Should I adopt a "screw the Pope" attitude

**D.B. Cooper** · July 07, 2008, 01:52 PM

Firstly, should I just adopt a "screw the Pope" attitude? In my campaign, I've now captured as much as I can without attacking other Catholic factions. But the Scots look awfully weak up north, so I send Rufus up there to bring Edinburg under English rule. But after a brief battle outside the city, the Pope tells me to cease hostilities with Scotland under threat of excommunication. But Edinburg is pract

**NobleNick** · July 07, 2008, 04:48 PM

Even slicker: Gift the Pope about 200 Florins every turn: It is cheaper, and the results are better (if not, make it 300/turn).

Another thing to do: bring siege equipment next time, so that you can besiege and take the city all in the same turn: before th Pope has a chance to warn you to stop.

Another trick I am itching to try: ignore the Pope if he has recently called a crusade, since he likely will not be able to call another crusade before he dies and relations start over with the new Pope. (Meanwhile, you can feed him Florins.)

**Monsieur Alphonse** · July 07, 2008, 09:17 PM

The trick is to keep the pope happy. As long as you are his pet darling he will ignore your bad behavior. Historically and in the game the pope is interested in money, more money and even more money.

You should do two things:

1. Send a diplomat and gift the pope 100 per turn. This will increase your standing with him slightly per turn. When you do attack and ignore him do so when you have eight or more crosses on the pope-o-meter.

2. Once you attack, sack the hell out of you victims and gift some 3000 to 5000 of that money to the pope. He will be grateful and the crosses that you lost because of ignoring him will be given back because you kissed is holy behind.

Of course your reputation will hit an all time low and everybody hates you but who cares. The guy (or girl) in the white dress likes you and you can Sack, rape and plunder you way through catholic Europe with his blessings

. Well the games is called Total War for some reason.

**Old Geezer** · July 08, 2008, 07:17 AM

One of the best reasons I have found to befriend the Pope is the huge benefit recieved from all of my generals getting chivalry bonuses from joining crusades which I get called. High chivalry generals make cities grow and increase income and happiness; they also seem to rarely pick up bad traits.

If you ignore or disobey hime you can get some high dread generals rather easily and high dread generals are not all that bad if you want to expand rapidly.

Just don't be moderate when it comes to Papal relations.

**Sharpe** · July 08, 2008, 07:17 AM

"Screw the pope, coming straight out the underground!, (The non-religous half anyway)"

**saglam2000** · July 08, 2008, 07:22 AM

pope.... not important when you have small empire, only care about hise pasty white ass when you have a large empire. so go ahead, put english arrows up anybodys ass you want, its not like you care what the pope does.

warning: if you play as an italian faction dont get excomunicated, the pope will personally kick your ass.

**Melocious** · July 08, 2008, 09:13 AM

Has this happened to you?

Joined a crusade, and its at the other end of the map, making my way there and in the next few turns I get message of Desertion!!!

Half my army is gone, I buy Mercs, next turn Desertion!!

How can they accuse me of desertion when I am making my way there, lol!!

**pwijnands** · July 17, 2008, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by Melocious

Has this happened to you?

Joined a crusade, and its at the other end of the map, making my way there and in the next few turns I get message of Desertion!!!

Half my army is gone, I buy Mercs, next turn Desertion!!

How can they accuse me of desertion when I am making my way there, lol!!

Unfortunately the game doesn't understand that you can't go to your crusade target in a straight line. I think you have to move 20 tiles or so into the direction of the target to avoid desertion. These 20 tiles are sort of counted by using a straight line. This basically makes crusades a horror for countries that don't have access to the Mediteranian (couldn't remember how to spell it properly). The best thing you can do if you play England is to send your crusading army by ship until it's close to Gibraltar, unload the army, join the crusade, hop back on board and try to keep a straight line to the target.

**Wizzerdrix** · July 17, 2008, 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by pwijnands

Unfortunately the game doesn't understand that you can't go to your crusade target in a straight line. I think you have to move 20 tiles or so into the direction of the target to avoid desertion. These 20 tiles are sort of counted by using a straight line. This basically makes crusades a horror for countries that don't have access to the Mediteranian (couldn't remember how to spell it properly). The best thing you can do if you play England is to send your crusading army by ship until it's close to Gibraltar, unload the army, join the crusade, hop back on board and try to keep a straight line to the target.

When I play as England or Scotland or some other country close to the north western shores of Europe I always send my crusading armies by ship, It's much faster and you can drop them off right outside the gates of Jerusalem or Antioch. No need to drop them off at the Gibraltar Strait... Unless it's because you want to stick with the other crusader armies.

**pwijnands** · July 17, 2008, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by Wizzerdrix

No need to drop them off at the Gibraltar Strait....

Seems I wasn't clear enough. I found it best to not join the crusade with a general until you've reached Gibraltar. When you are there, unload the army and let the general join the crusade. Then hop back on board of the fleet and sail towards the target in a few turns.

**KoS** · July 13, 2008, 06:48 AM

Or, if you've pissed the Pope off and one of your cardinals happens to be in the preferati, just send an assassin to Rome to whack 'im. If the Pope's from your stock, he's more likely to side with you.

As Venice once, I had a monopoly in northern Italy (Milan had long been dead and buried), with the Assassin's Guild HQ in Florence. I kept my options open, should I ever need to attack the Papal States, by assassinating the Pope every turn for quite some time. (Even Gregory at the beginning... I made him an offer he couldn't refuse,

) That way, the College of Cardinals shortly became my puppet organization, so that I could just whack him if he pissed my doge off.

Originally Posted by Ar-Pharazon

Should I just adopt a "screw the Pope" attitude?

Originally Posted by roy34543

Only if the pope has the trait "secretly female".

Well, the Pope IS Catholic, so I wouldn't say that the female part is necessary... lawl.

Originally Posted by saglam2000

warning: if you play as an italian faction dont get excomunicated, the pope will personally kick your ass.

I learned that s

t the hard way. My first ever campaign as Milan; nearly my last as well...

**The Noble Lord** · July 17, 2008, 11:17 AM

Well, the Pope IS Catholic, so I wouldn't say that the female part is necessary... lawl.

Bazing

.

**Player989random** · July 08, 2008, 12:08 PM

Don't join the crusades that are really far away from you.

I played as Scotland and was on my way to conquer Leon when there was a crusade for Tunis. They joined with there main army and I got a free city.

**Celsius** · July 08, 2008, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by Player989random

Don't join the crusades that are really far away from you.

I played as Scotland and was on my way to conquer Leon when there was a crusade for Tunis. They joined with there main army and I got a free city.

Thats spainards for ya

**Angrychris** · July 08, 2008, 02:19 PM

i just realised that when crusades were called, they were against me because i held rome. crusades ended once they took it back from me.

**Wizzerdrix** · July 17, 2008, 08:58 AM

Nice posts here. You're gonna have to adopt a "screw the pope" attitude at some point if you plan on taking over the whole world. Just make sure you're strong enough to handle the rest of the catholic factions combined.

**Musthavename** · July 17, 2008, 12:48 PM

Thing is if you put him in a Crusade and sail the entire way from England, you're moving away from the Holy Land (well, that or not moving much closer to it) until you reach Gibraltar. I just personally make them wander into Venice (or if its chaos in Italy with armies blocking the alps, head to Marseilles), then grab a mercenary ship and sail from there.

**Ishoss** · July 18, 2008, 02:20 AM

What I do when I am England is I have a fairly huge fleet around Toulouse which I use for crusader armies. I join the crusade in England, then I transport the fleet to south Biscaya and then march trough France and board my boats at the other side of the ocean. Cuts the trip effectively and my folks don't desert