Plains Nations

The Plains Nations are a minor faction in Empire: Total War, and a playable faction in The Warpath Campaign DLC.

Description

The Plains Nations are a loose confederacy of nomadic and village-dwelling tribes from the west of America, drawn together by their subsistence from the hunting of bison. Bison provide the tribes with almost everything: their culture is completely dependent upon them. The beasts are not just food, but also give clothes, tools, ornaments, and weapons. Until relatively recently the Plains people did not have a settled base, instead following the migration patterns of the bison. This slow progress created the familiar "Tipi" dwelling, and they are horse masters without peer, thanks to the horses left behind by Spanish settlers. Unsurprisingly, the Spanish were not willing to share their equestrian skills with the natives they wished to subjugate. This led to hostility from both the Plains and Pueblo Nations. When the Spanish pulled back from New Mexico in 1680 they left many horses behind, and both tribal groups were quick to take advantage of this. The Plains Nations are generally unfriendly towards their fellow natives, maintaining just enough contact to boost their income through trade.

Objectives

Short Campaign

Capture and hold 12 regions by the end of the year 1813, including the regions shown.

• Northwest Territory
• Indiana Territory
• Upper Louisiana

Long Campaign

Capture and hold 20 regions by the end of the year 1823, including the regions shown.

• Northwest Territory
• Upper Louisiana
• Indiana Territory
• Michigan Territory
• Rupert's Land
• Apache Territory
• Wichita Territory
• New Mexico

World Domination

Capture and hold 30 regions by the end of the year 1828, including the regions shown.

• Black Hills

General Information

In the vanilla version of Empire: Total War, the Plains nations occupy the far western area of the Americas. Far removed from any other faction aside from a small Huron region, the Plains Nations generally leave other factions alone and rarely engage in hostilities unless provoked.

The Warpath Campaign

The Plains Nations are one of the playable factions in the Warpath Campaign DLC. They gain access to Blackfoot Blood Warriors, Cheyenne Dog Soldiers, and Comanche Mounted Warriors. Unlike most other Native American factions (which receive two unique infantry types and one unique cavalry type), the Plains Nations have access to two unique cavalry types and one unique infantry type.

Trivia

• The flag used by the Plains Nations is the flag of the Oglala Lakota tribe, however, this is historically anachronistic as this flag was adopted in 1961.