crusades

[English assassin]

And would it be worth it?

I've got a heap of Spanish troops massing on one of my borders and I just know they are getting that funny look in their eye... For once I'm trying to play my faction (English) as good catholics so a pre-emptive strike against my brothers is not an option.

Ive got a pretty big fleet, terminating in some muslim provinced in north africa.

What I was thinking is, if I declare a crusade against, say, Egypt, but break the sea lanes first, I could walk the crusade all over Spain and hopefully suck their troops up. I wouldn't put many of my own troops in the crusade at that time because they seem to evaporate when you do. Then after a few turns I could link the ships back up, drop the crusade on Egypt, hopefully full of Spanish troops, and ship an army of ordinary English troops out and into Egypt at the same time to make sure the crusade province is captured.

Has anyone tried something like this? Does it work? Does the crusade count as having captured the province if in fact regular non crusading troops do most of the fighting?

[motorhead]

I'm sure it's been done since the original release date of the game. Just make sure the zeal in those spanish provs are high - the higher the better cuz you'll soak up more of their troops. Piling in regular armies on the same turn the crusade arrives is fine.

[garion]

jep, it workes, the enemy does it on your troops all the time. The crusade-suck-up works in weird way anyway. once a crusade was lead by my orthodox general, a very zealous orthodox general I might add. I don't believe that to be entirely realistic

[Xiphias]

You can't really 'walk it all over' spain. You have to take the most direct route.

[katank]

well, by careful manipulation of fleet placement, you can have routes closer one turn and another closer the other turn.

sending in a few inqs to pump up zeal will get even more men.

using support troops is fine and as long as a single guy is in the crusade and the province is conquered on the turn the marker fights, you get credits for it.

[English assassin]

Cool, at last a use for crusades.

The Pope had better thank me for this too after all the effort I am going to not to upset him by just killing the Spanish (He didn't seem to mind me killing the French he he he, maybe he is a Borgia.)

[katank]

crusades are made for 2 purposes.

1. GAs

2. sponging up catholic troops.

note: even if you are at war with the faction, they usually still let your crusades pass so sponge away