With a large but poor population the Emirate of Morocco starts as a fairly isolated power in North Africa. Removed from the threat of large scale invasions in the short term then Morocco has the potential to develop into a formidable empire over time if handled well. (sample GUI empire file)

The empire starts of with a fairly large but relatively poor population in Morocco and Algeria. However one of the major strengths of the position is the potential to expand quickly into Tunisia too. This gives the potential gains of extra tax, good fertile land, a trade city with good access to all the mediteranean and a second ore mine. The main competitor in this expansion is obviously Naples with a colony already established in Libya, but any nation such as Italy, Spain or France might decide to take a chance on seizing Tunis. This should be seen as a major objective as without it Morocco’s economy will be much less effective. With steady expansion Morocco should aim to be amongst the top 4 largest nations by population by the end of 1808 to ensure that the low tax rate is offset by size and a steady income is assured. Obviously the gold mine Morocco starts with will help the cashflow situation but income may soon be a major barrier to development so trading will be important.

In the colonies a small island off India is the only starting point, however, there is easy access from Rabat to bring re-inforcements and the potential is definitely there to expand in Asia in several directions, especially if North africa can be secured and european troops and a few commanders released for colonial service.

The Moroccan army begins split between Rabat and Algiers. There is little chance of an early invasion of the homeland given the strategic position, though there may be some skirmishes in Tunisia with Naples so it may be sensible to combine the army in Algiers as a suitable forward operating base. The main incentive to expand the army fast is to gain more commanders and thus be able to expand terrirory more quickly for extra tax. Quality-wise make no mistake - Morocco has the least impressive set of troops in the game! However looking closer then the Turcos and Zouaves can at least stand toe to toe with the Line and Light troops of Naples, Spain and the Ottomans, plus the Religious Fanatics and Nomads are good cheap troops for gaining territory in africa or the colonies. Its just that from then on everything else does not lend itself to building a great battle force. The Palace Guard are no match for Grenadiers and are only useful in close combat, the skirmishers are very weak in terms of firepower and morale and the cavalry are colourful but not as effective as any opponents. In the long term heavy artillery and heavy sipahi cavalry may offset some of these disadvantages but this is unrealistically expensive in the first couple of years. Instead a wise Moroccan commander will seek to skirmish with armies of up to 99 btlns to wear down opponents with mathematical battles rather than seek large pitched battles where his troops real weaknesses will show through. With a large population the Moroccan army has the potential to be a powerful entity that can overwhelm any invader with numbers despite the poor quality troops, but only so long as the economy is build up large enough and strong enough to support it.

Morocco is a nation that is likely to depend on her navy almost as much as Britain. If a successful ruler can either conquer all of North Africa or at least secure a steady border with Naples then the only other route to invasion or expansion will be by sea. With a naval morale of 5 then Morocco has better capabilities than at least Italy and Naples, though worse than Spain and Portugal. There is one secret (ok, not very secret!) weapon in that there is the option to build Corsairs. In short these ships effectively have the firepower of frigates with a manpower more like those of cruisers, making them effective in boarding actions. They also have a higher morale of 6 which will mean they are likely the primary choice for any Moroccan admiral. These are more likely to form the backbone of the fleet given their capabilities but this does mean a much larger overall marine contingent than normal. If Morocco is secure and isolated in africa then one option a Moroccan admiral might want consider pursuing is that of piracy - preying on the gold and ore fleets returning from the asia and the americas. However beware that your unique ship types may give you away and lead to reprisals against the ‘barbary pirates’. Or maybe you can repeat history and extract bribes and tributes in order to leave a nations ships alone…

As mentioned above then the primarly focus for Morocco in the short term will be in Africa. There are likely to be two options; a peaceful division of territory with Naples or war with Naples. If the former then hard bargaining should ensure that as good a deal as possible is secured. If the later then Morocco should hold the advantage in numbers, though not in quality. It could be a hard fight, especially if Italy and Naples are at peace, but the rewards for success will be great.
If North Africa can be secured and the navy developed then a whole spectrum of interesting strategies becomes open to explore. The Spanish peninsula, the Italian peninsula, the Middle East, Asia, the caribbean or elsewhere - Morocco can find itself in the enviable position to pick and choice where and when to get involved next. Unless alliances have already been formed then opportunism may be the key to deciding what to do next. Spain and Portugal are close to home and being within Morocco’s sphere of influence if a bridgehead can be established then troops can be formed overseas. However unless these potential enemies are busy this is likely to be a difficult expedition given Spain and Portugals superior troops and navy, but if Grenada rule can be liberated after three centuries of Christian rule the spoils of war could be worth it. Another option might be to push further east to the Ottomans lands in Egypt and the Middle East. At least the armies will be more equally matched, the main challenge being the distances involved making bringing in re-enforcements a lengthy logistical exercise. In short there are a wealth of interesting strategies to explore and this is where Morocco can really come into its own. So long as the navy is strong the defence of the homeland will be relatively easy and thus Morocco can strike with impunity and ultimately prove a hard nation to beat.

With good reason Morocco is often stated as a good nation for a beginner to practice the mechanisms of the game without coming under too much pressure too early. However there is much to challenge an experienced player too. Mastering the Moroccan armies potential (or more accurately overcoming its weaknesses!) on the battlefield will be a challenge to any ruler that make it all round an unpredictable and enjoyable position to fill. (By Chris Panton)