Epic battles

[EaglePrince 234]

So I though I could start a tread like this here at Stronghold 1 too. :)

 

Here is the story from our gaming event in which Charles of Tours, Lord Banshee and I participated. We played this game on Lord Banshee's maps Rivers map.

 

Before we started we were thinking that few years (in Stronghold 1 time) would be enough for no rush period, but after years have past, we realized that we all needed more time. The map we played is hard - it was very difficult to run castle there. There were little space for cows which was the only possible way to feed the people. In fact, it was possible to build wheat farms, but I chose hops farms instead. After my population grew those diary farms were not enough to feet my people, so I decided to give my people half rations, and to give them ale. This way my food stocks were growing, and I was able to spend some cheese now and then, in order to get some gold. If I gave my peasants normal rations I would be slowly running out of food. I would like to hear how others handled economy on the map! smile

 

Our battles began in year 1180. Lord Banshee was the most powerful one, and he send his army towards my castle, but not directly to it. Instead, he was going moving slowly, and determined to destroy my economy buildings outside my castle. At that moment I decided to send my troops out to intercept his troops, but I made a mistake there. I let his macemen pass my swordsmen and pikemen, and he made it to kill my archers and crossbowmen which were on the ground. Soon after my swordsmen and pikemen died too. Then he rushed towards my castle, and he used siege tower to climb my walls. His macemen made it into my castle, he was killing my archers and crossbowmen on my towers and walls, and I escaped with my lord out of the castle. Luckily, my ally Charles came to help me - just in time. He also messed up Lord Banshee's popularity and population, although I didn't catch it up how exactly he did that. I believe he could have destroyed his houses, or something like that.

 

At that moment we turned the war! Lord Banshee was struggling to get his economy running again, although he still had great difference, and lots of me protecting the castle. At one moment Charles and I moved forward, and we started our attacks. It was hard, and Lord Banshee was defending well. After some time his castle began to collapse, and after several attacks we made it to kill his lord. I was attacking him from north, while Charles was attacking him from the east. Once Charles ran into his castle with macemen army and it seemed that Banshee will certainly die, but he burned his castle, and wounded Charles macemen. Later, his crossbowmen finished the job. We had to attack once more, while he was under siege all the time, and next time we made it.

 

I really enjoyed this game, although I wasn't making my decisions so well, and it almost costed me my lords life. First, I was expecting someone to throw cows, but I didn't know how apothecaries are effective. It turned out that they are pretty effective, and if I knew that, I would have intercepted Lord Banshee's attack more bravely which sure would pay off. Another thing is that I messed the controls of my army, as I was moving four types of units, but I will simplify it next time. For example, I could put crossbowmen and archers under one single selection... Also, I was able to use pitch, to defend my castle, and I didn't do that only because I was lazy. Lord Banshee has tough me not to be lazy. smile

 

I enjoyed the fight, and I hope other enjoyed it too, and that they will gladly play with us another day too. I especially enjoy Stronghold 1 as economy is slower, and army means more than it does in other games. In Crusader you are able to rebuild your army more easily, while in Stronghold 1 one needs to be very careful, as one battle lost outside the castle can be very costly.

 

 

Hopefully Nigel could join us as well. :)

[EaglePrince 234]

Another epic war we fought yesterday. :)

 

Yesterday was a good day to fight. We played @LordBanshee's map Delta, it's one more map pretty difficult for running economy, as each of us has limited space, and therefore we needed to use that space wisely. Here we were able to build some more economy buildings - I had three iron mines, three stone mines, and my castle was on low ground, so I was able to feed my people with bread, and to give them some ale. Some time later my defensive structures were taking a little bit more space, so I had to sacrifice some wheat farms, but I managed to place them on other locations, which were not easy to find.

 

In year 1075 we started our fight. I was the first one to march into an attack, as I had some army, and I also had some gold - around 2000 gold, which was enough for building trebuchets. My plan was to attack early, and I chose to attack as he was the stronger one. I did realize that this way we could let [user]Nigel] become strong, but if I spend some more resources fighting Nigel, then Banshee would attack me soon, and I would be weaker. Also, like they say - attack is the best defense. Still, I lacked few things while attacking him. I was better organized than in the previous was we fought, but that just wasn't enough. I didn't give up swordsmen, and they were easy targets for Lord Banshee's trebuchets throwing cows on my army. If I was able to build some stables it would be much different, but I was able to build only one, which wasn't enough.

 

After I saw my attacks failed I retreated to my castle, but then Lord Banshee start raiding my villagers - he destroyed one stable I had, he was destroying my quarries, and he was destroying my houses and inns that were far from my castle walls. Nevertheless, I did manage to take back control of my lands, and to rebuild what was lost, and I did what I needed to do earlier - to send some more troops further from my castle, to defend my remote buildings. Still, from now on I had no stable, and perhaps that was one of my mistakes - I did have some more gold now, but what do I have from gold, when my army is easy target to his trebuchets. He was using macemen which were moving faster, so I wasn't able to do the same to him that effectively. Then I faced some large sieges, but somehow I managed to survive. Those were hard times, but Lord Banshee retreated at some moment, and if I got that right, he had to do that, as his popularity went low, and he had no recruits.

 

I also had few clashes with Nigel's troops too, although those were small battles. Nigel sent some of his men to the hill in the north from my castle, and his archers were killing my villagers in the north. I did have few villagers there, but that was where I was able to get more wood, so I headed north with small group of men, where I managed to conquer the hill in the north where I was guarding it by those swordsmen and crossbowmen I sent.

 

My battles with Lord Banshee started again, and I was giving my best to survive his attacks. My mangonels were having hard time in destroying trebuchets which were hidden behind small hills.

 

For a short period I did have an ally in this war, but as soon as Nigel knew how to cancel the alliance, he canceled it - he just wanted to keep it a free for all war. Then I said him I will destroy him if he doesn't want to be my ally. smile All that happened after Lord Banshee told he would kill us both, and I felt like I wasn't able to stop him by myself. At least not without those knight I wasn't able to train. If he was my ally I would be able to build those stables near his castle, or inside of it, which would benefit me a lot - beside having his army by my side.

 

As I saw I am certainly loosing the war I wanted to finish what I promised to Nigel. smile I trained around 50 swordsmen, and I knew that if I leave my castle in a mission to destroy the trebuchets - those swordsmen would surely fail, and if I don't do anything with them, they would die inside the castle. One more problem I had were leather armors - during those sieges I wasn't able to produce them, as Lord Banshee was destroying my only diary farm I was using for producing them. Unfortunately I had built it on another location which was exposed to enemy attacks. Because of this I had 30 crossbows which I wasn't able to use. At this moment I split my army into to groups: one smaller headed east to face Lord Banshee, and the other larger group headed north along with engineers. I didn't wasn't any time, as soon as engineers reached their passion they started building siege towers, and along with swordsmen they went towards Nigel's walls. Using those towers I managed to get on top of those walls with majority of my army not facing Nigel's melee troops. I killed most of his archers and crossbowmen on his walls, and as soon as I reached his gate I opened it, and I moved towards his lord. He still had some more crossbowmen that were firing at my troops, but they were unable to stop my troops. I have paid my debt to Nigel, for not joining my side. smile

 

I would also need to tell that Nigel was the one who fought most honorably! He is the one who stood with his men in front of his castle, just like we could have seen in Troy, but I was the one who attacked by surprise, who didn't face his troops, and who's goal was to kill Nigel's lord, while he didn't run with his lord, and he faced my troops on his keep.

 

I wasn't the only one who paid his debt; Lord Banshee has revenged his lords death from the previous war. My lord left the castle in company of few swordsmen and crossbowmen. Then he ran with his macemen with support from trebuchets throwing cows, and the macemen finished the job. My lords poor bones now rest in those forests.

Edited April 30, 2015 by EaglePrince