I take back what I said about Aragon!!!!

[Emerald Wolf]

Ok so, I made a comment about how Aragon seems to be about the crappiest faction to start with, being that you get tossed after about 3 or 4 turns by Spain, France or the Elmos. Well, tried for shits and giggles another one just to challenge myself. So far it's the best campaign I've had. It seems there are some interesting benefits of being so small and stuck in the middle. Here's a bit of a timeline.

1089: Bribed control of Navarre
1094: Bribed Portugal
1095: Portugal goes into rebellion... I take my pimp shoes and go home.
1112: Finally get forces together sufficient to take back and hold Portugal
1124: Troops led by El Cid (picked him up when he was about to get bit off by the Elmo's.. don't have a hero until 1286 so I kinda needed him amyway.) along with allied Spanish force defeat Kahlifah's force in Valencia and lay siege. Aragon has most forces and keep province. Elmo's start picking off Aragonese shipping.
1126: El Cid leads assault and does away with Elmo threat for good.
1139: Pick up Sicily after christian revolt when Sicilians excommed.
1141: Aquitaine taken much the same way as Sicily. English king popped by French, english provinces go rebel. Spain takes most of them.
1149: Five year thrashing of Kievian navy begins. End up with bunch of high valour captains.
1165- 1190: I decide to intervene in Franch civil war and pick up Toulouse, Burgandy, Ile de France, and Flanders.
1201: Sicilians get excommed again this time going into civil war, I "intervene" and take Papal States, Naples, Corsica and Malta.
1206: Sicilians get Pope slapped for the third time. No civil war this time but the turn before they waxed a 4* assassin trying to smoke a French inquisitor, so I declare war and ram them with a crusade.
1211: Finally dust off the Sicilians, spain takes out the French.

So now I control 1/2 of Spain, all of southern France with a corridor all the way up to Flanders, the western Med islands and all of Italy except Rome (i'm not going down like the Sicilians).

Point is if you take your time while you small and stay allied to powerful neighbors, they tend to rape each other and you can easily pick off what you need. Soon enough you have some real treeitory and some real power.

[Marquis de Said]

Good going, Emerald Wolf. I find it's actually easier in the early stages of a game to defend a smaller faction and to expand slowly, because every invasion will provide a big boost to your treasury. And defending Aragon and Navarre in the beginning is easy, as you're on mountains.

[Dutch_guy]

Well after reading your Story EW , I'm definatly going to try Aragon , after my current campaign with the Italians

[_Aetius_]

Aragon is definately one of the more enjoyable factions IMO, really you have no right to survive becaus your hemmed in by the great powers of western Europe, but ive created some large and powerful empires with Aragon.

[Patron]

pwned

[Mount Suribachi]

Wow, thats pretty impressive by 1158. Although only 5001 florins in your treasury, you're obviously not a "builder" style of player, more of a

Hehe, I wouldn't have left Iberia by then, and would be mortified to fall below 50,000 florins by that stage of the game

[antisocialmunky]

Can you do that in late?

[ichi]

Be sure to build an Inn in Aragon and check it regularly, maybe you'll get a chance to pick up a mercenary Almughavar.

You can also build a very nice trading fleet; I like to try to get a few ships on both coasts; there's some rich territory nearby in the French and Italian ports. Once the two coasts are connected with ships in the Strait of Gibraltar the florins shoot thru the roof.

ichi

[Joshwa]

I love Aragon! Especially that groovy salmon pink flag

[dgfred]

Wow, thats pretty impressive by 1158. Although only 5001 florins in your treasury, you're obviously not a "builder" style of player, more of a

Hehe, I wouldn't have left Iberia by then, and would be mortified to fall below 50,000 florins by that stage of the game

Good job Patron, nice empire

As far as florins go- I can't seem to keep my $ any where near what you
are talking about MS - How do you keep/get that much so early in
the game?

[Mount Suribachi]

In strategy games I am, by nature, a conservative style of player. I focus on infrastructure over military might. Others focus more on rushing the enemy ASAP rather than developing their provinces. I have (once or twice) rushed my neighbours (as England to take France and in the Almohad PBEM when I was trying to eliminate the Catholic factions before they could crusade against me).

This builder style can have immediate rewards. In my recent Byz game, the first turn I built watchtowers in every province to improve their low loyalty. Because I built a large number of structures that first turn (1 year construction time) my Emperor got the "builder" virtue next turn. So in 1 turn I had improved the loyalty of every province by +20. In turn this meant I could raise taxes across the board

Also, I have a self imposed "honour" system. I never launch unprovoked attacks unless the enemy has a GA goal that I must achieve such as a crusade. I always come to the aid of my allies when they are at war, relieve them when they are under siege etc. So my only chances to be expansionist are when I am attacked.

I am meticulous in my planning. I check every province every turn so nothing is missed. I plan my building to get the effect I want, as quickly as possible (in his *superb* Alpha Centauri players guide Velocyrix calls this "turn advantage"). Most factions have at least 1 really good income province (Flanders, Constantinople, Venice, Antioch etc). Get a trading post there ASAP, get ships built ASAP, find someone with at least 4 acumen, give them the province title and any additional titles you might have (again, many factions start with one). Get your trade fleets to the honeypot seas ASAP, the ones which have lots of provinces surrounding them (Baltic, Black Sea, Adriatic etc). Watch the florins roll in

The hardest part is the start when money is tight (especially on expert!). Once you've got a little bit of money it becomes a lot easier to make even more.

[Emerald Wolf]

I would have to agree with you in that I am a very conservative, plan-every-step out kind of player. I think half (or maybe more) of the fun is playing the game like I really was the leader of that nation and what happens really does matter. You knid of have to get into it, and any great leader has to be willing to fail. I don't see the point of building some aggregiously big military just so I can bitchslap all of my neighbors into submission. If that was the case I'd still be playing C&C. This is much more in depth and much more stimulating that the digital equivalen of a hack and slash kind of game. There are several hundred truns for a reason, not just see who can beat up the most factions the fasteset. I don't personally care if I dominate the whole world jsut so long as I can survive long enough to enjoy seeing how it all plays out on the last turn.
Thoug controlling the enntire Western Med does help things a bit.

[Martok]

I don't see the point of building some aggregiously big military just so I can bitchslap all of my neighbors into submission. If that was the case I'd still be playing C&C. This is much more in depth and much more stimulating that the digital equivalen of a hack and slash kind of game. There are several hundred truns for a reason, not just see who can beat up the most factions the fasteset. I don't personally care if I dominate the whole world jsut so long as I can survive long enough to enjoy seeing how it all plays out on the last turn.

Here here! [applauds] That exactly how I feel. I often don't even play to win; I just get my empire to where I want it to be at, and then I simply do my best to behave as an actual nation would. I don't have any particular desire to conquer the whole map. Usually once I reach a certain size, I stop expanding and just develop my lands and build up my trade income. I generally only attack if provoked, and/or if another faction is in danger of becoming too big. I don't like anyone being a superpower, unless it's maybe myself--and even then I try to avoid becoming huge.

Though controlling the entire Western Med does help things a bit.

Yet another reason why I like playing as the Spanish a lot.

[el_slapper]

(.../...)I am meticulous in my planning. I check every province every turn so nothing is missed. I plan my building to get the effect I want, as quickly as possible (in his *superb* Alpha Centauri players guide Velocyrix calls this "turn advantage"). Most factions have at least 1 really good income province (Flanders, Constantinople, Venice, Antioch etc). Get a trading post there ASAP, get ships built ASAP, find someone with at least 4 acumen, give them the province title and any additional titles you might have (again, many factions start with one). Get your trade fleets to the honeypot seas ASAP, the ones which have lots of provinces surrounding them (Baltic, Black Sea, Adriatic etc). Watch the florins roll in

The hardest part is the start when money is tight (especially on expert!). Once you've got a little bit of money it becomes a lot easier to make even more.

here you can find the guide : link

It is a MUST read - even if Alpha Centauri isn't your kind of game. Best strategic overview I've ever read, and I've read Sun Tzu, too.

[dgfred]

I am very conservative in my play too , and like to have my empire
'just right'. The game seems to force you to expand, to keep a large
florin intake, but I like to be sensible about it.