How to win in Viking Campaign

**Deus Ex** · 11-13-2005, 17:14

Originally Posted by Budwise

A quick fix is that you won't have a civil war if all your heirs and former heirs are in the SAME STACK AS YOUR KING. No leader, no mass civil war.

As an added bonus, over time, in the same stack as your king, they will improve in loyalty.

DE

**miho** · 11-13-2005, 17:25

Originally Posted by Deus Ex

As an added bonus, over time, in the same stack as your king, they will improve in loyalty.

DE

Nice thread linking. We discussed loyalty increasing before.

**amagi** · 11-14-2005, 00:38

I created a harder version of the Viking campaign, set later. It can be installed alongside the original and without affecting any game settings. The Scots and Northumbrians are the most difficult choices.

http://www.3ddownloads.com/strategy-...Army_Amagi.zip

The campaign is intended to be played at the expert level of difficulty. It begins in 867, with the Great Army in possession of York, and ends in 1016, when Cnut's invasion and conquest made England part of his Viking kingdom.

**Legorreto** · 11-16-2005, 22:19

I have just finished a VI Campaign as de Vikings... OUTRAGEOUS UNITS!...

Here's my story. I started training infantry units, just infantry: Carks, to be specific. And they were quite a blast. I made an army of 10 units. On the other province I started building and sending boats throughout the east coast of the British Islands. When both, army and boats were ready, I started raiding all the coast, north through south and getting as much money as possible. It wasn't that difficult as most of the provinces are still rebels or very weak (except Mercs and Saxons) I gathered so much money I could start building and developing my lands very efficiently, and as soon as I noticed the money level coming down I started a new raid again to all those weak provinces on rich factions and started all over again. This would take me about 30 - 40 turns, but, believe me, it is very profitable.

By the end of those 30 - 40 turns, I had achieved such a developed land that no one would equal me. And I wouldn't really matter on being raid as others can not approach the Viking lands.

I never needed to train other units but Carls. They are very cheap to build and keep. The only ones I would train are the Peasants to start colonizing as I came conquering Britain. At the end of the game I got the 100% of the British islands and only using infantry units: Viking Carls and Peasants, and having all other factions laying to my feet.

This was Vikings. I don't know how it would work with other factions. Try and let me know.

**Matty** · 11-17-2005, 10:48

What's the best way to actually attack the Vikings? I'm the boss of mainland Britain, just about (I have to deal with the Picts, a re-emerging Northumberland and a 2 province Welsh) but I can't get to either Ireland or the Vikings because every time I build a longboat is gets stamped on by a fat stack of Viking boats. Been trying to make peace with them for decades with no joy. Their raids are largely pathetic - a couple of Joms vikings with individual Harscules of high valour and plenty stars. I usually lose to these uber warriors but usually manage to take out a couple on the way down.

I'm getting really frustrated at not being able to put a navy together. Any solutions?

**Geezer57** · 11-17-2005, 16:31

Originally Posted by Matty

What's the best way to actually attack the Vikings? I'm the boss of mainland Britain, just about (I have to deal with the Picts, a re-emerging Northumberland and a 2 province Welsh) but I can't get to either Ireland or the Vikings because every time I build a longboat is gets stamped on by a fat stack of Viking boats. Been trying to make peace with them for decades with no joy. Their raids are largely pathetic - a couple of Joms vikings with individual Harscules of high valour and plenty stars. I usually lose to these uber warriors but usually manage to take out a couple on the way down.

I'm getting really frustrated at not being able to put a navy together. Any solutions?

Don't bother trying to invade the Viking homelands - getting there requires a deep-sea navy, which only the Vikings can build in VI. The victory conditions do not require conquering the Viking homeland provinces to win - it can be done on rare occasions using agents (assassins, bishops, spies, and emissaries), but isn't worth the bother.

Concentrate on controlling the Irish sea, and getting a foothold in Ireland. Try building your ships wherever the Vikings are weak, assembling a good stack, then attacking in the Irish sea, etc. Once you get on Ireland, finish off all the non-Viking factions, and you're done! The game is yours....

**ajaxfetish** · 11-17-2005, 16:32

Once you get your long-boats up and running you'll be able to take Ireland, but the Vikings are the only ones with boats that can cross the North Sea, so you can't attack their homelands in the traditional manner.

If you do really want to take jutland and hordaland it's possible, but depends somewhat upon luck. You need to send hordes of Bishops, at least one good spy, an emissary, and whatever other agents you desire in order to cause a rebellion. You could also try bribing armies, but a lot of the time the king or a prince will be in charge. The Vikings often move armies in suddenly as they are forced out of raiding territories, so it may take awhile to work, but if you can cause one of their homelands to fall to rebels and then bribe them to join you, you can then build up an army and fleet there to invade the other. Watch out again right after taking the first province though, as your forces there will probably be much weaker than the Vikings and you can't reinforce them from the mainland.

Ajax

**Patron** · 11-18-2005, 06:00

long story short, build a navy and use the ol' archer lurers, spearmen pinners and cavalry flankers tactic to pwn every non-viking army on the british isles

**Bregil the Bowman** · 11-18-2005, 21:47

[QUOTE=ajaxfetish
If you do really want to take jutland and hordaland it's possible, but depends somewhat upon luck. You need to send hordes of Bishops, at least one good spy, an emissary, and whatever other agents you desire in order to cause a rebellion. You could also try bribing armies, but a lot of the time the king or a prince will be in charge.

Ajax[/QUOTE]

Lots of agents, lots of cash and be sure to beat the crap out of the Vikings on the mainland, to promote rebellions. I managed it last time out after managing to kill off the Viking king and his heirs on the mainland. There was a re-emergence in Jutland but I managed to bribe the rebel army in Hordland - including a former prince (disinherited?) and his huscarles, plus a squad of Jomsvikings.

As a Saxon faction I could only build little boats, but they were enough to ship my Viking turncoats (plus reinforcements - armoured spears, fyrdmen) to Jutland where I defeated the re-emerged Viking leader.

They popped up again on Man and later in Ulster. In Ulster, though, they emerged as a Christian faction and were much easier to deal with.

**matteus the inbred** · 12-02-2005, 12:46

i'm feeling rather cheated now...been playing as Welsh for 100 years and i've barely even seen a Viking (except the ones i hired as mercs to duff up the Saxons, heheh). i even have an Abbey and some ships running around, in direct opposition to Budwise's advice. ah well, i often learn the hard way.
i've got the biggest income in the game though, even more than Mercia, by maxing out all my mines (loads of mines, i guess the Welsh are proverbial for 'em). i'm largely on the defensive now, the Saxons and Northumbrians are riddled with rebellions and Viking raids and i'm tooling up quietly in the valleys to go and deal with the Mercian scum who think that just cos they've got four stacks in each province i'm scared of them or something.

i did encounted loyalty problems with many generals throughout, and my current and only heir has loyalty 1, suffice to say he's kept very close to the king...

generals do seem to pick up V&Vs very quickly, or perhaps i just notice them more cos they get 'named and shamed' at the end of every turn, usually cumulative themed ones (ie, alcoholic leads to drunkard leads to total drunkard) and i've had to remove quite a few. i can sympathise, the Welsh valleys on a Sunday afternoon in the rain could easily drive a man to drink and unnatural pratices with the livestock.

**ajaxfetish** · 12-03-2005, 08:46

As the Welsh, especially if you're just sitting back and teching up, you want to go for Welsh Bandits. Those guys are awesome. Build them in a province with iron ore (I prefer Gwent, since I focus it on archers anyways), and you can get them with silver swords and shields. One on one there aren't many Viking units that can beat them. Throw in a couple armoured spearmen to fend off horses and some horsemen to chase down routers and you've got a killer Welsh army.

Ajax

**Matty** · 12-05-2005, 09:33

Managed to bribe the Vikings in Norway and then next turn destroyed everything and disbanded. The king sits in Jutland with his 6 princes (obviously refocussed from invading me to invading his wife) with just the navy to worry about.

And I've just realised that you can build a royal palace in more than one province - I've spent the last 100 years building harscules in only one.... Now those pesky Picts are gonna get it.