Grinding for War Horse (humour/light relief)

AAAAAND I GOT IT! Gee up, Neddy! Picked it up in Egyptian Expedition; sent Sophia (no five-star, but still my best economist) into the shop and got a significant discount. After a massive grind, two won campaigns and a lifting of Trafalgar from four stars to five (extra 25 medals), I had enough!

Where I am:

Imperial Eagle - just tried (and lost) Marengo; reconsideration of strategy is required.

Coalition - Fury of Prussia.

Generals - Dumouriez, Sophia, Carteaux, Kutaisov (not to be confused with Kutuzov).

I have mostly been concentrating on winning conquests, getting the hang of the best way to fight, and then going back and picking up campaigns here and there.

As soon as I get a good handle on how best to use War Horse and I've boosted my generals' nobility a few more notches, I'll be ready to go after another princess or two.

Well, I have both now, so the next thing to do is figure out (a) what I should save up to buy next and (b) how to use them both effectively. It's about time to play another conquest to find those things out by trial and error. I got Sophia by coming in under 70 turns with HRE; now that I've finished off a few campaign battles, I might be able to do better and score Fatimah.

Right now I'm practising fighting in the US with the Netherlands, but I continually get bogged down in the British fortress systems around the Great Lakes. I'm hoping that with Sophia on War Horse I can get up there and smash my way through that before it becomes too elaborate, while the US acts as a meat shield and keeps the British off my back until I'm built up and ready to take them on. No, I realise this is not a good way to run for princesses, but NL is the one nation where you have to cover practically the entire map in order to beat all the enemies, and that will get me accustomed to the lie of the land and how to take advantage of the benefits War Horse offers.

Getting Warhorse took me a four hundred medal grind, and when I pushed the button I went down to THIRTY SEVEN.

huykhoi2000, I do not like campaign mode very much because of the time pressure. My thinking is late-world-war-1 British/Australian/Canadian; I like a game where I can build my resources, wear down my opponent with artillery and then go in for the kill. This is why I don't mind grinding. Campaign mode does not encourage this style of play. If I didn't have a time limit, if it were only about getting the job done economically, I would love campaign mode.

I need to start thinking more like an early 19th Century general and less like an early 20th...

Farmer Doggo, in the long game (conquests) I upgrade cities first, then stables, artillery factories and ports as soon as I have enough money. Ultimately gold is everything, but having large amounts of tech (wrenches) is important when you are building saltin's wall of armoured cars for the grinding mission or large amounts of artillery, and the artillery factories help with that. Stables and ports are not so important, but I upgrade those in conquest to have access to the more powerful units (battleships, ironclads, armoured cars).

As far as forts are concerned, I have Sophia with a +2 explosive item to supplement her natural skills. In conquests I usually make a double-formation rocket launcher for her, and I can get 100+ hits on forts on some occasions. War horse changes everything, particularly with regard to conquering the Ottoman Empire, and I am beginning to understand now how some players get through a game so quickly. I now have a weapon of impressive mobility and power, and I need to rethink my entire strategic approach, fight a few more conquest battles and sort that approach out before I make a concerted run for another princess.

And now I have Fatimah (regrouped Kutaisov into Sophia to open up a slot for her), and everything has changed. Played Fury of Prussia, put her in Berlin (level 7 city), and she basically pays for a single Light Artillery unit with every turn. Spamming light arty, yay!

I'm considering doing the same thing in Eylau, except that my only Level 7 city (Warsaw) is right on the front line at the very start, and I'm not absolutely sure of my ability to hold the city and keep her safe while she makes money for me. They are right when they say she's not a fighter, but half of an intense attritional battle is being able to afford the troops you push forward. I might play another conquest first, to get a better idea of how to play to her economic strengths. It's a pity you can't carry cash over into the next game...