I hear you.

On several of the campaigns, the easier factions are the one's you'd expect to be harder, and vice versa. So the Crusader states tend to be far too easy, and Wales and Ireland tend to be cakewalks in Britannia.

One thing I do in general is try to really go slow. Attack the AI in the open field rather than going straight for their undefended city. Take out rebel provinces before declaring war... better yet, let war be declared on *you*. Don't go straight for your victory conditions, but try to play a more "realistic" pace of campaign.

Of course that's not for everyone, and that's not what you were asking.

Fortunately, if you play some of the other factions you didn't mention, I think you'll find things more interesting. Norway in Britannia is notoriously difficult, with a plunging economy and an aggressive Scotland who want you out of their face, now. And surprisingly enough, England offers one of the more interesting campaigns. If you take your time as England, you'll find it's not quite so easy to conquer Wales; by the time you manage that, you'll have lost some land in Ireland and you'll be facing a very strong Scotland/Norway. It makes for an interesting game all the way through, if you don't rush it.

I don't know much about the Americas campaign. I played the Apaches once to get Mounted Thunder Braves; after that I lost interest. I recall that I wasn't often really attacked; I needed to conquer a lot of land before I started to get worried about losing settlements.

Teutonic Order I found quite difficult. Again, I took my time, & now I'm just managing to stave off the Lithuanians, Novgorod, and the Danes. Lithuania had some of my heartland settlements under siege, & even managed to take Marienburg from me. My units are great but really put a dent in the economy, and there are so many neighbors that I can't keep a decent front line, strategically. I'd suggest giving them another try.

I think every faction can be easy, depending on how you play, so it may come down to imposing some house rules in the end.

Good luck,

CountMRVHS

PS - what does "Rhyfelwyr" mean?