I've no idea who to play as, may I request some advice!

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Hi guys,
The situation is that I'm a little stuck, my Aragon campaign in XL Medium difficulty, concluded in defeat in the year 1453 to my disappointment, my faction was not superior enough to beat the almighty English empire in size/wealth or technology. I really wish I'd teched up those citied more rather than bribing Cuman armies for 45,000 florins at a time - a price which I really could not afford, my treasury was only 167,000 at it's hight.

Anyhow, may I ask you fellows to recommend me a faction and a difficulty level in XL. I'm still a little bit of newbie to classical Total Warfare, yet I would like to try and overcome a really strategically weak faction to build up another glorious empire, something which I have only ever managed to do once as the Aragonese in my previous campaign, my first successful campaign yet - I am hopeless at this game!

Thankyou very much guys, cheers!

[UltraWar]

Early Poland in Medium (XL)

[Maloncanth]

Hmmm, try Early Sweden, Norway or Lithuania at Normal or Denmark or Novgorods on Hard. Those should give you a similar game with a different perspective maybe.

[Vladimir]

Spain, always Spain.

[General Dazza]

If you're looking for a strategically weak faction, try HRE - any period, any difficulty (but definitely XL).

If you want to not be under attack from the get go, I found the English a good faction from which to build. Try early on medium.

Hi guys,
I really wish I'd teched up those citied more rather than bribing Cuman armies for 45,000 florins at a time - a price which I really could not afford, my treasury was only 167,000 at it's hight.

167,000! I know I've seen people with much more than that, but this could explain why you didn't have the army superiority. I've never had more than about 30,000, as I am constantly either upgrading provinces or building armies. But then, I haven't played GA yet, and I also don't bribe as a personal rule, so haven't needed all that moola. Also, I have't played as Italians or one of those factions for whom wealth is quite easy.

[jadast]

I have always found the Turks to be difficult. Tough neighbors, very disloyal generals.

[Maloncanth]

I've never had more than about 30,000, as I am constantly either upgrading provinces or building armies. But then, I haven't played GA yet, and I also don't bribe as a personal rule, so haven't needed all that moola. Also, I have't played as Italians or one of those factions for whom wealth is quite easy.

If you can spend it all, then obviously you aren't making enough!!

That an it's much more difficult making money in XL. I don't normally even bother trading in XL, it makes basically so little money that it's not part of the game.

Anyhow, Omanes, if you're into bribery, try assassinating the khan and his son the moment he spawns by taking Khazar and building a tavern there early. Wait until the horde spreads out though, as inevitably some of your bribery attempts will fail and you'll waste a lot of money bribing armies that die to unbribeable rebels if they're all in a group. Horde units are basically like Cuman units but rebel stacks usually start at around 6,000 florins. I've built a Silver Horde that way by powering with Sicily. It's much harder to do in XL but should still be within the price range if you really dedicate yourself to moneying.

[Martok]

Spain, always Spain.

Ah, a man with taste & intelligence similar to my own.

Of course, given that you've already played as Aragon Omanes, then I doubt you'll want to play another Catholic Iberian faction so soon.

So with that in mind, I would recommend either the Danes or possibly the Norwegians for your next choice. (The Danes can crusade in XL, by the way; the Norwegians cannot.) Once you've conquered the other Scandanavian kingdoms to establish a solid base, you can really pursue a variety of different strategies (or some combination thereof). Also, since they both have a good selection of superb Viking infantry to choose from -- and don't forget that those good old vanilla Vikings can be trained in Norway for a +1 valour bonus -- both the Danes and Norwegians are well-suited for expansion in the Early period. Drawbacks: You have to start expanding almost immediately, or you'll likely go bankrupt within a decade. Also, there's little variety for cavalry and missile units, and what ones you *do* have are pretty weak -- your main strength is in infantry.

If you wanted to try a Muslim faction, I always recommend the Fatamids/Egyptians -- they're my second favorite faction after the Spanish/Castille-Leon. With rich lands and a varied unit roster, an Eggie player can do pretty much whatever s/he wants to! Also, you don't have to worry about excommunication. Drawbacks: Most Muslim units trade speed for power, so they're tricker to manage properly when in battle -- there's not as much slogging and straight-on fighting as there would be with a Catholic unit roster. Also, be prepared to crush the infedel a lot, as you'll probably see numerous Crusades come your way.

The Byzantines are probably my 3rd favorite faction overall. They start with good lands, an interesting strategic position with lots of opportunites on all sides, and one of the biggest unit rosters in the game. (Gotta love Katanks and the Varangian Guard!) Also (again), you don't have to worry about the Pope. Drawbacks: For a numer of reasons, I've always recommended that newcomers to MTW stay away from the Byz until they feel fairly comfortable with the game. What it boils down to is that there's just so much....stuff to keep track of in a Byzantine campaign, that it can be overwhelming at times.

For one thing, the Empire is *big*. Only the Germans start with as many provinces as the Byzantines, and it can be a chore for newer players trying to manage all that land right away. Also, the Empire's location can be as much of a problem as it is a boone -- you're quite literally in the middle of everything, which means that you often get *involved* in the middle of everything as well (whether you want to or not!). You're an Orthodox Christian nation situation between the Catholic, Islamic, & pagan worlds; and you'll likely face both Crusades and Jihads....or at the very least, have to decide whether or not to let them through your lands. Finally, your capital serves as the major trading & transportation node for three continents, which can bring in enormous wealth. This fact alone will make you the target -- at some point, anyway -- of just about every faction that can get its grubby paws on you! A Byzantine Empreror that isn't fending off at least three enemies at a time, probably isn't breathing anymore. Oh, and one final drawback: The Imperial army is sadly lacking in a decent anti-cavalry unit like Seargents or Pikemen, so your only real counter to enemy heavy horse is your own heavy cavalry (such as Katanks and PA).

For all that, though, playing as the Byzantines is great fun. You're basically at the center of the Western world (at least in that time period), so you're where "all the action is". I would say that with the possible exception of the HRE, no faction offers greater strategic possibilities than the Byz.

[Noir]

Mod Used: Wes Whitaker's MedMod IV: paths to glory - Noir's early era special home mini-mod.

Favorite factions:
French:
Commanding position with rich lands at your posession or nearby - crusader roster available in the holy land - the best heavy cavalry in the game - Challenges: help the Iberians beat the Moors/send the English pack/bring the HRE to its knees/teach the Italians a lesson/conquer Jerusalem/conquer Constantinople.

Almohads:
increadibly adaptable roster that can fight well in the desert as well as in hills/plains. Easily defended homelands deep in the desert.
Challenges: help the Almoravids survive the Christian blitz/show the Almoravids and petty northern "kingdoms" of the Iberian their place/teach the Fatimids the meaning of the word chivalrous/annex Sicily to your controlling lands (Normans? who are those Normans?).

Byzantium:
Proffesional (but expensive) troops with endless adaptability in terrains and enemy rosters. Commanding position at the crossroads of the world.
Challenges: restore the empire matching the achievements of the Komnenian dynasty/show to the Franks whose the "true" Roman Emperor and reconcile with the Pope/retake the holy land from the Arabs/send the Turks once and for all back to the depths of the steppes/spread the message of the one and only true Orthodox christian church deep into the pagans of the North-East.

Genoese:
Heavy Infantry second to none blends with supporting light cavalry, eventually developing into one of the first "pike and musket" armies in the world.
Challenges: maintain your independence by keeping in control of the west med trade routes and defend your hard fought colonies against muslims-fellow traders-major centralised powers/gain the supremacy in the Northern Italian homelands/expand overseas in the Atlantic Coast and the eastern Med by honouring a close relationship with the Eastern Emperor.

Noir

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Thanks guys, for all your useful advice!