How can I win a campaign if I am constantly being pressured by the Pope?
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How can I win a campaign if I am constantly being pressured by the Pope?
Break the rules lol that is unless you want to play most of your campaign letting other nations break the rules/walk all over you then a few turns later get pardoned anyway.
Just don't get carried away unless you want a Crusaders paying a vist to your lands.
How to get around excommunication:
Strategy 1: Blitzkrieg!
step 1:Build armies including at least 1 siege engine of some sort in them.
step 2:Move your armies into enemy territory, with escort armies if necessary for dealing with large enemy stacks.
step 3:Launch a simultaneous attack on all of your enemies cities at once, which should be done either just after finishing the "cease hostilities" quest completes, or before you get one, either way.
step 4:Attack and don't siege, just assault all cities at once in the same turn.
step 5:???
step 6:Profit
This strategy works moderately effective, especially when fighting a weakened opponent. The pope can't tell you to stop if they are gone before he can tell you. Also, this works in favor of Strategy 2 as well.
Strategy 2: Making the enemy get discommed.
Step 1: Hide some armies and leave towns barely defended.
Step 2: Let them siege it, then rescue the town.
Step 3: Repeat step 1&2 as needed.
Step 4: If steps 1-3 are working too slowly, take an enemy town and use it to force them into attacking, preferrably not one on the border, but within their territory (like maybe their capitol) and defend it like crazy. With them surrounding your forces, they will attack it alot, even if the Pope gets on to the both of you, since its surrounded by them.
Strategy 2 works well as an initial move, so you can base your entire campaign against getting them excommed, then performing the 1st one afterwards without much papal intervention. They will reconcile with the Papacy automatically if they take huge losses (which i think it automatic)
~:)
I would diverge from the two previous posters...
My way to deal with the Pope is simple : Bribe him or kill him...
I usually send a team consisting of a diplomat, spy and assassin to Rome...
The diplomat : to gain an allaince and a perfect standing with the Pope (giving him money, map info, military access) whatever is needed... I generally find that a single 1000Fl bribe at the start or a tribute of 100x10 turns is enough to be in his Holiness' good graces... A simple map info every time the standing goes from outstanding to perfect should be enough to restore things...
The Spy to lacate the Pope should he become a nuisance and not stay in Rome (as it happens sometimes...)
The Assassin to get rid of an annoying Pope and have one of your Cardinals Elected (It's sure to raise your standing...)
So If you ever get a warning from the Pope, bribe him to stay on Perfect standing and you should be able to continue attacking for as long as you want, you will only fail the given mission to Cease Hostilities for X turns (which will slightly drop your standing...), nothing a well-placed bribe cannot regain...
Anyway if all else fails, you can also request a crusade (if your standing is still high enough), as winning it will highly raise your PoM...
Hope that helps...