Byz late era tactics

[Mark Stoooart]

Hi guys,

Just wondering, is it worth selling Trezibond to the Turks for a ceasire on H/H and focus on winning Greece back?

Is there a set number of turns where the AI won't attack as part of a ceasefire?

In my current campaign I'm fighting in Ispatra, Sinope, Trezibond, Ragusa, Constantinople, Niceia, and Irlakon (*spelling!) so I'm a bit stretched.

Or if anyone had other suggestions please let me know

[freakkriek]

I've been playing a H/H campaign as the byzzies in late with BYGV and this is the tactic I used.

I start by destroying. everything in trebizond, then open diplomacy, first ask (trade+alliance) after they accept, sell trebizong for 10.000 florins and don't forget to ask for military acces otherwise you'll get a bad relation bonus while bringing your troops from Trebizon to Nicea (and you'll need them).

Then i disband all fleets and recruit in Arta just one unit. Take all the units present in the Western settlements except one general in Durazzo and one unit in arta. With that you have to take Scopia. In the mean time, make diplomats for trade rights and if you want merchants. You start with one merchant, and if from the start you move to the gold ressource in Hungary you'll have it and get a 1000 florins each turn extra.

You start with 2 spies use them both each turn to enter a settlement to raise there level. Take your heir and move it to Canakhale and take all but one armies with him from smyrna. Meanwhile be sure to have an alliance with Hungary if your lucky you can mary your princes with him. Then after i reckon 8-10 turns the rebels will leave adrianople and constantinople. move your faction leader withh all his troops to the hellespont but still on your territory, with your heir move him already on the land of adrianople but in the woods just south of it. END TURN: this is the most important turn, by now booth spies should be in one city and have around 80% chance of opening the gates and the rebel army will have some units in adrianople and constantinople but the main army will stand next to the city. Engage the city with spies in, gates have to be opened and play on battle map, rush to centre hold it and the big rebel army next to the city will be dead too. move the spies to the other city get there a 80% openings chance too and do the same. While using this you'll have scopia, Constantinople and Adrianople in almost 10 turns. now build up and army and try to use the same tactic on the other rebel cities in greece. And wait for the Sicilian invasion in Coritnh or Durazzo.

and to answer your question: "yes i've really tried that campaign a lot"
I really consider this the most foolproof plan, using this I've managed to have a flourishing Empire in BYGV with 2 full stack armies and a Blossoming economy. And even in the normal game once you have Constantinople the money will flow back in, just don't forget to put it as soon as you have it as a Capital

hope this helps

[Mark Stoooart]

Cheers for the reply.

Do u know how long the Turks will honour a ceasefire? Like, is the script programmed to ensure 10 turns of peace?

My plan is to sell trezibond, attack the Croatian fortress that Venice holds with the western armies, and march on Constantinople with my eastern armies - while taking the southern islands will a small army.

Then work my way south from Constantinople, taking adrianople, thesalonila, Athens, Corinth, then eventually scopia if Venice agrees a ceasefire (good chance if I take 3 settlements off them). Once Greece and the surrounding lands are safe, march on Sinope, Isparta, and Trezibond at once...while also taking Cyprus.


It's all highly dependant on this Turkish ceasefire tho!

[Duck of Death]

I usually start the ERE pretty much the same as Freak described.

In the first 10ish turns....
Sell Trebizond to Turkey for gold and trade rights... no alliance though... (cant stomach a friendship with them

As long as I dont intimidate them, they wont usually attack me for 15-20 turns (as they turn thier sights toward Crusader states).

Take most units (and both Generals) from Durazzo and Arta and send them to attack Iraklion and Rhodes.

Leave just enough troops on those two islands to avoid revolt (since noone else will be attacking them for awhile).

Combine these two armies to take either Athens or Sparta (one of which will be almost empty by now).

In the mean time, use diplomacy to ally with Hungary and then sell Durazzo to Venice in exchange for trade and peace.

As he said above, the rebels will likely move out of Constantinople and Adrianople after a few turns and your eastern army can take them easy, if theyre careful. With your north secure you can use these same troops to then roll over Thessaly and help out with southern Greece if neccesary.

Now youve got (almost) all of Greece and you surround the Aegean Sea... youre at peace with the North (Hungary) and will likely have a few turns to get enough troops in order to form an eastern and western front for when the Italians and Turks decide theyve tolerated you long enough hehe.

From here Ill usually play defensive until I can build up at least 1 "proper" Army stack, at which time Ill either take back Durazzo (if Venice has broken the peace) or pre-emptively take SE Italy.

[freakkriek]

1) Do u know how long the Turks will honour a ceasefire? Like, is the script programmed to ensure 10 turns of peace?

2) My plan is to sell trezibond, attack the Croatian fortress that Venice holds with the western armies, and march on Constantinople with my eastern armies - while taking the southern islands will a small army.

Then work my way south from Constantinople, taking adrianople, thesalonila, Athens, Corinth, then eventually scopia if Venice agrees a ceasefire (good chance if I take 3 settlements off them). Once Greece and the surrounding lands are safe, march on Sinope, Isparta, and Trezibond at once...while also taking Cyprus.

1) It depends on the Middle East situation, if the Crusaders can hang out a while, that the first Jihad is to Jerusalem, then you are pretty safe. You can guess about... 40 turns of peace with the Turks at least ;-)

2) Let me know how it ended since Venice starts with some units on Crete and Rhodes and if you enter a war with them quickly you mind end up regretting it, but good look I never tried it, i preferred an alliance and Scopia because if you wait to long Hungary takes it.

[Ichon]

There is no guarantees with ceasefire. Sometimes it will last 50 turns but then I've also had AI take 1 or 2 turns later. It helps if you do tribute but that isn't total protection either.

[recentiy03]

The strategies in this thread are funny to me because they're pretty much the opposite of what I did.

I'm playing late-era, VH/VH with BGRIV and I'm literally at war with everyone but the Egyptians.

At one point I controlled Thesalonica, Constantinople, and all of the Greek islands, but they're since been lost because of a Jihad (Constantinople...I actually sold it to the Danes before the Egyptians took it from them, treachery (Lithuania betrayed our alliance and sacked Thesalonica a few turns after I had sold them Scopia) and Egypt sent ships to take all of the Greek islands, which were miniminally defended.

Not sure if it is because I'm playing VH or what, but I laughed when I saw someone said the AI won't send armies to take back the islands...they did in my campaign at least.

Even so, I have a powerful civilzation because I managed to destroy the Turks with the help of the Mongols and the Egyptians, and my heir went west to temper Venice and take Sicily, Cagliari and Palma before dying in Aragon.

It's hard to see on the map but I've used Scotland, England and Egypt as buffers by selling them land. Of course, it backfired with Lithuana.

Unless you're really struggling it's more fun to just experiement and see what works.

I regret my current situation because my max-dread Vatazis king is about to die without a proper heir, and his mandated campaign of terror made it impossible to have good reputation--I think despicable is as low as it goes--but it was fun getting there.

108 turns and I am still struggling to maintain a footing...at this point war with Egypt would mean game over.

So yeah, I reccomend forging your own path BUT if you're struggling then try to maintain a decent reputation or the Pope will send most of the Catholics after you all game long.

[Paragon]

What the hell happened with France.

[recentiy03]

What the hell happened with France.

France randomly ran out of family members so Aragon and England expanded north and south. I've actually never seen Aragon do this well. Scotland is the richest faction with all of Britain even after I sold them Ragusa. HRE looks menacing but they're so far it doesn't really matter.

[Paragon]

I saw AI Aragon do this good once indeed, in somehow singlehandely ended the Reconquista and was entering Africa in like 30 turns

[Gato The Great]

Thats a Nice Looking HRE you got there

[Faramir D'Andunie]

In my BGRV H/H campaign I pretty much followed what the OP suggests and had won all of the rebel/latin states in some 12 turns and was swimming in cash.

In the VH version tho with the aggressive AI (graccul I think? can't recall which one was it) that tactic had me fail twice. Making peace with anyone was impossible and the debt was increasing rapidly and had Seljuks pushing from the east and Venice making landings. I abandoned and looted most of the western holdings, sold Durazzo to Genoa for an alliance and sent every force available to reclaim Constantinople, since the income was needed badly) and hope the looses were not too severe for at the same time the Seljuks were besieging Nicea.

Curious thing I did not know was that when a rebel city was besieged (and a huge relief army came to its assistance but refused to sally and assault) the army standing after the timer for control of the plaza ran out disbanded/died out. So what was expected to be a hard assault followed by another pitched battle, turned into rush the gates and assault the city plaza

Extremely enjoyable campaign

As for the pic I see, I would be more worried for Mongols than Egypt. Since you share borders you might start seeing them come after you. Perhaps sell trebizont to some Orthodox faction?

edit

Oh and don't expect anyone to keep a ceasfire. Especially if you are in trouble.

[Mark Stoooart]

Right folks a big problem here,

The Turks won't accept a ceasefire and Trezobond (even if I don't destroy the buildings and do not ask for any cash!!!).

[Faramir D'Andunie]

I reccomend taking constantinople and focusing on the Turks. If you really want to reclaim Greece instead just leave a small token force that can fight off any Seljuks incursions in Smyrna or Nicea.

[Paragon]

Thats a Nice Looking HRE you got there

Indeed.

OP make a Western Roman Empire vs Easter Roman Empire. You know you want it.

[Mark Stoooart]

Indeed.

OP make a Western Roman Empire vs Easter Roman Empire. You know you want it.

Pfft, HRE ain't got on the ERE !

Anyway my original game where I never sold trezibond...

I now have Constantinople after a very very very close fight with the crusaders, isparta, sinope, Rhodes, irlakion, plus all original settlements. durazo seems to be under constant siege tho, so will try for Ragusa before Athens etc. Sicily declared war so expecting arta to be attacked soon as well!

I'm starting to make good money but can't recruit anywhere near enough troops!!!

[recentiy03]

[QUOTE=Faramir D'Andunie;11612793]

As for the pic I see, I would be more worried for Mongols than Egypt. Since you share borders you might start seeing them come after you. Perhaps sell trebizont to some Orthodox faction?


Somehow I'm not even at war with the Mongols--yet. I offered them trade a while ago and it has managed to last.

The thing with Egypt is they have Constantinople, Targoviste, Irkalion, Rhodes and Nicosia...so in addition to being the most powerful faction, their trade provides a huge portion of my income.

England, who was previously neutral, just laid siege to Adrianople, so it looks like the Catholics will continue to pour it on.

I would go to war with the ERE just for the sake of making an E-W fight, although it's not possible at the moment given our current nodes.

[Amph]

I do it the other way around. Sell Arta and/or Durazzo for a ceasefire/alliance with Venice and Hungary, then focus on recovering Anatolia and destroying the Turks. Recapture Constantinople when you have an opportunity. Trebizond is a highly useful fortress in a good strategic position.

[Crazy Zebra1998]

If I were you I would attack Turkey and then go down to Israel and take Jerusalem, then make a Defensive line against the Fatimids. Meanwhile in the West take Italy and Hungry so you can annilate the French, Keivan Rus (Ukrainians) and Novgorod and then you have won the game.

[Crazy Zebra1998]

Opps, sorry, error, I double posted.