Conquering Island Nations

[unmerged(45754)]

I'm having trouble conquering various island provinces, as all they keep doing is building HUGE armies. To me this seems somewhat unrealistic and has prevented me from conquering Krete or Rhodes the entire game, even though I've got an empire that stretches from the Persian gulf, all the way to south western Africa, contigous.

 

[Thistletooth]

I'm having trouble conquering various island provinces, as all they keep doing is building HUGE armies. To me this seems somewhat unrealistic and has prevented me from conquering Krete or Rhodes the entire game, even though I've got an empire that stretches from the Persian gulf, all the way to south western Africa, contigous.

Assuming that Crete is controlled by Venice, just take everything else they have. If you have a core on Crete, they should eventually offer it to you.

If you don't have a core...well...cheat.

BTW, if you're so big, you can eventually overwhelm the defenders. I'd be surprised if the garrison surpassed 35K. Just keep hitting them with wave after wave of 50K; one of them should succeed, and that's all you'll need.

 

[unmerged(45754)]

It is independent, I've gotten all of the Venitian controlled Islands save Cyprus, and I plan on taking that in 5 years in game, as I just concluded a war against Venice. And they've got 40k. Rhodes has about 80k.

 

[unmerged(17138)]

It is independent, I've gotten all of the Venitian controlled Islands save Cyprus, and I plan on taking that in 5 years in game, as I just concluded a war against Venice. And they've got 40k. Rhodes has about 80k.

Pick on easier targets .. like France It'll be easier to beat France than to take Rhodes if it has a 80k army on it

 

[unmerged(40258)]

best chance to take rhodes, from my experience:

as the ottomans(which i understnd you are playing, the first war you should have is against BYZ. they usually have the knights as allies. while they are busy sending their armie to macedonia or whatever, send that early leader you have against them. In my attempts i never saw more than 3k on the island, while 19 k were in the balkans. the conquest is easy, but remember it is in 1420-1421. i think they get an uber leade ion the mid 1500s who makes it impossible to approach rhodes.

edit: yes, De Lescout Romegas, an admiral with Nelson-like stats 6-6-6

 

[unmerged(15337)]

The huge island garrisons can be tough and highly irritating, but remember that in a war they have to be lucky every time and you only have to be lucky once. All it takes is one battle to go your way and their entire army will be wiped out, unable to retreat. Now I admit an 80K army on Rhodes will be a real challenge to uproot. I haven't personally opposed an island force that large, but I have taken out many in the 30-50K range. Have 2,3, or even 4 waves of assault armies and stagger their attacks so the defenders don't have a chance to recover their morale. It will be costly, but for you as a superpower it should be well within your means. And if the objective is strategically or aesthetically important, it is your duty as a superpower to take it, whatever the cost.

 

[boehm]

The huge island garrisons can be tough and highly irritating, but remember that in a war they have to be lucky every time and you only have to be lucky once. All it takes is one battle to go your way and their entire army will be wiped out, unable to retreat. Now I admit an 80K army on Rhodes will be a real challenge to uproot. I haven't personally opposed an island force that large, but I have taken out many in the 30-50K range. Have 2,3, or even 4 waves of assault armies and stagger their attacks so the defenders don't have a chance to recover their morale. It will be costly, but for you as a superpower it should be well within your means. And if the objective is strategically or aesthetically important, it is your duty as a superpower to take it, whatever the cost.

try to get a CRT on them, use a good leader...and a couple of assaults with 200+ should work....if nothing else you will wear them down by attrition...(invade eat all their food and then while everybody and their mother is dying of starvation in comes your next fresh bash of troops for the slaughter)

 

[CatKnight]

Amazing how many people advocate cheating...

Your best bet is the staggered attack - three or four in succession, preferably with leaders. This keeps them from recovering after each fight. Yeah, it'll hurt...but I think taking Rhodes SHOULD hurt. You'll get there though, especially if you're the superpower you've described.

 

[fraese]

Amazing how many people advocate cheating...

Your best bet is the staggered attack - three or four in succession, preferably with leaders. This keeps them from recovering after each fight. Yeah, it'll hurt...but I think taking Rhodes SHOULD hurt. You'll get there though, especially if you're the superpower you've described.

Nobody in this thread advocated cheating

 

[curtis]

Nobody in this thread advocated cheating

Actually...

Assuming that Crete is controlled by Venice, just take everything else they have. If you have a core on Crete, they should eventually offer it to you.

If you don't have a core...well...cheat....

As to the original poster, I'd say move on. Rhodes with an 80k man garrison isn't worth the trouble.

 

[Thistletooth]

Actually...



As to the original poster, I'd say move on. Rhodes with an 80k man garrison isn't worth the trouble.

Curses! My evil plan to corrupt another young mind foiled, foiled yet again! And all because of this meddling poster!

But I'll be back, never doubt that. You haven't seen the last of me! I'll get you next time, curtis, neeeeeeeeext tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime....!!!!

 

[unmerged(20077)]

The only way to do it is just to keep on hammering away with huge infantry armies on huge transports of your own. I had to do this to take Sardinia as Bulgaria - it consistently kept a garrison of 30-40 thousand troops. The long term advantage is always going to be with you, however. It takes a long time to build up an army that size with only one province and if you can cause heavy casualties even when losing battles, your superior wealth and manpower will eventually mean their limited resources can't build back troops as fast as you can kill them off. You will conquer them eventually.

 

[unmerged(25936)]

Not worth it? Hell the entire Balkans and probably 50% of his empire aren't "worth it". It's not the point. Meglomaniacs don't conquer for profit, they conquer for self-aggrandizement. Letting Rhodes survive under your shadow is simply out of the question.

As has been mentioned, just use repeated wave attacks. Park a fleet outside their island and hammer. Use cheap infantry (Rhodes is mountanious anyways). You should be rolling in dough anyways and they should crumble.

But, for future reference, taking Rhodes early is generally prefered, and for this very reason =P

 

[unmerged(45754)]

Yes, a good portion of my empire is really really really better off not my empire. But I will control EVERY province upon which the Ottomans have a core by 1820, and a good portion of land in which they don't by then too. I fear I will not be able to conquer all of Arabia though, which is unfortunate. I am also keeping all provinces homogenous in religion. All of my Empire is Muslim, or at least 95% of it is. Sunni, that is.

But yes, I will take those pesky islands that have bothered me since the game begin.

 

[boehm]

Yes, a good portion of my empire is really really really better off not my empire. But I will control EVERY province upon which the Ottomans have a core by 1820, and a good portion of land in which they don't by then too. I fear I will not be able to conquer all of Arabia though, which is unfortunate. I am also keeping all provinces homogenous in religion. All of my Empire is Muslim, or at least 95% of it is. Sunni, that is.

But yes, I will take those pesky islands that have bothered me since the game begin.

a good way to expand without gaining too much BB is to vassalize a sunni state...then help it expand then dipplo annex...then begin with a new nation preferebly one with lots of cores which will it easier to get them to siege those provinces....in one game of OE I managed to grab all of Arabia, a good chunk of central asia and most of India (some not dipploannexed yet though) before the game started to bore (around 16something) me and I started a new one...

 

[DSYoungEsq]

Meglomaniacs don't conquer for profit, they conquer for self-aggrandizement.

This line is destined to be a classic quote!!!!!!!

 

[unmerged(45754)]

I started to diplo-annex towards the middle of the game. I diplo-annexed Algeria, Morocco, Ak Konyla, and Mesopotamia (which included half of Arabia)

 

[unmerged(45754)]

Rhodes fell to the onslaught of the Ottoman horde! (It only required about 100k or so many men, too. Maybe 150k.) I was even able to manage to convert Rhodes before the end of the game.

Was overall a very fun game, and I became super powerful. I think I was lucky in that both France and England were largely crippled early on in the game. At one point, France didn't even exist, it only started to exist again when it revolted from Austria or Spain. By the end of the game, I didn't fear anyone, not even my chief rival, Austria. It was also nice to see other nations than your usual suspects doing very well. Bengal had a huge empire, as did Delhi. The Uzbek khanate was huge as well. Was overall very fun game.