Early XL Cuman Expert Campaign

[Vladimir]

Wow, it must have gotten too easy.

[Digital]

The year now is 1230. I am at war with 5 factions with no allies at all. If not for rebellions and re-emergence, I would have expanded more. Sometimes, I have to handle more than 10 peasant rebellions in spite of having a border fort and at least a +1 star spies in each province. Maybe the Mongol is late? I'll continue this game some other time.

[seireikhaan]

The mongols be late? I've never had that happen before. Maybe the khaan didn't get the memo that he was supposed to invade. Or maybe the troops partied a little too hard on the way over.

[Deus ret.]

They aren't late for sure! Press "End Turn" one more time and you should see them appear (they show up at the turn from 1230 to 1231).

Good luck & cheers to this great campagin, Digital!

[Vladimir]

Late?

[Digital]

Yeah, they have arrived in style in Khazar and Georgia!!!!

[Vladimir]

That's quite nice. Have fun.

[King Kurt]

Is that 17 stacks in Kazar - what did you do to upset them!! - time to find some rivers or big woods

[Digital]

My arch enemy, the Turkish, has to face them first!

[King Kurt]

My arch enemy, the Turkish, has to face them first!

Sadly I don't think they will be putting up much resistance!!

[Galagros]

Is that 17 stacks in Kazar - what did you do to upset them!! - time to find some rivers or big woods

Isn't the number of stacks that arrives based on the amount of stacks already present in and around their emergence provinces?

[Martok]

Wow Digital, I'm surprised at all those rebellious provinces you've been dealing with. Are your garrisons undersized, perhaps? I know I've made the mistake of moving troops out of a recently-conquered area, only to discover I've left insufficient men behind to supress the locals.

Isn't the number of stacks that arrives based on the amount of stacks already present in and around their emergence provinces?

As a general rule, yes. The bigger the garrison stationed there, the bigger the Horde.

[Digital]

Wow Digital, I'm surprised at all those rebellious provinces you've been dealing with. Are your garrisons undersized, perhaps? I know I've made the mistake of moving troops out of a recently-conquered area, only to discover I've left insufficient men behind to supress the locals.

I find that if my Khan is too far from a province, the loyalty will drop by a lot. Faction after faction started war with me, causing many of my sea routes to be blockaded. The peasants are getting rowdy that my Khan has great difficulties in reaching them and they started rebelling.

[Digital]

Not surprisingly, the Turkish retreated in both cases, causing a civil war. I counted 21 stacks in Khazar alone!



My Khan just died of an illness. The new Khan only has 4 influence and three princes are about to reach 15 years of age. After a few years of naval warfare, my faction controls almost the entire sea in Europe. I may be able to sneak an attack at the back of the Almohads.

[Digital]

My first battle with the Mongol as the Cumans! They invaded with over 10,000 troops! The Mongol Khan made the mistake of starting with too many Mongol warriors, so I start with mainly my Cuman Heavy Cavalry. I charge them into his archers from all sides and then captured him!



The Mongol are tough, they have lots of archers and horse archers, together with the Mongol Heavy Cavalry. I used up all my missile troops and have to hide in the forest to avoid being shot at. Mongol warrior came in and their heavy cavalry came charging in to try to kill my general, but he survived. There are corpses everywhere as far as the eye can see!



Victory!



I am rich!

[Deus ret.]

Wow, what a battle! AWESOME result! Congrats for battling off the first wave of the horde.... are those units on the left of your panel urban militia? If yes, it must have been really hefty. Thinking about it, the Mongols can't have that many men left - in Khazar at least. Well done!

It's just a pity that you didn't kill the prisoners - your general would have gotten the "butcher" trait (+2 dread IIRC, you get it when you kill 1000+ prisoners in a battle) and in addition, the horde would have been history due to the alck of princes. Probably an heir of theirs will mature within the next three turns or so, so if you strike quickly, maybe you get him (afterwards, you're free to bribe off the remaining rebel horde stacks, as Kavhan Isbul has recommended).

[Digital]

The second wave! This time, they invaded with less troops.



The same strategy. This time I killed the general, causing their morale to drop and most of their valour to become instantly 0. After a fierce fight, which included an archer duel with horse archer. My Cuman Heavy cavalry only charged them when there is a certain number of Mongol warriors among their reinforcement, other times they stay close to the forest and my archers. Heavy cavalry should not pursue horse archer as this would tire them out and they will be easy picking by other cavalry nearby. When I charged their Mongol Warriors, other fast moving but lightly armoured troops are force to engage, because Mongol warriors are not fast moving and they are force to fight at an disadvantage. My spearman and urban militia also set up ambushes in the forest by the 2 sides of my general. They do terrible damages to horses in the forest. In the end, all my horses are ordered to retreat because they are either depleted or too exhausted. My valour 5 urban militia had to chase them off the field after a fight as my only horse is too exhausted.



I captured 1395 prisoners of war!



And I killed all of them because I don't think the Mongol will have any money left after paying that hefty ransom!



I got the Butcher vice!

[Digital]

Wow, what a battle! AWESOME result! Congrats for battling off the first wave of the horde.... are those units on the left of your panel urban militia? If yes, it must have been really hefty. Thinking about it, the Mongols can't have that many men left - in Khazar at least. Well done!

It's just a pity that you didn't kill the prisoners - your general would have gotten the "butcher" trait (+2 dread IIRC, you get it when you kill 1000+ prisoners in a battle) and in addition, the horde would have been history due to the alck of princes. Probably an heir of theirs will mature within the next three turns or so, so if you strike quickly, maybe you get him (afterwards, you're free to bribe off the remaining rebel horde stacks, as Kavhan Isbul has recommended).

Yeah, those are Urban Militia. They set up excellent ambushes in the forest and are armour piercing, very good against Mongol horses because horses fight poorly in forest.


In all my games, I don't bribe any general, prefering to gain land by warfare. Actually, I prefer them not to be turned into rebels when the faction leader dies without a heir, as rebels don't fight each other. Once the faction leader loses many battles against me, he will have reduced influence and his faction may have civil war and they can destroy each other, something that the rebels don't do.

[Digital]

The 3rd wave. I changed the general. I am actually letting different general gain useful traits and valour.



This time, I position my troops on top of a mountain. After I killed their horses and general by archer fire and Bashkort, I rush all my horse at them and they have to flee for their lives. Easy victory.



Now even the Pope and the Spanish wants my blood. I am at war with 7 factions.

[Martok]

Goodness. Fighting both Christians *and* your fellow pagans?? Things must be fairly interesting for you right now.

[Vladimir]

You're a better man than me. I don't fight the mongols in open battle. At least, not the first wave.

[Deus ret.]

Now look at those valour levels. 4 valour are from the general. Not too surprising that you smashed the last wave rather effortless....you have a nice bunch of elite units there!

Well, now that the horde is crushed, the campaign might lack challenge, but you should be pretty close to a domination victory anyway. I'm interested in how things develop

[Digital]

You're a better man than me. I don't fight the mongols in open battle. At least, not the first wave.

Thanks. I am a MTW VI addict, now transformed to XL addict. I am quite good because I played a lot more games than a lot of people. I have bought this game since 2004 and have been playing almost non-stop ever since.

[Digital]

Now look at those valour levels. 4 valour are from the general. Not too surprising that you smashed the last wave rather effortless....you have a nice bunch of elite units there!

Well, now that the horde is crushed, the campaign might lack challenge, but you should be pretty close to a domination victory anyway. I'm interested in how things develop

Thats why I always protect my generals with spearmen right by his side and a unit of high valour, high armour horse. Should the unlikely event that the enemy unit make it to my general while the rest of my army is fighting, they will deal with the intruder. I cannot imagine losing 4 valour of my entire army to surgical strike by the enemy unit. When I do charge my general, it is a sure victory or when the enemy troops are engaged and I'll charge the general unit at their back.


The only way to tear my empire apart is a civil war, which can be kept from happening by gaining influence through an aggressive foreign policy of invasion. I am not afraid of any factions now. As I speak, the people of the Nogovrod invaded me with a 3 to 1 numerical advantage but I won and also killed their King.

[Digital]

The year is 1273. Arabia, Tripoli, Egypt and Naples are under siege by my victorious army!



In the year 1275, the Cumans have conquered the whole of Europe!

[Vladimir]

And you still use vanilla spearmen and urban militia.

[Digital]

And you still use vanilla spearmen and urban militia.

Yeah, vanilla spearmen and urban militia without armour upgrades or low armour for the sand desert. All high armour troops like Cuman Heavy Cavalry and the likes for other regions. Bashkorts are extremely good for killing horses, especially Royal Knights and heavy cavalry.

[Martok]

Congratulations, Digital.

[Deus ret.]

Cool! A great finish for a great campaign.

[Innocentius]