Crusades never cooperate

[Doug-Thompson]

This may be common knowledge, but I can't recall ever having seen it posted.

Crusades never cooperate with each other. I've seen as many as three Crusades bottled up in Hungary at the same time, all stopped by one Muslim army in Constantinople. None of the Crusades are strong enough to dislodge the Muslims by itself, but any two of them together could.

Likewise, the Hungarians are often allied to at least one of the Crusading factions, but never join in to an attack on Constantinople.

I'm not complaining. It sure makes playing a Muslim faction fun and easy.

[eadeater]

Surely if the nations sending the crusades are allied, then they would attack together when they move on constantinople (as they do every turn, i immagine, and choose to retreat).

[katank]

not so sure, have seen way too many AI crusades starved to death.

nice though as sometimes a civil war erupts and some tasty opportunities come up.

[Doug-Thompson]

Incredibly, allied crusades will just sit there. I've never seen a combined attack by two different crusades at the same time. Just last night, a 2,000+ Crusade just sat there while the 800+ Crusade of an ally sat in the same province.

[eadeater]

That's quiet strange. Fortunately, I don't play with the Islamic factions much so haven't had to face too many crusades

[Quietus]

This may be common knowledge, but I can't recall ever having seen it posted.

Crusades never cooperate with each other. I've seen as many as three Crusades bottled up in Hungary at the same time, all stopped by one Muslim army in Constantinople. None of the Crusades are strong enough to dislodge the Muslims by itself, but any two of them together could.

Likewise, the Hungarians are often allied to at least one of the Crusading factions, but never join in to an attack on Constantinople.

I'm not complaining. It sure makes playing a Muslim faction fun and easy.

LOL. There is an easy explanation for this. Each crusade WANT the destination province for themselves. If one crusade succeeds and the others will disband if they have the same destination/objective province.

Or if you are a Christian crusader yourself and attacked Constantinople first and succeed, the other crusades will effectively end.

[lars573]

Actually I'vw had it happen that if I conquer a province that another faction has launched a crusade for they just show and demand it from me. I refuse and one papaly sanctioned ass whupping later they get the poimt that the province is mine. This usually happens with antioch and edessa, I guess cause there closer.

[CherryDanish]

A couple times I've wanted decent troops fast in early, so I launched a crusade against a place that the HRE was about to conquer with a crusade and then got a bunch of usefull troops the round after.

An HRE crusade broke up after I took a province with both a crusade and a regular force as well, without attacking (I don't recall them attacking).

My big beef with crusades is I like to use them to weaken catholic rivals, but the damned AI won't let me route the crusades through foreign owned ports, yet the HRE routed 6 crusades through flanders. I eventually had to lower zeal to reduce the attrition from the defensive stack I had there and put my best troops in wessex to avoid them getting weakened. Not sure why the computer can do it but I can't.

[Maeda Toshiie]

This may be common knowledge, but I can't recall ever having seen it posted.

Crusades never cooperate with each other. I've seen as many as three Crusades bottled up in Hungary at the same time, all stopped by one Muslim army in Constantinople. None of the Crusades are strong enough to dislodge the Muslims by itself, but any two of them together could.

Likewise, the Hungarians are often allied to at least one of the Crusading factions, but never join in to an attack on Constantinople.

I'm not complaining. It sure makes playing a Muslim faction fun and easy.

Not quite. Seen that happen once as the turks sitting in the C. HRE + English crusades. Not to mention that the Byz were eager to retake their capital. All three attacked together (allies IIRC).

Maybe it is because my stack was small enough that all thought it was possible for them to take it for themselves.

[mfberg]

My big beef with crusades is I like to use them to weaken catholic rivals, but the damned AI won't let me route the crusades through foreign owned ports, yet the HRE routed 6 crusades through flanders....

Not sure why the computer can do it but I can't.

The owner of the port also has to have a ship route to your target.

mfberg

[Lonewarrior]

I really don't use crusades that much, I don't need an excuse to attack other nations, but I have seen a crusade stand there not moving. Sometimes I get bored and take over the province the crusade was gonna take, just for fun.

[katank]

even if your crusade beats it to the AI one or you take the crusade target before they do, they will still anally demand the land form you autoexcomming you if necessary.

They can also use any type of path which is less than maximum total distance on land if they can use ships so they can zigzag and totally sponge troops for a long, long time.

sometimes breaking your trade routes is necessary to avoid them from trying to go through you.

[Quietus]

Hmm, I haven't played any MTW after the VI patch, but there are a number of explanations I can think of:

1. Are you a Roman Catholic faction( not Orthodox or Muslim) when you conquered the province?
2. Did you use a crusade to win the objective province?
3. Are you already at war with the other crusading factions?
4. Is the objective province completely subjugated(are you still laying siege to the province)?

If you are already at war, yes they will attack you of course. If the province isn't completely won yet then it is still fair game.

[Doug-Thompson]

LOL. There is an easy explanation for this. Each crusade WANT the destination province for themselves. If one crusade succeeds and the others will disband if they have the same destination/objective province.

No, that wasn't it. One of the Crusades stuck in Hungary was bound for Antioch, another for Edessa.

Both had to go through Constantinople to get there, though, since I had the sea lanes blocked.

[Doug-Thompson]

Maybe it is because my stack was small enough that all thought it was possible for them to take it for themselves.

That sounds likely.

[katank]

doesn't matter. even if you completely had the province for 10 years, as long as the crusade was launched before you took it, the crusade will tell you to turn it over or face the consequences.

I don't like the AI to tough talk me and usually beat the uppity crusad einto a pulp. if they want it, at least ask nicely!

[DisruptorX]

doesn't matter. even if you completely had the province for 10 years, as long as the crusade was launched before you took it, the crusade will tell you to turn it over or face the consequences.

I don't like the AI to tough talk me and usually beat the uppity crusad einto a pulp. if they want it, at least ask nicely!

They ask rather nicely, at least the one time it happened to me. I let them take it, as my forces were 1k strong and theirs 3k.

When you play as Arabs, for some reason crusades aren't too common and rarely reach your territory.

[Jihad2Death]

I`ve found a good way to deflect crusades.When I know a crusade is coming I start sending armies to the entry point into my land.When the crusade reaches the province above my land,I attack with a very small army(sometimes just one unit) Of course they lose,but it keeps them from invading,all the while I build units.After a good 8 turns,the crusade doesn`t have near the amount of men it had to begin with,and since I am building units,I have a large army ready to invade

[Doug-Thompson]

I`ve found a good way to deflect crusades.When I know a crusade is coming I start sending armies to the entry point into my land.When the crusade reaches the province above my land,I attack with a very small army(sometimes just one unit) Of course they lose,but it keeps them from invading,all the while I build units.After a good 8 turns,the crusade doesn`t have near the amount of men it had to begin with,and since I am building units,I have a large army ready to invade

[Doug-Thompson]

I think Jihad2Death just found a use for peasants in combat.

[Quietus]

I had a cheap tactic when it comes to crusades. I launch a crusade on provinces I'm about to invade anyway (in the next turn). That way I get free Knights of Santiago and foot soldier (that I use to garrison the border since I don't use the knights in battle, just ceremonial units). The fanatics I send pronto to the frontlines. I stop when I get about half a stack of Knights of Santiago.

I supplement them with high valor archers, spear units that i'm collecting and retraining and retired superpowered general that holds the title to the province (usually). And voila, border garrison that the AI won't bother attacking.

When I launch the crusade this way, I'm always first to finish the even if the AI launches a new crusade after me. They just disband (they don't continue) but they get free troops too.

Just a conjecture, maybe the king's influence has something to do with it.

low influence - Treated shabbilly. Demanded to hand over the province

medium influence - Asked kindly.

high influence - AI disbands crusade.

[Sociopsychoactive]

I have seen crudades work together to a certain degree. Bit of a longish story.

I'm the Byzantines, sitting in constantinople happy as Larry, some crusades go through, then I break a treaty or two and all crusades start getting targetted at me. I beat them back, like you do, and they were sponging well, some had over 6,000 troops in at times.

After beating off a few I had a border garrison 1 stack army in all the likely provinces, then the french and spanish launch simultanios crusades to consti.

The arrive differently, the fgrench gets beaten back, the spanish come in and I win a very close victory and beat them off aswell. Now they're both sat in hungry, but the stupid hungarians have laerge stacks there, high zeal and are allied to me. The french and spanish, being the two superpowers are allied and both at war with me.

So, the next turn after some liberal sponging they both attack at once. I take my 400 remaining troops into a bridge battle against them both.

Both crusades head for the bridge, and when they're armies start to clash BAM the spanish turn on the smaller french crusade and kill or capture almost every man in it. There was a bit more skirmishing for a while, then the french re-enforcements arrive, pound the spanish and start for me again.

This goes on for over half an hour, the french and spanish killing the crpa out of each other, both generals dead, barely any able troops left and I've not fired a single bowshot yet. it was the work of moments to ride in and sweep up the remainders. Two allied crusades set upon each other in full view of the enemy, Me.

[Oaty]

Nice story socio. So was it better than the intro movie?