Dirty deeds done dirt cheap! (Exploit/spoiler - Taking a city with 1 cav in 1 turn)

[RedKnight]

I'm sure long-time M2TWers know this, but I just started playing and recently found it for myself...

This may be a bit cheap, but especially early in the game, you can take a few cities with just one cavalry.

IF they have no cavalry. And it doesn't matter how many foot soldiers they have. They could have 20 full units of the meanest non-cav imaginable, and you could have exactly 1 hobilar. (And I don't mean 1 unit of hobilars.)

Recipe:

1. Besiege a city/castle whose garrison has no cavalry, with your one cavalry
2. On their next turn, they will all rush out to get your one puny cavalry... AND LEAVE THE FRONT DOOR OPEN
3. Move your cavalry to a far corner of the allowable battlemap, staying out of range of missiles or melee. (Sometimes run, sometimes walk.)
4. Once everybody's about to catch you in the corner, skirt around them, run to city center, watch timer count down, and win a glorious victory.

That's it. They can't make it back in 3 minutes.

Cheap, eh?

A variation is, if the city/castle has one (or very few) cavalry, send, say, one spear and one cavalry against it. Assuming they have a lot more than that (in non-cav), again they will rush out after you.

Immediately set your spears to RUN toward the farthest corner. This is because all his forces will be running after you - and what you want to do is let his cav hit your spears, with your cav attacking his cav from behind, so you can decimate his cav - BEFORE all his foot soldiers catch up. (All his forces will have been running after you, including his cav - so RUN as soon as the battle starts.)

Once his cav are decimated/panic, Withdraw your spears from the map, and you're probably far enough to make a run for the city center already. Same result: Glorious victory.

Just be careful that their injured cavs don't get inside the gates and close them before you can get inside (which you often can, if chasing his paniced cavs). But even if this fails, now you can lure his few cavs to a corner of the map again, kill them, run to city center, etc.

Also note, this only works if his forces greatly outnumber yours. Otherwise they won't rush you in the first turn and you'll have to wait out the whole seige (but you can still easily win when they rush you on the last turn of the seige, as per the above).

[Galain_Ironhide]

I'm sure long-time M2TWers know this, but I just started playing and recently found it for myself...

This may be a bit cheap, but especially early in the game, you can take a few cities with just one cavalry.

LoL, its just many of us just try to pretend we don't know this. I'm pretty sure that's where a certain pronounciation called "house rules" apply so we don't abuse it.

Very good for noticing though

[Monk]

Yeah it's a little cheap, silly AI can't figure out what you're doing, but hey the only thing you have to adhere to is yourself. If you're fine with that, then exploit/cheat away!