The Italian factions in general.

[KoS]

Just wondering - what are your opinions of Venice, Milan and Sicily?

Personally, I think they're wonderful factions... good locations, ample opportunities for trade and conquest, a fair mix of units. I would call one of them my favorite, but I couldn't pick a favorite faction if you had a gun to my head.

[Spartan90]

I think they're the best factions in the game. If they all worked in unison, they could become so powerful. Sicily can control the African trade and expand into North Africa. Venice controls the Adriatic and the Aegean trade, and can expand east, while Milan can control all of central Europe.

Because they are city and militia based, they can become very wealthy. Venice and Sicily still have to rely on castles to get their strongest units, but Milan gets their strongest from their cities. Italian Spear Miltia, Broken Lances, Famila Ducale, Musketeers, and of course - Genoese Crossbowmen. You can take over all of Europe with those pesky little archers!

[abandit99]

I think they're the best factions in the game. If they all worked in unison, they could become so powerful. Sicily can control the African trade and expand into North Africa. Venice controls the Adriatic and the Aegean trade, and can expand east, while Milan can control all of central Europe.

Because they are city and militia based, they can become very wealthy. Venice and Sicily still have to rely on castles to get their strongest units, but Milan gets their strongest from their cities. Italian Spear Miltia, Broken Lances, Famila Ducale, Musketeers, and of course - Genoese Crossbowmen. You can take over all of Europe with those pesky little archers!

so true. ive never had problems with money whilst playing these factions because the trade brings in so much money at the start of the game

[Pious Agnost]

The only way they could be better is if they had an accent like Mario or Luigi's

[_TheChevalier_]

The only way they could be better is if they had an accent like Mario or Luigi's

Or if they act as good allies (specially Milan and Sicily), of the Italic factions, my favourite one is Venice

[Wheelchair]

Venice because of a chance for great trade empire.

[The Good]

The Italian factions, beside the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantines), are my favourites. Simply my favourites . . .

[The Noble Lord]

Milanese and Venetians are the most hated factions that I know of!

[Silent Assassin]

Simple

Venice - Great for trade good archers and Pavise

Milan - The one I like the least but they have the best Crossbows ( The most treacherous faction in the game with HRE I compare them to the Greeks in ROME

Sicily - A bit lacking of something I can't put the finger on it but still better than Milan

[Sorkenlol]

I love them all, but I usually get bored after conquering north africa and egypt.

[KoS]

I love them all, but I usually get bored after conquering north africa and egypt.

I know that feeling. Sometimes I'll just spontaneously pull a Garibaldi and conquer the whole peninsula, then never touch that save again.

[Sorkenlol]

I know that feeling. Sometimes I'll just spontaneously pull a Garibaldi and conquer the whole peninsula, then never touch that save again.

Hehe, I played Sicilly like 3 times, venice twice, genoa once and never got over 100 turns I think. Now I'm on England for maybe the 5th, 6th time, this time I am GOING to play until the game is over.

[KoS]

... this time I am GOING to play until the game is over.

If I had a penny for each time I've said that, I'd have about twenty bucks.

Seriously. The farthest I've ever gotten - ever - was as Spain, and only until about turn 130 or so.

[Archibald Cunningham]

Milan is the only faction I've ever stuck to to finish the victory condition. Venice is fun, but it only takes me 30 or 40 turns to make a confortable little empire and at that point I don't much feel like being an aggressor. Sicily does nothing for me. Fun to play in the very beginning, I soon lose all compulsion to play around turn 50.
So there you have it. I, like 90% (or more) of people fail at M2:TW simply because I can't stick to one thing for any amount of time. My biggest enemy is me.

Sounds deep.

Archie

[Sparkshot]

Just wondering - what are your opinions of Venice, Milan and Sicily?

Personally, I think they're wonderful factions... good locations, ample opportunities for trade and conquest, a fair mix of units. I would call one of them my favorite, but I couldn't pick a favorite faction if you had a gun to my head.

You pretty much took the words out of my mouth . Venice would be by far my favorite Italian faction and faction in general. I love their Venetian Heavy Infantry, pavise crossbowmen, Dismounted Broken Lances (with armor upgrade--who doesn't love those feathers) and their wealth and trade potential. Go capitalism

[Toshi-sama]

I've only finished the HRE and England XD

Gonna finish an HRE one really quickly though, I have all of Europe at my command before gunpowder and just a few turns after the mongols invaded, only about 3 or 4 Catholic nations left.

[Five_of_Swords]

Well my favorite is siciliy because they are kinda difficult. Milan is absurdly easy, the crossbowmen rule and you are in an easy position to expand in a coherent way to conquer venice and siciliy, while venice is distracted by the hre. leaving bern to the rebels for a long time will pretty much secure your northern front. I dont like venice cause i think the venetian heavy infantry look stupid and its annoying trying to fight horse archers with spearmen.

[Lazy-Hamish]

Milan are fun to start with due to genoese crosbowmen but it eventually gets boring fighting the european armies of france and HRE, which in the early part of the campaign are pretty much identical.

Sicily have a fun starting position but have rubbish late period units, once you get norman knights you will dominate for a while before every other faction gets better units and your stuck with out of date ones, and only venice will evr attack you so it gets boring

Venice is the most fun as you go against the power of the byzantines and the HRE pretty much from the start, and Milan always seems to attack, so venice has the biggest challenge as every one in eastern and central europe will attack you

[The Noble Lord]

Try Sicily, the only Italian faction that is not hated and despised .

[crazedwombat]

I finally played a game all the way through and won twice. SS 5.1 mod. played england and took over the settlements needed and all and won that way then continued andtook over the entire world and won that way. I only fought a couple of battles. it was a fun one because for the first half of the game I stayed on the defensive and made allies. Whenever someone lost a province to rebels or something I'd run over and snatch it up. Then I started buying peoples cities because they were all broke (i'd stop trading with them and since I owned most of the surrounding provinces they made no money). Eventually everyone was in pretty bad shape with only one or two provinces. I ended up wiping out HRE, France, Milan, hungry, and poland all in one turn. The aztecs were the hardest to conquer in the end.

I'm playing milan now and I'm just RPing it. but sicily attacked me for no reason so they're down to only a couple of provinces. However i didn't attack unti lthey were excomm. So everyone still loves me.