Advice on the Vikings

[Wodening]

Having not played in six or seven years I could use some advice. I played a Viking Invasion campaign as the Mercians and it seemed easy enough. I won anyway. Now I am playing as the Vikings though and I have encountered a problem I really had not encountered with the Mercians. I am suffering economically. I have been surviving on conquest, and ransoming kings. The problem is I know there is a time coming when I will have to build up troops to take on the Mercians and Scots, and I will not be able to do that with the way my income and expenses are. I have already taken out the Northumbrians and hold all the lands they started with and I am currently working on the Welsh, after that I know I could strike out to Ireland, but I do not like the idea of leaving a strong Mercia to cut my throat whenever they please. They already have some pretty sizable stacks, and it is only in the 830s. Is there anyway I can bring in more of an income without increasing taxes dramatically and risking rebellion? I am in the process of building mines where I can and increasing farming. Is there anything else I can do? Like I said it has been six or seven years since I last played and I have forgotten a lot.

[drone]

If you are still Pagan, raising money is easy. The Vikings get full value destroying buildings in raids, and are the only faction capable of moving troops via ships without ports. Start raiding lightly defended coastal provinces, burn them to the ground, and move out. You can kill two birds with one stone by hitting the Mercians in this fashion, the economic hit will slow them down. The Mercians and Saxons are going to be the toughest factions, since they have the strongest rosters after the Vikings. Target any province of theirs with Royal Palaces for destruction, you want to maintain your huscarle monopoly for as long as possible, and if you can get them to fight each other it's a added bonus.

My usual strategy when playing the Vikings: Build up the homelands while sending 1 or 2 strong raiding parties through everybody early on. Don't hold territory, just raze it all. The Viking units are vastly superior early on, and you start with enough ships to reach anywhere. Target the provinces with abbeys, ports, and higher military structures. Once the homelands are suitably developed and you have a nice pile of looted cash, start taking land, usually Ireland first, then start working from Scotland on down, occasionally raiding the southern factions to keep them weak. Your infantry is second to none, you can go far with just huscarles and landsmenn. Throw in a few units of raider cavalry to chase archers and routers, and you can beat pretty much anything. The Irish can be troublesome, they have plenty of armour piercing units that can decimate your expensive huscarles, chasing down the Picts' mounted crossbows is a pain, and your cav is useless against any semi-competent warriors. So the best bet is to get the other factions down to low tech, and keep them down until you can conquer all.

[Wodening]

Well, I am already holding territory, but I can hold off taking new territory and just raid. I am pretty much in a position that I can go anywhere I want. There are several wealthy provinces I can reach with my ships so that should not be a problem. I had not thought about destroying buildings though. I will have to do that in the provinces I have taken as there are buildings I really have no use for.

[drone]

When a province is successfully attacked, some buildings get destroyed in the fight. But you won't get the option to raze buildings unless you fully own the province, you have to take the stronghold before you get the option. So if you are going for quick "burn to the ground" raids, you will need to storm the castle if they retreat to it, a siege will give the opponent time to bring in reinforcements. Not really a problem unless the province has a fort or castle (the lower level strongholds don't have gates), but something to take into account if you plan on raiding a high level province.

The Forest Clearing is indestructible, but burn the rest to the ground!

[Wodening]

I will keep that in mind. Thus far I have not encountered any major fortifications. I think it is too early in the game for there to be many. Right now I will do anything to raise funds. I still have all of Mercia and Wessex I can raid plus what's left of Wales. That should give me plenty of florins I would guess. Like I said it has been six or seven years since I last played regularly so I am having to relearn a lot.

[LordK9]

The only thing I can add to such sound advise is to re-raid periodically after your enemies have nicely rebuilt the province and be sure to keep your naval technology edge.