Post your Byzantine strategy here. (6.0 please)

**jo_dus** · April 23, 2008, 12:47 PM

Im about to start up an new campaign as the Byz in a few days and was hoping to get some tips and strategies from all you experts

. Thanks in advance.

**AnthoniusII** · April 23, 2008, 01:14 PM

As i wrote before...and if you are not about to cheat...you can follow this!
Steps:
1: Diplomacy:Make any one is close tou you an ally(it will gain some time for you).
2: Defend Constantinople with you fleets...(that way you wont need large garrison in to the city).
3: Fast attack:Attack to Sofia as soon as posible(that will give you the time to attack Andrianople later)!
4: Seal Dunab river with forts(that will give you some time toexpand more or to upgrade your cities and castles!
5: Convert island castles to cities(rhodes and cyprus)....That will give you some more income from setlements that have a bit smaller attack danger!
6: Expand to the east:A very nice place is Gafa in Crimaia!
7: Expand to east or west only in a time(i mean fight to west but have peace to east or later the opposite)...
Good luck(the real empire did not have)!

**General A. Skywalker** · April 23, 2008, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by AnthoniusII

Good luck(the real empire did not have)!

How true... how true!

**spanish_emperor** · April 23, 2008, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by AnthoniusII

3: Fast attack:Attack to Sofia as soon as posible(that will give you the time to attack Andrianople later)!

i think you meant the region bulgaria since adrianople is already yours at the beginning

good points btw

**Vacrovic** · April 23, 2008, 10:08 PM

I had to deal with the Venetians, which I took care of by sailing a fleet from Constantinople to Ragusa, taking it quickly (if I march an army there, they start preparing defenses) and thus neutering them. Without Ragusa or Crete Venice is far more friendly to me. On the verge of taking Bran, which will provide a strong base against Hungary, but lost Cyprus to the Egyptians. I can lose Cyprus for now, prolly try to get a ceasefire as I have little interest in them atm. Extremely tempted to fight the Turks, as they have very weak defenses against me (go go Templars! keep em busy!) but wanna wrap up Hungary (or at least contain them) first.

In my game Kwarzem (sp.) is very strong, pressing the Turks from the East, while Egypt is always strong as hell. Surprisingly, Lithuania has been a bat outta hell in the north, with Venice also strongly in control of most of Northern Italy.

**strife1013** · April 23, 2008, 01:42 PM

good tips, build shipyards!

**s0meguy** · April 23, 2008, 01:52 PM

Well what I would do is (the standard stuff, build money making buildings in towns, military buildings in castles), then get a few armies ready and blitz Hungary. In my campaign, the Turks didn't attack me, even when they called a jihad on me. So get Hungary first, expand a bit to the east take the rebel settlements and the coastal settlements to the north and west. Then you got yourself a nice established empire and can attack whoever you want. It helps to make allies with Venice and Novgorod as they are behind 2 of your neighboring factions. Oh and try to ally with that big muslim faction behind the Turks (kwar-something keep forgetting their name), to do this I took Jerusalem and gave it to them in exchange for an alliance. Jerusalem also has a few nice buildings that you can demolish to get money)

Don't forget to send a few diplomats out in every direction to make trade partners.

**strife1013** · April 23, 2008, 01:57 PM

General Skywalker
+Rep 4 u. I love Star Wars!!

**General A. Skywalker** · April 23, 2008, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by strife1013

General Skywalker
+Rep 4 u. I love Star Wars!!

Thanks.

+REP back.

**jo_dus** · April 23, 2008, 03:17 PM

Do the egyptians mercilessly attack cyprus in 6.0 like the did in 5.1 or do they have other interests in mind? I found in 5.1 I would have to leave it a castle/fortress just to keep the city well defended because egypt would throw stack and stck against it.

**s0meguy** · April 23, 2008, 05:01 PM

Not a single army has attacked cyprus in my game yet and I'm at turn 34 or something. campaign difficulty = hard.

**jo_dus** · April 23, 2008, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by s0meguy

Not a single army has attacked cyprus in my game yet and I'm at turn 34 or something. campaign difficulty = hard.

Who is your biggest threat right now? Hungary? Venice? Turks?
Venice always stabbed me in the back in 5.1 while hungary looked north. Are the Turks looking to steal your lands or are they headed east.
I can't wait to start my Byz campaign.

**s0meguy** · April 24, 2008, 12:10 AM

Originally Posted by jo_dus

Who is your biggest threat right now? Hungary? Venice? Turks?
Venice always stabbed me in the back in 5.1 while hungary looked north. Are the Turks looking to steal your lands or are they headed east.
I can't wait to start my Byz campaign.

Hungary is the biggest threat, and Kiev is sometimes a pain but that's because I started the hostilities

The Turks haven't attacked me. Hungary isn't that big of a threat anyway but they do keep sending full to half stacks every few turns to one of my castles that I have heavily fortified, but I'm moving a few armies in for the kill, Hungary isn't going to last long.

I allied with Venice and Novgorod.

**Caesar Clivus** · April 23, 2008, 07:15 PM

When I start a Byzantine campaign, I have two starting priorities:

1. Take Sofia as quickly as possible. It is very nicely placed to defend your north western frontier.

2. Build up trade between your cities. Build shipyards, roads, markets etc as well as conquer the rebel settlements around the Aegean to improve your income.

Usually by this time the Turks have attacked, if not directly then by calling a Jihad on Constantinople. Defending against Jihads (and later crusades) is one of the most fun things about playing the Byzantines. Send out spies to make sure you know when the Jihading armies will hit. Be aware that sometimes the Moors will send a Jihading army through Europe rather than through the middle east.

**luciferleigh** · April 23, 2008, 10:24 PM

having a bit of a hard time myself as the byz, defending constantinople against stack after stack of muslims on a jihad (egypt sent 3, kwarez sent 2, moors and just one of each, for now...) and in all this, i was allied to HRE, but the damn brutes allied with sicily and then attacked me next turn, breaking my roman alliance xD then i noticed that venice was allied with sicily as well and it was too late, the sent 2 stacks to belgrade (which had a garrison of 3 militia) lucky for them im quite busy with the jihad atm, 2 more stacks to go and ill be pushing west, oh and ive already sent a advanced party to venice