BROKEN CRESCENT: Faction Tips and Strategies

[Teutonic Joe]

hey guys i need help
i keep getting conquered 5 turns into the game because the sultante rush me with massive stack armies and i cant fight back. What the Hell?!?
They attack Jerusalem, Antioch, Krak all at once with stacks that i cant compete with.
Its to friggin hard to be Jerusalem with their condition.

off topic a bit-Also since Balian is their wouldnt the vast army of Richard be coming soon?

[Miraj]

Yep, getting them to sally forth is THE only way to expand fast as kyps. Use the jav cav (carefully) to kill a whole bunch as they exit the gates. Then pull back and let them forum up and surround and kill each unit one by one.

March divided, fight united.

[Warrior_of_Christ]

Have any of you other Kypchak players been stabbed in the back by the Georgians yet? They keep sending full stacks up to attack me, no matter how many I destroy. Didn't know they had the financial or man power!

[The Mongol]

Have any of you other Kypchak players been stabbed in the back by the Georgians yet? They keep sending full stacks up to attack me, no matter how many I destroy. Didn't know they had the financial or man power!

Not yet, I allied with them right off the bat. But you're probably farther than me in your campaign.

Time to fortify the Kypchak/Georgian border

[Zephrelial]

Have any of you other Kypchak players been stabbed in the back by the Georgians yet? They keep sending full stacks up to attack me, no matter how many I destroy. Didn't know they had the financial or man power!

As for my part not yet..I'm quite tight with the Georgians now but my relations with the Great Seljuks had deterioated greatly..

[Miraj]

Tbilisi is an advanced fortress. If you want to save yourself continuos pain either take and keep or take and destroy Tblisi. Make sure to torch all its military structures.

That will ease the pain considerably.

[Osskssa]

What difficulty are people playing on?myself have been playing hard/hard

[Miraj]

I personally recommend H Campaign and V/H Battles. But H/H is just as good.

[Miraj]

If you need help please use your "papal assistance" option found in Jerusalem, Acre or Jaffa. Europe may send you help if you do!

Also, remember to use your order knights well. They will be the key to turning the tide in outnumbered battles against hte Ayyubids.

[Teutonic Joe]

i dont get the papal assitence. How do i know if they will send help? when will it arrive?

[Miraj]

If Egypt controls either Antioch, Jerusalem, Acre or Jaffa then build that Papal Assistance option and some crusaders should spawn for you within a few turns. If its before 1190 then they will spawn in western anatolia (near Nicea).

If egypt doesn't control either of those cities, then their is a chance the spawns won't show up.

Those "Papal Assistance" buildings are like "chances" of calling for help. Once you build them, they are useless. So there is one at Acre, one at Jaffa and one at Jerusalem. That means exactly three chances for calling for help.

[gadajs]

If Egypt controls either Antioch, Jerusalem, Acre or Jaffa then build that Papal Assistance option and some crusaders should spawn for you within a few turns. If its before 1190 then they will spawn in western anatolia (near Nicea).

If egypt doesn't control either of those cities, then their is a chance the spawns won't show up.

Those "Papal Assistance" buildings are like "chances" of calling for help. Once you build them, they are useless. So there is one at Acre, one at Jaffa and one at Jerusalem. That means exactly three chances for calling for help.

I can build one in Antioch.... I am fairly sure of this.

The first one I built failed, but I cannot really blame the Pope. I had more of Syria than Egypt did, was still allied with them, and had about 13 provinces at the time including all the key ones. Not quite the crusader states in peril.

[Osskssa]

That sounds like a great idea,must try KOJ

[Nevada]

I play Ayyubids and i need to say that I want to play like the guide, but I didn't read the guide before!
I play on VH/VH

[Teutonic Joe]

I survived yay!
I found out the Egyptians dont like attacking when you have a high garrison at Krak, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Acre. After a long moment of time i attacked and siezed 4 cities before they wanted to cease hostilities.
Cheers.

[boerekovic]

Guys,where in gods name do i get Ottoman infantry from
Ive built Everything and noone is answering in the Q/A thread -.-

[Miraj]

Tier 5 Barracks. What's the castle's name that you build 'everyting' in?

[kasimmorathi]

Quick Kypchak Tips:

Starting Moves

The initial bulk army on the Caffa peninsula should be split into many smaller armies consisting of 1 lancer and 2 archers or as close as you can get it. These smaller groups are very useful for causing the AI to sally forth and with careful micromanagement you can cause the AI to chase your units around in the field, while you capture the city without ever losing a single unit. Build or hire cheap mercenaries for garrisoning once you capture the cities and then quickly move on.

Focus upon controlling your southern border with Georgia, if you dally too long in the west they will move all along your side and completely outflank you. This is especially true with Majar. Spare no time in taking this city as for when you conquer it, typically you can sack the city for around 5,000 gold and relatively few casualties amongst the population. Guard this city well as it will no doubt turn into one of your main economic stations as well front line with Georgia.

Build small groups of basic cavalry at your initial two castles and move them to take Sokhumi. It is guarded by some nasty spearmen for the early game and is densely wooded, however using the above strategy of 'kiting' the troops around you can slip into the city and capture it with a flanking group of cavalry. Or you can use basic spear militia to trap the spearmen and repeatedly ram lancers into their flanks though the dense woods make it hard to do this effectively.

Finish your initial pushes by going for Belgorod and establishing this as your main defensive line against any strange Byzantine pushes as well your expansions towards Kiev and Kursk. Only until you've established a solid southern line should you start to push northwards as the rebel settlements here should be effectively penned in by you and easily taken over time.

Once you've subdued a majority of your southern line, start working your way up towards Sarsqin and form an alliance with the Khwarezm who will be your only land route neighbors and also a buffer with the Mongols. Here, you've created a fence around your territory and you can move carefully inwards with a nearly token force to begin gobbling up rebel settlements of Kiev, Kursk and Ryzan. None of these should be made into castles unless you are desperate, convert to cities as needed and you can have a great economy building. It should also be noted that you have a huge swath of territory now, with very few cities in between. I suggest you build watch towers as you go so you can keep an eye on rebel armies, merchants or other things that you don't want in your lands.


Generals and Cities

I've found that the Kypchak generals are almost entirely useless in terms of managing a city and I've consistently gotten traits such as bad trader or bad taxman, so by in large I will leave them out of the city except for when an important building is one turn away from being built. Blacksmith, although they serve no purpose now, are useful for ancillaries such as fine armor and the like. However, they do consistently prove to be good farmers so try to get these traits by being present in the city when the farm is being built and then move these generals to castles. The faster the population grows, the faster you can get to higher tier units and control the military of the world more effectively.

Developing their religious centers is a great way to give your troops extra experience as well as keeping cities happy. This along with Steppes Merchants are perfect focuses for developing both a stable economy and good growth rates. Given that a majority of your rear will be protected I tend to convert Caffa, once it is taken, into a city and do the same with Kursk, as I mentioned earlier. The four or five castles you get simply by gathering border territories are more than enough to build and sustain your armed forces. Kypchaks are hurting for money early on so be mindful of what you're spending your cash on. Leather Tanners and the like are not necessary in cities, so avoid those; focus upon, in my opinion in order of precedence: Cities - religion, economy, farms, ports, military. Castles - military, religion, farms, economy, ports.

Diplomacy and War

For Kypchak good diplomacy is also a must; I recommend that you start out by allying and trading with Byzantine and Georgia. These are you two closest competitors and while you are busy subduing rebel settlements, they will hopefully be wrapped up with the Turks. Try to establish trade with as many nations as possible as quickly as possible. Without merchants of your own or particularly wealthy cities, trade will be a huge resource builder. Sacking cities is also important and so ancillaries that give a bonus to money earned by sacking is marvelous. Also, if you are terribly afraid of running low on money, exterminate a city. Your generals will never be good at managing a city and you are a KHAN. Not a knight. Chivalry is dead to you, make your enemies fear you.

Early game is absolutely critical for the Kypchaks. If you can try to completely unify the steppes region by 1200, you are in a prime position to start moving on into the world. I will usually try to creep around from Belgorod to make a surprise western attack upon Byzantine and thus capture a hugely rich city, while breaking down into Georgia. Though I usually only try to wage one war at a time, if you do this while effectively managing your alliances with groups such as Armenia or the Turks (or even both), you can effectively cut the heart out of both factions incredibly quick. The movement provided by cavalry heavy armies and the Steppes Warlord trait are huge and so do not hesitate to use useless generals as chauffeurs to get your armies between cities and to the front lines quicker. Mobility is the key for the Kypchak.

Military Tactics and Units

Be very mindful also of where you choose to fight. If you are marching towards a city and know you will not make it there in a turn, make sure to park your army in the middle of a plain or some otherwise clear area. During this time if you are attacked in between turns you will retain some terrain advantage. The same is true for attacking a city or a castle, try to position your army in a clear area before laying siege. If you are planning on having the enemy sally forth, then you have to be ready to control the field outside the city rather than the city itself. If you need to, move your entire army on the field immediately. You likely can far outlast the stamina of their infantry units. Also, try to retain the high ground. Though this is true in any game of Medieval for any faction, it is doubly important for you. Horse Archers will likely comprise the bulk of your army and giving them the elevation plus mobility will make your men very deadly. High ground is also useful for cavalry charges and you can slam into them with more force from a shorter distance.

Early cavalry manuals, notably written by Patton in the early years of the 1900's, described the cavalry method of charging but not stopping to slash at your enemies from atop the horse. After the initial charge, regardless of hitting or missing your intending target, the cavalryman was supposed to carry on with the momentum of his charge and pick a new target. I believe the same holds true here. While being able to carry through the lines of the infantry is rarely feasible and most often dangerous, it should be noted that the power of cavalry comes from the charge. The initial impact disrupts their lines and causes immense casualties; if you can maintain this for only a few seconds before they rout, then it's okay. However, if you are fighting a tough unit, disengage, turn about and slam into them again. You will incur casualties doing this if you are the primary focus of your enemy and when it comes to spears, this can shred your unit apart. If you are not their primary focus you might only lose a handful before you can disengage fully and hit them again.

As was described above, the kiting method is useful for stealing cities through mobility, but it's cheap and it certainly does not feel like you're winning. The best way to lock down the enemy, incur minimum casualties to your powerful cavalry and slaughter the enemy is a classic trap. You use mercenary spearmen or those of your own building, stand them in the middle and engage the enemy infantry/cavalry with the spears. While they are distracted, you swing around them with the cavalry and slam into them from behind with your cavalry or archers. This makes it easier to disengage for repeat charges until they rout. Also note, sending more than one cavalry unit to charge at any given time is ineffectual. The group that lines up behind the first unit will not gain any bonus charge damage as far as I'm aware and simply make it harder for the first unit to break away. If capable, put them into a charge position to go after the enemy while the other unit is pulling away.

Use nomadic lancers (still my favorite unit, cheap, quick and very brutal) to kill enemy archers or swordsmen. A good charge from a highly experienced group of lancers, which is easy to get with religious buildings even from the get go, will usually crush most non-spear units and can make life far easier for your archers. Always tell your archers to attack spearmen. Soften them up before you use your own cavalry or infantry to finish them off. Also a final, more amusing trick. If you are flanking an enemy general, attempt to flank from his side. A lucky or good attack will sometimes kill him in the initial charge, which can instantly turn the battle in your favor.

The same goes for your horse archers. Players of dismounted archers like myself were pretty set in the field. You positioned the troops and then mostly left them be, they were too slow to move around and effectively flank. The complete opposite is true for your horse archers. They are highly mobile and by moving to the flanks, or better yet rear of your enemy, you can kill far more units by passing several of their armor values. With slow infantry charging towards your units, you can laugh as you circle around him and fire into his flanks, leaving him helplessly chasing after you. Just be very careful that you do not get yourself caught by any flanking AI units.

One last thing. Turn on your skirmish option for you general or at least make sure it is on for some of your higher tier archer units. They've got a great bows, use it and don't look away expecting him to flee of his own accord. Also be mindful of where your archers are spraying arrows, cease fire when your lancers are making a flanking charge. I've probably lost more men due to my own fire than from enemy swords, simply by not paying proper attention.

[Gazi Husrev-Beg]

Tier 5 Barracks. What's the castle's name that you build 'everyting' in?

Shouldnt they come before Janissary infantry? Around high era? I mean Jannissary should be better infantry choice than Ottoman Infantry? (notice '?'
)

[Miraj]

Wow. Very nice. And spot on.