Number of Men in a Crusade

[.:vVv:.Monkey]

I did a search for this question in the forum but can't seem to find the answer.
What determines the number of men in a crusade other than the province's zeal?
The year is 1280 and I launched a crusade against the excommunicated Sicilians and all I got was two units of Knights of Santiago! I said, well, let's try if the crusade gets more people if I do it against the Golden Horde and nope, the same thing, this time I got 3 units of Order Foot Soldiers.

At this time, my province's zeal was 98% so that's not the issue and about 15 years ago the Italians had launched a massive crusade against the Turks.
I vaguely remember reading that the size of the Crusades decrease as years go by but are there other known factors that affect the size?

Thanks a bunch!

[DukeofSerbia]

You add more troops in crusade manualy - but when you add them once, you can't opose them until crusade is over (left click and drag and drop them in crusade).
And I think you can have max 48 units in crusade .

[.:vVv:.Monkey]

I know you can add more troops but I am talking about the Crusade specific units that get created automatically such as the Knights of Santiago, Order Foot Soldiers, Fanatics, etc. The number of those seem to be diminished radically :/

[_Aetius_]

It seems pretty random to me, though it would make sense if as the game goes on Crusader troops become less and less as the fortunes of the Crusader states declined and Crusading against the Muslims became less and less likely to succeed.

Sometimes though I launch a crusade and get just 4 units of fanatics and nothing else, sometimes I get a couple of units of Knights Templar 2 units of Order foot and some fanatics with only a few years between crusades. So it appears to be somewhat random at times, but perhaps the piety of the monarch influences this to an extent also.

[Procrustes]

I once did a bunch of reloads on a turn I launched a crusade - I thought it was pretty random. I usually got 2-4 units, some combination of knights, order foot and/or fanatics each time - no real way to predict.

[Roark]

I'd be pretty happy with 2 units of KoS every time, myself...

I usually bolster my crusades manually as a standard, and I ALWAYS add siege engines.

[phred]

If the starting province has high zeal and you let the crusade sit in the province for 1 turn, you should get quite a few units created. They'll probably be fanatics for the most part.

But I have no idea about the initial automatic unit creation.

[lugh]

This is just a musing, I haven't tested it.

In my Spanish campaign, I had two chapter houses, one in Cordoba which was extremly unteched, and one in Leon which was my prime production province.
I always got KoSantiago from Leon and masses and masses of Fanatics in Cordoba. (sidenote, those damn fanatics bankrupted me, I took all of Iberia and the Occident with crusades, I'd 7k fanatics by the end)
I presumed at the time it was to do with the tech level, or maybe the income level of the province, ie Leon could "afford" to equip a bunch of Knights for the crusades or somesuch.

[matteus the inbred]

interesting...i've never got fanatics in a freshly created crusade cos i always start mine in a well teched-up province, usually a rear echelon one as well. usually get 1-3 Order Foot and 1-2 Order Knights and add the rest myself...i then pick up stuff like fanatics and odd buggers like jobbagys (??? they have javelins and a really weird name) on the way through Europe.

[Ciaran]

As far as I know, Zeal influences what happens to your crusade. When it travels through high-zeal provinces, chance is that parts of the units stationed there join the crusade. Travelling through low-zeal provinces has the opposite effect, the soldiers desert the crusade. As to what units you get when you start I have no idea. In my Italian campaign I´ve launched my crusades from Malta, sometimes I got a couple of Hospitaller Knights, then loads of fanatics, then only a few order foot soldiers

[yesdachi]

In a Spanish campaign a while ago I had a good piety king and high zeal in the province and I had been crusading like crazy I was getting 3 – 5 units at no cost every time. The units I received seemed random one time being all fanatics and another being all KoS (that was sweet!). It was definitely the campaign that I had the best “luck” with crusades. Not sure if there were a reason or if it was just my turn to be lucky but I was “the Spanish” and they have a lot of GA crusade goals and I was usually going after those heathen factions and stayed on the pope’s good side.

Additionally, I learnt a while ago from the boards here that maintenance cost is zero for units in a crusade even for merc units so every time I want to go after a province I would try to start a crusade and save some cash while gaining the benefits from a successful crusade, even if it was a little one.

[Geezer57]

In one of my Sicilian campaigns, I kept my Crusade at home for over ten years. Since it was a very high-zeal province, it kept generating new troops for the Crusade, eventually levelling off at over 3000 men. It helped that it was also a high-tech province, so a substantial percentage of the troops were of the more advanced types.

Once the gains slowed way down, I moved the Crusade on to the ultimate objective. Of course, it was taken easily.

[DukeofSerbia]

I know you can add more troops but I am talking about the Crusade specific units that get created automatically such as the Knights of Santiago, Order Foot Soldiers, Fanatics, etc. The number of those seem to be diminished radically :/

5 Fanatics were the highest number. Standard is 2-3 units.

[Deus Ex]

In one of my Sicilian campaigns, I kept my Crusade at home for over ten years. Since it was a very high-zeal province, it kept generating new troops for the Crusade, eventually levelling off at over 3000 men. It helped that it was also a high-tech province, so a substantial percentage of the troops were of the more advanced types.

Once the gains slowed way down, I moved the Crusade on to the ultimate objective. Of course, it was taken easily.

I have done something similar - having a crusade built in Castile - very high teched - I moved all of my other troops out of the province.

With a very high zeal (90+ IIRC) my crusade picked up a large number of troops (over 500?? IIRC) - without disrupting my regular units since they were not there.

Unfortunately I do not recall what kinds of troops were added, but it was significant numerically.

DE

[The Darkhorn]

5 Fanatics were the highest number. Standard is 2-3 units.

I might hold the record then. I am playing a Polish campaign (normal, early) and did a variation of the Venice grab. Venice has 100% zeal. I've built five crusades (3 in Venice, 1 in Prussia, 1 in Poland) and one of then from Venice popped out with 6, yes SIX, full fanatics. I play with huge unit sixe too....that's 1200 troops right out of the gate. I then let it sit five years till it was 2 full stacks of various troop types.

Which brings me to a question. Some of you may be wondering...Poland?...crusade? Yes. I modded the game so all factions could crusade. That to me is logical enough because as you are the ruler you may find yourself in a position to Crusade whereas your historical counterpart may have not. So, it's kind of silly to say a faction can't Crusade just because they didn't. Maybe you have them in a different position politically, militarily, etc. than history (and probably do). So, you are able to substantiate a crusade. All five crusades have had fanatics...absolutely no order knights or soldiers. Is this something I need to mod...meaning the actual crusader units themselves and if so, how?

[rvg]

I did a search for this question in the forum but can't seem to find the answer.
What determines the number of men in a crusade other than the province's zeal?
The year is 1280 and I launched a crusade against the excommunicated Sicilians and all I got was two units of Knights of Santiago! I said, well, let's try if the crusade gets more people if I do it against the Golden Horde and nope, the same thing, this time I got 3 units of Order Foot Soldiers.

At this time, my province's zeal was 98% so that's not the issue and about 15 years ago the Italians had launched a massive crusade against the Turks.
I vaguely remember reading that the size of the Crusades decrease as years go by but are there other known factors that affect the size?

Thanks a bunch!

Always build a crusade in a high zeal province. Then let it chill there 2-3 turns. That piddly 3-4 unit crusade will grow TREMENDOUSLY.

100% Zeal Leon works quite nicely.

[lugh]

All five crusades have had fanatics...absolutely no order knights or soldiers. Is this something I need to mod...meaning the actual crusader units themselves and if so, how?

I'm going to say yes, at least as far ass I know. Crusades are different, I've added units to factions before, but I don't know if it's a different process for Crusades. You might want to ask over in the modding forum.

[Mr White]

Always build a crusade in a high zeal province. Then let it chill there 2-3 turns. That piddly 3-4 unit crusade will grow TREMENDOUSLY.

100% Zeal Leon works quite nicely.

I have a 68% province but if I want to crusade soon I have to do it now ( I have no time to raise the zeal), can I let it sit for 2 or 3 years and gain enough men?

[.:vVv:.Monkey]

I have a 68% province but if I want to crusade soon I have to do it now ( I have no time to raise the zeal), can I let it sit for 2 or 3 years and gain enough men?

If you have an Inquisitor or a Grand Inquisitor, stick him into your province, the zeal will shoot up in couple turns, just don't let them get out of control

[Mr White]

I 'll probably only wait for 1 or 2 turns but it can't hurt. I have a spare 3 star inquisitor that will make himself usefull for a change.

[Arkell]

I forgot how to put images here, hope the link works.



Why why? Waaaa Gave the old guy some money and he gave me these? Wheres the Knights?

[.:vVv:.Monkey]

Why why? Waaaa Gave the old guy some money and he gave me these? Wheres the Knights?

lmao, all you got is arrow fodder

[Mr White]

After the second year the crusade was sitting in its starting province (64 zeal not 68 like I said before), it was already dwindling.

The inquisitor (3 stars) I sent wasn't a big succes either. After his first year he got the zeal up with the amazing amount of 1 %. woohoow.
A question about an inquisitor: How long does it take for him to go on a killing spree?

Thirdly, if I want some advanced units to join my crusade when I let it set in its home province do I need have the buildings that produce these in this province? Or just the castle? Or is it sheer luck?

[Procrustes]

There are some random V&V's that will improve zeal in a province - some by 20-30%. Look around at your various generals and govenors to see if you can find someone with one of those and make him your gov to boost zeal immediately. Also, govenors with high piety may help - though I'm not positive about that.

Personally, I've found that inquisitors are unpredictable and take a long time. Also, make sure he is accompanied by a couple of bishops or he is likely to start an inquisition in your province - that can drive zeal back downwards.

[The Darkhorn]

Thirdly, if I want some advanced units to join my crusade when I let it set in its home province do I need have the buildings that produce these in this province? Or just the castle? Or is it sheer luck?

I believe, simply based on experience, that it doesn't matter, although the unit must be able to be built there IF you could. I recently got a unit of feudal knights after waiting in Venice a couple of turns in the above mentioned Polish crusade....long before (40-50 years) I had the ability to build them anywhere.

[Weebeast]

Darkhorn,

I asked something about modding the unit production. There's a column that determines what type of troops you get when something happens, etc. You just have to change the some number.

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=57925

The saddest part is I haven't tested as I bought VI the next day and tried XL mod. I forgot or didn't care to test it as you can see I never said what happened next there. Don't tell Kekvitirae. She typed whole lot.