A simple question

[August Borms]

Originally posted by Ecthelion
just how does one revive the byzantine empire? I tried to play them once and got f*cked up immediately.

also tried the duchy of Hellas, there is just no way!

Here's my tactic:

Ally with Wallachia and Moldavia, build around 30-40k cavalry in Thrace, wait until the Ottomans are weakened by fighting against the other Turkish minors and then declare war.
If you keep your cavalry army in Thrace they should be practically invincible aginst the mostly infantry Ottoman armies. Your allies will probably siege 2 Ottoman provinces in Europe so you should be able to siege the 2 other European Ottoman provinces (or atleast leave a cover force there). And if you have Konstantin (?) you can steal their sieges. Then you can easily take their Turkish provinces.

And yes, I stole this tactic from the EU forums

[Dinner]

I've did something similiar the last time I played the Byzentines. I couldn't get anyone to ally with me so I waited until the Ottomans were busy with Teke then borrowed 600 gold in loans, spent it all on units and mercenaries, attacked the Turks, sieged six proviences, then signed a peace treaty taking two of them and getting something like 450 gold.

I had just enough money to pay back my loans and had two priviences to boot. I'm sure some of you could do better.

[Heresson]

and once qgqin Ecthelion proved to be the master of chqnging topîcs OK I tried it too; conauered Albania and Greece but then everyone attacked me and I panicked qnd quit

[DarkCloud]

Muslims can't annex Christians

Actually, anyone with different religions can't annex via Vassalization.

nauered Albania and Greece but then everyone attacked me and I panicked qnd quit

Thta's because of badboy rating, if you want to mess with the game, go to your country's name in the country file (opened with word or notepad) and edit the BB or Badboy rating... Lower is better.

[C0ckney]

Byzantium..well best way is to annex Athens, gets you a bit more income. Build a hefty all cavalry army and wait for the Ottomans to attack, crush their armies when they attack you in Thrace, or gather a big army in Athens, wait for the Turkish troops to mass in Thrace and slaughter them in one go. It gets pretty easy after that.

[Heresson]

Hi!
I'm back from holidays.
I was wondering for a long time what new game should I start,
and after a long hesitating between Venice, Aragon, Turkey and Papal State,
I've chosen Venice in Grand Campaign.
The first thing I've done was obviously invading and annecting Mantua.
Next thing was invading Byzantium. I occupied Morea and anected Athens duchy
still didn't see bigger reason to invade Thrace, so the war with Byzantium continued.
Then, I was attacked by a coalition of Austria and Italian duchies;
most of them quickly signed peace treaty, still the fight was a real hard thing.
(I won only thanks to my Greek forces) Genua was a trouble for a while, Austria resisted
for a long time, Savoi and Milano were trouble, Papal state was a big danger... But I signed
a peace treaty with Byzantium when it was attacked by Turkey, and annexed Milano, signed peace
with Genua and Savoi, reduced Austria to Wien, and papal state to my vassal in Rome only. I ha
no mercy on them, as I earlier paid them money for improving relations and
they attacked me despite that. Meanwhile, I was attacked by all Iberian states.
I signed peace with Portugal and Navarre, and concentrated on Aragon with Castille.
After a serie of naval victories, I captured all islandish Aragon posessities in Mediterrean,
still was afraid to invade Spain. I didn't want it, but Aragon and Castille were adamant
and offering me almost no money. So, I attacked 67+45+45+etc Spanish forces with two
about 20 armies. It was a real hard fight. After a long period of victorious battles
in which my armies were reduced to 2+2 size, escapes and general chaos, I transported another
army to Spain and started besieging Katalon. Resistance esp of Aragon was very strong
(and thy were still invading me elsewhere, and there were many rebels God knows why),
but finally something broke. Aragon as if surrendered and Castille backed off to its posessities,
and they started offering me reasonable tributes. I was already enraged, however, and did not
stop until antire Castille and Aragon were in my hands, and reduced them to their capitals.
Meanwhile I was being attacked by their new allies; Savoi, vassalised and reduced to Savoi only,
Neapol which was a trouble and when I finally finished them off it became a part of Aragon that
I just signed peace with and all my conquests were gone. Oops forgot that meanwhile I attacked
Ragusa in order to provoke a war with Italian states but they didn't help it so I just anected this
little thing. During Spanish war I annexed Rodos (hard naval fight!).
With Spanish war still going, I attacked France in order to get access to Spain from Italy
(and its one Italian province) I occupied after some fight all south of it, but its allies were cutting
me off from the northern part. I had a thought to invade English posessities in France then, but something
bad happened which stopped me from doing it. Provence became French province and so France attacked me with
its forces while all my forces were busy with rebels in Spain and Islands. It was a temporary strouble,
suprisingly Auverne that attacked me took me much more time to conquer. I occupied it all but somehow couldn't
make it my vassal so I just took two of its provinces and a lot of money from it (about 1000) which was quite
helpful in putting down Spanish rebels and repealing Albanian agression combined with French invasion of Greece.
Eventually I vassalised Albania and helped it to get Macedonia. Earlier I annexed Switzerland.
It's about 1466 and I have quite a nice empire.

Ah, noticed that in my Turkish maps I forgot about my posessities in west Africa. These are only two
provinces, though.

This image didn't work so I'll add new, updated one.

[Heresson]

I have a question. What do You do when You want to conquer a state that is far far far from your capital
(like Russia from Venice) and You hate to have mercenaries?
In my fight with Mongols in this game I used almost only mercenaries, but it was damn expensive...
Also, I wish to try to place traders by myself, I was always doing it automatically. How does exactly this thing work?
I completely don't understand that local riches thing for example.

[Pavlov]

Heresson, I will forever love and respect those maps. They're friggin brilliant

[Heresson]

I know
Thank You!

[Heresson]

Hi! I have a problem. My state is extremly rich, I have 7 trade centers now
and hungreds of provinces, still I must admit I'm having problems. I'm angry because
I have nothing to do with my money!!!!!! I already built everything in my cities (I don't upgrade city walls usually only as it's me to siege cities not my enemies), I can't spend them on military units as I have no-one to be attacked. Why? I'll soon attack England and
its allies, but I have some doubts if it has much sense. You see, I HAVE NO MISSIONARIES.
I used to have a lot of them, I converted half of Europe and central Asia to the true faith, but now I have only two working and can't send more! Why???
And their provinces are heretic You know. In my country there are provinces of any Christian denomination and Islam. I must have those missionaries. Perhaps it has something to do with
religious tolerance thing? Perhaps if You put your main religion too low You don't get missionaries? Hm?
there's one more thing I don't get. I didn't know what to do so I changed my state religion to contrreformation just to see how it works. It told me that my stability shall be injured - while it wans't, as well as when I returned to traditional faith.
And a newest update.
That the English destroyed my NA trading points I don't care, I punished them for that
by destroying some theirs, they recolonised theirs and mine, but I started colonising Syberia on the other hand and I still keep two provinces in NA, including one trade center,
so it's not bad. Another question is Burgundy. It used to be big big big power, later it lost some of its territory
due to independance wars. Anyway I have very good relationships with bith it and its ally Cologne.
In fact I would have destroyed it earlier if not that once I got the right of passage through its territory.
I'd like to ally with and vassalise them... But I can't. It tells me that they are already allied...

[Galvatron]

Originally posted by Heresson
Right now I'm playing Turkey; My empire stretches from Switzerland to Persia.

Wow what an advance. Hmm muslims and mosques in Switzerland. Kind of an funny thought

[Heresson]

In fact there are some Arabic-rooted names for cities in Switzerland my professor says... Either they got there or
it's a remain after those captured

[Jools]

Pozdrowienia!

Hey, great games and great maps You're quite a warmonger!!!

[Heresson]

Czesc.
I'm not a warmonger. I just take EU propaganda to my heart... Now it's about 1680 and I am the most advanced state in the world, already finished ann infrastructure and trade reserches. I can afford wars with everyone and there is no power to match me. Yet only Sweden and Russia
haven't tasted my iron but it's gonna change. First I'd like
to get read of England and Portugal (notabene a vassal of vassal of my vassal). I'd like to finish of Persia but I can't due to it being shii.

(update)
I had a wonerdull campaign against England, Netherlands,
Denmark, Puritans, Scotland, Albania and Russia
in Europe and NAmerica. Unfortunatelly, I couldn't take all that I conquered.

[Heresson]

Forgoit to attach it