Here me now, for I'ma the Pope'a...

[Dooz]

Lame as that was, please read on.

So I'm playing as the Papacy with the XL mod... thought I'd try that out. It's been about a century, probably more, with nothing happening on my part. I was just wondering if there are any special things you can do playing as the Papacy. This excommunication I hear of, does it only happen if someone attacks me? Can I send other nations on a Crusade? Is there really any point playing Pope?

[.:vVv:.Monkey]

hehe, I think sometimes you can excommunicate yourself which should be hilarious if you ask me. I'd play it as the pope just for that reason :p

[Dooz]

How can you excommunicate anyone? Is there a button I press?

[Graphic]

I haven't tried but I bet you could excommunicate someone by attacking them. Just send off a unit of Urban Militia then call off the attack.

[Weebeast]

Really? I just started a pope campaign too. The English wiped out the Scots behind my back. Maybe it's because of Lord of Scotland was too lazy to pay a visit to me, no? Anyway, I don't think you can manually tell factions what to do. I notice too excommunication occurs when you're involved. I mean the HRE was then excommed once I tried to take Venice. Well, I just started this campaign. Hopefully I discover something interesting.

[Dooz]

Been playing for two centuries now. It's basically been an AI game for the most part. I have full map cheat on so I can see all the goings ons. Nothing really happened on my part except build up all the buildings I could in my two home provinces and amass a vast treasury (not that vast compared to an actual faction, but I didn't build any troops so I just kept making a bunch of money).

So after a while I could build Grand Inquisitors, which I put to good use I tell's ya. My two big guys have grown to be the most feared men in all of Europe. Generals, Dons, Dukes, Lords, Princes and even Kings have felt the wrath of God's hand through my deadly duo. Even a whole nation crumbled by their Holy sword, making it possible for my first expansion into new territory without provoking a war with a faction.

The newly leader-less and rebel provinces of southern Italy, and all the islands south and west, fresh for the picking. New sources of income for the true Holy Lands. The largest rebel stronghold was just south of the Pope's lands, at the southern tip of the Italian peninsula, with three huge armies... best left for later. A broken Geneose faction reapeared for a short stint. Unfortunately their leader was 70 years old at the beginning of the rebellion, and didn't live two years after newly declaring their independence.

And so it was that after a few generations of Pope's, now under Pope Urban III's command, an army was raised of highly trained, well equiped troops. The first directly aggressive actions were undertaken by The Papacy as the rebel island of Sicily was taken. A direct assault on the well defended castle without any proper siege artillery took it's toll on the Pope's forces, but victory was achieved nonetheless. And so, a fruitful island was added to the Papal estates, the wealth of which would be useful for future undertakings and building up a larger force, one to be wreckoned with by the largest empires in Europe and beyond...

[lugh]

I played the pope once, unfortunatley there's no excomm or crusade factor to have fun with.
I pretty much built a legion of spies, assassins, bishops and grand inquisitors and eliminated factions in that way. Then a particularly fertile Egyptian faction stormed the peninsula and I didn't have the numbers to drive them out so was defeated.
Interesting though, it really showed the damage a selection of very good agents can do.

[Ludens]

Unfortunately, excommunication is an automatic process, and there is no "excom them!" button available for Papal players. You have to play by the same rules as in a normal game. In practice: if you attack a faction won't result in their excommunication, but if they attack you it will. Funnily enough, someone reported it was possible to get excommunicated as the Pope when you refused a crusade access...

[dgfred]

Really? I just started a pope campaign too. The English wiped out the Scots behind my back. Maybe it's because of Lord of Scotland was too lazy to pay a visit to me, no? Anyway, I don't think you can manually tell factions what to do. I notice too excommunication occurs when you're involved. I mean the HRE was then excommed once I tried to take Venice. Well, I just started this campaign. Hopefully I discover something interesting.

Please keep us informed, very interesting .

[Dooz]

I can't launch a Crusade as the Papacy? What building do I need to "build" a Crusade? I've built up quite a bit in Rome but I'm still unable to.

[Eternal Champion]

You will need to modify the game files, the Papacy can not crusade.

[ajaxfetish]

The thing that bugged me the most playing the papacy, besides not being able to papal bully people around, was the way my best general became the new pope. It was hard enough to get any decent generals since I was limiting my fighting, and any I did get would get snatched away and I'd have to start over. Without heirs being born I couldn't take any advantage of the stars I'd already accumulated because they'd never get inherited. GAh.

It makes me wonder, though, what if you're playing the papacy and the pope himself is the only unit you have and he dies? Do you lose without a general to replace him? Is a new pope spawned out of nowhere? I'll have to try it out.

Ajax

[Graphic]

It would've been awesome to have an "Excommunicate" button as the Papacy that you could hit like "launch nukes" in Rise of Nations: Thrones & Patriots' Cold War mode.

[Eternal Champion]

It makes me wonder, though, what if you're playing the papacy and the pope himself is the only unit you have and he dies? Do you lose without a general to replace him? Is a new pope spawned out of nowhere? I'll have to try it out.

I'd be lust like when you assassinate the bugger, there's always another to take his place. The only problem with using him as your main general is the loyalty hit you'd take everytime he dies.

[Marquis de Said]

The thing that bugged me the most playing the papacy, besides not being able to papal bully people around, was the way my best general became the new pope.

Yes, but that same fact also holds the potential for a lot of laughs. Hire some mercenaries and pick the guys who have Muslim or Pagan names and faces on their scrolls. Now make them lead an army and get them a few stars. Never spare any prisoners to get the Butcher and Bloodlover vices. Hopefully they'll pick up Perversion or Adultery on the way as well. When your current Pope dies, the Pagan bloodthirsty butcher mercenary becomes your new pope.

[miho]

Yes, but that same fact also holds the potential for a lot of laughs. Hire some mercenaries and pick the guys who have Muslim or Pagan names and faces on their scrolls. Now make them lead an army and get them a few stars. Never spare any prisoners to get the Butcher and Bloodlover vices. Hopefully they'll pick up Perversion or Adultery on the way as well. When your current Pope dies, the Pagan bloodthirsty butcher mercenary becomes your new pope.

I think that some of them were bloodlovers and perversed in some ways. But they weren't pagans.

[Ciaran]

What happens if you´re playing the pope and attack other catholic factions? I mean, any other catholic faction gets the excom warning, so what if you´re the pope yourself? An excommed pope, now if that´s not some sight

[Dooz]

Nah, neither of you get excommunicated. Only if they attack you first, they get excommed. Man my current campaign has been the best ever, year 1369 now. I wish I had taken screenshots and stuff so I could write all about it .

[Graphic]

A fleshed out Pope mode would've ruled. You could launch crusades FOR other countries, you'd get income from any catholic religious buildings on the map, excomm at your will, etc. So sweet.

[miho]

A fleshed out Pope mode would've ruled. You could launch crusades FOR other countries, you'd get income from any catholic religious buildings on the map, excomm at your will, etc. So sweet.

Wouldn't you then be too powerful?

[Dooz]

There could be ways to balance gameplay so you have all the fun of doing that stuff, yet not be too easy. Yes, how sweet it would be. Being the Pope was a sweet gig back in the day.

[Graphic]

Wouldn't you then be too powerful?

Not really, because you'd hardly be fighting yourself or gaining your own territory. The goal would be to spread Catholocism throughout the campaign map.

[Dooz]

My first ever MTW game, I was playing as the Almohads on easy... I know, it's almost cheating but I was just getting used to it. I eventually had an Imam in every single province on the map, making the entirety of it followers of Islam with very high zeal. Little did I know, but that zeal works in favor of enemy Crusaders, even though the provinces were almost 100% Islamic, so they'd be coming at me with all sorts of huge stacks. Still, it was pretty cool having converted all of Europe to Islam.

[miho]

Not really, because you'd hardly be fighting yourself or gaining your own territory. The goal would be to spread Catholocism throughout the campaign map.

Maybe if you couldn't build your own armies at all. It would be cool if you could use other Catholic armies for your own purposes. Like you order the HRE to capture Constantinople for you. And only after all non-Christian factions are eliminated only then you could go against Christians. And during that period while you cannot build your own armies you couldn't be attacked by anyone (or at least just by Muslims and Orthdox). The only things you would be allowed to build are ships and agents.
What do you think about my idea?

[Deus Ex]

I played MTW:VI as the vikings once, and made myself a goal of fighting catholicism and spreading paganism. My goal was to build a pagan shrine (or better in each province).

I managed to build shrines in all but ONE province - the last one I took over - at that point the game was over and I did not get the time to build the province... but it was fun spreading paganism... dancing naked under the full moon and such... *grin*

DE

[The Darkhorn]

I played MTW:VI as the vikings once, and made myself a goal of fighting catholicism and spreading paganism. My goal was to build a pagan shrine (or better in each province).

I managed to build shrines in all but ONE province - the last one I took over - at that point the game was over and I did not get the time to build the province... but it was fun spreading paganism... dancing naked under the full moon and such... *grin*

DE

We shall pray for you and send missionaries...again. Perhaps these missionaries should carry shields with little red crosses on them. Could you imagine a later European crusade to England instead of the Holy Land? Not far-fetched I guess in the end.

[miho]

You can send crusades to England if they're excommed or if somebody else owns England. Like The Golden Horde perhaps.