Steal my Crusade, will you?

**Muagan_ra** · January 23, 2009, 11:06 AM

When you go to the trouble of raising an army, sending your leader and another General off in a ship when his Holiness calls a Crusade to Constantinople, having half of your wretched army dessert (miraculously, saying as they where still at sea) only to arrive at the city to find that you where unable to lay siege because the bloody Hungarians where already there, and then they take the place on the next turn...

... most aggravating, is it not?

Ever had this happen? What did you do, with your stranded army now suddenly putting renewed strain on your finances?

I thought about just attacking them and taking it for myself, but when I'm already at war with most of Europe I really didn't want to open another front only for the Pope to pester me with his ceasefire missions.

I decided to roleplay it, and thought "My duke has his army stranded in foreign territory, and having been denied the plunder and combat they where looking forward to, I had to let them loose on something - or they'd turn on me."

So, I looked across the strait to Nicea, still held by the Byzantines. There where alot of them, three full stacks in fact, and with my half deserted army I spied a challenge. So I cross over, recruit Armenian and Turcople cavalry mercenaries, and go to battle. Then I saved game, and intend to do battle soon.

**The Noble Lord** · January 23, 2009, 11:13 AM

It happened to me on many occasions, usually it's the sneaky Venetians or Hungarians who got there first. What I do in that case is slow return to my homeland while pillaging and sacking everything in my path, and at the same time avoiding the fight with the 3 stacks+ enemy groupings.

**Muagan_ra** · January 23, 2009, 11:21 AM

Just seems a bit of an anti-climax to me. I came for a scrap, and by God I'm going to get one!

**merocaine** · January 23, 2009, 11:41 AM

When I first started playing the game I sent my King with a very expensive stack of of my best troops on a crusade to the Holy land.
He was about half way there when out of curiosity I decided to see how old he was.... he was 64, and croaked it next turn, since he was at sea I lost the whole stack. My first crusade...now that was an anti climax!

**Silent Assassin** · January 23, 2009, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by merocaine

When I first started playing the game I sent my King with a very expensive stack of of my best troops on a crusade to the Holy land.
He was about half way there when out of curiosity I decided to see how old he was.... he was 64, and croaked it next turn, since he was at sea I lost the whole stack. My first crusade...now that was an anti climax!

Lol yeah nice way to drop down your army upkeep

**Muagan_ra** · January 23, 2009, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by merocaine

When I first started playing the game I sent my King with a very expensive stack of of my best troops on a crusade to the Holy land.
He was about half way there when out of curiosity I decided to see how old he was.... he was 64, and croaked it next turn, since he was at sea I lost the whole stack. My first crusade...now that was an anti climax!

Ouch! Such is the rough and tumble world of real time strategy gaming.

**Silent Assassin** · January 23, 2009, 11:19 AM

Never happened to me and here is the reason why

- On 90% of the time I'am the one who asked for crusades so my army is already close to where I've asked for it.

- Or if you are not prepared and far away I don't even bother about it.

**Silent Assassin** · January 23, 2009, 11:51 AM

It could have happened to him while his general could have been young but get attacked by enemy boats multiple times and then the Boats SInk

**Ascarona** · January 24, 2009, 05:03 AM

Originally Posted by Rebel6666

It could have happened to him while his general could have been young but get attacked by enemy boats multiple times and then the Boats SInk

The nightmares are comming back again

.
I never go on crusades, waste of time, money and generals as they die most of the time.

**Muagan_ra** · January 24, 2009, 08:21 AM

I quite enjoy Crusades, it's an interesting challenge having to maintain a campaign with a static force, and maybe even with Allied Crusader armies if you time it right. The thrill of trying to compete with your rivals, hiring those new mercenaries, getting into difficult strategic scrapes.

It also opens up the Holy Land (or anywhere else) to expand your Empire.

**Pink Beard** · January 24, 2009, 09:14 AM

not to mention that a general will go from 0 to 6 chivalry and get's awsome titles like holy soldier, grand crusader etc.

**The Noble Lord** · January 24, 2009, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by Ascarona

The nightmares are comming back again

.
I never go on crusades, waste of time, money and generals as they die most of the time.

I ma sure that His Hollines is not too happy with you

.

**H Con** · January 24, 2009, 03:28 PM

I recall one campaign I played, for Scotland, M/M (I'm not a too good strategist

), and the pope called a crusade to Antioch (surprise, surprise), I sent my Prince, with a full stack of my best units, in boat, around France, through Gibraltar, across the entire Mediterranean ocean, and landed, finding that my army was blocked by 2 stacks... and an assassin... you might guess what message popped up on the start of my next turn...

Hungary took Antioch a few turns later, but it doesn't matter, I deleted the save in anger...

**Nakharar** · January 23, 2009, 03:13 PM

i conquer Cyprus, its a good stronghold, as it allows you to co ordinate any attacks on Asia or the Holy Land, it also can reproduce troops quite quick and in future crusades you can easily get there fast, and it also is good for trade if you have trade with Egypt.

**Leonidas_I** · January 23, 2009, 06:06 PM

I usually ask for crusades on close city's to me. Beats walking!

**Owain Glyndŵr** · January 23, 2009, 07:52 PM

If you want to sail a long way, such as France to Jerusalem, spend the money on the largest navy you can throw together. It's stupid to lose a full stack of Noble Knights and heavily armoured troops just because you decided to be a cheapass and stuff them into two cogs.

As for lost crusades, sic 'em on the nation who used to own the target. You're already at war, anyway.

**Pink Beard** · January 24, 2009, 02:26 AM

they should make a mod that makes al crusade armies allied (AND I MEAN CRUSADES ARMIES ONLY! NOT THE COUNTRIES). I mean, they all fought united for the holy cross, why in freakin ***** can't we fight a siege battle together if we are not allied (as nations)

??

**hitokiri2486** · January 24, 2009, 03:47 PM

I salute you for actually taking the journey all the way from the British Isles to Syria!

**Bowden** · January 24, 2009, 05:22 PM

Never had this happen. Most of the time it is me calling the crusade, so hell I'm prepared. If I do not call it, I get me men on ships as soon as possible. Usually they'll be first due to the AI not/hardly using ships.

**Traitorfish** · January 24, 2009, 07:09 PM

Just yesterday, in fact, as the Poles, by the Hungarians. Kind of my own fault, though, cos I was a bit sluggish assembling a crusader army. I was still trying to defend against a possible Danish counter-attack on the Baltic Coast, so I couldn't commit any of my standing army and had to assemble fresh troops. I was only in Southern Turkey when it ended, so I didn't even get the slightest smidgen of action.