Advice playing as Norway (SS 6.3)

[Mr_Kaizer]

First of all, greetings! Long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm currently playing a game as Norway using the Stainless Steel mod (which is great btw, they even included the town I'm from, Eikundersund, now Egersund).

I captured Oslo pretty quickly, and went on to capture Skare and Kalmar, taking them both with Danish armies JUST out of "siege range". This must have pissed the Danes off, because they declared war on me by port blockade the turn after. I didn't have any naval forces to speak of (and still don't), so I decided to use my superior forces in Sweden to take their swedish holdings. But 'lo and behold, the Pope steps in and demands that I pull back. Not wanting to be excommunicated, I do this. The Danes continue their blockade for another few turns, then offer a ceasfire. I grant them that, for a 2000 florine compensation.

So I continue my campaign to take Sweden. After taking Visby the Danes again attack my ports, and I still don't have a naval force to take them on. So I again attack their cities, this time going for Roskilde. And again the Pope steps in, demanding me to pull back. This time I offer a ceasefire for 5000 florines, which they again accept.

While this is going on, the Scots have landed an army near Eikundersund. Not wanting to be seen as the aggressor, I let them sit there. My garrison is more than capable of dealing with them should they attack, but now they've just been sitting there for 4-5 turns!

Both Denmark and Scotland have very good relations with the Pope, and the Danes seem to suffer no penalties for attacking me. Both have bishops with great influence in the collage of cardinals, while I don't even have a representative there.

I'm almost done taking all the rebel settlements in Sweden, so my question is: How the hell can I deal with Denmark? Their blockades have drained my economy, so I'm just barely scraping along. I don't have a navy that can deal with them, and the pope loves them. Secondly, what to do with the Scots?

[ChivalrousKiller]

After all of Sweden is yours, I think you should recruit so many troops as you can afford there, and blitz Denmark, at the same time give some money to the Pope (alternatively, join a crusade or build churches/recruit priests). When you're done, you create a "safe zone" with castles and strong armies (in southern Denmark and eastern Sweden) so that all Scandinavia is under your control and noone dares to attack it. In the meantime, you build your forces back home in Norway and prepare to invade the British Isles, starting with Scotland

BTW, good to see another Norwegian here. There are few of us in TWCenter

[Mr_Kaizer]

After all of Sweden is yours, I think you should recruit so many troops as you can afford there, and blitz Denmark, at the same time give some money to the Pope (alternatively, join a crusade or build churches/recruit priests). When you're done, you create a "safe zone" with castles and strong armies (in southern Denmark and eastern Sweden) so that all Scandinavia is under your control and noone dares to attack it. In the meantime, you build your forces back home in Norway and prepare to invade the British Isles, starting with Scotland

"Fortress Scandinavia" anyone? Anywho, Linköping is under my control, and they had the second tier siege workshop already set up, which means catapults I hadn't had the funds to set this up earlier. This means I don't have to wait for siege equipment to finish, giving the Pope a chance to stop me.

The economic situation is much better. I scraped along by selling map information to the nations of europe for 1500 per nation After I got Linköping I started going making money. Oh, and I sold trade rights to Denmark for 5000 xD

Anyway, building my forces for my blitz of Denmark. I'm thinking I can capture at least 2-3 settlements in one go. After Demnark has been cut down to size, I'm invading England. I intende to fix Harald Hardrada's mistake at Stamford Bridge They've been excommunicated, and I hope they'll stay that way for a while

I'm starting to hate the current Pope -_- Not only is he screwing me and helping Denmark, he doesn't care for anything than his own political ambitions. Jerusalem fell a few years ago, and the Crusader States were destroyed. So I was expecting a crusade to recapture it. But no, he decided to declare a crusade on Frankfurt! The HRE had recently been excommunicated just a few years prior. I might have to send someone to down there to...hasten his departure from this world >_>

BTW, good to see another Norwegian here. There are few of us in TWCenter

Well, at least there are SOME of us here

[ChivalrousKiller]

I'm invading England. I intende to fix Harald Hardrada's mistake at Stamford Bridge

That sounds good

[Haakon]

First of all, greetings! Long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm currently playing a game as Norway using the Stainless Steel mod (which is great btw, they even included the town I'm from, Eikundersund, now Egersund).

I captured Oslo pretty quickly, and went on to capture Skare and Kalmar, taking them both with Danish armies JUST out of "siege range". This must have pissed the Danes off, because they declared war on me by port blockade the turn after. I didn't have any naval forces to speak of (and still don't), so I decided to use my superior forces in Sweden to take their swedish holdings. But 'lo and behold, the Pope steps in and demands that I pull back. Not wanting to be excommunicated, I do this. The Danes continue their blockade for another few turns, then offer a ceasfire. I grant them that, for a 2000 florine compensation.

So I continue my campaign to take Sweden. After taking Visby the Danes again attack my ports, and I still don't have a naval force to take them on. So I again attack their cities, this time going for Roskilde. And again the Pope steps in, demanding me to pull back. This time I offer a ceasefire for 5000 florines, which they again accept.

While this is going on, the Scots have landed an army near Eikundersund. Not wanting to be seen as the aggressor, I let them sit there. My garrison is more than capable of dealing with them should they attack, but now they've just been sitting there for 4-5 turns!

Both Denmark and Scotland have very good relations with the Pope, and the Danes seem to suffer no penalties for attacking me. Both have bishops with great influence in the collage of cardinals, while I don't even have a representative there.

I'm almost done taking all the rebel settlements in Sweden, so my question is: How the hell can I deal with Denmark? Their blockades have drained my economy, so I'm just barely scraping along. I don't have a navy that can deal with them, and the pope loves them. Secondly, what to do with the Scots?

Take a look at my campaign here
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...86#post7241886

[Mr_Kaizer]

Take a look at my campaign here
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...86#post7241886

Ah, I see you went for Sweden before taking Oslo. That might have helped my economy Funny that you also got attacked by the Scots, and that England got excommunicated.

[Haakon]

Yeah Oslo can be a tough nut early on into the game because theres a lot of forces garrisoned there. So instead of wasting time sieging Oslo, I found the best thing to do was just to go for the smaller settlements in Sweden in stead. The Danes are busy taking lands south so they are of no concern

edit : When you reach Skara and kalmar before the danes, their stack will imidiatly turn around and head south. I usually took both skara and Kalmar within 3 turns. I got one large stack (as large as possible for easy and quick victory) take skara, then I leave one or two unit there to keep the peace, then head imidiatly for Kalmar during the same turn. Moving from skara to Kalmar takes two turns, and you should be able to get there before the danes. They usually take gotland though.

Edit again : Oh and the stack you use to take skara and Kalmar, move that stack by boat all the way from Eikundarsund. get both your king and general in a ship and move as fast as possible. Basically you got to blitzkrieg Scandinavia.

[Mr_Kaizer]

Yeah Oslo can be a tough nut early on into the game because theres a lot of forces garrisoned there. So instead of wasting time sieging Oslo, I found the best thing to do was just to go for the smaller settlements in Sweden in stead. The Danes are busy taking lands south so they are of no concern

edit : When you reach Skara and kalmar before the danes, their stack will imidiatly turn around and head south. I usually took both skara and Kalmar within 3 turns. I got one large stack (as large as possible for easy and quick victory) take skara, then I leave one or two unit there to keep the peace, then head imidiatly for Kalmar during the same turn. Moving from skara to Kalmar takes two turns, and you should be able to get there before the danes. They usually take gotland though.

Edit again : Oh and the stack you use to take skara and Kalmar, move that stack by boat all the way from Eikundarsund. get both your king and general in a ship and move as fast as possible. Basically you got to blitzkrieg Scandinavia.

I took both Skara and Kalmar with Danish forces JUST out of "siege range" They had a siege going on Skara when I arrived, but I think they got beaten off when they tried to storm. I guess taking Oslo first gave the rebels time to build up more forces. Anyway, when they left the garrison was reduces and I took it with hardly any casualties to my men. After I took Skara they declared war on me, like I said, and when the Pope kept me from attacking them I went on the defencive for a few turns, in case they wanted to take Skara. But that didn't pan out, so I went for Kalmar.

Like I said now I'm getting a blitz force ready to take a bite out of Denmark. I couldn't afford to uppgrade my siege workshops, and the ballistas aren't very good vs gates and walls. After they're pretty much wiped out, I'm bound for England. After that, who knows? I might head off and retake the holy land, since the Pope doesn't seem to mind it being in Muslim hands.

[Haakon]

Screw ballistas! Use ladders, many of them. Have your viking raiders carry ladders and attack settlements from several sides.
You dont need ballistas unless you are fighting heavy cavalry with good armour!

[Mr_Kaizer]

Well ladders requier a turn to construct, don't they? My plan was to blitz as many settlements as I could before the Pope gets pissed, and that usualy happens the very next turn after I start the siege. At this stage in my game I don't want to be excommunicated.

[ChivalrousKiller]

Yeah they take a turn to build.

As Haakon says, they are better in siege battles, but not when you try to blitz.

[Mr_Kaizer]

Better then siege towers? I never use them, in Rome they were pretty much useless.

[Haakon]

Siege towers are slow and in my opinion not usefull. Ladders take virtually no time at all to raise and 3 ladders right next to eachother +huscarls climbing up = the wall is yours.

[ChivalrousKiller]

I'd say both of them are good. Ladders are fast, but the towers protect against arrows

[Haakon]

Thats true, but they are slow so your enemy will have "hours" moving troops to whereever you decide to put it. Its also easier to defend against because you can just surround the exit ramp with some heavy infantry and anyone who exit will be routed

Also, the troops waiting to climb inside can be hit by gatehouse arrows and/or cavalry.

[Mr_Kaizer]

Thats true, but they are slow so your enemy will have "hours" moving troops to whereever you decide to put it. Its also easier to defend against because you can just surround the exit ramp with some heavy infantry and anyone who exit will be routed

Also, the troops waiting to climb inside can be hit by gatehouse arrows and/or cavalry.

Doesn't these things apply to ladders as well, besides the speed advantage? I thought a siege tower had the advantage over ladders, since they 1 provided better cover approaching the wall, and while climbing, and 2 that with ladders people arrive on the wall in a trickle, while with the tower they arrive in a blob, then a trickle

[Haakon]

Dunno. I have never had the need for towers due to the nature of how I play, I pretty much blitz everything.
Maybe towers can be usefull early on, but when cannon towers are introduced they can be death traps.

[RollingWave]

Invade Lithuania , you don't need a fleet, just a few boat to carry a army across, taking pagan lands you don't have to worry about the Pope and they usually play favorablly to him anyway. of course the downside is that you need to fight the Teutonic order, but that should be a problem if you get to Palanga early and build up.