The Art of Crusading...

[Bob the Insane]

I like crusades, but I don't seem to understand the mechanics..

Example, last night playing the English, I had challenged myself to complete all the early period crusades..

The first I sent to Palestine as it has the big points return. The year was only 1120AD and with the patch the unit where kind of limited. Anyway I raised the crusade and the Pope was happy (it only cost 250 florins for his blessing..). The basic Crusade army was two units of Templars and two units of Order Footmen (bonus http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif).. To this I added a handful of archer, militia and spearman units, plus a couple of 'expendable' heirs..

Now I did not want to get into a fight with the Almohads yet and force the crusade across North Africa (it appears that while most AI Christian factions will allow a Crusade to past, even if you are at war, no Muslim faction will let one past even if you are allied and the crusade is against a different Muslim faction... So I sent my Crusade to Lithuania by ship, and then across the steppes and down around the back of the black sea until I final encountered the Turks in Armenia..


Now on the treck from Lithuania to Armenia my army went from 1000 men to 750, including the loss of 25% of the Templars and Order Footmen... Where did they go???

Later Crusades reinforced this, even when they crossed Catholic lands the seemed gain troops only slight quick than it shed them. Even as I crossed HRE and was lucky enough to bump into their main army and pick over 300 troops in one step, the orginal Crusader troops where dropping like flies...

Anyone got any tips on running successful crusades... ie, both obtaining the objective and picking up some of those cool crusader units for your regular army..

[smoothdragon]

If you stay too long in provinces with low zeal, your original crusaders may abandon the cause. A good tip with crusades is to aim for Catholic provinces with big stacks. That way, you can strengthen your crusades at the expense of your enemies http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif.

[Kraxis]

Yes, watch out for the zeallevels of the provinces you are going to pass through. Orthodox lands are especially bad.

I don't like that you actually lose troops in very high zeal provinces. For instance I might lose 4-5 Templars and Order Foot in an 80% zeal province and gain 4-5 units of Peasants (if no garrison). That should not happen... I should not lose any troops in high zeal provinces, at least not the Oder troops, they were dedicated.

[Alrowan]

just get a large sea route, and march througgh catholic lands, then hop on a ship for the last leg

[Swisspike]

A couple of points.

Use a non-Crusade stack to blow open a corridor to the target province.

Save the Crusade for the specific target province only.

Do not be afraid to add a bunch of units to your Crusade, the more the better. Use the cheaper units as cannon fodder to protect those nice, high end Templars.

Throw in a good general. Crusades are important, and directly affect your victory point score. I usually put in my very best general in charge. The eight actual Crusades were a very big deal in Europe, well-supported and financed.

Using ships to move your troops is much better than moving them overland, unless your overland trip picks you up more troops.

Use intermediate provinces as targets, instead of going for the home run. The home run may work short term, but there is no way you are going to keep the province.

After conquering the target province, immediately build a seaport. This will allow you to reinforce the province in just 4 years. Gotta hang on til then.

Use a province as a stepping stone for your next Crusade. For example, take Antioch, upgrade with churches, monasteries, etc., convert to Christianity, throw in an inquisitor, and BOOM instant reinforcements for your next Crusade to Palestine, just a couple of provinces away.

The big benefit of a successful Crusade (beside the points) is the amazing quality of troops you end up with, after a successful Crusade. I use them in my "A" stack, they are unbeatable.

[Hosakawa Tito]

To the above I may add to use bishops, cardinals, and inquisitors to scout ahead of your crusade and increase the zeal if your going overland. Obviously you should start doing this 5-10 years in advance of your crusade. Using your navy to transport to your target is useful, if the faction your targeting doesn't have a navy to blockade you.
I find that most of the time, the muslims seem to be some of the first AI factions to develop a navy though, but if you can go by sea at least part way it will cut down on the number of troops you lose to desertion or disease.