Sir Walter's fantastic invaluable strategic and military tips - guaranteed to keep your steel totally free of stains! (You saw it here first!)

[xxmaelstrom]

So auto-resolve when the battle is in your favor always?

Also, I have an interesting side-note that maybe you could put in here. It's something I've noticed while playing as the catholic factions. Idk if this is in another guide, but if you take a priest within the first few turns and send it to a non-catholic nation, your favor with the pope will increase greatly within a few turns, along with your pope's piety increasing, thus bumping him up the list of cardinals.

[Ichon]

So auto-resolve when the battle is in your favor always?

Also, I have an interesting side-note that maybe you could put in here. It's something I've noticed while playing as the catholic factions. Idk if this is in another guide, but if you take a priest within the first few turns and send it to a non-catholic nation, your favor with the pope will increase greatly within a few turns, along with your pope's piety increasing, thus bumping him up the list of cardinals.

I would only auto-resolve when battle is massively in your favor... like the AI left only 1 or 2 units as a garrison in a city or vs rebels when you have no general leading your own forces and aren't looking for man of the hour promotion.

As for the priests... not sure I've noticed that. You do get papal favor for building churches and training priests as well as converting heathens so it might just be taking a new priest and using him to convert heathens gave you enough favor for a level up.

As for cardinals... it is quite difficult to get more than 1 or 2 cardinals without converting heathens or killing lots of witches/heretics so you are right there.

[Ichon]

Would be curious to know how much unrest the spies were generating with all three, compared to just one.

What difficulty were you playing at? Not sure if that'd make a difference.

Perhaps multiple spies do infact have a culmulative effect (perhaps each additional one contributes a smaller percentage.

My gfs birthday tomorrow so... stuck at her place and unable to test until Monday.

I think the Genoa campaign was H-VH, might have been VH-VH... one or the other for sure as that is only what I every play at. Usually I do VH-VH with larger factions where it actually increases difficulty earlier. With small factions VH campaign and the extra stacks I actually think make it easier to expand quickly.

[xxmaelstrom]

My gfs birthday tomorrow so... stuck at her place and unable to test until Monday.

I think the Genoa campaign was H-VH, might have been VH-VH... one or the other for sure as that is only what I every play at. Usually I do VH-VH with larger factions where it actually increases difficulty earlier. With small factions VH campaign and the extra stacks I actually think make it easier to expand quickly.

So VH/VH as a smaller faction does make it easier?

[Sir Walter]

When I said that I meant auto-resolve sieges in your favour but not ones against you (or you'll simply never win) but always fight normal battles because otherwise your generals end up severely wounded and more of yours die...

[xxmaelstrom]

When I said that I meant auto-resolve sieges in your favour but not ones against you (or you'll simply never win) but always fight normal battles because otherwise your generals end up severely wounded and more of yours die...

That's what you should put in the guide then

[Sir Walter]

That's what you should put in the guide then

That's what I meant to ...

Edit: Wait, that is what I put...

[Ichon]

So VH/VH as a smaller faction does make it easier?

In my experience it does make it easier, the AI has more stacks and is more aggressive but that often means the AI will go into wars earlier against each other as well and distract many of the big stacks. More battles means more ransoms and experience for your small faction so it is easier to expand. When you start out large that makes it more difficult to always have a general where you need him etc but as a small faction its the opposite, often fighting captain led armies which are easier to defeat and being able to get ransoms for defeated enemies which when you are small add up to much more money than when you are a large faction relatively.

[xxmaelstrom]

That's what I meant to ...

Edit: Wait, that is what I put...

It wasn't necessarily those words lol. Great guide though.

[xxmaelstrom]

In my experience it does make it easier, the AI has more stacks and is more aggressive but that often means the AI will go into wars earlier against each other as well and distract many of the big stacks. More battles means more ransoms and experience for your small faction so it is easier to expand. When you start out large that makes it more difficult to always have a general where you need him etc but as a small faction its the opposite, often fighting captain led armies which are easier to defeat and being able to get ransoms for defeated enemies which when you are small add up to much more money than when you are a large faction relatively.

I'll have to try it as a smaller faction, see what happens. Maybe as the Teutonic Order or Denmark or Ireland.

[Sir Walter]

I'll have to try it as a smaller faction, see what happens. Maybe as the Teutonic Order or Denmark or Ireland.

Denmark and Teutonic Order start small but are likely to expand rapidly when played by the human. Ireland and Scotland, less so.

[Sir Walter]

New tip: Scouts

[Sir Walter]

New tip: Vassals.

[Remonster6x]

What about a topic on keeping in good relations with the pope? I always use the spy/catapults to take a catholic city in 1 turn before the pope ask me to cease hostilities. I just recently went from poor to perfect relations with the pope when recruiting massive amounts of priests to send with my crusading army.

[Vespasian92]

III.iii - Authority. As far as I know, having a high-Authority King helps you in some way. (I haven't a clue how though ).

High authority improved your reputation, especially if its a high authority and high chivalry king. Leading in battle, it improves your men's morale. In battle, it can almost work like a second chivalry bar, giving more morale boosts in the same way that high chivalry does. Keeps the people happy, your cities loyal, and your generals loyal.

[Sir Walter]

What about a topic on keeping in good relations with the pope? I always use the spy/catapults to take a catholic city in 1 turn before the pope ask me to cease hostilities. I just recently went from poor to perfect relations with the pope when recruiting massive amounts of priests to send with my crusading army.

That's largely included in Avoiding a Crusade really, because imo that's the only reason to keep in good relations with the Pope. Other than not letting him incite Catholics against you, but that usually comes with a Crusade.

High authority improved your reputation, especially if its a high authority and high chivalry king. Leading in battle, it improves your men's morale. In battle, it can almost work like a second chivalry bar, giving more morale boosts in the same way that high chivalry does. Keeps the people happy, your cities loyal, and your generals loyal.

Oooh, wow. That's quite a lot. I'll quote that in the thing if you don't mind

[Lord Lancelot]

Good +Rep.

[Sir Walter]

Good +Rep.

Cheers

[Kaledon]

To Remonster6x. To keep good relations with the pope and avoid worrying about his ceasefire missions, just send him money. If you're having difficulty getting him to accept it, just give him 1000 for 10 turns. If you find that too easy(It's really easy. Greedy little pope.), you can always do things such as creating cathedrals and huge cathedrals, converting settlements to christianity, getting cardinals elected, assassinating him and replacing him with a pope that likes you better, befriending his allies. As a last resort you could try obeying his orders. BWAHAHA. I jest. That is crazy talk.

[axnsan]

Authority DOES NOT affect reputation
Chivalry/dread of ANY general DOES NOT affect reputation
Relations with other factions DO NOT affect reputation
Successful assassinations DO NOT affect reputation.

So yeah, you should go easier with the assumptions.