Lucky Miss Nails the General!

[klarion]

Here I was attacking a band of Englishmen, my Almohads in well ordered ranks. I openned with a barage of cannon fire (valor 2) aimed at the enemy center, while the outnumbered enemy split formation, and the general moved waaaay off to the left flank. The cannon balls kept missing the mark as usual, but imagine my surprize when on the third volley, a wild miss to my right NAILS THE GENERAL DEAD.
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Is this a fluke? Has it happened to anyone before?

The Great Purge (true post-Soviet style) http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

Around the year 1300Ad, playing the Almohads, I was hit with 4 civil wars in the space of 5 years. Finally, when I regained controll, my warchest was down to 50 thou from 300,000. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-furious3.gif I lost half of Eourope and was beaten back into Spain.

So then I went through the ranks and disbanded anything with loyalty below 4 shields. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif Had no revolts ever since.

Does anyone think this tactic really works? Do the troop loyalties affect Generals, or the size of the Revolt?

thanks.

[Accounting Troll]

Greetings Klarion, and welcome to the Org http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

It is unusual to kill the enemy king so early in battle, but it can happen. When it happens, it is usually because you aimed your artillery at the unit immediatly in front of the enemy king - the projectile bounces and tears through the general's unit.

The individual loyalty of a general is what decides whether he decides to join a rebellion. A general with high loyalty will not consider rebelling against your enlightened rule.

If you have very few generals of low loyalty, they will not rebel as they know that they cannot muster enough support to defeat the loyalists. A civil war is only likely if there are lots of generals with low loyalty. Purging those disloyal generals was the right thing for you to do.

Watch out for any generals with high command and low loyalty. Either increase the loyalty or get rid of the general, because he will be the ringleader of any plots against your rule.

All the men in a unit will back the decision of their leader if a civil war erupts, however the second in command may be more loyal than the general. If you have a high valour unit, it may be worth assassinating the general or framing him for treason to avoid losing the entire unit.

Give titles to generals with high loyalty, even if there are less loyal generals with better acumen.

When you lose territory to rebels or rival factions, your generals suffer a drop in loyalty, which is probably why you had 4 civil wars in 5 years.

[Doug-Thompson]

I purge, but keep units with three or more loyalty.

I do a loyalty check every time the king dies. The first people I check are bodyguard units whose leaders have just fallen out of the line of succession. I also check the loyalty of new units as they are produced.

Jihads help both cure and prevent rebellions. More about that when I'm done with work.

[katank]

no need for purges.

just get some not so lucky peasant units with low loyalty and repeated try them for treason.

every time the trial succeeds, the rest of the generals all get almost a full extra shield more of loyalty.

keep a healthy level of fear.

as muslims, no princesses but constant jihading would have through the roof influence which would also make generals loayl.

also consider takign a high command, low loyalty general and leaving him by himself in stack with a less talented but more loyal candidate in charge of the troops.

move these two stacks together and the high command disloyal one will command the battles so you can take advantage of him while he is less likely to rebel due to not having troops under him and even if he does, your loyalist forces will easily defeat that lone unit.

[Doug-Thompson]

A few successful Jihads will more than solve any loyalty problems. Loyalty increases along with a ruler's influence.

Haven't tried the trial for treason approach, but you'd better pick a target with very, very low loyalty. if the trial fails, you can spark a rebellion instead of prevent one.

[katank]

so true.

I tend to use 0 loyalty peasants or possibly mercs who have just about no loyalty

[Apocalyp$e]

loyalty is never a problem for me, I play on expert and never has anyone ever rebelled against me, all their loyalty is at full too... Only in the first decades does it seem to be an issue...

[klarion]

loyalty is never a problem for me, I play on expert and never has anyone ever rebelled against me, all their loyalty is at full too... Only in the first decades does it seem to be an issue...

Hi Apocalypse http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif
Some questions for you:
What factions do you play?
What is your conquest strategy?

I seem to have problems only with the Almohads. Me thinks it's because their heirs tend to be criples a lot of the time e.g. Chinless wonder, Crack brained, Odd number of toes http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
Please respond.

[katank]

almos heirs are only junk when the AI plays with them.

with me, my khalif gains so much influence in the first decade as I unify Iberia and establish borders at the Pyrennes.

also, make Portugal rebel and launch jihads at it to gain influence and piety which help your heirs greatly.

[Suppiluliumas]

Quote[/b] (katank @ May 06 2004,17:56)]no need for purges.

just get some not so lucky peasant units with low loyalty and repeated try them for treason.

every time the trial succeeds, the rest of the generals all get almost a full extra shield more of loyalty.

keep a healthy level of fear.
I like to hire mercs for this purpose. Those of differing religions in particular seem to have almost no loyalty.