What do you think?

**Navajo Joe** · August 16, 2008, 04:02 AM

Playing a Dane Campaign, I hold 11 territories, basically the whole of Scandinavia, Visby and the Southern Edge of the Baltic. I have an Alliance with Norway with Miltiary Access, Novogorod, Poland, Hungary and Kievan Rus, not forgetting the Papal States. I have to eliminate HRE, but I do not want to upset the Pope. HRE are also loved by the Pope, they are not the usual badboys. England, Portugal and Venice are the Badboys. I have more than adequate miltiary might to take 3 HRE settlements within 2 turns if I want.
What would you do next?

**Mauzeer** · August 16, 2008, 04:54 AM

I would call crusade on London if possibble, and conquer all their island provinces!

**Vindahl** · August 16, 2008, 05:02 AM

Crush Norway and take the entire Scandinavia!
Then perhaps go to Scotland and take the isles over there... But that is only if you are offensive in gameplay! I would personally first take Norway and then build up my strenght and economy, build strong alliances, and prepare for the big fight against HRE...
But that is just me, cause I am generally a defensive and tactical player...

**Mauzeer** · August 16, 2008, 06:00 AM

@Vindahl
i am chivalry player so never backstab my allies ( and he has alliance and military access with Norway). otherwise i would unify scandinavia first ofc

**Caesar Clivus** · August 16, 2008, 06:12 AM

I'd say try to get a cardinal elected pope so that your papal standing goes up and will be higher than the HRE's standing. Then try to provoke a war with the HRE. Parking some troops in their territory should do the trick.

**Navajo Joe** · August 26, 2008, 04:23 AM

thanks for the hints everybody, I chose to send an invasion force to Britain, landed in Scotland and headed south, Scots armies made no challenge and allowed me to pass. I passed thru Northern England and passed into Wales. I besieged Caernarvon Castle, owned by the English and poorly garrisoned, which I duly took. The Pope had requested me to blockade Caen previously as England excommunicated. The English have take great exception to this and have sent two stacks so far to retake the castle, to no success. My counter attack will be imminient and will take Nottingham.
I went to Wales to recruit Welsh Longbowmen as Mercenaries, but there are not any?

**Zendjir** · August 26, 2008, 04:25 AM

There are probably no mercs available because England has recruited them all.

**Navajo Joe** · August 26, 2008, 05:27 AM

If you can't recruit them because they are all gone, it is not the case that the Unit Card is greyed out!

**Zendjir** · August 26, 2008, 08:43 AM

The unit card is greyed out? That can have two reasons: 1- you don't have enough money. 2: The general that you want to use to recruit the mercs already has 19 units under his command (there is no more room in the army).

**Navajo Joe** · August 26, 2008, 09:37 AM

Zendjir,
Thats a great shame I had saved up a few thousand florins to buy some decent archers. Its a shame you can't recruit them in an ex-English settlement, I have to make do with Norse Archers

**Skooma Addict** · August 26, 2008, 05:33 PM

Save up some coin and park a diplomat right next to the pope so when he excommunicates you for taking those settlements you can get right back in.

**caralampio** · August 26, 2008, 06:29 PM

Attack the HRE with armies that include siege weapons, and take the settlements in one turn. Then when the Pope says stop, obey him. Repeat after 7 turns.

**Navajo Joe** · August 27, 2008, 05:07 AM

I am 4 turns away from having Catapults produced in Hamburg, so once I have them I can attack and take in one turn, like that idea. I get a Diplomat near the Pope, to help relations. HRE have just attacked Poland who are one of my allies, I am trying to establish where the confrontation is, so I can establish where I hit HRE. I think it will be Frankfurt, there capital with a fab income stream.