Thoughts on Forts

**Henry707** · 12-11-2007, 09:29

Good Morning All,

Time to confess - I love forts - sometimes they are much maligned as death traps when under siege but we all know in the right location they can be live savers. For example, does anyone else build a whole range around the top of the Italian pennisula, blocking mountain passes, keeping Venice safe & enabling you to keep garrisons to a minimum.

Basically, forts rock!

However, would I be right in saying that when you leave a fort on a peaceful border with a tiny garrison - it seems to act as a 'tempter' for the AI which just steams in as it is somehow deemed a vulnerable point?

Anyway, be interested to see how people use forts....

Henri

**DVX BELLORVM** · 12-11-2007, 11:00

I admit that I also like forts

. Not as a means of defense, but as a sort of a early warning system in combination with the watchtowers. When placed on a strategical points like mountain passes, bridges etc, they give me enough time to prepare when the enemy invades.

Also when I'm in the offensive, I build fort(s) in the enemy territory to serve as a gathering point for my reinforcements.

The third use is to prevent an army to rebel, if I decide to leave it without a general for some reason.

Once in my Turkish campaign, the forts definitely saved Antioch form falling into the Timurid hands. I built a ring of forts on a choke points around Antioch to slow down the crusaders. The Timurids invaded from Bagdad, heading towards the Antioch. After a few fierce battles, my forces were almost wiped out. The Timurids proceeded to Antioch, but for some reason didn't attack any fort. They were just going around my defense ring, as if they were trying to find a gap in it. By the time they finally assaulted one of the forts, I managed to assemble my armies and crush them.

As for the forts being a "tempter for the AI", I haven't really noticed it. maybe you're right, and I just didn't pay attention to such AI behavior.

**Vladimir** · 12-11-2007, 16:16

In addition I like to use them to block roads thus forcing the AI to either siege them first or waste movement points by going around. It's good to place them one tile inside so they're in your territory when they siege it or hit the ZOC. They're very useful for resupply purposes as well. If your border is two or three turns away from a dedicated troop producer, build a series of one turn forts. I really prefer the cheap, wooden ones.

**Rhyfelwyr** · 12-11-2007, 17:42

I've plugged the Alps with Forts since RTW. The allow me to gather a militia army from Milan/Genoa/Bologna/Venice, which by about Turn 50 can raise at least a 3/4 stack to resist the enemy and protect those valuable cities, often my economic heartland. Also useful between Spain/France, and in parts of the Holy Land. Don't really have any purpose in the larger, flatter regions such as the steppes and north Africa though, except maybe at some river crossings.

**Robespierre** · 12-11-2007, 20:03

i love a good fort, but they ain't cheap. as crusade turk i have built them as stage-posts from Mosul to the West toward Antioch and South toward Baghdad. unled troops don't seem to go rebel in a fort, is this your experience too?
again, playing France in grand campaign, holding out vs. the Danes and HRE, it really helped having a fort on each northern Rhine crossing so both could be held by a single stack at Antwerpen.

what about free upkeep thing from Britannia kingdoms, it would be cool if you could get 2 free upkeep units for the first i or 2 forts in a province.