Stronghold Kingdoms - Any one tried this ?

[crazy canuck]

Woot, beat off the bandits again. This time they brought 30 peasants and 4 archers.

But they were nothing but target practice for my archers standing atop my stone walls.

Also, I have my first merchant out and about.  I have an iron smelter producing iron I cant use atm but selling it to the Parish makes a tidy sum - enough to let me continue purchasing tech points every now and then.

Next I plan to diversify into hog farming, wheat and veggie gardens to boost my happiness/honour.

[Jaron]

There are few things more honorable in this world than hog farming. Just ask Tamas.

[mongers]

Woot, beat off the bandits again. This time they brought 30 peasants and 4 archers.

But they were nothing but target practice for my archers standing atop my stone walls.

Also, I have my first merchant out and about.  I have an iron smelter producing iron I cant use atm but selling it to the Parish makes a tidy sum - enough to let me continue purchasing tech points every now and then.

Next I plan to diversify into hog farming, wheat and veggie gardens to boost my happiness/honour.

Bit of a calamity here, scouted a wolfs lair, did seem to hard a target, then inadvertently sent too many of may precious archers/troops to attack it, killed afew but lost the battle.
So I'm down to 9-10 archers again.

Wheat/bakeries produce a nice surplus.

Yep, I should definitely go with the smelter/iron production.

Hog heaven sounds good.   

[szmik]

  I made the same mistake with education.

I'm about to get archers once I got Fletchery running, which costs more than expected. 

Anyway it feels like Ogame, dress is different, but if you look under ... 

[crazy canuck]

Any thoughts on the best location for a second village. 

[crazy canuck]

so, new strategy.  My food output has boosted my happiness quite a bit.  So now I am cranking up the tax rate as far as possible without getting negative happiness, using the proceeds to buy tech points and gaining honour by defending against AI attacks and uncovering hidden stashes.

Closing in on rank 10.

[mongers]

Any thoughts on the best location for a second village.

Maybe some of use could plan on having 2nd villages al in the same parish, preferable in a contested part of the country, and within similar distance of our 1st villages ?

[mongers]

so, new strategy.  My food output has boosted my happiness quite a bit.  So now I am cranking up the tax rate as far as possible without getting negative happiness, using the proceeds to buy tech points and gaining honour by defending against AI attacks and uncovering hidden stashes.

Closing in on rank 10.

Yes I've adopted elements of this myself.

My problem is I'm surround by just one faction and all of their villages have mobs of supperfast scouts that gather up all o the stashes in two bites.

edit;
don't forget to invest in some of the happiness inducing and decorative buildings, a theatre is nice and the dove cote seems cheap for what it gives.   

[crazy canuck]

so, new strategy.  My food output has boosted my happiness quite a bit.  So now I am cranking up the tax rate as far as possible without getting negative happiness, using the proceeds to buy tech points and gaining honour by defending against AI attacks and uncovering hidden stashes.

Closing in on rank 10.

Yes I've adopted elements of this myself.

My problem is I'm surround by just one faction and all of their villages have mobs of supperfast scouts that gather up all o the stashes in two bites.

Ah, thats is a problem.  I only have one neighbour that went the fast scout route.  So even my noob scouts can get to stuff before others.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

if you want to make money you need to trade.
Get stronger units as those bandits won't stay small for long.
Get your army big too so you can take out the early (iirc) Pig castles. Quite a bit of honor in there.

[crazy canuck]

Yeah, I am trading my excess.  But getting honour early is a bad move for exactly the reason you said - those bandits keep getting bigger as you get more honour and work you way up the social ladder.

Much better to defer honour until the military is ready to fight the bigger battles.  Once that is in place then I plan to obtain honour by taking out the bandits, wolfs and keeps.

[Josquius]

It is a mmorpg (err...rts?) which doesnt bode well but...given the lameness of Stronghold 3 I may have a look.

[crazy canuck]

Well it is an rts in the way that settlers was an rts.  This is essentially a resource management game with a castle buiding game built on. 

[crazy canuck]

I didnt take long for me to eat through my manpower building up my army.  I think I still want to get a bit more tech before I reduce taxes and start boosting honour though.

[crazy canuck]

Woot - hit 10 Thane