Slitherine

I am really enjoying my game as Scotland, in the main campaign scenario. Scotland is a small nation, but it has several advantages that make playing it easier than the typical huge nation. It is actually easy to have a lot of authority. Once you are able to recruit Highlanders, prefarabily by a regional decision, you can build a force that is very effective in hills and mountains, which cover most of the terrain you will be fighting in. And I did start with two regional decisions that enabled me to recruit Highlanders in the right area.

Highlanders have only two hits, and seem vulnerable, but each unit contains some archers, so they can both fire and melee, and their mountain ability makes them especially valuable in mountain and hill terrain. They also gain experience very quickly. I am in the very early game, on balanced level, yet I have defeated Norway and its three vassels, which is much larger than Scotland, in a war, and conquered one of their vassels. It was very satisfying to defeat cavalry and spearmen with Highlanders.

The buildup is slow, but Scotland has a few special advantages that make it faster. England looms like a giant menace, but I am planning to attack them at the right time, to take some Scottish population regions that are hills, and will enable me to use the raiding advantage against Anglo Saxon populations.

I am actually learning more about the game while playing Scotland than I did when I played Normandy, and conquered most of France. The small size really enables one to focus on the details, and I am having a great time!

I am also trying to learn the game and playing Scotland mostly because it should be easy (two stars of difficulty).
But how do you get enough money? I do not know if I'm just too impatient or I'm missing something?
So far I'm having fun while learning, but my money issues are killing me.

Gold is always a problem.
Don't spend too much.
Put a reasonable leader in charge of your province if you got any.
Build stuff your missing, see trade 'T' (or dismantle stuff you don't need that uses stuff).
Blackmail your neighbours.
Trade with neighbours metal/MP for gold
Build "good" trade buildings (incl. anchorages, road).

Tax harder building (having problem seeing the result myself).

Indirect from better loyalty regions and nobles.

I also ran into money problems. The Scots, at least in the early game, just cannot afford mercenaries or Heavy knights. But there is an alternative.

I took my initial troops, added some levies, and took an independant region, which enabled me to get another province. I disbanded most of these levies, and played an RGD which gave me unusual troops, which in this case was mostly Highlanders. These Highlanders were affordable, and very useful, being archers as well as melee troops who were great at mountain and hill fighting.

I took a lot of Scotland with them and the two sargents I started out with. Eventually I was able to afford a single group of mercenaries, who cost a fortune to maintain. Each turn was a challenge, but i was able to keep them going until I won a war with Northumbria and England that gave me five regions. I disbanded them after that war because it was just too hard to afford them.

I also kept two vassels and an ally, who joined me in all my wars after I stopped taking independent provinces. While these were only one region large, they produced medium sized armies that did a good job of defending my nation while i was on the offensive with my own main army. I just could not afford to raise all the troops i needed, but I was able to depend on my vassals and ally, and i am going to keep them in those roles.

Surt,
What do you mean by "Blackmail your neighbors"?
Thanks.

stormbringer3 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 15, 2024 9:20 am Surt,
What do you mean by "Blackmail your neighbors"?
Thanks.

Wrong word, should have said robbery.
Either raid them if you can or beat them up and take their money basically.