My best campaign yet

[Tribesman]

I was enjoying a nice slow campaign as English , lots of crusades and only one excomm . the Danes expanded eastwards to become the other major empire while I took most of Europe ,Africa and Balkans . Great kings with exellent vices,huge influence accumen and piety , lots of heirs , then just when about 4 or 5 game years would conquer the entire map my king dies , followed by his brothers leaving the eldest heir at only 14 years old .
Game over http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/angry.gif

[Iashiii]

Yeah, I know the feeling. The same kinda thing happened to me on my first game on 'hard'. I was playing as the almohads, and had been involved in a long war with Spanish, though without being able to draw them into a decisive battle. Finally, I got the chance when they attempted to break my siege of the castle in Castille. Despite the massive amounts of Jinettes, I won through. My general, the heir to the throne, died, but I wasn't too concerned, as although he was a great general, he had many brothers. Or so I thought. Only, his brother was killed in the same battle, chasing down Jinettes, and the other heirs that I thought existed, didn't. So, despite finally making a mark, I eventually lost due to my lack of successors to the throne. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-furious3.gif

[Inuyasha12]

Yeah divine providence indeed.

The same thing happened to me with the Byzantines, i had all of the steppes and all of turkey.
My emperor who was 55, died of an illness.
Ughh i had like three heirs lined up, i though the throne was secured.

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

[Sarnaen]

Playing as Turks, year is 1298. I own the steppes, all of Asia minor, the holy lands, the African coast, moving into the balkans and north-east Europe (Poland) after a long war against the Spanish to secure my African provinces.
I encountered Italy in the balkans, and spent a decade or so fighting their huge armies, eventually winning a decisive battle in Croatia. The next turn, I would take Venice and hit the final nail in the Italian coffin.
Meanwhile in Polish territory, I had been fighting a slow, sapping war against the tough Polish armies. A breakthrough in Pomerania allowed me to rush along the northern European coast and landlock the Polish. Within a few turns, I would have all of what used to be the Polish empire.
Then the powerful Bedouin camel general that starts in Arabia (Owned initally by the egyptians, bribed by me), revolts. Years of inactive duty in a castle in Arabia sapped his loyalty. Dozens of other garrison generals joined his cause, splitting my awesome Sultanate straight down the middle. The east joined the Bedouin camel rider, the western, newest, and least developed stayed with the Sultan.
I was heartbroken. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mecry.gif
But I decided to fight on as the loyalists, and prepared for a homecoming - landed my king and all his heirs in Palestine and moved them through to Arabia to deal with the upstart general.
80 Ottoman Sipahi and about 400 Spears, 180 janissary archers faced 300 Saracen infantry, 120 desert archers, 40 Bedouin camels and a catapult crew.
Cutting a long epic battle-chronicle short, the catapults first shot hit my King square in the chest and took him out for the count. The Ottoman Sipahi fired a few volleys of arrows at the Bedouin, killed about 10, then charged from three directions.
The Bedouin slaughtered every last man. My army routed pretty much instantly, and the game ended. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-wall.gif
Later inspection proved the Bedouin to be about valour 12. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-oops.gif