This Guide is my labour of love to Empire Total War. In it I desire to both compile an archive of the beautiful battlefields that every Player encounters, on every campaign, when a region capital without fortification is assaulted; and a distillation of my approach to fighting the battles of this era. As such it is barely 7% or so complete as I write this, in early September 2024, and will likely take some months to complete.

I invite you to join me on this journey, as I endeavour to add a few more maps, with annotation and commentary, each week.

Prior to obtaining their Nizam-I Cedit in the late game, Ottomans have only a combination of elite musketeer infantry (Janissaries) without square formation and inferior musketeer infantry (Isarelys) with. You will usually see me deploy 2 Isarelys to either or both flanks, usually refused and in column formation for faster conversion into square formation against cavalry. Being in column formation at start also means less micro-management of the square conversion in obtaining a powerful cross-fire against the attacking cavalry. With their supporting artillery and own high accuracy, this does a fine job of protecting the Janissary Musketeers in the centre of my line against marauding enemy cavalry. They will on occasion take a cavalry hit; but it is rarely a full charge by an undepleted squadron, and usually repelled without any extreme difficulty or losses.

• Havana, Cuba
  
  
• Port Royal, Jamaica
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3326851860
  Apparently the game prevents one from selling a region more than once in a single game turn. :SteamHappy: I carelessly sold Florida to Thirteen Colonies after DOW-ing them; so the garrison failed to auto-transport to Cuba as intended.
  
  Taking it back, and resell attempts all failing, I eventually gifted it to Louisiana to achieve the desired effect, whereupon my nearby sloop collected them and the garrisons in Havana and Santo Domingo for this first turn assault on Port Royal from Jamaica's north shore.
  
  
• Nassau, Bahamas
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3328304287
  
  
• Santo Domingo, Hispaniola
  
  
• Punda, Curacao
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3326889643
  Turn Two Spanish assault after an island hop from Jamaica.
  
  
• Antigua, Leeward Islands
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3327826743
  
  
• Martinique, Windward Islands
  
  
• San Jose de Caruna, Trinidad & Tobago

• Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
  
  
• Panama, Panama
  
  
• Bogato, New Granada
  
  
• Caracus, New Andalusia
  
  
• Paramaribo, Dutch Guyana
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3327183886
  Turn four Spanish assault with the force accumulating to take out the tough pirate base in Antigua, Leeward Islands as well as Bahamas in the next two turns.
  
  
• Cayenne, French Guyana

• St. Augustine, Florida
  
  
• Savannah, Georgia
  
  
• Charleston, Carolinas
  
  
• Williamsburg, Virginia
  
  
• Annapolis, Maryland
  
  
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  
  
• Albany, New York
  
  
• Boston, Confederation of New England
  
  
• Falmouth, Maine
  
  
• Fort Nashwaak, Acadia

• York Factory, Northwest Territories
  
  
• Fort Sault Ste. Marie, Huron Territory
  
  
• Moose Factory, Prince Rupert's Land
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3322000174
  
  
• Niagara, Algonquin Territory
  
  
• Cayuga, Iroquois Territory
  
  
• Montreal, Upper Canada
  
  
• Quebec, New France
  
  
• Agvituk, Montagnais
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3321496342
  Unexpectedly , my artillery arrived on my far left flank, almost in the Huron deployment area, rather than behind me. Fortunately the Huron were sporting about it, and allowed it to peacefully march around, with its single cavalry support, to my hill top position, beginning their assault only after it had deployed and unlimbered. :Steamhappy:
  
  
• St. John's, Newfoundland

• Santa Fe, New Mexico
  
  
• Yankton, Black Hills
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3322329452
  
  
• Mexico, New Spain
  
  
• Villa de Bexar, Texas
  
  
• New Orleans, Lower Louisiana
  
  
• Fort de Chartres, Upper Louisiana
  
  
• Chicasa, Kaintuck Territory
  
  
• Tellico, Cherokee Territory
  
  
• Fort Pontchartrain du Detroit, Michigan Territory

• Reyjavik, Iceland
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3322021356
  Notice the "close defence" behind the town, supported by howitzers and yet (just) out of range of the entrenched Danish artillery. This is very powerful, as winding their way through the streets slows enemy troops' advance and exposes them to additional howitzer volleys. I could have usefully deployed even further right, by one or two battalion widths, as the best Danish defenders always come around the right side of the village (as seen by the Player); but it's been several campaigns since I last played this out manually in the absence of fortifications.
  
  

• Algiers, Algeria, from the N
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3327898355
  
  
• Turin, Savoy
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3327893646
  
  
• Tunis, Tunisia
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3328521015
  
  

• 
  
  
• Yerevan, Armenia
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3322423475
  This battle, advancing on Yerevan from the NW, is always a fun one. The AI is going to attempt turning our right flank with its best troops, while feinting through the village with its rabble and a few others. We must be prepared to repel both.
  
  Note how our (immobile) demi-cannons are placed with round shot line of fire against AI troops either advancing straight through the village or attempting to maneuvre between our centre and right flank. in defending our centre we are again behind the village, supported by howitzers taking advantage of the slowness of troops winding through the narrow streets. The furthest left howitzers could even have been placed advantageously on our right, beside or behind the other howitzers.
  
  Meanwhile our 18-lbers are anchoring defence of our right flank. I didn't squeeze them forward to the escarpment edge to full advantage; so their round shot and canister fire both had less effect than I intended, so still useful.
  
  This deployment is a rare example of knowing exactly what my lines of fire will be - so my initial deployment is taking advantage of that and is not in its usual *temporary* straight lines, but is rather an example of how I always (later) rearrange my musketeers to get flanking fire on advancing troops.
  
  
• Zahedin, Baluchistan
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3322446681

• Naroon Kot, Sindh
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3324916381
  
  
• Kabul, Afghanistan
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3322356471
  
  
• Ahmedabad, Gujarat
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3323365062
  Third turn assault, giving the Mughul no respite. Knowing to press hard on the AI in the first few turns is one of the knowledgable Player's advantages - the AI reacts, but cannot plan or understand that its opponent is also weak early on.
  
  
• Udaipur, Rajpootana
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3323440354
  Third turn assault, with the survivors (less cannons, which couldn't reach) from the assault above on Ahmedabad. Yes, this force is somewhat weak now - but Mughul has nothing in either Akbarabad (Hindustan) or Ujain (Malwa) with which to take advantage.
  
  
• Lahore, Punjab
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3323531612
  
  
• Ujain, Malwa
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3321760083
  Although a late game battle, only "just sufficient force" was dispatched. The garrison comprised just two cavalry, one Sikh Musketeers, and two townsfolk rabble, as the main Maratha forces in India proper had been eliminated the previous two turns. This force had no difficulty winning, taking only modest casualties.
  
  
• Srinigar, Kashmir
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3322380316
  
  
• Akbarabad, Hindustan
  Fortified at campaign start

• Goa, Goa
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3324255838
  Playing coy until I know where the Portuguese demi-cannons are.
  
  
• Satara, Bijapur
  Fortified at campaign start
  
  
• Ahmadnagar, Ahmadnagar
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3323254385
  A first turn assault by Maratha, loaded up with lancers against the populous mob defenders.
  
  A downhill charge by the lancers, four abreast in two ranks, across the defending line while it remaneuvred and with Hindu warriors following up against the Mughul musketeers, quickly put the defenders in disarray. After disengaging to reform behind the infantry, a second charge by the lancers ended the battle.
  
  
• Mysore, Mysore
  
  
• Hyderabad, Hyderabad
  Fortified at campaign start
  
  
• Nagpur, Berar
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3323331785
  An early game, Turn Two, assault by Maratha with just "sufficient force", leveraging the effect of our lancers and warriors backed up by musketeers and our General.
  
  
• Arcot, Carnutica
  Fortified at campaign start
  
  
• Trincomalee, Ceylon
  
  
• Cuttack, Orissa & Circars
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3323458364
  Turn four assault. Yes, the defenders would probably have just surrendered if offered terms - but let's have a little fun and see how many units can be promoted a level.
  
  
• Calcutta, Bengal
  
  https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3323480495
  
  .

For those struggling with Public Order, here is a tableau that I've found useful in planning my cabinet shuffles.



The fundamental premise is that to obtain the best Cabinet possible, you must be adding a new candidate to the pool every turn. This means clearing the pool every 4 turns (or occasionally sooner) while leaving one acceptable candidate so as to reduce risk on the next shuffle.

Above I have outlined the actual Turn 4 shuffle for my current fast start Spanish campaign. Normally I would wait one more turn; but this is a great case study for when not to:

1. Three strong candidates are being appointed, for an improvement of +3 in Lower Class Public Order.
   
2. It's early game, on a fast start campaign, so that Public Order improvement is sorely needed.
   
3. The acceptable candidate left behind is nearly identical to the weakest Minister left in place, eliminating risk on the next shuffle.

Note that the +3 improvement, from +3 to +6, in Lower Class Public Order comes at the (usually, as now, irrelevant in an Absolute Monarchy) decrease of -1 in Upper Class Public Order.

Note that there is also an improvement of +1 to Repression in the American Theatre due to the stars for that minister going from 3 to 4.

Finally, the only Cabinet posts where stars have a meaningful impact on one's campaign are:

• Finance, where every star matters; and
  
• Justice and Colonial Secretaries, where it is essential to have 4 stars (for the +1 Repression) but the next bump is only at 7 stars. So 4, 5 and 6 stars are all the same for practical purposes.