The Saxons

[CountMRVHS]

Live, thread, LIIIIVE!!!

Early rushes are probably the easiest way to win the game 100% of the time, but I like a slower, more defensive game that can make for some interesting challenge and risk. Especially for factions like the Saxons, where your wealth and easy access to Huscarles can make the game a steamroll fest basically from the get-go.

If you're sick of winning on Expert all the time with no suspense, then slow down and savor the game. Here's how I do it:

The Saxons have 4 provinces to start, 2 of which contain iron (Defnas & Somersaete), 2 of which have trade resources (Sumorsaete and Dornsaete), 2 of which provide valour bonuses (Defnas, for Horsemen, and West Seaxe, for Huscarles), and 1 of which has copper for mining (Defnas).

On Expert, the Saxons also have a collection of disloyal and untalented leaders.

Shuffle around your leaders so the really disloyal ones are closer to the king, and start training some Fyrdmen in West Seaxe. Meanwhile, start building everywhere.

I like to specialize, so Defnas is prepped for valorous Horsemen and armor/weapon upgrades, along with mining. It'll also make Spearmen, or eventually Fyrdmen, in a pinch.

Sumorsaete works toward buffed Armoured Spearmen, with regular Spearmen serving duty in the early years. When you feel like you can afford it, start working on trade (and a port) in Sumorsaete too - I like to have this online by the time my ships are about ready to reach the Irish Sea (see below).

Dornsaete focuses on ships and trade. Once I can make ships, I crank them out - don't wait for Longboats, start building the regular Boats as soon as they're available. Support costs are low, there's some trade to be had, and even if your ships don't win against a Viking attack, they at least will give you some time to prepare your defenses against an invasion.

West Seaxe focuses on valorous Fyrdmen and a sprinkling of Archers. It will be able to build Armoured Spearmen sooner than other provinces, so I like to have them trainable from here too, even if they don't benefit from iron.

Farming upgrades are a good choice pretty much everywhere. Sometimes you get unlucky with a flood which takes out your Basic Farms; in that case, it's questionable whether it's worth the time getting agriculture back on line in that province, depending on what else you're building there.

Oh, and don't build Watch Towers or Border Forts. Much more fun to play when you can't see the exact make up of enemy forces. Plus it's easier to train up your Assassins as they catch enemy Spies or Assassins slipping through your lands.

While you're doing all this building, send around your Bishop and any Princesses to get the lay of the land. Check out the nearby rebels and see how many troops you'd need to invade. Check out the Mercians and Northumbrians, especially - the other Anglo-Saxons are likely to go to war with each other, and you want to know who is winning, and when, so you can plan accordingly (it'll likely be the Mercians).

Also while you're building, train in your border provinces. You need to make the Mercians (and Welsh, I guess) feel like there are easier pickings elsewhere. These forces will likely consist of Fyrd/Spears, maybe with some Archers here & there (I don't like too many Archers for Anglo-Saxon armies; I prefer infantry-heavy forces), and a few Horsemen (ditto). Note that Horsemen you train are likely to be 'heroes', with notable traits and some good command stars.

Notice I didn't say anything about training Huscarles. That's because I don't like to do it in the early years - traditionally, Huscarles only saw an appearance in Anglo-Saxon armies after 1000 AD. I like to hold off for at least a few decades. This means I don't build the Royal Palace in West Seaxe for some time. It may seem suicidal, but the AI Mercians seem to build armies full of low-tech units such as Peasants and Spearmen. Yes, they'll have some Huscarles, but it's unlikely they'll form the bulk of their armies. Keep your agents shuttling around to make sure the large numbers of troops they're posting on your borders are easy to beat.

After a few years of building, you'll want/need to get some more land. You border East Seaxe and Suth Seaxe, and of the two, Suth Seaxe is the easier grab; attack with your king and several Fyrdmen and the rebels may retreat, letting you take it for minimal losses. East Seaxe would be nice to have for the Spearmen valour bonus, but is more exposed to Viking attacks in my experience, and also extends your border with the Mercians; plus the rebels there are tougher. Build an Inn there to get mercs when you need 'em.

Build, build, build. Emissaries will come to you from foreign lands asking for alliances since you're a small faction that hasn't started any wars; I ignore them. Partly this is RP; the starting king has the "Pride" VnV and I figure he doesn't see the value in allying with some distant Celtic nobodies or the other Anglo-Saxon upstarts. Partly it's because I'd prefer my own bishop/emissary to get the valour for proposing an alliance. Partly it's because I don't want to have to betray an ally and take the Influence hit (you'll be lucky to have 5 crowns at the end of your first king's life; his son will likely have half as much Influence on the succession). Also, if you ally with the Vikings you're denying yourself the fun of having to fight an almost certainly hopeless defence against a Viking raiding party (assuming they make it to your lands at all).

Keep an eye on everybody. The Vikings seem to raid northern Britain first and then work their way down to the southeast rebel provinces. Often this will have a massive impact on the balance of power throughout the islands. When the Vikings raid, they usually cause loyalist rebellions to crop up before they move on to easier pickings. That means, in some cases, a 'free' full stack of troops for e.g. the Northumbrians - who are likely unable to financially support those forces. The AI Mercians will see Northumbria getting too big for its britches and go all-out for war against them. Meanwhile, the rebel provinces (East Engle, East Seaxe, and Cantware, assuming your Saxons haven't taken any of them) will benefit from similar uprisings as the Vikings raid there. What started as relatively small rebel forces is likely to be multiple stacks after the Vikings have come and gone - too large for you to take on.

Working your ships westward into the Irish Sea will make it easier to follow the action of the Northumbrian/Mercian war, not to mention to observe how the Irish and Scots are faring. You can also note that the Welsh king is likely stranded in Cerniu after a couple of decades. If you feel aggressive at this point, it could be an opportunity for a ransom.

The real goal, though, is to watch the Anglo-Saxon factions and come in against whoever is bigger, just before they wipe out the other faction. From there you've got a good economy, some buffed troops, and you should be able to use your superior generalship to win some nice victories against the larger AI armies.

Alternatively, you could wait until war is declared on you and try to weather that attack - also lots of fun. War will come when the issue between the Northumbrians/Mercians is settled, so use that time to prepare.