Richard the Lionheart - Stronghold Crusader AI Lords

Richard the Lionheart is a skirmish opponent in Stronghold Crusader & Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition.

Overview

Richard I is a well-known English ruler, who spent most of his life warring in the Middle East. Leading the Crusaders to victory in Little Asia and Jerusalem, Richard was a competent strategist and an avid fighter, whose motivation on the battlefield earned the nickname "The Lionheart". Fielding a mass of armored units and attacking with high frequency, Richard the Lionheart makes sure to crush his enemies in one fell swoop. His industrial prowess and massive production lines fully suit his warmongering attitude, however this one-dimensional behaviour may prove to be more harmful for his defensive capabilities.

Castles & Defenses

Richard the Lionheart builds simple square-shaped castles with thick walls, usually having only one Gatehouse. He erects Square Towers on all corners of his enclosure, hosting Ballistae and Mangonels in them, occasionally with Archers and Oil Pot Engineers. Sometimes this castle will be augmented with an outer wall with a few small towers on the corners. The inside of the castle houses numerous weapons workshops, as well as Good Things are built to boost combat morale. Chapels and Hovels are also sporadically built inside and outside the fort. The Keep is usually seen swarming with heavy armor; Pikemen and Archers in small mixed squads are also seen patrolling the outer buildings.

Richard is very weak on the defense, as his towers and gates are almost left unmanned, with only his tower engines bringing some firepower. His walls also tend to block visibility from the Keep, where Richard's most units are found, so bringing a mass of ranged units and targeting the Lord can slowly but surely whittle down the mass armour's health, as well as pick off the loitering unarmored units. The Lionheart's courtyard is also vulnerable to fire due to the many buildings built close to each other, so bring a few Fire Ballistae or Fire Throwers to light it all up! To find an easy way into the castle, bring in Assassins, Battering Rams or Siege Towers to knock a hole in the wall, or scale them with your troops.

Economy

Richard builds mass resource gathering buildings to fund his war engine. Numerous Quarries and Iron Mines provide raw income and ample materials for the weapons workshops. The Lionheart builds Apple Farms and Dairy Farms to supply his Granary, as well as he may buy Bread to ensure some variety. A few Chapels provide religious coverage alongside with Good Things to grant further popularity and thus increasing taxes.

Raids & Sieges

Richard's tactics are fairly one-dimensional, and he tends to pack most of his power into his sieges, concentrating less on raids. A few Archers may be seen deployed at random targets, however Catapults in small numbers may also be rolled forward to the enemy and pummel structures with rocks.

It's the sieges where Richard feels in his element, trying out various methods to bring the enemy castle to heel. Right from the outset, the Lionheart sends lots of Pikemen and Swordsmen in formations. Archers also arrive to provide ranged support, and eventually they charge head on to the castle defenses. The mass armor may eventually be split up to vandalise structures and work on the fortifications making use of their high durability. Lots of Engineers are also added in ample numbers, constructing Catapults, Trebuchets and eventually Battering Rams, which can prove devastating, should the Lionheart be able to build all of them. Unique among all Lords, Richard also brings Tunnelers and rushes them to the fray in small groups. 

Due to the preference for heavy armor, it may necessitate a complex and versatile defense to parry Richard's siege forces. Crossbowmen alone will not cut it, though they can prove invaluable in softening up the enemy units. Tower Mangonels and Ballistae are both strong at thinning out the spreading out attackers, as well as dealing with most siege engines set up within range. To remove the Trebuchets and the Catapults, focus fire your ballistae on individual engines in order to not waste bolts on random targets. Moat can greatly reduce the speed of the Lionheart's advance, allowing your Ballistae to pick off a few more units. Alternatively, deploy Fire Throwers to critical locations mixed in with your tower troops.