What faction should I play as?

[RVFVS]

So I just downloaded the new version of SS. I had a nice campaign going on with the Romans in the previous SS and now I want to do another big one in this version.

I am going to do an Early campaign. I like to RP my campaigns so I don't really want to have a feudal nation (due to the impossibilities of having a feudal empire) or if I do I think of ways to go around the feudal parts. I am considering atm Byzantines (although I already created a large Empire with them), Turks, Persians, HRE, Sicily, Crusaders and Norway. I just would like your opinion on who I should be

[Iguand]

Norway

[RabidSheepLegion]

if you haven't already try some of the steppe nations kiev/novgorod/cumans/khwarz

[Kye]

I have spent around 5 hours looking at the units in custom battle, reading up the histories of medieval kingdoms, even getting inspired by art from the period, and still have not got stuck into any factions at the moment.

I am starting a new early era Lithuanian campaign and enjoying it so far. I might have a second campaign with Aragon as well, since I think their position gives alot of oppertunities for alot of fun in any direction.

[RabidSheepLegion]

I'd say early era portugal and lithuainia are interesting as they both start off pretty close to hating factions and only one province

[RVFVS]

I have decided to test out the Turks, the Persians, the Crusaders and the HRE Sicilians and see which I like.

[Gogolometro]

I play turks now. Not early, late. At turn 26 I already face mongols. So tons of fun here. Is interesting to eliminate byzantines what I played before and realise their strenght. I feel bad to beat the scoutatoi armies.

[Wicked315]

VH/VH

Early Campaign

Scotland


Was one of the hardest campaigns I ever played as. They basically rushed Edinburgh. Luckily I managed to take Ireland before I lost Edinburgh, and was able to attack some of their lesser defended areas via coastal invasion.

Very fun campaign.

[RollingWave]

some general thoughts on onces i've played

Moors: can be pretty fun especially if you mess up a few step and let the Catholics build up a bit.

Lithuania : not as challenging as you would think, a lot of rebel settlements to expand to, and the Poles / Rus tend to have other things to worry about other than you as long as you don't provoke them. but still , going for 1 to 50 is never boring

Cuman: see Lithuania, though you start out with more settlements. and will probably have a harder time dealing with your invasion.

Scotland : only played about 20 turns or so so far, seems ok , though I guess it helps that I either married or married my princess to England / France and Spain. once you have Ireland a war with the English wouldn't be TOO much trouble.

[campbela]

Cumans are interesting due to the split nature of settlements, distance between them and the Khwaz.

[Gogolometro]

Cumans are boring like hell. They have bad citys/castles, few units to recruit, and they die like flies against mongols and novgorodians. I like to play stepps people sometime but I never recommend them.
Scott like english are boring too. Easy manage to control Britania, after that is no fun at all. No need to say the units are most of them crap. I think is normal, they was never a great nation in medieval warfare. So my recomandation big no, only if you want to espect 400 turns for their extraordinary pikes.
Turks, byzantine, HRE are very fun campaigns, especially late. Big empires, good units, hard to manage, many deadly enemies. But is nasty stuff to manage big empires from start. In early this 3 campaigns are nice to develop, but is much easier, especially apply for turks and byzantines.

[RollingWave]

Cumans are boring like hell. They have bad citys/castles, few units to recruit, and they die like flies against mongols and novgorodians. I like to play stepps people sometime but I never recommend them.
Scott like english are boring too. Easy manage to control Britania, after that is no fun at all. No need to say the units are most of them crap. I think is normal, they was never a great nation in medieval warfare. So my recomandation big no, only if you want to espect 400 turns for their extraordinary pikes.
Turks, byzantine, HRE are very fun campaigns, especially late. Big empires, good units, hard to manage, many deadly enemies. But is nasty stuff to manage big empires from start. In early this 3 campaigns are nice to develop, but is much easier, especially apply for turks and byzantines.

I can see Cumans having trouble against the Mongols (bad infantry line and low level settlements, though generally if you keep taxes on low it should still get pretty high level by the time they arrive.) but generally they do well against almost everyone else. just mass horse archer for the win. in my ole 6.1 Cuman campaign I basically took one full stack of Horse archer strait from Kazan to Novogod, killing everything in between, and only minimum casaulties . (relative to the tens of thousands I killed in the process anyway)

Scots are fun if you like the challenge of winning with terrible roster I guess boy their troops suck, espiecally in the early going. by later era if you have England then Longbow + Highland pike is pretty good.

[Gogolometro]

Compared with english couterparts, I think is a waste of time. I done 4 times from now.

[Cartman]

i just started a late era VH/VH Byzantine campaign, most challenging campaign i've ever played..really sucks too see constantinople in the hands of rebels at the start though

[robbo]

I'd recommend the Crusader States. They get some very nice units early on but money is very tight and you have to cope with Jihads all the time. You get to be the most loved catholic faction and can expand your settlements quickly through high chivalrous generals who've been on crusades. Currently 35 turns into my early era campaign and down to just 4 settlements after losing Jerusalem and Gaza to Jihads. About to lose Acre too with Edassa under threat from the Turks. Struggling to stay alive makes a nice change when you're used to the fairly easy expansion of other factions.

[philipjd]

Personaly the greatest 'fun' I ever had with a nation was the Kievan Rus, until the mongols arrived.. then it really became 'fun' Ended up ,essentially, migrating to Anatolia/Balkans and the middle east but still retaining a couple of forts in 'greater russia' - the migration was forced by military success/loss, winning against non-mongols, but losing cities/forts to the mongols, capital ended up as Constantinople.

[ecclesian_knight]

FRANCE!

VIVE LE FRANCE! i recommend you play this faction. They are in a good location at start

[ShadowKiller2000]

Crusader States are really fun, Lithuania, and the TO are fun as well.

Danemark if you want to pillage and burn your way across Europe.

I love England, but it does get really easy once you controll the Isles.

[Kernow]

Ireland