The One Ring as Isengard

[standupaddict]

Hey everyone, I'm playing as Isengard vh/vh in my campaign and I'm have a dilemma with the One Ring. I managed to seize it at Hornburg. After taking seizing the One Ring I got the quest to deliver it to the Black Gate. I would have loved to do this but... I'm stretched thin with wars against the High Elves, Rohan and Eriador and would have to march through a powerful Rohan to do this.

So I hold onto the Ring for the 25 turns and all the evil factions declare war. My question is: should have I even taken the Ring? Isengard is stretched very thin with enemies on all fronts. Having to commit an army to escort the ring bearer through Rohan lands is not easy.

[Duke of Metz]

You did exactly as you should have! Saruman wanted the Ring for himself and then would've proceeded to make war and conquer all of Middle Earth. It's a bit harder in TATW since Isengard doesn't get any bonuses/help for obtaining the Ring. In reality, were Saruman to gain the Ring, he would've become immensely strong - possibly even gaining the loyalty of the Nazgul. In TATW, you just get a lot of pissed bad guys and likely an invasion called against you...

[Kolaris8472]

You did exactly as you should have! Saruman wanted the Ring for himself and then would've proceeded to make war and conquer all of Middle Earth. It's a bit harder in TATW since Isengard doesn't get any bonuses/help for obtaining the Ring. In reality, were Saruman to gain the Ring, he would've become immensely strong - possibly even gaining the loyalty of the Nazgul. In TATW, you just get a lot of pissed bad guys and likely an invasion called against you...

I keep hearing that brought up but I don't see why the Nazgul would serve Saruman. They don't use their own rings anymore and seem more bound to Sauron's will directly than to The One.

I do wish there was an actual event/decision for Saruman keeping the Ring. There's a lot of interesting things he could do with it, and at least some bonuses are in order.

[Duke of Metz]

I keep hearing that brought up but I don't see why the Nazgul would serve Saruman. They don't use their own rings anymore and seem more bound to Sauron's will directly than to The One.

I do wish there was an actual event/decision for Saruman keeping the Ring. There's a lot of interesting things he could do with it, and at least some bonuses are in order.

It is a tricky topic, and I can understand the argument on either side. However, the Nazgul don't exist without the One Ring - they were created by it and thus our tied to its power. Why then do they continue to serve Sauron after he loses the One? Perhaps it is because of common interests, or due to the power of Sauron even without the Ring, or maybe because he is still the "master" of the Ring. No one with sufficient force of will has "claimed" the ring and attempted to dominate the wills of the Nazgul.

Agreed on the bonuses for Isengard with the Ring. As others have pointed out, it's probably best to wipe out Rohan before seizing the Ring and then being at war with everyone.

[LuckyPistol]

personally, I think you shouldn't have grabbed the Ring while Rohan still existed, but to be fair the Hornburg is the greater prize so it is worth it. You could try to take it to Sauron, just keep in mind that means you might have to go to war with Mordor later in the game unless you stick with going north after cleaning out Rohan.

If you keep the ring.......Mordor will definitely send some stacks against you, which will leave them vulnerable to the Good Factions (the same with other evil factions, but you should only worry about Mordor and Rhun). Try to hope that Isengard or the Hornburg are the invasion targets, they are your best defenses. If an invasion is called (you have 25 turns to prepare before the mission expires) send a full stack of your best guys to defend the target city and play defensively until it is all over. I haven't known Eriador to be aggressive but the Elves....they'll definitely try to bring the fight on your turf every 10 turns or so.

For the stack you use to defend the invasion target:
1. In case its the Hornburg, build culture building (Shrine of Melkor) as quick as you can so you can retrain units
2. In case its Isengard, make sure to have more melee units that ranged, the walls will definitely have siege towers coming at them
3. Don't bother recruiting wargs for this stack, they are worthless in siege battles
4. Make sure you have a General, either Saruman or Ugluk is preferred
5. After the invasion is over, use that stack to conquer Rohan, it will be a while until the next one

[DrDragun]

Doesn't Gollum automatically steal the Ring? I thought it was impossible to keep.

[Veteraan]

Doesn't Gollum automatically steal the Ring? I thought it was impossible to keep.

Because I don't like the one ring script but don't know how to disable it, I have become a bit of an expert on how to keep the ring when I happen to stumble on it.
What worked best for me was sticking the general who had taken possession of the ring in a fort and add a spy just to be sure (don't know it that helps though).
This way I kept it for hundreds of turns on several occasions. The general carrying it had free upkeep and it is really fun to check now and again on how many bad traits one general can accumulate.

[Greymane]

Because I don't like the one ring script but don't know how to disable it, I have become a bit of an expert on how to keep the ring when I happen to stumble on it.
What worked best for me was sticking the general who had taken possession of the ring in a fort and add a spy just to be sure (don't know it that helps though).
This way I kept it for hundreds of turns on several occasions. The general carrying it had free upkeep and it is really fun to check now and again on how many bad traits one general can accumulate.

If you don't like the script, go to this folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\mods\Third_Age_3\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign
Open the campaign script file and delete everything between 'Baron Samedi/KK's One Ring script' and 'HELP WEAKENED FACTIONS' script.
It's quite some lines to delete, but if the script is a bother to you, it's not that much work.
Oh, I almost forgot: no resposibility is taken for the statement that the ring script ends just before 'HELP WEAKENED FACTIONS', as I have messed with the campaign script before
Your solution is definitely another possibility though

(For everyone else reading this and wanting to get rid of the script: make backups in case you mess up or want your script back, be very carefull and use Notepad++ to edit just in case).

[Veteraan]

Gollum has a 5% chance to steal the ring each time you select the general that has it. If you put the general in a stack with a general with more stars, you never technically select the general with the ring whenever you move the stack and the ring will be safe.

Aha, that explains it, I put the general in a fort and those few times I check his cumulating bad traits, I unknowingly risk Gollum taking it. Since the chance is only 5% I got away with it.
Actually, I think I once knew this stuff but I forgot the reason why I stuck the general in a fort and left him there to await Mordor's ultimate defeat.

If you don't like the script, go to this folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\mods\Third_Age_3\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign
Open the campaign script file and delete everything between 'Baron Samedi/KK's One Ring script' and 'HELP WEAKENED FACTIONS' script.
It's quite some lines to delete, but if the script is a bother to you, it's not that much work.
Oh, I almost forgot: no resposibility is taken for the statement that the ring script ends just before 'HELP WEAKENED FACTIONS', as I have messed with the campaign script before
Your solution is definitely another possibility though

(For everyone else reading this and wanting to get rid of the script: make backups in case you mess up or want your script back, be very carefull and use Notepad++ to edit just in case).

Thank you for this. I guessed someone would know what to do and I generally try the lazy way to get things done first.
I'll note this down somewhere and probably give it a go in the next campaign. Perhaps I will try to get rid of the invasions too, depending on which faction I'm going to play.

[Withwnar]

Aha, that explains it, I put the general in a fort and those few times I check his cumulating bad traits, I unknowingly risk Gollum taking it. Since the chance is only 5% I got away with it.

When he's inside anything - fort, settlement, ship, another general's army - clicking on him does not trigger the CharacterSelected event (so no Gollum) unless you're clicking on him from the Character List scroll. Or whatever it is called: the one that lists all generals, settlements and agents.

[Duke of Metz]

Doesn't Gollum automatically steal the Ring? I thought it was impossible to keep.

Gollum has a 5% chance to steal the ring each time you select the general that has it. If you put the general in a stack with a general with more stars, you never technically select the general with the ring whenever you move the stack and the ring will be safe.

[Steward Denethor II]

Putting your general on a boat for an extended time turns your general gay and makes him an alchoholic. Your ringbearer most likely will turn into such an awful useless character that hilarity will ensue.

[Ngugi]

Putting your general on a boat for an extended time turns your general gay and makes him an alchoholic. Your ringbearer most likely will turn into such an awful useless character that hilarity will ensue.

Well, merry people at occasion are alcoholics, or are you just misusing sexual preferences?

[Veteraan]

(...)Your ringbearer most likely will turn into such an awful useless character that hilarity will ensue.

Besides effectively removing the ring from the game, that is the second objective I would hope to achieve with these rather unorthodox actions.

Edit: And in case the TS still visits his thread. If you by chance get into possession of the ring and neither can afford to bring it to Sauron or to wage full out war against all evil factions, send the ring bearer on a suicide mission and thus loose the ring.

[DrDragun]

I think the 'Arse' line of traits (Uninhibited/Shameful/Too Well Groomed/Shameless Queen) are clearly intended to mean gay. These traits give negative effects, however I think those effects are related to the public's view of the general (-Authority, -Command) rather than any intrinsically inferior skills or abilities from being gay so I don't find those traits to be inappropriate.

[Ngugi]

Fair enough

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