Play times ... MTW

[Martok]

I don't think I have Viking Invasion .. unless that is Barbarian Invasion? I got BI with RTW-Gold. Anyway, not a big deal as I can try and pickup / find - Viking Invasion.

If you have MTW Battle Collection, MTW Gold Edition, or MTW Eras Edition, then it automatically includes the Viking Invasion expansion pack.

If you do only have vanilla MTW (that is, the original game minus the VI expansion), then my recommendation would be to pick up a copy of one of the editions I just listed -- they're a lot easier to find than a copy of just Viking Invasion, and they're usually the same price anyway.

If there is something here that all newbies should read before they start playing MTW, then please point me to it.

I second Verrucosus in recommending frogbeastegg's Beginners Guide to Medieval: Total War.

You don't necessarily *need* to look at it -- it's admittedly a somewhat long & dense read -- but you'll likely find it helpful to at least refer to it now and then. It's chock-full of useful information, as well as basic tips for new players.