Deus nolt!

[PershsNhpios]

Are you a crusader?

When is your first crusade generally launched?

Is it historically about the time of the fourth crusade?

Even in XL I find it silly to contemplate crusading until at least 1140, since I am very fond of maintaining maximum stability and eliminating immediate neighbouring threats. I am very proto-germanic in my grand strategy (Making a desert and calling it peace and whatnot).

This is not to mention vanilla and Caravel, where I see it unlikely for me to launch a crusade until after 1150 with the less developed factions, and even then I don't like my chances. Although it is possible technically to be crusading before the turn of the century.

I do like crusades, but I have never used them to really benefit my burgeoning empire. The most useful crusades I have ever made are successful ones from Venice to Novgorod for example, or Wessex/Denmark/Aquitaine to Granada, in order to gain a foothold in a future conquest or a major trading center.

But as for throwing a few thousand men in the marker and sending them off to Palestine - the most I have ever done is seized the province and lost it four turns later to the usually massive Fatimid Khaliphate.

It just seems like suicide to spend those first few turns preparing to crusade towards certain destruction, no matter how wonderfully historical it is.

So when the Deus Volt message arrives, are you ready to crusade? Do you use the crusade as a valuable tool for the progress of conquest or more of a novelty to break the monotony of fighting Catholics?

[gollum]

All options you offer are viable for fun/adventure or for more strategic goals.

I generally love the Crusading GA goals in vanilla. Try them i vanilla (or in Caravel), especially those of the French that have to build a Citadel in Tripoli before 1204 as well as the usual Crusader goals (succesful crusade in palestine, antioch, edessa, tripoli).

Crusades in Iberia are far more viable and far more lucrative, especially in vanilla. The opponent (the Alhomads) is less rich, more politically gragile and Spain (at large) yields large incomes close at home.

I also love the Crusades in the eastern pagan steppe (prussia, lithuania, livonia, Novgorod etc). The HRE also gets Crusading goals for those - to recreate the Teutonic order and subdue the eastern Kingdoms/russ. The feeling of going into these heavily wooded areas with your teutonic knights in snow/rain is great (in Caravel with the more harsh weather its even more pronounced).

Also, at some point in the campaign - maybe high/late era, if there is an Islamic (or Orthodox for that matter) Empire that stretches to teh Balkans from the middle east/anatolia you are bound to do the usual Cursading visit to Constantinople as a catholic.

You can experiment with Crusades in gameplay terms. You can make it an ironman rule to use only the men the Crusade picks and see if you can make it with that. Or you can even put your king in and see what comes of it - can he carve a new kingdom in a far off land and can his old kingdom survive while he is so far away? :)

The early crusading GA goals force you to try to prioritise Crusades which of course can be very risky - not only because you are dedicating resources at the expense of your Kingdom's defence to an expedition that is quite risky, but also because if the Crusade does not succeed your King gets an influence hit that might precipitate a civil war or even if succesful put your finances at severe pressure. Say, you succeed, but now you have 1 province with a bunch of high maintenance units and you are surrounded by not-at-all amused Muslims/Orthodox/pagans.

Crusades against the Horde are also fun, once the Horde has settled.

On the other hand, strategically and carefully used Crusades can be very very usedul in order to get infulence and to generate a lot of units very quickly for a Catholic ruler. As said, teh Iberian and the eastern steppe can be Crusading goldmine for Spanish Cath. Kings and German Emperors.

Finally there is nothing better than having Papal permission to do a holy invasion of your sworne enemy Catholic Kingdom.

[gollum]

And a hint for early Crusades: a crusade can use the fleet of an allied nation to the nation the crusade belongs. Typically, make it your priority to ally with the Italians early, and then go towards genoa/venice. Once there, the Italian ships will transfer your Crusade accross the seas either in North Africa or in Greece/Anatolia or in some rarer cases in teh Holy Land itself.

The Sicilians can make use of the Crusades from early to carve a sizeable kingdom in the Holy Land for themselves.

[Togakure]

In the last game I played as England, some time ago, I established my favorite four-region front: Friesland, Lorraine, Burgundy, and Provence. The HRA occupied the regions bordering them to the east.

I noticed that the HRE's zeal in those regions was unusually high, and they were slowly but surely recovering from an earlier stomping. I was waging war elsewhere and just wanted to maintain a strong border in these four regions. So, I built a Chapter House in Friesland, started crusades there, and used them to thin out the regions bordering mine as they made their way south and east. This worked well, though admittedly it seemed a bit of a cheesy method.

Generally, I don't use crusades as much as I should, an exception being when I play as the Sicilians. Again, passing through the Papal, Italian, and Hungarian regions adds manpower to my crusader army while weakening those that border my lands.

[Durango]

Even in XL I find it silly to contemplate crusading until at least 1140, since I am very fond of maintaining maximum stability and eliminating immediate neighbouring threats. I am very proto-germanic in my grand strategy (Making a desert and calling it peace and whatnot).

The right time to start crusading? Anytime!

If God wants it to succeed, it will. If not, it won't. It's that simple. Strategy and tactics is fine, as well as
logistics. But the most important factor of all:

God wills it!

And a hint for early Crusades: a crusade can use the fleet of an allied nation to the nation the crusade belongs. Typically, make it your priority to ally with the Italians early, and then go towards genoa/venice. Once there, the Italian ships will transfer your Crusade accross the seas either in North Africa or in Greece/Anatolia or in some rarer cases in teh Holy Land itself.

The Sicilians can make use of the Crusades from early to carve a sizeable kingdom in the Holy Land for themselves.

Historically accurate, as well.

[huth]

In vanilla, while plaing England or France I usually launch crusade to Constantinople :) I know, it isn't noble to attack Christians, but I take exemple from Venetians(Fourth Crusade) :P
All the way to Byzantium throught catholic lands crusade rises, even gains two banners of troops. And after conquer - bam - 2000 to my income.

High period in BKB is made for holy wars, many new order's units and muslim hordes :P

[drone]

I've never really gotten into crusades. Probably because:

1. I'm not really that pious in real life. I generally don't use Inquisitors either, so I'm guessing it's just the way I am.
2. I usually don't play the big Catholic factions.
3. I get excommunicated on a regular basis.