Which faction for the first game

[Dutch_guy]

well after extensivly playing RTW , I decided to buy MTW - for about 10 euro's - because I wanted to know why it was so much better than RTW , as many say on these forums and well I just culdn't resist for just 10 euro's

So anyway when I start my campain, Which faction should you recommend to play as first, to get good feel of the game, how it works and so forth.


And well I guess every ''age'' - early , late etc- is fine for me.

[Viking]

I actually thought of doing that myself. Perhaps I`ll even do it.

Have you bought VI? The Vikings sounds great!

[Viking]

I actually thought of doing that myself. Perhaps I`ll even do it.

Eventually I bought both MTW and VI(couldn`t resist for those low prices when I saw them ). Then my question is: are there any patches for MTW on the VI CD, or do I have to download them?

[zakalwe]

England or Spain i would say

Byzantine is a nice faction to play on your second go.

I actually took poland for my first campaign. worked ok but was very skint


I would also recommend getting VI, and then installing either the VH or BKB mod. They have done nothing but improve an already fantastic game.

[HopAlongBunny]

If you don't get VI then you will want to install patch 1.1; fixes many bugs.

England is a good starting nation; corner position; establish a strong fleet (and trade) and you are almost untouchable.
Enjoy

[Zarax]

Eventually I bought both MTW and VI(couldn`t resist for those low prices when I saw them ). Then my question is: are there any patches for MTW on the VI CD, or do I have to download them?

By installing VI you'll patch MTW too, it's got the latest exe IIRC

[Viking]

By installing VI you'll patch MTW too, it's got the latest exe IIRC

Ah, that was good to hear. Now there`s just the patch for VI that I`ll need to download

[Marcellus]

For your first game, I'd reccommend the Egyptians in the early period. There is a great opportunity for expansion (west across Africa, destroying the Almohads), and you can't run out of money, so it is a comfortable entrance to the game.

[Butcher]

I agree with the danes, especially on GA.

[Ciaran]

I´ve started with English as well, you´ve got Scotland, Wales and Ireland as rebels close by, as well you can easily get Navarra, which gives you iron (even though I don´t know what good that does, you can´t build mines). If you ally with the Germans, you can smash France between your two forces and as the Germans start the war and you merely support them, you don´t get the pope on your back. At least, he didn´t get mad at me so far.
A bit of a downside is, your provinces aren´t that rich in farming. The highest farming income, without upgrades, is about 200, and that´s not really much according to frog´s guide (which, by the way I would recommend).

[Advo-san]

as well you can easily get Navarra, which gives you iron (even though I don´t know what good that does, you can´t build mines).

You can improve the attack of the units trained in Navarra if you build the apropriate building, the one with the anvil. Only available in provinces with iron!

[sunsmountain]

Had the most fun with Spain.

[Martok]

Had the most fun with Spain.

Agreed. The Spanish are definitely my favorite faction (followed close behind by the Eggies and the Byz). They have a lot of good nearby provinces into which they can expand, they can Crusade (which is very useful against the Almohads), they can usually get El Cid for a decent price.....and of course they get Jinnettes!

The Egyptians can get some massive trade income going very quickly, and their starting units are ideally suited to fighting in desert and arid regions. The major drawbacks to playing as them is you pretty much have to take out the Turks and later on the Byzantines--and you're often the target of Catholic Crusades. (Of course, this can give you the opportunity to Jihad, which is always fun. )

The Byzantines, as VH pointed out, get some good income and *great* units, especially in Early (gotta love the Katanks and VH!). As I've said in a previous post, however, I really don't recommend them if it's your first time playing Medieval. The Byz sit at the crossroads of the world, and you become overwhelmed by the amount of stuff you need to keep track of as a result......

[King Edward]

Start Early and play as England, as they have a solid defensive position and their mid game units will own the fields of Europe (Longbows and Billmen) also the catholic factions unit are much more 'user friendly than some of the more exotic units you get with the muslim factions.

If you have MTW I HIGHLY recommend getting VI as it not only adds a new campagne but also enhances the origonal campagns. Then get 2.01 patch. Then you will also be able to play it online.

Hope thats of some help!

[Dutch_guy]

Ok, I've heard a lot about VI so I'll see if I can get it .

Thanks for your advice so far

[Viking]

Then get 2.01 patch. Then you will also be able to play it online.

Can you play MTW online with 56Kb connection?

[King Edward]

yep i used to all the time!

[Togakure]

The Byzantines in Early begin with a highly developed city (Constantinople) which can produce superior troops and has excellent trade potential, and they have superior generals. I've found them to be a relatively easy faction to play. The Egyptians are also an easy faction for a first campaign if you want to try the Muslims. England has a relatively defensible starting position, but income can be a problem unless you manage things carefully. England is also hemmed in by Christian factions, so crusades are often necessary to expand significantly (which usually results in having to manage a split empire if your crusade(s) are successful).

Contrary to the game's difficulty ratings, I've found the Spanish in Early to be one of the easiest Christian factions to play. They have a Muslim faction just next door, making it easy to expand early without conflicting with other Christian factions. Spanish Jinettes are effective light cavalry in Early--particularly in the desert, with inexpensive infrastructure needed to produce them. They have good generals--and once the Almohads have been dealt with--an easy path to the Holy Lands devoid of Christian opponents. After taking the Holy Lands from Egypt, they can continue on to Constantinople, taking out the Byzantines, again avoiding strife with Christian factions. Once Constantinople and the Holy Lands are taken, other Christian factions will often send crusades, effectively declaring war on you. This enables you to engage a Christian faction without instigating the conflict. When I play the Spanish I try to blitz, first the Almos, then the Egyptians, and then the Byzantines, owning the southern half of the map well before the onset of the High Period.

I think Early campaigns are easier than High and Late campaigns. Starting in Early also lets you develop your infrastructure the way you like before reaching the High Period, and allows you to produce a surplus of troops that are no longer trainable in High (like Danish Viking Huscarles, or Moldavian Avar Nobles, etc).

[ichi]

Click Here for a recent thread about which faction to play on your first attempt.

English, Spanish, Byz, Danish, Almohads all good, start in Early.

Good luck and let us know how it goes

ichi

[tigger_on_vrb]

Probably a good idea to try both christian and muslim factions on early to get used to the different troop types. For your first game you will probably play through high and late anyway, so you will meet most available troops.

For your first catholic game I would go for Spanish. Nice mix of troops, several rebel provinces to take, decent trade prospects and iron to upgrade weapons.

Maybe try Byzantines (orthodox christian) next - awesome mixture of troops and the stongest faction in early, practice managing a large empire and war with more than one nieghbour probably.

Next for the muslims. I love the turks - try them soon, but for the first game I would recommend Egyptians - very strong trading power. This will really give you a taste of warfare in the desert.

That would be my recommendation.

[UltraWar]

I recommend the English because of swift expansion

[Shambles]

if you get vi, id use the welsh :)
and egypt in early would be a nice start id say

[kiwitt]

Welkom Dutch_Guy, from another (albeit in NZ).

You will enjoy MTW. I have STW and RTW, but I still play MTW:VI. To understand some basics, I played Denmark for a longtime. You learnt how to manage a low income and use your money wisely.

Tot Straks. (See you later)

[Krusader]

If you just want to get a great income almost from get go, and just produce troops, then Almohads might be a good faction. Berber Camels are okay enough, but you get early on Almohad Urban Militia which if used correctly are rock-hard.

When you get the hang of the game, I would advice Turkish Late. Only one province, but many nice units later on.

And what the others have said!!

[Pericles]

By all means I highly recommend getting the VI Campaign.

It will also open the door to all the great mods for MTW too :)

[UltraWar]

if you get vi, id use the welsh :)
and egypt in early would be a nice start id say

Well if you are any good at it you would but i would say mercians or saxons if you are just starting m:tw/vi because they can expand to a far distance and as the saxons i took over most of the map as the saxons before the DREADED CIVIL WAR CAME and i managed to save most of my provences
THE WELSH ARE THE WORST AND HAVE THE LEAST NCOME BARING PROVENCE OF POUIS

[_Aetius_]

Byz is not that hard at all management wise if you are a die-hard civ player like me And tactics wise it is easy because of the good generals and crash-thru-everything troops. I'd say Byz just keep in mind two things: money will run out so trade and build ships and always use good generals because they make your troops fight harder, better and longer.

The Byz arent hard to play as if your experienced but newcomers, will not react fast enough to the empires various problems and almost certainly be overrun. The Byz have loads of good things going for them but unless the player is vigilant and aggressive then the empire will be picked apart.

The Byz are by far my fave faction to play as.

[ajaxfetish]

There's one faction that's really not considered a beginner's faction but which you might enjoy anyway. It's about as complicated as the Byzantine's but without many of their pluses. It's the Holy Roman Empire. The reason I mention it is that it contains Friesland, roughly equivalent to Holland. Sometimes I think going with your national identity can make up for a lot with passion.

I'm a 7th-generation American (somehow there doesn't seem to be an American faction :)--but still care a lot about my older Welsh heritage, and bought the expansion largely so I could play the Welsh. Like UltraWar mentioned they're not the easiest faction but they're the first one I played on the Viking map, and I had a great time in spite of their limitations just because they're Welsh. Don't know if it makes a difference to you, but if you're diehard Dutch you might go with the Germans just so you can play your homeland.

Anyway, whatever you choose, have fun. It's a great game.