The English, Most popular faction ?????

[fester]

reading alot of threads I cant help but notice the English is by far the most popular faction.I play the english for three reasons 1 I,m English 2 billmen 3the mighty longbow. i could'nt imagine playing without longbows especially in defence I'd feel naked without them. Any one else play the English and if so why?

[Somebody Else]

I like the colour red.

[Darth Binky]

When I first got the game, I only played as the English. Not so much because I liked billmen or longbowmen (both of which I rarely used), but because I liked getting hobilars so early on in the game- getting decent cavalry that early was clutch for me.

Now I mostly switch it up, and play many different factions. My favorite is probably the Turks- Janissaries are just too good.

I haven't played as the English in months. Maybe I should try them out again...

[lars573]

The first faction I played with was the english too. Reason being that I'm english canadian and they are half the origin of my country. The second faction I played as was the french they being the other half of my countries origin.

[Raven2004]

I assume by the lot of posts I had seen in .com that the Byzantines are the most popular faction in MTW. They have a nice starting positions, powerful units at the beginning and a challenging final game.

Personally I only played English once. I played Turkish, Byzantines, Russians, Egyptians and Aragonese mostly.

My 2 cents.

P.D. I think the faction with all the cards to be the most popular faction in RTW after the Romans will be the Karthies.

[saundersag]

Well i am going to break the trend hear, i think i may have played on the campaign as the english maybe only once and that was just for a few minutes. I have played as them on custom battle though. I don't really have a favourite faction but i tend to play the smaller ones and the ones i know least about. So i tend to play as east european factions.

[Colovion]

Yeah my first two campaigns were as teh English. Hell, I'm playing another campaign as the English on MEdMod right now.

[Raider91]

Well, they're wasy to start with. There's one way for infantry to move across, as long as you control the sea around your island, which isn't to difficult. I always liked being in a corner, so I could focus my forces in a single direction.

[Adrian II]

For what it's worth, my impression is most people like to fight out of a safe corner of MTW's known world, i.e. as the English or Byzantines. The Early Byzantines might be the most popular choice, more so than the English. They're rich, they own lots of land, they've got the heaviest cavalry and their generals wear stars like Christmas trees. Furthermore, the safety-first principle makes them stick with a particular faction and boast of the abilities of their privileged units because they don't know the merits of other such units from experience. And finally most players have fixed ideas about some sort of standard army that will weather any adversity. They forget the rock-paper-scissors rule of MTW combat, as well as the constraints of landscape and temperature.

Personally I find it rather boring to charge the umpteenth unit of Kataphraktoi into some peasant army. Right now I'm playing the Egyptians (Early, expert) simply because they were the only faction I hadn't "done" yet, and it's extremely gratifying to discover the merits of those plucky little Muwahids -- they're a fast and tightly knit unit with just enough attack and defence points to pin down Kataphraktoi so you can flank them with your heavies, and they carry enough of a punch to rout a unit of AUM if you flank them properly (with the Muwahids on Hold Formation until after their charge). Right now, I wouldn't switch them for all the Billmen or Janissary Heavies in the world. ~:grouphug:

[Quietus]

I'm partial to the Turks myself. ~:) Saracen Infantry is my favorite infantry. Futuwwa are my favorite archers. Easy access to Steppe Cavalry (favorite MTW unit). Turcoman horse is a great multipurpose medium Cavalry. Easy access to the powerful Armenian Heavy Cavalry. Not to mention Ghazi Infantry, a very cheap shock troop.

:charge:

[Fragony]

I think the English are boring, I like the polish best because you get a very cool looking budget army with all the specialist troops you need. Ever seen what a valour 6 armoured woodmen unit does to knights?

[Louis de la Ferte Ste Colombe]

In high era MP, English are by far the most popular faction. Although billmen are seldom played, I guess that people likes longbowmen and having both Templar and Chivalric knights. And Highland Clanmen.

From time to time, players choose the English faction without taking any special english units. ~:confused: ~;p

Despite being the most played faction, it's also the faction that, in all my logfiles also got the lowest % of victory. Eastern Roman are close second. Quite odd that the factions with supposedly the best units selection end up at the bottom of faction ranking...

Louis,

[hotingzilla]

My first few games were English, not to mention the first game for total domination was also English.

I like longbowmen and billmen.

[JR-]

playing M:TW-XL with engrish on expert now.

played the engrish most, and quite a lot of baz too.

[Throb]

1st ever games I played, I started off as the Almohades, simply becasuse of my 1st visit to Spain I read a book out there on Spains early history and came across the Moors. Then of course I played as Spain or Aragon just to try out the reconquesta !

[william the bastard]

For my own, i am agree with Adrian II a couple of provinces in a safe area with goods for trade. Build army and economy quietly and wait and see.. ~:smoking:

[Rayaleh]

I adore the English, mainly because I heavily admire the British Empire, and Englishmen like Cromwell and the Black Knight. I'm trying to force myself to only play them, ever. ~:cheers:

[Havoc]

i think this "corner-games" are far too simple, when i play such a corner-faction i invade some provinces in the middle of the map and try to stand there (a lot of fun).
normally i start from a heavily attacked position and try to grow while beein attacked - i like challenging games (only play on expert - and with the byzantines at late-age this is very challenging)

[Sinner]

I usually play the English, partly because I am English and partly because the 2 features units - Longbowmen and Billmen - fit my style of play, prefering light to medium infantry over heavier units or cavalry. I usually only have a couple of cavalry in an army - one of which is the general in most cases, often royalty - using the longbows to compensate for my army's lower mobility compared to cavalry-heavy opponents.

As for playing 'corner games', well I tend to try to quickly gut the French, while also pinch a few extra regions when I can, mostly for trade, troops or strategic importance. With a scattered empire, held together by relatively fragile sea links, I often have an exciting time, getting to fight most factions.

[CherryDanish]

The English are good. Enhanced Billmen are devastating to GH cav and enhanced longbowmen destroy about everything. I had bad luck with the hobilars (in early they were pretty good, but they got destroyed in high). Some of the early fights are really fun when you're outnumbered BADLY by the French and you still manage to win. I have also enjoyed the Byz when playing aggressively early. The combo of treb archers, heavy cav and extra large sword units against mostly spear weilding opponents in early is incredible. I hated the Almos, of course I didn't play aggressively enough and I didn't understand the strength of some of the units. I'm partial to my Danes. The simplicity and risk it takes to build fast appeals to me as does the unit roster. The Huscarles are powerful infantry that spell victory with a capital H.

[maestro]

I always used to play as the English for many, many moons.... mainly because I'm English rather than for any tactical reasons. I think now that I've played the game to death my favourite Faction is the Danes. I just like where they start and they suit my gaming style ~:cool:

[Commander ElTee]

I conquer Maestro, the danes position and the murderous viking units in the beginning make them my favorite. However you cant beat the spanish in terms of taking it to the muslim world, the byzantines fail told hold my attention in that regard. Does anyone else play the egyptians or the turks they are rather fun occasional, i also like waring in the desert enviornments. The english were my first faction, I just cant play them anymore because every possible scenario has been visited with that faction.

[Placid Tramp]

i'd say i play the English most of the time for two reasons:

1)Billmen
2)Annihilating the French ~;)

[NightStar]

My first campaign was with the Spanish and I learned to love the spanish Jinette :charge:

I can understand that people love the Longbow but I prefer arbalesters, and when defending Pavise arbalesters.

As for my favorite faction, I like the Turks and the Spanish best. I rarely go up against the english, the French almost always make a mincemeat out of them before I can

[Braccius Augustus]

I favor the English and the Byzantine. I like the Byzantines because they are the extension of the Roman empire, and I love classical Rome. I think I like the English because I am American and our roots our English. I also like the Holy Roman Empire because of its location and its history.

[Samurai Steve]

Heh, only time I ever use the English is to make my army red in color, like in MP and CB. But I never play as the English, reason being I'm part Irish and I personally despise the English nation thorughout the medieval ages all the way too WW2. No offence meant ot Brits, but I'm not going to lie.

On a lighter note I love playing as any Muslim faction and the Irish.

[Medieval Assassin]

Never played them much, maybe once and got owned, As the russians I have bribed some billmen and longbows just before 1230 rolls around...heh heh heh... :)

[Cebrus]

The first two times i played, i picked first Egyptians and then the Almohads just so i could whack the pope. The things is that i played Egyptians first and completely exhausted my interest in the faction after three failed campaigns. The Almohads are a really boring faction and i never got to that damn pope. The only game i've so far managed to complete is as the French. Weird.

[BigC5]

I just like seeing the English whipping the Frenchies asses! :charge:

[King Edward]

The English are an easy Faction to play, whack france inside 5 years then slowly roll over the HRE and through spain and you hould have most the world quite quick. they are however much more fun to play if you only invade if you are attacked. the only way i stopped the french attacking me every turn was to burn all heirs and wait for the king to die to turn them all rebel.

As far as longbows or Arbs arguement goes, take both! a wall of arbs and a wall of longbows behind make mice meat of attacking armies esp if you can find a nice hill. Proper English tactics throught history - Find a Hill and make them come get you!! I destroyed a 4,500 almo army with just over 1,500 englishmen in Aragorn as i had longbows, Arbs, Billmen, CMAA, and Hobbilars. All infantry stay put on hill even when attacks are routed and use the hobbs to chase of routers. when next attack wave comes, beat them off on your hill again and unleash you hobbs to chase them away agian. repeat as required!

[Sinner]

Destroying the French is a must, it's unholy or perverse or something if you don't!

Personally I like to take all the French lands in Europe giving me a border in the south of Aquitaine & Toulouse. With a little poaching from the HRE I have an eastern border of Toulouse, Burgundy, Lorraine & Friesland. Scotland and Ireland are always stomped on and very satisfyingly too, leaving me nice & secure with only 5 regions needing border defences, then I go for my trade, troop & chokepoint regions: Navarre, Switzerland, Sweden, Venice, Morroco, Egypt, Tripoli, Antioch, Syria, Edesa, Armenia, Constantinople, Khazar and all the Mediterranean islands. Sometimes I try to provoke rebellions & then grab the regions from rebels, other times I happily kick off a war, especially against the Egyptians and Turks since I try to keep the Pope happy by smiting the infidels.

I tend to heavily fortify & defend Burgundy & Syria since they're landlocked & thus I can't reinforce them instantly, with Syria acting as the reinforcements base for the similarly landlocked border regions of Armenia & Edesa which are otherwise lightly defended, and Burgundy doing the same for Switzerland & Lorraine. With a few relief forces scattered around the map to cover the various coastal regions I only need to keep a tripwire force in each border region when I feel like trying to tempt invasions for a little fun.

I've occasionally used arbs plus Longbows as you mentioned, King Edward, but I just can't help considering them un-English, so I prefer Longbows only.

[Louis VI the Fat]

I just like seeing the English whipping the Frenchies asses! :charge:

Do you now? Well, how 'bout you come over here and we will...uh, just like we did in...erm...we uhm...


Oh, bummer. Never mind.

[King Edward]

Do you now? Well, how 'bout you come over here and we will...uh, just like we did in...erm...we uhm...


Oh, bummer. Never mind.

:knight: :knight: :knight: :knight: :knight: :knight: :knight: :knight:
:charge: :charge: :charge: :charge: :charge: :charge: :charge:


:duel: :duel: :duel: :duel: :duel: :duel: :duel: :duel: :duel: :duel:

:surrender:


Let the Invasion of France Begin! :laugh4:

[Fragony]

The Almohads are a really boring faction

I disagree more then a little bit, they are a blast to command. All of their special units excell at something when used correctly, great great fun

[Commander ElTee]

I like the danes, i wait until the english are weakened by the french and then set sail to take my rightful place on the throne as the king of the english. :charge:

[EatYerGreens]

Do you now? Well, how 'bout you come over here and we will...uh, just like we did in...erm...we uhm...


Oh, bummer. Never mind.


For that, I think you really deserve this week's Sense of Humour award. Even more so if you really are French! :-D


King Edward gets the prize for the best use of formation-smileys I've ever seen.

At the moment, I can't even get the smileys to work.