Question about Crusades

[Irishfarmer]

So far everytime that I have volunteered for a crusade or called for a crusade while I am on the way to the town in question have of my army diserts me. Why?

I have sent armies my land and by sea and they still disert. I keep getting this message that I am not moving fast enough or taking the crusade serious.

[Roman Knight]

They only desert if you aren't moving to the town in question or you aren't taking a direct enough route.

What faction are you and how do you get to your crusade targets?

[Irishfarmer]

They only desert if you aren't moving to the town in question or you aren't taking a direct enough route.

What faction are you and how do you get to your crusade targets?

I am Spain and I was headed south thru Mooris occupied lands. By the time I got a little south of Tunis I started loosing people. By the the time I got to Tripoli I had lost everyone but my two Generals. I was moving the most I could on every turn.

[Roman Knight]

As far as I know the soldiers thought the route was too indirect, or something about piety I haven't encountered affected it.

What mod/patch are you using, someone might have changed the requirements for desertion.:hmmm:

[Irishfarmer]

As far as I know the soldiers thought the route was too indirect, or something about piety I haven't encountered affected it.

What mod/patch are you using, someone might have changed the requirements for desertion.:hmmm:

Vanilla and the onlu patch I have is 1.2

[Roman Knight]

Either change faction, don't go on crusade or find someone more experienced than me

sorry

[Vor]

Take a boat if your Spain. Your problem is your going in a indirect route, at times probably even heading away from the target, so they leave.

[Mithrantir]

If your distance vector (the way your army looks when you finish your turn) is not towards the target city of the crusade, you start to have desertions. This stops the moment you are en route again.

Also even if for even one turn you forgot to move to the full ability you have, you have desertion again (haven't tested if this is ongoing though).

Your problem was that initially to get on Africa you basically backtracked from the desired direction and passed through Gilbartar. That raised the discontent among the troops. Which was raised again by the fact that you were going through infidel land without causing any havoc.

[Metellus]

AFAIK it has nothing to do with piety. If the crusade target is too far away when you start crusading, most of your army is going to desert before you get there. This doesn't happen to AI crusade factions which IMO is utterly ridiculous. In fact desertions are utterly ridiculous and have been debated on this board since the game came out. I suggest you get as close to the crusade target city you can BEFORE actually joining the crusade, that way you will have minimum turns during which desertions could occur. This is particularly the case for factions far from Crusade targets, eg. England. In my England campaign I went on several crusades and the only way it worked was using this method. Otherwise my doughty English king would have landed on the shores of Jerusalem, and Saladin would have laughed and asked him You and WHAT ARMY!?!?!?

[Mithrantir]

In my English campaigns the only times i had desertion was 2.
First when i did the mistake to mass the army in Caen and used ships to circumvent the Iberian peninsula. The desertions stopped when i passed the Gilbratar and started heading towards Jerusalem straight forwardly.

The 2nd time i forgot to move the crusading army once, and after that for every turn i was losing units (only a couple when i was moving at full ability).

I think the safer option are ships either way. It gives a fast pace to the crusade, and if you have planned a good fleet you have no fear basically from pirates or enemies, since the distance they can cover as part of the Crusade exceeds by far the normal distance (thus giving you the opportunity to avoid any unpleasant encounters).

[Vaxholm]

Desertions are lame in the way they are currently implemented. Didn't crusading armies pick up soldiers on the way to their destination? The desertions should occur once the crusade has ended. Why should you be allowed to keep the crusader units?

[loquar]

Yes in MTW I the crusade army gained or lost troops largely due to the level of religious fervour in the provinces that it passed through i believe.

Not sure which way is better tbh as they both have their plusses and minuses

[NobleNick]

I had 2 crusades as England, and both ended with instantaneous and total desertions. But this was only because of an astonishingly coincidental run of bad luck: My first crusade leader (my faction leader) died of old age as the fleet carrying his full stack was leaving the north Aegean and nearing the heel of the boot of Italy. So my NEW faction leader raised a new army and got in the same boats... and died of old age as the fleet rounded the greek penninsula, about a turn's movement away from the very same place the first guy died. Aacckk!

BUT, if my old geezers could of hung in there, I believe my stacks would have made it to Antioch intact, since it was only 4 turns away, and the army was in a fleet of 4 or 5 Holks.

[Kahn]

Geriatrics are not meant for war, it would seem...

[loquar]

I had 2 crusades as England, and both ended with instantaneous and total desertions. But this was only because of an astonishingly coincidental run of bad luck: My first crusade leader (my faction leader) died of old age as the fleet carrying his full stack was leaving the north Aegean and nearing the heel of the boot of Italy. So my NEW faction leader raised a new army and got in the same boats... and died of old age as the fleet rounded the greek penninsula, about a turn's movement away from the very same place the first guy died. Aacckk!

BUT, if my old geezers could of hung in there, I believe my stacks would have made it to Antioch intact, since it was only 4 turns away, and the army was in a fleet of 4 or 5 Holks.

Yeah I had this happen too lol, not fun at all as when my leader died (he joined to avoid excommunication on the 9th turn of a 9 turn mission to join from the pope) there was noone near him to take over the stack. It was probably my best stack in the game at that time and the crusade was successfull the very next turn

[Irishfarmer]

Well the Pope called for another Crusade this time against Jersalem. I got my Prince to join in and first I sent him by sea in 6 ships. My ship got attacked right outside of Algiers by an Egytian ship and I had them out number 130 something to 91. It was a clear defeat for THEM. They BEAT me. WHAT THE H@#$! So much for the Spannish rulling the seas. So, I took my Crusaders to Genoa and decided to start them on the road to Jersalem by land. They started deserting on the very next turn. I just can not win.

[Kahn]

If you're having that much trouble, wait until the last possible turn to join the crusade, and if nobody has conquered the target city by then, they'll conquer it soon. This way you lose the fewest troops and the pope doesn't hate you.

[J@mes]

Your better off sailing to a crusade target, I mean if the men want to desert, what are they going to do jump over board and swim back to land?

[Evolution]

Your better off sailing to a crusade target, I mean if the men want to desert want are they going to do jump over board and swim back to land?

No they just kick you off.




You are paying your army aren't you? i mean your not in debt?

[Mithrantir]

I am under the impression that the crusading army doesn't need any money. They are going "voluntarily" to the crusade.