jerusalem kingdom strategy tips

[Fracchione]

hi,started playing this awesome mod with holy Jerusalem:it is bloody hard!

who can give me tips?
playing with savage AI,BGR on,n\n

I am on turn 4 and already no founds!conquered kerak btw...disbanded many units to lower upkeep but still -4000 money
got just 1 priest for 4 regions
lowered taxes but still angry citizens

what to do?what to do?

[Ichon]

If you are using Savage AI you can have a chance to make an alliance or 2 that might actually last a bit. You can try Fatimids or Seljuks but either way neither of those is likely to last. Your best bet is Byzantines.

With BGR the religious conversion process is a priority. Build churches and priests ahead of everything else. You can gain money by sacking or ransoms later but your kingdom won't survive without the ability to recruit and that is tied to religion. Also your cities are likely to revolt if you don't convert at least a bare majority of the population.

[Stívarðr Reynitré]

The Kievan Rus' are also a reasonable ally to have.

If you gift them the odd region to the north they will often act as a buffer against the encroaching Islamic states and the rather zealous Byzantines...

[Abyrvalg]

I am on turn 4 and already no founds!conquered kerak btw...

In TW towns brings money for you, not castles. I know you need castles to build army but without monewy castles are no use, and you need money right NOW.
Go for Acre and Tortosa first, as coastal settlements they will profit from sea trade also (a bit later, when you build ports).
Send diplomat for trade agreements to all neighbours.
Try to call crusade on settlement you want to conquer, youl'll have free upkeep for all units in crusading army. Donate some money to that guy in Rome, if necessary, to convince him (but save game before, he might be quite stubborn even if you'll waste all your gold).

Oh, and nice guide if you won't mind blitzing Egypt instead of turtling: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=398454
and another CS thread I came across just now: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=383793

[Jambat]

hi,started playing this awesome mod with holy Jerusalem:it is bloody hard!

who can give me tips?
playing with savage AI,BGR on,n\n

I am on turn 4 and already no founds!conquered kerak btw...disbanded many units to lower upkeep but still -4000 money
got just 1 priest for 4 regions
lowered taxes but still angry citizens

what to do?what to do?

If it comes down to being sunk versus the economy, you can always sell off one of your lands for enough money to carry you for several turns if need be to another faction; If you want to be really devious you could try to pawn it off on someone like the Roman Empire and watch your enemies pull them into the conflict as well, giving you breathing room at the very least, a strong AI hand smacking them around at best. If you are dishing it to a non-friendly, make sure to destroy any buildings you have inside capable of producing troops at the very least. More often than not the new owners will get thrown out via rebellion before they manage to garrison it correctly unless it's directly on their borders allowing you to swoop back in and reclaim it.

As the Crusader States however you are probably trying to kill each other anyways, so if they do garrison it you should have no problems motivating yourself to go back and retake it.

Also, castles are very important - especially for the CS - but you need a good bit of towns especially at the beginning of the game. With so much of the territory the three factions down there are contesting being on the water, just having a couple of those towns can keep your economy out of the red if you properly manage/war.

Hope that helps.