Who'd be the Pope?

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Having seen someone's suggestion of modifying the startpos file to set the Papacy to a major faction, I thought Great, I want that job.

This was ok until I discovered some serious drawbacks in being the Pope.

I expected that the unit mix was vanilla Catholic, but that's ok. I realized I wouldn't have a royal family to generate generals, but again that's ok.

However, the first gripe was that their are no Papal offices. You can build the buildings, such as a Chancellery, but you don't get a hat to hand out. This wasn't a biggy though. I could live with that.

Then the Pope died and a new Pope was elected - and this is where it hurts - the new Pope is your best general, with his unit type changed. So not only do you have a smaller pool of generals, but your best one is always selected for extermination by the grim reaper.

[and sod's law states that it happens just as I invade Aragon to kick Almohad butt, and find that my 4* general has been spirited away to the Vatican and replaced by a 0* one.]

Only game I've ever abandoned.

[massamuusi]

You are not supposed to be the pope, the game does not support it.
The pope should be excommunicating people and asking for crusades, and not directly involved in military, unless HRE or someone else invades them. Even then, they don't conquer more than they had.
You are unable to do the pope things, you can't call for a crusade, and you can't do any other thing either. No point being the pope.
If I was you I'd take HRE and conquer papacy and give pope his hat This also gives you free hands to attack other christians, without the interference of the papa.

[bighairyman]

have you ever try HRE? it's no different than it. In HRE your best general also becomes your king. It isn't necessiy also be your prince. What's wrong with your best general become the pope? you can still use him to command troops. Also think fo this your 9* uber peasant general suddenly becomes the 9* uber Royal Knight general. For free

[Papewaio]

bighairyman considering your location... I'm going to get a back wax

[Despot of the English]

Quote[/b] (bighairyman @ July 26 2004,03:53)]have you ever try HRE? it's no different than it. In HRE your best general also becomes your king. It isn't necessiy also be your prince. What's wrong with your best general become the pope? you can still use him to command troops. Also think fo this your 9* uber peasant general suddenly becomes the 9* uber Royal Knight general. For free

If you have no heirs then your best general will be elected Emperor. Never had that happen yet.

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Quote[/b] ]You are not supposed to be the pope, the game does not support it.

Er, that much is clear from my having to modify the startpos file.

Quote[/b] ]You are unable to do the pope things, you can't call for a crusade, and you can't do any other thing either. No point being the pope.

No, but excommunications, crusades, etc happen anyway. Why is being the Pope any more pointless than being the Byzantine Emperor?

Quote[/b] ]If I was you I'd take HRE and conquer papacy and give pope his hat

A catholic nation conquer the Papacy? You will burn at the stake for such a suggestion

Quote[/b] ]Even then, they don't conquer more than they had.

Not seen it happen myself, but there was a thread a while ago about rampaging Popes.

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Quote[/b] ]In HRE your best general also becomes your king.

The difference is that the HRE has a royal family to generate generals, the Papacy does not.

Becoming King/Pope is a death sentence. Delayed, maybe, but that general will die. In the HRE's case this is not a problem because the Royal family conveyer belt is producing new ones. For the Papacy, you don't have this and so to lose your best general every generation is crippling.

Quote[/b] ]What's wrong with your best general become the pope? you can still use him to command troops.

Yes you can, until he dies, and then you can't.


I think being the Pope is just too challenging for me at the moment, at least playing on hard.

[Despot of the English]

Is it true that as the Pope you can excommunicate yourself through invading Catholic lands? I heard this on another forum and wanted to know if it was true. Sounds a bit weird if you ask me.

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Quote[/b] (Despot of the English @ July 26 2004,13:53)]Is it true that as the Pope you can excommunicate yourself through invading Catholic lands? I heard this on another forum and wanted to know if it was true. Sounds a bit weird if you ask me.

I'm not sure, as I gave up before I'd put myself in that position. The only Catholic nation I attacked was the Sicilians and that was over pretty sharpish.

It sounds believable though. I have, in another game, seen an atheist Pope.

[Chimpyang]

The atheist pope isnt hard to get.....you just keep at him with Inquisitors and soon he''s gotten that VnV.

[Al Khalifah]

Quote[/b] ]However, the first gripe was that their are no Papal offices. You can build the buildings, such as a Chancellery, but you don't get a hat to hand out. This wasn't a biggy though. I could live with that.

Add these lines to your startpos file at the point near the bottom where the AddOffice lines end for other factions.

AddOffice:: FN_PAPIST royal_palace Chamberlain of the Vatican +2 +2 0 0 0 0 0
AddOffice:: FN_PAPIST constables_palace Constable of Rome +2 0 0 2 0 0 0
AddOffice:: FN_PAPIST marshals_palace Marshal of Rome +2 0 0 2 0 0 0
AddOffice:: FN_PAPIST chancellery Papal Chancellor +3 1 0 1 0 0 0
AddOffice:: FN_PAPIST admiralty Admiral of Rome +1 0 0 2 0 0 0
AddOffice:: FN_PAPIST cathedral Archannon of Rome 0 2 0 0 3 0 0

[Ludens]

Quote[/b] (Despot of the English @ July 26 2004,15:53)]Is it true that as the Pope you can excommunicate yourself through invading Catholic lands? I heard this on another forum and wanted to know if it was true. Sounds a bit weird if you ask me.

No, the one at war with the pope will always get excommunicated. But mind you, the game does have its quirks.
You can get excomunicated for not allowing a crusade to pass. Make sense: it a holy war at YOUR bidding and then you refuse? What kind of religious leader are you?

[caravel]

Quote[/b] (massamuusi @ July 25 2004,20:30)]Even then, they don't conquer more than they had.

I've seen the Papacy go for Naples many times and Venice quite often and take it from the Germans. I've also seen him in Serbia and/or Croatia very occasionally and re-emerge in one of these provinces. He doesn't exactly go on a conquest be does expand occasionally.

[bighairyman]

Quote[/b] (The Grand Inquisitor @ July 26 2004,08:47)]

Quote[/b] ]In HRE your best general also becomes your king.

The difference is that the HRE has a royal family to generate generals, the Papacy does not.

Becoming King/Pope is a death sentence. Delayed, maybe, but that general will die. In the HRE's case this is not a problem because the Royal family conveyer belt is producing new ones. For the Papacy, you don't have this and so to lose your best general every generation is crippling.

Quote[/b] ]What's wrong with your best general become the pope? you can still use him to command troops.

Yes you can, until he dies, and then you can't.


I think being the Pope is just too challenging for me at the moment, at least playing on hard.

generals from the royal family aren't necessary good generals, most of my generals come from me building troops

Quote[/b] ]bighairyman considering your location... I'm going to get a back wax