How to get to Crusade?

**Tully Bascombe** · 02-18-2007, 20:40

I'm playing as English, and I've just answered the Pope's early 12 the century call to crusade, the target being Antioch. It took me 2 turns to assemble the necessary number of units. I decided to go by ship from Normandy to avoid crossing other nation's territory. One turn out of Caen my troops start to desert and I get a message telling me to hurry it up! What's the best way to get to the Crusade? If I go by land it will take more than a decade to get to Antioch. I can't cross France then board ship because I haven't got any ships in the Mediterranean already. I thought that sailing around Spain then across the Mediterranean would have been faster because ships move farther per turn than men encumbered by siege equipment.

**alex9337** · 02-18-2007, 20:47

Unfortunately, playing as England, you will lose troops to desertion if you attempt to sail around the Iberian Peninsula.

Your only choice is to go across land to the mediterranean area, move your army close to the shore and purchase merc ships.

This is the only way I have found that you can get to Antioch without losing troops to desertion in the early game.

**Tully Bascombe** · 02-18-2007, 21:01

Ah, I didn't know I could buy ships.

**Mithradates** · 02-18-2007, 21:17

Im not sure but i thought if you are on a crusade your ships travelled faster i can remember getting an English crusade to the Holy Land in less than 5 turns on ships.

**Carl** · 02-18-2007, 21:54

Th trouble is it takes 2 or 3 turns to get round Iberia, and during the time it takes you to do that your counted as not moving towards it and will lose troops to destertion. The formulae that determines if you are moving closer treat land as passable for ships, and sea as passable to troops, hence you get desertion problems.