Most challenging faction VH/VH

[Dubh the dark]

Like the topic what faction will give me the greatest amount of trouble to play as. I'm tired of developing too easily but dislike RR. I usually stick to western powers but tend to play as small nations for a greater challenge. Would Byzantium be difficult due to its instability at the beginning of a game or perhaps one of the Russian states due to the Mongolian invasion. Cheers

[dominion]

Yes the roman empire, immediatly at war with venice and the turks. And it won't by long before sicily,cumans,CS and hungary backstap you....that is as you play with Gracul's AI. CS is also a very hard one...

[ShadowKiller2000]

CS, Roman Empire, Lithuania, all will give a challenge.

CS depends on the AI....with Savage it is not too bad if the AI holds alliances, or if one faction does. Kill the Fatmids first and the game gets ten times easier.

Roman Empire because nobody likes you, Jihads Jihads Jihads. Bounus is the Pope can't crusade you.

Lithuania. You are poor, pagan, and surrounded in very big provinces that take forever to move across.

Best of luck to you!

[Dubh the dark]

Great it's between Lithuania and Byzantium, maybe I could try to recreate the Western Empire like Justinian and just turf the pope out!

[ShadowKiller2000]

Yeah, the Romans will be easy at first. Even with people backstabbing you, your early units will send them home in body bags in spades.

The real challenge will be later in the game when your late era units can not compete with other factions. I hate gunpwder so that has never been an issue for me.

The real problem is only the Roman cavalry will hold its own late era. The infantry does not get the amazing full plate armor, or AP weapons that the western factions will.

No halbred units, your besy heavy infantry are mercs....Varangians and Alamoni. And only one pike unit.

But half the fun is suceeding where they did not in history!!!!!!

Lithuania is fun and a challenge as well, my moms family is Lithuanian and stubborn as hell.

The TO will be a hard campaign as well. You start out with one army, and two HUGE rebel stacks right next to a weakly defended town......let the fun begin!

[RabidSheepLegion]

I try to avoid VH/VH as the AI usually gets an insane boost of stats and other things from H/H but I would say the crusader states must be hard, being surrounded by at least 3 factions that are already so-so or poor relations at the start. Plus with the sea where you are, again 3 people who hate you plus the byz...

[Yeepeep]

Depends on your play style and the strength of the army.

If you can keep the pressure on the enemy no faction will be challenging. TO, CS and Byzantium all face weaker units and have crazy strong units (that die very slowly) from turn 0. This lets you keep pushing down to the last 5 cavalry, recruiting only militia to fill in the ranks.

No idea on Lithuania or how it goes for turtling games, I've never done it but it might be challenging.

In any case, hardest so far for me is 1450 Byzantium campaign.

[RabidSheepLegion]

Depends on your play style and the strength of the army.

If you can keep the pressure on the enemy no faction will be challenging. TO, CS and Byzantium all face weaker units and have crazy strong units (that die very slowly) from turn 0. This lets you keep pushing down to the last 5 cavalry, recruiting only militia to fill in the ranks.

No idea on Lithuania or how it goes for turtling games, I've never done it but it might be challenging.

In any case, hardest so far for me is 1450 Byzantium campaign.

ooh yea, they don't have very good gundpowder units in my opinion

[Silver Legionary]

I'm gonna have to say, hardest campaign in SS,
late or early campaign, is the late Kwarezmians.
You have to face the Mongols, from TURN 1.

[Yeepeep]

I'm gonna have to say, hardest campaign in SS,
late or early campaign, is the late Kwarezmians.
You have to face the Mongols, from TURN 1.

You can actually sign a ceasefire and an alliance with the Mongols on turn 1 - give them the two easternmost towns and voila!

[Yeepeep]

ooh yea, they don't have very good gundpowder units in my opinion

That's not their biggest problem, if you are not careful you are dead within 6-8 turns

On another note, Kievan Rus - 1450 campaign - is also pretty fun. And damn hard

[napoleonic]

HRE campaigns no matter when is always one of the harder in the game, potential threats everywhere -sometimes you would be surprised with who attacked you- and the pope ask ceasefire and threaten you if you counterattacked your invaders

hungary is also hard on early campaign due to their crappy infantries and poor income, clash with the mighty byz just even give you more trouble

[Supercargo]

HRE campaigns no matter when is always one of the harder in the game, potential threats everywhere -sometimes you would be surprised with who attacked you- and the pope ask ceasefire and threaten you if you counterattacked your invaders

hungary is also hard on early campaign due to their crappy infantries and poor income, clash with the mighty byz just even give you more trouble

Hungary is rather easy IMHO. You ally with Byz, take all surrounding rebels (siege starve them out with Magyar Cavalry and kill them off), then the two Cuman settlements and you can take on Venice and HRE. 6-9 Horse Archers + a few infantry to support can kill most of the armies they can muster (only Venetian XBows can be trouble, but mercenary frankish knights can take care of them).

[RollingWave]

Crusader States on Savage is ok if your smart, (aka not attack the Fatimid right off the bat) . if you start fighting the Fatimids on turn one it's basically mission impossible IMHO. you literally can't build any units for 10 turns or so (if your good! if you mess up the economy you basically can't build any units EVER), and literally can't build anything useful aside from the onces every 12 turn HCS for the first 20 turns or so.

Lithuania on Savage isn't that hard at all, all the settlements around you are rebel, the attention of your two immediate worries (the Poles and the Russians) are usually focused elsewhere (HRE and Cumans, not to meantion both also have a ton of rebel territory around them that they need to mop up first), and it's even possible to marry your heir to a princess pretty soon. your early roster is also very accessable and effective. you should be able to expand to 5-6 province without any problem, and once you get going and pump out large HA armies you really can't lose, assuming that your capital doesn't get Crusaded on early and you exploit some tricks to take out the TO of course.

Moors can be pretty tough if you mess up the early turns. though IMHO there is a design error right now leaving Burgos rebel which will slow down Spain (and sometimes even Portugal WTF) 's progress against you.

[kebo]

Roman Empire is pretty hard at the start. That is in late era

[Dubh the dark]

So I went for Byzantines on vh/vh savage and its deceptively easy right now but I can see the vultures circling. Sicilians are attempting to block trade and Turks are moving armies forward. Byzantine troops are a little I'm guessing plenty of missile cavalry might be a good idea.

[Hadrian I]

So I went for Byzantines on vh/vh savage and its deceptively easy right now but I can see the vultures circling. Sicilians are attempting to block trade and Turks are moving armies forward. Byzantine troops are a little I'm guessing plenty of missile cavalry might be a good idea.

If your playing, stainless steel 6.3.

From what I remeber around about turn 40 - 50. Eailer age, very hard "Campaign.", very hard "Battles.".

Controlling the following areas. Belgrade, "The town north of Constantinople.", Sofia, Scopia, Adrianople.
Playing it on very hard, and having a amounted alittle over 80.000 denars.
At some point. A rebel sub-faction, with three full armies, very good generals included. Will spawn out in the woods, and lay siege to Sofia,Adrianople & Scopia, within one turn.

Stating something about the bulgarians, do not wish to pay their taxes to the empire. It was quiet annoying, but very entertaining. Because as soon as they got one town, they started to reinforce soliders, and produce them also. It took me about 6 - 7 turns, to settle there little riot, and crusify, every peasant, or pleb that rallyed to there side. So playing as the Byzantines, with very hard, and starting with high inflatation, is quiet of a challenge.

From Hadrian.

[ShadowKiller2000]

Hmmm, yes I forgot about late ERA as HRE......that can be just a little bit of a challenge.

[Hadrian I]

Hmmm, yes I forgot about late ERA as HRE......that can be just a little bit of a challenge.

Never tried playing. The Holy Roman Empire, I have a friend who loves playing them, but they do seem abit hard to play with aswell.

[ShadowKiller2000]

Yeah, you start ex-commed, and everyone wants a piece of you......this is 6.1 RR/RC I am guessing it is the same in the 6.3 late ERA.

Not an easy campaign by any means.