Need suggestions (plague-related)

[Magraev]

Thought I'd hear if anybody here can give me a tip. I'm playing as the Brutii in Linedog's provincial campaign (get it, get it now - it's great!).

I've been asked by the senate to capture Thessalonica, so off I go with my best general (naturally). I'm sieging a large force of pikemen, and thought I'd starve them a bit before capturing the city. Unfortunately now they have the plague, with 3 turns untill the city falls. I thought I'd have plenty of time...

So what do I do:

1) Assault the city, then leave immediately, hoping my star doesn't catch plague that way?

2) Starve them out, then risk getting infected as I enter the city in the AI's turn?

3) Remove the general and take the city with a vanilla captain at the helm?

4) abandon the siege, letting the senate down but avoiding the plague?

I'm leaning towards 1), but I'm not sure if he'd get sick that way? Can anybody help me ?

[salmidach]

I'd go for option 3 and take the city without the general, wait till the plague runs it's course and then get the general in there.

[PseRamesses]

Magraev,
If you´re not in hurry wait until the city falls automatically but remove your general when 1 turn remains. The plauge might end during theese remaining 3 turns. I also suggest that you remove all troops that you really don´t need on the last turn and only keep good defensive troops just in case the city sallies on the last turn. Good luck!

[Magraev]

Thanks for the tips guys

I guess I'll go for option 3) then. I am a bit worried about not only sallies but relief forces from the east. I guess I'll use my star to screen the siege with some of the elite troops and let the mercs take the city

Don't say I don't listen to your advice.

[hrvojej]

I think the plague is being processed only once you click the end of turn, so you might be able to get away with taking the city and not getting infected.Though I must admit I have never tried this myself, I usually just starve them out if I'm besieging a plague-infested city.

Don't forget to leave some expendable and retrainable units in the garrison afterwards, and definitely take the mercs out immediately.

[Akka]

I think the plague is being processed only once you click the end of turn, so you might be able to get away with taking the city and not getting infected.

Nope, calculations for plague are being made immediately.

You can check this by infiltrating a contaminated spy in a city : as soon as he enters, you get the "plague happens !" event, and the skull appears in the city roster.

[Count Belisarius]

Yep. Starve 'em out because the plague might subside during the siege. Take your general and mercenaries out of the besieging stack when there is one turn remaining, but keep them close by to help deal with the last-ditch starvation sally. If your general even gets a whiff of the plague, he's a carrier, end of turn or not. The plague is a nasty beast. I once had the same plague-infested enemy spy re-infect my capital FOUR times! FOUR, before I finally killed his sorry @ss (please excuse my language).

[Magraev]

Starving them out won't always work since they might sally (infact they did). If you win you automatically enter the city afterwards and get infected.

I chose option 3) and let a captain handle the sally, making the battle a little harder, but still manageable. I had waited a couple of turns, so the plague wasn't so bad (though I did manage to produce a plague-ridden spy there the next turn that took a tour of the major southern greek and macedon cities...).

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments.