Neutral armies crossing my borders.

[Romanichine]

Hello!

It's turn 9, and since turn 5 Scotland has landed an army east of York and it never moves. They don't have military access, in fact they have no treaty at all with me. How I am supposed to react?

I'd rather not attack the Scots yet as I am not ready - No contact with the Pope, and still busy taking neutral settlements. However if I need to fight them, I will win.

Help me!
--
Rom

[Darkpriest667]

crush them

[Pnutmaster]

crush them

Haha. I love it.

[Ascarona]

Yeah, better start a premptive war on them...

[Viking Prince]

You will here quite a bit about crushing them, but I just let them sit there for the time. Just keep a sufficient force near to come to the aid of the garrison. I have yet to see them do a thing though.

I assume you have trade rights already. Do not give them any money -- they just continue to stay. With any luck they might go rebel.

AI for Scotland seems to have three choices:

1. Build up the military units and go bankrupt.
2. Build fewer units and build up their one region.
3. If cut off from York, head to Dublin or Bruges.

I have never seen them go north or head east to Norway in Retrofit Mod. I have never seen them as a challange, even if you never bother them. Unless you gift them a few regions, they are never an interesting faction to take on.

[General Nuisance esq]

The Scottish ai seems to do this occasionally, normally they go for Antwerp but it is a pain never the less

Here's the problem you have them on your doorstep BUT if you attack you will get a negative reaction from the pope and possibly a 7 turn ban from attacking Scotland and all that without getting a city

You have 2 choices really
1) attack them and take the papal hit
2) wait and get your diplomat to the pope ASAP bribe him and wait till you go up the pope-o-meter then go for a city preferably Edinburgh

Given the time scale involved, personally I would attack straight away, take the pope-o-meter hit, but still rush my diplomat to Rome and still bribe the pope to get you back up the pope-o-meter quickly and ready to attack once your 7 turns are up

However the down side of this is that you will kill off an enemy army going nowhere, that might have attacked you (giving you a pope free bash at them) and Scotland ai WILL start spawning armies in Edinburgh and Inverness (if they have it)

[Darkpriest667]

You will here quite a bit about crushing them, but I just let them sit there for the time. Just keep a sufficient force near to come to the aid of the garrison. I have yet to see them do a thing though.

I assume you have trade rights already. Do not give them any money -- they just continue to stay. With any luck they might go rebel.

AI for Scotland seems to have three choices:

1. Build up the military units and go bankrupt.
2. Build fewer units and build up their one region.
3. If cut off from York, head to Dublin or Bruges.

I have never seen them go north or head east to Norway in Retrofit Mod. I have never seen them as a challange, even if you never bother them. Unless you gift them a few regions, they are never an interesting faction to take on.

in one of my retrofit games i saw scotland take antwerp and brussels.. retrofit mod game.. they then proceeded to knock the danes completely out of the game.. it might be rare but it is possible

[Lord Sherwin]

it always happen to me as well and their diplomat trying to build a trade rights with me every turn, its look like threatening you that if you will not accept the offer they will attack you. i just leave them alone cause i am not bother, recruited an assassin kill the diplomat and the captain a very good training for my assassins

[Silent Assassin]

Ok here is what you need to do:

As VP already said let them be but watch them and be ready, if you are not at war with them won't cause devastation on your lands so unless you really want to attack them do it if they are not in the targets for your campaign let them be, you will loose money time and your armies for nothing as they don't disavantage you right now.

[Jianadaren]

I would attack it. There is no papal or reputational penalty for attacking someone who has entered your borders. Release the prisoners. Then sue for peace, reestablish trade rights, and maybe get some florins out of it.

[Silent Assassin]

I would attack it. There is no papal or reputational penalty for attacking someone who has entered your borders. Release the prisoners. Then sue for peace, reestablish trade rights, and maybe get some florins out of it.

That ain't true if you are a catholic faction and attack another one that which you are neutral with, in your land or not you would gain a penalty on your relationship with the Pope and also your global Rep would go down

[General Nuisance esq]

Having read what people have said an alternative strategy is to ignore them for the moment
Move another army up to Edinburgh
Get diplomat to bribe pope
Attack Edinburgh first, thereby starting the war
Clean up the first army at will as they are on your territory during a war, no excommunication
The reason for this way is that if you attack the first army first of all then you have really gained nothing and relieved of the burden of paying those soldiers wages, Scotland will start building it's armies up precisely where you don't want them, IE in Edinburgh and any other towns they have

[Viking Prince]

Having read what people have said an alternative strategy is to ignore them for the moment
Move another army up to Edinburgh
Get diplomat to bribe pope
Attack Edinburgh first, thereby starting the war
Clean up the first army at will as they are on your territory during a war, no excommunication
The reason for this way is that if you attack the first army first of all then you have really gained nothing and relieved of the burden of paying those soldiers wages, Scotland will start building it's armies up precisely where you don't want them, IE in Edinburgh and any other towns they have

If you get the excom order from the Pope you will suffer consequences unless defending out of a settlement to break a seige. All other combat is considered a violation of the Pope's wishes.

Hopefully Rebel will confirm this when he looks into this thread.

[General Nuisance esq]

If you get the excom order from the Pope you will suffer consequences unless defending out of a settlement to break a seige. All other combat is considered a violation of the Pope's wishes.

Hopefully Rebel will confirm this when he looks into this thread.

Sadly I think you are slightly mistaken
If you attack on your own territory, no excommunication,
If the battle takes place on neutral or enemy territory (regardless of who attacks) you are excommunicated

[Roman14]

Out of every game I have played I have never been attacked by scotland. They always plnat their army naext to my citie and then do nothing fo the rest of the game.

[Double A]

Anyone say "build ballistas and catapults?"

No?

Ok, build ballistas and catapults and attack their city(-ies) on the same turn and take them. There, no more Scottish army.

[Darkpriest667]

Anyone say "build ballistas and catapults?"

No?

Ok, build ballistas and catapults and attack their city(-ies) on the same turn and take them. There, no more Scottish army.

i said crush them... i thought that insinuated 1 turn captures of cities... which would require ballistas and catapults

hm... my apologies


yes build ballistas and take every city they have

[Celsius]

Just move a much larger force near them. Sooner or later they will attack it and then you can conquer little ole scotland.

[Silent Assassin]

OK was your warning precise and saying stop war with France. So if so you can attack another faction

[General Nuisance esq]

OK was your warning precise and saying stop war with France. So if so you can attack another faction

Yes thats correct, it always names a faction, normally I will be building forces and attacking rebels whilst I sit out the papal warning.
I will be sending my diplomat to rome to gift the pope 200 florins a turn, but of course it takes time for my rating to get above 8, where I can generally do as I please and only get "the pope wants you to stop attacking or your reputation will suffer" threats, but of course as I am still gifting the pope 200 florins a turn any drop in the pope-o-meter is counteracted by the rise in the pope-o-meter for the 200 florins