who should i try first?

[matt_g]

When i hopefully open up MTW christmas morning and install and everything what would be a good natin and period to start in? i'd like an easy country so i could learn the game

[Exile]

I'd suggest the early period, maybe England and 'easy' setting for your first game. Stop back and let us know how your game goes. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[scotchedpommes]

Although it might seem strange, I would suggest the Danes.

[Major Robert Dump]

Turkish on diffcult. the only way to learn is to die http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Stormer]

Well my first team to play was Enlgand on early i also find them to be th best faction to play as and to be.
my second team would be byzinatines on easythey get loads of troops that own in early http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Stormer http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

[FesterShinetop]

Yeah, I would also say English on Early. Danes also a good choice as you haven't too many provinces to control in the beginning and you are fairly safe.

[KukriKhan]

1st campaign, right out of the box, not reading the manual? Germans (Holy Roman Empire)is my answer. You learn conquest, and get acquainted with all the other factions http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Then the Byzies, to see how economics & shipping is important.

Then one of the single-province factions (Danes, Polish, Turks, etc) to tie the whole game together.

Then click Multiplayer for something completely different. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

[Alrowan]

turks are quite good if yo play in early with a quick expansion role, though never play them in high, the mongols stuff all you built

as for ease, i would not suggest england or the danes, simply beacue they rely on the sea too much. I would suggest france, alamohad or spain

[matt_g]

ok thanks for your replys. i think im going to be spain and see how that goes. im just wondering is the campaign hard to pick up on or is it really easy to just pick up and go?

[scotchedpommes]

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/shock.gif The Spanish are the only faction I've chosen and been seriously put down with in less than 50 years - thanks to the ÜberAlmos

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

[KukriKhan]

Easy enough to get started...just start building and training. Watch out for the Almohads to your south - quite untrustworthy. If the Argonese make noises, just ignore them for now. Think about where you are and who your neighbors are, when the dozen factions seek alliance, right at the start. Portugal is much trouble...if it wants to rebel, let it (I say); you can get it back later. Concentrate on keeping/reinforcing Cordoba, Leon & Castile.

But mostly: HAVE FUN http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[TheViking]

Citera[/b] (SSNeoperestroika @ Dec. 22 2002,23:42)]Although it might seem strange, I would suggest the Danes.
not that strange, but i would suggest that too. The Danes was my first faction

[Kensai Achilles]

germans and danes were my first... but I would actually suggest guest what?...early period almohads lol.... their Almohad Urband Militia can tear up anything thrown at them.

They are cheap n strong and for newbies who prolly be unsure with so many buildings and units to chose from like I was back then so i'd suggest almohads strongly and do an aggressive campaign (Almohad Urban Militia will eventually be obsolete if we wait too long)

I played the early, English, easy, first. It is fairly easy, and you need to get through the learning curve of economic managment and tactics and having fun.

Also, I learned not to build everything, everywhere. When I was first playing, every area was getting every improvement. After playing awhile on expert, I need the cash to pay for units not more duplicate buildings. You do not need every area to be able to build archers, spearmen and such.

[Jeroen Hill]

England, early period.

Why?

1. England is an isle, it's fairly easy to defend since enemies need to build shipyards and ships first so it'll take a bunch of turns before they could actually try.

2. In the early period the isle is devided into you and 3 rebel parties in Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Taking these 3 provinces first gives you first practice. They're fairly easy to defeat.

3. Early period gives you the longest playing time possible and thus allows you to have a good learning campaign.

Good luck and let us know how things go.

[TheViking]

denmark is better only boarder it have is with HRE and they dont attack.

#1 Then its only to build some vikings to take sweden and norway from the rebels.
#2 build ships to Ireland, take that from the rebels, cus the english wont.
#3 build more ships to get loads of money, the longboats aint that expensive
#4 now you have plenty of money to build up scandinavia and get good units to conquer HRE, or any country you want cus you have the boats to ship your men where you need them.
#5 Totall victory is yours.

a warning thou: In my last campain as danish I didnt do anyhting more then build ships and buildings in my lands. I dont have many men now when the war is knocking at my door.

[matt_g]

ok guys i just started right out of the box not reading the manual and i have a question on how to put my men on missions or marry off my princessess. im playing as germany by the way. Im also trying to beat my first game not reading the manual like KukriKhan said. thanks for any help

[TheViking]

If your gonna get your princesses married just drop her on the man you want her to marry

[Heretic]

My suggestion is the Byzantines on expert, late period if you are a shogun veteran. I started like that, call me a mazochist, but I like when I can gain small gains with huge sacrifices only http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[General 'Big daddy' Hill]

I would go the French on your first go, on the Hard level. If you get annihilated you wont feel so bad as you were playing with the Frogs.

Swiss Pikemen forward.

[Stormer]

Be England there best and get best units http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif just make sure you kill the pope before u attack anyone http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Ueriah]

I'd really recommend reading the manual.

It's not an interesting read, but you will learn a lot faster if you read the manual and then play the game as opposed to just playing the game.

There are lots of ways to get beaten in this game, successful play is avoiding the traps. You can get beaten by military action. You can get beaten by having no heirs. You can get beaten through mass revolutions if you don't keep your provinces happy. So keep good garrisons, keep the masses in check, and breed.

Don't expect to win your first game. Just have fun. I've had the game a few weeks and I'm just starting to figure it out. MTW has a lot of layers, and a good ruler will need to utilize all of them.

If you only take one sentance from this post: Save often. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Jampe]

I played my first campaign as the English/Early/Normal as it seems everyone else did but found it a real pain to make any ground after taking Wales, Scotland and Ireland (learning very quickly that amphibious assaults can't come back without a port...doh &#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif ).

The second I put a toe in catholic territory (French/Spanish/HRE/Danish) the Pope told me to leave off while the aforementioned froggy upstarts invaded Aquitaine for four years running without so much as a tap on the wrist.

In the end I just got excommunicated...that game ended in some rather nasty internal squabbling, as you can imagine.

So I went and played as the Almohads on the same settings and romped home to complete dominance in just over a hundred years, so I'd suggest taking a Muslim faction on your first time out (though perhaps not the Turks, too many units to get your head round) as it avoids a lot of Pope related hassle and Jihads covered my bad generalship by allowing me to retake the lands I lost sharpish http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

All that said- my number one tip has to be- http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/idea.gif READ THE MANUAL http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/idea.gif (and perhaps have a glance at the tech tree...you know, just out of the corner of your eye, squinting...in bad light http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif ). If I'd done this instead of gallavanting off like a frankish, tin-clad, horse-mounted buffoon I'd not have been put off for a couple of weeks by my initial poor outing as the English, which are now one of my favourite factions.

[Gregoshi]

I usually give the manual a very quick read before starting a game so I have at least some idea how the game works. Then as things come up during the game, I go back for a more indepth read - usually after I've screwed it up on the first attempt. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mecry.gif

[KukriKhan]

ROFL matt_g, not reading the manual wasn't actually a suggestion; I just assumed that, like me, in your excitement over a new game you'd be keen to dive right in and learn on-the-job. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif My first campaign failed miserably because I didn't really understand the value of trade, but I had fun learning.

How's your's going?

p.s. welcome to the.Org General 'Big daddy' Hill http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif (and go easy on the amphibian references; my French grandma would beat me about the head with a loaf of bread, if I didn't mention that http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif )