Liu Bei 190AD

[Chameleon_Silk]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntZCJkJmhik

if you watch then share any tips with me or let me know if im doing anything vastly wrong. I would suggest putting youtube at 2x speed I do make some order mistakes and ponder at times :P

some of the things that I've figured out that help a lot is.

1) Take Ganling on turn 1
2) Goodwill right away and level Jian Yong ranked up ASAP for step 4
3) Transfer Guan Yu to governer of 2nd city
4) Put Jian Yong as miltary advisor and utilize bonus diplomacy to enter Alliance with Tao Qian
5) Keep creating debts with Jian Yong
6) Check for free officers every turn (if you remember to)

I also go for early spearmen training to give me better troops then my weaker opponents.

[Chameleon_Silk]

all i gotta say is wow cant believe i held that off... Liu Bei having to hold off 4 attacks at same time in 190AD. ouch.

[Temujin]

I play this start, but instead of hanging around I skedaddle by April. As the game opens take Ganling. Immediately search Julu to find then recruit Zhao Yun. As soon as Cao Cao forms the coalition, make a force of 1k horsemen under either Guan Yu or Zhao Yun (Speed boost). Head for Xu Chang, Jian Ye, or Ru Nan. You can also go through Ru Nan,to Xin Ye. Move all your food/money/officers and begin the struggle in a new area, eventually unless something crazy happens, (Remember to keep snatching money/food from Ganling/Pingyuan until Yuan Shao takes them. You'll be given the option to move to Xu in a scripted Cao Cao/Tao Qian event that fires once Cao Cao has taken Jibei.

[Chameleon_Silk]

Nice thanks for posting this.

[Chameleon_Silk]

I wonder if fleeing to Xu makes it easier in the end (besides being historical) I'm willing to bet not other then got the event.

Still going strong with 5 cities and 110k troops btw 192 ad... I really shattered some of the historical timeline with this play lol.

[Temujin]

Well, it all depends on how you play. There's actually events scripted all the way through, so you can technically start as some of the officers in the Yellow Turban Rebellion and end up moving all over. For example, Liu Bei can start as an officer there,and provided no one critical to historical events dies, you'll end up as a Lord, then Dong Zhuo Coalition will fire, then the move to Xu,Ru Nan...I haven't gotten further than that yet in my scripted game but I'm sure the entrance to Shu is probably there somewhere.

[Temujin]

In the 190 start,as Liu Bei i like to grab Zhao Yun then move to Ru Nan,as that gives me access to the Free Officers in both Xu Chang and Shou Chun, which,combined with Guan Yu,Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun make a core group of beaufitul bastards with which I can conquer the world. After that, I immediately focus on spear training to get that to at least the middle rank...that way if anyone gets uppity they can throw themselves onto Guan Yu and Zhang Feis spears while Liu Bei chucks arrows from behind them and Zhao Yun circles around with horsemen for the pincher.

[Chameleon_Silk]

Ya seems I do same with quick spears however the more I play that opening the more I'm thinking that perhaps fealty is maybe the better choice after fast expansion.

Then again greater recruits also means more demand for supplies earlier.

[Chameleon_Silk]

Am I the only one who likes the diplomacy in this installment?

[GrimSk]

You just have to take the three free cities at the start. Then you can attack Yuan after with the 4 cities with an army of 40K after the alliance is disbanded. You'll be able to take control of all the north east within the end of december.

[Chameleon_Silk]

That's really just the beginning tho and then it gets harder and you must keep coalition from forming against with enemies on all sides.

on anything less then hardest settings the game is probably a helluva lot easier, when I play I always put on challenging settings I see really no point in dumbing the AI or lowering the difficulty to be trivial.

much more rewarding on the hardest settings.

[GrimSk]

I've just did it on the hardest setting too.

This scenario is realy easy because you have a lot of free cities that you can take without any effort, you just have to grab them fast.

Don't wait for Yuan Shao to take any other cities.
Right at the beggining, rush for Ganling, Julu then Zhongshan with a single unit of 1,000 riders.

Then recruit Zhao Yun.
Dispatch Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun to different cities.
Wait for the coaliation to disband then attack Yuan Shao, with your 4 gods officier.
You'll have a strong 40K soldiers vs a weak 23K.

With the same attack, You can crush Yuan Shoa and the 3 others cities in the north.

Then, it's only a snowball to recruit and crush the rest of the china.

[Chameleon_Silk]

Hmmm I expand exactly like that but only take 3 cities maybe thats a mistake as you say you can put zhao yun at another city... but it seems i anger everyone by the 2nd year they coalition. I guess getting Zhang fei to governor rank is not important early? I don't see how you can deal with the minor warlords in the region while staying safe from cao cao maybe the 4th city helps that much. I've been in the lead by a lot only stopped by coalitions that end up equalling my might.

What's best way to keep ppl from coalition? Visit near by leaders in person for rapport?

With army heading north why are the other leaders not attacking from the South? Seems by the time you start campaign after yuan shao your gonna be attacked weak side.

[GrimSk]

I just did an other try with the same settings and the things didn't happened like the first time.

1. I first expend to Ganling, Julu then Zhongshan
2. I placate Dongguang
3. Yuan Shao did a stupid move and march to Gonsun Zan (Beiping).
4. Easy takeover Nanpi (army was away) with my 42K army. (Yuan out)
5. Move the army to Ji : Ji felt on mid august. (
6. Move the army to Beiping : 20k army left after this attack
7. Move the army to Xianping.

The game is now January 16th of the second year.
I got 8 cities, 38 officiers.
No threat remaining from the north, I can start aiming for my next target :)

By the time, Cao Cao only got 2 cities.

[Chameleon_Silk]

Yea and then whole map coalitions and wipes you out :p

[GrimSk]

Fortunatly, the coalition will not be formed before the end of the second year.
By the time, I had time to allie with Dong Zuo and wipe out Cao Cao.
I've also send 2 riders unit to take all free cities.
For the rest of the game I just redistribute food/move new officers and non-stop charge all the minor lord.

I'm sure you will clear this scenario too ! :)