The Sheriff - Stronghold Crusader AI Lords

The Sheriff is a skirmish opponent in Stronghold Crusader & Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition.

Overview

Well known from the Robin Hood legends, The Sheriff of Nottingham is a greedy and conniving warlord, who only looks after himself and his interests. His coffers and lands virtually know no bounds, and the Sheriff uses both Crusaders and Arabs to achieve his goal. Building large cities and sprawling economies, the Sheriff however takes it slow, but he is not hesitant to show overwhelming force when applicable.

Castles & Defenses

The Sheriff tends to construct large castles divided into two parts: a more fortified tight courtyard around the Keep, connecting to a larger town area housing the myriads of industrial and civilian buildings. The Keep area is surrounded by thick, crenellated walls and a number of Defense Turrets. A carpet of invisible Pitch Ditches is added to this area to deter a charge of melee units. The town area is bordered by a thin layer of Low Wall and is connected to the outside world via Small Gatehouses, and Perimeter Turrets overlook the vicinity. Crossbowmen and Fire Throwers are stationed on the towers and gates, as well Assassins may be patrolling the inner area. 

The Sheriff's castles are very large and often sporadically manned, which invites easy sieges. More for than any other lord, the Sheriff's forts are very vulnerable to fire, making Fire Throwers and Fire Ballistae very effective at crippling the Sheriff's industry and military efforts. The town layout makes the Sheriff's ground units unable to properly engage, often lost zigzagging between the buildings and trapped in the flames. Another possible attack area is around the Keep, where Siege Towers may dock and allow your army to scale the walls and overwhelm the castle. While a large number of Macemen and Assassins may charge out and retaliate, your army should have no problem killing them off and eventually clear the entire inner area free of defenders. Your troops should have an easy way then down via the Large Gatehouse, however wait for any potential fire to die down before crushing the Sheriff.

Economy

The Sheriff builds extensive and very much developed economies to fund his expensive units. He builds lots of Woodcutters, Stone Quarries and Iron Mines, as well as a large number of Apple Farms and Dairy Farms to provide his populace with food. He also produces Ale and builds Chapels along with a Church to get some positive popularity. To display deterrence, the Sheriff builds a large number of Bad Things to exploit his productivity potential and greatly increase the production of his abundance of weapons workshops that provide equipment for his Macemen and Crossbowmen.

Raids & Sieges

Due to him taking a long time to build his castles, the Sheriff usually refrains from raiding until later in the game. He prefers to gather a small number of Macemen and charge down exposed buildings, quickly wreaking havoc until dealt with. When he can put some gold aside, the Sheriff will eventually build both Catapults and Fire Ballistae at home, and roll them forward to cause further damage from afar. Macemen and Crossbowmen may also rally outside the castle to swat off unwanted guests.

Eventually, the Sheriff may prompt to attack with a varied and big siege force. Macemen make up the bulk of his armies, arriving in large numbers and eventually striking at outlying buildings and the walls to find a way in the enemy castle. The Sheriff also uses squads of Assassins to capture gates, as well as Slaves are brought to fill in the enemy Moat. Siege Engineers may also come to construct Catapults and Fire Ballistae to remove enemy defenders and create breaches in the enemy enclosure to provide a way in. A modest number of Crossbowmen arrive to protect the siege engines and provide retaliatory fire against counterattacking troops. The Sheriff's Catapults may periodically fling cow carcasses instead of rocks to spread disease on the ground.

The Sheriff attacks with sturdy and fast troops, so it is imperative to get up a concentrated defense. Crossbowmen and Mangonels atop Towers may be needed to cut swathes in the ranks of enemy Macemen, often picking them off while they are busy destroying walls or the gates. Against the invisible Assassins, it is recommended to completely surround your castle with Moat and only allow traffic through your gates via Drawbridges. For the combination of siege engines, use both Tower Mangonels and Tower Ballistae. By the time the Sheriff starts sending raiding Macemen, your Crossbowmen numbers should be adequately high, however the retaliatory Crossbowmen may inflict some casualties, so make sure to replenish them as seen fit.