Best Way To Start Out

[xxmaelstrom]

So I've gotten back into TATW and I'm wondering the best way to start out any campaign, regardless of race. What do you build first, building wise and army wise.

I know there's a guide, but it didn't really tell me these things.

[Mikail Mengsk]

Best way is to consult the strategy guides!

[xxmaelstrom]

Best way is to consult the strategy guides!

Ohhh you are wise young padawan.

[Officerpuppy]

IMO, roads and getting trade aggreements is a top priority.

[xxmaelstrom]

IMO, roads and getting trade aggreements is a top priority.

That helps! Thanks! Should I build farm improvements too?

[Mikail Mengsk]

What kind of helps are you looking for?!? A build-first list?

Best way is to develop economy, keeping the chosen enemy at bay with the starting troops and some new low-level new units. Avoid multiple-fronts wars, concentrate on a single enemy, make raids in his lands occupying poorly defended settlements and sacking them.

When your economy is strong enough, blitzkrieg. One enemy after another, don't try to kill off all of them at the same time.

[cormagus77]

my early ingame goals - rather a turtling strategy, except when rushing for conquest missions:

1) build up economy (farms, trade, roads, move Capital centrewards),
2) (Build and) Send a diplomat to get whatever he can (trade agreements, alliances, money for maps, if necessary ceasefires).
3) build up arching/defensive units near your borders (bowyer, units)
4) don't miss the quests that give you a useful reward!

When beginning, the farms are very important, since they make your cities grow faster, i.e. they get you more tax income, and you reach higher city levels earlier...
I sometimes leave out the roads until I am sure they're of more use to me, than to my enemies!

[Odenathus]

Especially with Dwarves and Elves that have slow population growth I tend to make sure to build farms early on to stimulate that growth. However when playing Harad roads are a priority too since your troops need to cover a lot of distance to get to the frontline. Also I try to get one settlement ready for the best unit production as long as it doesn't mean spending on it that much that I can't continue to build farms and roads. And try to make one enemy at a time.

Odenat

[Seleukos_I.]

There is more than one way to start out.
You don't have a general one for every faction, since everyone of them starts out different.
And it also depends on the way you like to play.
The priorities when turtling are different from those when blitzing.

[Cavalier]

Building roads is the top priority, after that trade agreements. When the economy is somewhat balanced you should focus on building some troops and destroy an enemy.

[the cooliest]

First you should build a farm, then a road, then a grain exchange in every city. I think I might have messed up the order . Anyways, then you get trade agreements with all the factions you can. Once you have your economy going, you can decide what you want to do. Keep turtling, build up your economy and kick it in the late game. Or you can use your economy to get a couple early armies, and divide an conquer. Go after one faction at a time, split them, and take them over fast. But it still depends on the faction. If you're Gondor, Rohan (via invasion) or Lorien (FROME) you're probably going to get attacked alot early in a few spots, so use your early economy for defense, while building up infastructure behind the front lines. If you're playing as Eriador, you might want to go after Isengard or Gundaba quickly, then maintain your position and build up to Arnor. So it's all variable, except for the farm road and market, and then go with your playing style . Hopefully this helps .

[xxmaelstrom]

I started an eriador campaign on Easy/Easy (lol ) and I'm doing alright. Building roads and grain exchanges and whatnot. Haven't been able to get any trade deals going yet though.

I want Total Recruitment for 2.1. Is it compatible?

JK, not Eriador. One of the elves. The Green ones, lololol.

[Vasterion]

Trade Deals work out better in the long run if you sell off some useless property in exchange early on. It can get them drawn into the fight earlier. For example, selling North Eastern Eriador settlements for Trade (after demolishing infrastructure) has a double whammy of getting them fighting Gundabad earlier, and securing trade with them. If it gets knabbed by the Orcs, then it's even better for you as you can retake your settlement back. Of course - you may need to help out on two fronts of course - there's less turtling, and more Raiding Involved with this tactic.

It involves taking a settlement, executing the populace, destroying all troop production buildings (keep the infrastructure and defences, the AI gets cash boost for free, so crippling the infrastructure will do nothing), and running away leaving only some archers etc so that you can force some losses on the enemies as they retake it - perhaps even repel them. There was a recent game where I raided Rhun, and took a two settlements - over the period of 11 turns, I'd been sieged five times in total, the first 3 times destroying their Rams and Siege Towers before they reached the wall. The last two times they brought more than 2 Elven Militia archers could handle.

[Celtichugs123]

I suppose it all depends weather you wish to play with Immersion or not.

[xxmaelstrom]

I suppose it all depends weather you wish to play with Immersion or not.

What do you mean?

[Shocked]

What these guys said, build all of the economic buildings you can in every settlement, then focus more on military buildings. Though of course with some settlements you'll need to build some military buildings in between all of the economic buildings to keep up with the enemy.