Surviving as a single-starting-region Germanic faction

**Germanicus75** · October 04, 2018, 04:41 PM

Hi guys,

I've tried both as the Saxons and the Burgundians, but haven't gotten too far. Both factions start out with a single region, so are pretty much forced to expand otherwise start to lose money.

As the Saxons I managed to gain 4 regions, then the WRE suddenly as my ally betrayed me and attacked two of my regions. I was able to defend for a while, but money and retraining issues, plus the WRE was relentless in attacking almost every turn, meant that I eventually lost two regions. After that I started to lose money badly, and this snowballed, and I eventually went back down to a single region, having disbanded my armies and destroyed for cash as many buildings as I could in one of the regions in order to try to buy time.
My financial worries were made worse by constant messages of adopt into your family or coming of age notices, which tend to lose you even more money - you just want them to go away! In the end I was left with a single province and only my family members and was still losing money, and so I quit.

As the Burgundians I can get even less far, I don't even have the money to build a decent stack with which to attack one of my neighbours or a rebel province.

Anyone have any advice on how to be successful when starting as a single region barb faction? Money seems to be a real problem. Thanks.

It does seem to me that BI is rather harder than Rome.

**Stath's** · October 04, 2018, 06:46 PM

Taking England with the Saxons will help you build a base and then you will be ok. Migrate with everything you have, plan this from the start.

**Germanicus75** · October 05, 2018, 05:50 AM

Thanks for the advice! Just you just pile everything into the starting ships and leave straightaway or do you first spend a little time building up Vicus Saxones? Do you hold onto that region after you've gone to England?

Thanks.

**crazyroman** · October 05, 2018, 08:12 AM

I had completed campaign with the Saxons.At started i started building some units while taking campus frisii or the other rebel town near the capital.After everything was okay there,i sailed to Britain and take the whole island.

**Derc** · October 05, 2018, 07:00 PM

Germanic factions in BI are meant to pillage. The Romans living nearby have very rich but unstable cities, which you should take advantage of. Not only will it weaken them, it'll also ensure that you have enough money to recruit new units/mercs.
Holding the mainland may not be worth it at the beginning of the campaign. A horde will swoop in sooner or later, forcing you to spend a fortune on defending these lands.

Roman Britain is a worthy place to hold for the Saxons, just as it was in real life. The Celts up in the north can be annoying, but they are usually quickly dealt with. When you established a new home in Britain, you can scout out the mainland and easily conquer whatever the other hordes left behind.

**Germanicus75** · October 05, 2018, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by crazyroman

I had completed campaign with the Saxons.At started i started building some units while taking campus frisii or the other rebel town near the capital.After everything was okay there,i sailed to Britain and take the whole island.

Originally Posted by Derc

Germanic factions in BI are meant to pillage. The Romans living nearby have very rich but unstable cities, which you should take advantage of. Not only will it weaken them, it'll also ensure that you have enough money to recruit new units/mercs.
Holding the mainland may not be worth it at the beginning of the campaign. A horde will swoop in sooner or later, forcing you to spend a fortune on defending these lands.

Roman Britain is a worthy place to hold for the Saxons, just as it was in real life. The Celts up in the north can be annoying, but they are usually quickly dealt with. When you established a new home in Britain, you can scout out the mainland and easily conquer whatever the other hordes left behind.

Thanks, guys. I went to England with a stack and deserted my continental holdings. Took Londinium, then Eraburacum (sp?). Then the damned Romano-British popped up out of nowhere and I didn't have the funds to conquer either them or the Celts.
So I restarted the campaign as the Saxons.
Started by taking Campus Chatti, and the Romans failed to take Campus Frisii, so I took that as well. I was just about to attack the Romans when they declared war on me. So I took Colonia Agrippia. At present, I have 4 cities, including one Roman one and I am doing quite well, at least holding my own. My fellow Germans are not attacking me and there are no real signs of any hordes.
So I plan on going south and taking Augusta Trevorum. I am finding the Roman German Imperial Guard and Comitatenses rid shreds into my spearmen and Keels, so I have started to build some Saxon Hearth Troops to try to deal with them. But they are damned expensive.

Just wondering if you're meant to pillage but not hold regions how you fulfil the faction victory conditions?

Thanks.

**Derc** · October 06, 2018, 03:18 AM

Pillaging is just the main source of income and a good way to weaken the enemy. But of course you have to take settlements in order to become stronger in the long run.

Best way is to check how stable a city is under your rule. If you have trouble upholding it, simply let it fall and come back a few turns later. Nothing stops you from conquering it again, pillaging it a second time or this time holding it. You're playing a barbarian after all. Act like it.