France

[Magraev]

I like to play as France. Gotta love that accent

In my latest (M/M) game i focused on securing the french heartlands (bordeaux, metz, dijon, rennes), and then sent a crusade to jerusalem.

I now hold Jerusalem, acre, gaza and cairo, and am sieging alexandria. The main reason for my rampage was, that my economy was destroyed when I had to start paying for all those crusader knights. I had to keep fighting and pillaging to stay out of the red.

In europe I only had trouble with Milan (as usual). I blitzed them quickly in retaliation and took Bern and Genoa on the same turn. They were eager to sign a ceasefire after that...

My main problem is money. It seems farming is essential for France, but I don't like to go above lvl2 - to avoid too much squalor later.

All in all I think I have it made now - only worry is the potential for wars with Venice, milan, spain, portugal, england, denmark and HRE at the same time, as I share borders with them all. Not to mention Sicily, turkey and egypt in the Levant.

Looking forward to the mongols...

[DS_Legionary]

After tinkering aroung with several campaigns, I have finally settled into a campaign as the French. My first goal was to get all those pesky rebel provinces nearby. Dijon, Rennes, Bruges and Bordeaux all fell within quick succession. The English beat me to Antwerp, which I didn't mind letting the English deal with that stack. I avoided taking Metz as I had noticed several HRE armies trying to take it and I wanted to avoid an early war with HRE.

After securing the homeland (minus Caen and Antwerp which were Enlgish held) I went about building up a solid economy base. I converted the Castles in Bordeaux and Toulouse into cities. In hindsight I probably should have left Bordeaux as a castle as it doesnt generate nearly as much profit as Toulouse, and with it being a castle I would also have a much more defined line of defense against the Iberian factions if needed.

Whilst this reform was going on in the homeland I sent Diplomats abroad. I secured alliances with Venice, Poland, Spain, HRE, and the Papal States. In retrospect I should have paid a bit better attention to the Iberian front as it turns out Portugal has become the dominant faction, all rebel held provinces as well as the two Moor provinces on the penninsula. Spain still has a chance though. With almost two full stacks running about they could turn the tide. If not I do have pretty good rep with portugal, and I'll probably try to marry off a princess to their heir.

Around turn 25 I decided the English have had a long enough stay on the mainland. I siege Antwerp and Caen simultaneously. I decide to wait them out, and the garrison in Antwerp gives up without a fight. Caen attempts to sally forth, but to no avail. At this point the Pope finally calls a ceasefire. (I had been gifting him 500-1000 florins every turn to keep my rep at perfect and try to prolong the time before he called the ceasefire) Before the ceasefire was up England decides to blockade Bruges. The pope decides to excommunicate the pesky Enlgish. So now it is fair game on England.

Right after the English war began I got a mission to take Metz (HRE for some reason still hadn't taken it). So I figured I would take it for the free 1500 florins (war with HRE would be inevitable anyways). Immdeiately after I took it HRE sent a half stack and laid seige. I beat them back and the HRE has since been preoccupied with the Danes and Venice so that was all the hostile activity I have seen from them, but I am laying seige to Bern which is HRE held, so I'm sure either the pope will intervene soon enough or the HRE will shift attention my way again, or both.

Milan also decided to lay seige to Marseilles right after I took Metz. Again another half stack which was completely decimated. Now I am besieging Genoa, and Milan has no army in sight to beat me back. (They have been embroiled in a long war with Venice who was excommunicated twice thus far).

The pope called a crusade on Jerusalem, which being a good little catholic I heed the call and send a full stack, with a very promising young general. I made it there first, and took the city which was only garrisoned by Egypts faction heir and a unit of archers. Funny thing is Egypt seems to have stalled out this game, only making it as far north as Antioch without much semblance of a standing army. Matter of fact I have only seens once major stack that was 3/4 full. After completing the Crusade I wasn't counting on the upkeep on that full army in Jerusalem, so I did the logical thing. I have abandoned Jerusalem and gone about sacking the Middle East. I went south into Egypt sacking Gaza and Alexandria, then back north up to Acre where I am currently. I think I will keep Acre and use it as a staging point for future Crusades as well as Middle eastern expansion.

So far I am only on turn 40 or so, but I control all of France. I am making a solid push into the HRE as well as northern Italy. London is under siege and the city north of that (don't recall the name) has only a token garrison. Scotland has the rest of the British Isles, including Ireland. I have sent a diplomat to see about securing an Alliance with the Scots. On the Iberian front things are quiet, and I expect them to continue that way. The middle east is my oyster. Population rich cities with small garrisons are begging to be plundered. It seems thus far I have either been very lucky, or I have just outpaced the AI. Right now I'm putting it as lucky, the HRE and Milan could still put up a pretty good fight and Egypt is certainly not happy about having their cities sacked.

Only things I would have done different so far is I would have left Bordeaux as a castle as the income increase of it being a city is very small. Also with that army running around in the Middle east it is eating up my treasury. I was making about 3-4k florins per turn, now I am losing money every turn. City and Castle growth has come to a standstill despite the pillaging that has gone on in Egypt. Though the current Pope is old, and I have been playing the good catholic, going out and converting the heathen masses in Africa. I have two Cardinals with 8 piety, one of them being a Preferati. With my alliances and my decent enough rep the next Pope should be French. If not French money will make him that way :)

[Vuk]

Vuk's Overview of the French Campaign

I believe that I will get back here and write a full player guide for France, but right now I just want to give a quick line or two of advice.

First of all: Cavalry!!!! This is your key to winning! All cavalry! There is no such thing as too much cavalry (of course this is coming from the guy who invested fully in cavalry while playing as the Danes on the hardest skill level :P I am particularly good with my cavalry. ).

Second of all, take all the rebel provences around you at the beginning, then crush the HRE, then England, then Danmark. (not a typo)
I have played as France (and one) on all skill levels, and I have used this strategy everytime. (or one very similar)

Thirdly, use your priests. Erode enemy support in the East at the very beginning of the game and sieze control of the Papacy. Once you take the Papacy, place the largest army in existence there so as to keep the Pope completely under your control.

Hope this helps. :D
I will try to come back some other time and post something more full and helpful.


Vuk

[Burns]

Currently playing as France I did some things differently. At campaign start I combined all my forces into a southern and a northern army. I captured the majority of the rebel cities in the direct vicinity. I converted Angers, Bordoeux to cities for the money. I converted Marsaille to a castle to keep the Milanese at bay. Its worked so well they barely bother moving against it. To the North I utilized the combined force and invaded Metz. In a brief war with HRE I took Bern and one of the castles to the North east.

If there is one lesson to learn is to NOT wage war on your home territory. It just hinders your economy way too much. Taking the fight to neighbouring lands is far more beneficial.

[hisn00bness]

Might I suggest to everyone starting to play the game and reading the tip above about turning marseille into a castle :

I say this with all respect due tothe poster above me and in all cameraderie; but I think it means gimping yourself.


Arguments:
_ Marseille is a cash cow as a city; can make over 5000 a turn before the mongols invade.

_ Its centralized location at the border of the mediterranean and touching the italian peninsula makes it a great place to go for a merchant HQ or a thieves HQ.

_ If you want to 'hold off Milan' ; it probably means that you are not intending to wage an expansionist war againts Italy any time soon. So instead of a castle; put up a fort somewhere along the mountain ridge that milan usually uses to attack marseille; and have a missile/voulgier heavy garisson in marseille to block of the bridges to the north if Milan would try to invade France though there.

_ Marseille is likely to be your first huge city as france (unless you crusade against Antioch) which means that Scottish Guard; mounted archers; and gendarmes are only a few turns away; so it's not like you will not have any decent recruitement pool there to hold of Milan even if you keep it a city.

[Airfix]

First:
Thanks to all the people for posting such a lot good suggestions.
After getting the hang on the game with Moors I started a campaign with the French.
Basic idea:
Fight only one war at a time.
I started to bribe every neigbour.
I sent an envoy to Scottland: They still don´t like me
I sent an envoy to Endland: They still don´like me
I sent an envoy to the HRE: Slightly better standing
I sent an envoy to the Pope: Very good standing
The moment Milan attacked me and after I won the first battle, they where excomunicated.
I put all my prisoners to the sword and got no bad trait. They are only heretics after all.
I got my second cardinal and hope one of them becomes Pope in some years.
Surprisingly the Moors offered an alliance!
I said yes and now all my merchants are on their way to Timbuktu.
Army:
Armoured sergeants and bowmen are very good at holding the line.
After the initial contact the heavy cavalry attacks the back of the enemy and some light cavylry will pursue the fleeing heretics.
Works very well for me.