Sociopsychoactive
02-24-2004, 23:45
I started my first ever campaign as the Aragonese today. After playing through as most major powers (English, Byzantines, Germans, Spanish etc) I decided to give the little guys a try. i'd had a great time smashing up the world as the Danes so next on the list was Arragon.
I bribed the cid, nabbed Navarro the same turn the Spanish tried to bribe it, but ran out of funds to nab Portugal (playing early/expert/GA, those start florins don't last long for small factions). All is good for a while and I get to keep level in all three, am about to start on boats and a crusade when the Spanish attack Navarro and Valencia. We retreat and counterattack capturing the king and the very next turn they turn up on the doorstep begging for peace, with a free daughter if we accept now.
Seeing as my kings influence had risen to a safe level we accept and build up some more, but our shipyards had all been in progress when they attacked, so rather than start over we go for workshop level buildings instead, to get some decent troops. A few choice wars break out weakening the French and leaving us neutral so we charge north, break the siege of a couple of English castles and fight some very tough battles against the bulk of the French army.
Just as the French counterattack with more troops than I knew they had the Spanish attack Navarro and Valencia AGAIN Our armies were in tatters due to the war with France and our king had died in a glorious defeat (killed far more than we lost, but still lost the battle in the end)
Though we had no real armies to rebel, and civil war wasn't really a threat what with us only owning ONE province now, we ignored the French for a moment and charged back down to break the sieges. Both battles result in a costly victory and we limp back to Arragon for retraining, now being able to field less than 500 men, and most of them are partial squads. The Spanish don;t seem content with crippling us and attack again, this time we try to break the siege in Navarro but fail, no matter how well commanded 200 men have a hard time attacking nearly a thousand. My king gets trapped in the Keep, I'm left with no decent commanders (the cid died in France) and no boats, so I can;t even run away.
How d you avoid this sort of thing happening? I tried starting over and the Spanish did it again, as soon as I tried to attack someone else (this time the almohads) the Spanish leapt at our throats from behind and crippled us. I don;t want to wipe them out, I want to try and get to at least high, maybe even late, with as many factions still in it as possible. I'd rather not force them down to one province, but either of these would require more troops and money than three little provinces can effectively field. As the Danes I had viking units and could counter large armies with small, elite and very effective ones, but the aragonese get no such advantage. if they have an advantage that I've missed please let me know, and I can;t really maintain an empire of three provinces on GA without seriously falling behind on points. Every where I go the Spanish attack me while I'm gone http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-furious3.gif
Ps. Both times the spanish were allied to us when they attacked, and throughout the entire game not a single faction got excommunicated.
I bribed the cid, nabbed Navarro the same turn the Spanish tried to bribe it, but ran out of funds to nab Portugal (playing early/expert/GA, those start florins don't last long for small factions). All is good for a while and I get to keep level in all three, am about to start on boats and a crusade when the Spanish attack Navarro and Valencia. We retreat and counterattack capturing the king and the very next turn they turn up on the doorstep begging for peace, with a free daughter if we accept now.
Seeing as my kings influence had risen to a safe level we accept and build up some more, but our shipyards had all been in progress when they attacked, so rather than start over we go for workshop level buildings instead, to get some decent troops. A few choice wars break out weakening the French and leaving us neutral so we charge north, break the siege of a couple of English castles and fight some very tough battles against the bulk of the French army.
Just as the French counterattack with more troops than I knew they had the Spanish attack Navarro and Valencia AGAIN Our armies were in tatters due to the war with France and our king had died in a glorious defeat (killed far more than we lost, but still lost the battle in the end)
Though we had no real armies to rebel, and civil war wasn't really a threat what with us only owning ONE province now, we ignored the French for a moment and charged back down to break the sieges. Both battles result in a costly victory and we limp back to Arragon for retraining, now being able to field less than 500 men, and most of them are partial squads. The Spanish don;t seem content with crippling us and attack again, this time we try to break the siege in Navarro but fail, no matter how well commanded 200 men have a hard time attacking nearly a thousand. My king gets trapped in the Keep, I'm left with no decent commanders (the cid died in France) and no boats, so I can;t even run away.
How d you avoid this sort of thing happening? I tried starting over and the Spanish did it again, as soon as I tried to attack someone else (this time the almohads) the Spanish leapt at our throats from behind and crippled us. I don;t want to wipe them out, I want to try and get to at least high, maybe even late, with as many factions still in it as possible. I'd rather not force them down to one province, but either of these would require more troops and money than three little provinces can effectively field. As the Danes I had viking units and could counter large armies with small, elite and very effective ones, but the aragonese get no such advantage. if they have an advantage that I've missed please let me know, and I can;t really maintain an empire of three provinces on GA without seriously falling behind on points. Every where I go the Spanish attack me while I'm gone http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-furious3.gif
Ps. Both times the spanish were allied to us when they attacked, and throughout the entire game not a single faction got excommunicated.