new Lithuania campaign

[dahooscarl]

Started a new campaign as Lithuania on vh/vh with 4 turns per year, adjusted ageing script and unit recruitment coming from settlements population. Normally I can only last a couple of turns before I get blitzed by everyone and their uncle. But this time, I got an alliance with the pope, Kiev, Poland and novgorod. I went over 60 turns with no wars. Just consolidating and coverting my population. So around turn 65 novgorod decides to march 3 full stacks across my lands to attack visby(I'm guessing). I decide to use this as an oppurtunity to test the pagan war machine.

5 heroic victories and 8 battles later, their armies consisting mostly of junior militias is demolished and I control polotsk and novgorod. The cumans(also my allies) decide to attack them from the east. I broker a peace complete with trade rights. And 10k florins. Plus after a couple of blockade port missions I now have around 12 ruthenian archers and 10 lettish crossbows, literally dissolving any army thrown at me.

Now I'm in a pickle. If I attack someone else I run the risk of becoming a crusade target. But I also am in the position that if I don't attack soon, I may loose what momentum I have. Any suggestions?

[Wilxz]

Christian countries tend to get heavily armed and armored armies later in game which usually cause problems for light Lithuanian troops. If you really are in a comfortable position perhaps it would be best to try and grab as much land as possible so as to have a stable economical foundation for later game.

[dahooscarl]

Therein lies the dilemma. If I try to expand more I will spread myself too thin. Plus if the pope calls crusad ill face plenty of heavy armored troops as is. Crusader seargents, foot knights, LMA etc. Etc. I can train eastern spearmen, ducal inf. And xbows but I still doubt ill be able to hold off the same kinda onslaught I always see on a vh/vh crusade.

[Sanderlicious]

Either invade the Cumans as they are not catholic, or try and take Scandinavia, giving you control of the Baltic and a war fought far enough from your homeland to feel reasonably safe from a counter invasion. The latter, of course, would leave you open to a possible crusade, but that's the risk you take.

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

Havent expirienced a crusade on my skin yet in SS, but i think it should be fun, i find it grat fun fighting huge defensive battles, especially when AI has a good army to put up against you, probably would be even more fun if you have a 2 level castle. Anyway, the crusaders never bother with the other settlements, so im guessing you can leave them lightly guarded and have no warries abiut them. Or if you are really that scared of crusades, get a few good assasins, they can stop a crusade before it reaches your homeland.

[Ichon]

Lithuania has a nice big mountain just south of their capitol where most of the Crusade armies pass. I've fought 3-4 heroic battles per turn there on Crusades and defeated around 20 stacks in late game Crusade as Lithuania. Early game there are fewer stacks and the armies from CS and the Spanish factions often never arrive.

[Logios]

You should end the alliance with Kiev and start a war against them (when you have positioned your troops and sent some spies). A successful southeastern campaign will give you ports in the black sea which will ease the travel of your merchants to the more lucrative goods in the mideast. The Kievans are orthodox, so the Pope does not mind. Even if you decide to attack Poland, Hungary, HRE, Denmark or Norway a crusade only comes against Vilnius in some games, and if you have a large, well trained army this is a perfect opportunity for your generals to win some stars and chivalry/dread points.
How far have you come in the game? You will be attacked by the Teutonic order eventually which could also lead to angering the Pope, provoking a crusade.