Pls recommend the most difficult faction

[Scalylizard]

Hi all
I am planning to try BC after seeing all the interest from the TW fans, and I am looking for some advice from BC veterans regarding the hardest faction to play. I like my games on VH/VH and even then I find most of my games are easy, especially after owning 2-3 good sized settlements. After that, it usually becomes a tedious and repetitive task of beating the AI over and over again and expand. The AI is usually weak enough that I finish the campaign with scores like 60-70 battles won by me and 1 or at most 2 battles won by AI throughout the whole campaign.

I have only tried Stainless Steel 5.1 and Deus Lo Vult 5.4 before and found that DLV was much more difficult than Stainless Steel because the money was much tighter, and it was more difficult to mass produce troops and lay sieges right and left because of the costs. The initial turns of DLV campaigns seemed more fun because of that.

In BC , which faction would you recommend for a very very challenging game?
Thanks

[Kpt Ortamadami]

Most people say Omani campaign is the hardest and Kingdom of Jerusalem is second. Makurians, Georgians, Armenians and Turkish Sultanate share the third place.

There was another thread about the same subject. You can find more detailed answers in there.

Edit: Found it: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=149044

[Scalylizard]

Thanks for the reply Kpt, I found that thread and will check it out.
Edit:LOL I just saw that you also put the link -thanks again!

[Caspand]

I disagree that KoJ is a hard faction, once your done with Ayyubid Sultanate in the south, and taken care of the pushover faction of Makuria, you'll have a very strong economy, and KoJ troops are very strong.

I'd say the 2th hardest faction will be the Khwarezm Shah once the mongols spawns. Before that they are fairly easy.

Caspand

[Kavhan Isbul]

I find Makuria and Oman the hardest. Armenia is tough, but the immediate enemy - the Turkish Sultanate is usually doomed, and the Nakharars reign supreme. I managed to get to a superpower status with the Armenians, holding 50 provinces and it is basically a matter of several turns and a few battles for me to achieve victory. The ERE is quite friendly (they would sell me and exchange their cities for whatever useless cities and little florints I offer them), and the versatile and powerful roster allows the Armenians to take on anyone.
With Makuria, the Ayubids tend to attack quickly, and it is hard to match their spamming ability. I guess if I manage to defeat the Ayubids the game may get much easier. With Oman the beginning is easy (noone around), but then corruption and a war on at least two fronts tend to combine for an extremely tough challenge.
My recommendation for a long and difficult campaign - Oman.

[Otsman]

the khwarazm shah was a nice play, even when the mongols came (YOU HAVE TO MANAGE YOUR ECONOMY PERFECTLY IF YOU WANT TO DEFEAT THE MONGOLS!!)and after you defeat the mongols, the world is yours for the taking

[Caspand]

Actualy now that you mention it, Makuria is perhaps the weakest faction.

I dont think they have good roster, many unarmored troops and not very great cav. And they have the massive Ayyubid Sultanate to the north, who are aggresive. And have plenty of archers to make a big pile of dead unarmored Makurian people

[Aethelred]

I also think that Makuria is very hard. They don't really have a choice and will have to fight Ayyubids sooner or later. Their only hope lies in KoJ defeating or weakening Ayyubids so that Makuria can have its share of provinces to capture from Ayyubids.

[Bulawayo]

What about Sindh then? I started a campaign which I immediatley cancelled after discovering that they are so badly developed. No buildings, almost no units and no economy..

[Caspand]

What about Sindh then? I started a campaign which I immediatley cancelled after discovering that they are so badly developed. No buildings, almost no units and no economy..

Aint challenges fun ?

[Aradiel]

Sindh are the hardest, i got attacked by the ghorids in turn 9 by a full stack of of cavalry, 1 general 2 heavy ghulam 2 medium 2 light and the rest horsearchers. If you dont make an alliance with them emediately you will have the hardest earlygame fight you ever had.

[Caspand]

That would be their starting elite army. Now i have never played Sindh but dont they get a elite starting army as most factions does ?

[born2dive67]

no they do not, they have a few units but their in castle and not very many of them at all

[Bernem]

sindh is fairly easy if you quickly ally with the ghorids

[Fenix_120]

Well, first of all.

Not one person plays the game the same way, so a person who is good with battles but sucks with economy will have an easy time playing as Sindh, but a very very hard time playing as the Kyphacks for instance.

Secondly, most people here will Agree that Makuria is one of the most difficult factions to play as even though others are disputed.

I'm going to Makuria, becuase even if you beat Egypt you still have the rock hard KOJ to deal with, and after them the Abassids.

[Darvist]

Sindh is hard but not the worst. If ya ally with Ghorids and grab settlements as fast as ya can including the Hindu ones to your right via boats you can get a fare amount and cut off some the Rajputs power and massive stack spamming. Then your Worry is that your units suck.

[hungry_hungary]

If you want to have fun I would recommend Georgia. They are really hard to expand as because they usually can't avoid having multiple sides of war.
I'm really having fun being hit hard by the Shah in the north, killing the rest of the Kypches, and tryin to keep Van from the Abbassids.
The ERE looked like they were about to attack me and I always need to watch out for the Suljuks.

[Son of Mao]

Oman and Sindh hands down and I know what I am talking about

[Graywolf]

(i just started playing BC too a little while ago) its awesome playing as the georgians.. just great. your situated with potential enemies on all sides, in the south you will eventually be forced to fight one or more of the 2 turks, the abassids and the armenians (im at war with ERE) to the north the kypcaks will send horde after horde towards you.

the plus side is you have a very good economy if you can manage it and a powerful (though expensive - this is balanced by the excellent economy) roster which is pretty diverse and calls for more tactics n strategy.

[Shadowcry]

Oman everything sucks for them, no invulnerable units that can take a beating.