>> Hardest faction to play...

[VINDIC]

Simple question and one that's been asked before no doubt, which faction is most difficult to win as and why?

Also, which is easiest?

Thanks!

[Inhuman One]

Probably Lithuania since they are the only pagan faction and will have to watch out for religious unrest more than others. They also have a small roster.

[mailor]

I think Norway is the easiest. You start out with little territory and at the border of the map. From my point of view, the factions that start out with lots and lots of territory are the hardest to play (Byzantine Empire and HRE), because it is very hard to keep everything under control. it is just too much. If you start with little territory and expand, you get used to all the cities easily. If you start out with 6 cities or more, it just isn't easy to control everything (much armies, much agents etc.)

[Lewbington]

Probably Lithuania since they are the only pagan faction and will have to watch out for religious unrest more than others. They also have a small roster.

They are though by far the best faction for initially expanding, their Samotigan Axemen can be accessed extremely easily and byfar outshine most other enemy troops.

In terms of lategame however, I'm not sure.

[Drakkar]

Try hungary VH CAI.
If you don't make peace with Poland early on you'll be attacked by all side.

HRE+POLAND

BYZANTIUM

KIEVAN RUS

and also Venice it depends on who take durazzo and zagreb first.

Fighting Byzantium at the start it is not easy.

[Coldcall]

I have found England very easy even on vh/vh. The British Isles are relatively easy to take over as both Scotland and Ireland are pretty weak so England can expand into a 10-15 settlement/castle empire within about 25 turns.

I also find England to be very easy economically. Every time ive played I end up ridiculously rich very quickly. In fact so much so i stop the game after about 50-70 tunrs because the challenge is lost.

I think any faction which has the end of the map on one of its sides has an advantage over more central based factions. The end of the map acts as a great wall so that faction only has to owrry about.

I also agree with Drakkar in that Venice is quite hard on vh/vh because you are getting it from all angles. Byzantines, Hungarians, Milan, HRE, Sicily and sometimes the Moors or Egypt depending on who has taken Rhodes.

In fact i like playing either Milan or Venice just because it usually means frantic action from the start of the game.

The Templars are quite hard also the time i tried them because they have no decent troops to start with and the mercs available in the levant are pretty awful and useless against the power of the Fatimid.

Apparently one of the few survival options is to make alliances with Fatimid and the Turks at the beginning and bide your time.

[Coldcall]

Also the uselessness of most crossbow troops gives those with decent archers such as longbows or arabic archers a large advantage. The crossbows need to be fixed as they are broken in SS5.

[VINDIC]

The Templars are quite hard also the time i tried them because they have no decent troops to start with and the mercs available in the levant are pretty awful and useless against the power of the Fatimid.

I think it's true, but you can challenge.

What do you think about Kievan rus and Teutonic order?

[Coldcall]

VINDIC

I have yet to properly do a campaign with either Tuetonic Order or Kevans. The Kervans looks cool though so will try them soon.

Problem for me and the Teutonic Order is i like the family planning aspect of the game. But they look also look cool.

[Justice and Mercy]

I haven't played many factions, but the Teutonics were tough.

First thing I did was take Visby. Big mistake. Got attacked by Russia, Norway, Poland, and Denmark within the first 7 turns, with no chance for reinforcements whatsoever.

But once I broke their sieges, I sent a diplomat to them for peace. They all gave me a settlement or over 10,000 florins for peace.

Most fun I've had in a TW game yet.

[Caesar Clivus]

Kievan Rus is not that difficult....at least not in the early campaign. I am yet to try them in the late era campaign with several full 10-star Mongol stacks bearing down on them.

[T-wester]

the teutonic and templar are proberly the hardest campaign and england denmark/norway the easiest.

the teutonic are hard because you lack the starting diplomat so you cant create any alliances and if you arn't carefull you will fight any faction around you, because you are the weakest faction, the templars have pretty much the same situation

[Obit]

Yeah, playing Teutonic right now as I love the "standard" army units, and the Teutons certainly have very strong variants of all of them. Starting of a lot harder than expected, with only a castle to my name, so no income to speak of, and no port or ship, so couldn't make a amphibious invasion. The Lithuanian castle to the east seemed an obvious first conquest, which wasn't hard, and their city fell within 10 turns as well, which led to a faction destroyed. Still had crappy income though, with the Novogradians having declared war on me. Was saved by the fact that Denmark was stupid enough to get themselves excommunicated, so I called a crusade to their capital which the pope was kind enough to grant. Sacking that earned me a large city and 24000 in pocket change . After that I could start steamrolling Novograd, and things were good!
Great campaign so far.

[fieldmarshal]

Playing as the Mongols, i am having it hard, especially sieges since your armies are mostly mounted or archers, you have to lure everyone out to open battle, where your horse archers can do their work, Like this..


I recommend playing as the Mongols, tons of fun.

[Hookah Smoking Caterpiller]

pincushion...

[Kalos]

Haha, nice Field. The Mongols are also my favorite faction (Not just because I modded them! )

[Mikel]

In v4.1 I find that, aside Templars...France is rather hard. You have Genoa, England, Aragon, Castille and HRE gunning for your territory. It is also a bad position is the pope decided to excommunicate you.

I was the strongest faction by far, Having conquered all the French territories, half of Iberia and half of Italy when the Pope excommunicated me and called for a Crusade on Paris. needless to say, the next turn I had 0 allies and 6 crusading armies heading in the direction of my Capital. So I just went ahead and killed the Pope and the new one pardoned me and I oculd shuttle diplomacy my way through half my enemies in order to fend off the rest.

[whhyy]

LOLLOLOLOL @ Screenie