Consolidating the map Advice for my crazy English campaign

[gaijinalways]

In my current English expert campaign (vanilla MTW), I have trade difficulties still (was excommed, just lifted it with a timely Pope death). I have some cash (some 6k)but some territory difficulties. Basically I have the Argonese in Aquitaine and Aragon, The HRE in Champagne, and the Spanish just toppled Wales.

I hold most of Europe, though the North belongs to the Poles, the Danes, and the Scandanavians. The rebels also hold provance, Northumbia, and Britany. What do you think would be best to hold. I am still cruising though Spanish territory in the south in the desert and the areas into Portugal and Spain trying to knock out his other ports (don't know how he came into Wales, maybe Ireland as I control the rest of the areas south of there over to east of the map). Mostly smashing buildings, building cash and reducing some of my troops and my merc support costs. But what I am wondering, how should I realign my borders. Of course I want to kick the Spanish out of Wales (planned for the next turn) and hope to kick the Argonese out as well as the HRE. I have two troop units that will be coming back, maybe 700 and 670 units each toward the Aroganese. Once the Spanish are taken out of Wales, the HRE problem as they bribed longbows and civ sergants on their side in Champagne. Also the Spanish are knocking around at my back door near Tripoli. Hoping my attack there will end that threat (have to worry about that new pope in that regards, don't want to get excommed again).

Any ideas on where I should hold my borders, as I'm spread from West to East now, would be great:help: .

[gaijinalways]

Meant to add am considering trading the Spanish for attacking the Scandanavians as they are bigger now, but I could also trash the Polish as well, though not sure if my defensive borders would be improved. Certainly the Spanish could b a much better trading partner until I pump out more ships and reach the Northern climes of Europe by sea.

[mfberg]

Consolidate all of England, including Wales and Scotland, Ireland can wait until you have a decent force you aren't using elsewhere. Hold Flanders, Champagne, and all of France South and West.
If the Spanish are getting in, you need to interdict the sea lanes by putting together several small fleets (one or two ships each) and moving them into every ocean between yourself and the Spanish. This is also the beginning of your trade fleet so it isn't a waste of money.
You can leave the French in one or two provinces, if you exterminate them they will just rise up larger than ever. Take as much of iron rich Spain as you can, don't worry about Portugal until you have enough men to hold it. Take the western most province in Africa and hold there. After that you can either take Europe from the South, North, or West.

mfberg

[gaijinalways]

My apologies, it's 1229 now and the French have ben long gone. I hold all of those ex-French provinces (except Champagne and Britany). Retook Wales (hiring ome mercs to help hold Wessex), haven't started north yet as I am weak at the moment and am considering what to hold as I have a large number of provinces and am still at war with almost everybody (as a result of the excom now passed). Am starting to rebuild ships in hopes I can wipe out Ireland and possibly Scotland to stop the dreaded northern Spanish incursions:wall: .

My extra troops on holiday in Spain and Portugal are on their way back (now in Leon which I hope to raze) to rejoining my masses near Aquitaine so I can take the Argonese down:2thumbsup: . I am also shoring up my other southern border with Spain by razing Syria and Tripoli again. Managed to hold in Edessa:sweatdrop: while invading Syria (tough battle with losses about equal on both sides) and adding a few peasants to raise loyalty levels (and taxes as well) in the provinces behind stretching to Constinople.

Have about 8k in the bank, and will eventually retire some mercs or suicide them in some coming battles, though I may hire some fresh mercs or build new battle troops when I strike at the Argonese and eventually the HRE to retake Champagne (currently building spies to help with that). Hope to eventually make peace with the Spanish as they would be my biggest trading partner (may do without taking Ireland and Scotland if possible as the cash bonuses would be worth it). The pope is still gone on vacation as rebels have taken over Rome and the other pope province. Maybe just as well as I can extend my version of the English inquisition while I raze Spanish buildings (actually squashing 2 crusades at the moment, should do wonders for the Spanish influence):laugh4: .

[gunslinger]

1.Attack your SMALLEST Catholic enemy (the Danes?) with a few small armies until you get your warning from the pope, then withdraw them. Also, withdraw the bulk of your desert army south of Spain.

2.When the Spanish move to take that territory, put up a fight with the small army you left there, then retreat to your castle.(make sure the force is small enough that it can remain beseiged for a good while in whatever kind of castle you have. You may even want to upgrade with a ring wall while you're attacking the Danes)

3.Move the bulk of your forces onto the Spanish penninsula, focusing on Castile, and the Southern provinces. (Losing Castile will cripple their economy and troop production, and taking the Southern provinces will keep them from consolidating with the forces beseiging your castle in the south).

You will have 10 years from the time of your warning for attacking the Danes in which to complete your conquest of the penninsula. After that time, the pope will surely warn you about the Spanish, so be sure to wipe them out, ESPECIALLY their boat-making facilites. Nothing worse than an enemy fleet holding up your trade and your sea-borne army movements, and you can't get it out of your way for 10 years because of the pope.

Since you already have most of the French holdings, and the North-African provinces, Securing the Iberian Penninsula will grant you some very valuable provinces which won't even need to be defended as long as you surround it with a navy. At that point, you will probably bring the rest of the world to its knees before you ever build enough castles, armorers, swordsmiths, and whatnot to take advantage of the iron deposits in Spain.

[gaijinalways]

Ah, reestablished my borders, and have my economy close to equal with the mercs just gone (hope the bonuses won't be too high). Retook Champagne, Aquitaine, and Britany. Am having a go at the Spanish ships now, they are based out of Ireland as I damaged much of the Spanish capacity down in Africa, holding the borders with Aragon and its neighboring province below Toulose. Retreated out of Syria and Tripoli in the south east, now holding Edessa, Trebezoid, and Armenia as a border aganist the now reemerged Golden Horde. They attacked in Trebezoid, but I managed to hold them off with them losing more units out of their all cav army.

Don't have time to head North, also this is a GA campaign, so I wll focus on retaaking Northumberland, and also may take Ireland (points for homelands), though I usually find Ireland a mixed blessing to hold.

Hope to also get a cease fire with the Germans eventually as well as the Spanish (especially the Spanish as they will be my largest trading partner when I can re-establish peace again). At the moment I am much more dependent on farm income, so with my income possibly balanced, hope to beef up my farming again. May build more churches when I have a chance in my troop producing provinces as well.

[gaijinalways]

Oh, it's now 1236 or 1237.