Need Help with Byzantium on SS6.0

[Tyrenia]

Hello all,

After trawling these forums for months, I finally decided to make my own account, and this is my first post. Yay!

Anyway, on to the challenge at hand. I'm playing as the Byzantines in a Late Era campaign (H/M). It's around turn 60. Thing have been going swimmingly up until nowI controlled all of the Greek Peninsula, the Greek Islands, Western Anatolia, Crimea and the surrounding regions, and Ragusa, Venice and Ancona. All of a sudden, a Seljuk Imam declares a jihad on Constantinople (admittedly I had been trying to assasinate him for around 10 turns, but he WAS in my lands...)

Anyway, all of a sudden, I have 5 full stacks surrounding my capital, and one or two others on the way. As well as this, Sicily, Hungary and Genoa have all been massing armies on my borders. At least I vassaled what was left of Venice but it hasn't seemed to help. Oh, and due to building expenses I unsually only have about 500 Florins per turn income, and the siege at Constantinople hasn't helped in that regard either.

So basically, I would like some advice on defending Constantinople (it is garrisoned with a full stack, consisting of Byzantine infantry Archer and Spear Militia) as well as some advice on how to handle the next few steps of what looks to be a very difficult campaign from now on.

Thanks

P.S. If you are going to reply by telling me why I was stupid to start my own thread, please don't.

[Navajo Joe]

Always a difficult position to be on the end of a Jihad and playing as the Byzantines. I see you have two choices:
1. Fight them, try to hold the city, by the 3rd stack, they will take it from you, as if they continually besiege, you will not be able to replace your losses.
2. Give them the City, the Jihad will finish and they will clear off. Then take the City back, only one down side is if they sack or exterminate you may lose alot of important buildings. On the other in scenario one that is going to happen.

I would go for option 2, keep your army for another day and then KILL THEM ALL!

[luciferleigh]

do you still have your flamethrowers? depending on when you let them fire, they can take out whole armies just by themselves

[Deadly Rabbit]

trebuchets, mangonels, and your siphonatores/flamethrower units. Build bulk byzantine spearmen/scoutatoi in Cannakale and Adrianople, javelinmen are also extremely handy as well. Using your mangonels and flame throwers to destroy their massed armies in the breach/gate, I've managed to successfully defend from a lot of jihads. As long as you can keep troops reinforcing you'll be right. Don't build anything for a while, just train troops, you'll have more cash to spend.

[Tyrenia]

Thanks for all the help so far

Sadly, I don't have access to Greek Firethrowers yet; what do I have to have to get them?

My only saving grace is the fact that my enemies aren't allied, and so they can't assault the city together. That and the fact that I have two full offensive stacks floating around which can be brought to bear should the city be conquered. Oh, and just last turn, another Egyptian Army came to assault a woefully undermanned Iraklion...

[Mithrantir]

Irakleion can be recaptured with minimal damage at it's loss. If i were you i would stick my 2 floating armies right next to Constantinopole and force the muslims to either drop off or take a stance and die.
I would recommend you don't attack, and in case they do you make sure that their generals leave the battlefield in a coffin.

[Sir Walter]

Turks are very good with missile troops but in the early era their infantry suck balls so just get Byzantine Spearmen lined up, guard the flanks with lancers and get lots of Trebizond Archers and the best Horse Archer mercenaries you can find. Then shoot their cavalry up, charge the remainders, get their missile troops and sandwich the infantry...

Pity it doesn't always work, and costs a lot, but still, it's good when you do it carefully and use the Roman generals because not much else stands up to a Turkish general in the early era...