How is the Circenn campaign rated "Normal" difficulty?

[MiKye200]

I've played other campaigns on Very Hard difficulty and won, but this one seems nearly impossible.
The Viking factions to the west, Orkneyar, Sudreyar and Galgoidal, overrun my friendly western neighbors in just a few turns, then turn on me.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to build enough farms for more troops than one twenty stack with my king.

So, three Viking armies invade with 16+ stacks, as well as many smaller stacks to take towns, all along my long western boundary.
Then there are the roaming small stacks at sea gobbling up my seaside towns.
There seems no way to defend.

[Ronin]

IKR... I stayed at peace and made friendships with everyone, allied with both my Scot neighbors.. then one of them decided to declare war on the other and rather than break my defensive or military oath, i broke off both alliances. Then Fortiue was wiped out by the Northen and Western vikings, I managed to stop one of thier large armies at a bridge and then continued on through the mountains taking back some land until the vikings called for peace. At this point I was looping back round when suddenly there was a botched assassination attempt. I used influence to find out who, and discovered it was a joint plan between my neighbor and those Welsh fks to the south Strat Clut.. In 2 moves they tried to assassinate my king and then withdrew vassalship, deciding to declare war on me alongside the Welsh. They are #1 and have wiped out the vikings around the north of england and are now pushing on my territory.. My supplies are low, I can't get them above 10% and my armies cannot take much more of a beating... Time is running short... All of this has happened in like 6 hours and I've barely captured 2 provinces.... This game is interesting at least!

I think the issue people have with games nowadays is they fail to immerse themselves, instead trying to meta game it which sucks away so much fun

[Bevie]

Circenn is not that hard. I quickly made my starting allies my own faction and that was more than enough to deal with northern viking threat.

I vassled Strat Clut and now I am all the way down in London (due to the stone of destiny)

Its not impossible.

[Mattimeo78]

Actually, question. When one ally/vassal attacks another ally/vassal, is there a course of action for you that maintains trustworthiness? ToB is the first time I've used any significant number of these in a TW and I've never looked into it.

[hiGh]

Originally posted by <SprCntlr> Mattimeo78:

Actually, question. When one ally/vassal attacks another ally/vassal, is there a course of action for you that maintains trustworthiness? ToB is the first time I've used any significant number of these in a TW and I've never looked into it.

I am not sure but I think siding with the defending vassal will not give trechery.

[MiKye200]

I tried another campaign, giving my king just enough troops to perhaps hold against a superior stack, while pouring money into farms.
I also built an army for raiding.
This seems to be working so far, with the raiding party side-stepping the major stacks and sacking enemy settlemets.
It's defintely not a "Normal" difficulty campaign, though.

[Kilgin]

I personally think this campaign is broken, both Northeolde and the Vikings to the north both declaring war cause one to be surrounded on all sides no matter what, and then one's allies don't even grant military access which causes a diplomatic penalty.

[PoutineConspiracy]

I did a few doomed playthroughs as Circenn trying to side with mu allied factions. I couldn't get far into the game.
Then I played a new game but broke an alliance so as to not be at war with every neighbour and that allowed me to build up. It was nice to finally be able to focus on the Vikings to the north and not have Northleode coming at me from the south at the same time.

[Pacyn4life]

8 hours of Circenn campaign and its already my favourite. Keep your alliances and accept to go to war with the Viking factions. Take your king with whole army to the northern territory, the passage to your territory is a small strip of land, easy to block it with an army. Declare friendship with Strat Clut and help them how you can, they will keep the southern border safe. Dont betray your allies just yet, you will take a hit to your diplomacy. Its crucial if you cant make one of your borders safe it will be near impossible. Build up farms to support a full stack. Recruit mainly swords and axes with couple spears and ranged units. You need to stop the enemies at your northern border, when you destroy an enemy stack they are highly likely to make peace with you and you eliminate them as a threat. The start is slow, it speeds up when later, when you can afford a 2nd stack take it south and eliminate your remaining allies, they have a religion based main town ideal for your income. When you can allow a 3rd stack take it south, sign military acces with Strat Clut and go through their lands to eliminate the first vikings they are not allied with anyone. Then move the northern stack and keep taking your fallen allies lands. Crucial is the special Circenn building that stops the snow damage in the province its located in. It produces also a huge amount of food and increases unit replenishment. Currently i have whole Scotland and im going south to betray Strat Clut. Im laready ranked as 1 in faction power. One super funnt hing, when i attacked Orknayer they have snet one ship down with a 20 stack, but didnt unload it. While i was taking their lands they fled to Ireland. They toatlly run away from my armies, i never saw such thing in any of the Total War games i have played.

[CRIMSON KING]

im doing strat clut, i allied with nortumbria and ciccern. we now marching on the anglo saxxons after first taking out all the vikings.

northumbvria is my allie with -350 but has a -650 hate hard on for the anglos so they just hate me less i guess.

[Mile pro Libertate]

Originally posted by WARREN 336:

im doing strat clut, i allied with nortumbria and ciccern. we now marching on the anglo saxxons after first taking out all the vikings.

northumbvria is my allie with -350 but has a -650 hate hard on for the anglos so they just hate me less i guess.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend ;)

[SIX]

The Viking from the north are a pain and it take forever to get ride of them but after that you steamroll south for the glory of Scotland.

[Pacyn4life]

Added another couple hours of gameplay yesterday.

I totally confirm that ponce you kill the Vikings in the north you just steamroll south.
Currntly my border is at Manchester. I also took Dublins island state and eliminated then, Strat Clut, Northrumbia and all the minor factions i came across on my way to Manchester.
In the same time i landed in South England and now i prepare to attack Wessex from two sides.
I currently run 6 full stacks, 4 are taking new lands and 2 are left behind for defense vs various viking invasion fleets.

As economy goes it stops being a problem just like public order when you become Alba.

[Mile pro Libertate]

Originally posted by Pacyn4life:

Added another couple hours of gameplay yesterday.

I totally confirm that ponce you kill the Vikings in the north you just steamroll south.
Currntly my border is at Manchester. I also took Dublins island state and eliminated then, Strat Clut, Northrumbia and all the minor factions i came across on my way to Manchester.
In the same time i landed in South England and now i prepare to attack Wessex from two sides.
I currently run 6 full stacks, 4 are taking new lands and 2 are left behind for defense vs various viking invasion fleets.

As economy goes it stops being a problem just like public order when you become Alba.

Once you get your feet on the ground, and you become a superpower in the islands, whatever faction you are, it becomes easy to play.

The difficulty rating reflects the initial conditions, the difficulty at early game.

Because of the sandbox aspect to the campaign, this can change very quickly though, as quick as the second or third turn.

If you're Wessex, for example, you can make a huge mess for yourself if you declare war on everyone in the first couple turns, even though on paper Wessex should be a very easy playthrough.

The factions rated as "Normal" do not have a starting situation prejudiced to being very easy, or difficult: they basically sit in the middle of the two, with numerous options available to the player. A "normal" faction can suffer then from the "problem of choice." Because their options are more diverse and their potential strategies more open ended, a player can get the faction into a really bad situation very quickly without necessarily realizing it, until the repercussions of the decisions, made in around the first 20 turns, all start bearing fruit; in other words, you reap what you sow.

"Hard" factions can often be easier for players to actually play, because although the initial conditions may be more stifling, the player doesn't have to confront that problem of choice: their enemies are clear, the primary threat is the primary threat; you go and deal with it.

With "Normal" factions, it's easier to be mistaken, to think a faction you shouldn't actual even be warring with is the primary threat, and to take what is going to turn into the primary threat as an ally or neutral, and then this reality comes back and bites you.

[Pacyn4life]

Yeah i finished the Circenn campaign yesterday, when i attacked Wessex all my allies from Ireland landed in England. It was so funny i asked Mide for aid, they accepted and then Mide and all their vassals attacked Wessex, such AI behaviour i have never seen in Empire.
Circenn was by far the easiest campaign i have played so far.
I started Northumbria and its harder.

[Holden Ennis]

Originally posted by Bevie:

Circenn is not that hard. I quickly made my starting allies my own faction and that was more than enough to deal with northern viking threat.

I vassled Strat Clut and now I am all the way down in London (due to the stone of destiny)

Its not impossible.

Was London where you army ultimately found the Stone of Destiny? Mine had to go around Ireland looking for it, with no luck, and not the side quest is pointing me to Ceaster.