Between a Rock and a Hard Place

**Ash** · 12-31-2004, 09:51

Originally Posted by Hold Steady

I'm playing a slight modified (50k extra for AI players starting capital) expert Early HRE.

How about giving yourself 50k now? Or not giving 50k to the AI at all?

**Hold Steady** · 12-31-2004, 10:24

Originally Posted by Ash

How about giving yourself 50k now? Or not giving 50k to the AI at all?

You're right. I chose this myself, I shouldn't be complaining.. I know, but I thought, I'll pour out my predicament, perhaps a bit of compassion among my fellow men eh? Thought I 'needed' the extra challenge, and it perhaps would stop the AI from only sending peasants. Well the answer on 'no' to the first, though the amount of peasants is now better..

**TwinMfg** · 12-31-2004, 18:12

Sounds like you expanded a bit too fast. I seem to do that all the time. But, that doesn't help you now. If you have the $$ buy lots of mercs. If you can't do that, you may need to retreat a little to consolidate your forces.

Are you actually at war with the pope? If not, leave a small army there as a deterrent and go have some Froglegs. If you're at war, then see above paragraph. And next time, pull out of the pope-held provinces and let them rebel before the pope returns; IIRC, he won't be at war with you then, when he returns.

Third option: borrow some of that $50K you gave your allies.

**Accounting Troll** · 12-31-2004, 21:41

You need a quick victory against the French by storming Paris Castle so that you can free up some of your troops. Don't auto resolve because the French king will probably survive. When you have destroyed the French royal family, divert some of your troops to your Italian and Hungarian borders and use your emissaries to bribe the rebel provinces. Don't divert too many of your troops because sooner or later the English are going to attack you.

This stage of the campaign is always going to be hard for you since an AI faction uses the 50k starting cash to build up a large army which its provinces cannot support, so it has to invade somebody.

Even if you give economic development a high priority, the HRE simply cannot afford to adequately defend all its frontier provinces, especially since there is no way to totally eradicate the Papacy. I would pursue a military strategy of combining relatively inexpensive garrisons with 3-4 field armies, the idea being to swiftly retake land that I lose rather than prevent the loss in the first place.

**Louis VI the Fat** · 01-01-2005, 04:01

I know how you feel, HS. The HRE has a near impossible starting position. You don't get any good generals, everybody seems to gang up on you almost right from the start and your armies take forever to get from one place to another with all those landlocked provinces. Which also are impossible to defend all at the same time, provoking endless invasions from all sides.

The one M:TW game I lost was playing as the HRE

It was a total blast though. Have fun with your game, if the HRE survives the first few decades you're in a good position to kick some ass.

**OlafTheBrave** · 01-01-2005, 05:01

I belive rushing Italy is the best option followed by immediatly going into Pomerania nad Prussia. All the while building up for when France invades. When France invades take what you can but stop short of eleminating them and stretching yourself thin, or is that thinner LOL. I have found that some how doing all this agressivness aleviates the Danes need to send those 6 or so units of RKs off into Saxony although you have drawn it down somewaht. Poland may buck up but they dont have enough provinces to truly be a threat. Once the Above stated is done I like to wade south into the boot of Italy and de-nut the Pope for the rest of the game. You may have to take the Papal States and build a fort and then let them have it and run them out of Rome to accomplish this. It just deppends on what his holliness has done.

I try to play GA but I may take known GA goals before they are presented if the time is right. Rember before you get your legs under you you are nothing but a paper tiger and the AI knows it.

**Pericles** · 01-01-2005, 05:39

Yes, have fun.

Isn't it great to have your butt kicked by the AI?

Your situation gives you all types of strategies to pursue.

If you fail this time, then look forward to starting again.

Oh, and give the AI factions 100,000 Florins.

That'll really keep you on your toes for sure - heheh

best of luck