From: "Laura Omniscient"
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 17:57:34 PST
A Few Useful Tips for Lords of the Realm II
In my opinion, Lords of the Realm II is one of the greatest games
ever made.  Here are just a few generic tips that might help you beginners
out there.
Cattle Farming
Since your success is ultimately due to the prosperity of your
county(s), it is highly recommended that you make sure that your serfs are
fed adequately.  I have found that cattle are probably the best means of
sustenance, due to the fact that they provide you not only with meat (if
your ration bar is set that way) but dairy as well.  Usually, dairy alone
can feed anywhere from ¬ to « of my population in each county.  However,
the larger a herd gets, the harder it is to maintain.  It is best that your
herd crowding is kept at "average".  Also keep in mind that you are only
given a set number of fields and, on the harder difficulties, fields
constantly suffer from floods and/or droughts.
Grain Farming
The alternative to cattle farming is grain farming.  I wouldn't
recommend that you try to sustain your entire county solely on grain--it is
best used alongside cattle.  Each field you plant requires 10 sacks to be
sown and in the fall, when the grain is harvested, you receive 120 sacks for
each field.  Grain is quickly acquired this way, but larger populations
devour it like water.  If the county you are in has a large number of
fields, I'd recommend that you reserve about 3 or 4 of them for grain and
the rest for cattle.
Weaponry
I have found that the two best weapons that are worth your time and
expenses are the sword and the bow.  Swordsmen have high defense and tend
to hit harder than pikemen, which would be the next best choice in the
attacking department.  Knights, too, are good, but their cost is so high
and their only tangible advantage over swordsmen is speed (if you want
speed, get macemen, which are dirt cheap!).  If you do choose to use knights,
keep in mind that their superior speed enables them to reach the enemy first
and so they usually die first.  It is best that you hold them back until the
others have gone, or apply a separate strategy to them (such as covering your
archers).  Also, never underestimate the power of the bow.  Archers are
essential for seiges.
Castle Building
Get the biggest castle you can, as soon as you can.  The larger the
castle, the more free archers you get and the higher your tax revenues
become.  This is the key element to the higher difficulty levels.
Defending/Seiging
When faced against a formidable army twice your size, you would
probably lose, right?  Not if you are defending a castle.  When defending
a castle, your odds are significantly higher.  Due to the favorable terrain,
your archers are able to defend twice as well.  Another useful advantage of
castles are burning oils.  A royal castle comes equipped with about four
of these.  These can be dropped from the battlements and, when aligned
correctly, can seriously devastate your foes.  Use caution, however, because
your own troops are not immune to them.
Seiging, on the other hand, is quite tricky.  When seiging a wooden
palisade or motte-and-bailey, you probably will not have to build any seige
engines if your army is big enough.  Though a battering ram is useful, it
will take too many seasons to prepare if your army is too small.  If you
see a Norman keep, take it as a green light to build one or two seige
towers and/or a battering ram.  Catapults and battering rams work best
against stone and royal castles.
Opponents
In my many months of playing this remarkable game, I have come to
identify the different distinct qualities that personify each of your four
opponents.
The Baron serves as your finesse opponent.  He mainly attacks when
provoked, and is fond of sending small armies usually consisting of about
50 or so peasants to devastate your fields (which is also done by the other
three oponents, as well).  Alliances with him are weak and expensive.  Don't
bother.
The Knight has a sexy voice...and that's about it.  He acts like the
Baron, but is more hasty in his attacks.
Once The Bishop has set his sights on your lands you will have no
choice but to destroy him immediately.  His strategy consists of acquiring
as many counties as he can, as quickly as he can, and building a royal
castle to adorn each and every one of them.  The armies he throws together
are always three-person (as seen on the map) armies consisting of maybe 100
pikemen, some archers, a few swordsmen, and about 600 peasants.  This is
where his weak point is.  Since peasants drop like flies, this isn't a
problem.  Take advantage of it.
The Countess is much like the Baron.  Her armies are usually
medium-sized and well equipped.  Her fault, however,  lies in castle
building.  She depends on the motte-and-bailey for defense in almost all her
counties.
Maps
Many different maps are available in both Lords of the Realm II and
the Lords II Siege Pack.  My favorite map is the Crusades.  A challenging,
fun game can be achieved here by selecting either "hard" or "medium"
difficulty (if you are starting a custom game) and starting over until you
are situated in the Latin Empire.  This location isolates yourself, and thus
while your opponents wage petty wars against each other, you can conquer
counties, amass wealth, and BUILD ROYAL CASTLES!
The Autocalc Option
While in battle, at the bottom right of the screen, there is a bar
of options available to you.  The one furthest to the right portrays a
picture of a computer.  This is the autocalc option.  When faced against
small, stupid armies full of peasants, this option works wonders.  NEVER
use this during a seige, though.  Any dummy with half a brain can seige with
better results.
Well, I hope this article was informative for you.  I know that
there is nothing of importance contained here--it is only a few of the
things I have learned through experience.
--Laura the Omniscient