Saved by the pope!?

**NodachiSam** · 07-13-2005, 07:11

Hey all, long rant

I'm going through my fifth or so campaign I'm still fairly new at MTW so the normal difficulty is still pretty challenging. Anyways, I started a campaign as Sicily in high period on normal and my goal (because of my last two camps) was basically to survive to the end and see what happens. It is really difficult to start next to the pope, I don't want to fight him becuse of the risk of having crusades go against me and I don't want to have to have to face a stronger re-amergence. I didn't really focus on my economy as much as perhaps I should have.

So far my campaign has been characterized by timidity and fear

. I basically tried to have as many allies nearby as possible. I've barely expanded for nearly 100 years with the exception of taking Greece fairly early on. I know I know, shameful.

Italy, my long time ally had become quite powerfull and I don't know who attacked first but the pope was meek and was slaughtered.

The mongols came in with about 15 stacks and effortlessly took out the massive russian empire and turned its eyes towards my long time ally hungary. So I started planning to crusade there.

Prophetically, the pope materialized out of the ether with about 10 stacks of the best armies florins could buy and promptly ruined the Italian kingdom.

Needless to say I allied with him pretty quickly. The pope attacked me before after my civil war and I was kind of worried now since my kingdom was rather pitiful.

But dam! After a few years those provinces that overflowed with high quality troops had 85% or more zeal each! I called a crusade and got about 3500 good troops rather quickly and marched east. The hungarians had a civil war and lost constantinople, the turks rose up, I put them down, and then still had enough to make the mongols flee "like dogs!" from Trepizoid.

I'm doing better though the mongols are scary and the egyptians are looking aggressive too. I now have added Serbia Trepizoid, Corsica and Sardinia to my small mostly peaceful kingdom of passivists :) (I've only fought 5 battles! ) The pope isn't all bad after all.

Maybe I go for the minor victory afterall though it is early late period now (about 1280 or so?)...

**Advo-san** · 07-13-2005, 11:20

I always thought the best way to deal with His Holyness when you play as the Sicilians is to contain him to the Papal states and let him live so that he won't reappear. As for the excommunication, it only lasts till the Pope is dead, which will eventually happen..

**Advo-san** · 07-13-2005, 11:31

Originally Posted by NodachiSam

I now have added Serbia Trepizoid, Corsica and Sardinia to my small mostly peaceful kingdom of passivists :) (I've only fought 5 battles! ) The pope isn't all bad after all.

Maybe I go for the minor victory afterall though it is early late period now (about 1280 or so?)...

I would suggest you took one step at a time.. Chew slowly the Fatimid caliphate, a crusade against egypt can be your first step. If you r lucky, the Egyptians and Mongols will start fighting , so the eggy's southern provinces will be easily anexxed to your imperial-wannabe state..

Trebizond will be hard to defend so don't be too sorry to lose it and withdraw your troops from this isolated outpost. Your goal must be the rich lands of the Nile, Egypt, wich is also the doorway to the goldmine called Tripoly and Antioch..

You r lucky to be fighting against non-cathis. Crusade them. Crusade them like there's no tomorrow.

**NodachiSam** · 07-13-2005, 19:51

I probably should have taken that opportunity to take ROme after I successfully defended against the pope after my civil war. Ahwell.

I have sent a whole lot of bishops to Tripoli preparing for an invasion by sea, the province is about 48% Catholic now but the force had to be diverted to strengthen my east. Thanks a lot for the advice guys

Wish me luck!

**NodachiSam** · 07-14-2005, 19:18

Just an update.

Well I'm surviving so far. I took nicaea and anatolia but the egyptians (who were allied to me at the time!) landed a jihad in Niceae that really screwed up my defensive in anatolia.

I crusaded into tunisia too! That'll help

The mongols have finally broken from the threat they once were, now the spanish and the egies are the superpowers.

**Zarax** · 07-14-2005, 21:06

Look at the map!
I've never seen the Danish expand so much...

**NodachiSam** · 07-15-2005, 04:41

Yea, they are doing even larger now, they have granada, scotland and ireland and gaining and loosing lithuania!

They did squat for the first hundred years though.

They arn't even allied with the Germans as far as I can remember (since I am allied with the Danes and enemies of the Germans) and they keep denmark so lightly guarded.

Those spanish and eggies worry me. I took tripoli though and a number of other territories are over near or over 50% catholic for easier occupation ;)

**Roark** · 07-15-2005, 04:55

I'd like to take this opportunity to laugh uproariously at the Byzantine Emperor, in return for all the trouble he's causing me in my campaign...

**NodachiSam** · 07-15-2005, 06:10

I'd feel the same way about the eggies being on a small island

**Advo-san** · 07-15-2005, 09:09

The eggies seem to be "thin, like butter spread over too much bread", like Bilbo would have put it if he was joining this thread. Why not attack their african coasts instead of Syria? Would it be a very long shot to try a combined attack to Cyrenacia AND egypt?

**Advo-san** · 07-15-2005, 10:37

[/B]"Tonight the Land will be stained with the blood of Egypt!

March to Cairo castle!! Leave none ALIVE!!!!

**Marquis de Said** · 07-20-2005, 10:26

Originally Posted by Zarax

Look at the map!
I've never seen the Danish expand so much...

I have. I modded my own basic VI 2.01 so that the Danes get Viking Huscarles as their royal unit in early and they just went ballistic in two games. Just that small tweak helpd them hold onto Sweden and Norway early on and expand from there. In the two games I finally destroyed their empire when I cornered their king in the Papal States and Portugal respectively.

**Zarax** · 07-20-2005, 10:39

Originally Posted by Marquis de Said

I have. I modded my own basic VI 2.01 so that the Danes get Viking Huscarles as their royal unit in early and they just went ballistic in two games. Just that small tweak helpd them hold onto Sweden and Norway early on and expand from there. In the two games I finally destroyed their empire when I cornered their king in the Papal States and Portugal respectively.

They kept sitting in my games until i gave them the whole scandinavia and a small navy.
After such a thing they started a naval expansion strategy that usually puts them in conflict with the Italians...

**NodachiSam** · 07-20-2005, 18:20

I've gotten back to playing this one campaign after a break for a while and I wanted to update you guys :)

The Danish keep growing and I've never made such a large surplus before because I've never taken advantage of trading before. I almost can't spent it fast enough!!

If I can keep this income up it will only be a matter of time before I finish off the eggies.

I've taken Egypt, Syria, Palastine, Pronvence and the Sinai and I took Rum too but the Egyptians and the Mongols attacked together with a massive force causing me to abandon the pronvince

I think I've economically broken Egypt or come close. They have no ships so no trade either.

The spanish have started a crusade towards Eddessa so I am wondering whether I should refuse it entry or take eddesa while they've built up a big cursade and thus destroy those troops.

Sometimes the AI isn't too bright. I wanted to be allies with the French but their King refuses and does this (His faction's pronvinces were quickly snatched up by the Danes) Why!? What was he thinking, maybe he had a dream that he would be victorious or he really wanted the great attacker virture no matter the cost.