XL Guide-Lithuania

Greetings all. You've chosen one of the more difficult and interesting factions to play in the XL mod. If you've done a little homework on the faction(tried out custom battles), you will already know about the rather limited options that the Lithuanians have regarding their troop roster. They have only one heavy cavalry, Boyars, which you will not be able to train extras of for quite a while. They are also, as far as to my knowledge, the only faction that cannot train steppe cavalry or steppe heavy cavalry. In addition, you have little in the way of ranged support, being unable to train arabalesters or any archer better than vanilla. However, there are many ways around the apparent lack of troop diversity. Additionally, Lithuania has the strong possiblility to be a commercial powerhouse if you play your cards right.

This guide will take you through the first steps to creating a Lithuanian empire, starting in the early period.

When you start off, take a good look at your surroundings. You have several rebel provinces nearby that are relatively easy to take, notably Cherginov, Prussia, and Livonia. Ignore them, for now. Also, it is neccessary to ignore the navy for the time being. Right now, you simply need more, better provinces. Your first target should be Novgorod. This will be your first chance to test out one of Lithuania's unique troops, Lithuanian infantry. These boys will serve you well through the course of the game, and are trainable right from the beginning in Lithuania. Another of your unique units is also trainable, Lithuanian cavalry. These troops are decent medium cavalry, and as such should be treated with care. Right now, you need more Lithuanian infantry, complimented by a couple of LC's. For building, go for farmland first. Although Lithuania isn't the best farmland province, you'll need all the extra cash you can get in the beginning. Keep churning out LI's, with a couple LC's to compliment, until your first heir matures. Once he does, bring him, your Grand Duke, and most of your troops to Novgorod. Tips for battle: LI's should be able to beat most of the Novgorod troops, with the exception of Boyars. Grind their footsoldiers, and use you're LC to lure the Boyars into an unfavorable position, either in woods, or in a place where they can be flanked. After capturing Novgorod, cue up any 'basic' buildings such as border forts and town watches that may have been pillaged. Once that is finished, que up farmland, for income. Additionally, it is quite possible that Novgorod may have taken Finland or Muscovy before you could attack. If this is the case, you must finish them off. Do not let them a chance to recover.

Now that you've taken Novgorod, focus your efforts on rebels. Build a boat from Lithuania, and, if possible, from Novgorod. You will want two boats in the Baltic. Your first targets are Livonia and Prussia, as these are the most likely to be targets of the Danes or Swedes. Livonia, as the higher income province takes precedence. In addition, you will want Muscovy, Cherginov, Finland, and Estonia as well. Taking these provinces will give you a nice solid foundation to work with. If the Swedes or Danes beat you to Prussia or Livonia, don't worry; you'll get them soon enough. Once you've consolidated these provinces, you will need to turn your attention to the Kievans. These guys are right on your flank, and your future plans hinge on Kiev not threatening your rear. Before invading, you'll want to have a decent sized army, as they will likely have spread northeast onto the steppes. Compose it mostly of LI, with a few LC and some armored spears to take cavalry. Ignore the steppe provinces at first. Go right for Kiev, as this is their production center and without it, they will have no way to replace their armored spears and other top troops. You might very well need an inn at this point. Lithuania itself seems to be a good province for mercs. Hire a few if needed, but watch your budget. Once Kiev is yours, be prepared for counterattacks from the steppe provinces. Keep pressing Kiev, don't keep peace with them. Keep going until they've been wiped out, and you should now own most of the steppe provinces, with the exceptions of the Khazars, Volga, and Levidia. Consolidate your new provinces, and build farmland where its going to be most profitable, such as Muscovy and Kiev. Additionally, you may need to rebuild a swordsmith in Kiev. If you need to, rebuild that before farmland, as you have few provinces at this point capable of producing LI.

Now you can focus on the next target: Scandinavia. It is quite possible that the swedes or danes may taken Pomerania already. If so, there is a good chance they will have a decent sized army. Regardless of who owns it, your first target should be Sweden. Sweden is very rich, and will give you a base to attack any of the other provinces. Often times, the Swedes will be quite the pushovers in the game. Don't know why, but they just seem to do so. Bring a good sized army, mostly LI and armored spears, and Sweden may very well just surrender the province completely. If Sweden owned Pomerania, make sure to leave a decent garrisson in Prussia, to fend off any attacks, and make sure that you keep a navy in the baltic. Additionally, you will need to expand the navy a little more to cover all of Scandinavia, just to help ensure you don't get any nasty surprises. If Sweden did control Pomerania, marshal your forces and lead your king to take the province. If Denmark or Norway owns the province, hire a few mercs once you consolidate Sweden. Lead a coordinated strike now against Pomeranian and the nearest Scandinavian province of the same owner. If Norway, you can likely finish them immediately. If Denmark, you'll need to grab Scania first before you grab Denmark itself. Naval control of Scandinavia is critical, as this will allow you to reinforce your provinces while conquering. After finishing Denmark/Sweden off, quickly move on to the last Scandinavian kingdom to unify Scandinavia. Once this is done, you will have a good, strong empire, with several production places and many shipyards. Very important is the fact that you can now train some better troops, at least for the early period, in Huscarles and Varangian Swordsman from Kiev. The last person you must take on is the Cuman's. Here, you will need your top infantry. Cuman heavy cav can be devastating, but they will likely be few in number. Bring some Huscarles and armored spears, and limit your LI's, as here they will be of less value. Your prime targets here are Levidia and Crimeae. These are prime shipbuilders, and can be used to defend the black sea from invasion. Also take lesser Khazar, assuming the Cuman's own it. If you can manage, take Moldavia as well. Moldavia has Avar Nobles early on and they can aid your mounted forces considerably. Now, you can form strong, powerful armies. LI's complimented by Huscarles/Varangian swordsmen, with Avar Nobles as your heavy cav and LC's as a medium cav to run down routers.

From here, you have several options, depending on how the game is evolving. If the owner of the of the British Isles is weakening, I would strongly advise an assault there. First of all, they add considerable trade to your empire. But most importantly, there is the provinces of Wales and Mercia. Wales will allow the training of Welsh Longbowmen by the high period and Mercia allows the training of Sherwood Foresters with only a bow workshop. Longbowmen will be extremely helpful, as you have no other quality ranged troops, and Longbowmen are among the best. Additionally, you may decide to go for Europe. It is quite possible that Poland will attack you at some point, so be wary. You must remember that you are Pagan. Consquently, diplomacy will often be thrown out the window and you will have vew allies. From here on out, its near impossible to predict what will happen, just make sure to be advantageous. If a neigbor suffers a collapse and you can grab a few extra provinces, take advantage.

One thing I would advise against: do not attack the Volga Bulgars. Leave them be. If you own Volga, it will only incite the Mongols to spread North upon their invasion. You want them going west, into Levidia, where there is a bridge. Go with usual anti-mongol tactics: Halberdiers, and lots of them. Additionally, this is where longbowmen will shine. Line them on the river edge and massacre Mongols as they try crossing.

Well, I hope this guide helps you out with your future Lithuanian campaigns. Before ending, I want to throw in a few general tips.

1) Prune your royal line. Many times, your first heir is not the best. Do everything you can to get the best heir to be next in line. If that means sending some of your boyars on suicide missions, then so be it. In the long run, it will improve your royal line, to the point that hopefully it becomes self sustaining. This will net you better generals, which you will need in order to pump up your LI's by the end game.

2) Your unique troops:
Lithuanian infantry- very solid, 100 men. Similar to Byzantine infantry, but with slightly better morale, and a bonus against armored troops. These will form the mainstay of your army for most of the game.

Lithuanian cavalry- decent, but not good, medium cavalry. Useful for flanking and running down routers, in addition to attacking basic foot archers. Must be treated with care, as they don't stand up to most infantry or heavy cavalry in a straight fight.

Have fun playing the Lithuanians!