newbie question

[richmagpies]

Hi all,

Been reading through some of the threads and love tips like putting archers stakes in front of castle gates to rip enemy cavalry to shreds!

Just started playing the game as England in the campaign game and I have a pretty basic question which I hope doesnt seem too stupid....What size of garrison would you recommend leaving in cities in london/nottingham/york/caen early in the game? Does a large garrison mean that the city / castle will hold out longer before it is captured if it is sieged? I think I'm wasting far too much money by having large garrisons and have seen others suggest that just a few low-cost militia units are all that is needed. I think that as the population in a place goes up, you need a bigger garrison to keep public order?

I've seen other threads where people say that they have taken scotland completely before turn 10 - in the game I was playing I couldnt even attack scotland as on edinburgh (when it finally appeared) it said 'no action allowed' and also places like dublin/caernavon didnt even appear on the map for ages? I was playing on easy/easy so maybe that was why?

Any tips/hints would be gratefully received!

Great game though!

Cheers

Rich

[Dead Guy]

Garrisons:
I usually keep the amount of troops the walls allow me to have as garrison for free (some units, militia especially, will have free upkeep in cities, their unit card will be darker, the number is determined by the size of walls). Less is just stupid unless you're really in an economic bind. Garrison size does not affect how many turns your settlement has before it falls to a siege, if you mean the number of turns it can hold out without a direct assault. That is only affected by the size of the walls afaik. A moderately sized garrison will however serve as a deterrent to the AI sometimes. It is correct that you can counteract public order problems with a larger garrison, to some extent. I don't know if it's worth the upkeep... Another way is to build town hall, council chambers etc, as well as town guard. Buildings that give law is what you want for that.

Scotland in 10 turns:
I can't answer this question... The no action allowed seems strange to me... Is the path blocked somehow? Is it under siege by another nations army? Are you trying to attack a town with a ship or priest? =) You do know you have to send agents or armies to cities to make them "appear" on the map right? I guess perhaps you don't. =)

Good luck with your campaign! And good luck learning the not so obvious workings of this game :p

[Monsieur Alphonse]

The AI will never attack cities deep inside your territory but only border regions. The only exception is naval invasions. Here the AI can make strange choices. If you have the British Isles you can expect sometimes invasions of Spain and Portugal in Caernarvon and Denmark is keen to land some troops near York. You only need to garrison your save cities with the minimum amount of units. My capital can do with one unit. Later in the game large and huge cities need five or six militia units.

[pevergreen]

As to the cities, you have to explore to find where they are. If they have walls, you have to build siege engines to make a way in. If you havent built any, it will not let you attack.

[Quintus.JC]

Basic cheap garrison (spear militia) is good enough for your centre regions, playing on E/E I doubt the AI would make an amphibious landing on your shores. Larger garrison keeps your population happier than a smaller one. Try to take out Scotland early on so there will be no threat to your settlements on your British isles, you can then make them into money machines, the only castle in Britain should be Nottingham, convert the rest to cities.

Better Quality militia should be used on your border regions. Train bulks of spear militia definitely helps, some archer militia is good too, after a while you get the powerful bill/heavy bill militia that would hold your enemies at bay. Try not to keep too many castle units in cities, militia units get free upkeep in cities. Basic spear militia can perform well in confined street corners, and could hold their own against dismounted knights with the advantage of towers and walls.

The reason for the disappearance of Dublin and Inverness etc. is because they have not been explored yet. You have no knowledge of their existence. Sending spies and other agents to explore the regions would help, once they have been sighted the settlement will appear on you map permanently.

As England you should concentrate on uniting the British isles first. Destroy Scotland, capture all the rebel settlements. On the other side of the channel expansion is optional, if you don’t feel experienced enough with this game than you probably should wait and expand in mainland Europe later. If you feel confident enough then Rennes and Bruges are ideal destinations, they are highly lucrative and close to your castle Caen. Bear in mind not to take Antwerp as it is likely to get you involved in a conflict with Denmark, Holy Roman Empire or even France.

[richmagpies]

Thanks for the replies guys regarding the garrisons and I'll stop wasting my hard earned cash now on pointlessly large garrisons! And i didnt realise that you had to explore the map to make other cities visible Maybe next campaign I won't attack the irish, welsh and french at the same time and take it a bit slower and consolidate Britain first before moving onto rennes, Bruges etc!

Loving the game but have had to call a halt at the moment as the disk has stopped working (probably inadvertently scratched it so will have to take it back and get a new one )

And apologies in advance for any other dumb questions!

[Quintus.JC]

And i didnt realise that you had to explore the map to make other cities visible

Forgot to mention, obtain map info from other factions would also enable you to see their settlements.

[Eikon the Magistrate]

Forgot to mention, obtain map info from other factions would also enable you to see their settlements.

The Papacy is always a good faction to get this from, their maps usually are correct. As for England, initially you may try giving back the region in france (caen?) to the french in exchange for alliance, at least temporarily thru this, it gives you extra troops for the scots and a save southern border.

[Monsieur Alphonse]

The As for England, initially you may try giving back the region in france (caen?) to the french in exchange for alliance, at least temporarily thru this, it gives you extra troops for the scots and a save southern border.

You can do it better then that. Send your diplomat to Angers in the first turn and buy Angers and Toulouse in exchange for an alliance and some money. Usually 4000 florins for two or three turns will do. If you find this cheating, buy Angers only. Use the forces in France to capture Rennes and Bruges. Use your forces in England to reunite the UK and you are done.