How do you start your own kingdom? (Not a how-to, but your preferences).

[trollinthecorner]

Heya fellow M&B addicts.

I've been playing this mod for a week now and loving it.  I've had a few goes at starting my own little kingdom with the hopes of making it my own, world dominating empire.  I've had mixed results.

I know the mechanics of doing this, what I'd like to read about is your preferences for doing this.

Who do you go after first? What type of troop base do you like to have before you click the old "besiege this. . . " button?  What level do you attempt to attain?  Once you've started, what are your top priorities?

I'd add my $0.02 but so far I've not been very successful on my own, so I'm soliciting your opinions.

Thanks!
-B

 

[wiseking]

Yeah im new to this too, and so far i have managed to secure 1 city and 2 castles in my "empire". Here is how i did it...

I started by making my character one with warrior stats, instead of trade and other bonuses, i focused on fighting skills.

The first major obstacle in getting any followers was money.

I was struggling at first to make any serious money, but then i found the secret to eternal wealth...RAID VILLAGES!

I found the fastest way to make tons of cash when your starting out with a small party is to raid villages! choose one faction you are going to target and raid only their villages, then hit their caravans, take the loot and sell it for as much as you can get, sell prisioners, sell it all!

I targeted the Swadian empire because it is big, blue, and "stuck in the middle", it made a perfect target. Luckily they were at war with everyone else too, so that made my job much easier.

Second, i went to villages and recruited as many villagers as possible, i trained them up in the "training fields" and at the same time now that i was getting lots of cash, i started recruiting merceneries and heros from taverns.

After building up a sizeable force of 60-80 soldiers of varying experience i attacked my first castle. It was a bloody and painful battle,  and the attack failed and i withdrew to lick my wounds.

However i had killed alot of their troops, which he did not replenish so easily, and also i kept hiting his villages therby depleting his economy. On the 3rd assault i succeeded in taking the castle and declaring my independence. The swadians now hated me, but other factions were indifferent.

I then built up my forces, recruited and re-supplied them and then attacked a town, and managed to take it.

It gets easier as your ranks swell.

The trouble i am having is that i have to fight all the battles myself, because i cant seem to find my raiding parties/lords!

 

[Megazero34]

I usually start by getting alyssa, ultimate hero ya know? then i import my level 50(?) at start, and pick an objective,

usually getting my pref weps (mastwork claymore, small heater shield, masterwork ivory bow, steel bodkins) then i

continue to go pew pew on swadians until i see a castle thats mostly empty (no sleeping turtle inside) and take it, once i

do that I tell alyssa to form a raiding party. upon this i give her the village that comes with the castle, and give her a

small amount of troops. then i go all arround the world building up a major garrison so when queen katilus of snoozeville

decides to wake up and siege me, im rdy for her. then i get alyssa with a big army and march on a town. fortify that

after the bloody seige. then take all the other castles in the area (if i havnt done so alrdy). then continue onwards to

praven (crusaders are a must  ) then i usually have alot more raiding partys out (i don't let my regular companions

form raiding parties until i get my capital) and some of you might call this stupidity at its finest but.... ill give alyssa the

entire area (yes the entire area) of dhirim if i take it (hugeo armyeo) by then i consider myself a kingdom and kill

katilus for her sword (still no drop...  ) before taking suno from them.

 

[trollinthecorner]

Hmm.  I almost understood all of that.

I'm talking about (in my case) starting from scratch, not importing a 50th level character.  But thanks for the tip on Alyssa.

I usually start by getting alyssa, ultimate hero ya know? then i import my level 50(?) at start, and pick an objective,

usually getting my pref weps (mastwork claymore, small heater shield, masterwork ivory bow, steel bodkins) then i

continue to go pew pew on swadians until i see a castle thats mostly empty (no sleeping turtle inside) and take it, once i

do that I tell alyssa to form a raiding party. upon this i give her the village that comes with the castle, and give her a

small amount of troops.

 

[Megazero34]

do the same thing if starting from scratch, cept put yourself to 30 and align yourself with someone until then to build renown

 

[daumor]

I play kind of slow so I start building my fame, as I feel it is the key to the game (more re known = more troops= harder enemies on my hit list = better prisoners and loot) I generally take the first vassalage that is offered, because I'm not picky and I refuse to go sniveling to some backwater monarch. Then I continue to fight my new factions enemies until I am marshal, all the while training up as many top tiers in my chosen unit types (this changes throughout the game for no apparent reason). Once i have made an enemy nation my *****, (all towns but the capitol) and i have at least one town then I gear up for the capital siege. This is always especially bloody because I generally let the lords go when they fail to escape. This builds good will, and over a long war (I'm usually around ~200-250 days at this point) you can get a majority of the enemy faction's lords on your friends list this way. This is important because after the faction is eliminated you can recruit their lords. After the capitol falls I request it from the monarch. At this point I rebel (is that the right word?) if I don't get the capitol along with whatever town I got. On the  off chance I get the capitol awarded then I rebel the next town I get refused. So its technically possible to conquer the region under vassalage, but the odds are.... wow... So after I get my fledgling empire established I then campaign against my old faction until I reconquer 2 or three more towns and their respective castles. Then I go from there...

 

[trollinthecorner]

Awesome tips Daumor,especially that bit below.  I wasn't aware of that.

Now I'm itching to play.  I've yet to attain marshal status.  I've just become a vassal with my current character (to the Nords). I'll plug away in their service for a while.

This builds good will, and over a long war (I'm usually around ~200-250 days at this point) you can get a majority of the enemy faction's lords on your friends list this way. This is important because after the faction is eliminated you can recruit their lords.

 

[CrowX22M]

Go around doing favors for the kings and lords while training archers like crazy. When i besiege a castle, I have my archers form a line and pick away at the castles defenses while I charge and stand at the top of the ladder, hacking away at them. Just remember, USE SHIELDS WHILE RUSHING!!! The multiple arrows can end your siege really fast... Also, you can be damaged by friendly arrows as well...so try not to let too many enemies group up in front of you.

 

[trollinthecorner]

Quick question.  I've come to love my battle spear on horseback and I don't tend to carry a shield (spear/sword/bow/arrows).  Should I just plop a decent shield into my inventory and switch it out right before a siege attack?  Is that what others do?

Go around doing favors for the kings and lords while training archers like crazy. When i besiege a castle, I have my archers form a line and pick away at the castles defenses while I charge and stand at the top of the ladder, hacking away at them. Just remember, USE SHIELDS WHILE RUSHING!!! The multiple arrows can end your siege really fast... Also, you can be damaged by friendly arrows as well...so try not to let too many enemies group up in front of you.

 

[Josef_the_Pretender]

Quick question.  I've come to love my battle spear on horseback and I don't tend to carry a shield (spear/sword/bow/arrows).  Should I just plop a decent shield into my inventory and switch it out right before a siege attack?  Is that what others do?

Yup, carry a board or a kite shield with you; handy for those siege tower attacks. You can draw a lot of fire away from the other poor puddings if you wander up near the wall with your shield.

Hmmm, how do I build a kingdom?

I haven't started that many games, but when I do I start with putting 5 into training (cos Kelemvor costs a packet and maybe some honour - I get him later) and Pathfinding (because then I can outrun anybody and chase down most, so I get to choose who I fight).
Then I recruit a good cross section of the NPC community; Jinnai's a must because of his engineering. While doing this, I go on a recruiting drive as well. The recruits train up in no time, helped by as many battles as I can find.
Then I put a few points into CHA, and get my troop limit up to about 80.
At this point I'm Level 9 or 10 and it's time to go take a castle with my 80 Swadian Champions\Varangian Berserkers\Rhodok Captain mix. I love infantry. Don't really have a cavalry to speak of until it's DK time.
I choose an aesthetically pleasing castle to take. Well, not really, it depends on who I choose to victimise first. But I stay away from those characterless hellholes such as Ismirala etc. Ok, I do choose a nice castle. Swadia is best for this.
Then I go on another recruiting drive etc. I choose another faction to fall out with because I believe the game likes you to be at war with 2 factions, and better for me to choose someone handy, rather than the game choosing someone inconvenient.
I hold my first town, as soon as I get another I recruit Alyssa and give it to her. I have never even been in a battle with her at my side. She just gets a great big fief to rule with her iron fist.
Then I carry on. I give all the captured castles to NPCs, because if you have to bribe a lord to join later, you can give him one of their fiefs without them throwing a strop.

That's about it. The only variation to that would be becoming Yaroglek's vassal to get the bow, because I believe it is hard to loot (generally don't put much into Looting). EDIT- I'm not sure there's much point in doing this in .582 as there seem to be some swanky new bows available in the shops

EDIT - there have been a few comments about being Marshall or having lords do your bidding; if you suffer from high blood pressure, don't go this route, as your head will explode.

 

[Wellenbrecher]

EDIT - there have been a few comments about being Marshall or having lords do your bidding; if you suffer from high blood pressure, don't go this route, as your head will explode.

Nevertheless being Marshall can come in handy.
If you conquer a castle but don't have time to wait for a new owner to be announced, so it will be defended, you can just order a patrolling Lord in the vicinity to watch it. Most of the time they'll do so, even if they hate you.
And being able to order those suicidal bastard to hold a position in battle, e.g. being outnumbered or fighting DKs, can be essential.

 

[dzorro]

I usually start by getting alyssa, ultimate hero ya know? then i import my level 50(?) at start, and pick an objective,

usually getting my pref weps (mastwork claymore, small heater shield, masterwork ivory bow, steel bodkins) then i

continue to go pew pew on swadians until i see a castle thats mostly empty (no sleeping turtle inside) and take it, once i

do that I tell alyssa to form a raiding party. upon this i give her the village that comes with the castle, and give her a

small amount of troops. then i go all arround the world building up a major garrison so when queen katilus of snoozeville

decides to wake up and siege me, im rdy for her. then i get alyssa with a big army and march on a town. fortify that

after the bloody seige. then take all the other castles in the area (if i havnt done so alrdy). then continue onwards to

praven (crusaders are a must  ) then i usually have alot more raiding partys out (i don't let my regular companions

form raiding parties until i get my capital) and some of you might call this stupidity at its finest but.... ill give alyssa the

entire area (yes the entire area) of dhirim if i take it (hugeo armyeo) by then i consider myself a kingdom and kill

katilus for her sword (still no drop...  ) before taking suno from them.

You make it sound so easy. How do you get so many recruits at once ?? unless your cheating ?? First of you have to have very high stance with villages to even be able to recruit so many soldiers at once and that cost way too much time.


The way i started was choose my battles wisely. Try to keep those enemies alive they would net you more income. Then when you have money try getting as many of those heroes as you can. Once they start to level them up you will get so much more from them later on.  But to this you have to do allot of battles. once they level to level 15 your set. They can actually keep you alive long enough in battles. In the mean time when you get a chance try building a better reputation with villages, they will supply more quantity soldiers later on. Probably life savings too. Then you concentrate to level your armies as high as possible And try taking on an castle, look for those that does not have many soldiers in them. And them that castle as yours also don't take a castle in the middle of there territory it will be extremely difficult to defend if they decide to attack you.

Try to capture a castle at there borders that way you have other races you are not at war with to supply you with soldiers if things get bad.

 

[trollinthecorner]

That was my big mistake on my last campaign.  I took a castle at the border but then took a town in the heart of a realm.  BLAMMO!  The enraged nobility came along and smacked me back to a rebel warband.

 

[Pellagus]

So far I've usually allied myself to a faction then rebelled when they don't give me what I want. Currently I'm an ex-Nord with most of Rhodokia and the Nord territory under my wing. If I'm struggling and can afford it, I make peace with any factions that are hostile that way I can concentrate on taking over the faction I rebelled against.
It's easier to ride out the DK invasion if you're part of a faction as well.

I have a friend always starts by taking a castle as soon as possible, then fortifying it with ridiculous quantities of troops to hold off the inevitable siege. Once he's beaten back the opposition he's off. It's too seat of the pants for me, espcially with the DKs looming. I like to be ready for any outcome and move more slowly, but that way I'm ready for whatever my rival factions throw at me. Sieges at either end of Calradia? Bring it on.

 

[Megazero34]

i usually just take a castle, grab a chicken, and throw it at katilus.  it helps keep her busy until I get my garrison up, not to mention the 4 commanders