Spoiler: Cut the Crap

[NHJ]

Well, in about an hour the attack begins, and things are not looking very bright.







The attack on (probably) Najran I can probably hold off if Stapel's stack there is not reinforced further. The attack on Veendam appears to be simply too massive to hold off. I've built more Pikemen to counter his 15 or so War Elephants, and I've got a few Musketmen added to the cities defense (freshly built, so I kept them outside the city so Stapel can maybe not see them yet). I've also got 5 Camel Archers as a quick reaction force.

[Rik Meleet]

If you can use the flank attack against his stacks and make his catapults and trebs die quickly; his chances on taking your cities are -a lot- worse. Especially if you can then use your cats first on his stacks.
He probably still has the upper hand with his stack in Groningen on Veendam. Perhaps you can place your units in such a way that they can always reach the threatened city, so you can use the maximum of your units with the littlest risk. Let him take the decision and showing his cards while you enjoy the advantage of reaction. Reeniville seems like an option.

[NHJ]

Yes, Reeniville is an option, but the distance between Reeniville and Najran is two squares, so I can shuffle my troops from Najran there at will.

[NHJ]

I've attacked with my five Camel Archers - they all had about 30% chance, all but one died However, the victorious one flankdamaged five of his cats/trebs. I attacked with my own catapults and caused some damage. I've noticed he didn't bring any medics, which is good.

Also, he did not move against Najran or Reeniville yet, his stack in the south has not moved.

[Rik Meleet]

Can you bring more defenders to Veendam ?
from Reeniville or Damascus for instance?

[barbu1977]

IMHO, With this defence, Veendam is kind of doomed. He will strike with the cats and trebs, the rest of your units will have 1-2 HP left and be easy prey for the rest of his units.

I would move back my stack, wait untill his stack is futher in your land. With 4-5 cats, you could easely destroy every units.

Your best defence for the moments are Cats.

[NHJ]

Yeah, that's definitely true, and Veendam is unimportant anyway. I'll see about moving out of there next turn.

edit: nope, he already took it, and without many losses. He left one Crossbowman in there, his stack is still on the same square.

[NHJ]

Robi has left his first stack in Veendam, and is now moving towards Sappemeer with a second stack of about the same size, including his first Knight. I can't hold Sappemeer, so I'm defending it only with a Longbowman, a Crossbowman and a Pikeman. I'm trying to get a sizeable army into Damascus. No attack on Najran yet, but when it does come I doubt if I can hold it. It's on a hill though, and I am building more catapults.

[NHJ]

Two fairly similar stacks are approaching Damascus. I'm scrambling most available units there, and I'm preparing to give up Reeniville as soon as Stapel goes there; his southern stack still hasn't left his land. I'm going to defend Najran though, because it's not an outlying city like Reeniville, it has decent production, and it is located on a hill.

[NHJ]

Damascus fell, but his stacks there will need quite some time to heal up, which gives me some time to put some units in my capital, which will likely be next. As you can see, Stapel also sends a small stack to Reeniville. I've pulled my few remaining units out of there since I can't hold it anyway.



The situation in Najran is slightly better, but here Stapel has too many catapults so my troops will probably die anyway. Even so, since he has very few War Elephants there, I pulled a few Pikemen out to send to the capital.

In any case, it won't be much longer.