My Milan Campaign

**Marquis de Bazas** · April 04, 2008, 04:27 PM

Biggest problem I have had with Milan in the past is that there are just too many factions surrounding them. I started a new campaign today where I moved to Ajaccio and Cagliari and gave Genoa and Milan to the HRE. I obviously plan on retaking them eventually but I am going to begin by going into north Africa. Hopefully I can beat the Egyptians and get a good base before I go back across the Med. Sea. Thoughts?

**eggthief** · April 04, 2008, 04:31 PM

shouldnt u attack the moors first?

**Trajan** · April 04, 2008, 04:54 PM

Moved to Battle Planning.

**gpowsang** · April 04, 2008, 04:55 PM

It sounds good

u just might want to move ur capital periodically since its probably in italy and Egypt is pretty far away

AND welcome to TW center

**Glade** · April 04, 2008, 04:55 PM

The moors? I go for Sicily then Venice then HRE.

**Problem Sleuth** · April 04, 2008, 05:08 PM

...Why the HELL did you give up two DEVELOPED cities that can make a decent profit? That's wasteful. Ajaccio you can lose, Milan and Genoa not so much.

**Marquis de Bazas** · April 04, 2008, 05:10 PM

Because I have had this game for a long time, played countless campaigns and wanted to do something different.

**Pater Familias** · April 04, 2008, 08:58 PM

You might try playing as a different faction. Some factions lend themselves to standard openings because of their starting spot. Some don't.
Sicily, for instance, has great flexibility because you're not so geographically defined as you are in Milan, where it's Alps then the French, Alps then the HRE, the Med and the HRE. Only so much you can do. Sicily, Byzantium, maybe a couple of other factions you can pretty much pick your direction and your fights from the start.

**Samir** · April 05, 2008, 01:57 AM

an island empire is just fine with Milan

in my campaigns I usually want MIlan to be confined to a small island (thinking of Cuba...)

**Mauzeer** · April 06, 2008, 06:03 AM

IMHO the best starting strategy while playing as Milan:
1)buy Bologna from HRE(i managed to do with 2500/3 turns),get alliance,military acces trade rights with them
2)take Florence in 2nd turn and get alliance with Papal states
3)Venice almost always go after Zagreb and leave capital poorly defended
so launch attack and take Venice
3)go after Ajjacio and Cagliari and convert them to cities , once you build lvl 1 and lvl 2 churches in them
4)Bran should be your next target so you can get your first castle

5)then it's all up to you(i would go after Sicily first)

Good luck,

**Billmonaghan** · April 11, 2008, 01:12 PM

I like playing Milan. Good infantry and archers early, good tech late in the game. Good having the Pope at your back (assuming you haven't ticked him off, of course)

I usually go for Bologna of Florence (the rebel town, not the HRE town) early (my nobles ask me to), and those two islands (Sardinia and Corsica, I think). From there, events kinda sweep away my plans, but I like to go up after Bern so I can start converting those island castles to cities). I build a fort over the trade goods east of Milan to train merchants and stop any enemies from hitting Milan. Eventually, my success will antagonize Venice into attacking me, which gives me the excuse I need to seize their capital. I station some fodder on the east coast of Italy to slow down any Sicilian invasion and kiss the Pope's ring until my lips are sore.

My desire is always to then thrust through the moors and into the gold- and ivory rich sub-Saharan provinces, but usually I end up getting into it with France and HRE and dragged into a war of European conquest. But it's OK, with Milan and Genoa and Venice and Bologna and Florence and a city or two in Sardinia and Corsica, you've got plenty of money for multi-front wars.

I wouldn't give up Milan and Genoa, but I never give up towns or castles unless they face an overwhelming force or rebellion and I have time to raze everything but the church before I pull out.

**DashSia** · April 13, 2008, 10:43 AM

it is your campaign. do whatever you want and if you can't whatever do whatever you want, it wasn't a good idea to give the two rich cities of Milan and Genoa.

**~~Obliterate76~~** · June 23, 2008, 05:05 PM

I in fact started a Milanese campaign today and am quite impressed with the number of offensive and defensive units one can recruit. Starting positions though, are a little rough. What everyones been saying is correct, you must keep milan and genoa because of the surplus of trade they generate. What i did this morning, is make alliances with HRE and Venice. Eventually the Pope offered his alliances towards me which i accepted. The only problem with so many Italian alliances, is that the game isn't called total war for nothing. Venice is extremely arrogant in the campaign. The HRE however, actually backed me up in the cmoing war with Venice. Eventually, even the goo ol' Papal states chipped in some Papal guard units in a battle. Well i more or less talked about my story with Milan rather than yours but i hoped this gave you some insight. Cheers!

**Viking Prince** · June 23, 2008, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by Obliterate76

I in fact started a Milanese campaign today and am quite impressed with the number of offensive and defensive units one can recruit. Starting positions though, are a little rough. What everyones been saying is correct, you must keep milan and genoa because of the surplus of trade they generate. What i did this morning, is make alliances with HRE and Venice. Eventually the Pope offered his alliances towards me which i accepted. The only problem with so many Italian alliances, is that the game isn't called total war for nothing. Venice is extremely arrogant in the campaign. The HRE however, actually backed me up in the cmoing war with Venice. Eventually, even the goo ol' Papal states chipped in some Papal guard units in a battle. Well i more or less talked about my story with Milan rather than yours but i hoped this gave you some insight. Cheers!

Welcom to the Forum!

It is hard to keep more than one Italian alliance, but especially so with HRE and another Italian faction. Glad it worked out for you!

**Xamt** · June 25, 2008, 05:05 AM

what you should most deffinatelly do as milan is take venice early on (since like someone else said its always left poorly defended) and then either push the venetians out of mainland europe (let them have crete) or get some rebels/push south to moors.

and visa-versa, as venice kill off milan completely early on.

oh and yes....deffinatelly keep milan and genoa, its just silly to give them away :S (i hope u sold everything b4 giving them away

)