Damn Crusades!

[SpencerH]

In my current campaign I was allied with the French for a long while, but tensions were growing with French troops massing on the borders. The French launched a crusade that would suck up my defenders from my front-line states so I said no Now we're at war but no land battles for a turn or two. The French sue for peace (of course) and I (foolishly) said OK and married a princess to the French. The naval war promptly resumed next turn (I should have known better).

Somehow, I'm not quite sure how, that damn crusade ends up on my land sucking up chivalric knights and I cant attack it

What can I do?

[Leo]

Send lots of spies to the province where the french chapter house is.

[octavian]

or invade the chapter house provence with everything you can bring to bear on it. if you destroy the chapter house where the crusade started, the crusade will come to an end.

octavian

[SpencerH]

What will spies do in this case?

[katank]

hopefully cause a nice fat rebellion that take control of the chapter house away from them to kill the crusade http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[lancer63]

If you have some decent assasins send them to help que crusader commander knock at the heavenly gates sooner than he expects.
You can also try and create a rebellion in the province where the crusade originated. If it works, the crusade will disolve.

[Leo]

You can also invade the province the crusade his heading to. Once it is in catholic hands the crusade will disappear. You don't have to take the castle.

[Doug-Thompson]

Play Muslims. Sounds like you might as well.

[SpencerH]

I havent played as the Egyptians yet. It was fairly straitforward conquest as the Turks and Almohads so I thought I'd play some weird (self-imposed) rules as the Poles.

I never should have trusted the French, but what can you do? My goal is a stealthy kinda win.

[Doug-Thompson]

Quote[/b] (SpencerH @ April 23 2004,14:33)]I never should have trusted the French, but what can you do? My goal is a stealthy kinda win.
Try the Danes. They're about the only Catholic faction I like to play, once you get over their early lack of money. They're out of the path of Crusades, don't have a lot of conflicts and can exploit civil wars and rebellions.

They can't Crusade, but who cares when you have Vikings and Huscarles?

[Bhruic]

Well, anyone can get Huscarles, although not as fast as the Danes. I'd rather play the English. Easy access to Norway/Sweden (only 2 boats needed), plus who can turn down longbows? :)

As an added bonus, you're in a great position to eliminate the French early.

In fact, however, crusades are the major reason that I dislike playing the eastern Catholic factions. If the computer used the same rules as us humans, I wouldn't mind nearly as much.

Bh

[SpencerH]

I've played as the Danes in my third campaign. I think the toughest victory was the early conquest of Norway against the 6 viking units.

Conquer

Scandinavia
Baltic
England
Move South against the French
etc
All over but the crying

The funny part was I didnt build any huscarles. Now after playing VI, I will.

[katank]

well, spamming vikings is easy enough.

they are only fort level and you get a discount for them.

I even spam viks as the nov

those 6 vikings are tough.

that's why I suggest you don't take norway early.

those 6 vikings are tough and the land is piss poor and not worth the garrison until trade is set up in which case you should already be quite a presence in the norht navally and have more than enough troops to brush them aside.

[SpencerH]

I never did get rid of the crusade it just sat there sucking up troops. I couldnt use assasins or inquisitors against it, nor could I determine where it originated from. In any case, my campaign ended rather ignobly with my king dying and only an underage heir. I thought that was rather strange

Nest up the Hungarians I think.