Trade?

[death2u4519]

I don't know how important trade is to alot of people wich is my question in this post. In alot of scenarios i've tested for a while, most people would just spend every cent they had on a military, go off to a near land wether they are nutral, allies, or enemy, and attack them (usually this is in the early parts of the campaign so they would often very easily win) and next turn go into debt. But me, I kind of follow the guide lines of the game and "Hermit" until I have established trade with most of my neighbors and conquered all surrounding rebels to the point or stage where i'm building up my population.

How many of the strategists here actually does one of these two? If not please do explain your different tactics.

[Nazgûl Killer]

I don't know how important trade is to alot of people wich is my question in this post. In alot of scenarios i've tested for a while, most people would just spend every cent they had on a military, go off to a near land wether they are nutral, allies, or enemy, and attack them (usually this is in the early parts of the campaign so they would often very easily win) and next turn go into debt. But me, I kind of follow the guide lines of the game and "Hermit" until I have established trade with most of my neighbors and conquered all surrounding rebels to the point or stage where i'm building up my population.

How many of the strategists here actually does one of these two? If not please do explain your different tactics.

]

I tend to depend on trade a lot, and the first strategy you described is called "Blitz" - It is the only strategy I truly hate.

I usually just develop my economy up to a point in which it can support a proper army, and if war is called, I go to war and have awesome fights and conquer lands... But I never blitz, it doesn't give the AI any chance to win.

[death2u4519]

True, I don't go overboard on planning though, usually i just upgrade farms, ports, roads, and buildings and just wait for the income to come so I can form armies to capture more settlements. It's A very simple process that I find all too similar to a word called "investment." Meaning the more you spend the more you gain wich ofcourse I take full or best advantage I can of that rule to making money and troops.

[Viking Prince]

It is always a balancing act between the military and the economy (nothing new compared to the real world here).

A quick example from Lands to Conquor Gold, Early Era -- France starts without English held: Bordeaux, Angers, and Caen and HRE held Marseilles. Catpaults are really priced through the roof in time to build the facilities, the cost of the facilities, and the rate for availability. A catapult and balista with a good army can take Angers and another can pin the English field will seiging Caen. Without the seige equipment, it takes longer to be ready and the English can respond to the longer seiges. But the seige equipment will cost you building up your economy. You simply cannot spend the same florin twice or build two facilities at the same time in the same settlement.

On the other hand, you could build up the economy and wait for better military units from Toulouse -- but you will always be a step behind Caen in technology. The stronger economy and trade opportunities may give you the resources to acquire the settlements one at a time as England gets bogged down in other conflicts. Each time that England is attacked, it is because another AI faction perceives England to be weak -- the French help with cash in exchange for a settlement is more a traditional English ploy, but it works. When I do the economy bit, I try to marry the English princess to the French heir for the first deal plus cash tributes. When Scotland goes to war with England, Bordeaux gets acquired. Later the HRE or Spain will get into the mix and Caen plus cash in exchange for another settlement seems to complete the French traditional position. All due to the economy and not marching armies off to war. (btw -- you can do the same with HRE held Marseilles and Bern)

I enjoy both styles of play. Try them both with your favorite faction and game version!

[death2u4519]

I like trade because it comes with a few props. Roads, give you trade to neighbors and other states in your country. Wich are then sent to your capital to be sold at local markets, but another advantage is sending your military to far away places quicker on paved roads. I don't know about any of yall, but when i was in the far east past Poland and roaming through the Russian plains, I had alot of trouble finding the settlement to capture, but since it was late in the campaign -- past the mongols -- I looked for dirt roads and followed them to a settlement, and that saved me alot of time and upkeep to start preparing for the timurids arrival.

[Muagan_ra]

Well, without trade, you will be impoverished - and an impoverished Empire will not be capable of upgrading it's military infrastructure, even if they continually sack and loot every corner of the earth.

[Theseus1234]

It's nearly impossible to wage war early and keep it going just off the money made from sacking, ransoming, and immediate taxes. It might suffice for quickly getting to those rebel settlements but prolonged war will ruin you financially and, since money is the backbone of war, militarily. At one point you're going to have to stop and build up your infrastructure to continue war, although if you proceed with a purely military strategy from the get-go, it'll be hard to recovered if you've engaged in prolonged war

[lawless_sage]

i have tried to use the trade in my moor campaign. But my trade was nothing compared to others. In fact often times after i took a city the city often had better roads and ports than my own cities. So i don't have a through grasp on economic building. Can someone please provide a link or something that may help me understand how to use trade much better. I am getting tired of winning my campaigns with improper armies. I can tax and keep up an empire but not that well. Help is appreciated.

[Nazgûl Killer]

i have tried to use the trade in my moor campaign. But my trade was nothing compared to others. In fact often times after i took a city the city often had better roads and ports than my own cities. So i don't have a through grasp on economic building. Can someone please provide a link or something that may help me understand how to use trade much better. I am getting tired of winning my campaigns with improper armies. I can tax and keep up an empire but not that well. Help is appreciated.

Try my guide, at my signature. At the table of contents, the "general guides" have an extensive economic guide in them, I hope it will help you.

[Stolet]

i have tried to use the trade in my moor campaign. But my trade was nothing compared to others. In fact often times after i took a city the city often had better roads and ports than my own cities. So i don't have a through grasp on economic building. Can someone please provide a link or something that may help me understand how to use trade much better. I am getting tired of winning my campaigns with improper armies. I can tax and keep up an empire but not that well. Help is appreciated.

The Moors have these semi-magical caravan stops that can be built in fortresses and citadels So there you go, a 4000 fpt citadel, and it's just few turns after the gunpowder discovery, it will grow as the cities around it develop. Moors are a nice trading faction, and you should keep in mind merchants, Timbuktu and Arguin. So much for my first post, been playing TW games for years, it has been time for me to sign up

[Viking Prince]

@lawless_sage

Just so you know -- the computer cheats a bit on the speed of developement of AI faction settlements. Expect them to develop faster in every campaign.

[lawless_sage]

thanks guys and thank you Nazgul killer they helped allot

[Nazgûl Killer]

thanks guys and thank you Nazgul killer they helped allot

Happy to be of service.

[Aristarchus]

No one's mentioned that staying quiet and building up markets and such is not always a viable option in the beginning with several factions (playing Lands to Conquer mod). The balance quickly goes red and redder no matter how virtuous you are. You have to expand, and since an army is unaffordable, a pack of generals is required, sometimes in desperate battles with superior forces. Becoming a hermit or a turtle is not an option, no matter if you have the most benevolent neighbors. Also, some cities are far better than others. It's important to acquire rich mines; and also train a merchant or two and send them somewhere safe, if not very lucrative, to build up financial experience, so you can send them off to good spots without getting offed by other merchants. I try to get assassins early - usually they come through a conquered city, because I can't afford the tavern - then I can get rid of predator foreign merchants that go around gleefully "acquiring" my guys. Also, war can seriously kill income. Notice how income drops drastically sometimes when a war occurs with a prosperous neighbor. Both sides may soon want peace to restore trade. I always concentrate on trade as much as possible, but sometimes a blitz is simply necessary. This feeling of desperation is one verity in the game I like (among others), reproducing pressures on peoples in history who have to eat and go out pirating, not because they're bad - OK, they can be really bad - but still, to get an income can demand blood.

[Arcani 4 Ever]

Well always at the start of the game i do play without caring about the economy, but when you decide to go to war against another faction i decide to invest some money, i check on the overall economy list, so i can see which nations i can wage war against. eventually youll be fighting on all ends of the campaign map and the upkeep costs will make you loss a lot of money. And also after the gunpowder event, several nations will start producing better units than yours, so thats when i can see i was too late developing my towns

[Eesolk]

Well, to answer your question....

First, I capture the surrounding rebel towns and then establish trade routes, i sign Trade Rights with All neutral factions, and in my cities i build buildings which are TRADE only, after i have a steady supply of Florins, I start to expand my military.