Spain. What is the best strategy?

[Falcone]

My question for you: What is the best stratagy with Spain? The best units in the early and the late period? What and how do you think?

[Viking Prince]

The Jinettes are great units all through the game. Since they can be produced anywhere -- it is easy to retrain and build these units at any castle. These units mean that your best strategy is to meet the enemy in the open -- seiges to duration can be effective when you are not strong enough to actually assault the castle walls. This costs money though so you need to minimze the number of your enemies.

Early game - take out the Portugese before even the Noors. You do not really need to do more than kick the Moors out of Iberia. Some mid-game options that I have looked at have been a foothold in Ireland, the Mediteranean Islands (an Sicily). Always remember that you will need to face the French -- do not worry about when to do so -- they will attack. I alsways have found that stopping with Bordeux and Toulouse and pursuing other goals before moving on.

If you expand into the Moorish African provinces, you may see opportunities to expand all the way to egypt -- especially if Tunis and Tipoli are still rebel held. Do not do this unless you are prepared to take out Sicily.

Remember your victory conditions and count out where you want your settlements. You will need to relocate your capital (probably towards Rome or Milan) to keep settlements from rebellion.

Early and mid game -- you should own the pope. Spawn priests and convert Islamic countries to the catholic faith.

To be honest -- late game does not matter so much, regardless of your faction. The challange is more to keekp your economy from falling apart, especially when your heir dies. You will be strong enough to take any particular area, but you will be at war with almost everyone.

[Falcone]

Early game - take out the Portugese before even the Noors. You do not really need to do more than kick the Moors out of Iberia. Some mid-game options that I have looked at have been a foothold in Ireland, the Mediteranean Islands (an Sicily). Always remember that you will need to face the French -- do not worry about when to do so -- they will attack. I alsways have found that stopping with Bordeux and Toulouse and pursuing other goals before moving on.

Thanks for the comment. I wasn't be exact. I already start this campaign, defeat Portugal, and Moors. Rule North Africa to Tunis, Iberia, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Corsica, and Sardinia. But I didn't fight with France, the Milanese capture Toulouse, and Bordeaux, but later I capture these. France is my allie. So, this is MTW2 a lot of unexcepted events.

Now, the Pope is Spanish, France and the Holy Empire are my "friends", and I fighting with Milan... (Sry if my English was wrong...)

[Viking Prince]

Thanks for the comment. I wasn't be exact. I already start this campaign, defeat Portugal, and Moors. Rule North Africa to Tunis, Iberia, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Corsica, and Sardinia. But I didn't fight with France, the Milanese capture Toulouse, and Bordeaux, but later I capture these. France is my allie. So, this is MTW2 a lot of unexcepted events.

Now, the Pope is Spanish, France and the Holy Empire are my "friends", and I fighting with Milan... (Sry if my English was wrong...)

Sounds like a great start -- you might want to look at the English if you are allied with France. If they are not at war at the moment -- they will be. Might also look for any opportunities with the excommunicated. Try to get a crusade started to kick off the offensive.

I try to stay in the west and do not bother with the mideastern stuff until it is time to end the game. Others will advise the opposite.

[Sodbuster]

I recently finished a VH/VH campaign on vanilla with Spain. My strategy was to control all of the peninsula, wiping out Portugal and driving the moors out. I then created one full stack army with lots of great heavy infantry and cavalry, and sent them south to take Moorish land. After taking the far south African lands, I spammed Merchants and sent them all down to the gold mines and ivory down there, where they couldn't be touched by other merchants. That started netting me 2-3K florins per turn. That army lasted for a long time (I supplemented it with mercenaries as I lost men and combined units), long enough to wipe the Moors out and make it to Egypt, where it finally was forced to defend. The key was moving him very slowly and not leaving any taken towns unprotected. While that was going on I was using another army to (also slowly) expand into France and eventually wipe it out while allied with England. A crusade was called against Jerusalem and I sent my Faction Leader on ships with a mass of heavy infantry, heavy cavalry, and pavise xbows across to Jerusalem and I arrived just in time to get it. So I was able to pincer Egypt between my African army and the crusader army and wipe them out (and get those awesome elephant mercenaries which are still alive 200 turns later, though weakend somewhat by the plague). Then the Mongols invaded and I had a really hard time dealing with their masses of troops, mainly I just ended up fighting them on bridges, in siege assaults, and in night attacks. They're dead now, but the Timurids have finally appeared, and I have been using my elephant mercenaries and mass Jinete suicide assaults to fight them (spam a ton of Jinetes, attack and kill as many elephants as I can before routing, wash, rinse, and repeat). Now all of Europe is mine and all that's left is Russia and the leftover Timurid armies, and I still need to go get the Aztecs. You can find the elephant mercenaries in Saudi Arabia, southeast corner of the map. Good luck to ya!

[Viking Prince]

Your problems are not over until the Timurids are tamed, but it looks like a great game!

How did you manage your economy? By this, I mean stability. I assume the usual civic building/garrison route. Did you push your income tax rate or keep it normal? Did you sack or attempt to preserve population?

[Falcone]

I don't want to conquer Egypt. I don't want to fight with the mongols... I think, I will go to Dijon and Marseille. England attacked France, so it is a little peace for me, in north. My greatest enemy is Milan, but I believe the Sicilians, will come...

[Sodbuster]

The Timurids are down to 4 full stacks and no elephants or cities while I have them surrounded with 8 full stacks, all of muskets/pikeman and heavy cav. They're tamed. As far as not going broke goes, there were a couple of times when I didn't have the money to spend on buildings but I never went in the red expect for when my entire population caught the plague (all of western europe up to Greece, and most of the Holy Land). At that point though I was lucky enough to have a lot of full stacks spread out to hit a lot of Byzantine, Hungarian, and Polish cities and was able to sack enough money to stay ahead. The mission time limit has already came and went so I already technically won the scenario, I just am cleaning up the loose ends. I also had multiple crusade wins that helped my economy out a lot since I could put all cities on Very High taxes and not worry about them rebelling due to them celebrating the crusade win.

[Viking Prince]

I also had multiple crusade wins that helped my economy out a lot since I could put all cities on Very High taxes and not worry about them rebelling due to them celebrating the crusade win.

I did not know this. I will try it out. Thanks.

Also -- would this work on Jihad also?

Kinda leaves out Russian and the Byzantines though.

[stormbringer951]

And the Byzantines are often collateral damage in crusades...

[Falcone]

And what is the best unit against the Aztecs? Guns?

In a "fun" campaign I went to Ireland with the Russians, and when I discovered America the Hansgunner were a good strategy against the Natives. And naturally the cavalry...