Faction guides

[Suthseaxe]

I've just downloaded and installed this mod and it looks great so far. However, the problem is that I can;t get round to playing it properly because I never have any money. Does anyone have a guide, particularly for the Kingdom of Jerusalem, on how to actually get a game going? My game currently consists of: disband lots of troops to save money, spend a few turns doing nothing/conquering rebel settlements around me, "great, I have some money!", buy upgrade for a port or church etc., have no money for a few turns etc. etc.

Basically, the Ayyubids could destroy me if they wanted to. The only thing that's stopping them is the campaign difficulty I have a severe lack of decent troops as well; I can only seem to recruit really expensive troops from Jerusalem or just halberdiers and conscripts. Can anyone help me create brutal battles and glorious campaigns? Also, does the bowyer and leather tanner have any use at all any more? It doesn't mention any on the description.

I've played a few custom battles though and they have amazing! Loving the music, too.

[zburanuki]

There was a thread with some faction tips, but i can't find it. What you can do with the Crusaders is to take Damascus and then Antioch or alternatively take Baalbek, Homs, Hamat, Aleppo and Edessa (al-Ruha). Also don't build high tier churches, only in 1-2 cities and focus on ports, markets and the second tier of farms. In castles like Gaza and Kerak it's useless to build anything as they will change hands often between you and the Ayyubids. Focus your consturctions on Jerusalem, Tripoli and Tyre and either Damascus or Antioch. Send a small force to destroy Alexandria and once you take Al Aqaba send merchants to the african horn. Use your merchants to trade gold, spices and ivory. (I'm not sure if the silk sources of Constantinople give much money). Oh, and sell you map info tou your allies for 2000 florins.

[Suthseaxe]

Thanks for the advice, but I'm still really struggling with this mod. I've just tried the Seljuqs (Rum) and apparently I'm already under siege as soon as the campaign starts. whenever I try and attack the besieger, I'm apparently ambushed by the besieger whom I know is there and can see (why?)

I've just tried starting a Jerusalem campaign again and I've already had to dismiss most of my soldiers so that I don't go bankrupt. Now I have hardly any men to take any settlements, whilst the Ayyubids have hundreds of highly experienced men and can take everything and anything they want on the first turn. I'm not quite sure what to do and it's really beginning to put me off this mod Which is a shame, because I know it has the potential to be awesome as long as I can get it off the ground.

[Suthseaxe]

I've just tried playing as the Seljuqs of Iraq. Do I have some sort of bugged money patch or something? I have to dismiss most of my starting army immediately in order to not go bankrupt and then I don't have enough men to conquer anything. Also, no one wants an alliance or even a trade agreement with me, so I'm even more stuck for money.

[zburanuki]

You have to take 2 at least rebel settlements in 5 turns. Use your cavalry and make the besiegers sally forth.

[Suthseaxe]

I'll try that, thanks. I'll let you know how it goes! Am I making a mistake by disbanding troops in favour of building then? Should I just take the losses in the first few turns and get territories from it?

[wudang_clown]

Maybe this will interest you: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...aign-narrative.

[Suthseaxe]

Yes, that is indeed to my interest! Thanks

[nein]

those factions you tried are amongst the hardest financially, I recommend an easier starting faction like Makuria. With harder factions the trick is to blitzkrieg rebel settlements with cavalry centric forces. Make the enemy sally (by laying siege with a weaker force) and then use your cavalry to destroy theirs in a corner (away from their infantry). Then you should be able to burst rout their infantry with ease (cavalry is king in BC if you can afford it)... make sure your cavalry force is much stronger than theirs. Sacking settlements gives a lot of money but effects your reputation (BC is pretty tough with diplomacy - alliances and even trade rights can be very hard to achieve with certain factions)

[Suthseaxe]

I was going for the whole chivalry and knights thing

I'll try some other factions and see what occurs. I have noticed that some cavalry is really brutal. Senior ghulam lancers for example. Fighting those with spearmen was tough. They wouldn't route until there was only one left. Is that meant to happen?!

[wudang_clown]

Yes, it is.

[Suthseaxe]

The hints posted above have worked! I've got a steady income and the ability to upgrade buildings by taking Damascus, Antioch and Baalbek. However, I have another problem in that I am unable to recruit any decent units or retrain the ones I do have. The only men I can recruit outside of Jerusalem are halberdiers and swordsmen, so I don't really want to go to war with anyone and, as of yet, I've not had any major campaign battles. Can anyone give me any hints on actually recruiting decent soldiers? (I've played some custom battles and have seen Christian crossbowmen, all sorts of spearmen, heavy dismounted knights, latin knights, outremer knights, Teutonic knights, men-at-arms etc.)

I feel like I may get the hang of this soon!

[zburanuki]

You can recruit poulain men-at-arms, outremer swordsmen ans halberdiers, along with spearmen while you can recruit from Jerusalem Templars and Hospitallers (their light version). Send the crappy units to do the dirty job and then the order knights shall finish the rest. In fact the Crusaders don't need all that cavalry, so Norman Knights, Jerusalem Knights, Outremer Knights etc are extravagant. Just the order cavalry use.

[Suthseaxe]

How do I get the heavier versions? Also, I have some Jerusalem knights which need retraining, but I can;t find anywhere to replenish them!

[zburanuki]

To replenish them you have to build the last tier of the barracks and the stables in Jerusalem, so forget them. The heavy version of the Templars are available around 1220 from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre along with the Teutonic Knights.

[Suthseaxe]

So are you saying that I can't get them until late game? Surely if those units existed at that point, I should be able to get them.

Also, is there something wrong with my installation? I've tried playing as the Roman Empire and I start with -50000 money. How on Earth am I supposed to play as them when I can't recruit anything and no one will trade with me?

[nein]

That is intentional, the ERE is one of the wealthiest factions in game... when you build lots of port upgrades that is... so to stop it being a cakewalk you have to deal with debt the first couple of turns. Blitzing some rebs will help ease the denbts, don't attack Caucasian regions from Trebizond aka Ani as it tends to make the turks fight you early on. Focus on asia minor and maybe the rebels in the crimea, watch out for kypchaks although it's rare that they attack you. They tend to give trade rights and an alliance quite easily. To access the Koj' best troops you need to max out barracks and even upgrade some of your regions into higher level settlements (this can take awhile!). That being said the plentiful medium cavalry and spearmen are all you need

[Suthseaxe]

I see. Well, it's not particularly playable at the moment. I tried to take a rebel settlement but I couldn't get them to sally and then the Seljuqs stole it from me :\ I started a Jerusalem game yet again and the Ayyubids simply stole Damascus from me whilst I had it under siege. I'm really not getting on with this mod very well! It's a shame because the units are awesome and beautiful, but I'm just not getting the game play.

[zburanuki]

Damascus is meant to fall to the Ayyubids, beacause in 1174 Saladin rose from Damascus. As for the byzantine campaign, gather all your forces from Con/nople, Nicomedia and Nikaia and attack Dorylaeum. They will sally forth, otherwise remove one unit from your army (not disband) so as to have the same amount of units with rebels. Also send a small force to siege Amorium just to keep away the Seljuks and after you take Dorylaeum, march to Amorium. Also you will recover from the debt in turn 7 and much faster if you take these 2 settlements.

[Suthseaxe]

In one of my Jerusalem campaigns, I managed to take Damascus from the rebels.Well, that's not so worrying, now I just need to work on recruiting an army so that I cna actually go to war.

The Byzantine tip should be useful, thanks