Great Moments in M2TW
Whether on the Battle Field, or the grand Campaign, what moments of shining glory or shocking surprise has made you say "wow"? Lets set aside rants on how this was probably all chance, or "the AI r teh dum wtf?!". I'll go ahead and post difficulty levels and my relative power at the time.
Edit even before posting: ya, I meant to speak purely technical, but got a bit carried away. If this belongs in AAR, go ahead and move it, but I wanted others to share too.
A few from me:
English - VH/VH, 3rd place at the time
1. My very first game was with the English (like most I'm sure), I jumped right in on VH/VH. Frustrations of "the whole world is against me" (which I expected) aside, there were a couple of times where I was really impressed.
I had just taken over all of England when France started getting frisky, so I loaded up an army and headed ashore. The battles went well, and then I encountered my first Fortress assault.
With catapults and ballistas in tow, I approached the city, garrisoned by an equal number but lesser troops, and proceeded to tear down those walls.
Their defense was stout, letting me enter the walls only to be held down and flanked, but I broke through as the remaining half of their garrison retreated to the central castle.
In a rush I persued, the bulk of their troops went up the hill and behind the second gate, but two units split off left and right at the last intersection before the castle.
My persuing troops got stopped cold by the closing gates, and at that same moment most of their archers were atop the castle walls shooting down at me.
I turned to regroup out of arrow range, when those two units that split off crashed into my flanks! My pursuers got slaughtered and before I could send any help the flankers also got into the castle.
The ballistas tore down the gates and again I charged. My superior reserve infantry (billmen and two units of dismounted knights I had not committed to battle yet) carved their way past the tired and bloodied defenders.
Enemy archers came off the walls and tried in one last ditch effort to attack. The infantry turned to face them, and just then, the French Generals horn sounded, he was on top of the little hill in the back of the castle, charging down.
My billmen were in disarray, but I commanded them to face the French Knights. The unorganized unit broke like water crashing against a rock, and the unit of billmen were no more.
The cavalry had no where to go, and the last of the enemy infantry were in small pockets of resistance. The day was mine, but the battle was costly, and epic.
2. (my last description got uhm... a little long winded.. I'll shorten this one! :p) I had just stomped France down to three southern provinces when the Danes came a-knocking.
They blockaded my ports and attacked my northern most city with a half stack of units. My garrison was about a quarter stack.
I was weak from my still ongoing war with france, which was now at a standstill as I only had one serviceable army left.
I brought this army north to face the Danes, and as I did so, a full stack of Danish troops landed on my southwest coast! They quickly sieged and in the same turn (with catapults) attacked my poorly defended town. Needless to say I got it back within a few turns, but that was a genius move!
Venicians - H/H, 2nd place at the time
Those Milanese swine had been a thorn in my side from the start, so when they made the mistake of attacking me while MY pope was in office, I took it to them.
My nation was farstrung, from Venice to Constantinople I was king, but the Italian Pinensula had remained the domain of Sicily and Milan. I had only one army to commit to the war with Milan, and so I marched to them in good time.
In the distance I saw an army, and so approached. Just as before I arrived face to face with them I was ambushed!
I had time to react, but this put the odds at 2:1 against me, and the actual number of troops against me closer to 4:1.
I assembled my lines, and fortune was with me. Their second army was no where in sight!
We lined up infront of each other; our pavaice crossbowmen hammering away at one another, until at last their army was weakened enough for the charge.
My four units of spearmen ran forward, beneath a hail of arrows and bolts they met the opposing troops, and just as all seemed to be in my favor a new army could be seen in the distance. Their reinforcements had arrived!
I commited my cavalry, but their General fends them off to his death. Their retreating troops, battered as they are, regroup and set up a new formation. The reinforcements march to me at breakneck speed.
I barely had time to reform my lines, my crossbow militia exausted and almost out of ammunition, but healthy in number.
The enemy approaches, but I have the higher ground. Volly one, their men fall to the ground, but they continue to approach. Volly two, again they fall, but still they come. Volly three, they reform at nearly point blank range to my crossbows. Volly four, they charge.
My crossbows are assembled deep, and the spearmen form a thin second line, only three ranks deep behind them. The line holds as my cavalry form into one wing. The Milanese commit their remaining men and it is apparent my line will not last much longer.
My cavalry meets their cavalry, but my with my General among them to flank, we come out on top.
To their flanks! We crash into a sea of green and white, and withdraw. Again, withdraw, but my main line begins to waiver.
STRAIGHTEN YOUR BACKS! I litterally yell at my screen as I rush my General THROUGH their line and back to mine, his horn blaring. If the line faulters, I am lost.
They continue to run, but I am in persuit. My other Knights are now entrenced in hand to hand with the enemy, but they wont last long without help. Finally my small squads of remaining men turn to face their general, and with no time to reform, I order the charge. Now the enemy is scattered, their backs turned to fight my flanking cavalry, not concerned with what they thought were my fleeing infantry. With one final push, only a few hundred men, we collid. Their King wades into the fray, destroying one unit of cavalry and at that same moment my men waiver again. My horn blares, they rejoin. I take my general unit, now only 10 strong, and reform them into a wedge. I circle the battle as quickly as I can, and ride into their King, killing him.
The remaining Milanese break, and as my few men take after them, I survey the carnage. One-third of their men died that day, on the opening battle of our war.
Reply With Quote
) - My king went on crusade to Antioch, by ship. At Sicily some pirates attacked the fleet and sunk all ships but one (well, was a rather small fleet...). 
