What faction to play as?

[Servius]

England

I agree with Yakobu. In the first two turns of Early, abandon Aquitaine and Anjou, moving thier forces to Normandy. At the same time, move the archers from Northumbria and Mercia to Wessex. On the third turn, invade Flanders from Wessex and Normandy. The French will retreat, you have only one front-line province to defend, you have THE richest province in Europe (I'm pretty sure) and you are free to take Wales, Scotland, and Ireland at your leasure.

Also like Yaboku said, you can eventually invade Scandinavia, take out the Danes, and push as far as Saxony all the while only having two front-line provinces (including Flanders). In early you get Hobilars (light cav), a discount on the cost of Archers, Fyrdmen (upgraded spearmen), Highland Clansmen, Gallowglasses, Kerns, and Irish Infantry. In High you get Longbows (who are badass) and Billmen who are cool too.

[Doug-Thompson]

England

I agree with Yakobu. In the first two turns of Early, abandon Aquitaine and Anjou, moving thier forces to Normandy. At the same time, move the archers from Northumbria and Mercia to Wessex. On the third turn, invade Flanders from Wessex and Normandy. The French will retreat, you have only one front-line province to defend, you have THE richest province in Europe (I'm pretty sure) and you are free to take Wales, Scotland, and Ireland at your leasure.

Sounds like a Blitz in reverse.

[Oaty]

Well I'd say Byzantines if you want tough troops but if you are looking for secure borders then England would be the better option. So the choice is do you wanna blitz eourope or just simply take it easy and learn a few things.

If you do start with Englang you may run into a bit of a shock when you run into the Byzantines as you may find yourself against tons of 8 stars and a faction that has the best overall troop selection for early.

In my first campaign when I ran into the Byzantines(played as Almohods) I had to lose territory quick to them to spread them thin and then march upon them. I gave them a good 6-8 provinces in 3 turns and even with them spread thin they were having pyric victories

[Lonewarrior]

In my first campaign when I ran into the Byzantines(played as Almohods) I had to lose territory quick to them to spread them thin and then march upon them. I gave them a good 6-8 provinces in 3 turns and even with them spread thin they were having pyric victories

DiD u try bribing?

[DisruptorX]

The Egyptians are easiest for a beginner. They can pump out troops like there is no tomorrow and have the richest provinces in the game.

When I was a n00b, I played as the Danish, Mercians, and Almohads. I lost my first games horribly. Almohads, despite what people say, are not easy for n00bs.

[Fragony]

Another suggestion, try the Polish! They may not seem like much but you can build a highly specialised army right away. You can make slav warroirs who are excellent in the first years, woodsmen that actually stay usefull because of their great charge and anti armour bonus, javelinman for general carnage and horsemen that are pretty decent early cavalry. You also get the best medium cavalry in the game with the retainer(you will have to wait a while before you can build them), and in moldavia you can build Avar Nobles who are unstoppable in early. To make it even more lovely, you get mounted crossbow that actually perform pretty well when used as light cavalry. If you like the battle aspect of the game the Polish are the one! Build a nice army and decimate the Germans.

[econ21]

OK, you asked for 4 factions. I would recommend (all on normal, early):

1st: England. This faction has a good strategic position, only really threatened by France. This means that you don't have to worry about too many things. Pump up your garrisons in France, try to get an alliance with her and you should be free to fight rebels (Welsh, Scots, Irish etc). Sooner or later war with France will come, but it should be later. The only hiccup is that you must build a fleet to link up your French lands asap, but building fleets is the key to victory in MTW (massive trade income). The advantage of England over Denmark is that your faction is big enough to build up economically without having to be overly aggressive. England is a good faction to play on glorious achievements, as they get some fun ones (as does France). Crusading is fun.

2nd: Byzantium. This will be fun after England because you have very different and arguably better troops (make Biz infantry + Trebizonds your core, leaven with VG and Kats), awesome leaders, plus you are right on the opposite side of the map. The strategic situation is more tense, with the Turks busting for a fight. But the faction has enormous potential.

3rd: Egypt: This will give you a taste of Muslim units. Pay special attention to Saracen infantry and Armenian heavy cavalry. Like Byzantium, you start off with a position of great potential - especially for trade. The Almohads are a good alternative Muslim faction - the Turks may be a little hard on early.

4th HRE: This is arguably the "ultimate" Catholic experience. The units are the same as the English ones (but pay attention to mounted crossbowmen) but your strategic position is one of being under siege - Italy, France, Hungary, even Poland and Denmark may want to take a bite out of you. I still find it the most fun campaign - just trying to keep my head above water.

If you play all four campaigns, you will be a MTW vet with a good knowledge of the game. (Don't be afraid to quit when you get too powerful - the end game is very hard work for little reward).

[Magraev]

Am I the only one wondering how a self-professed noob has over 250 posts?

For a start I'd suggest Denmark or England. The Danes can run into serious money-problems early though. Byz are a bit of a mouthfull for a noob (many provinces and armies to manage).