Optimal start with France (SVN)
- Thread starter Chep
- Start date
I just met France's UHV1 at Emperor level.
First three cities were Paris 1NE, Langres on the wine hill and Aix La Chapelle 1N of the wine in Lorraine. If you build a Pagan Shrine in Paris first thing and use your missionary straight in Paris away then you will cover Picardy in culture around 780AD.
Research Calendar, Manorialism then Chain Mail. First build barracks in all cities, switching to chateaus as soon as you have manorialism. Improve all iron resources first, then cows near Paris, then connect up the three cities with roads, then put more mines near Paris and Langres. Pump out axes first with one archer, then swordsmen.
First take Milan just after the plague finishes around 640AD, as the plague will usually kill the archer leaving just a spearman. Leave the archer and an axeman there to defend against the Longobards. Then take Lyon and Marseille. After that it's reasonably straightforward - Aix builds a settler around 700AD for Saxony, Lyon builds one around the same time for Tours. Milan builds swordsmen to take Florence with a few turns left, so minimise the instability penalty from the red zone.
I made it with around two turns left, but got lucky when taking Lyon - two axemen with 20.7% chance of winning both won so that saved some units. Tho' it was countered a bit when I sent three promoted axes to Barcelona and lost two of them to a single archer, and lost three swordsmen to an archer and a spearman in Florence.
Still think swordsmen are much better than Sergeants for France - cheaper and more likely to win so you don't need to send quite so many, and can get city raider promotion.
First three cities were Paris 1NE, Langres on the wine hill and Aix La Chapelle 1N of the wine in Lorraine. If you build a Pagan Shrine in Paris first thing and use your missionary straight in Paris away then you will cover Picardy in culture around 780AD.
Research Calendar, Manorialism then Chain Mail. First build barracks in all cities, switching to chateaus as soon as you have manorialism. Improve all iron resources first, then cows near Paris, then connect up the three cities with roads, then put more mines near Paris and Langres. Pump out axes first with one archer, then swordsmen.
First take Milan just after the plague finishes around 640AD, as the plague will usually kill the archer leaving just a spearman. Leave the archer and an axeman there to defend against the Longobards. Then take Lyon and Marseille. After that it's reasonably straightforward - Aix builds a settler around 700AD for Saxony, Lyon builds one around the same time for Tours. Milan builds swordsmen to take Florence with a few turns left, so minimise the instability penalty from the red zone.
I made it with around two turns left, but got lucky when taking Lyon - two axemen with 20.7% chance of winning both won so that saved some units. Tho' it was countered a bit when I sent three promoted axes to Barcelona and lost two of them to a single archer, and lost three swordsmen to an archer and a spearman in Florence.
Still think swordsmen are much better than Sergeants for France - cheaper and more likely to win so you don't need to send quite so many, and can get city raider promotion.
gilgames
Priest-King
I was browesing the forum, and re found this one. I got some emotion to redo it again.
First monarch-sword try. i made it in 840, at first.
Then on emperor, after a few try: i made it in 820AD.
The keys are: Swordman and iron. Paris at spot, Aix and Tours was my choice. Tours made 2 settlers in a row, for Langres and saxony (not settled in save game). the 2 other barrack-axe-sword and 1-1 archer.
Initial army is for defense, promote axes to str and hill def. 1axe+1arch / city....
I went for milan, raze marselle as always, milan, bordeaux, tolouse, milan, Barca, firenze, augsburg (4swod is ok), finally picardy on spawn, last Lyon. + settle swabia.
I was lucky somehow, very few barb, never more than 10 at my sight, avarage 3-5.
View attachment 389377
First monarch-sword try. i made it in 840, at first.
Then on emperor, after a few try: i made it in 820AD.
The keys are: Swordman and iron. Paris at spot, Aix and Tours was my choice. Tours made 2 settlers in a row, for Langres and saxony (not settled in save game). the 2 other barrack-axe-sword and 1-1 archer.
Initial army is for defense, promote axes to str and hill def. 1axe+1arch / city....
I went for milan, raze marselle as always, milan, bordeaux, tolouse, milan, Barca, firenze, augsburg (4swod is ok), finally picardy on spawn, last Lyon. + settle swabia.
I was lucky somehow, very few barb, never more than 10 at my sight, avarage 3-5.
View attachment 389377
gilgames
Priest-King
Ok, here is my French strategy. It's almost foolproof.
Three red sign shows starting city locations, arrow show 3 axe's way. Workers improve the two iron, then the rest of resources. and roads a lot. 3 axe go for Milan and 1 stays there 1 come back.
Paris pagan-barrack-archer-manor-axe/sword...
Langres: barrack-archer-axe/sword
Blois/Orleans: barrack-manor house-settler x2-anything
After initial moves are done gather 4 cr1 axe nd take Lyon. if not lucky wait for 2 more axe and to for Toulouse, rest take Bordeaux (you can raze it though, there is enough time to put a settler in Aquitaine) Veterans go to Barcelona, 1 veteran +1 rookie enough though, dont take it just go next to the city! In the mean while other axes prepared (i.e. 2) move next to Augsburg if barbs take it you too. Lyon build only workers, Milan archer barrack manor, the 1-2 swords.
I settler with reinforcement can go to Aix-la-Chapelle on the wine.iron+food.
then fill up the raiders for Augsburg 5-6 cr1-2. and 4-5 for Firenze. Take all of them in 840. You can take one earlier if you are confident about your stability.
Do not forget you 2nd settler move to saxony in 800-820.
ps: this is for monarch recent svn version (~1200)
Three red sign shows starting city locations, arrow show 3 axe's way. Workers improve the two iron, then the rest of resources. and roads a lot. 3 axe go for Milan and 1 stays there 1 come back.
Paris pagan-barrack-archer-manor-axe/sword...
Langres: barrack-archer-axe/sword
Blois/Orleans: barrack-manor house-settler x2-anything
After initial moves are done gather 4 cr1 axe nd take Lyon. if not lucky wait for 2 more axe and to for Toulouse, rest take Bordeaux (you can raze it though, there is enough time to put a settler in Aquitaine) Veterans go to Barcelona, 1 veteran +1 rookie enough though, dont take it just go next to the city! In the mean while other axes prepared (i.e. 2) move next to Augsburg if barbs take it you too. Lyon build only workers, Milan archer barrack manor, the 1-2 swords.
I settler with reinforcement can go to Aix-la-Chapelle on the wine.iron+food.
then fill up the raiders for Augsburg 5-6 cr1-2. and 4-5 for Firenze. Take all of them in 840. You can take one earlier if you are confident about your stability.
Do not forget you 2nd settler move to saxony in 800-820.
ps: this is for monarch recent svn version (~1200)
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