How to deal with the "showdown" effect?

[Tony Furze]

Now I ve actually got to play towards the end of a campaign, I ve noted the tendency for there to be one dominant faction I'm up against by the end. Not only that, it tends to have 12 or so stacks to my 3 or 4 in the provinces that matter.

How do you control the AIs tendency to produce one dominant "conquer-power"?

[BrSpiritus]

Now I ve actually got to play towards the end of a campaign, I ve noted the tendency for there to be one dominant faction I'm up against by the end. Not only that, it tends to have 12 or so stacks to my 3 or 4 in the provinces that matter.

How do you control the AIs tendency to produce one dominant "conquer-power"?

In a word Syrian Assassins. If you tech up the province to the highest bar/alehouse/etc. Syria will produce 5 star assassins. They can be great for clearing house in a dominant power by killing the kings off until you get a rebellion. I usually don't destroy them entirely unless I'm poised to take advantage of the situation as someone else will just fill the power vacuum. But usually if you kill off kings until you get to the last heirless ruler you'll get a rebellion in about half the empire. That will keep them busy for awhile and chew up some of their troops.

One of the worst showdowns I ever had was with the Danes. I was England and we both had about equal number of provinces. We also both had huge fleets in every sea area. The Danish army was larger than mine and for once actually made up of better troops than the normal crap the AI fields however the Danish generals were not nearly as good as the English generals. I jumped the gun and attcked them to force the inevitable and was soon in a fight for my life. Their navy trounced mine and cut off all trade and even though I destroyed a huge army in Friesiland (12,000 troops) I was not able to capture the province because of the utter blitzkreig tactics employed by AI. I was sent reeling on all fronts. The only thing that turned the tide was a battle fought in Anjou. The only units I had available were Arbalesters and a battery of Serpentines... but that was enough. The enemy attacked repeatedly with 12,000 troops to my 1,880 or so but I had a good defensive position on a hill. In the final charge the Danish king led from the front and fell dead on the field with so many other of his countrymen. The final tally was 12 killed for me and 9,470 killed for the Danes... I let the cavalry mop up the routing units and capture 700 more men. From that day I was convinced of the power of gunpowder and started fielding armies more at home on a napoleonic battlefield.

~BrSpiritus

[Quietus]

Now I ve actually got to play towards the end of a campaign, I ve noted the tendency for there to be one dominant faction I'm up against by the end. Not only that, it tends to have 12 or so stacks to my 3 or 4 in the provinces that matter.

How do you control the AIs tendency to produce one dominant "conquer-power"?

1) Attack early and attack often.
2) Don't train too many units.

[caravel]

Yes, assassinating your biggest rival, near the end of the game, can often make alot of sense. All of their territories will turn rebel, with loyalty dropping to 100%. This allows previously wiped out factions to return. You can then make the most of the chaos and expand your territory, bribing some of the good rebel generals on the way.

Syrian assassins get a 2 star valour bonus, which means that with the 3 tavern upgrades they will get a maximum of 5 stars. Seen as a bit of an AI exploit, along with Inquisitors from castile, by many, including myself, they do make the training and deployment of assassins less tedious however. A mod I am working on has addressed this by removing the bonus in Syria and lowering the build requirements for the taverns and brothels to work similarly to how they do in the VI campaign, this means that the AI starts putting out assassins quite early so you need to be prepared.

When fighting the large factions try to not storm the AI provinces too much (invade in the hope that they will retreat). You should storm about 3 provinces, reorganise your troops so that your defensive troops are borught forward then wait for the AI's counter attack and punish them severely. This will halp you to reduce the numbers of his forces, instead of having to fight several massive "Golden Horde appearance" style battles later. Training massive stacks of units will enourage the AI to try and equal them also, this will predictably lead to more the huge battles, that you'll probably end up autocalcing due to lack of time.

Which facton are you playing as, and who are the rival "super power"?

[Tony Furze]

Twice I ve played as the Irish in the VI campaign-the first time the Picts were the superpower, the second, the Mercians.

In the MTW VI campaign, more often than not its the French who end up with tons of stacks whizzing around the campaign map.

Now I ve three campaigns going- Im the Portuguese (XL) normal/ Early

The Hungarians/Hard/ Early on MTW VI

The Irish (again) Hard on VI.

Im taking a more laid back approach seeing "What happens if....?"

[caravel]

Twice I ve played as the Irish in the VI campaign-the first time the Picts were the superpower, the second, the Mercians.

The Picts, the Superpower?! I think I've seen that happen once as well. Though normally the Picts are the faction that get wiped out and keep reappearing.

In the MTW VI campaign, more often than not its the French who end up with tons of stacks whizzing around the campaign map.

The French can be a pain. Just when you've laboriously purged them from the map, they're back again a few years later because the AI, that is occupying one of their provnces, lets loyalty fall too low. They're usually crusading, excommunicated, at war with everyone, or a combination of all three. Whichever faction you play as, the French are likely to be a problem for you at some point.

Now I ve three campaigns going-
Im the Portuguese (XL) normal/ Early

I tried that campaign a few years back, and it was extremely difficult! But I'm crap at most catholic factions anyway.

The Hungarians/Hard/ Early on MTW VI

This catholic faction i can get one with, because they have horse archers. I've had this game since it was released, and hadn't played the Hungarians until this year. now i kow what I was missing. A good faction with good units, starting in a good position from which to expand from.

The Irish (again) Hard on VI.

If you keep at it, you will eventually work it out. The first few times I played the Irish I was whipped. I was pleased with myself at securing the whole Island, then I expanded and took on the Scots and lost, then the Vikings sunk all of my ships and Ireland Revolted, etc etc etc.

Im taking a more laid back approach seeing "What happens if....?"

I always take the laid back approach. I rarely finish a campaign. I just see how well I can do. Once my faction is doing very well and has held onto it's historic territory for a few years, and then taken around60% of the map or thereabouts, I usually give up. Occasionally I don't, but such occasions are rare.

[Innocentius]

This catholic faction i can get one with, because they have horse archers. I've had this game since it was released, and hadn't played the Hungarians until this year. now i kow what I was missing. A good faction with good units, starting in a good position from which to expand from.

Sounds pretty much like the complete opposite of me I simply can't deal with horse archers (nor with camels for that matter), but give me an army of billmen/longbowmen (or unless I'm not playing as England: [swiss]halberdiers/arbalesters) and you've made my day.

If you keep at it, you will eventually work it out. The first few times I played the Irish I was whipped. I was pleased with myself at securing the whole Island, then I expanded and took on the Scots and lost, then the Vikings sunk all of my ships and Ireland Revolted, etc etc etc.

I personally find the Irish to be pretty easy in VI actually. The easy access to spies in VI simplifies the divide et impera tactic, and both Kerns and Gallowglasses are pretty über.

I always take the laid back approach. I rarely finish a campaign. I just see how well I can do. Once my faction is doing very well and has held onto it's historic territory for a few years, and then taken around60% of the map or thereabouts, I usually give up. Occasionally I don't, but such occasions are rare.

Completely agree It's more fun to be historically accurate than just creating an over-sized empire which cracks and falls towards the end anyway (besides, it's no fun if every single turn takes you about 30 minutes). One of the most interesting factions from this aspect is the Burgundians, who actually held ground in modern day Holland, so to recreate this scenario, I usually try to conquer Lorraine and then Flanders and/or Friesland. Gives you a very odd-looking duchy.