First faction selected as my First GA campaign - after 3 years in conquest mode.

[ShadowMagnet]

Funny you say that cos after God-knows-how-long of playing conquest mode only I finally plumped for GA mode for the first time some two weeks ago. I strongly recommend this mode to all players since it makes the game far more interesting. My only disappointment would only be quite a limited variety of unique goals for each faction but this aside GA mode rocks! Instead of frantically trying to take over 100% of the map which - let's face it - gets dead boring after a while, player is only expected to maintain a steady and prosperous country up until 1453. The Danes are the prime example because big points are scored for building up trade routes rather than rampant conquest.
After having neglected it for such a long time I think GA will be my mode of choice every time now, plain and simple.

[Matty]

I've just come back to the game too and tried the GA mode - much better to avoid all those rebelling provinces just when you thought you had the whole world under control. I'm currently the Italians at 1210, and very, very rich. Lots of points on crusades, but I was wondering how long you have to hold them for - I got pushed out by rebelling Egyptians and got a message that due to the zeal of the people a new crusade marker was placed at the starting point. I can't recall whether I lost the GA pionts when I lost the province. I also got shunted out of Palestine (captured in 1205, just under the bar) by a Spanish crusade (I yielded as I didn't think it proper that 2 crusaders should fight over the same territory) - still ended up at war with the Spanish over it though...

[Yoyoma1910]

If you want to challenge your skills, you might try the French next. They have some pretty good goals.

[Procrustes]

If you want to challenge your skills, you might try the French next. They have some pretty good goals.

I agree - the French GA goals for early are very difficult/fun. See if you can build the Krak!

[Sir William Wallace]

i agree , GA is much more interesting, you can just sit back and build your empire and not have to worry about fighting all the time,, however, one word of advice,, if you play the english in early,, be prepared to the french for about 300 years if you dont take them out quickly,, they are a nuisance and will always attack you. and not to take over anything either, , in my most recent GA, they were just sending small units of peasnts to just pester my provinces,, and slowly killing off my units,, well it wasnt just peasants, they had some other ok units mixed in , but they did it so often i was getting frustrated. sojust be forwarned if you ahvent already found this out, i was playing on hard btw. but i have since killed off the french and all is good and peaceful, no one attacks me and i have expanded my trading to the Med. Sea. and living the high life

[ajaxfetish]

I've just come back to the game too and tried the GA mode - much better to avoid all those rebelling provinces just when you thought you had the whole world under control. I'm currently the Italians at 1210, and very, very rich. Lots of points on crusades, but I was wondering how long you have to hold them for - I got pushed out by rebelling Egyptians and got a message that due to the zeal of the people a new crusade marker was placed at the starting point. I can't recall whether I lost the GA pionts when I lost the province. I also got shunted out of Palestine (captured in 1205, just under the bar) by a Spanish crusade (I yielded as I didn't think it proper that 2 crusaders should fight over the same territory) - still ended up at war with the Spanish over it though...

You need to be holding the province in 1204 when it switches to high. You get the points the minute you conquer it but lose them if you lose the territory before the clock rolls over. Then you have to conquer it again in time to get them back.

I also love GA. I hate the endless expansion against ever less impressive enemies and with ever more rebellions and pathetic governors. Much more fun to develop your own nation with only limited expansion and let others build up at the same time. You spend a lot more time on the campaign map than in battles, but get to use some fun late units and fight some actually built up enemies.

[Sir Patrick]

Has anyone successfully managed to get the Jagiellonian University before the first date as the Poles? I've played as the Poles on every difficulty setting trying to get that perk before the first time limit hits, but I can never quite get there. I almost made it once, but the stupid Hungarians attacked Poland while I was off dealing with the HRE and I lost all of my tech in my capital.

Has anyone actually succeeded in hitting that first date? It always seems to elude me by a half dozen years or less...

[ShadowMagnet]

Never managed to do that but sure will try in the future. It does seem entirely feasible a goal provided you're lucky at the start and concentrate all resources on building fortress in Poland. Sadly this means neglecting most of military development but since I almost always take Bohemia with it's abundant iron supply this doesn't matter that much.

[_Aetius_]

It was ages before i went on GA I can for the life of me remember why I waited.

The holy roman empire has probably the best GA's and the Byzantines have the worst nothing but conquest and homelands.

Byzantium, late period on expert is brilliant, GA wise it not much good but its good to see who has what territory etc during the campaign and its a great challenge.