Endless Sieges?

[DasScoot]

Mod seems pretty decent, though it could use some Pendor-style bandit groups to match up to the larger party group and not just run away too quickly.

My main concern though is I appear to be trapped in an endless siege. I took a castle from the Sarranids, at which point they ended their war with the Rhodoks to focus on me. For the past 3 (game) weeks my little wooden fort's been under siege basically endlessly, despite me having buried about 10,000 troops under it. They park 2-3k troops there, after a long fight I win the first wave but there's plenty for a second, and by time it's finally cleared I have about 1-2 days to take some hostages to the nearest city and buy some more food before it's under siege again. Then the Rhodoks decided to join in, and it's more endless than ever - every time a few lords run off, a few more show up with another 300-400 troops each, and I think I'm currently fighting off the 4th wave of this siege (killing about 1600 rhodoks in each wave).  Not only does it not give me time in game to ever leave my castle, but it's pretty time consuming to play, too.

Any ideas on how to deal with this? It just seems like everytime I wipe a lord out, it's just a few days later and he's at my door with another 340 troops.

 

[WuTaNiSt]

Sounds like your best bet is to swear vassalage to another king to get some breathing room. You keep the castle, then conquer & pillage in his name, then when you're powerful, give him the finger & become independent again when you've got enough resources for a long war.

 

[I AM HOBO OF DOOM]

Sounds like your best bet is to swear vassalage to another king to get some breathing room. You keep the castle, then conquer & pillage in his name, then when you're powerful, give him the finger & become independent again when you've got enough resources for a long war.

This

 

[xenoargh]

...or leave enough troops that any attempt to storm will take at least a day, and go cause enough havoc in the enemy's back yard that they sue for peace

That's usually what I do, anyhow.  I never, ever let them actually battle me at the walls, if I can help it.

 

[DasScoot]

Right now, I suppose that's really the only thing I can do...I have two castles right now, with 3000 Rhodoks outside one and 3000 Sarranids outside the other. At this point keeping them's not worth the headache.

At some point I have to be able to take and hold territory, though, not just letting them take it back whenever they put together an army. Or is this mod more designed for being a vassal of someone else?

 

[xenoargh]

No, it's designed so that you can form armies using Companions and Lords and then go meet the Factions head-on.  To get there, you really have to get used to running blitzkrieg campaigns, where you snap up 3-4 castles in a week or so, then meet the enemy somewhere convenient to you and beat them.  To do that, build up the cash to do it (I'd say around 200K is about right), buy an appropriate army, and hammer the enemy.

In all seriousness, I've never had an issue getting the cash together for a serious run- if anything, it's still too easy, at least on Normal.  But you absolutely cannot win if you build a minimal force with minimal cash reserves- you need enough money to build an elite force, strike multiple blows, and build up the garrisons using the Recruit a Company of Troops option, so that your fortresses can hold for long enough to finish the hammer-blows.

As an ideal, you want to take a Town and three castles, minimum, so that you have enough of an economic base, and buy Enterprises in every Town, so that your weekly income, sans farming, is 10K+.

You absolutely can defeat the Lord armies, head-on; it's not easy, but it's certainly doable.

 

[Wu-long]

My suggestion is don't get more then two castles unless you have enough men to garrison and a quick horse army of about 150-200. I find it easier to micro manage my men that way because i can constantly send out companions that hate each other out for right to rule. Slowly as I gain good natured lords trust and friendship i take them in. That way you won't have problems stopping enemies. You destroy them before they become a problem. Of course if you already have two castles it will be difficult. This is what i do I station a majority of my men in one castle and assist the other castle in fighting the best method is send out hte companions that hate retreat cause your going to do a lot of hit and run tactics here. Make two groups one Heavy Cavs, Light, and Horse archers. While the heavy runs the enemy over in straight line before the regroup have the light close behind but make it so they hit diagonally and run the horse archers in circles DON"T LET THE ENEMIES REGROUP I REPEAT LET THEM REGROUP AND YOU LOSE A GOOD PORTION OF MEN!. When they regroup it is time to retreat rinse and repeat why? Well you tell me is your men better fighters with horses and full health or not? I believe it is better to have them full health and have their horses. This method helps me alot because by the time their three thousand men dwindles to only a thousand or so they lose heart and many lords will desert the cause go home and regroup. How do I know this? Well if you go to feasts and etc most of them say when you inquire on what they are doing "They don't have enough men and intend on staying here feasting til the moment of need" Keep out of the melee try shooting arrows or gunning the enemeis more i find the explosive cannons alot more useful againest a large amounts of enemies. Because it can take down more then one men when shot in a crowd.

 

[wonderwyrm]

You really have to do a big push on them. 2 to 3 castles/towns. You cant let them regroup or your toast.

I met a horde of 2500 khergits outside halmar with my mixed army of 400 vaegir infantry/merc arquebus/swadian cavalry and steamrolled them. And im level 31. Ever since that I havent given them any breathing room.

I met an army of 2000 a week later with borcha and took them out. I currently control three of there towns and 2 castles. You have to keep pressing them.

Oh and all my units are either elite or expert.

P.S. One thing to keep in mind is this mod also calls for you to be more of a commander type character, positioning your troops and what not. I only go in when its time to mop up the leftover rabble.

 

[xenoargh]

Oh and all my units are either elite or expert.

P.S. One thing to keep in mind is this mod also calls for you to be more of a commander type character, positioning your troops and what not. I only go in when its time to mop up the leftover rabble.

+1000 to all that.

You're the rough equivalent of a Captain, by the time you can take on Faction forces; your job is to lead and give proper instructions to your men (and women), not be a "hero".  I generally only go into melees with Lord forces when I'm either mopping up or am leading a cavalry sweep to break infantry.

 

[Wu-long]

Is it only me or is it that Shariz is one of those towns that do face an endless siege

 

[Oyclo]

I find the Blitz works quite well.

Get your high level troops and about 200k or so of spare cash.

Find a faction thats losing a war.  Better yet find one thats losing and currently in a large battle where most of the lords are tied up.

Hit them hard and fast, with the surgery skill and high level troops you shouldn't lose that many per capture. 

Garrison with about 200-300 troops from the recruit menu.  Do NOT leave your elites+ there.

Move quickly to the next target, boom boom boom.

If you start running lowish on troops, hit the nearest tavern and take whatever mercs are there for cannon fodder.  I find the mercs level very quickly and while very expensive, you only need them for your week long blitzkrieg if you want to be cheap. 

 

[Wu-long]

Awh man Oyclo your evil but i LOVE IT brilliant plan i am trying that with my horse army  gotta hit them faster then fast

 

[abyssian]

When you do the mass recruit option from the castles I notice you only get recruit level or peasant levy level troops. Will they level up on their own in the castle? Or will they forever be low level units? And is there anything in this mod that makes it so if you raise your rep with a village that you'll have a higher chance of getting expert or higher units from recruitment?

 

[xenoargh]

You can always let castles / towns auto-hire, then the troops won't be recruits.  Takes time spent guarding the location, though.  And no, you always get recruits.  The game wouldn't be challenging otherwise, once you had enough money.

 

[Cathedralsqaure]

Really I don't know what it is but once I hit a certain point with my army it becomes easy modo anyway. I steamrolled 1200 Khergits with just 300 Vaegir/Merc mix.

 

[aceunknown]

Yeah i had this siege problem too. I only had one city and one castle and the khergits jumped me so i went back to the city (usually a good tactic outside of this mod). but the lords waited long enough between sieges that another lord would show up to replace another. i only had about 80k and about 160 units of my own and 400+ ****ty units automatically garrisoned in the town. i managed to survive for a pretty long time just buying 50 or 60 merc units from the tavern if they were worth putting the money into. i realized that the swadian royal swordsmen were kicking the most ass during my fights. i had about 25 and would lose maybe 1 or 2 a fight. so i waited until i could recruit swadian swordsman from the town and got about 100 of them for 30k and then i took the fight to the fields. after 1 or 2 battles all 100+ of my swordsmen leveled to royal swordsmen and i went 230 vs 3500 units. it took me like 2 hours of straight battle to battle (i was still trying to work out how to keep the game from crashing and had the battle counter set to 100 men) but i finally whittled down the entire khergit army and imprisoned 5 lords. i think i only lost about 10 royal swordsmen.

if you find yourself sieged by thousands of units dont get into the seige because time passes and the enemy can regain its strength. no time passes while you're fighting so the enemy cant get more units during each battle.

 

[Retroromanic]

but i finally whittled down the entire khergit army and imprisoned 5 lords. i think i only lost about 10 royal swordsmen.

Does it not show there is a problem with high-end units late-game? This does not sound "realistic".

 

[Wu-long]

Retro only barbarians lose stats in near end game not your troops ha. besides this isnt a realistic mod just with features that are to enhance the gaming experience.

 

[Retroromanic]

Retro only barbarians lose stats in near end game not your troops ha. besides this isnt a realistic mod just with features that are to enhance the gaming experience.

Uhh, what? I was trying to point out that it does not sound right to lose 10 units while killing 50 times more.

 

[Wu-long]

Oh Ok that is very true but I believe it is because the game does not have a stamina system.