How do you like to play?

[Wolfgrin]

Do you like espionage and diplomacy? Are you a warmonger? Are you a mixture? Do you play the whole game or just to Kingdom Advantages? Are you honorable or devious? Catholic, Orthodox, Pagan or Muslim?

Personally, I like to play small (one or two province) countries, like Normandy or Epir, and then build from humble beginnings to become master of the known world. It's gratifying to have big bully countries, like Germany or Fatimids, who picked on you at the beginning of the game, eventually become your vassal or pitiful whipped dog. I put most importance on good swordsmen/axemen, like Templars, Normans, Varangians, etc. I'm learning to love crossbows, now, though. I also throw in a unit of cavalry, when they're available.

I tend to be quite honorable, until you screw me over, then you're doomed.

What about you guys?

[Robineng]

I also usually like to play small countrys with 1-4 regions. I use all my royalties as merchants to get my income up and then like one spy and maybe an extra knight. Then i usually start a war with a small nabour and get a region or two. Then i play defensive until i got a huge army and lots of money and then kick some ***. I usually never play my battles becouse i find it stressfull becouse they dont attack on theire own usually =/

[junobeach]

Still on first game. Started with Leon - pretty small. Was total warmonger at first but now I use espionage a lot. Only 5 Kingdoms left and 2 are my vassels.
Next game I might try total espionage/diplomacy and fight only when all other options are exhausted.
I only fight my own battles when it's me against two armies. Find it too easy one on one.
Fav unit are longbowmen with fire arrows.

[Gallifrey]

I like starting with a smallish kingdom of one to three provinces; more is cumbersome to start and hard to manage I find.
Finding a balance between warfare and diplomacy is my usual path, generally trying to expand my kingdom in one direction while maintaining strong relations on my opposite borders. I haven't really explored espionage very much, other than keeping a spy at home for counter-intelligence (which proves extremely handy). I have read some interesting things about spies, but so far really haven't had much luck in my espionage attempts.
For battles, I generally let the computer handle them, I find leading them far too hectic (is there a pause feature?). The only time I will lead a battle myself is when I've got superior numbers but lesser troops; in my experience the auto-resolve goes poorly, but with a bit of luck I can manouever my peasant mob around the couple of big squads and perform lots of flanking attacks. To that end, I really like taking Dread for my Marshalls, exploiting morale is a favourite approach of mine.

[Angryminer]

@Gallifrey:
It propably sounds dumb, but the pause-key has "Pause" written on it. Look in the upper right corner of your keyboard above the PageUp-key :go: .

@My gameplay-method:
I usually start with a military objective. For example, unify england and proclaim myself the king of england.
To achieve this objective I use anything that is needed. Plunder, pillage, sign agreements, pay other contries to declare war, espionage, force marriages, excommunicate, execute prisoners - this is war, not kindergarden.
I spend minutes in the pause-modus planning my most evil masterplan just to see my enemies crumble under my wrath and overwhelming genius. :wink:
After that I roleplaying takes over and determins the target:
Lotharingia, a true ally against Wessex, asks for help against the french? Well, then honor demands that the crown of England lays claim upon all french provinces, eh? :dwink:
From that day on I will only involve my nation into wars that are necessary and will rule just like a medieval monarch would do. Of course that includes marrying all royal offspring and of course my king leads the royal army into the battlefield, which I lead myself - a question of honor.
I will even eventually give away troublesome provinces as a gift, if it is useful for my diplomatic situation or give me the possibility to inherit more useful provinces later.

My favorite wars are succession wars. There is nothing better then having two kings fight succession over some provinces out on the battlefield. Here again I spend a lot of time to develop great strategies that will not only turn the tide of the battle from "loosing" to "winning decisively" but also make my enemy suffer a most utter defeat that will justify my claim from today and forevermore. :wink:

I like this game :smile: .

Angryminer

[Gallifrey]

@Gallifrey:
It propably sounds dumb, but the pause-key has "Pause" written on it. Look in the upper right corner of your keyboard above the PageUp-key :go: .

You mean a function key that does in-game what it says on the actual key? Who's ever heard of such a crazy thing?!

[Tricon]

I love to roleplay this game. Usualy I play in the evening. lighting a few candles. pouring myself a glas of wine or a horn of mead, and then go at it.
I like to start with one or two province nations like lowlands, or bohemia and then just go with what comes. Somebody give me a disrestpectful answer when i ask for a treaty/agreement ... you bet that I remember him. Sometimes I even go so far as to write down what to do with a specific country in the next session ... or the one after that. ANd I just love it if he gives me that "A treaty among equals" bit later on. Ha! Those kings that really, really, insult me , usually end up with an impoverished nation (with almost no building left standing - I often spare the monastaries, if I play a catholic nation) in vasalage to me. I like to watch their provinces burn from rebelion for generations... unless the king dies, and his successor has some better manners. I can also be quite forgiving, then....

[Illuminatus!]

I generally play one of three ways (depends on what mood I'm in):

1. Cool units. I pick a nation with a kingdom-special unit I want (Steppe cavalry, longbowmen, desert units, vikings for snow battles, crossbowmen, halberdiers, etc.) and pick on weak nations. :)

2. Empire! (Roleplay). Three sub-strategies.
A. Neo-Rome. I generally play as Byzantia or as one of the unifiers for Byzantia (i.e. Nicea) OR if I see "Rome" appear on the map as a successful rebellion, I'll bsswitch to that and play :).

B. Avant-garde Enlightened Empire/Republic. A Western counter-weight (militarily, economically, scientifically/technologically) to the glory of medieval China.

C. Golden Age of Islam. Something of an extension of "B." I've played this one as the Abbasids and I've started one as Cordoba.

3. Meddlesome manipulator. I build up an area of influence (North Africa, Scandinavia, British Isles, etc.) and try and manipulate events through war and pillaging (no town taking once I've got my kingdom set up, though), spies, and diplomacy, to some extent.

[thermos]

Well i'm pretty new. I'm playing on hard and am on my second campaign. Both campaigns I have started with a 1 territory kingdom. My stratagy is to make lots of merchants at first and find the richest kingdoms on the map that will trade with me. Then i concentrate on getting my kingdom power up as fast as i can. After kingdom power is up i seem to be able to make trade agreements with the absolute richest kingdoms and also seems to make the bigger neigbors not pick on me as much. At this point I see what units my one province can make and i try to build all the buildings required to make them. Also i make a builder to govern my province so that i can get the structures up quicker to give me an edge. Then through diplomacy i usually study the situation with my neigbors and find out who is the least liked small kingdom in the general area all the while building up 2 armies. Once i pick my target i'll go in for the kill. Both games i have played I have started in the Great Britain area. My kingdom starts very disconnected and i rarely offer or agree to any kind of diplomatic agreements unless i will absolutly benifit. I find by attacking the hated weak neigbors and high kingdom power, i will not get invaded and do not need diplomacy and therefore don't lose kingdom power when i decide that someone needs to go. I also try to make sure that i'm only at war with one country at a time, but this is not always possible.

For my next game i am thinking of trying a muslim country as it seems it would be quite a challange to take over europe.