Anybody had success with Portugal

[flashmax]

Hello folks

I love playing the smaller factions, so I started a campaign on VH/H with Portugal.

First I made alliance with Moors, Spain and France. I beat the spaniards and french and took the village "Zaragossa".

The pope told me to take "Bordeaux" castle within x amount of turns. So I created a small army and marched towards Bordeaux. I noticed right away that the french where already powerful with 1 full stack army walking around.

Then after I layed siege to Bordeoux, the Moors backstabbed me and sieged Lisbon.

I managed to kill the Moors at the walls of Lisbon and drive them back. I also build a spy and assasin to destroy any building possible and slow the advance of the moors.

Now I take Bordeaux and the french sending an army and lay siege to Zaragossa. I hastely muster a few troops from Pamplona Castle and sent the french packing homewards.

Now the pope asked for a crusade against Toulouse and I build my best units (light infantry, Javelins, Bodyguards) and lay siege to Toulouse, all of sudden the full stack french army attacks my crusading army. I barely win the fight but cant continue the siege due to heavy loses. So I go back to Zaragossa to re-equip my army, when I see the Milanese crusader army take toulouse.

Spain is now laying siege against Pamplona Castle and Zaragossa township.

I repel them both but my treasury looks very sad. I am fighting multiple fronts and dont make enough income to sustain such a war.

The french blocking my ports, I am fighting the spanish and beat them back and as it may look like I get the upper had against spain, here comes a full stack milanes troops with (Feudal and Chivalic Knights).

At that moment I knew, that this campaign was lost.

I am trying it again with portugal since it was such a blast playing them with such a challenge.

This time however I will attack spain right away and sent merchants to africa for those nice gold and ivory trades.

Once I take that 1 city of spain I should be in the driver seat and finish them off (fast I hope). Then I attack the moors. I hope with spies and assasin to delay the moors advance right from the start as well.

Once Iberia is all in Portugese hands, I should be able to handle any french, milanes or whatever invasion.
Anybody else played the Portugese? Their a blast to play .

[Veritas]

Definetly agree with you there, they are one of my favorite factions. Especially later on they get some great units. The Aventuros are just about the best pike unit, the Portugese Knights both mounted and unmounted are great. They really don't have any huge weaknesses. When you get to the gunpowder age, forget it... The Portugese gunpowder units are awesome, and they have the absolute best ship in game. Also if you get to the new world you can recruit the Conquistadors (way powerful unit). They have a hard start, but if you can get them going they are bad ass!

[the_mango55]

Definetly agree with you there, they are one of my favorite factions. Especially later on they get some great units. The Aventuros are just about the best pike unit, the Portugese Knights both mounted and unmounted are great. They really don't have any huge weaknesses. When you get to the gunpowder age, forget it... The Portugese gunpowder units are awesome, and they have the absolute best ship in game. Also if you get to the new world you can recruit the Conquistadors (way powerful unit). They have a hard start, but if you can get them going they are bad ass!

Yeah I agree here, once you start pumping out Aventuros, Portuguese arquebusiers, Portugese knights, and Sword milita (some of the best militia in the game) your armies will be all but unstoppable!

[CynicalMagician]

I just played a long portugal campaign. In my experience seizing all of the Iberian area as fast as possible is absolutely essential. Ignore any mission that tells you to leave the area and focus on sewing up your part of the world first. After the moors are kicked out of Iberia and Spain is eliminated there will be plenty of time for papal appeasement.

Also I found the Portuguese were the only faction where it doesn't make sense to go for rebel cities first. During the first 4 or 5 turns of the game, Toledo and Cordoba are far richer targets that aren't that well defended compared to Zaragosa and Valencia. You ~have~ to knock out the Moors and Spain early before they get going or else you'll be in for a long slog.

Once you've cleared out the peninsula you're in great shape. The whole region can be blocked off with 4 forts in the pyrennees mountains and the land bridge to africa can easily be held against the moors. To make border control even easier, take Bordeaux and Tolouse and give them to the pope. Since you'll likely have gotten into trouble from taking out Spain, this will really help you get back into the Pope's good books. This will also set up a nice popewall between you and any other European faction that gets greedy.

In my game after I set up the popewall no one ever attacked my homeland again, so I was free to crusade, take the mediterranean islands and africa, and eventually go to the new world.

The key thing is though you have to secure Iberia as fast as possible. If you work hard and abuse mercenaries you can probably kill the Spanish and push the Moors out of Iberia within 12 turns. Once you've done that, you're in good shape to do whatever you want.

[Morakis]

I had a cool game with Spain, very smilar to your with the Portugese. While I took the rebel settlements in Iberia, Portugal conquered the Moors and southern France, and ended up being much stronger than me, surrounding my lands.
I took a very hard fought and long war to crush them, and they only reason I won, was because I had superior knights. (Upgraded, experienced Chivalric and Santiago knights)

Once I had Iberia, I transformed my army into a more modern force of Pikemen, shooters, swordsmen and cannons, as well as a few knights, and easily conquered southern France and northern Italy.

[Veritas]

Yeah, both Spain and Portugal are very good factions to play. Have to say though I just like Portugal better. Don't know why for sure, but I definetly love their unit roster for one thing.

[flashmax]

Update on my second campaign as the Portugese.

This time I attacked the spanish city to the north around turn 3-4 and I took the city. The spanish turned their 1 stack army around (was going to Valencia) and sent it towards the city. In the mean time I destroyed 1/2 stack spanish cavalary army that was close to the city and then prepared a spear army with 2 Bodyguards cavalary and intercepted the spanish army and a the ensuing battle I beat them easyilly with my spear units.

In a few turns I layed siege on toledo and Spain was eliminated very soon. The french still attacked me but I beat them back and for the last few turns the french have not sent any army inot my lands.

The moors trying to lay siege to Lisbon, I intercepted that army and destroyed it. My spies and assassin are busy in demolishing buildings in 1 of the moors main city province, plus my cardinal and priest ahve converted the population to 50% christianity.

Since the spanish have been annihilated and the french are scared to come acrose the pyrinaes mountains, my focus is now to eliminate the Moors from the Iberian peninsula.

Portugal is now in a very strong position and has some time to develop the infra structure. I am making about 4k florins per turn.

[ghyslyn]

im playing a french campaign and it ressembles yours, council of nobles wanted me to attack zarabossa, which i never did, but later on after Toulouse was crusaded(i succesfully defended against portugal, HRE, denmark, poland and Venice) i invaded portugal EASILY with one half stack army(after i retook bordeaux from them), portugal is the easiest enemy for france i swear, theyre nothing but missile troops, and france is all heavy cav

[Veritas]

The AI doesn't do well with Portugal. If there was a way to play Multi in the campaign map, I'd like to see you try those heavy cav charges against me as Portugal. You would face armies of Pavise Xbowmen guarded by Aventuros. BRING IT ON!

When you play the Portuguese yourself you will see that defeating French armies isn't that hard. It's due to the AI, not to their unit roster.

[ghyslyn]

what are aventuros? ive yet to face any of those, although im barely at war with portugal, im completely concentrated on denmark and HRE and venice right now, theyre invading me bigtime(slowly, but hard)

[(insert clever name here)]

Yea I had a heartbreaking campaign with the Portugese. I plan to play them again in the far future. I quickly wiped out the Moors in Iberia due to them just not building units to defend themselves there. Then I made the mistake of Taking Zaragose and Valencia . This gave time for Spain to build up. They only have two provinnces but somehow they were able to support 3 or 4 stacks of guys, which I thought was ridiculous. I tried to build up two armies and send one to take Leon while I drew all their units away from it by besigin toledo. This almost worked except as soon as my genereal was ordered to attack Leon, he revolted. This was by far my best army. I was hoping to quickly sack Leon and Toledo and eliminate Spain as a faction before I had to fight all three stacks of their guys. Once my best general and his army revolted, they attacked Lisbon and sacked it. Then Just as I took over Toledo, the French came to Spain's aid and sent 3 full stacks to wipe out Zaragosa and Pamplona. The Spanish, left with two stacks after me beating them out of Toledo, went and took both Cordoba, and Grenada with France's help. I then quit, and nearly destroyed my computer in Anger. I don't even know how that general got that disloyal. I wish there were ways to actually increase their loyalty, that's why I loved the titles system.

[Veritas]

They are about the best pike unit in game. They are a later unit though so you may need to get pretty far in before you start encountering them. I've never played a game where I fought the Portuguese in late game so I've never seen them either. When I play in the Iberian region I'm always Portugal or I elimanate them early...

[Manji]

Eh, it's strange to see Portugal depicted as a "good" nation to play in a game. Right on!
Anyway, yes, pretty much in terms of units they are very good, once the Peninsula is secure (Moors and Spain wiped out) taking France isn't very hard, though I think a better strategy is t completely wipeout the Moors in Northern Africa and then proceed to take on France or advance towards Sicily.