So I recently got this game and started William the Conqueror playthrough. There are some guides around but they're outdated. I can beat Harold and the Norwegians, the problem comes with sieging the land.
Basically, if I enforce the demands when I reach 100 warscore, I still have a bunch of Saxon counts and dukes under me which is a pain to deal with. I have to fabricate claims on each of the small little counties one by one to be able to revoke and install Normans without tyranny. That takes ages. I think I played until 1076 and even after a few Saxon revolts when you defeat a rebelling duke, imprison and revoke all his titles for free, I still have a bunch of them under me. At that point William got cancer and died without ever instituting the Norman yoke.
Another option is to siege all the top holdings during the starting war since that gives them to you on peace deal. But that also takes ages. Even with a siege leader each siege takes months. Then you also have the small English stacks which run around and unsiege stuff you sieged. I tried to cheese it with assaults, hired the largest merc company with William's initial hoard of money and threw them into assaulting holdings, after about four-five counties in the south of England the merc company was down to 1,000 men and I didn't even get to Cornwall yet. So then I had to keep sieging with my main stack. So now it's 1073 and I still have a bunch of provinces to siege. I mean this is ridiculous. Historically, William won the war and was crowned king in 5 months, I understand that it was highly contingent on Harold getting killed at Hastings but still, fighting for 10 years is ridiculous. Is there a way to finish the war in 2-3 years and have the historical outcome of Normans getting the land?
Basically, if I enforce the demands when I reach 100 warscore, I still have a bunch of Saxon counts and dukes under me which is a pain to deal with. I have to fabricate claims on each of the small little counties one by one to be able to revoke and install Normans without tyranny. That takes ages. I think I played until 1076 and even after a few Saxon revolts when you defeat a rebelling duke, imprison and revoke all his titles for free, I still have a bunch of them under me. At that point William got cancer and died without ever instituting the Norman yoke.
Another option is to siege all the top holdings during the starting war since that gives them to you on peace deal. But that also takes ages. Even with a siege leader each siege takes months. Then you also have the small English stacks which run around and unsiege stuff you sieged. I tried to cheese it with assaults, hired the largest merc company with William's initial hoard of money and threw them into assaulting holdings, after about four-five counties in the south of England the merc company was down to 1,000 men and I didn't even get to Cornwall yet. So then I had to keep sieging with my main stack. So now it's 1073 and I still have a bunch of provinces to siege. I mean this is ridiculous. Historically, William won the war and was crowned king in 5 months, I understand that it was highly contingent on Harold getting killed at Hastings but still, fighting for 10 years is ridiculous. Is there a way to finish the war in 2-3 years and have the historical outcome of Normans getting the land?