Romanoi Byzantine Empire versus Serenissima Republica Venetiana

[Gogolometro]

I always have been in a crossfire with these two factions. I have a sensibility for teutons and HRE too, but is other story.

Venetians and byzantines are for me best choice all time. Some love the english, spaniards or turks. Me I stand to these good looking armies, nice economy development and real space for epic battles. In all campaigns they are enemy to the death.

Venetia

Pro's: Catholics. This mean they can crusade and expand in religious wars, something is imposible like byzantine. Plus the religious orders, templars especially who are an extraordinary plus to any faction. Venetians get Fanteria Pesante, armor crushers, nice looking, well armored. Venetians get pavise spear militia, pavise crossbows militia and pavise handgunners. A death trio born in cities. Who have doubts about pavise armies, an experiment in custom battles. They are not only strong, but are cheap and easy to recruit. Artileria veneta get the monster ribauld, something what can be considered the nightmare of infantry. At high end venetians come with stradiots, the best looking unit in all SS in my opinion.
From Venice to all Italy, from Fanteria Pesante to Broken Lances, a venetian army is deadly and is very well suported by a huge economic boom.

Their weakness in my eyes are the poor start. If venetians get like all italians round shield militia early, in 1100 you must be patient with this kinf of army a hell, lot of time. Sometime became boring to recruit burger people for all needs, in time France start to trow all the cream of nobility in game. Oher ugly thing is the complete absorbtion in campaign in the genovese, german, hungarian front. This will eat patience, and can get you the best surprise, war with papacy.

Byzantium.

Pro's. The most powerfull start in early 1100. Best bodyguards for at least 200 years. Very strong infantry, proffesional, good looking and no commoners in their ranks. Byzantines get scolae units, spatari, scolarii and siphonatores. That things keep enemies away for a very long time. Basileus have not only the scolae units, but a good range of mercenaries, from schytions to latinicons and alemanoi. Add to this the can openers called varagian guard. Economical is easy to be best earner in all factins, thanks to Constatinople and the highways. To play the greek empire, mean a lot of micromanagement, lot of things to do in every city. And you can sack Rome without being worry about a crusade.

The weakness of romanoi are somehow visible, when catholics start add in the field man at arms and the halebards. They dont have a good spear militia at all. Contaroi are maybe an average unit. With this must held cities for a very long time if you cant add in garison some scutatoi. They get a latin crossbowmans, but are inferior to pavise counterparts. The ugliest thing at this faction is how much enemies can have at once, all want Constatinopole, crusaders from liberators of Levant became easy your enemy just crossing your rich lands. All Italy want your provinces. Turks natural enemy, are in a race with fatimids/ayyubids and mongols for your eastern part of empire.

Were the byzantines and venetians get par? First at archery. Even with different times of recruit, the pesante archers and murtadoi are very close at stats, looking and availability(a bit more murtadoi). Both factions have a great navy. Both have good economy.

In my opinion these factions are in not only a competition in a map of 199 provinces, but for our hearts and desire to start a new campaign.

[North]

In Stainless Steel and all it's mods and submods, there is only one faction for me and that is the Byzantime Empire. I have played several factions but none of my campaigns has ever even come close to beeing as awesome as those of the Byzantium.

Constantinople in itself is a great argument to play this empire, and in my campaigns I am willing to let every single one of my cities fall if that's what it takes to save the Imperial Capitol.

What I also love about the Empire is how awesome the armies look. It does not take more than two armor upgrades for your Spear Millitia to wear mail which is even more awesome than European plate in terms of looks.