Unpleasant Crusade Suprise

**Don Esteban** · 05-17-2007, 15:30

I am playing XL as Byzantine and was unpleasantly suprised when a crusade I let through my lands (as it was attacking a particularly large turkish re-emergence)started sucking up my troops! Surely orthodox soldiers won't join a crusade.

Am I imagining it?

Anyone else had this problem and have an idea how to avoid it?

**macsen rufus** · 05-17-2007, 16:11

Yes, I've seen this problem* - they also suck up your cash I believe, and the only way to stop it is to refuse them entry - with all that entails for inter-faith relations in the Christian world

Even so, that's what I usually do on the rare occasions I play the Byz. They soon learn that crusades wither away in Bulgaria, unable to go anywhere

What is your population's religious balance like? Do you have 100% orthodox, or are some of your people Catholics? That may have an influence on what gets hoovered up by the Crusade, as well.

* it wasn't my problem, it was my crusade

and I picked up a few Varangians and Pronoiai along the way

**Don Esteban** · 05-17-2007, 18:01

I have some Catholics in outlying provinces like Switzerland and Venice so that might be involved.

I really didn't want to fight this crusade as I had a relatively weak frontier and really good relations with all the Catholic factions which is allowing me to hoover up the Muslims

Maybe i'd better beef up my garrissons and stop the next one.

Funnily enough I didn't lose any money though which is what I was expecting to happen.

**Martok** · 05-18-2007, 01:20

Yeah, I've seen this phenomenon before. You can lose troops to a Crusade anytime your provinces have a decent amount of zeal, even if you're Orthodox. (I agree this doesn't really make much sense, but such is the mechanics of the game.

)

**General Dazza** · 05-18-2007, 02:00

Do the same as you'd do (or as I do anyway) as if you were a catholic faction - as the crusade approaches a province, move everyone out bar a few urban militias or spearmen and then move them back in once the crusade arroves.

A crusade only sucks up troops when they enter a province, not when they leave.

It's kinda like watching the crusade parting the red sea - everywhere it goes people move aside....

**caravel** · 05-18-2007, 09:13

It can also be due to the catholic percentage in the province. If your province was a somewhat recent acquisition from the catholics it is not the religion of your own troops that determines if they will join a crusade or not, but the catholic and zeal percentages of your province.

**cosminus** · 05-18-2007, 10:09

Playing as Byz in plain MTW, and allowing several crusade to pas through my lands (Bulgaria/Serbia) I lost sometime troops, sometime moneys. I decided to let almost empty the borders provinces, with only one unit but this lead to more money sucking when crusades passes. (looting)
IMHO if you afford to loose money, keep the province less guarded or if you prefer to loose staff from troops, keep full army at the province.
Usually when I'm spotting crusades, I'm withdrawing most of the armies from its probable path and garrison with only single unit that, in case of a war could retreat to the castle waiting for reinforcements to strike back.

**caravel** · 05-18-2007, 10:26

The best policy is to defy them and stop them entering, then fortify Constantinople and let them send their crusades to their deaths. It provides some good training for your men, and who needs allies anyway?

**Don Esteban** · 05-21-2007, 17:51

Originally Posted by Cambyses II

The best policy is to defy them and stop them entering, then fortify Constantinople and let them send their crusades to their deaths. It provides some good training for your men, and who needs allies anyway?

I think this is the way to go from now on. Death to the upstart Catholics

**jadast** · 05-23-2007, 02:53

I agree - just don't let them in.

**seireikhaan** · 05-23-2007, 03:26

And these guys aren't hopping your navy instead? Usually they'll take the quickest route, which, if you've got a good navy going, will be that. Then, when they've found their target in the holy land, surrounded by muslims on all land sides, pull back the naval support so they're stuck there with no safe haven to pull back to. Very fun to do, even if it cuts your trade income a little for a couple rounds.

**Don Esteban** · 05-23-2007, 09:49

Originally Posted by greaterkhaan

And these guys aren't hopping your navy instead? Usually they'll take the quickest route, which, if you've got a good navy going, will be that. Then, when they've found their target in the holy land, surrounded by muslims on all land sides, pull back the naval support so they're stuck there with no safe haven to pull back to. Very fun to do, even if it cuts your trade income a little for a couple rounds.

They did eventually but I only had a port in greece so they had to march through the balkans (which are mine) first. Anyay, eventuallly they arrived and then hung around in Tripoli too scared to attack Syria so in the end did it myself and then once the crusade had wasted down to 250 men they tried to take Syria off me and i slaughtered them - they had a civil war and engand has now been eliminated