Quote Originally Posted by Arkell
Damn.. how did you get all those lands/armies by 1230? I couldnt come close to that.... need to more bout campaign.. too soft me too soft.
Well, this one game I played very very strategically and even had 2 pages of notes that I used to help me micromanage my empire and make my decisions. I followed a lot of Frogbeastegg's guide and got tons of advice from players on this board too but here are a few keys:

1. Take some time to learn kick-ass battlefield tactics for defense and attack.
2. Control as much of the seas as you can.
3. Pick a low income and non-important province and provoke rebellions to train up your generals.
4. Train your assassins and spies up with small missions to make them skilled.
5. Use your money wisely. Focus your money on building up superior troops in strategic provinces and anything you spend anywhere else is to make more money.
6. Don't ever autocalc wars because you lose too many men as you can't use tactics to your advantage.

Basically my approach to conquering another nation is to strip their king of influence as quickly as possible and cause a civil war. First, I use agents to cause mischief and instability. Second, conventional warfare as I take provinces and move in strong defensive armies. Third, as their king moves their forces to address mine I use my sea capability and drop a good offensive force in their backyard.

If you can make your enemy lose 4 to 6 years in a row most kings lose enough influence and loyalty that some generals revolt. I've had wars where my 3 stacks stand across the border from an enemies 3 stacks stalemated. I start a civil war in their lands and 1 or 2 of those stacks turn rebel and they fight each other leaving them weakened and depleted then I move in.