How to handle the French in the LATE Period

[ShadesWolf]

I have a few questions for your guys and girls, I am currently preparing my tactics for the English Late campaign for shadesmtw.com and was wondering what tactic you all use on the late campaign, playing as the English.

The Late campaign begins in 1321 and as the leader of the English you have two choices of action.

1/ Ignore the French, and hope they ingnore you
2/ Attack France almost immediately and hope you can do enough damage to make them powerless?

So what do you all think...... Which approach work best for you ?

I jhave my own thoughts but would be interested to hear yours.

[LRossaRikimaru]

Hi Shade m8,

ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK and...Attack
if you stand and watch, your enemy grown stronger and stronger and you lose money and money

Go go go

LRossaRikimaru

[Kristaps]

Not sure about your question {never started a conquest game in the Late}, but I noticed that the English Early strategy guide on your site suggests building longbowen in Wales and billmen in Mercia 'as soon as possible'. This would work pre-patch only: these units are available only starting in the High period now.

[Praylak]

I generally keep the peace until I have adequate Billmen and longbows in my armies. (Gallowglass too if I have Ireland). In otherwords, I'm a nice neighbour until I have an advantage over them French cut-throats. And them Billmen do just that very well. Then I pursue them relentlessly until they are left with one little island somewhere in the Med. I never start in the High era either.

Thing is, you can't coexsit with the French like you can other factions. They will destroy themseleves in order to expand. It's dumb really. If you don't intervene, eventually they eat through the German girls and just steam-roll from there after.

Put the dogs out of thier misery as soon as your able, otherwise they'll just ruin everyone's future.

[ShadesWolf]

Start


1362


The year is now 1362 and France is little more than a small island in the med. To be quite truthful, she fell very easy. I started with dual attacks on Brittany and Flanders (about 5 years into the campaign) just enough time to increase my armies.

She counterattacked Flanders and retook it, but at great cost on both army and buildings. I kept my army in Brittany sieging the castle.

I countered in flanders again, to which she had no reply. I then sent small armies into Normandy and Champ's, She at last sent here main army to Flanders. I lost but wiped out 1000 of her men, but still held Champ and Normandy. By now I had built a large army in England of Bills, Longbows and Cav, this army then attacked Flanders, unopposed, France had reinvaded Normandy.

From here it was fairly easy going. By the end she only had Toulouse left and the island in the Med. Italy seeing here weakened state, invaded toulouse, and banished France from the mainland.

BTW during this period, I built no building improvements, just unit after unit, and it worked....
Now comes the job of building up my weak finiances.

[Praylak]

See, now there's how it's done. Take that ole French hospitality and give it the slap.

[Brutal DLX]

In a Late GA game, you have to attack France anyway, because it's in your GA goals, to settle the case of who actually owns it all.
In Total domination, it's hard anyway to conquer it all in sucha short time, I suppose attacking France first is the best strategy here too. You don't much time for lollygagging around.