using rebel lands as buffer zones

[Alexios]

I have found that rebel-held provinces can and will attack you on occasion. This happened to me in my current campaign as the English. I had led a successful attack on the Argonese in Argon, but lost it in the very next turn. A bordering rebel province (once controlled by the Spanish) launched an attack with two full stacks! It surprised the heck out of me, because I never knew this could happen before. But in the two years that I have been playing MTW, this is the only time I have ever witnessed it. So I think the odds are remote enough that I would feel secure about leaving my back undefended against rebels.

[Sensei Warrior]

I was sifting through the MTW Guides and saw a number of references in the Russian guide when they talked about the appearance of the Horde. A number of posts were made about rebels attacking. Here is what I gleaned:

1. Rebels will attack although it is rare.

2. The Rebels typically severely outnumber the army in provence they are going to attack before they commit to an invasion.

3. It also seems this is more of a problem with certain provences on the Eastern side of the map although I can't remember which ones they are.

That part of the thread was started when someone mentioned he killed off the Khan and heir and they went rebel. The huge rebel stacks then started attacking outlying Provences.

Alot of the posters didn't seem too surprised and gave bits of info about there own problems with rebels attacking. The MTW Guide for the Russians/Novrogod is only 3 pages so its worth the read.

Maybe its just more surprising to us players who don't play the Eastern side of the map all that much? I know I typically don't play Poland, Hungary, and Novrogod, which are the Factions near the more aggresive Rebels.

[gaijinalways]

Yes, I haven't really played with starting in the East nor have I had problems with the horde (I generally don't play to 100% if it is domination, stopping at 60%), but I could see where more rebels would be a cause for alarm. I doubt anyone with two stacks would just sit around (unless they were just peasants, but wait the French and the Germans loaded up with those guys! and then attacked me ).

[Alexios]

3. It also seems this is more of a problem with certain provences on the Eastern side of the map although I can't remember which ones they are.

In my current campaign as English, I have taken over most if not all of Asia (I saw an opportunity in Scandinavia, but then just kept going). After I had eliminated the GH, I experienced a nasty little surprise, but it wasn't with the rebels. After about a year or two of taking over Volga-Bulgaria and Khazhar, the Turks suddenly re-emerged in those two provinces - 2 stacks in VB and 4 stacks in Khazhar. Not sure why they popped up there, unless perhaps this is where the GH had conquered them earlier on. But nevertheless, it was quite a surprise. I had to quickly shift my armies from my western flank over to the east - and it was right as I was about to launch a major counter-offensive against the Poles!

[Sensei Warrior]

Ouch Alexios, re-emergence can hurt worse than rebels, especially like that.

I have been playing the Russians in High. The Provence just to the West of Lithuania on the Coast (either Pomeriania or Prussia, I know it starts with a P) has some grumpy rebels. I watched Poland take the Provence, and a few years later the Provence rebelled. I don't know what the Rebel army was made of, but there were 2 stacks of them. Poland withdrew from the Provence, and the next year one of the stacks moved to the Provence just to the South.

The Polish eventually cleared up the mess only to have the 'P' Provence rebel again later. The Poles haven't been back since.

[gaijinalways]

Re-emergences can be helpful, just depends on who they attack when they come back.

Sometimes of course you can use enemies as a buffer zone. The Argonese keep refusing cease fire offers, yet they 'nicely' keep their allies the Spanish from attacking me by buffering me with the three provinces they hold. Love those buffer zones, busy attempting to create some more in the HRE empire after the Germans decided to attack me (after dropping me as an ally on the flimsy excuse that I attacked the Italian navy who I have offered countless cease fires too, all rejected). Now as I invade, and raze I am leaving behind unhappy rebels who fight the Germans and deplete their troops even more.