how to cripple your enemys economy

[ace11]

Hi,

I started this thread so that people could share their ways on how to deal with your enemy if your lacking military strength. Im currently facing this problem playing as Venice on SS. On my 30th turn, a byzantine settlement that was revolting aganinst thier ruler joined my empire. during the next couple of tuns the Byzs. started to send non stop amries aganinst my settlements, which i ended up losing 2 castles. lacking miltary strength, i decided to go after their merchants with assassins. then i would send a small army aganist a settlement that had a couple of spearmen and conquer it. I would of course sack the settlement and destory ever building possible. After collecting all the money, i would offer the settlemnt back to them as a gift, which they always accepted. this would make them spend money on rebuilding and reenforcing the settlement while facing the the treat of the population to revolt.
unfortunately, thats not stopping them from attacking me or accepting my ceasefire. So, i want everyone to post their method on how you deal with your enemy if your pretty much bankrupt or lacking military power .

[DMThaane]

I once used extremely skilled assassins (not an easy thing to get) to kill of every leader the Turks had in the holy lands, I then sabotaged all their military production structures and launched an invasion. He couldn’t build any forces and any general he sent was assassinated. I later created a shrine to the great Nassar the Killer and declared a celebration on the day of his first kill.

As for his economy I healthy dose of biological warfare helps. If you’re careful you can keep a plague going almost continuously. Wrecks the economy and population of your enemy.

Military wise I’ve only really caused the complete and utter destruction of everything they owned so I’m really not good at guerrilla warfare.

[Lord de Lyonesse]

I once used extremely skilled assassins (not an easy thing to get).

LOL just cheat use this if you need it so much.

GoodAssassin 3
black_stallion
femme_fatale
catamite

e.t.c.

[Azim]

Use spys to spread the plague! -6 to -8% pupulation growth across their nation will destroy their economy.

[ace11]

How do I spead the plague using spys?

Use spys to spread the plague! -6 to -8% pupulation growth across their nation will destroy their economy.

I used to blockade ports but my ships were constantley being attacked, which eventually destoryed my navy.

Blockade their ports... besiege their cities but don't attack. Its fun to cut off trade.

[Double A]

Blockade their ports... besiege their cities but don't attack. Its fun to cut off trade.

[Double A]

Ok, first of all, please don't double post... edit instead.

and secondly, to answer your question, you put your spy in an infested city, then move him to wherever you want the plague, but just remember he has the plague, and he can infect your cities too.

[Musthavename]

With the AI, I never bother doing anything, not with the money script. It sort've cripples itself to the point of no return without my intervention. Though on a hotseat campaign, i'll blockade, sabotage, assassinate, convert, spy.. whatever it takes. As of yet though in the few hotseat games i've played i've never seen the plague though.

[Sorkenlol]

I usually ask for a ceasefire at the beginning of every turn if I want something from the enemy, always works, if you've already messed them up a bit so it's "Very Generous" to ceasefire you can demand like 5000 every turn.

Your reputation will problem sink to the bottom tho.

[ragupasta]

1. Bloackade all ports by either land or by sea.
2. Get a good assassin to destroy buildings like ports/shipwrights and markets/fairgrounds/great markets
3. Spread the plauge around, but make sure any attacking armies from the enemy does not get access to your lands, or you too can get the plauge. Also keep a couple of assassins around near the border of you and your enemy to spot enemy spies from spreading your plauge in your cities.
4. Take a city/castle and execute all the people, destroy all the money making buildings/docks, repair ANY building that costs money to run (on easy it doesnt matter but on harder levels any damaged buildings cannot be used until they are repaired), and give the cities back to the enemy, or let it revolt then let the enemy take it back when they like.
5. Assassinate all enemy Merchents and place your own merchents on that paticular resource if its worth good money.

[Shadow8]

one playing as Lithuania is SS, the Tuetonics had infinately better forces than me, moreof them, and the economy to support them. so what i did is i would only train horse archers, and i would have them kill around 200 tuetons than flee from the battle, eventually they had no forces left because i would have six or seven armies do the same thing every turn. i lost every battle but didnt loose anymen, and killed over 1000 in just one turn, did the same to their cities with siege equipment, would trash the city and leave, i didnt have the forces or the money to fully take it, but eventually they didnt have the money or forces to continue the war. i won, pulled an afghanistan, and they were the USSR.

[Double A]

Good work funny avatar guy!

[HighLord z0b]

Use religion.

I find using assassins to take down religious buildings in cities and assassinating enemy priests/imams, and sending your own priests/imams to that city is very useful for hurting the enemies economy if you are of differing faiths.

The main reason this hurts their economy is that the people in the city will be less happy and therefore the tax rate will go down. Remember that the church/masjid will have an effect of adding to happiness in it's own right and it's easier to convert their population without it's religious conversion bonus. Also the enemy has to pay to rebuild their churche/masjid and build more priests/imams.

The bonus using this method is that if you plan on conquering that city you're not damaging a building that you will want to use in the future and have to repair yourself and it will be easier to control if your religion has a foothold.

[Viking Prince]

I am not very clever at the economic warfare. I simply besiege all of the cities that I can afford to move against. Do not assault, you do not even need sufficient strength to necessarily win. If a field army moves against you that you cannnot handle -- either fight and accept defeat, but hurt the enemy as much as possible --- or simply refuse to fight, the AI does not always follow up again on the same turn. This is better than trade disruption, though do that also. Why? AI cannot build troops where needed due to the seige and the AI's total income is greatly reduced.

If a city is lightly held, then assault. THe key is to take out the cities and leave the castles. If you desire to sell a settlement back in an effort to get a ceasefire -- convert to a castle first.

[Khubilai_Khan]

Blockade their ports and conquer the nearby islands.

For example:
I am playing as Turks. I conquered Rhodes and sent a lot of ships to Constantinople and Thessalonica. I destroyed all of the Byzantine ships and now i am commanding the sea trade.

[Sher Khan]

Moved to Battle Planning.

[Sodbuster]

You'll never, ever be able to win against them unless you start attacking their cities. It doesn't matter if you bankrupt yourself for a few turns, you have got to pull a few good armies together and take them down. Cancel your current build orders, sell a few upgrades if you need to like your inns and whatnot. Make the biggest and best armies you can, but do it all in one turn. Get all the mercenaries. Spend every last cent you can scrounge up and then take back those castles and sack them, then spend the money you got from sacking them on more armies. Don't stop to rest and recuperate your units, leave the nearly dead units as a garrison and move on to the next city. Keep driving at them and don't give them a chance to counter-attack. If you run into a massive enemy army that you don't think you can beat, try setting up an ambush or fighting them on a bridge. Put spies into the cities you are about to besiege and if the option is there, assault it right away.

In the situation you're in, where the enemy has you backed into a corner, you have no choice but to full out attack, or you will be wiped out.

[Rextherock]

As venice you should be able to get quite a large army from the north italian citys if you can hold the enemys ports.
Remember not only do the enemy lose money you also get money

[Elvallie]

Where's the fun in cheating?

[FreshDunks101]

Besiege their cities but do not attack them. The balck devastattion area around the city will cut off trade and mining and farming income bigtime, and also deplete their armies. And keep a diplomat nearby to bribe reinforcing armies.