Teutonic order in XL

**Martok** · 03-05-2007, 23:46

XL is a mod created by VikingHorde. Along with BKB's SuperMod and Wes' MedMod, it's considered to be one of the 3 major "regular" mods for MTW/VI. (As opposed to "total conversion" mods like Samurai Wars, Hellenic Total War, and Pike & Musket.) XL adds numerous new factions & units, rebalances the value of both land and trade, removes certain "land bridges", as well as making various other changes. You can go here for more detailed information and download instructions.

**Xehh II** · 03-06-2007, 03:34

Sounds cool, pity I can't play it.

**King Kurt** · 03-06-2007, 10:55

Can I add a small advert for XL as a recent convert. I found the download very easy. I then saved it to a CD and carried out the upgrade from that, loading the mod first then the patch. The installation is very easy and would recomend it to anybody - if you can install MTW, you can install XL.
XL then gives you an improved version of what is an excellent game in its vanilla form. Not only more factions, but the change in trade and income from the land presents a whole new set of challenges to face. In vanilla I had developed a style of play where you grabbed a few provinces, built a trade empire then blitzed the rest of Europe. In XL - admittingly I am only in my first serious campaign - it appears you have to be more careful in how you build up your empire, so you have to temper your bouts of expansion with periods of turtling to rebuild your forces. So give it a try - you can even carry on playing vanilla as well as the mod allows it.

**Maximillian von Hapsburg** · 03-06-2007, 11:38

So in XL you can build Teutonic Knights without needing a crusade marker? Or not?

**King Kurt** · 03-06-2007, 13:33

Max - yes in XL you can play the Teutonic Order and train Teutonic Knights. You obviously need a fair bit of infrastructure, but you can - what's more Prussia gives them a +1 valour. The best point is that your King and Princes come with their Teutonic Knight bodyguard - a 40 man unit to boot. So early on you get a nice stream of TKs from royality. You also get to train Order foot as well - they are very nice as well.

**Maximillian von Hapsburg** · 03-06-2007, 14:04

Sounds pretty good :) I did want to see the film of Alexander Nevsky but I can only get it out on video at my library and I don't have a video player only a DVD one :(

Thanks for the awesome info, I'll be on MTW soon hopefully.

Yours,

Max ;)

**Maximillian von Hapsburg** · 03-06-2007, 15:32

Hmmm, I was wondering if I could start doing a li'l bit of modding myself - I could make it so both Teutonic Order and HRE can train them - but they can only be produced in Pomerania and Prussia, sooo I can face the challenge of conquering the TO so I can make their knights xD

Well, maybe...

**King Kurt** · 03-06-2007, 14:17

Well - I have started the campaign proper - and it is going nicely.
Move 1, build an inn, train an order foot, assign governors etc, gather all your army including the King and invade Lithuania. Covieniently, the Lithuanians send about half their army into Volhynia, so you win easily. I also managed to capture their king - a 10,000 florin ransom, thank you very much. Next move, assault castle - castle falls and anothe 2,000 florin boost for the coffers - and another order foot trained. I leave the Lithuanians in Volhynia a neutered force, a convient shield and no reemergencies.
Now you have an amazing treasury - for this stage of the campaign. Over the next few moves I built a emissary and rebuilt my forces and grew them with a few mercs. I bribed Estonia and invaded Prussia. I formed some good alliances - Sweden and Russia - and generaly teched up - a fleet and some trading posts and a chapter house which produced a crusade marker.
Next phase - Novgorod attacks me at sea - I respond with a strong attack on Novogorod and a weak attack on Smolensk. I win in Novogorod - he retreats into the castle - and I retreat from Smolensk. Next move, I assault Novogorod's castle with part of my force and invade Smolensk from Lithuania and Novogorod. I take Novogorod and win in Smolensk. Next move assault Smolensk castle to wipe out the Novos completely. At the same time, I have a bit of rebellion trouble in Prussia, but this is put down with help from the Swedes. The next few moves are a regrouping to recover from the war.
So now it is 1220 and things look good. I have a nice little empire and my income is reasonable - I am in a yearly surplus now - I have a nice flexable army - Teutonic Knights, order foot, FMAA, arbs, halberdiers, lithuanian turcopoles etc. Also, as I am playing GA, I have behaved fairly historically - only attacked pagans etc, have a Crusade marker ready for a crusade in the near future.
The quandry is what to do next? The logical person for me to attack is the Russians - but they have been a good ally, so in a role playing mode I am reluctant to attack them. Also, we are only 10 years from the Horde, so fighting a war against the faction between them and me seems stupid - not only would I be weakened, but also the Russians would not be there as a barrier to them. My inclination is carry on regrouping, teching up with an eye on the Horde problems in 10 - 15 years time. Once we have weathered the storm, the Russians should be there for the taking if they haven't gone already. As a diversion, I am tempted to launch a Crusade to Granada. I like the idea of my crusade wandering over Western Europe, havesting a nice force as my crusade goes on its Spanish holidays!! In my defence, the Pope has called upon all good Catholics to crusade against the Almos, so it seems vaguely in keeping.
What do people think? - all comments welcome.

**The Unknown Guy** · 03-06-2007, 14:45

The almohads are very far away. Once in Vanilla I tried a "distanced aragonese Empire" through crusades, namely, launching one against... Estonia, I think. The idea was to load a prince into the crusade and, if Castile wiped me out in the Iberian peninsula, keep fighting from the north. It failed. When the AI noticed I was loading troops into a crusade, the moment it left it struck, leaving me defending my stronghold in Navarre (specifically picked to hold out in case THAT happened). They invaded there too the following year, the crusade was crushed, and my faction was annihilated.

If I were you I´d concentrate on building yourself a "safe homeland" before going on crusading adventures.

In territories without choke points, I like to leave token garrisons that can retreat to the keep and hold out for a long time (unless they get assaulted... a good reason for improving the defenses in those provinces), and a big army in the center, large enough to scare the invaders away if possible, and with a mobile unit combination that gives you versatility and speed when attacking.