Desert Raider

In game

Desert Raider — Vital statistics
	Light ranged cavalry, best used for flanking and attacking melee infantry or support units. Strong versus heavy infantry, especially melee units Weak versus missile units and cavalry.
Prereq:	Build time	HP	LOS	Attack	Attack speed	Movement speed
[3]	13s (200t)	115	10	20(2)	2s (30t)	30
Cost			Created from	Armour	Weapon range	Specialty
Base	Ramp	Pop
: 50; : 30	: 1; : 1	1		2	0–10	Can fire while moving. Fires twice per attack.

Overall strategy

For obvious reasons, European-style methods of cavalry warfare, relying on massed melee charges, are not popular with the Muslim civilisations of the Near East, and for obvious reasons too. Not only is the weather too warm for the wearing of Cuirassier-style armour, the lack of resources required for training, mounts and standardisation too is lacking in what are otherwise feudalistic backwaters with nary a shred of modern industry.

Thus, in lieu of Cuirassiers, Desert Raiders are raised by the Mameluke and Moroccan factions. They are not as fast as traditional European Carabiniers nor as tough as Cuirassiers, but they still carry immense punch in the form of their twin short-ranged pistols, and are as such capable of laying waste to opponents if used in hit-and-run attacks. The main task of these men is to enegage melee units at range, and to avoid entanglements with ranged units.