North African traditions

See also: Military traditions

The North African traditions concentrate on the strengths of the Phoenician merchant state of Carthage and the surrounding nations. The Carthaginians had a strong naval tradition built on centuries of Mediterranean trade, and made use of heavy infantry and African war elephants supported by light infantry and cavalry to smash through enemy formations.

Availability

Punic traditions.

Numidian traditions.

The North African military tradition groups, Punic and Numidian, are available for countries with the following culture groups:

• Numidian
• Punic

This tradition group can also be unlocked by embracing the military tradition:

• Embrace Celtiberian-African Influence (from the Barbarian military tradition group)
• Embrace Afro-Punic Influence (from the Levantine military tradition group)

Focus

The traditions focus on strengthening the following unit types, and possibly unlock some new abilities:

• −15% Ship building cost
• Unit focus:
  • Strong Trireme
  • Good Light cavalry
  • Good War elephants
• Possible ability unlocks:
  • Cavalry Skirmish

Punic traditions

Punic traditions.

	Tradition	On activation effect	Effect	Requirements
	A Hard Bargain	N/A	−10% Mercenary army maintenance cost	N/A
	Skilled Recruiters	A new character is generated with: 8 Martial Victorious trait	−5% Mercenary army maintenance cost −25% Recruit mercenary cost	A Hard Bargain
	Devastating Charge	N/A	+10% War elephant offense	Skilled Recruiters
	The African Elephant	N/A	−15% War elephant maintenance cost	Devastating Charge
	The Sacred Band	A new character is generated with: 8 Martial Steadfast trait	+10% Heavy infantry offense	Skilled Recruiters
	Iberian Draft	Gain 2 Freemen in 3 cities if: their dominant culture is Iberian they have the highest room to grow (population cap − total population)	+10% Heavy infantry defense	Skilled Recruiters
	Call to Arms	Gain 2 Freemen in 4 cities if: their dominant culture is Iberian they have the highest room to grow (population cap − total population)	+10% National manpower +2.5% Levy size multiplier	Iberian Draft The Sacred Band
	Phoenician Heritage	Gain a port in a coastal city with no existing port (with available building slots) Else gain a port in a coastal city with an existing port	−15% Ship building cost	N/A
	Embrace Afro-Punic Influence	Unlock Levantine tradition groups if any of the below culture groups has either 500 pops or is equal to 25% of the country's primary culture pops: Aksumite Arabian Egyptian Levantine (excluding Punic) Nubian	+5% Combat bonus in open sea	Phoenician Heritage
	Professional Marines	N/A	+10% Combat bonus in coastal sea +10% Ship damage done	Phoenician Heritage
	Putting our People to Work	If country has no ports then gain a port in a random coastal city (with available building slots) Gain a navy with 8 Trireme units in a random owned port city	−10% Navy maintenance cost	Professional Marines
	Maneuverability Above All	N/A	+15% Liburnian offense +15% Trireme offense +10% Liburnian movement speed +10% Trireme movement speed	Putting our People to Work
	Naval Dominance	N/A	−20% Ship damage taken	Maneuverability Above All
	A Life at Sea	N/A	+0.05 Monthly ship repair at sea	Maneuverability Above All

	Tradition	Description
	A Hard Bargain	Many nations were considered protectorates by Carthage, often providing troops in return for nominal protection. Whilst they were paid, this expectation of service drives down the costs compared with regular mercenary contracts.
	Skilled Recruiters	Unable to supply enough fit soldiers for the needs of the state, Carthage resorted to employing all manner of foreign mercenaries in their army. Relying on the skill of their negotiators, Carthage became the first port of call for soldiers seeking paid employment.
	Devastating Charge	The psychological effect of elephants on the battlefield was huge. Battle lines would break, men were trampled, and entire armies would surrender at the dust clouds created by an approaching army with an elephant contingent.
	The African Elephant	Immense beasts with thick skin and a variable temperament, elephants were utilized as shock cavalry in the Carthaginian army. As proven by Hannibal's crossing of the alps, they made excellent pack animals when not engaged in combat.
	The Sacred Band	Unlike the rest of the predominantly mercenary forces, the Sacred Band were a group of Carthaginian citizens, possibly of noble birth, armed and equipped with heavy armor and spears. This elite group operated in a similar style to the Greek phalanxes, but due to their small number, were destroyed and reformed on several occasions throughout Carthaginian history.
	Iberian Draft	Carthage, in an attempt to counter the lack of available troops associated with their sprawling, decentralized empire, employed vast quantities of foreign soldiers. The fierce Iberians made a valuable addition to their ranks.
	Call to Arms	The fortunes of our people are called into question every time we are threatened - all must rise in defense of our culture. We live, or die, as one.
	Phoenician Heritage	The ancient traders of Tyre settled tracts of land across the Mediterranean. Their legendary seafaring skills live on in the memory of our people.
	Embrace Afro-Punic Influence	N/A
	Professional Marines	Ships in the Carthaginian navy were outfitted not only with a crew of sailors, but a crew of battle-hardened marines. Boarding action was common in antiquity, and the presence of a cadre of armed men must surely have put the minds of sailors and oarsmen at rest.
	Putting our People to Work	The reliance of the Carthaginian army on foreign soldiers, was not mirrored in the navy. The poor or disillusioned could always find cheap labor at sea, manning one of the many military vessels of the Carthaginian state.
	Maneuverability Above All	The Greek penchant for huge ships was not shared by the Carthaginians. Experts in naval warfare, they favored smaller craft with enhanced adaptability, leading to numerous victories over their enemies. The Battle of Catana in 397 BC resulted in a crushing defeat for the Syracusan forces, who were outnumbered and outperformed by the Carthaginian armada.
	Naval Dominance	The Carthaginian fleet was a constant presence in the seas around Sicily and North Africa. The safety and reassurance this provides our crews cannot be understated, leading to a calm knowledge of our superiority in this theater.
	A Life at Sea	While some nations build bespoke fleets for tackling particular enemies, our navy is in constant use. As such, our ships always carry supplies to perform maintenance in-situ, making it much easier to recover from combat or general attrition.

Numidian traditions

Numidian traditions.

	Tradition	On activation effect	Effect	Requirements
	To Each, Their Own	Gain 4 Province investments	+6% National tribesman output +8% National tribesman happiness	N/A
	Embrace Punic-Italic Influence	Unlock Italic tradition groups if any of the below culture groups has either 500 pops or is equal to 25% of the country's primary culture pops: Italic	N/A	To Each, Their Own
	Local Knowledge	N/A	−15% Army attrition +5% Combat bonus in desert	N/A
	Uneasy Relations	Every subject nation gains opinion modifier towards Our Nation: Appreciates Protection (+50 opinion)	+10 Loyalty of subject states +10% Tribute income	Embrace Punic-Italic Influence Local Knowledge
	Noble Warlords	A new character is generated with: 8 Martial Victorious trait	+5 Loyalty of admirals +5 Loyalty of generals	Uneasy Relations
	Man and Horse	N/A	+15% Combat bonus in plains	N/A
	Numidian Cavalry	N/A	+15% Light cavalry offense	Man and Horse
	Imposing Edifices	N/A	+15% Fort defense +1 National fort infrastructure capacity	Numidian Cavalry
	Ululating Cry	N/A	+10% Light cavalry discipline	Man and Horse
	Sure-footed, as Wild Horses	N/A	−15% Light cavalry cost +10% Light cavalry defense	Ululating Cry
	Born in the Saddle	N/A	+10% Light cavalry morale	Sure-footed, as Wild Horses
	Wild Charge	N/A	Enables the "Cavalry Skirmish" tactic +5% Light cavalry discipline	Sure-footed, as Wild Horses

	Tradition	Description
	To Each, Their Own	We impose no strictures on our tribal people. They come and go as they please, often bringing their spoils with them.
	Embrace Punic-Italic Influence	N/A
	Local Knowledge	None know better than our people, the ways of the desert. Where others see a desolate plain, we see potential.
	Uneasy Relations	The supply of troops to our armies by countries willing to pay, can have implications. Our nation could even be held to ransom by those unwilling to provide the necessary forces - this must not be permitted.
	Noble Warlords	The noble heritage of our people lives on in our practice of appointing the elite to lead our men. Those with so much invested into our nation are hard to sway with offers of gold or land.
	Man and Horse	Generations of interdependency between horse, camel, and man, allow us to get the most out of our mounted warriors, without ever pushing them too far.
	Numidian Cavalry	The interior of Africa provides skilled riders, the likes of which our foes cannot match. Combined with our superior equipment, we can transform these nomadic warriors into fearsome heavy cavalry.
	Imposing Edifices	The lighthouses, civic structures, and fortifications of our people are recognizable to all who enter our lands. The imposing walls of our cities, however, give pause for thought to those who enter with a mind for conquest.
	Ululating Cry	A single war cry on the lips of every one of our soldiers. This is the way of our people, and the way in which we will show our foes that we stand united, and ready to kill.
	Sure-footed, as Wild Horses	We have no need for theft or ownership, but live in harmony with the land around us. Where the oases and watering holes are, there will we find the wild beasts which will bear our armies.
	Born in the Saddle	The Berber people to the west, and the Numidians, learn their horsemanship at a young age. For a people always on the move, this skill is invaluable.
	Wild Charge	To some, it may seem like a disordered, chaotic melee, yet our warriors revel in this battle dance, knowing the movements of friend and foe, and acting as one with the rhythm of war.

References

1. To update page content see reference files in folder /ImperatorRome/game/:
   1. For military tradition see reference file common/military_traditions/00_north_african.txt.
   2. For military tradition see reference file common/military_traditions/00_north_african_2.txt.
   3. For localization text see reference file localization/english/military_traditions_l_english.yml.

Military Traditions

Barbarian • Greek • Indian • Italic • Levantine • North African • Persian

Mechanics