Insighting Civil War

[Lacker]

So It's late 1200 and I'm mopping up in the Middle East after marching my French troops down through Spain and across Africa. The only real threat now exists on my Continent long Eastern Boarder with Germany. They have provinces from Denmark to Venice...so I go through Switzerland. I kick off the festivities with a bribe of a small force in Switzerland and marching my larger force through Egyptian held Russia. The Poles attack the Germans as well keeping them from counter attacking until it's too late. In 4 years I have my troops shaking hands in the middle of the once vast German Emprie. The leader of the Germans is quarantined in Friesland with one other province while the bulk of their army is in Northern Italy.....I sit back and watch the fireworks as one civil war after another decimates the southern forces. In 2 years time I waltz in and pick up the pieces, not to mention some prime port real estate in Venice http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

That whole "divide and conquor" thing, may actually be a good idea

[Ranges]

Yes, inciting civil war is indeed a very easy way to tackly many AI empires. Especially those that are very very large.. *grins*

I get the most fun out of it when i'm playing a GA game (usually) and want to keep the power balance somewhat intact.

Once an empire grows unmanageably huge, i dump it into civil war.. Then let the AI take the provinces.. result? A power balance :)

[solypsist]

I find it works well with the Holy Roman Empire.

[Axeknight]

This puts a whole new spin on the Guns n Roses song

Now I need a civil war,
It kills your men and it kills the poor,
Your power-hungry so I'll sell your soldiers
At the human grocery store
Ain't that fresh
Now I need your civil war

[son of spam]

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

I understand too well that it works with the HRE, having recently played the Germans myself.

[katank]

yep, when the AI becomes overgrown in GA, do the following:

1) sink their entire navy

2) sack and raze their homelands to the ground

3) take strategic chokepoints so that the land bridges are broken and they get divided.

4) hopefully siege their king in a castle

this = massive rebellions + civil war for AI which means factions reappear, balance of power restored, yadeyada.

[Doug-Thompson]

Quote[/b] (solypsist @ May 05 2004,16:42)]I find it works well with the Holy Roman Empire.
The HRE's habit of imploding can be a real nuisance. Somebody fills the vacuum and you're left with a European super-power to deal with.

You can't defend a multi-province European empire AND successfully Crusade at the same time. HRE should just ignore the GA Crusade goals and concentrate on Europe.

[katank]

actually you could do so easily.

it's just the incompetent AI.

at least we are not talking about medmod in which case an AI HRE would inevitably be carved up by the italians and the danes.

regular VI HRE actually thrives once in a while vs. certain death within 3 or 4 decades.

[son of spam]

Quote[/b] (katank @ May 05 2004,20:48)]at least we are not talking about medmod in which case an AI HRE would inevitably be carved up by the italians and the danes.
LMAO I just had the weirdest experience with the Italians and the HRE while playing as the French. The Italians were allied with me, and they invaded Provence, destroying the HRE stacks there.

The Italians soon became amazingly dominant. They controlled Serbia and Provence beside their regular territories. Plus, they had at least 5 or 6 stax around their empire with a 5 star tankerville. I thought the HRE was going to get it for sure.

Then, the Italians suffered a civil war The HRE descended on the former Italian territories (so did I and the aragonese) and the Italians were soon relegated to Sardinia, Tuscany, and Serbia.

What a change of fortunes

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

[LordKhaine]

I do notice how the civil wars always turn up at a correct time. Usually I see civil wars start after the loss of a crucial defeat in battle, or the failure of a crusade. So many times I've beaten an enemy nation to it's knees, only for it to split apart in a civil war.