Rhyfelwyr
04-26-2009, 21:18
I've started a campaign as the Sarmatians in BI on VH/M, and it soon became clear that I would have to go horde in the first few turns - first of all because of the obvious Hun/Vandal threat, and also because I was soon going into debt despite having a tiny army, due to my only province being so poor.
So, I went horde and looked around at my options. I could go west, but the Roxolani has settled in Tribus Iazyges after the Huns drove them out. To the north the Vandals blocked my path, and in the east the Huns. The only option was south.
However, I knew that there would be issues settling in the Balkans. Even if I took a ERE city, they had strong armies in the region and I would be fighting for survival. Also, it was likely that the Goths would be driven out by the other hordes, and I've noticed they often go for Thessalonika or Salona. So, I came up with a cunning plan... I would take to the sea!
I gathered up my horde armies, amounting to four near full stacks, and headed straight down that paved road that runs down the Black Sea coast to Constantinople. My spies showed that it was poorly guarded, and so I attacked it, keeping 2 armies in nearby woodland in case another ERE army came to relieve the defenders. But none came, and I sacked the city. I could have settled then, but I needed some cash for a boost when I did settle, and it would prevent any chances of a rebellion with a reduced population. So, I besieged the rebel garisson, and nine turns later settled in Constantinople. However, I knew it was not a safe place to be. The only way I could be safe was by using ships to escape the hordes.
So, over 8 turns I built up a fleet of 8 ships. Then, I gathered my 3 stacks that had remained since settling, and distributed them amongst 3 seperate fleets (2 fleets of 3 ships, and 1 fleet of 2 ships), and went horde! The ERE and pirate navies would be strong, so I had to find land quickly. I suspected Anatolia would be strongly guarded, and the Huns were already in Assyria for some reason. So, I headed south and landed in Egypt. Now, Alexandria is set to become the new capital of the Sarmatian people!
Has anyone else ever made similarly strange migrations?
So, I went horde and looked around at my options. I could go west, but the Roxolani has settled in Tribus Iazyges after the Huns drove them out. To the north the Vandals blocked my path, and in the east the Huns. The only option was south.
However, I knew that there would be issues settling in the Balkans. Even if I took a ERE city, they had strong armies in the region and I would be fighting for survival. Also, it was likely that the Goths would be driven out by the other hordes, and I've noticed they often go for Thessalonika or Salona. So, I came up with a cunning plan... I would take to the sea!
I gathered up my horde armies, amounting to four near full stacks, and headed straight down that paved road that runs down the Black Sea coast to Constantinople. My spies showed that it was poorly guarded, and so I attacked it, keeping 2 armies in nearby woodland in case another ERE army came to relieve the defenders. But none came, and I sacked the city. I could have settled then, but I needed some cash for a boost when I did settle, and it would prevent any chances of a rebellion with a reduced population. So, I besieged the rebel garisson, and nine turns later settled in Constantinople. However, I knew it was not a safe place to be. The only way I could be safe was by using ships to escape the hordes.
So, over 8 turns I built up a fleet of 8 ships. Then, I gathered my 3 stacks that had remained since settling, and distributed them amongst 3 seperate fleets (2 fleets of 3 ships, and 1 fleet of 2 ships), and went horde! The ERE and pirate navies would be strong, so I had to find land quickly. I suspected Anatolia would be strongly guarded, and the Huns were already in Assyria for some reason. So, I headed south and landed in Egypt. Now, Alexandria is set to become the new capital of the Sarmatian people!
Has anyone else ever made similarly strange migrations?