Alliances

[Sokar Rostau]

I find it a little odd that whenever the subject of alliances is brought up - whether in SS or something else - that most people tend to say "less is more" and to never make lots of them. To me, alliances tend to add a great deal of replayability to individual factions mainly because I don't think I've ever played the same faction with the same alliances in two games despite allying with everyone ASAP in every game.

For example, with England I have played campaigns that worked out as:

England and France
England and HRE
England and Denmark
England and Genoa
England and Poland
England and Turkey

All achieved by making alliances with every faction practical within the first few turns, and all of those campaigns played very differently.

In my experience alliances are not things that you "get and forget" but have to be worked at - give your allies help when they need it, give them land in areas you want to expand into (especially as buffer-states), throw them some florins...

My philosophy is to make as many alliances as possible and to just let them proceed, or crumble, as time progresses without any preconceived notions of what is going to happen.

[JiangZiya]

My epic Fatimid/Irish alliance owned the crap out of the crusading armies.

[meese]

I typically don't make a lot of alliances because I really hate thinking, "Damn, I wish they'd just get out of the way". Still, I agree that it's actually a lot of fun - I was playing as Scotland and was excommunicated (annoyingly) so I went over to my excommunicated buddy, Genoa, and we took over Europe. It was really quite fun.

Yet, as the Turks, I made an alliance with the Khwarezms because I needed a buffer against the two invasions. It didn't last long when I realised I had to eliminate them to win.

[KittySN]

I make few alliances because I hate breaking them and it messes with your reputation. Usually I'll go with a key neighbor I won't attack and the Papal States plus Knights Templar or Kingdom of Jerusalem if Catholic.

[RomanGuy]

I usually don't make alliances because they'll probably betray me eventually. Allies don't help in my wars either, so what is the point of alliances anway?

[King Siegfried]

I use alliances (especially marriage alliances) to essentially act as a buffer to protect myself. When playing a faction, I'll automatically keep in mind the factions I do NOT want to mess with and immediately seek out an alliance with them. I'll then keep the alliance strong so they never betray me, and it lets me focus on more important things - like how I'm going to win my current war.

[cedric37]

I use alliances (especially marriage alliances) to essentially act as a buffer to protect myself. When playing a faction, I'll automatically keep in mind the factions I do NOT want to mess with and immediately seek out an alliance with them. I'll then keep the alliance strong so they never betray me, and it lets me focus on more important things - like how I'm going to win my current war.

+1!! Allies should be only factions that you don't want to mess with. I used to play with only 1 (max 2) allies and it worked very well, also i did not care about my rep and was at war with lots of factions, but at least i had 1-2 borders safe so i could focus on other fronts. Recently i tended to make too many alliances due to outstanding rep and me lacking the will to say "no". Result was very bad! Let say "Too many alliances kill the alliances". Now, i am back to what i used to do: 1-2 max alliances (1 with the pope is neraly mandatory and not count in), if possible reinforced by marriages, but i still watch after my rep though.

[soulson]

I make allies as well. Playing as TO, allied with HRE to help out with Poland who was vassled and then allied with Norway as well to take care of the Danes which they did vasseling them as well. Now both are helping take out Novgorod.

[BohemianHussar]

I prefer allying with the underdog factions and then aiding them in their petty wars such as in my Polish game where I'm aiding a weak Kievan Rus as they attempt to take the central part of asia minor (failing sadly). By aid I mean I actually have granted them 2 regions I siezed in a blitzkrieg attack I made on central asia minor, as well as payment for support against the turks, ontop of me sending my armies in to beat by the turkish advance.

Alliances are only good really when your ally becomes a buffer, like the templars in my polish game act as a wall against the egyptian/fatamid menace for my crusader states, or when your fighting a common enemy, kevian rus and me both are odds with the turks for example so our armies have often fought the turkish horde together (pardon me if the horde comment is offensive, its just the turks in my game have been using horde tactics in the sense that all the armies I have fought of theirs have been composed of mostly masses of spear and militia infantry with 5-6 archer regiments that they just send charging at me). Then again the AI still tends to be idiots and stingy when it comes down to fighting beside me, often their troops charging ahead into the fray with their 300-500 man army that they call military aid.

Vassals I actually prefer more, its like an alliance but your ally is less likely to back stab you (as long as you work on improving your relations after they accept vassalhood, the byz as my vassals arn't to keen with it yet) and the fact your incharge of defending said vassal adds to the challenge of the game. Who doesn't like extra income anyway? =)

[Praefectus praetorio]

Alliances are great! I usually ally with many factions as possible but not with the historical enemies: As Byzantium, I don't ally with Turks, Hungarians or Venice... etc. I still want to fight, otherwise I need wait ages for someone to attack me. With strong allies, you get better reputation and relations and in SS allies rarely betray you.

[koultouras]

As ERE(Byzantium) i always tend to make alliances with the Orthodox Christianity Factions (K.Russ/Russia) ....Besides that an alliance with Hungary allways
helps me to focus on my eastern borders and not on the north....

[Radiso-FIN]

I try to make as many alliances as possible, especially if I'm playing as larger faction (HRE, Byzantines).
I don't want to start waging war early in the game, but peacefully improve economy and build higher quality armies.

[czeresniak]

I'm trying to make historicaly accurate alliances. In my current polish campaign i have alliances with hungary and lithuania cause Poland had generally good relationship with these countries througtout the ages. Teutons or Russians - no way. They can only be my wassals .

[CrossSide]

As the Eastern Romans I've an alliance with the Seljuks because I wanted to conquer Rome and Europe again and let the Islam factions deal with eachother. I sent priests and spys to neighbour cities of the Seljuks which cause them to rebel and then I take it. Works great

[Sir Walter]

I always forget not to ally with people I'm planning to attack. I mean, as Novgorod, I allied with Norway, Denmark, the Cumans, Lithuania and the Holy Roman Empire! Well... At least they attack each other so the alliances end

[Kazuhiro]

What is this 'alliance' you speak of?

A new siege weapon?

[Double A]

The HRE make an excellent buffer, no matter who you are!

[Lemming69]

i usually ally with the factions which surround the factions which border me- that way you could create a 2 front war for the enemy

[Mega Tortas de Bodemloze]

I seek alliances based on the current campaign and looking for ....

1. The keep me alive alliances - example immediately with the Turks when playing the Templars. Buys you enough time to deal with the Egyptians. K-
shah comes to eat every one around turn 40-50 anyway.

2. I'm gonna eat you later alliance - England to France so you can save the good stuff {up graded units & battles} for last.

3. Convenience - Such as any catholic faction with the Pope.

I always try and make sure that i don't ally with to factions I know will go to war. Such As the Moors allying with the three other Iberian factions. Keep making alliances cuz everything campaign differs somewhat...

[Tyrenia]

At the beginning, I will ally with all the factions that surround me, save the one or two that I plan on taking down first. In order to preserve my rep, I ally with the enemies of my next target, and wait for them to declare war on each other. Then I can break my alliance with my target without a rep loss.