M&B WB Vanilla (V1.174) - Back into the game after a long break

[rigamortis]

After a very long break from the game, I started a fresh character. A few things I think are important to do:
1). Have a long term plan. Know which companions to find, and what skills to develop in them. You will need someone skilled in engineering (sieges go quicker, improvements get done faster), persuasion (negotiations with other kings, vassals), looting, training, trade, path finding (better map speed), and a medic (wound treatment, first aid, and surgery). But I would not put this person into battle though because if injured they can't perform healing.
2). Try to keep your cities, castles and estates close together early on. This is going to be difficult as the king tends to not give you what you want and offer you castles or cities that scatter you around the map. My first fief given was Hanun, an estate that is far out of the way. Enemy lords continually attack this town as the AI tries to pull me away from battles. I just ignored it and never charged off to defend the town from pillage. When you decide to relinquish your oath you will lose all your cities, castles and fiefs anyway. Have the army you want to start with and maybe reduce the garrisons in those holdings before talking to the king.
3). Build a good reputation early with the lord of the lady you choose to marry. Get that marriage done before creating your kingdom. Your wife will be your minister and is much better than nominating a default minister. Otherwise, perhaps appoint Artimenner as your minister. This route, however, will reduce your engineering boosts. Different ladies have different personalities too.
4). Work to improve your standing with each of you cites (guild) and estates (town leader), and other towns around you cities. This will greatly increase the number of recruits you can hire. During peacetime, work on improving the standing by doing quests. You can spend 1,000 in the tavern to raise the relationship of a city by buying a round for everyone. You can do guild quests as well.
5). Get your companions collected early. I think a good combination is (group 1) - Alayen, Bahestur, and Firentis. (Group 2 ) - Rolf, Artimetnner, Borcha, Matheld, and Lezalit. Some have suggested getting a different group early, building them up a bit, sending them out to boost your right to rule, and then dismiss them and get the new companions. Some have also said to never make a companion a vassal. Matheld, is definitely a bad choice and will go negative on you fast. Firentis seems to stay very loyal (100). Rolf is problematic too, but better than Matheld. Lezalit is like Rolf.
6). Get the best war cleaver you can buy. Always be on the lookout for weapon and armor upgrades. Store them in a castle's chest.

[Harkius]

Group 1 should be: Artimenner, Borcha, Matheld, Lezalit, Rolf, Alayen, Baheshtur and Firentis.
The last 6 are nobles and will be your future vassals so give them leadership and path-finding.
I usually make:
-one companion with looting;
-one companion with trade;
-two companions with tactics and engineer;
-two companions with tracking, path-finding and spotting;
-two companions with wound treatment, surgery and first aid.
The remaining points should be on weapon master, trainer and maybe riding, don't waste them on fighting skills.

Once you create your kingdom, give a fief to the 6 nobles then make Artimenner or Borcha minister and kick out the other one.
At this point you can make group 2 with Bunduk, Deshavi, Klethi, Jeremus, Ymira, Katrin, Marnid and Nizar. One of them will need high persuasion since you will use him as an emissary.

[start214]

Originally posted by rigamortis:

3). Get your companions collected early. I think a good combination is (group 1) - Alayen, Bahestur, and Firentis. (Group 2 ) - Rolf, Artimetnner, Borcha, Matheld, and Lezalit.

I have just started this game as a new player, but may i ask you:
What you mean by 2 groups:
Can you make 2 different groups?

I have for myself the following group:
Alayen, Artimenner, Baheshtur, Bunduk, Katrin, Matheld, Nizar,
Rolf and Ymira (as the nurse)
By the way, i can not keep them together, always one who wants to leave me :)

Originally posted by rigamortis:

4). Get the best warcleaver you can buy.

Is the warcleaver better than a sword, you think?

[Harkius]

There are 4 groups:
A) Artimenner, Borcha, Matheld, Lezalit and Rolf;
B) Bunduk, Deshavi, Klethi, Jeremus and Ymira;
C) Alayen, Baheshtur and Firentis;
D) Katrin, Marnid and Nizar.
You can use A+C, A+D, B+C or B+D without conflicts.

[start214]

Originally posted by Harkiter:

There are 4 groups:
A) Artimenner, Borcha, Matheld, Lezalit and Rolf;
B) Bunduk, Deshavi, Klethi, Jeremus and Ymira;
C) Alayen, Baheshtur and Firentis;
D) Katrin, Marnid and Nizar.
You can use A+C, A+D, B+C or B+D without conflicts.

Aha, i now understand what you mean, my bad :)
These are possible group-combinations of heroes to fit without
conflicts in your PARTY.

So in my party i have Ymira who dislikes Matheld, and
Bunduk who dislikes Rolf. But Ymira and Alayen likes
each other very much, and Bunduk and Katrin likes
each other very much too. Shall i separate them?

[Harkius]

Yes separate them.
If you create your kingdom do like my first message, if you don't then doesn't matter which combo you use.

[rigamortis]

Originally posted by start214:

Originally posted by rigamortis:

3). Get your companions collected early. I think a good combination is (group 1) - Alayen, Bahestur, and Firentis. (Group 2 ) - Rolf, Artimetnner, Borcha, Matheld, and Lezalit.

I have just started this game as a new player, but may i ask you:
What you mean by 2 groups:
Can you make 2 different groups?

I have for myself the following group:
Alayen, Artimenner, Baheshtur, Bunduk, Katrin, Matheld, Nizar,
Rolf and Ymira (as the nurse)
By the way, i can not keep them together, always one who wants to leave me :)

Originally posted by rigamortis:

4). Get the best warcleaver you can buy.

Is the warcleaver better than a sword, you think?

As others mentioned, there is an optimal companion grouping where they all get along. The part about a certain group being lords is for when you decide to declare yourself a king.
The warcleaver is very good, I think better than a sword.

[start214]

Originally posted by rigamortis:

Originally posted by start214:

I have just started this game as a new player, but may i ask you:
What you mean by 2 groups:
Can you make 2 different groups?

I have for myself the following group:
Alayen, Artimenner, Baheshtur, Bunduk, Katrin, Matheld, Nizar,
Rolf and Ymira (as the nurse)
By the way, i can not keep them together, always one who wants to leave me :)



Is the warcleaver better than a sword, you think?

As others mentioned, there is an optimal companion grouping where they all get along. The part about a certain group being lords is for when you decide to declare yourself a king.
The warcleaver is very good, I think better than a sword.

yes, i understand it now.
But these skills....hmmm.

How important, for example, are the TRAINER skills?
For yourself and/or for your companions, and when you start and stop with building up these skills, you think?

[rigamortis]

I think that having good training skills is a good strategy for building up you forces quickly. The problem, of course, is that everything is important and you just can't get everything. If you have a strong force of knights, then put some recruits in the bottom of your list and they will get experience points from each battle fought. Racing around the deserts is easiest for me. No trees, hills, rivers, etc to slow the knights down. You need a strong and fast map speed group to catch these bandit groups however.

Try to get with each guild master and buy silk manufacturing, even in enemy towns. The cash flows from those will be critical. Cash flows from enemy towns will stop during a war, but resumes when peace is achieved. My revenue flow varies from 25,000 to 35,000 right now and I spend a lot upgrading my holdings with messenger posts, prison towers, etc.

Right now I own half the map and just made peace with the Vaegirs after taking 4 of their castles in the latest war. I started out with them, and had to give up a lot when I renounced my oath.

Since I'm still trying to marry the daughter (relation now at 14/20) of one of my lords, I have been taking each captured castle and town for myself, then disbanding the army and racing through my kingdom to gather new troops to garrison in the captured castle. Part of the reason for this is because if I give one of my lords a castle, then her father gets jealous and the progress towards marriage stops. I can't stress the need to get married before creating your own kingdom. I read that the right wife will make a great minister. I hope that is the case, because the current minister is useless.

It's really a struggle to guard everything, keep your lords from revolting, and thus the pace of conquest is rather slow. When at peace with all the kingdoms, I try to build influence with each town by visiting taverns and buying a round (cost 1,000). I also have to hit all the tournaments that I can. Then there are the messages from the lady to respond to.

Then, I stock the chests of all my castles with food. I have read that it doesn't matter what level troops are garrisoned, but rather the quantity matters. However, I try to raise the level of the garrisoned troops and use them in case a lord revolts on me. Having a city or castle suddenly revolt on you is not good and has to be quickly taken back.

My biggest disappointment was making Matheld a lord. She quickly turned very sour on me. Firentis, on the other hand has a loyalty of 100. Rolf is also pretty loyal. Once I converted four of my original companions into vassal lords I went and found Bunduk and Ymira. I plan to turn Ymira into the group healer. Bunduk will be focused on trade.

[start214]

Originally posted by rigamortis:

Then, I stock the chests of all my castles with food. ....

Is this important to do? I didnt know.

[rigamortis]

I liked having food handy and not having to run around to get more. I try to keep morale of the troops high with a good mix of food. I really don't bother with most of the loot from battles anymore.

[cqqks]

(Native game, no Mod's)

Never ever give your Companions property.

There are approximately 25 Nobles that will rank up to 100% friendship as you gain Honor. Never hire them until they reach 100%. These are the only ones you should hire and give property to.

[Harkius]

Nah you should give fiefs always to the same 5-7 lords, all the others will go in negative and revolt so don't give them anything, at best you can give them villages.
Then if you play the viking conquest DLC and start as king, don't give a fief to the ex king cause he will revolt and also some companions may revolt even if they are positive.

[rigamortis]

Originally posted by Harkiter:

Nah you should give fiefs always to the same 5-7 lords, all the others will go in negative and revolt so don't give them anything, at best you can give them villages.
Then if you play the viking conquest DLC and start as king, don't give a fief to the ex king cause he will revolt and also some companions may revolt even if they are positive.

(native, no mods, v 1.174) - Yes, this seems about right and a hard lesson learned. I finally got the marriage ceremony completed. Lady Tabath kept asking me to visit but her father was always dragging the wedding preparations out despite my kingdom being at peace for 6 months.

I thought that I needed a way to raise my relation with him so as to resolve this. He is listed as having a quarrelsome personality. So I appointed lord (boyar) Meriga as my marshall. This raised my relationship with him from 23 to 28. I was somewhat worried that appointing him as marshal would cause my relationship with other lords to decline, but nothing visibly detrimental happened. Lords that have a low relationship with me did not attend the wedding ceremony and feast.

Once the wedding was complete and lady Tabath had moved to my capital, I went there and moved all the feast items stored in the castle chest to her feast inventory. I then fired the current default minister, who is totally useless, and appointed her as my minister. This was exactly what I had needed a long time ago. In fact, getting married before forming a kingdom would have been the ideal route. Now, there are so many additional options available to manage the kingdom and deal with the other kings.

So, all in all, good lessons learned for the next game.

[rigamortis]

Originally posted by Harkiter:

Group 1 should be: Artimenner, Borcha, Matheld, Lezalit, Rolf, Alayen, Baheshtur and Firentis.
The last 6 are nobles and will be your future vassals so give them leadership and path-finding.
I usually make:
-one companion with looting;
-one companion with trade;
-two companions with tactics and engineer;
-two companions with tracking, path-finding and spotting;
-two companions with wound treatment, surgery and first aid.
The remaining points should be on weapon master, trainer and maybe riding, don't waste them on fighting skills.

Once you create your kingdom, give a fief to the 6 nobles then make Artimenner or Borcha minister and kick out the other one.
At this point you can make group 2 with Bunduk, Deshavi, Klethi, Jeremus, Ymira, Katrin, Marnid and Nizar. One of them will need high persuasion since you will use him as an emissary.

This is a good point. Once you create a kingdom and have a good minister with access to more options, you will need to send one of your companions as an emissary to negotiate for you and they will need that persuasion skillset.

I also noticed that messing around with one of my vassal's fiefs caused problems. I tried improving relations with them by completing quests. So, perhaps it's best to leave their fiefs alone.