Poland

The Poles have the Power of Legacy.

Despite their best efforts at gaining independence and glory, true unity and nationhood still continue to evade the Polish people. Still, Poland perseveres in spite of her relative cultural and diplomatic isolation. Despite having converted to Catholicism a century before, Slavic ways are ingrained into the Duchy - the greatest treasures Poland has are her arable land and her presence along the Baltic road. Such a source of Wealth and Food can buy early infantry rushes with cheap levies and mercenaries, even if her units take longer to train.

However, such riches also dilute the ability of the Polish people to stay together in spite of the will of their noble lords: the current Grand Duke, Bolesław III, thus far has managed to maintain unity in his lands for almost 3 decades, but at great cost in blood. All Poland may now answers to him alone, yet the Grand Duke's hold on the nation and its unity still remain tenuous even as tensions are now rising, no thanks to the changing political climate overseas. The Russians, formerly allies and blood kin of the Grand Duke, have begun to join the German Holy Roman Emperor to the west in meddling in Polish affairs, while dissent continues to roil Poland. And even as the Germans' ploy for domination over Bohemia has failed, the current Duke of the Czech people has not forgotten that the lands of southern Poland were once ruled by his ancestors.

Nevertheless, unity continues to remain a sore spot for Bolesław III: for most of his reign only one major rebellion - that of Skarbimir's - has truly threatened Bolesław's rule. Skarbimir may be no more - but the Grand Duke is now ailing, and may have reason now to fear his own sons. He has been making arrangements to maintain the longevity of the nation he forged with fire and sword - but can Poland now survive the ambitions and errors of his numerous progeny?

Faction overview

Arable Land : Start with 50% bonus Food.
Krzywousty's Reforms : Second Settlement built acts as a second Capital. Both receive Capital border bonus, and both must be captured to eliminate you.
Baltic Trade Routes : Free Taxation upgrades.
Magdeburger Recht : Admin research 30% cheaper. Always have the maximum number of Tradesmen.

Strengths:

Very strong military units, expansive capabilities and good defence.

Weaknesses:

Only two wonders, somewhat inferior siege weapons selection. Navy is very weak in the early game, until the last Tier of Reforms is achieved.

Possibly the third most powerful Catholic power in all of Central Europe (depending on how well her German rivals are ruled) the Grand Duchy of Poland thrives on building a strong and resilient military using her economic and strategic advantages to overcome the issues associated with her lack of proper UUs in most scenarios. The Trebuchet and Springald are out of reach (but Scorpions and Mangonels are still available) and no heavy ship available until the late game with access to the War Cog, there is one thing that a Polish player may do, and that is using mercenaries and levies to run an infantry rush. Skirmisher Levies and Levy Crossbowmen are fairly cheap and provide some ranged support, while the heavy lifting of the attack should be done by Spearmen and Slavic Mercenaries. The two unique units of Poland - the Wojaky and the Lithuanian Axe Retinue - may be powerful units, capable of dealing extra damage to buildings and Battering Rams but the Wojaky train far slower than stock Militia, and Lithuanian Axe Retinue are a mercenary unit - they will cost more than the mercenary Slavic Raiders, who may deal a little less bonus damage but can be trained faster, capitalising on Poland's Wealth production bonuses through faster trading activity and more efficient taxation. In the mid-game, horses come into play - Poland may only have Horsemen and Javelin Cavalry early on, but this faction also benefits from the Detinets' wonder, granting access to the adaptable Turkish Archers, a genus of horse archer that goes quite well with the cav units a Polish player may raise - be they Berrovier cavalry, or Ministralis Knights along with the two other aforementioned units available at the Corral. Since Poland's UUs and some of the best units train slowly, it is meet that Poland not neglect Healthcare research is crucial to offset unit production delays for her powerful infantry units.

In defence, Poland's ability to establish two capital cities provides a unique strategic advantage, enabling psychological warfare and forcing opponents to divide their forces. Attrition research is essential for defending these capitals and delaying enemy advances, allowing Poland's resilient units to effectively counterattack. The double capital bonus helps in attack - the first city can be protected with layers of defences, while a Meeting House can be erected near a frontier town, establishing it as a wartime capital and allowing the Meeting House to provide visibility with LOS coverage, and spawn Ministralis and Patriots, rather than have to wait for them to travel all the way to the frontline. So while the in-game bonuses that Poland receive emphasise a defensive, strategic approach rather than aggressive tactics, that is not to say that she is not a rush-capable civ. With starting Food bonuses and Administration research discounts, you are given flexibility in deciding how your game ought to be played - rush early, or boom and then attack head-on? this is especially moreso with free tax upgrades and Tradesmen ensuring a steady income for supporting diverse armies.

Unique units and structures gallery

Lithuanian Axe Retinue
Polish unique mercenary medium axe infantry, with substantial HP.

Wojaky
Unique Polish Medium melee infantry. Stronger than Militia, but is trained more slowly, and has a counter-building, counter siege unit damage bonus.

War Cog
Upgrade of Roundship for Poland as well as Holy Roman Empire, Is tougher, faster and stronger.

Ministerialis
Heavy cavalry armed and trained in Germanic knightly fashion, being the lowest rank of knightly warrior and an upgrade to Feudal Retinue at a Meeting House or Palace. Not as good as units trained from the Nobles' Court for Christian civs, but still cheap and affordable enough to provide a shock element in bulk.

Javelin Cavalry
Ranged medium cavalry, slower than most other cavalry units, but endowed with limited armour and capable of frontline skirmishing.

Siege Tower
Mobile anti-building defence which can fire an arrow-based splash attack, ideal for drawing attacks from buildings or assaulting them.

Citadel
As in The Hellenistic Era, the Citadel (alongside its weaker counterpart, the Guard Tower) continues to be the most powerful form of point defence in this instalment in the Kings & Conquerors family of mods.

Nobles' Court
Sumptuous and stately yet foreboding, the Nobles' Court is the ultimate expression of regnal power, consisting of a vast castellated estate around which the nobility of the land must rally around. It is not as cheap as a Mansion nor as easy to come by, but its ability to boost the size of your Territory around it, and the fact that it is immensely powerful as a point defence structure means that a Nobles' Court can be more than capable of defending your borders, whilst training some of the most powerful land units available in all of this mod.

Peasants' Hovel

Trains levy units for sedentary agrarian nations. Not available for Outremer, Qara Khitai, Khamag Mongol, or Polovtsy.

Leader names

Władysław II Wygnaniec
Bolesław IV Kędzierzawy
Mieszko III Stary
Kazimierz II Sprawiedliwy

Leszek Biały
Władysław III Laskonogi
Mieszko IV Plątonogi
Bolesław III Krzywousty

Settlement names

Kraków
Wroclaw
Sandomierz
Jazdów
Lodz
Torun

Opole
Katowice
Gorzow
Bydgoszcz
Szczecin
Olsztyn

Lublin
Bialystok
Rzeszow
Zielona Gora
Kielce
Bródno

Downloads

KINGS & CONQUERORS
TEMÜJIN [Steam | XBOX/EE | Gold]

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Poland

Faction overview

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

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