I just got MTW after playing RTW a few months. I got the one with VI combined. I am loving it. For my first game I tried the English but wasn't feeling it so I figured I would run a VI as the vikings. The first game I botched enormously. I was getting wopped because I kept trying to fight an ordered old style war with clean set peice battles. Dammit I am a Viking! Not some pansy Roman!

New Game...

Now to think like a Viking. I want gold, material and to hear the lamentations of the women....so spread my navies out and begin a boat building regime in Denmark (then improve the farms asap) and look to the nice fat Rebel states to the south of England. I organized two major offensives but only kept the kingdom with tradeable goods. I let the second army hit and run up and down the coast at any poorly protected area. I now had 30k in the bank and kept two neighboring kingdoms in the south. All the other factions beat a path to my king asking to kiss his ass.

I am going to have to try the Welsh...that would be tough. None of the destruction bonuses the Vikings get.

The battles I have fought have been a real challenge and fun for it. Troop quality and moral seems to have a real effect as does knowing how to lay a good trap. I have seen the AI do some nice pull back and re-organize tricks that have been both impressive and surprising. The AI also seems very interested in attacking a king that shows up for a battle. To say that I was surprised is an understatement. Ok I admit I will miss that guy who tells the catheginian leader "The enemy general flees! Probably to some new debauchery he has just dreamed up!"