VPO's Great Milan Guide

**Viking Prince Olaf** · February 05, 2009, 08:19 PM

Attachment 29455 Milan

Strength: Milan is one of the major city states of the Italian powers.
Controling the major Northern cities of Milan and Genoa A linking city to the Mediteranean. Historicly one of the richest factions, surrounded by potential enemies to seize power of Italy.

Milan serves as A special barrier to hold off Western Europe from the rest of Italy. The Swiss Alps making it near impossible for land invasion of Italy
so they must turn to sea with small landings easily picked off by Milanese
nobles and crossbowmen.

Campaign: Milan starts averagly rich with 2 city level powerhouses to produce the strong militias of the rest of the Italian powers.I usually update my 2 cities to top militia barracks so I can produce A couple stacks of very cheap Italian spears and Genose crossbowmen.

The challenging part of playing as ANY Italian faction is not enough rebel settlements and surrounded by other Italian city states that arn't close friends. You can always migrate to larger lands but your best option is to wait and stick it out in rich North Italy.

Rep with Milan is very important as your the closest to the Pope and are surrounded by other catholics so win the popes favour and try to be liked.
One reason to pick Milan is their superior gunpowder and late tech-noligy.

Weakness:Not good veriety of Cavelry with only Famiglia Ducale and Broken Lances with 8 charge. Heavy infantry is not avalible until atleast High. Not perfect access to Holy land meaning being so close to the Pope won't end pretty.

Conclusion: Milan is A VERY intresting and fun faction with A weakness of no strong units until the high and late period. Strong militia's form A coalition of free upkeep garrison units.

Milan is going to be A very fun faction for all of ys,...you just have to survive with aggresive neighbors. Regaurds VPO

Experiance: By experiance of playing Milan as it is my favorite Italian faction, my arch enemy is Venice. I wish their capital was further away and I could work my way through their cities and armies in A final battle at their capital, but unfortunatly Venice is the first to go.

As beutiful and stunning as Tenochtitlan, I love to assult Venice with the river blocking it I love to fight my way across the bridge and break through the walls sending hundreds into the fray killing any they see leaving NO ONE left.

The difficulties, detailed maps and battles, and cheap strong
units. I can't explain the fun, but I gaurente that you'l love back and forth battles with Genose Crossbowmen an Italian Spear militia assultigVeniceand in the Swis Alps ith HRE. ^_^

**Last of the Mohawks** · February 06, 2009, 11:45 AM

Not bad and you've inspired me to try them.

But I've read that Militia spam is the way to go!

**Viking Prince Olaf** · February 06, 2009, 08:50 PM

I love the Italian factions (especially Milan) as their one of the few if any that have strong militia to protect your city.....I'm pretty dang sure town and spear militia arn't going to stop an invasion, but Italian Spear militia
and Genose crossbow militia will kill literaly HUNDREDS if used properly...

**Last of the Mohawks** · February 08, 2009, 09:56 AM

I took a fully stacked Venice, that had Pavise Crossbowmen, a 7 Star General whom had 6 dread and Italian Spear Militia with a 4 star 9 star Crusader General with 1 unit of Geonese crossbow men and the rest a full stack Italian Spear militia, all you have to do is bog down the streets long enough for the General to walk round the city and mess up their back lines, I'm not joking they lost over 2500 and I lost 450, just because I new how to use my Militia

**claudius2007** · February 10, 2009, 05:48 AM

Milan and Venice are the only Italian factions I have managed to finish with on VH so far. I can't seem to do it with Sicily because I always lead my kingdom to economic and then military collapse.

Anyway love the guide.

**Viking Prince** · February 12, 2009, 01:30 AM

Two questions:

1) Milan starts off with larger population centers than Venice, HRE, and Sicily. Do you tend to push for population increases with a normal tax rate or do you go for more cash today rather than more people tomorrow?

2) THe Pavise crossbows do not upgrade until heavy mail and the spear militia needs light mail for the first upgrade. Do you bother building up your armor? All cities or just a select few to get the armor upgrades?

**Spartan90** · February 14, 2009, 12:27 AM

Originally Posted by Viking Prince

The Pavise crossbows do not upgrade until heavy mail and the spear militia needs light mail for the first upgrade. Do you bother building up your armor? All cities or just a select few to get the armor upgrades?

Italian Spear Militia becoming wickedly strong when you upgrade their armour. Being able to spam stacks of these heavily armoured militia, along with the deadly powerful Crossbowmen - it's just a recipe for success.

Milan's strengths lie in their economy to mass produce well-trained militia armies. Their success in battles lie in flat open field confrontations. The crossbowmen can literally kill hundreds before your spear militia engage with your cavalry protecting the flanks.

Milan's strongest units are all produced from cities. With (armoured) militia spearmen holding the battle lines, crossbowmen firing before the battle lines meet and shooting into the flanks (remember xbowmen can't shoot over your men, only straight) and your decent to heavy city-trained cavalry protecting the flanks - Milan is an unstoppable steamroller. Plus they are so strong naval wise, and in the gunpowder age.

Their only weakness is defending cities / castles (crossbowmen can't shoot down from walls) and their weakness towards Horse Archer orientated armies.

**claudius2007** · February 14, 2009, 12:07 AM

Lowering the tax rate usually gives the trait "Poor with taxes" although it heavily increases your population and therefore the net amount you make. I tend to keep it on normal or higher and keep a population increase of around 3-4%.

**Conquistatore** · February 14, 2009, 07:25 AM

^ Couldn't agree with you more. Maybe that is why Milan is so hated, they are probably the best Italian faction, either them or Sicily. They can easily take over the whole of Italy and decimate their neighbours, the HRE and France if they strike early.

**Viking Prince Olaf** · February 20, 2009, 07:18 PM

I wonder what is was like historically for Milan.....

**Ric_English** · February 20, 2009, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by Viking Prince Olaf

I wonder what is was like historically for Milan.....

Historically Milan was part of the HRE. Cites Wikipedia no guarantees on accuracy.
edit: and apparently france and austria and spain and lombardy too.

**Viking Prince Olaf** · February 20, 2009, 07:31 PM

That is why i'm glad to post about Milan as their powerful ability to mass produce insanely ausome early period units that Venice will take A while to even get started on until it settles Venice itself straight.

To answer my good buddy VP's question i will start with I set my taxes to
very high with Genoa and Milan because they are already city level meaning I can upgrade my militias with their top armour upgrade of mail.

I am truly inspired how formidable Milan really is to A full extent, They start with A good sized powerful army, protected by the Alps, able to expand into Bologna and Florence early cutting the Imperials off and killing their emperor kind of pissing them off....

**DeMolay** · February 24, 2009, 12:51 AM

I really prefer Venice , i played many campaigns recently with stainless steel mod , so i don't remember well the difference with vanilla roster , but i love Venice for its Venitian archers and Venitian heavy infantry , even if this Venice heavy infantry unit is less "uber" in stainless steel than in vanilla , Milan do not have those 2 units although those Genoese crossbowmen are mean indeed , i read that they took part in the 100 years war on the French side

**Viking Prince Olaf** · February 27, 2009, 10:25 PM

Originally Posted by DeMolay

I really prefer Venice , i played many campaigns recently with stainless steel mod , so i don't remember well the difference with vanilla roster , but i love Venice for its Venitian archers and Venitian heavy infantry , even if this Venice heavy infantry unit is less "uber" in stainless steel than in vanilla , Milan do not have those 2 units although those Genoese crossbowmen are mean indeed , i read that they took part in the 100 years war on the French side

Indeed I love that Venice has options but I still hate how their spread out, but if you move your capital it just isn't right as Venice however you look at it should be the capital.... -.-

I still doubt that venetian infantry can stand up to fully upgraded spear
and crossbow militia. If they could, they would obvious suffer HEAVY losses and probably have to face another stack as like I said, not only are they ausome and cheap but will soon overwhelm them regaurdless.....

If you like Venice fine, but I still choose Milan, i'm not saying Venice is bad AT ALL because we all have favorites but their so Awesome!!!! but thats just me man ofourse.....