Hi Guys.

This is my first post, but when i started a M/H Danish campaign (pre: 2x M/M with England and HRE respectively, non completed) and found this thread, I thought I would make it here (and being a Dane my self, of cause helps on that aspect <- yeah, that a language warning). I'm still in the "beginning", but so far it has been a BLAST.

After my hugely unsatisfying english and HRE campaign (bored with being a godlike superpower) i decided to up the ante and go for the harder battles and hacked my way to an early start with Denmark (I hate fighting on my heels, but Medium battle setting was simply ridicules). Very good choice, TBS part also got a bit harder in terms of more units, bigger stacks and thus bigger need for units, upgrades and retrains. Much more satisfying :)

Went heavy on the German rebels and got most of the settlements before the AI and settled in and looking for the rest of Scandinavia. Maann, Stockholm and Oslo was disappointing, hard fights and little spoils, no building and low pop's. Converted Oslo to town as soon as I got it and my only castle was Hamburg (IMHO, unless waging wars on multiple fronts or having a huge and stretched empire, one castle producing 3 units EVERY turn is far enough to cover most needs). Ally with Poland (seems to hold), the princess move for some Italian trade and Tributes and 2 diplomats going east (south east) and West.

Ok, so far so good. No enemies yet and a fair income and territory. HRE attacks, suckers :) I take their capital, whats-its-name, in a few turns, having my main/only unit producer located almost on top of them and pumping out scouts, dis. huscarls and the hugely overpowered Norse Archers (more on them in a later post). And luck shines again, they get Ex-commed and their free game. I take some roaming units and another city (forget city names, sorry*) and HRE should be on their heels now, but nooo, they just keep coming, not that they prove a real problem thou (but makes the game more enjoyable).

After some pope pumping (and unit building) I finally get him to call a crusade on the new HRE capitol (right next to Venice) and I take my 2 best family members and a roughly 25 units and join (2 groups). I fill up with cheap crusade mercs spears and horses (now 2 generals + 34 units). I wreak havoc on my way :) taking 3 cities from HRE in 3 turns (including crusade target - think its Nuremburg, Innsbruck and Bologna). Even thou i leave the 2 non-targets defenseless for the first turn, they weren't reclaimed and as a result I got 36 unit experience "for free", 3 citys which looks like might hold (including Innsbruck castle), popes favor and a massive army waiting in northern Italy (was thinking Milanese next, but open for suggestions).

Meanwhile, back home, my king who lurkers around in what is now Belgium, had some issues with the English, and only with a little luck and a lot of mercs, held against their first attack. Thou I fear that they are just gathering strength for a new attack. After trapping a Scottish ships exit from a bay area, they decided it was time for war and the obvious choice is now to take the whole of Great Brittan and hope the pope doesn't interfere. The alliance with Poland seems to hold thou :) And i haven't heard much from anyone else (thou I do trade with most of them)

So to sum it up for the Danes.
Hard is good
Scandinavia is bad
HRE is a walk-over
Pope is useful
Polish are friendly
Norse Archers RULE!