Sahara

Sahara is a random map within Knights and Barbarians. This article covers Sahara in the game and its history and geography in real life.

Preamble Between the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the wealthy Savannah lies Sahara, 'Mother of all Deserts'. Stretching all the way from the Mamluks to the Moors and from the Bedouins to Black Africa with a variety of dry, barren terrain, the Sahara Desert seems an unlikely place to find any living creatures, leave alone humans who choose to fight against mother nature.

In Game On Sahara, each player starts on a small oasis, providing him with the necessary resources to start a town. In team games players are placed in lines opposite each other, whereas in free-for-all games players are placed in a circle, with equal distance to one another.

Sahara has a relatively barren nature, and it may be hard to find any living creatures outside the few oases that the landscape contains. In fact, the only resource that may be found outside the oases are Gold Mines, Copper Mines and Rock Mines. Each player starts with an oasis, containing some Addax, Foxes or Ostriches, and somem Palm or Date trees. In the middle of the map is another oasis, far larger, that holds the majority of the resources on the map. It is therefore of great strategic importance.

The terrain on Sahara is as you'd expect, sandy and barren, with the sand arranged by mother nature into hilly sand dunes. The oases are more fertile, as the ground textures and trees testify.

Sahara contains three Barbarian settlements, all randomly chosen from either the Sudanese or the Berbers. These settlements are placed roughly between the large oasis in the centre of the map and the player areas. Sahara does not have a Trade Route.

Tactics and Strategy The main strategic point of interest on this map is the central oasis, with its many resources. Trying to claim it as soon as possible is nigh a guarantee for victory. It is though well possible to gather the needed resources outside the central Oasis, by building farming buildings close to your starting position. You will still need wood for the construction of these buildings though, so taking to the central oasis might be inevitable after all.

Another interesting thing on this map are the Barbarians. They are tactically positioned, and it is not unlikely that they will switch hands countless times during a game on Sahara. It is still worth investing in them though, as the Barbarian warriors may make a nice addition to your armies, while costing no population, and their technologies may benefit you greatly in this barren map.

While playing on Sahara, watch out for attacks. The openness of the map makes it nearly impossible to completely defend any area from enemy attack, and while the attacks will most likely be focused on the central oasis, the enemy might just sneek past and attack you in your base. A cunning player will be able to use the shape of the map to his advantage though, using this tactic against his enemies instead.

History Sahara is the largest desert in the world, located in Northern Africa. While being one of the driest places in world, few oasis work as a contrast for this huge sand bowl, having trees and animals near them. Historically, the oases were the only things that kept desert travelers and nomadic tribes alive in the desert. Their clean water and shade from the burning sun attracted both animals and humans, and even up to this day they are a great solace to anyone who finds himself alone in the Sahara desert.

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