Controlling Outremer...

[nikolai1962]

I never exterminate the crusade cities. Just sack. If you want to create a crusader kingdom then grab a castle nearby and you have a base to take it back when it rebels. As england i normally sail home afterwards leaving all the cheap pilgrims to garrison. Feels more historical to me and you get a ton of money from it before it goes.

[Furious Mental]

Outremer should be able to pay for a fairly large garrison. I just train all my merchants there and rake in the money. Well worth it.

[sapi]

@Sinan - re: that trick with giving the AI money; have you considered just making the king's purse 10k for every faction except yours, or am I missing something?

[TevashSzat]

If you do that though, you are gonna need to edit the game files every time you wish to play a different faction in campaigns

[gardibolt]

If you give the AI that much cash, don't their generals start to get terrible characteristics? Or do those things only apply to the player?

[Empirate]

Great. His Hatness called a crusade to Mongol-owned Antioch. My Hungarians had been sitting idle for much of the game so far, as I wanted to take it slow and let the AI do some developping first. Now I thought "this is an opportunity to see how tough those Mongols really are". Of course, they were tough, but I was tougher... although I was aided by a Sicilian crusader army in the decisive battle. It was awesome: My full stack plus a Sicilian full stack against two Mongol full stacks - it was slaughter beyond belief (largest unit size setting!).
Anyway, I took Antioch with my King, who had been the leader of my crusade army (wanted to RP it historically there). He had had like six chivalry, so I had no prob controlling the city with his army still around 700 strong. Well, until the next turn, that is. A puny level-three assassin toasted my King, and Antioch went into unrest immediately!
I have managed to hold onto it, but only barely. Unrest is a constant problem, I was lucky I can hold races in Antioch (structure was captured from the Mongols). The Mongols have sieged me twice in the meantime, but the second time, I killed/routed a very large army of theirs, plus reinforcements, in a sally - cannon towers did a great job there. Still, there have been tough moments. Twice I had to withdraw sallying forces into the city, and the Mongols brought a few troops through the gates. Halberdiers posted immediately behind the gate took care of them, though. I won a resounding victory, and for the six turns since then the Mongols have left me alone. I have brought the Pope to declare another crusade - to Jerusalem this time, which is also Mongol - and one full stack of eager Hungarian crusaders is already close to Antioch.
Lessons learned: Bring more than one stack in the first place. Play the Hungarians or some other faction close to the holy lands. Bring a few spies and assassins to take care of enemy agents. Bring a few cardinals to quickly convert the populace. And take at least one more settlement close by - gives you so much more leeway!

[Grifman]

But after i gave it to the pope i still need to take a while to get my general back to my homeland [France]. Usually i will send my fleets to escort him back, since i always send my faction heir on crusade to gain chivalry and cant take the risk of losing him on the sea.

Geez, if you're not going to keep the city, and don't want to take the time to get your general back, then the solution is simple - don't go on a crusade! You can't have everything in this world. Make your choices and then quit complaining about the results. Geez . . .

[Von Nanega]

I went on a crusade to the Holy Land. Got there, but the french had taken Antioch. I then marched my faction hier all the way back to England. Only rode a boat around Constantinople. That was one of the most enjoyable adventures I have ever had with a general. Bandit ambushes. Enemies attacking just cause I was marching through their lands. Couple of seiges just to sack for cash to pay for the mercenary army he had. He did not win a crusade but he became Prince Paul the Merciless all on the trip home. I will take that kind of game any day.