Crusade casualties

[Terry]

I started a crusade against the Egyptians and had an 8 star command rating prince with an elite army. The prince was not in direct line to the throne. The entire army took the cross and two turns later the crusade reached its destination. As soon as the Christians crossed the border into the intended province, the Egyptians decided to retreat and give up the territory. The pope was pleased that the campaign was a success. However.... Prince Garc was nowhere to be found. How can there be casualties without a battle? Did he get lost in the desert?

Terry

[Theodoret]

Soldiers constantly desert the crusader army. I think the rate of desertion is related to the zeal of the provinces they pass through. So a crusader army will slowly lose men even if it doesn't fight a battle. I'm afraid your prince has done a runner and is probably lying low somewhere. The moral of the story is never put heirs in charge of Crusader armies unless you can afford to lose them.

[Phalanx]

Quote[/b] (Theodoret @ Jan. 16 2003,10:00)]The moral of the story is never put heirs in charge of Crusader armies unless you can afford to lose them.
A strategy that I have used very successfully is the crusade escort. Rather than putting the good General and the good army in the crusade, they just follow it, entering the province it enters. If you are the Spanish for instance, taking the North Africa route, the zeal is so low along the way that none of your troops will join the crusade. Even if the crusade withers away to a few knights, order foot and peasants, the addition of two or three strong armies of Regular troops will guarantee its success. You can even make sure your good generals lead the fight instead of the relatively weak ones that get put in charge of Crusades.

Crusade success is based on the province being taken while the crusade is there, not the crusade actually doing the work. If you control a naval route to the provinces you are going to be moving your crusade through, you can add reinforcements to your good armies as they take casulaties fighting their way to the Holy Land. Using this strategy I was able to complete three crsades on the Expert difficulty setting as the Spanish. The French did the fourth.

[Gregoshi]

Very clever Phalanx. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/idea.gif

[SmokWawelski]

Yes, very smart.
How can you traverse lands that your crusade is not fighting with though? When a king allows your crusade to pass, you can slip your regular army along as well, if I understand correctly?

[rpasell]

That would not be correct Smok

I've used the same concept as Phalanx, but I don't send in the regular armies until I hit enemy territory, then I'll send them in by ship.

[Efrem Da King]

whats the point of that? I just use the crusades in early to piss egypt off and hopefully gain influenc/procinces. I wish I could see the caliphs face when both me (italy) and the french have crusades with like 2-3 stack units pillaging his land and raping his women, before he gets a descent a connomy. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Monk]

Sometimes in Crusades i use my King to Lead it. I had a King at the Age of 67 when the Crusade marched out of Castile one time, 4 turns later it reached its destination. During the Battle the Old King was Cut down, leaving his son to take over the Faction. With the Crusade a success, we now held Almohad teritory. IT was a good way to get rid of an Old King who was about to Die anyway. he went on the Feild of Battle and not dying in his Bed away from war.

[Gregoshi]

Hi there Monk. Welcome and thanks for joining us. Please don't go home. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

Your king died as he should...in battle, strapped to his horse, drooling and wearing Depends. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

[Phalanx]

Quote[/b] (SmokWawelski @ Jan. 17 2003,08:53)]Yes, very smart.
How can you traverse lands that your crusade is not fighting with though? When a king allows your crusade to pass, you can slip your regular army along as well, if I understand correctly?
Well, it depends. I've done it two ways.

As the Spanish: I controlled Morocco, Tripoli and Algeria. My Crusade would do through those provinces, but they were only like 10% catholic and about the same zeal. I just pushed the Egyptians back (the AI is scared of a 1,000+ Army, even if its all peasants, particularly when there are 1,900 or so crack troops with then. Take the crusade province and let the Egyptians take their provinces back.

As a Continental Crusader: Need to invade by sea when the Crusade hits. Hoever, with the exception of Eddessa, you can invade with your crusade by sea as well. AS the Italians, I built my Chapter house in Sicily. Send the crusade up the boot, sponging troops from His Holiness, crossed into the HRE and Hungary, entered Constantinople, lost some men and then hit the port in Constantinople and invaded. From one of mt other ports, two stack of crack troops. Once the province is secured, re-build the port (to keep the boys in contact with the King), wait for the GA message and then leave. At one point, I had three crusade markers in Sicily. Once one was done, the next one started its trek.