganz. Nakwadaz may wear far less armour than would be ideal by Middle Eastern standards, yet they are terrifying units and trained fairly quickly, so they are useful for fending off the chariot spam that you are bound to face from other factions in the mid-game. Being unarmoured, though, they are still useful units, being armed with javelins and capable of traversing ground faster than conventional spear units, thus they are ideal when used to counter cavalry, but still cannot hold their ground against heavier spearmen. You are best advised to concentrate heavily on light infantry and swordsmen, and keep the Nakwadaz as a reserve, perhaps supported by the other German units. Otherwise, the Germans are very Wealth-dependent in the early game, and must find ways to create sufficient Wealth to purchase mercenaries, particularly European Spearmen and European Bowmen.

Of course, however, there is one area in which the Germans don't stand a chance, and that is in economic warfare. Battles of attrition will easily wear them down, and while their units are somewhat inferior with regards to others like the Celts and Assur, it will be very difficult for them to come back should they be facing more advanced nations with an even greater command of industry and craftwork than they do. Moreover, because they are restricted to using only infantry, they are also at a massive disadvantage when it comes to fending off factions with good cavalry, especially in the late game. The horse-based armies of the Indians, Iranians and Zhou can easily decimate German ranks out on the open, so clearly all out decisive encounters are not an ideal strategy. It is better to continuously wear down your enemy with your units, using them as mentioned before to keep up the pressure so that they won't be able to concentrate on their economy, eventually having to abandon their best units which are bound to be more technologically complicated. Strike early and often, and unexpectedly, and the German nation will prevail.

Best age(s):

Bronze Age

Strategic Overview
Basic gameplay	Rising Tide	Blood and Iron