How did they do it?

[Cowhead418]

I love it when this game surprises me, like when I saw the Aragonese rising to power in Spain and France. Keep it up little fellas, it's your day to shine.

Ajax

Yeah I love that too. In one of my campaigns the Danes are the second most powerful faction (after the Egyptians) with a huge empire, enormous fleet, and lots of full stacks of troops.

I'm going to let the HRE develop and get really strong, and since I'm playing GA mode I don't need to kill everybody. I do plan on having the clash of the ages between me and the Germans though.

I really like it when the factions that rarely rise to power become strong. When this happens I'm usually so excited for that faction that I try to help them develop and grow even stronger.

[elbasto]

Yup, I too try to help them to develop, specially by the use of agent against their main enemies and some siege lifting operations when able.

After helping them grow to a huge empire I invade them making the LOTR look like a bar fight

[Banquo's Ghost]

In my current XL Cuman campaign, the HRE have survived a similar multi-front war. France has grown big, but after an initial long war with HRE, their borders are settled. The Emperor was one of the first to ally with me and has respected that alliance for two hundred years, though we barely share a border. He has just gone through a civil war, so the empire is not so big as it was, but he controls the northern german coast and the north sea trade.

My long term enemies have been the Poles (for once, in previous campaigns we have got along famously) and since they still don't want a ceasefire, I have just gone on a traditional steppe raid and smash. Hopefully my imperial friends will find some juicy, if empty provinces waiting to be taken on their borders.

(Well, I don't want them, there's not a blade of grass left and the howling of the wolves at night disturbs the khan's wife - French, you understand, too sensitive )