Nobody plays France?

[wkndwrrr]

I plan to play as France when I get the game this Christmas. They seem to be facing less adversity than the HRE, and still have an awesome amount of units, from what I have heard.

[Zanderpants]

I'm getting the game first thing Tuesday morning (Damn NA late release), and I'll be playing as the French. Vive La France!

[Spendius]

Hi,

Got the game friday night and started a French campaign (since I'm French). They're great ! Strong knights (able to win about any fights), Scottish guards are awesome (able to easily beat spearmen in close combat, long range bows...).
I had quite a tough beginning, having been almost excommunicated after freeing Caen from the English, but then the pope died to be replaced by one of my cardinals.
Then I wanted to get my second king killed in battle (not the heir I wanted), so I sent him on the second crusade, which was a success ! Lots of desertion, but also a lot of cheap mercenaries to replace them, and a wonderful siege assault on Jerusalem... Then my mischevious and cruel king became a very noble "great crusader", I hope he'll get canonized (I'll arrange that after I move the pope to Avignon ;) )

It gets quite difficult since I'm waging war against the HRE (who stabbed me), the Milanese (an ex-ally, who stabbed me) and the Danes (who are excommunicated and had Brugge and Antwerp which I wanted).
That's so nice to have the French knights cheering over a pile of corpses shouting "vive la France" !

A few questions:
- does pillaging a city destroys buildings ?
- can you get knights to actually charge ? mine are just getting to the enemy fighing with swords, I can't get them to use their spears...

[Spendius]

BTW France has a specific unit, the gendarmes (which were already present in MTW, and pretty good if I remember correctly). They also have the French mounted archers, but I haven't tried them yet.

[Horatius]

Last night I finished a Short Campaign as the French (they were the first nation I chose).
Much of my family speaks English with a French accent, yet it sounds nothing like the units' accent in M2:TW, they've got a really annoying voice actor. Furthermore, their pre-battle speeches are full of stereotypes about modern France (e.g. before I took London, the general went on about how the English have "no sense of style, no élan, and no beautiful women)

I am going to actually try and play the French just to hear that stuff sounds funny.