I have been playing the game with the timeframe set to 0.50 (each turn is 6 months instead of 2 years, characters age correctly, like Rome). One of the benefits of this, other than the fact that the game is longer, is that when your crusader army gets stranded somewhere, there is still plenty of time to get rid of them and build your economy back up.

I am playing as England in my first campain. After 113 turns, the year is 1137I have been on 3 crusades to the Holy Land and only reached my target once before the end of a crusade. Both times that I failed to reach, I was at sea.

The first time (1094-1099) I was able to get to Rhodes and conquer it before disbanding a large portion of the crusader army (by this time, I was over 20000 florins on the negative side, ouch). I kept just enough of the army to garrison the city it few years (to get the tax income) until the people got antsy and then tore down the buildings and game Rhodes to the Pope as a gift (which greatly raised my Papal standing) before bringing my general back home. Inidentally, he died of old age right before we got him home, bummer.

The second time(1108-1111), pretty much the same thing happened, but I didn't bother to conquer anyone else. And just dodged the French to get my family member back home. It didn't take as long this time, but I still managed to get my economy into serious trouble (@-16000).

Both times, I was able to pull myself out of it and I now control the 4 lower English provinces. Scotland has all of its stuff (I plundered Edinburgh way back when and it set them back a lot) + they have Ireland.

I also have a lot of land in France, but just acquired it recently through peace treaties after the Pope made us stop fighting. The French are in no danger of being eliminated. Again, it is 1137 (113 turns)and the balance of power seems to be even, the Germans are weak, but Fr and England are neck and neck. In fact, the most powerful forces seem to be the Muslim factions. Only 2 factions have been eliminated (Portugal and Milan).

I like it set at this timescale because I think the pace of the game doesn't make me feel rushed. It doesn't effect gunpowder units, I think I am still 100 years or so away from that, as I am just getting Feudal Kinghts and lots of upgraded infantry now (I think the gunpowder trigger is based on a year rather than a turn). I like the way people age. I think the economy might also be based on years rather than turns, so that you have less money than you would during each turn to balance it out.

Anyway that's little rant.