WOW that was exhilerating!

[peacedude]

My strategy has always been to turtle and slowly add provencis however it ususally ends up not working(for world domination at least.) So i decided to try a campaign as the Hungarians( my favorite factions, i love szelky ) and do a rush and my gosh its awesome its only 1105 and ive already torn apart half of the HRE and thrown them into a civil war plus all the rebel provencis (moldavia, wallachia) and i took venice. Its been full steam ahead ive pumped szelky out of hungary, barques out of venice and jobbagy and horsemen everywhere else not the greatest army but its only 1105 so it gets the job done. im working up to avars in moldavia.
off to finish the HRE. Polands next I wont stop till ive concered the world haahhahahah

[Sir Toma of Spain]

I have also always just sat back got a ton of money and then slowly attacked but i've always thought of giving rushing a go but whenever i start to try i end up withno money and a nice big empire whichalmost anyone could take for themselves.

[peacedude]

the key seems to be just try to stay allied with whoever borders you that you arent rushing at the moment and try and go for choke points on the map but thi is my first time so i could be wrong

[Mount Suribachi]

early game rushes can be effective as the AI tends to produce a lot of peasants, Urban Militia and archers early on, and if you can have a 2 or 4 star general leading your troops that gives you a big advantage.

Rushing folks like the Almohads with their AUMs may not be so easy

[Budwise]

Yeah, but this was just as exciting. I started a new campaign under High but I meant Late. (First time ever playing a faction other than Catholic so I had no idea the various starting positions on that side of the world.) I am currently playing the Turks and after kicking Frenchy out of Palestine and Allying with both Egypt and Bysantines, I decided to pause and both mass tech and build ships.

Well, the horde came in and took over one of my bigger providences and because I though I was playing late, I didn't have a clue they were coming. After fighting them off one attack after another with overwelming odds, English started a crusade and the Bys decided to break alliance and Tag Team me at Constanople.

Well, to make it short, after 10 - I must win this battle or I am screwed - battles with going up against Horse Archers using NO ARCHERS OR LIGHT CAV. I prevailed and now I own all of the Turkey Area.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

I always blitz. The comp should consider itself lucky when it has a border with me and is not being torn apart. It is much more fun for me than sitting back, besides whenever I do I run out of money due to military production and upkeep costs.

[Togakure]

early game rushes can be effective as the AI tends to produce a lot of peasants, Urban Militia and archers early on, and if you can have a 2 or 4 star general leading your troops that gives you a big advantage.

Rushing folks like the Almohads with their AUMs may not be so easy

I'm not a rusher out of habit, but sometimes a faction's starting situation requires a bit of a rush. The Spanish are a good example, and of course, at game begin their big problem is the Almohads. Using Jinettes to draw the enemy out of position, spears to hold until Jinettes and Royals can flank, and Militia Sergeants as opposed to Urban Militia to back up the spearmen, I've found that the Spanish can push the Almohads back to Cyrenacia rather quickly, despite the effectiveness of the AUM. The thing that really helps is having high-star generals (4 or more stars). The first king is a defense specialist, and El Cid is an attack specialist (I make it a point to bribe him right quick). I always award El Cid with the title of Duke of Castille, which increases his command rating to 6, I believe. Using him and the defender king in tandem, with balanced armies and cautious battlefield manuevering, I've found that the Spanish can push the Almohads off of the Iberian peninsula with relative ease. Of course, a (temporary) alliance with the Aragonese is prudent, and I try to bribe Navarre before they take it, while I'm dealing with the Almohads. Timing your attack on Portugal is also important, as a large garrison is required to keep the province from rebelling. I will usually leave a decimated Almohad army in Cyrenacia as a buffer against the Egyptians, and turn my attention to the Aragonese and southern France. Once I've secured Aragon, Navarre, Aquitaine and Toulouse (gotta get the infrastructure for +1 Chiv Knights going asap), I'll turn my attention back to eliminating the Muslims and eventually the Byzantines, with my ultimate pre-High Period goal being Constantinople and Georgia, with the southern half of the map totally Spanish.

I usually start in Early, so maybe this is harder if starting in High.

[DisruptorX]

Rushing folks like the Almohads with their AUMs may not be so easy

Rush them from the other side, where they aren't built up. The Almohads fold like paper, usually getting struck by civil war.

[Martok]

I tend to do things backwards as the Spanish. I still bribe El Cid right away, but then I usually rush Aragon and Navarre before moving south against the Caliphate. I usually get away with this because in the meantime, the Almohads fritter away their manpower trying to subjugate the Portuguese--"trying" being the operative word.

Then after a few more turns building up my armies, I knock the Almos out of Iberia, usually with a crusade simultaneously "liberating" Portugual from Muslim rule. A few more turns of consolidating my gains, and I push the Caliph back to Cryenacia and let him sit there as a buffer between myself and the Egyptians. Even if the Almos collapse in on themselves, they usually won't respawn in my North African holdings as long as I leave Cryenacia unoccupied.

After that, if the French are still ex-commed (and they almost always are), I'll launch a couple crusades to take Acquitaine and Tolouse. Once that's done, the world is my oyster.

[TheWingedVictory]

For my early Spain I conquered all of Almohad and the iberian penin before going up to France, but I think it is best to let egyptians keep their original lands if ur not planing to wipe them out because they may comeback to haunt you by launching jihad toward their old territory if not sufficient forces are defending the border even if you are an ally to them for a longtime, as i have experienced that long time ago. Also I really think it is best to conquer muslim territories later in the game with all the higher church ranks available and the ability to use inquisitors, because it is obviously difficult to maintain a region with a diffirent religion.