How many factions can be excommunicated at one time?

[weegee]

Playing as Italians. France just got ex'd and Pope has already called for a crusade. I figure now is my time to strike at Sicily (who have been sinking my ships over the past couple of turns), they also made a weak attempt at stealing Tuscany and Corsica. So I strike into Sicily and decisively take the land, but unfortunately the one prince survives along with 20 or so peasants and flees to the keep. I'm thinking no biggie, I'll wait it out and maybe strike Malta in the mean time and finish them off. Except, here comes the warning from the Pope now.

So I guess more than one faction can be Ex'd. I thought I had read somewhere that the pope can only keep track of one at a time?

Also, why doesn't Sicily get ex'd? They've been attacking me either on sea or on land for the past 4 turns. No threat militarily, but they're killing my trade business.

And lastly, I'm assuming you can't destroy the buildings during a seige until you take the keep, castle, fortress, whatever, correct?

[ajaxfetish]

Yep, I've joined other factions in excommunication several times. AFAIK, the pope can ex as many disobedient Christians at a time as he wants.

As for the Pope only keeping track of one at a time, that refers to the warnings to you. In other words, if you already have one warning, you can attack anyone else without fear for the ten years it lasts, but the pope can keep track of warnings or excommunications to other factions at the same time.

As for Sicily not getting exed, I've heard that you need to outnumber the faction you're attacking by 2 provinces to 1 to get warned/exed, but I think I also heard people say they got exed without that, so I'm not sure.

And yes, you need to control the keep/whatever to manage anything in the province, including destroying buildings. Makes it hard to go raiding to destroy the enemy's infrastructure. By the time you can destroy it you've got full control of the province and might as well use it yourself. Oh well.

[fuddha]

By the time you can destroy it you've got full control of the province and might as well use it yourself. Oh well.

But it's a great thing for slowly bleeding a superpower that can't attack you.

Example: Danes can very cheaply launch suicide naval viking invasions to England. When the AI retreats, you can then raise everything to the ground and force the AI to build it up again. When it finnaly builds it up to a previous level, paf!, you do it again! Building a stack of vannila vikings is cheaper than building all those buildings back. That is called the war of attrition. That way you can eventualy conquer a big nation like England with a small one like Denmark. The key is in sea control.

[fuddha]

When I come to think about it, I'll start a new expert early danish game. I'll raid England, France and Poland. I'll also help out HRE every way I can, and when the Empire gets to big, I'll just turn the tables...

***goes of to play with a demonic smile on his face***

[CherryDanish]

Example: Danes can very cheaply launch suicide naval viking invasions to England. When the AI retreats, you can then raise everything to the ground and force the AI to build it up again. When it finnaly builds it up to a previous level, paf!, you do it again! Building a stack of vannila vikings is cheaper than building all those buildings back. That is called the war of attrition. That way you can eventualy conquer a big nation like England with a small one like Denmark. The key is in sea control.

Ahhh ... the viking zerg. I love this tactic as it involves an early aggressive stance and forces you to simultaniously build a trade system to foster growth. Aggression in the early game is more feasible and fun.

[Odin]

Ahhh ... the viking zerg. I love this tactic as it involves an early aggressive stance and forces you to simultaniously build a trade system to foster growth. Aggression in the early game is more feasible and fun.

Agreed CherryDanish, its also almost essential. Unless your playing the Byzantines, English, French or HRE you really do have to expand and play aggressive early, because if you dont the AI will. The Baltic is teeming with rich rebel provinces and although its sometimes fun to build up a little empire first, how can you pass up livonia, Lithuania, pommerania, and Prussia?

I only sack provinces if I am desperate, its certainly a viable tactic to conquest I cant argue that but If I am going in to a province its to defeat the garrison, rape the land of its resources and hear the lementation of the women.

I do agree with Fuddha that this is a great way to take out a larger power, but would caution against ticking off a big boy unless you have the reserve forces to handle a war. I would check thier alliances first see if you both share some that are crucial. The Danes for instance, if you go pillaging the english and they are allied with the HRE and you are as well you might endanger your alliance which makes you vunerable on a second front.

Dosent mean the AI will invade, but my point is this tactic requires the contigency to have ample forces to deal with protracted war with a larger faction, if you have those forces why not just take the province and hold it?

As to the original question, I dont think there is a limit to excommunications. I cant recall seeing more then a couple at a time but if there is a limit it ought to be in the manual somewhere and mine is burried in a heap of books somewhere.