English Gaming Periods
| ENGLISH HISTORY |
EARLY PERIOD
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Starting units :
5 Archers 1 Emissaries
Faction Difficulty Rating : Moderate. |
| The guys at Bradygames say’s there are two strategies for playing the English, so here they both are. Home Islands First…. The first order of business is to crush the welsh and Scots. Start using these areas to produce their specialist troop quickly (easier said than done) Its possible to take rebel-held Navarre (and its valuable weapon-bonus iron deposits) quickly through bribery. Ireland can wait, because any army sent there is out of action four four years while a port is being built. |
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| Establishing a fleet in the English Channel should also be a priority. Otherwise, an assault into Flanders and an early war with the French will be needed to link England and your English holding in France. In the longer term, build the infrasture needed to create Longbowmen and Billmen as quickly as possible, because these are amongst the most useful troops in the game. | |
HIGH PERIOD
| Home Islands First…. In the High Period, try to secure the home islands of course, and make sure that your fleets control the english Channel. Otherwise, its difficult to get troops from wessex to the English territories in France. Try to take Wales early, and build, build, build in that province. A Bowyer’s Guild is the aim in wales, because this trains Longbowmen- some of the best killers in the game- and Welsh Longbowmen get +1 Valour.The same holds true for Mercia, but here the goal is to create a Spearmakers’ Guild for Billmen with +1 Valor. Be nice to the French(marry into the family!), but only until the moment of attack. |
Starting units :
1 Ballista Faction Difficulty Rating : Moderate. |
LATE PERIOD
| Home Islands First…. In the Late Period, secure Scotland, because the Scots have a nasty tendency to invade Northumbria. The English can’t afford to lose any provinces, because they dont have many! Recruit Longbowmen into your armies as fast as possible, and attack the french early and often (ransoms can meet some of the costs of war), particularly the French king. (kill your prisoners if you capture him in battle) The pope many enter the political fray and threaten excommunication. But without fleets, the only way for Catholic enemies to invade England itself is through Wessex . As long as England maintains a strong navy, excommunication is not a huge problem. When the last French heir is killed, France will dissolve and the door to European domination will be open. |
Starting units :
1 Serpentine crew Faction Difficulty Rating : Moderate. |
The ‘ France First’ ApproachThe rebel regions of wales and Scotland give you plenty of room for expansion. But do not attack them just yet. Your immediate threat is the French. Their lands have been split by your presence in Normandy, Anjou, and Aquitaine, and they will invade at the first opportunity seeking to forge their empire into one land. If you are fighting with the Welsh and Scottish rebels at the same time, you’re forced to split your resources and you may not be able to adequately defend yourself
Build large armies in Wessex and Aquitaine. Send some of your men from Auitaine up into Anjou and Normandy. Then build Inns and develop farmalnd in these two regions. Keep an eye out for mercenaries attracted by your Inns; you will need them to successfully defend against the French. Each time you are attacked, counterattack quickly.
Invade the other French regions one at a time, consolidating and rebuilding after each conquest. By all means, begin by taking Flanders! This will join your lands together and let you pass troops back and forth between them. From there, take Brittany, place a Peasant garrison in the province, and then send the Brittany invasion army back to Normandy. Pick up the defending army there and invade Ile de France.
Your war with the French may take some time. While it rages, remember to send some Spearmen units and Cavalry to Mercia and Northumbria. If you forget about these two homeland provinces, rebel armies may mount a surprise attack and take them from you. Sending as Emissary to bribe the rebels is a good way to deal with them.
Keep a strong presence in Aquitaine. Once the Aragonese have finished conquering the Iberian peninsular, they will turn their attention to Central Europe – and you. Bribe the rebel army in Navarre. This will distract Aragon because there will be two provinces to attack instead of one. An alliance with the Aragonese can hold them at bay for a little longer, and when they break it, the King of Aragon will find his influence reduced and his generals less loyal. When this happens you can make your move south.
An invasion of the Iberian peninsula will prove difficult and costly, however, taking Toulose from the French and then form a line of armies across the Pyrenees to provent invasion by Aragonese forces. Then sit tight for a while. Take some time to build up your army and increase your income. By waging war with two catholic factions will upset the pope.
This will give the pontiff plenty of time to calm down and become friendly again. (Or you could just carry on your war, and eliminate the Pope with an assassins blade,if he excommunicates you.)