Turkish "Delight"?

[Sensei Warrior]

Macsen is right. It is not clear whether Tony meant the 3 Crusades were aimed at Constantinople or they were just hovering outside Constantinople because none of them were willing to attack his forces stationed there. Either way if he lets the Crusades play patty-cake with the Rebels and then goes in to mop up, like Aenlic suggested (very devious Aenlic, mucho clever), and all three Crusades fail, there will still be horrible ramifications in the West.

Aenlic, that is a very clever play. Most players knee-jerk reflex would be to back the faction holding Constantinople, but in this case the rebels would serve as a speed bump into the Turkish Empire. Enough to give Tony some time to get his Imperial House in order. I remember the thread on using rebel buffer zones, and this particular case it would seem wise as long as it doesn't become a permanent fixture like you outlined.

I see only one pitfall, albeit a small one. A simple solution to neutralize the rebels for the 3 Crusading factions would be to bribe the rebels. I have seen comp factions bribe rebels alot. If thats the case, the plan might have to be adjusted a bit.

My vote is to not back up to an earlier save. Rebellions can be frustrating, but they tend to be one of the factors that make campaigns memorable. Keep us posted, if played right you will have seriously undermined a number of Catholic heavy-hitters in your game.