House rules

[drillmaster]

Guys do you use any self imposed rules in your campaigns? WH is too quick so im looking for ways to slow it down. I know fighting all the battles is one way but this gets repetitive fast. I also mainly play as the Empire so i always use realistic armies not crap made out of steam tanks and demigryphs. Any ideas?

[Ravagers Prey]

When playing as Beastmen I don't use siege equipment or diplomacy with anything but chaos.

As Orcs I don't do diplomacy at all unless it's for fightin

[♘Top Hat Zebra]

A nice Vampire Counts campaign.

Don't invade the Empire, or the Dwarfs. Attempt to get diplomacy and trade with them instead. Try to diplomatically become the Elector-Count that you claim to be!

Slowly spread the vampiric taint throughout the world of the living without invading anyone.

[RGA]

As Empire: only take Reikland (Karl Franz might be emperor but his hereditary land is Reikland only). I might wage war against other Electors but should not under any circumstances occupy their settlements. Human and Dwarf settlements are to be sacked only. Orcs and Undead settlements are burned.

As Vampire counts: I should not occupy any settlements if Vampiric influence is lower than 40%. Either occupy a settlement (if I'm allowed to do it) or sack it (if I'm not) but never loot and occupy: Vampire counts only cared for influence, not money.

[Celtik]

When I wanted to understand the way the AI recruitment works, I followed the exact same rules and limitations the AI gets:
#1 rule: give yourself a target income to reach, like 500 gold per turn, and recruit units as fast as possible until you reach that limit. You have to recruit right now and you cannot wait a few turns until those nice new recruitment buildings are constructed, no you have to recruit NOW! Once you get more income you have to recruit again right now until you reach your income limit.
#2 rule: you cannot disband any unit, ever.
#3 rule: you can merge melee units but only if their life is less than 20%, otherwise you cannot merge.
#4 rule: you cannot transfer units from one lord to another.

Follow those rules and I guarantee you that your armies won't be much different than the AI!

[Darviathar]

I try to avoid declaring war on anyone as both Empire and VC. In my current Empire game, I am fully capable of taking down Eastern Sylvania and basically ending the VC, but have refrained from doing so, because that would undoubtedly result in my growing bored and starting over. I just don't understand why VH difficulty in this game doesn't seem any more difficult than normal. I have put over 300 hours into this game and have defended in a siege battle exactly 3 times. Playing Medieval Total War 2 as Byzantium, I was defending against some sort of assault virtually every turn for a long long time. I'd really like to feel that sort of desperation in a Total War game again.

[Kassandros]

I theme my armies. The Reiksguard fight only with Karl Franz (obviously some remain in Altdorf in the fluff, but that's represented by garrisons), Ghoul Kings can only lead ghoulish armies, etc..

[♘Top Hat Zebra]

Oh yeah, thematic armies are always good. I try to confederate when I can, and if not, I'll assign a general to be the Elector-Count of a province, then base his army off the province's troops. (Mods help with this, of course.)

For instance, the Count of Wissenland and Nuln has Steam Tanks, lots of artillery, and the infantry is all halberds and handgunners.

[Psyalexander1664]

I rely on mods a lot to theme the armies, but I would quite like more non tabletop but fluff plausible units for Greenskins and Vampires (probably Beastmen too but I don't have that DLC)
I have recently started trying to tie myself to the chapter objectives as an extra challenge, and to try and do as many missions as I can unless it is strategically insane.