Late Era Crusader States Opinion?

**NinjaWJ** · October 20, 2011, 10:46 AM

Hello guys i just finished my first campaign and was thinking about doing a late crusader states one. Is the campaign any fun? Also when i checked the custom battle options, it seems like the Crusader States have a very small unit roster in the late period. Does that detract away form the experience?

thanks

**Dirty Harry** · October 20, 2011, 01:50 PM

They start off really fast and hard you usually get into war with Egypt & Turkey at the beginning, and have a good chance of getting a Jihad called on Jerusalem early on so even more extra stacks of Moors and Persians coming in. It can be pretty challenging when the Crusaders have low recruitment rate. You might have to turtle for a while and defend your castles/Jerusalem for a while as you try and beat down their huge numerical advantage so take this campaign if you enjoy defensive sieges.

Assuming you survive and kill off a lot of them you'll have a chance to put together some stacks and go on the offensive, expand the Christian kingdoms outwards somewhat into Egyptian and Turkish lands. At around this time the Mongols will probably have finished rick-rolling through Persia & Iraq and be at your borders, setting up the inevitable conflict there between you and them which should be heavy.

If you win at this point it's up to you to continue or not but you'd have wrapped up a huge war and basically be #1 kingdom and have taken down 3 other major factions and probably be close to a short rules campaign victory anyways.

**kevindrosario** · October 20, 2011, 07:33 PM

I just got an image of Genghis Khan telling me that he's never gonna give me up and never gonna let me down. Thank you very much.

**Caesar Clivus** · October 20, 2011, 07:35 PM

Dont use custom battle eras as a guide for unit availability in the game. They have no bearing on the actual campaign.

**Dirty Harry** · October 21, 2011, 10:09 AM

As for units, they probably have one of widest varieties available, and pretty much all there at the beginning. Maybe not top notch stuff, and not much in the way of new units as the game advances but that's not too important since your most challenging fights are early one anyways. Basically name any unit type and they have it, maybe not in huge abundance, or at elite level, but you can get it into your stacks if you choose for a highly varied and well stylized army.

-Medium & Heavy spearmen
-Light & Heavy footmen
-2 handed swordsmen (Sepulcher elites and zweilhander templar)
-Archers (greek, and turkish, arab archers, local troops)
-Javelin skirmishers (Kurdish & turkish local troops)
-Horse archers (again, local troops both in arab and turkish lands)
-Crossbowmen (templars, low recruitment rate even in fortresses, but very strong unit)
-Lots of heavy cavalry
-Light cavalry (desert cavalry locals, generic western european cavalry sargeants, and alan mercs up north which are very solid)

**Hospitallar_Knight** · October 23, 2011, 02:05 AM

How to survive multiple full stacks of fatmids when i can only field 1 full stack

**NinjaWJ** · October 23, 2011, 05:27 AM

they are very fun but it is challenging and pretty hard. You are usually outnumbered and your economy is pretty meh

**Cloud.** · October 23, 2011, 01:19 PM

Their roster is really fun to play with, like Dirty Harry said, lots of variety there. It is an extremely fun experience, very challenging indeed, dealings with mass hordes of Egyptians, Turks, and whatnot. Give it a try for sure (y)

**burninglegionx** · October 23, 2011, 01:53 PM

One way to survive is take your army on a boat ride and settle down near Athens. Then invade the greek lands. Or if you feel rebellious, invade Rome and take it over.