How do you force rival factions to become vassals?

[SirStueydeMack]

I'd like to try and force some rivals to be my and go to war on my behalf, but I don't know how you do it. Can anyone help me please?

[Vlad Dracul]

From what I read on this forum (experienced players stories), it's extremely difficult to make someone become your vassal (gotta reduce that faction to 1 or 2 isolated provinces, gotta have a much superior army there, even lay siege on those cities and lift it just to terrify your opponent who insists on fighting on even on verge of inevitable defeat) and there's no real benefit in this. In other words, you're way better off without it.

I never achieved that in my 15 games I played so far.

And about making them go to war for you, just forget about it. It simply won't happen in this game, not with the broken diplomacy there is.

[Himiko]

You can make anyone your vassal if you had them on their knees, or rather have them smacked face first on the ground is much better. The clue is that when you pound them battle after battle and take most of their settlements they will start to beg for a ceasefire. Just continue until they have 1 settlement left. The trick is siege them, then after a few turns demand them to become your vassal, most likely they will disagree, just continue anyways. Repeat this until they agree to your demands. The big benefit of having a vassal is that you'll have loads of money in one turn, that is if the faction that became your vassal is rich. I once had Venice became my vassal and I got almost 40000+ florins from them. I payed them 10000 florins but what came back was tripled. Another thing is they became a buffer state against the Mongols and the Hungarians.

However they wont attack anyone at your command they will only help you in battles if your army is standing close enough to them. But for me having a buffer state is good enough. Just watch your back though they will stab you in the back if you're not careful.

Also it will help you if you have good reputation and relations. If your very trustworthy or trustworthy you're almost guaranteed to have a vassal. I never reached immaculate though.

[UndrState]

Stuey,It's really not that difficult if you know the tricks and apply yourself. There are tons of great guides on this site (check the stickies) - as well as some other great Total War sites - that reveal the depth of this game. The following link is a good place to start: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...ty-ManagementI can't over-emphasize the advantages of maintaining a good reputation, one of which is more easily aquiring vassals (it's rare for me to have a play through without one). It's one of the benefits of chivalrous play, which is tougher than it's opposite because it requires you to be less aggresive, persue peace and keep your friends happy. A lot of aspects of this game that some think are broken function well when you aren't playing darkside.

Let me just add that Vampiresbane's "Art of Diplomacy" guide really breaks down diplomacy, reputation and vassals perfectly.

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...iplomacy-Guide