Ententes, Alliances, Coalitions

[Kip]

Hey guys,

One of the most fulfilling aspects of BC for me is the awesome international interaction. The only time I've ever seen interesting alliance diplomacy was in the Teutonic Campaign, and even then it seemed more of a coincidence than strategic planning from the AI.

Currently in my game the coalitions are as follows: Ghorids (me) + Omanis + Seljuks vs. Khwarazmians + Solankis + Abbassids. Luckily for me, I only have to battle the Solankis, as Khwarazm vassalized the Ghaznavids, creating a "buffer state" of sorts between us. However, after subduing the Rajputs and finishing my pre-emptive war against the Sindh (whom were being swarmed by Rajput diplomats... kind of like an Indian Zimmerman note ), I'm not ruling out an expedition to Samarkand or Baghdad to support my noble allies.

I actually feel like me and my allies are all cooperating for a common good, trying to carve out a region of influence for ourselves, but not at the expense of our allies.

Tell us stories of similar experiences in your game!

[invictus]

Basically as Rome, my most trusted ally was the Turks. Very shocking indeed, but as the game went on they began to expand more and more, so i did the noble thing and killed them. Unfortunately if i tried to wipe them out the game would freeze. Im not sure what would happen, but after the "what to do with the city" pops up and i make my choice, a new army of theirs appears in the city with my army and the game freezes. -Leon

[Ahiga]

I began to see the development of that one good feature of Rome Total war Engine (MTWII too) diplomacy: The coalition, where it basically becomes a world war between two alliance blocs.

As Ghazni, I sought to ally with those who would be fighting my future enemies - Solanki, Seljuks, and Oman. When I began to fight our common enemies, my diplomacy with those guys raised from good to great and even perfect following countless successes.

Like you said, there was an international feeling. Khwarezm would have brutalized me or the Seljuks if we fought them alone, but we divided their interest and diluted their power.

[craziii]

if you choose a side in any current conflict in BC, you will eventually become allies + perfect standing with any faction you are helping out, that is an excellent feature in my opinion.

in my old KOJ campaign, after 5 battles or so, georgians became my allies, they didn't betray me till I won the game.

[Empedocles]

I'm playing on Vh/Vh with the ERE and I have formed a coalition of christians.
I even convinced the armenians to help me finish the turks.
The only problems are:

1ºThe rest of the AI does not battle themselves. No war has erupted between AI factions and i'ts 1189 right now.
2º The georgians keep seizeing my assets and the relations with them are So-So.

regards

[Artannis Wolfrunner]

Currently playing M/H, and the Abbasids and I are the best of friends. We both jointly invaded the Seljuks from both sides many years ago, and ended up splitting the spoils: they took the southern Seljuk cities and I took the northern and northwestern cities; these cities now currently form the border between our factions, and on both sides of the border the cities are lightly garrisoned as neither of us have hostile intentions toward each other.

The Abbasids, who were much more powerful than me at the time, got into a war with Oman. Seeing an opportunity to expand further I decided to help them. We pushed Oman off the mainland and back into Arabia. I invaded the Omani homelands over the water; the Abbasids sent a stack in from the west, and be both helped conquer Oman. We even fought one minor and two large battles together - one where we destroyed the main remaining stack of Omani troops, and the second was a siege against a city with a full stack garrisoned in it. We attacked the city from opposite directions and destroyed them.

Now I've been busy repulsing attacks from the Rajputs and Sindhi in the east, so the wars are taking place too far away to help each other anymore, but I still regularly get map information from them to get updated on the crazy-ass situation in the Holy Land and Georgia, where every faction seems to be at war with each other and lands shift quickly.

Georgia, the other power who sits on my western border also has Perfect relations with me, and the cities along our border with each other are empty as well, aside from the occasional stack or two of Georgian troops leaving their fortress at Tblisi to go north onto the steppe to fight the Kypchaks. But, Georgia and I have never fought in a battle together - I tried to refrain from expanding west, so I don't have to get bogged down in all the crap that gets started by so many factions being in so small an area.

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

On H/VH with the ERE, Armenia, Georgia, and I are all allied...a triple entantes of sorts

Only fought one battle with an ally supporting but it's fun to know that a part of my empire is defended by an ally.

[molonthegreat]

Well currently in my abbassid campiagn have very good relations with 4 factions after attacking the turks during a two front and after that my allies the seljuks joined in and KOJ.

[Kip]

Awesome stories. I love hearing how different coalitions can emerge in different situations.

I wish that I had a common border with one of my allies, so that battles could involve both nations. I'm hoping the Omanis will join my war against the Sindhi, so that we can unite on the battlefield.

[Rodrico Stak]

Playing the Solanki Rajputs in M/M. Early on, I allied with both the Ghorids and the Chauhan Rajputs, to give the Chauhan a chance to expand even with their passive AI (it worked too, they took 4 provinces in northern India). I also allied Oman and Khwarezim. Khwarezim and the Ghorids allied, and teamed up to destroy the Ghazivanids, which they quickly did. Then, Sindh attacked the Ghorids, and the Ghorids and I teamed up on them. I left Sindh with only 1 city (that one with the 2 river crossings next to it controlling access to it), and vassalized them. The war left the Ghorids with Sindh's northern 2 territories, and me with their 2 starting territories, including the fortress. I then blocked off both river crossings with armies so they couldn't escape - I wanted them to help me defend them, not wanting to have to fight them later on.

Then the Ghorids attacked Sindh by blockading their port. The Chauhan Rajputs and I declared war on the Ghorids (I sent a diplomat proposing that they attack the Ghorids after I had attacked them, it cost me a mere 50,000 florins.

The Chauhan and I are currently pushing the Ghorids back into Afghanistan, having won 5 or 6 heroic victories together on the field, severely crippling the Ghorids. Though the Chauhan armies are without exception tier 1 and 2 units for some reason, they are still extremely helpful in battle, and I could not have won some of these fights without them.

[Lewbington]

The only coalition I have experienced so far has been against me

I'm playing as Georgia on H/H, my reputation keeps on sinking lower and lower and I dont know what to do, as this I assume leads to poor trade and ofcourse, leads to every faction around me, allying against me. Still, I am winning the war.

So far its the Sejluks, Kypchaks and Abassids. It started out by me taking a small Sejluk city to my east just so I could build up my empire in one small place, infact the city I aquired was completely ungarrisonned. This has led to constant attacks every single turn from 1182 right up until 1191, these attacks are by full stacks of horse archers on 2 of my castles, one of which borders the Sejluk empire, the of which is actually quite far away from their borders, still, doesnt stop them from raiding it every turn. However, I have now declared a ceasefire with them, if only just to build up my forces and strike out at them when their least suspecting ( And I ask why my reputation is deciteful? ).

The Kypchaks have to be one of the worst enemies, all of my northern settlements which border the kypchak empire are cities, except from Tsbili. Now, I have atleast 2 stacks seiging a city in my empire at any one timem so its quite hard for me to move troops from my castles to these towns properly. This has left my cities to be defended completely by mercanary horse archers who engage the seiging armies, and during the seige, levy spearmen and archers, ouch. The only reason I've managed to hold onto so many is the blessed Meskhitvone archers who can deploy stakes. Well I've taken to a cheasy habbit of deploying the stakes at the gates and letting the ram batter down my gates. It makes for a nice amount of horse archer kills, really. I know, its an awful tactic, but when you have 5 enemies pounding on your gates every turn, its hard not to. Espescially when in such financial dire straits because the merchants dont produce enough florins per turn.

The Abbassids are a new enemy, pouncing upon the small relitively undefended town of Van with a full stack. I prowdly managed to slay half of their force during the seige with my levys, I'm not sure quite how I managed it, but it fealt damn good. However, unfortunatly, when I sent a force of equal size down to reclaim the city, this being a proffesional force by the way, we got completely wiped out ( however we did manage to take them down to 50%, again. )

These factions continue to darken my doors, but thankfully I seem to be winning the war. Just thought I'd share that

[Chuffy]

I started up an ERE 1.5 campaign. Me, Armenia and Georgia are all allied (and have very good relations) and fighting the Turks. The grand Christian Alliance of Asia Minor! I launched a large western invasion in 1194/5, right now I'm seiging three cities including Konya and Ankara. The Georgians have been at war with the Turks for longer and even managed to seize one of their cities in the Caucasus mountains, they're sending punitive attacks into the Turks eastern lands and hopefully they'll pick up the aggressiveness a bit. The Armenians aren't having such a good go at it. They started to attack the Turks but the Crusaders suddenly decided to launch a huge invasion from Edessa and Antioch and right now the Cilicians are occupied with keeping them at bay.

[Kip]

Update on my coalition:

The Abbassids and Khwarazmians are absolutely handing it to the Seljuks, my allies. The war must have taken a very bad turn for them, as within a few turns they have been reduced to half their size (at the time of our alliance). This concerns me greatly, because after the war wiith the Solanki ends, my next enemy will be the Khwarazmians...and as their only other neighbor will be the Abbassids, I have very little hope of forming another alliance.

Perhaps the Mongols will join my coalition once they arrive...

[kasimmorathi]

I always pursue alliances, as the Kypchak, with Georgia and ERE. Thereafter I usually just sit back and watch very carefully. If either one looks to be asserting too much power, I'm in a perfect position to strike directly at one of their capitals. Or both. <.< I use them as buffers against Islam and let those lot fight it out.

[Kip]

Another update.....

The Seljuks are absolutely crushed. Oman, a member of our Triple Alliance, decided to betray them in an attempt to grab some land before it was all captured by the Abbassids or Khwarezmians. I'm hoping this will strengthen the Omanis (who hadn't expanded much in Iran) enough so they can hold up against the Abbasids should they declare war.

I'm looking forward to the possibility of a Abbassid-Omani War because I can dispatch armies across Omani lands to help them, without fear of attack from the Abbassids on my own lands. If they convince Khwarezm to attack me, it could back fire, but I will need a new war soon anyways.

[KozaK101]

in my khwarezm campaign i declared war on seljuks and was promptly followed by ghazni and abbasids who were my allies even though in ghazni's case the enemy was far away..until they took some land began the invasion, then the patch came out

[Kip]

Oh yeah I know, I refuse to install the patch until I've played my Ghorid campaign to my satisfaction.

I've recently vassalized the Sindhi, allowing me to free up my armies to subdue the Solanki Rajputs. After the pacification of India, I think I will divert forces to aid the Omanis' mainland territories.

[chapman104]

i have the anti ghorid coalition on my 1.05 campaign with me (sindh), ghaznis and solankis sorrounding and pounding the ghorids who are pumping out armies like theres no tommorrow.
And there will be no tommorrow for the ghorids who endlessly attack my castle at multan and are destroyed by my elephants as they are crushed between the advancing forces of my allies

[Fibur]

Playing a campaign with Georgia, I established an alliances network with ERE, Armenia and Jerusalem and we are currently wiping out the Turks (personally seized a castle, then obtained a ceasefire). Relations near perfect.
This is really the only mod where I've seen my allies help me in a war.

Good job once again.

[Uandwhosearmy]

I had a really nice alliance going with the ERE playing as the Armenians. I allied with them as well as the KoJ and Georgia early on in my campaign and then secured the remaining rebel settlements nearby.

The ERE were very impatient though, hijacking one of my sieges on Rhodes and then declaring war on the Turkish sultanate. I sent spies to estimate their resolve and quickly realised that the ERE were going all out to conquer Asia minor with three or four full stack armies. I proceeded to open up a second flank on the turks to prevent the ERE gaining total control of the region. The Turks were in for a hell of a ride!

I seized Seleukia and their main troop-producing castle north of that city. Soon after I took their capital after a successful but vicious battle of 2100 Armenians against 2500 turks on the plains outside the city, while the ERE had taken two cities in the west plus a castle north of that mountain pass that runs northeast from Sis. After about 10 turns of war they declared a truce with the turks after which I was happy to consolidate what I had taken before preparing for a final push north to take Sinope and their only remaining castle in Asia minor. My relations with the ERE were at perfect and I hoped for a long-lasting alliance with them... only to be stabbed in the back by a 1.5 stack army just one turn after. THAT sucked... But it was fun while it lasted!