Milite Christi question

[Morty]

I'm about to start a Milite Christi campaign for the first time and I'm wondering should I take out Acre?

Sooner or Later? My initial plan is to focus on rebels in my provinces until I can call a crusade on Cairo/Alexandria. I tried on turn 1 already and the pope turned me down. Anyways I figure all the Teutonic forces at Acre will head off immediately and I'd waltz into a poorly defended Acre. Part II of my plan would be to wait till the very last turn to make my crusading army then do so. Before actually trying to take Cairo/Alexandria I'd make a pit stop at Gaza and take that... Bam 3 metropolis level castles all near each other, my borders would all be contingious, the Fatamids would have no castle troops and I'd be sitting pretty... What do you think of my master plan of doooom?

I'd be fine letting the Teutonics keep Acre the whole game but you just can't trust AI alliances... even with diplomacy mods. Besides if I ever plan on taking Damascus where exactly can Acre expand to?

One last question, when/if I take Acre can I make teutonic chapter troops as Milite Christi? Assume I have sufficient catholic religion in the region.

Morty

[The Pied Piper]

The time I played as Milite Christi, I left them alone with the exception of full alliance (including Military access). I wanted them to build up their infrastructure (well, I wanted them to get a higher level of Teutonic Order). They never once attacked me and once a couple occasions actually came out to help defend me. After a while, they went rebel after I assume their General died and no heirs in the castle. So as a faithful ally to their King, I punished the rebels and took Acre.

I guess in some cases they may try to expand, but they did not in my campaign. As for strategic importance, it isn't terribly great as it is still just a castle and not a money-making city. As long as I had my alliance and we both shared military access, it worked out good. I even helped defend them once from an attack. They will eventually rebel from their King (too far away from captial and lack of family members to govern it).

[Morty]

Good stuff, thank you. I've noticed the rebelling from a couple other factions too. Irklion for instance usually goes rebel as well. Do you know if I can recruit and eventually upgrade the Teutonic chapter building if I take Acre? Also did you have the total war AI script turned on when you say they never attacked you?

Morty

[Grimblade]

Good stuff, thank you. I've noticed the rebelling from a couple other factions too. Irklion for instance usually goes rebel as well. Do you know if I can recruit and eventually upgrade the Teutonic chapter building if I take Acre? Also did you have the total war AI script turned on when you say they never attacked you?

Morty

Oh they attacked me a lot and I didn't choose TOTAL WAR between faction when I began my campaign. Really sneaky too, they attacked Jerusalem while I was fighting Muslim factions (all except Moors, they only wanted to trade with me ).
Happened about 4 times and each time I did reload, not because I would have any trouble defeating them (siege AI is well...Horrible?) , but because it seemed really unrealistic. Later they were left with only ACRE and didn't seem that interested in attacking me, but I did try and managed to wipe entire Teutonic order faction with assassins before the End of World plague event. I do hope they fix diplomacy if they can (DLV creators mentioned something about unbreakable alliances without diplomat and rearranging AI diplomatic priorities). Also like I mentioned before Kingdom of Jerusalem faction could really use some work, like armor penetrating cavalry (AP for secondary weapons), more units ( they seem to be stuck in the 12th century, it might be realistic but we are playing alternate history here, so it can get boring fast), they can't even build jousting/tournament fields, they could use more buildings (banks for templars like I added to my game of DLV with KOJ), also they can't get crowns from ANY conquered neighboring factions and they even have incomplete victory goals (You need to conquer only 45 provinces while most factions need 75 and you need to control only 2 territories while other need to control quote a bit more some even 10 specific territories if I am not mistaken). I did fix most of these problems in my game but new Victory goals seem to require campaign restart; but I am getting way off topic here. My advice when you play KOJ is that you use crusades a lot, since you are almost always high in Papal favor.

Iraklion rebelled for me too .

As far as I know you can't upgrade you Teutonic chapter building unless you are playing as Teutonic order or HRE:

building guild_teutonic_knights_chapter_house
{
convert_to guild_teutonic_knights_chapter_house
religion catholic
levels teutonic_knights_minor_ch teutonic_knights_major_ch teutonic_knights_hq
{
teutonic_knights_minor_ch requires factions { teutons, hre, } and event_counter governor_present 1
{
convert_to 0
capability
{
recruit_pool "Halbbruder" 0 0.1 1 0 requires factions { teutons, hre, } and region_religion catholic 80
law_bonus bonus 2
religion_level bonus 1
}
material stone
construction 2
cost 2000
settlement_min large_town
upgrades
{
teutonic_knights_major_ch
}
}

and it semms ONLY HRE can upgrade chapter house to HQ (teutonic order can't upgrade teutonic xhapter house to Headquaters ?!

teutonic_knights_hq requires factions { hre, } and event_counter governor_present 1
{
convert_to 2
capability
{
recruit_pool "Dismounted Halbbruder" 0 0.2 2 0 requires factions { teutons, hre, } and region_religion catholic 80
recruit_pool "Halbbruder" 0 0.2 2 0 requires factions { teutons, hre, } and region_religion catholic 80
recruit_pool "Dismounted Teutonic Knights" 0 0.2 2 0 requires factions { teutons, hre, } and region_religion catholic 80
recruit_pool "Teutonic Knights" 0 0.2 2 0 requires factions { teutons, hre, } and region_religion catholic 80
recruit_pool "Dismounted Ritterbruder" 0 0.1 1 0 requires factions { teutons, hre, } and region_religion catholic 80
recruit_pool "Ritterbruder" 0 0.1 1 0 requires factions { teutons, hre, } and region_religion catholic 80
law_bonus bonus 6
religion_level bonus 3
recruits_morale_bonus bonus 1
}
material stone
construction 4
cost 8000
settlement_min large_city
upgrades
{
}
}
}
plugins
{
}
}

LOL I didn't try it to be 100% sure but I am quite sure this is not what DLV creators had in mind (look at the part of script with bold red letters).

[Morty]

Ok thanks for looking that recruitment stuff up in the building desc file, you answered my two questions there. No and No.

As for whether or not to take out Acre... I think I will. I'll do it under the cover of a crusade so they hopefully send off their garrison they have there. Here is my current master plan of doom:

1) Clear Jerusalem
2) Clear Al-Kerak
3) Kill the rebel garrison at the fort in the Acre province
4) Clear Tyrus
5) Clear Antioch
6) Take Aleppo
7) Call Crusade on Alexandria while enroute to Damascus
8) Take Damascus
9) Clear Damascus fort
10) Sneak attack from the back on Acre
11) Create crusade army at Acre
12) Take Gaza en route to Alexandria
13) Take Alexandria

I think this will take about 40 turns. Hopefully a crusade isn't called sooner, ala Narbonne. So by the end of my first 40 turns I should have my starting provinces + Aleppo, Damascus, Acre, Gaza at the minimum. I will wait till the very last turn possible to create my crusade army. I want the other catholic factions to show up first and soften up the Egyptians and I also wanna use my army to take out Acre which you can't do of course while crusading. If I get too bogged down at the Aleppo step I may skip taking Damascus since it has a tough garrison + field army.

I'm currently on Turn 5 and on step 3.

Plan B is wait till it rebels. I'll try to speed that up by creating an assassin to sabotage +good public order buildings every turn I can.

Morty

[Grimblade]

Ok thanks for looking that recruitment stuff up in the building desc file, you answered my two questions there. No and No.




8) Take Damascus

12) Take Gaza en route to Alexandria


I think this will take about 40 turns. Hopefully a crusade isn't called sooner, ala Narbonne. So by the end
I'm currently on Turn 5 and on step 3.

Plan B is wait till it rebels. I'll try to speed that up by creating an assassin to sabotage +good public order buildings every turn I can.

Morty

Forget about waiting or using assassins to make it rebel. Just take Damascus for the money and then Gaza, since that will deprive the Egyptians of their only castle, and they will be forced to send totally laughable town armies at you .
You have already noticed that it takes an European army quite a bit of time to moved their armies near your position so while you call a crusade it is smart plan (as you have already said) to take something while they are arriving , before you take the target. BTW are you playing a historic campaign? If so don't wait to fortify and things like that, until you crush Egypt, take Aleppo, eastern Cyprus and west Arabian cost; just call a crusade after a crusade and be sure to plunder every city you take.
Hint GOOD spies are your best friends sinced it takes insane amount of time to get trebuchets.

[Snipe]

they rebelled in my turks campaign aswell, didnt look like they had attempted to expand at all