MTW TIPS and Observations

[m52nickerson]

-Never use your king in battles unless he has high command

I'm going to disagree with this. As long as your King does not have any negative vices I think he should be used. It seems that a Kings that leading an army tends to produce better heirs.

[gollum]

Actually i think that the threshold for rebellion is 120% loyalty in MTW. Bribing enemy stacks in the early game, saves you forces and gives you formiddable units, true, it kills however your cash flow. It all depends what your strategic goals of the early game are. If they associate with quick and drammatic expansion, i say bribing rebel armies is not worth it.

[Taedius]

100% loyalty to prevent rebellion: 120% to prevent reemergence. A spy in each province does the trick nicely.

[caravel]

It's actually as follows:

100% loyalty to prevent peasant/religious* revolts.

120% loyalty to prevent loyalist revolts (also trigger for faction reappearance)

I can't remember about bandits offhand. I think 100% loyalty, a castle and/or 100 man garrison is required.

*Religious percentage is not a factor - a province can be 100% catholic and the occupying faction orthodox, so long as this can be countered with garrison size and spies/happiness buildings and the loyalty kept >= 120% no revolts/uprisings should occur.

[drone]

On using your King on attacks, once your empire begins to grow, it is probably a bad thing to use him, as the attack will isolate him from your other provinces, leading to a temporary drop in provincial loyalty. Use heirs instead, to groom them for their future role. And whatever you do, don't use the King to attack an island...

100% loyalty will prevent revolts inside a province. If there is a faction reemergence in nearby provinces, you need to have the loyalty up to 120% to avoid being sucked into it.

Spies will increase provincial loyalty by 40% + 20% per star. Only the highest valoured spy counts, so having multiple spies in a province is a bit of a waste.

[gollum]

There are however cases where bribing is very much desirable, like say especially in high and late eras starting positions. In those occasions there are well developed rebel provinces that are worth a bribe. Remember that this needs be done after you put them under siege (invade and win) and then try to bribe the garrisson with an emmissary, in which case the whole of the province and its infrastructure falls in your hands without the customary pillaging that happens after the castle falls.

The Russians in high and the Byzs in high and late have ample such occasions for bribing. Such occasions can also naturally present themselves in the normal course of a campaign.

[caravel]

Spies will increase provincial loyalty by 40% + 20% per star. Only the highest valoured spy counts, so having multiple spies in a province is a bit of a waste.

The only benefit to multiple spies per province is when attempting to instigate revolts abroad. The highest valour spy is again the only spy that counts, but if he pulls it off and gains valour, so do all of his fellow spies. This is a cheap and nasty way of valouring up your spies quickly.

Not sure about counterspying. It may be that the highest valour spy always acts as the counterspy, rendering the others useless, or it may be that all counterspies in a province act in turn. If the latter case is true then multiple counterspies in a friendly province may be worthwhile.

[drone]

The only benefit to multiple spies per province is when attempting to instigate revolts abroad. The highest valour spy is again the only spy that counts, but if he pulls it off and gains valour, so do all of his fellow spies. This is a cheap and nasty way of valouring up your spies quickly.

I did not know that, that's evil!

Not sure about counterspying. It may be that the highest valour spy always acts as the counterspy, rendering the others useless, or it may be that all counterspies in a province act in turn. If the latter case is true then multiple counterspies in a friendly province may be worthwhile.

I don't know for sure, but judging from what Border Forts do in counterspying, I doubt credit would be spread amongst the spies.