How is it to play Norway

[King Yngvar]

Playing on late era:
I actually found that the best thing to do after seizing those rebel provinces in Scandinavia is to go on a crusade before taking on Denmark. Stay on good terms with the pope and after a while, request a crusade to the holy land. Yes, I know Vilinus would be the logical target for a Norwegian crusade, but. The best use of crusades is not to take the designated settlement so quickly. Crusading armies are without expenses, they move quicker and can be used to boost your economy better than anything else. As Norway I managed to get the pope to declare a crusade on Cairo. I held the following regions at the time: Norway+ Uppsala, Stockholm and Visby. While Vilnius was not on the target I destroyed the Lithuanian faction en route to the holy land with the crusading army (using a spy with nearly max subterfuge that travelled with the crusading army to open gates). Once through Byzantine lands and into Turkey I made war with Turkey, quickly seizing, sacking, deleting every building and leaving the province for another one. Iconium alone gives you plenty of cash. I then moved on through Turkish lands, destroying everything in my path before moving on towards Turkey. I think I earned the total sum of nearly 150.000 florins on the crusade, decimating the Muslim powers. With the army I had priests, spies and diplomats travelling along. In addition after making my first 25000(ca.) florins when sacking Iconium I offered Denmark 20000 for Skara and they accepted. Later on I bought Helsinki from Novgorod with crusading money, they gave it for as little as 8000. The regions I sacked and ruined I gave away to establish good relationships with big powers across western europe. And of course, I had to help out the Kingdom of Jerusalem as well.

When I finally captured Cairo my total sum of cash was around 100.000 florins, I had let the homeland grow with low tax rates and had built plenty of economic buildings. At the same time, I had a massive army just waiting to enter Denmark.

This was on VH/VH. Crusades is what gives the catholic faction a huge advantage over the others. The only disadvantage is that the catholic factions always have to be careful about attacking their catholic neighbours, because the relationship with the pope is probably the most important one you have in the game.

[Echad]

Well, I thing Jihad gives the same bonuses without any penalties to Muslims. Only Orthodoxes and Pagans have no bonuses. =(

[delra]

Yeah. Taking Vikings to Levant and plundering the whole place is the best you can do. It leaves you with lots of cash which allows your economy to take off. After your cities are stone and have ports and markets, you have more than you can spend. Also don't forget to produce some merchants down there and place them on best spots. They will earn a few thousands before they are killed.

[King Yngvar]

Maybe the "warpath" feature from the americas campaign could be implemented for the pagans at least.

[Echad]

Well, Lithuanians should get some new kick-ass late units from the update to Lithuanian mod, and the option for them to convert to Christianity should do the deal. Dunno what about late era Mongols and Cumans... Warpath for them would be cool.

And what can be done to Orthodoxes? =\ Novgorod has alotta rebels around and is very good on expanding without any enemies, Byzantines got Great Aqueduct and Hagia Sophia Wonders, but what about Kievan Rus'? =\

[delra]

They are strong as they are now. I'd give them some heavy swords and they are complete for me...

[Lamanz]

Orthodox Warpath!!!!!!!!!!!

[ricewine]

This was on VH/VH. Crusades is what gives the catholic faction a huge advantage over the others. The only disadvantage is that the catholic factions always have to be careful about attacking their catholic neighbours, because the relationship with the pope is probably the most important one you have in the game.

Playing catholic factions, i normally placed a diplomat near Rome in order to bribed the papalcy for perfect/outstanding relationship. I can attack any catholic factions all day long with getting excommunicated.

[Selahedīn]

I`m thinking about staring to play SS, seems like a serius mod. So while I wait on my new comp i have decided to play the Norwegian faction (allot of spare time atm).

Is the faction`s unit roster much different from dennmarks? Is the starting position hard or easy and so on.

Well, I'm playing with Norway right now and it's great! I've already destroyed Denmark but I can tell you the two factions are pretty similar.

Their infantry is ridiculously agressive, and so is their cavalry. They are both excellent against armoured opponents. On the other hand, they lack even the most basic kind of spearmen, and that can be a serious problem at times.

In short, it's a great offensive nation.

[Echad]

...And no decent archers. IMHO they should get at least some ranged troops that are good at ranged combat, and not only ranged troops who are good in hand to hand combat, but suck in shooting. =\

[delra]

I guess arrows weren't as effective in all those woods they had there.

[Echad]

Well, just SOME half-decent ones... Do they really have the worst now? =\

[delra]

They are in close competition for worse archers ever with Scotland, Poland and Hungary...

[King Yngvar]

No good cavalry I could understand, Norway had crappy cavalry back then. But this lack of spearmen and archers I fail to understand, both the bow and the spear were well used weapons among the lower classes along with the axe. The sword being reserved mostly for the elite (hirdmenn, huskarler, etc).

[Echad]

Poland and Hungary both have some decent mounted archers... So, all the Northern nations suck in archery now?

[delra]

Norway still has crossbows, don't they? So does Hungary. Poland and Scotland are those who got ******* in this deal. :-)

[Echad]

Oh, but Poland has some horse archer and horse javelin troops, aren't they? =\ So Scots got the worst ones? =(