Crusades?

[Tzif]

I don't have M2TW yet, but how do the crusades work? Can someone explain to me how they come about, what happens to the settlements that you capture, how do other factions react (is it war?), and where do the crusader units come from?

Thanks,
Tzif

[Endeav]

The pope will call a crusade something like 40 turns in the game on one of the Holy land Cities (Antioch, Acre, Jerusalem, etc.)

At this point you have the option of joining the crusade. This requires a general with a certain number of units (don't know how many exactly, the Join Crusade button is blanked out if you don't have units with the general). Once you join the crusade every unit in the stack gets a crusade icon (a cross over their unit card) and the stack receives double movement points.

If you do not head directly for the target city, your units will desert so you have to take a straight path towards the target city. Crusader Knights, Unhorsed Knights, Crusader Sergeants, and The Great Cross can be recruited as mercenaries for dirt cheap. Crusader armies also don't take upkeep, which is a nice benefit.

One you reach the target city and take it, your general receives the Grand Crusader Trait (+2 Command, +2 Chivalry, +2 Piety I believe), plus two crusader retainers that give +1 Command +1 Chivalry each. Your papal standing goes way up as well.

If you are high up on the papal favor list (think senate from RTW) you are able to call a crusade on any excommunicated or non-christian faction, which does pretty much the same as above. As well, when a crusade is called and you join it, you automatically go to war with the target faction, and you receive military access for your crusader stack through all christian lands.

[The Thracian]

The pope will call a crusade something like 40 turns in the game on one of the Holy land Cities (Antioch, Acre, Jerusalem, etc.)

Never happened in my game

[Tzif]

Okay, thanks Endeav!

Tzif