Muslim Crusades? 1187 Scenario

[JScott991]

I have started up a few games as the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the same thing keeps happening forcing me to quit.

The Muslims seem to be launching their own crusades on Europe. Italy and Sicily fall almost immediately as the Kingdom of Naples is crushed by the Muslims and they don't stop there. They roll up the whole peninsula.

It was kind of amusing the first time to watch the thousands of Muslim troops from Baghdad cross my territory, sail to Naples, and conquer the boot of Italy in a matter of months.

It was much less amusing on the second and third restart.

I know that it is a no-no to ask that Muslims attacks on the west be disabled, but what scenario files can I modify myself to prevent this from happening? What is causing Naples and/or the Muslims to declare war on each other right at the start?

 

[Riddermark]

Yes this isnt fun at all. I gave Saladin a claim on Jerusalem - yet he still didnt attack KoJ but instead Naples. SOmething has to turn their attention away from there. I have a feeling Malta is a strategic point of control there but not quite sure - in my games of 1066 when i took the little island i was al most often dowed.

 

[unmerged(21937)]

Malta is in the same region as Egypt, while Jerusalem is already in a different region.

 

[binTravkin]

Actually I've noticed this slight tendency of muslims to go for Italy, too.
They hold Rome for a time in almost all of the games where Im not some nearby power (like Apulia, Byzantium, Georgia etc) and manage to smack them first.

Some kind of Jihad?

 

[unmerged(21937)]

Well, if you are concerned about it (not just you binTravkin, everyone ), you could try observing how the wars for Italy come to pass. Who starts them, how they start etc.

 

[binTravkin]

Sure, will take a look on the saves.
As for now I can remember Fatimids, Palermo and Kingdom of Zirid being involved at a time each.

 

[JScott991]

In the 1187 Scenario it is a combination of the Kingdom of Naples declaring war on Cyrenaica and the Abbasids (Baghdad) inexplicably declaring war on someone like Apulia, drawing Naples in. Eventually all the counties and Duchies in Naples declare war and they are rolled by Saladin and Abbasid fairly easily.

It happens almost every time, in some form. Six restarts and all of them have resulted in at least Southern Italy and Sicily being Muslim occupied. In no restart was Jerusalem every threatened.

I got tired of it and finally just deleted all of Saladin and Abbasid's regiments. They still conquered Naples (I can't figure out how), but they were crushed when the Pope declared a crusade against Alexandria and most of the territory has been re-occupied in 1199.

 

[unmerged(21937)]

Why Abbasids dow Apulia? Are they allied to Cyrenaica?

 

[unmerged(48100)]

For me it is not that the Muslims start crusades, but that the Christians are too stupid. The King of Naples never gets that he is to weak for such a crusade and looses Italy to the Muslims because of that. I think it's more a problem of the AI of the Italian nations than a problem of the AI of the Muslims.

 

[JScott991]

You are correct.

Naples is declaring war on minor Muslim sheikdoms and that eventually leads to the bigger Muslim kingdoms attacking them.

I haven't yet been able to figure out how Baghdad gets involved.

For me it is not that the Muslims start crusades, but that the Christians are too stupid. The King of Naples never gets that he is to weak for such a crusade and looses Italy to the Muslims because of that. I think it's more a problem of the AI of the Italian nations than a problem of the AI of the Muslims.