Blodrast,
thanks for the insightful comments. I read your guide. Makes lots of strategic sense. You must have played France quite a few times. To be clear, I was playing Domination and not GA, and that may affect other countries' behavior. Also level of difficulty may affect AI behavior.

I disagree slightly with your levant strategy. I believe the game designers intended for the forces in Outremer to attack early, otherwise why provide them with 4* general and so many troops, yet not enough local production. At the beginning of the game you can outmuscle Egypt. But with time they inevitably get better troops locally (Egypt and Palestine are Castle and FOrtress level already) while France cannot. So an early attack is a must . I found in my several campaign tries that attacking and holding Syria and Palestine in tunrs 1 or 2 is easy. Egypt may not even fight. You can then stay put for a few years getting troops from them.

In Europe it is a different story. WHile the turn 1 blitz worked for me, I have to admit that it was luck and I took advantage of the AI on the battlefield (e.g he allowed me shoot up a whole unit of FK's with crossbows without charging just because I had some good troops around, yet he wouldn't move the FK's out of range!). I think the designers intended for a defensive game in Europe while the levantine provinces provided the money to keep it going. WHich fits more with your strategy. I think you must take Anjou early though to bring those troops from Toulouse home. Just leave a 100 peasant garrison there. Anyone foolish enough to attack Toulouse will then suffer lots of losses in an assault or will siege for several years tying up their troops.


If I get a chance I will try the "attack Anjou and Wessex, abandon Toulouse" strategy in a new campaign.

Afrit



If RTW

afrit