Hey guys,
I am playing on Venice on M/VH (my first M2TW game). I am in a bit of jam here…maybe you guys could give me some advice. Here is my situation:

1) I decided to play as Pope’s poster boy. ..hoping catholic neighbors will break their alliances and allow me to lunch crusades on them after excomm. However, the alliances have been very solid. Only Sicily attacked me, which allowed me to capture southern Italy, and their North African territory (Tripoli). I have the three North African provinces on east of Alexandria (I have kicked the Moors out of Africa), but Marrakesh (Morocco) keeps getting attacked by Moors’ territory from Spain, but I have managed to hold them off without too much trouble. But it means wasting a 8 star general in Morocco just defending.

2) I joined the Crusade to Jerusalem, and after capturing that with my Doge/faction leader, I used my crusading army to capture the two Egyptian territories near it (Gaza and one north of Jeru). However, Egyptians keep pestering me, and I can’t get my Doge out of Jerusalism without public order going really low (even if there are lots of troops there), wasting another 6 star general. My Middle Eastern territory and North African provide are separated by two Egyptian provinces.

3) Beside Jersalem & Gaza, North Africa, Durrazo, Regusa, (and the other one beside Adriac), Italy (except of Rome and Milan’s territories), I hold Rhodes, Crete, Sardinia (and the island north of it), Corinth, the territory beside (Thessasolni? [sp]..), Constantinople, and a province in Asia minor north of Rhodes.

4) As you can I see I am stretched really too thin and don’t have lots of income (around 5K a turn now), so development in some my cities has been really slow. If Milan and HRE break their alliance on me, I am totally screwed.

What do you guys think I should do next? I am thinking of giving all my middle eastern territories (Jeru, Gaza,etc) to the Pope and taking my large army there to help my effort war against Byzantium instead of fighting Egyptians…and repelling Moorish attacks in Morocco and when they are weakened launch an attack South of Spain. What do you guys think? Is there a strategic worth to keeping Jerusalem and its surrounding territories?