Which faction has the worst starting position?

[Zenicetus]

The Turks can also get bad, most of the time all the Crusades directed at the Egyptians will have to go through you, and they are sort of in the way of the Mongols and probably the Timurids also.

A quick question about Crusades, since I never played MTW:

If you're holding provinces that are in the path of a Crusade, like the Byzantines or the Turks, do the Crusader armies just move across your territory without any effect (as long as you're not at war with the faction), or do they try to conquer it as part of the Crusade?

If it's the latter, and you're strong enough to be a deterrent, does the AI bypass the land route with ships?

I know we don't know exactly how M2TW will work... just wondering about how this was in MTW.

[BaldwinIV]

A quick question about Crusades, since I never played MTW:

If you're holding provinces that are in the path of a Crusade, like the Byzantines or the Turks, do the Crusader armies just move across your territory without any effect (as long as you're not at war with the faction), or do they try to conquer it as part of the Crusade?

If it's the latter, and you're strong enough to be a deterrent, does the AI bypass the land route with ships?

I know we don't know exactly how M2TW will work... just wondering about how this was in MTW.

You could allow them to cross your lands without a fight and lose of territories. The other way was to crush them once and forever

[ciprianrusu]

IMO i think that the toughest ride will be with the portuguese.They have 2 provinces separated one from the other, and the moorish empire breading on their neck. Challenging indeed. The second i think will be the scotish.Stranded on the north side of the map, next to the more powerful english, and not that many resources.Number 3 on this top, well... tough, but i think that the milanese are taking the bronze medal. To tiny and surrounded by powerful neighbors.

[Ianofsmeg16]

Why dont the english have york?

I'm saying The scots or The HRE...Scots have one small, poor province and can be easily overwhelmed by the english...and the HRE has a large, fragile union and can be quickly surrounded by the French, Danes, Italian States, poland and hungary

[Drake]

Portugal. Split territories, neighbours to two potential superpowers in the Muslim Moors who can attack them without fear of Papal condemnation, and the Spanish who are in easy striking position of both Portugal and Naverre which they could hit at the same time easy.

To survive I'm betting that you would need to either buddy up with one against the other, which opens more problems. Do side with the slightly apparently more powerful Moors (open to debate that one) or the same faith Spanish who you can't attack without excommunication? If Portugal can survive the early stages though it'd be a good position, close to the New World, great trading position to both the Med and the north and far from the Pope and any marauding bands of super-calvary factions coming from the east to kill and plunder indiscriminately. But then, what's the chances of the latter happening....

[Richard The Tiger Heart]

I dont think Portugal has the worst starting position. They can be attacked from north, east and south but they cant be attacked by west unless theres an amphibius invasion.

The HRE can be attacked on every direction and has powerful superpowers near it like France or the rich Italian Republics. Its still is the most difficult.

Second would be the Byzantines which have their main provinces separated by the bosphorous strait. Sounds like the Crusaders and Seljuk Turks could give you a bad time.