Spotlight on:   Turan

Every few weeks or so HWE will feature a review of a different kingdom of Hyboria by players who have either won with them or done well enough that they might as well have.  These contain strategy tips, ideas, and a general direction to go for those interested in making the most of their bid for Hyborian dominance.  Crom is very interested in gathering in as many reviews as possible from veteran players, so don't be shy about sending them in!  

This week's review is by Anthony Edwards, who has recently returned to HW after a long hiatus.

TURAN: SUPER-POWER OF HYBORIA

OVERVIEW

   Turan sits astride the fence between East and West; well, actually Turan IS the fence! The lands around Turan are a vacuum that sucks this kingdom into conquest. Many argue that Aquilonia and Nemedia are the true super kingdoms; but each is restrained. Aquilonia is shackled by its many enemies who sap its strength; while Nemedia is burdened with the protection of a weak neighbor whose lands are desired by powerful enemies. Let us not forget the fact that these two nations border each other and are bitter enemies!

   As there are no other nations on par with these three, militarily speaking, and Turan has none of the weaknesses of the other two, it is easy to see who the true Super-Power of Hyboria is.

GEOGRAPHY(strengths)

   Turan sits squarely in the middle of Hyboria; many trade routes pass nearby. Its own provinces are easily defended by numerous fortifications; and no major threat, or even actively played kingdom, sits on its border in the beginning. Turan's greatest prize is the Vilayet, for which you have no opposition in your claim...save a few inferior NPC realms which you can easily overpower.

GEOGRAPHY(weaknesses)

   Every land province surrounding you is poor, and the early easy expansion carries you into contact with numerous other countries. Worse, it seems each of these nations WANT to fight with you to prove their own strength. Your Imperial Goal in Secunderam puts you at odds with as many as three other nations...four if your "ally" Hyrkania gets greedy. The worst is what was mentioned previously; many nations can quickly become your neighbor. Among these are: Hyperborea, Brythunia, Zamora, Khauran, Koth, Shem, Khoraja, Stygia, Punt, Zembabwei, Iranistan, Kosala, Vendhya, and Hyrkania! If you're not careful, you can be twice as bad off as Aquilonia!

COURT

   The court of Turan is good-sized, with several really nice characters. Your initial top three (CHA, ADJ, and Monarch) are not very good, but they are balanced out by the rest of your court. Each game will call for different ways to use your characters, but this is how I used them.

TURA-CHA: priest (N/G/G/N/N/A/P) Pretty much a disappointment, he is nevertheless, a competent ruler of your capital.

TURA-ADJ: general (N/N/P/A/A/P/N) A real horse patty. Send him adventuring and hope he gets killed (and he WILL)!

TURA-1: noble (G/N/G/N/A/P/N) A letdown for sure if you have read about him in the Conan novels. He isn't hopeless though; leave him on the throne to actively rule EVERY turn.

TURA-2: noble (A/E/G/A/P/P/N) One of your 3 best diplomats in the beginning; he is also a decent ruler. Use him often to build resistance or peace your neighbors.

TURA-3: noble (A/S/A/A/G/P/N) Your best diplomat, use him constantly to peace your rivals. He will be most important in the first few turns, so make sure to protect him.

TURA-4: general (P/P/N/A/G/P/N) Not at all good as a commander; he does work pretty well in command of raids or holding down a flank under the command of a better general.

TURA-5: general (N/N/P/S/E/P/N) The best general you have...make him commander of vital invasions. DON'T use him in the front lines though; he has a BAD habit of dying. As an archery commander he is excellent.

TURA-6: general (E/A/A/G/S/N/N) Not as good as Tura-5, this guy is perfect for the cavalry charge! Used with Tura-5, this guy does wonders with Turan's cavalry (especially Imperial Guards or Merc. Lancers).

TURA-7: general (G/P/P/G/E/S/N) A fine general, this character is actually best suited to stealing foreign secrets or removing low-combat-value wizards or diplomats.

TURA-8: general (N/N/P/P/E/G/N) A horrible commander, he nevertheless is very good at holding a flank, or as a spy. He should stay at home though, trying to counterspy.

TURA-9: hero (S/P/P/P/E/N/N) Your one and only hero. He brings in a little cash from his adventures, but his main strength is as a morale booster in one of your armies. Use him as a cavalry commander. Even though he has a poor in Intrigue, he has proven a decent assassin.

TURA-10: priest (P/A/E/P/A/A/N) Nothing I hate more than a spellcaster with no magic! Leave this one at home to see to the prosperity of your richest province.

TURA-11: priest (G/A/P/P/P/N/P: BLESS) Not good for much; use this one at home to lift sagging morale with his blessings. Don't expect too much though...he does have Poor magic ability.

TURA-12: wizard (N/P/N/N/P/P/S: DIPLOMACY, EARTH DEMON, FAR SIGHT, FEAR, ARCANE BLASTS, OPEN HAND) Not much on the damage-causing end; this wizard is perfect when using his Diplomacy spell to augment Tura-3. When not doing this, he is best used to gather info.

TURA-13: wizard (N/N/N/N/A/N/S: BLACK DEATH(3), REINCARNATE(5), EARTH DEMON, FAR SIGHT, PROPHECY) My favorite. In defense he crushes the enemy. He brings in tons of information. His best asset is his ability to bring back to life those pesky characters who lose their heads.

TURA-14: wizard (P/E/P/N/P/P/E: FEAR, FORCE MARCH, OPEN HAND, ARCANE BLASTS) A versatile character, and one of your best 3 diplomats. When he isn't busy peacing your rivals or avoiding influence, he should be used as either an army mage, or even as a bodyguard (hey, Arcane Blasts and the Open Hand!!).

TURA-15: agent (G/A/P/G/N/S/A: FIREWALL & MAGIC SLEEP) Although your best spy and assassin, this one is best used on the battlefield with Firewall (especially in those wide desert fronts you will be in).

TURA-16: agent (P/G/P/N/N/A/N) Sucks at anything except avoiding influence or knocking off some helpless wizard who is already lying in his deathbed! Even then don't expect much!

MILITARY

   As a whole, your military is very much the envy of ALL your possible rivals. With as much as 50% Heavy Cavalry, you can rest easy about whether or not you can hold your own with so many possible enemies. Realistically, you will never have this many HC though; that is if you want a fleet, and you DO want a fleet! You can assume at least 35% HC though, which still puts you well at ease against Iranistan (who can field 30% heavies, but they are all foot), Vendhya, or any of the Kothic Kingdoms.

   You will be shackled down a bit with a minimum of 15% LIA and 30% MI; but both of these have their uses. The LIA are decent in a dispersal raid along your borders; and the MI are every bit as good as their counterparts in Koth or Khauran. Since Koth has a minimum of 40% LIA (his battle fodder) and a maximum of 20% heavies, while Khauran has a minimum of 20% light troops and a maximum of 25% heavies, you have no fear from them. This is especially true when you consider it takes BOTH of them to exceed your starting number of units (Koth 77, Khauran 29, Turan 98), and that Koth will be busy fending of Shem and Corinthia at least.

DEVELOP A PLAN OF ACTION

   In any war or series of wars, you need a plan of action, or strategy. With Turan, the first thing you need to decide is which direction (east or west) that you want to begin your conquests.

   If you decide to attack east, then you must cover your back. You can do this by allying with western kingdoms like Shem and Zamora (my favorites: one with LOTS of heavies, and the other with LOTS of assassins). These western allies, whoever you choose, should be able to keep possible enemies busy while you concentrate in the east...most likely against Vendhya.

   Should you instead plan to move westward (my choice, and I'll explain later), then you need allies in the east. You already have Hyrkania; but, believe it or not, Iranistan is a perfect choice. That is, IF you can convince him to take everything SOUTH of the Colchian Mts., Yuetshi, and Secunderum. If you can arrange alliance with Iranistan, and have them wade into Kosala and Vendhya; then you can pick up Secunderum later. Shem and Zamora are still excellent allies if you turn west. The Shemites HATE Kothians, and the Zamorans are better YOUR paid hit men than an enemies!

OPENING STRATEGIES

   Having actually used the idea for westward conquest; I will use that strategy for the basis of an opening plan of conquest. There are several avenues; but they all hinge on one thing: KILL KHAURAN!!!

   First you should try to reach and ally with Shem and Zamora; offering to carve up the Kothic Kingdoms between you. In your first orders you should order the invasion of Fort Wakla with BOTH your IAs. When you invade there, don't be in a hurry; order set piece in the desert (TURA-15!!!!!). Also, move in and start chewing up the Vilayet with your navy.

   Next, attack Shan-E-Sorkh. Forget about the Naked Desert for now; you can pick it up AFTER you sack Khauran City. It is most likely that you will have to fight Khauran here; so bring your best generals, wizards, etc...(and don't forget Tura-15!!). Here again go for set piece and you should roll over them. During this time, you need to convince shem to attack Koth, and Zamora (with Corinthia to help if they can be convinced by Zamora) to also attack Koth; after peacing off the Brythunian's of course.

   If successful in Shan-E-Sorkh, and you should be; you are ready to attack Khauran City. You should have another IA by now; and you can use it to take the Naked Desert. Watch out for those Zuagir though; they can, and will, be a pain in the butt until completely conquered. If the Brythunians are close to your border now; be sure and peace them.

   You should also be sure to gain peace treaties with Koth and Khoraja; no need fighting more than one nation at a time. And for the love of Erlik, build your resistance to Khauran to superior starting on turn one! If they peace you, then it is a race for the Naked Desert. Oh, and if they peace you; be sure to peace them too!

   During all this, try to reach the ruler of Iranistan. Tell him you would like an alliance against the Vendhyans; and all you want in that area are the Colchians, Yuetshi, and Secunderum. Tell him he can have everything south and east of that. Also tell him you will try to get the Hyrkanians to ally with him also; this way he feels secure about his northern borders, and you can feel secure about the south and east. If you gain Iran as an ally, and keep Hyrkania; then you can easily take Secunderum later. If not; peace him and ally with the Kosalans (sitting between two giants, they would LOVE to have you as an ally; I promise)!

   I know this all sounds rather vague and fluid; but as Sun Tzu said: "Attack like water. Go where the enemy is weakest. Constantly change direction. This will force the enemy to sit idle, waiting to react to your next attack; allowing you to choose your battles." In Hyborian War terms: force the enemy into defense. If he is worried about losing ground, then he will not spare the time to take new ground, or make himself a threat to you.

CONCLUSIONS

   What each player will actually do will always be different, but four things remain true if you want to gain victory with Turan:

1) Khauran is going to be a major thorn in your side. It is better to crush him early on than allow him to grow and become a threat to you, or at the least, to constantly drain your resources.

2) As powerful as Turan is, it can NOT fight on every border and hope to win. Don't be arrogant or a loner; gain allies and use peace treaties to secure your borders. Then concentrate on ONE target at a time if at all possible. Few kingdoms can stand against the full strength of Turan and hope to even survive, much less hold their own. Also: KEEP your allies...don't be a backstabber. Of course, not everyone is honorable...so keep a close eye on your allies, and make sure they think they can't survive without you.

3) Dominate the Vilayet. Take every sea zone out there...it means two Imperial Armies that can't be taken by your enemies land forces. It is also an excellent treasure chest to support your wars on land.

4) Always be on the offensive. If a section of your border can't be peaced, or isn't a desired ally, then that is where you should attack. Be fluid and adapt; don't get set on a single goal, forsaking all else. Don't get mired down in a war of attrition in which you are gaining no ground. Peace them off and focus somewhere else. If you can't peace them, then get an ally to come and help you; or if they could actually make a good ally, then ally with them. If all else fails, then get sneaky. Ally with somebody and flank the enemy by going through that ally's lands.

   Of course, none of this is set in stone, even the part about keeping your allies. Do you think the U.S. strides across North America, and indeed the world, because they always kept their word? Or, do you think it more likely that it is because we did what was necessary and/or expedient? I know this is supposed to be an honorable war game, but it is a WAR game. Nobody should expect to go through a game of Hyborian War without being manipulated or stabbed in the back. That is the whole challenge! Those who survive and win are the ones who do what is necessary.

   With Turan, this applies the most. Without subtle manipulations and allies, everybody is going to want a piece of you! So brush up on your Sun Tzu, and go kick some butt!!