Increasing Valour

[guardian3]

I have only been playing M-TW for about a week now. I have been using my emissaries, spies, assassins, and Inquisitors (when a Catholic faction) and have been very successful in increasing the valour of my assassins (up to 4 star) but cannot increase it in my other agents.

I have been unable to kill any enemy general, other than a rebel one, even with a 4-star assassin.

Can't burn an enemy Catholic general as a heretic, even though they have no piety.

My strategy is to set the conditions on the battlefield by saturating a province that I am planning on taking with my agents to disrupt as much as possible to gain an advantage.

[KukriKhan]

Hiya guardian3 welcome to the/Org http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

You have an unusual approach for a new player - but your strategy is sound, I think. Most fellas build up fighting units first, then belated think of the non-military side. Your idea should work fine (and insures a more loyal, compliant province post-conquering), assuming you also bring enough military firepower, when ready.

How's the Alamo? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[lookbeyond23]

Well while new to the forum i'm not new to M:tW.

Thats a very interesting approch. Very cool. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

Post people think of non-military units after they've gained military superority. I always try to keep a balance. As soon as I get assasins or spies I have that province produce them nonstop in order to get ahead for catching up to my (if any http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif ) military superority.

[guardian3]

I started off with the English to get an idea how things work, tried the Danish (lots of potential I think) and am now playing the French. I have gone into most of the rebel territories in the North; Wales, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, but could not get into Ireland in enough time.

This is a new strategy I am trying, but can't seem to get the experience on some of my agents like some of the AI agents I have run into. An Almohed emissary I tried to assassinate as I was going into Cordoba had a valour of 5-stars I think.

How does a player get his agents with that kind of valour/experience.

My Inquisitors just seem to go around getting a lot of people killed as heretics, but gain no valour/experience. Do I need a cathedral? Even my bishops have gained no experience.

I really believe that if I could get the right agents with enough valour/experience into a province prior to the invation that it would make things a little easier.

I have been keeping up with the building of my armies, but just bidding my time and letting the other factions duke it out for awhile.

The Alamo is still there, but instead of being surrounded by the Mexican Army, it is now surrounded by an army of tourist traps and hotels.

[Catulus]

Quote[/b] (guardian3 @ May 04 2003,23:00)]My Inquisitors just seem to go around getting a lot of people killed as heretics, but gain no valour/experience.

Try to look for enemy generals with some suitable vices, and your Inquisitors should make a short work of them (Spies can find out more of these). As far as I know the Inquisitors get experience only when burning important people http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[SmokWawelski]

As Catulus said, Inquisitors do gain valor by burning important people. Assasins ans spies are not a problem, their leveling-up is simple. The emissariers: I do not know myself how do they level up, maybe if they convince somebody to ally/cease/marry with you succesfully?

[Pad75]

Yes Emissaries gain valour by conducting an alliance or by bribing successfully a rebel army.

[Losfalos]

my 2 cents worth...
i have gr8 fun with assassins cos i go around killing EVERY emissary i see (cept my own) who enter my provinces. I keep em clear of watchtowered provinces.
4 star assassins can kill enemy kings of low influence quite easily i think. (my HRE 1 province weaky king is an 80%+ kill with my 4 star assassin).

My inquisitor who is working in 20%+ heretic afflicted provence gets 1 star every time the message comes up he's going overboard (1000+ people killed). I had to move him cos the loyalty was dropping because the people hated him so much (i think).

hm. actually now that i keep killing emissaries and princesses no one wants to ally with me.

btw,. does anyone know whether i can change the difficulty of the game after starting the campaign? im winning too easily.

[Gregoshi]

You can't change the difficulty once the campaign starts Los. You also can't change the unit size either. Both are determined at the start of the campaign and fixed after that.

[Portuguese Rebel]

I don't use agents no more. They are totally overpowering. You can win the entire game by producing lots of spies and causing revolt after revolt on other factions, thus wining a war just bribing rebel armys that control provinces (or crushing the rebels). Inquisitors can kill enemy generals like flys if you try enough, and the computer seldom kills inquisitors. The AI also don't mass up spys...
Nowadays i just relly on steel to achieve victory. But a noob can have fun for a while with spys and inquisitors.

Its like in shogun, when i used to rush to get the geisha. It gets boring after a while http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[MalibuMan]

Just as Los says, the best tactic for increasing assassin valour is leaving them in a home province and assassinating easy targets that come your way - emissaries etc.