Medieval II: Liveblog

I've been reading some of the liveblogs around here, Game Chainsaw's Medieval and Europa blogs, the Rome Total War blog, and thought, well, why not do one for Medieval II? So...here I am, ready to try it out. My plan is to take a faction all the way through conquering the new world(if I don't get rolled up and tossed aside by the computer first of course). Also, this is my first time attempting anything like this, so please bear with me.

To start with, which faction should I pick?

The English: "It's cold, foggy, we've got those crazy nuts the Scottish to the north. Why did we feel the need to conquer England again?"

This is the English of William the Conquerer. Actually, one of my favorite factions, they hold two provinces in England, have two more they can take easily, and a province in Northern France. Their archers are deadly, as they're some of the best in the game. Their cavalry are meh, and their infantry are good, so their army is pretty great, all in all. Their position means invasion is unlikely, and their ability to strike anywhere they want is hard to counter.

Unfortunately, all is not rosy. The Scots are to the north, and they are not an easy conquest, if your not careful. Plus, your only province in France is fairly isolated, but is fairly defendable, fortunately. No, the real weakness in position is the lack of funds. The English provinces are not rich, at all. If you want to maintain a big enough army, taking something outside of the Isles is needed. The French are an obvious choice, but Denmark is another option, and one I prefer, as the English archers are an excellent counter to their infantry heavy forces.

Challenge Level I'd say Medium to Easy, really things don't get a whole lot better than this. A small empire you can expand in pretty much any direction you want, easily defendable, with some of the best archers around? Who am I to argue?

Venice "Ah, Venice, the city of canals...boats... and backstage politics so cutthroat it makes the Roman Empire look like a elementary student council."

Ok, now things get interesting. See, the Venetians control 2 or 3 provinces. One is right south of the Holy Roman Empire....damn. One is east, the other on an island far south. Far from ideal. But, there are tons of rebel provinces to capture, and if you take enough nearby, you can take on the Byzantine Empire, a weak and crumbling empire that should be fairly easy to take on.

Their army is good. They get crossbowmen fairly early, and have good heavy infantry. Their cavalry is nothing special, but when you have hundrends of men bearing down on you with long pikes and armor, who needs horses? Like I said, they're position is far from good, but it's doable. But keeping the Holy Roman Empire off your back is essential.

Challenge Level-Easy to Medium again. The Holy Roman Empire is a threat, but one that can be dealt with(prefferably with a simple marriage).

Spain

"Nothing can stop us now!" "Sir, the Moors are here. And they don't look to happy."

Err, yeah, I have a love hate relationship with Spain. On the one hand, their army is tenacious, tough, and great, and their provinces are fairly wealthy. Unfortunately, their enemies are everywhere. Portugal to the north and west, admittedly split, but going to war with them may make you to worn out to deal with The Moors to the South. Not to mention the French are always looking to expand into the Penninsula. All in all, you have to be careful with these guys. Fortunately, they have the army to do it with. Jinetes(bulls in close and ranged) alone are great, not to mention the rest of their army, which is far from lacking.

Challenge Level-Moderate really. Sure, you have your share of enemies, but the one to focus on is the Moors. While it's not a great situation, it's doable.

Portugal

"Uh, sir, may I ask why our two provinces are divided, the Spanish don't really like us, and the Moors are ready to move in for the kill if the Spanish don't. And more importantly, why are we still here?"

Yeah, ok, not a fan of this group. They have 2 provinces, divided by Spain, pretty much forcing a war with Spain sooner rather than later. Then, there's the Moors, who are waiting for the right opening. Never really got very far with this group, for pretty much these reasons. Their army is very similar to the Spanish, for what it's worth.

Difficulty: Hard. Countering both the Spanish, the Moors, not to mention the French at some point, is quite the task. One I've never really done.

The Moors

"We're the most civilized faction around!"

"How much compeition do we have?"

Moving on, the Moors are the other faction on the penninsula, are in great position comparitavely. They have 4 provinces, including 2 in North Africa. With the Spanish and Portugese next to each other, if they go to war you'll be in GREAT shape. Unfortunately, if they team up, taking them both on could be tough. But, if you can, you'll be more than ready to take on France, and Europe. Or your fellow Muslims. Whatever.

Difficulty Level:

Easy to Moderate. If you can take out the Spanish, Portugese, and the Sicilians or the French, you'll be unbeatable. Just watch out for a Portugese Spanish team up.

The Scots

"You can take our lives, but you'll never take our freedom!"

"Dude, I'm just the tax collector. And put that sword down!"

Ah, the Scottish. On the main page, it says the Scottish infantry is a game breaker. Can't argue with that, their infantry is incredible. Sure, the rest of the army isn't great, but still, I'll take it. Their going to need the help though. They have one province. That's it. There are three other provinces within striking distance, but if they're going to have a chance of survival, taking on the English is a requirement. And even with that, remember what I said about the lack of wealth? Same problem here. But, with Britian controlled, where to strike is totally up to you.

Challenge:

Moderate, really. Sure, the lack of money is a pain, but their troops are great, and once England's out of the way, Europe is your oyester.

The French

"Go away before I taunt you..."

"Oh, shut up already! It's getting old!"

Ah, the French. Massive cavalry, great infantry, good archers...yeah, it's good to be France. A lot of rebel provinces you should take as soon as possible, lots of money flowing in... really, the only downside is a fair number of enemies. The English, the Holy Roman Empire, the Spanish, Milan, Sicily... yeah, all have borders with you, and all are ready to take a bite out of you.

Challenge:

Easy. This isn't a hard faction really, if your smart about your wars. Keeping peace with the Holy Roman Empire is a good step.

Milan

"What, no smart comments?"

"Nobody cares about you guys anyway."

"Hey!"

Eh, Milan. Like Venice, only in worse position. See, they have the Holy Romans to the North, France to the West, and the Pope to the south. That's not very nice. Haven't tried this faction yet, but I've been meaning to.

Denmark

"DIE YOU WORTHLESS DOG!"

"Who gave this idiot an axe?"

Ah, Denmark. One province... and Vikings! Of course, you only have one real path. South. And... the Holy Roman Empire is there. War with them is pretty much a given. And while they're not at there hey day, they are tough. But... it's doable.

Challenge Level:

Medium. If you can defeat the Holy Romans, your in great shape. If not...well, nice knowin ya!

edited 20th Aug '10 4:49:26 PM by Nightmare

Awesome!

Hmm, I'd recommend the Venetians, simply because I think that theatre would be interesting. You've got the brutal Italian politics combined with a wealth of hostile factions and the Holy Roman Empire to the north.

Ah, Venice. I do like that faction...yeah, that has a lot of potential for fun.

Alright, so the Venetians it is. The year, 1080. The place, Europe. One nation, now small, stands poised to become a dominant player in the world. All it will take, is luck, skill, and the courage to do it...

Will you get on with it already? For peats sake...

Fine. The diary of Doge, or Chief Magistrate, Domenico, will begin now.

Went for a walk today. Brought 3 dozen bodyguards as usual. Got back with half of them this time. The assasins are getting to be lousy shots. Or my opponents are getting to poor to hire good ones. Either way.

Suffice to say Italian politics hasn't changed much in a thousand years or so.

True. But in any case, on this walk, I came to a conclusion. This nation, that of Venice, may be wealthy enough for now, but we require...more. More opportunities. More expansion. It's time to push our borders to the fullest we are able. And if some should seek to oppose us...well, a sword to the gut works as well as a knife in the back.

Yeah, not a nice man. Here are his traits, and his character....

Doge Domenico-47 years old. 2 command...sadly, he's one of our better commanders. 4 Authority, and 3 Piety. Oh, and he's a perfect politician, as well as having a pretty severe lifestyle.

Basically, it means I know how to get what I want, and can't really be bribed.

Thank god for small favors. As for character...think Richard Nixon, only without Congress to get rid of him. Slimy, well liked, effective...but willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. But then, that's pretty standard for Italy. Married to Helena...

Oh, honey, wouldn't it be nice to sail down the canals of Venice?

We did that last week!

Without assasins trying to kill us every five minutes?

Picky, ain't she? Moving on...

Faction Heir: Councillor Bartolomo, 31

Like the Doge, he's mastered the in's and outs of politics in Venice. Worked his way to the number two chair, and probably one of it's better commanders and govenors. It's no wonder he heads the only real army.

2 command, 4 Loyalty, 3 Piety. Nothing special there.

Personality:

More forgiving than his boss, he's actually not a half bad man to know. If you need help, he'll give it, although not for free. Quid Pro Quo is expected here.

Well, nothing in life's free. Besides, if you want to survive around here, friends help.

Married to Magdalena, 29.

Cristino Selvo, 29

3 command, 5 Loyalty, 3 Piety.

Just your standard Italian politian. Quick to smile, quicker to stab...

You can't prove nothin!

Considering your last 4 rivals ended up with rocks on their heads... do we really need to? Other than being a good commander, and pretty loyal, there's nothing special about this guy. And I'm to tired to come up with anything funny anyway.

Allesso Selvo 0 command, 4 Loyalty, 3 Piety.

Yeah, pretty much worthless. Stick him somewhere where he can't do any damage.

Hey, why don't we invade Rome? I mean, the Pope seems nice, I'm sure he'll give it to us!

...Sigh, to bad Siberia's a continent away...

Alright, now that the players are in play, here's the situation....

3 provinces! Venice, in Northern Italy, Ragusa, along the eastern coast across from Italy, and Iraklion, south of Greece, for some odd reason. Venice is our capital, with 1520 coming in every turn. 2 archers, and 4 Italian Spear Militia guard the city. The spear militia may look weak, but they can be powerful if used right. Don't underestimate these guys!

Naturally, they have no real training, no armor, and no clue what they're doing most of the time... so maybe a little underestimation is justified.Doge Domenico

Well...ok, if you want to get technical... the other 2 provinces have 2 spears and an archer unit protecting them, which should be enough for the moment.

Well, assuming the Romans, the Byzantines, the Milanese, or the Sicilians don't get greedy of course. Councillor Bartolomo

Stop poking holes in my thoughts already! Anyway, Raguza, a castle, brings in 716, and Iraklion 850. So, money's alright.

If by alright you mean hiring more than a few units will start bankrupting us, promting our own units to gut us like fish when we can't pay them, then yes, everything's grand! Helena.

...Well, alright, taking a province would be smart. Luckily, a nearby town is lightly guarded, all it will take is a simple assault, hopefully. But first... building!

Communal Farming in Venice.

You could build something to recruit crossbows in 4 turns... and you go with farming? Helena

Actually, this one makes sense. See, this way, we'll push our population higher, allowing us to make more money from taxes, and draw more soldiers in the long run. It's a short term decision with long term goals. Domenico

Yep, pretty much. Garrison Quarters in Ragusa, so I can recruit some Sergeant Spearmen, which are a fair bit stronger than the militia. True, they cost more, but I'm hoping they'll pay for themselves. And Land Clearance in Iraklion. Sure, it should only take one turn, but after a slight mix up, it might take 2.

SLIGHT? Instead of clearing the brush, they cleared away all the buildings! Cristino Selvo

Well...ok, fair enough.

1 unit each of Spear and Italian Militia in Venice. 1 unit each of Mounted Sergeants and Mailed Knights in Ragasa. Nothing in Iraklion yet.

Recruited a Mercenary Crossbowmen and Spear unit into Bartomelo's army to reinforce the assault on Zagreb. An army of 8 units vs 4? Should be an easy victory. Moves them into attack position...and they stop right outside the city!

But...but...the city's right there! I can see it from here! Let's go! Bartomelo.

Sorry sir, but this is all the further we're allowed to move. Don't want to break the rules, do you?

What...but....RAGGGH!

Anyway, next turn.

edited 21st Aug '10 12:16:40 PM by Nightmare

I conquered half the known world using just militiamen and merchant cavalry. Don't underestimate them: they can hold the line against more powerful guys for a surprising amount of time and they'll still decimate cavalry as long as your own cavalry do their job of shielding the flanks.

Try to avoid getting excommunicated, I had half the armies of Europe crusading against me when I conquered the whole of Italy as the Sicilians once. Seriously guys, don't you have each other to fight?!

Actually, I've got the perfect solution for that...assasin stationed permanently outside of Rome.

Oh, I'm excommunicated? Not for long.

I always preferred to avoid excommunication by, you know, not attacking the other catholic powers (assuming I was playing as a catholic). Especially with Venice you have good opportunities to attack targets other than catholics, or you could goat them to attack you, and thus be able to fight them with pope's blessing.

Of course it might be more fun story wise to go after Rome, up to you.

Though throwing yourself headfirst into the worst possible circumstances can lead to some truly awesome moments.

I plan on conquering Rome eventually, but I'm not rushing to do it. Excommunication can be a real pain, so I only plan on doing it when the other powers aren't in much position to do anything about it.

1092

We're the Strongest Faction!

Yes! Bow before our might! No one can challenge us! Domenico

What about the Byzantines?

Well...yes, them I suppose...

The Holy Roman Empire?

Well, yeah...

The French?

...We're going to need more men...

Unfortunately, we can't afford them. Going broke already! Need to take that village!

I'm working on it! Bartomelo.

Yep, time for my first battle....

Battle of Zagreb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i7qZxICwgQ

The village of Zagreb is tiny. No wall, just a bunch of huts around a city square. Taking it shouldn't be to difficult. The enemy army...

2 units of Croat Axemen 2 units of Peasant Archers, including their general...who's name I can't recall.

VS

Councillor Bartolomo 2 stars 1 unit of bodyguards, 21 men 2 units of Spear Militia 2 units of Peasant Archers 1 unit of Mercenary Spearmen 1 unit of Mercenary Crossbowmen

Over 500 men VS 200, give or take.

The enemy units are clustered in the city center, preparing to defend it. Bartomolo smiles. "To easy. Advance the archers to fire on the enemy. Spears, advance right behind them, but stay out of the city itself. We don't want to get bogged down. You guys know what to do."

"Where are you going sire?" Captain Martolo, head of the 2nd Archers.

"I'm going to take care of them enemy archers." He moves around to the right, and finds a side street. As the infantry moves into position, he charges straight at the enemy commander.

"FOR THE EMPIRE!" Bartomolo.

"FOR.... WHATEVER!" Other bodyguards.

The bodyguards slam into the enemy archers, and kills the enemy commander with a lance through the chest.

"Wha....AH!"

The other units move up to attack my bodyguards, but I pull them back, and a unit of axemen follows, just as my archers start bombarding the enemy infantry. The enemy axemen charge my archers, but they fall back behind my spears, who advance and start cutting the axemen apart.

"This isn't a battle, it's practice! Cut them apart men!" Captain Lorenzo, head of the Mercanary Spears. On the other flank, my bodyguards have turned, and charged the enemy axemen. They're down to about 30, but my guards start taking losses, so I withdraw them, and charge again, pretty much butchering them.

"RETREAT.... just kidding!" Bartomelo, as he slams into them again. Unfortunately, the other axemen have broken off my main line(who's now taking on the enemy archers), and have attacked my bodyguards. But, axes vs horses isn't really a fair fight. They run them down easily.

Seeing the enemy reduced to two units of archers and no commander, Bartomelo decides to end this quickly.

"Alright men, let's end this! CHARGE!" He rides into the archers flanks, and begins the mop up... but then, a lucky archer leaps up, and catches Bartomelo in the neck with his dagger! He's dead before he hits the ground!

"No....way..."

"The commander is dead! Kill them all!" Captain Lorenzo.

Despite the commanders death, the army easily slaughters the last of the army, and takes the city!

After Battle Report: 28 Venetians. Commander KIA! 245 Rebels. Entire army killed or captured.

70f from occupying the city.

Strategic Assesment:

A mixed bag there. I took the city easily, and the only real loss was my commander. Unfortunately, that was a big loss. Bartomelo was one of my better commanders, so that sets my army back some. Fortunately, I have one or two other possibilities I can use. My only real mistake was not pulling back my general, as I didn't need him to do anything anymore. But I wasn't expecting the archers to be more dangerous than the axemen!

Pallisade building in Zagreb, to keep the city safe, for awhile anyway. Nothing else, broke again.

That blows... jeez, am I the only blogger who can keep his commanders alive?!

You lost your Nice Guy character as well.

Only a village battle, but Dragon Force turns it into an epic, epic village battle.

edited 21st Aug '10 12:27:09 PM by GameChainsaw

Yeah, that does stink, actually. I figured he was going to be one of my favorites! Ah well.

1084- Land Clearance and Garrison Quarters finished, finally. And only 1000 casualties!

How did that happen? Doge Domenico

Slight incident with a torch, a pack of wild dogs....and an umbrella.

Doge Domenico, 4 spear militia, and an archer unit leave Venice, and march towards Durazzo.

If you want something done right... honey, watch the city while I'm gone. Domenico

Speaking on things done right... Helena

1086 Communal Farming in Venice. Would've been finished earlier, but convincing the farmers to work all day, then rest all winter, and then hand over all the food to the army took some doing.

Pallisade in Zagreb.

We're safe now! Townsperson

Unless someone brings that new fangled invention the torch...

...Gulp...

Ordering roads to be built in Zagreb.

Ordered my Mailed Knights and Mounted Sergeants to join with Don Domenico's army, which has switched to traveling by ship.

For a city with so many canals, are navy isn't that great yet.

Eh, good enough. Grain Exchange in Iraklion.

Oh, and three bits of info I forgot to mention. I've made an alliance with Milan and the Romans, mostly to keep them off my back while I deal with the Byzantines, which will happen sooner rather than later.

And three, the faction heir is now Cristino Selvo....

Heh heh, exactly as planned... Cristino

What was that? Helena

Err...nothing my lady...

1090

Land Clearance Ragosa

Great...now what do we do?

Maybe, I don't know...grow something?

Why would we do that?

Oh for the love of...

Roads in Zagreb. Hitchiking ghosts already rampant.

Working on Land Clearance in Zagreb.

Holy Roman Empire Strongest Faction!

AHHH! We're doomed! They can just sneeze on us now! Domenico.

Hmmm...may need to contact the emporer soon...sounds like my kind of guy... Cristino

Zaneta born. Who names their kid that?

Watch it! It's my great aunts on my uncle's sides name! Helena

Whatever. Hey, your husbands on campaign...miles away...how was she born?

Errr....must've been a long pregnancy? Helena

If you say so...

Domenico marches on Durazzo...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hMQVXCd_xk

Just like the last attack, this village is nothing really. A windmill is the only real difference. Terrain is a non issue again.

Doge Domenico 2 Stars 4 Spear Militia 1 Peseant Archer 1 Mounted Sergeants 1 Mailed Knights

Captain Dannos 2 units Militia 1 unit peseant archers

472 VS 181

Doge looks over the field of battle, and says, "Councillor Bartomolo may have gotten himself killed, but he had the right strategy. Cavalry, move along the right part of the town. Archers, move into range and fire. Spears, right behind them. I'll be right behind you."

"That's comforting. Let's move then!" Captain Barto, Head of the 4th Archers

The cavalry moves quickly into position... and sees the enemy archers, with their commander, exposed again. "Send them to God men! CHARGE!" They ride forward, and once again, the enemy commander dies instantly. My archers move up, and fire on the militia, while my cavalry retreats. My spears move up, and my archers withdraw, to avoid inflicting more casualties to my men.

"Yep, we're done, time to go!" Captain Barto

My spears get the upper hand quickly, cutting down the militia unit, but the remaining archers and other unit of militia are still a pain, so I charge in my cavalry...right onto the waiting spears. Whoops.

"Hey...watch that, someone could get hurt!" Mailed Knight.

"That's the idea!" Militia

Fortunately, they send their archers in front just as I charge, so I at least get rid of them. I pull my cavalry back, and keep them out of the fight. My spears keep pressing, and eventually cut the last of the unit to pieces. The other unit charges, to try to do some good, but I charge in my cavalry to finish the job. But one guy, a militia, keeps up the fight for a good minute!

"Good lord... just die already!" Doge Domenico.

"NEV...." (Gets a spear in the head)

"Never say never, you idiot."

After battle report...

Clear Victory!

28 men lost VS 181 killed.

Durazzo taken! Only 6 florins for occupation though...

"What do you mean this town doesn't have anything? No gold... no silver...not even any dirt we can sell?" Domenico

"Sorry sir...we've got some rocks, maybe?"

Fortunately, my nobles cough up 2500 for taking the city.

A sudden attack of generosity...I'm sharpening my sword! Domenico

Probably a good idea. Market in Venice, Land Clearance in Durazzo, as I can't build anything else. Well, I'm a step closer to the Byzantines if nothing else.

1092

Sergeant Spears recruited. Strongest faction again!

Kind of loses it's meaning now. Domenico

Antonio Selvo of age!

1 Command, 5 Loyalty, 4 Piety.

Aloof, making him unpopular...Incompetent in trade... Well, he's a useful one. He also dislikes Milanese, giving him a command bonus against them. But he has a talent for command. Basically, if I have my way, he'll be on campaign forever.

So we get to attack Milan now? Antonio

Not yet, there's a Byzantine army near Durazzo. Only 4 units, but it still makes me nervous. My spies got line of sight on Thessalonica....and only 1 unit protecting it! Oh good lord...so tempting...

edited 21st Aug '10 7:36:26 PM by Nightmare

Consolidate and make sure you can hold off both Byzantium and Milan before you go on a conquest rampage. You won't be able to neutralise one of your fronts for a while. If you go west, you'll just expose your flank to the Holy Roman Empire. If you go east, you merely open up another front with Hungary while the Turks continue the fight against you even as you shatter Byzantium. Be careful.

Yeah, that's Venice's biggest weakness: Their settlements are all "edge" settlements, meaning you need to invest in defense a lot.

Also, I went and bought Bologna from the HRE, and that helped me in the long run.

I know, I know....but still....

1094 Mailed Knights and Sergeant Spearmans recruited. Must've practiced against each other.

Hey, using flaming spears is cheating! Mailed Knight Promote that guy to commander! He's got the right idea! Alessandro But....But.....

Bowyer in Ragusa. Now if only the archers could hit anything?

HOW DO YOU MISS A BARN DOOR? Captain. Well, it's still a pretty hard target... That's the size of a herd of elephants? But still? FROM POINT BLANK RANGE?

Land Clearance in Durazzo

There's a rebel army outside Zagreb that's been bugging me, so I advance all my troops from Zagreb to take them on. Here's the match up....

Captain Michael(Huh, what are the odds?) 466 men. 1 unit of Mercenary Crossbows, Captain Michael 60 Men

1 unit of Mercenary Spearmen, 75 Men

2 units of Peasant Archers, 59 Men and 60, 1 valour each.

3 units of Italian Spears, 62, 75, 75 each, 1 valour a piece.

Petros of Stromion, 4 stars.

1 unit Mailed Knights, 41 men

3 units Croat Axemen, 60 men each

1 unit Crossbowmen, 60 men.

To start with, my men stand on a hill, concealed by trees, overlooking the enemy army. The enemy army charges straight up the hill right at us.

Are they trying to lose? I mean, we have them outnumbered, out gunned, and have the terrain advantage, and they charge us head on? Really? Men, cut them to pieces. Captain Michael

The archers open fire, and drop many of the crossbows, leaving 20 by the time they're done. The army reaches my archers, who retreat behind my spears. The enemy general...charges right into my spear line. I have no words for that. The unit is quickly decimated by my spears, and routs, taking the general with it. Seizing the opportunity, I charge a unit of my spears down at their remaining crossbows. They chase them down the hill, but they stay out of range, unfortunately. On the other front, my spears crush an axe unit, who routs. Taking advantage, I charge them into the enemy flank. Good thing to, my merc spears are getting killed. They're down to 5 men before they route! Then, the enemy general charges into my flank! Apparantly, he didn't really route. Computer's smarter than I thought.

Where'd he come from? Alright men, open fire! Michael. The archers fire down onto the knights,who turn and charge them. My archer pour fire down on the remaing axes to, and eventually, they break and route. And my general takes on the enemy general.

Bring it on, you arrogant whelp! I'll show you what happens when you challenge the Stomions!Petros

And I'll show you what happens when you mess with my paycheck!Michael.

They charge towards each other in the most mismatched fight in history...and Michael emerges without a scratch! He dodges Petros's spear at the last second, grabs it, pulls the man off, and stabs him through his helmet! With this, all that's left to do is chase off the last remnants of the army.

Battle Conclusion.... Clear Victory! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q645N0Z3oFE&feature=related

179 men lost. 221 Killed. 60 enemy soldiers left, 287 men left for Venice. Army retreats back to Zagreb.

Sun Tsu's Notes.... Well, that went ok, I suppose. I secured victory by bringing more than enough men to wipe them out, had them outgunned in actual units, and held the terrain advantage. But two things I didn't do. 1, I didn't pursue the enemy general. That's usually a given for me, I hate letting the enemy general live. But this time, I let him go. And didn't make sure he actually withdrew all the way. Secondly, I wasted time chasing those crossbows, instead of using my archers to wipe them out. But, well, no MAJOR setbacks.

1096 Strongest Faction...

Wait, we lost it again? What's going on here? Doce

Well, we did just lose more than a few men in that last battle.

Let me guess, The Holy Romans again? Doce

Nope! Egypt!

...Aren't we headed that way at some point?

Yep!

...Can't we ever win?

Nope!

Venice finishes a market, so they're on their way to becoming the greedy, backstabbing jerks they'll become!

Hey! Helena

Let me know when you can actually argue with that

..... Helena

Thought so. Recruit a unit of archers in Ragosa. We're building an army here, but I don't have the cash to do it quickly. I'm going to have to expand somewhere eventually. Florence is an appealing target, but it's not in a good position with Milan close by, and would be hard to defend. Fact is, I'm all out of rebels to take. The Hungarians took another city, and their army makes me nervous.

We'll just have to handle them the Italian way. Helena.

What's that, invite them to dinner then stab them all while they eat?

No, we did that last week. No...we make an alliance, then attack them while they're not paying attention!

...As twisted as that is....I like it! So, that's what I do. Alliance with the Hungarians confirmed.

edited 3rd Sep '10 6:08:40 PM by Nightmare

The "strongest faction" only really takes into account your total army, IIRC.

Also, are the Rhomaioi (aka Byzantines) your next target?

Yeah. They're the closest reasonable target. Hungary's army is all collected in one place, and it would take to long to amass my troops to attack. The Holy Romans are out of my league, and while Milan would be easier, it would open up a front with France. So, eventually yeah.

The Holy Roman Empire can be a paper tiger if you hit it hard enough. While they're strong, their forces are rarely all in the one place.

On the other hand, the Byzantines suffer from paper tiger syndrome even more.

By the way, you might want to add breaks in between each unit in pre-battle and after battle reports. Makes it look neater. And its "Routs" not "Routes"

Other than that, looking good. Just watch out for Milan, the sneaky bastards.

EDIT: Much nicer. Oh, I forgot to mention, the choice of the fanfare was awesome!

edited 3rd Sep '10 6:09:13 PM by GameChainsaw

Paper tiger is right....

1098-Doge gains 2 Chivalry for being fair in rule. Huh.

Wait, people think I'm....nice? I'll need to take actions to remedy this. Doge

Sergeant Spears and archers in Ragosa.

1100-Trade Rights and Map Info with the Byzantines. I'm planning on destroying them of course, but hey, might as well make some cash first.

Antonio Selvo marries Thomisian de Sanctis.

I don't want to get married! I mean... Then he sees his future wife.

Errr... never mind.

Thought he would change his mind.

1102

More Sergeants. Nothing else, I'm to poor now. I can't afford to wait much longer

1104

Strongest Faction again! Take that Egyptians!

Borosino Selvo born.

Barbos Selvo comes of age, but I forgot to get his traits, I'll do that in a second.

1106

Marching towards Thessalonica. War can't wait any longer, I'm losing to much money. Besides, it's lightly guarded, and I can't mis this opportunity.

1110 or 08, I couldn't tell you.

Egypt Strongest again. Dang it!

My spy gets killed trying to spy on Thessalonica.

Bastards! How dare they kill my subversive attempt to infiltrate their city and find out all their secrets? Doge.

1112

My army reaches Thesallonica...and every Byzantine army around immediately retreats. What the heck? Oh well. I lay siege to the city, and immediately start working on ladders to storm the city. It's only guarded by one unit...a general. It really shouldn't be this easy!

1114

Battle of Thessalonica: Actually, that's the biggest misnomer ever. 1095 men vs 21 men. I'm not even bothering with a pre battle report, it's to one sided.

Night before. Doge Domenico rides out to meet with Theotokios, the Byzantine govenor and general. The mood is somber, and neither looks ready to talk.

I'm willing to let you live Theotokios. I don't want to have to kill you. Doge

Then return to your realm, and leave us in peace.

Don't be so stubborn.

It's not about being stubborn. I will NOT hand my people to you.

Your people will suffer because of you! If you surrender, I will let them remain in peace. But if you choose to fight, you will die, and I will put the city to the sword. This is on your head, not mine. He shakes his head, and tightens his hold on his reigns.

Theotokios just looks at him evenly. And what of you? You invade our lands. You threaten our people with slavery and death. You threaten to burn our cities unless we surrender to your will...and then you wonder why we stand against you? Are you truly that foolish, or have you not thought about that?

....I am justified. Your nation is a threat to mine...

LIAR! We did nothing to threaten you! We extend the hand of friendship, you spit in our face! We offer you trade, you come bearing swords! We have done NOTHING to you! And yet you think yourself justified? No, I will NOT surrender! I will fight, and I will die, but I will go to God knowing you will answer for this! Good day, Doge.

Doge watches him go, then shouts at him, Make your peace with God, for you shall meet him soon!

Theotokios looks back at him.

It is not my soul you should be concerned about, Doge.

The battle, if it can be called that....

My men, ladders in hand, march on the walls. They easily breech them, as there is no one to guard them. 3 units of archers, and 3 units of spears enter the city. The archers move into shooting position, the spears behind them. The archers fire, and the general charges, and the archers retreat...down the wrong street!

You idiots! Charge men, before they're cut to pieces!Captain Talmo, of the 6th Sergeants. My spears charge the generals flanks, and begin the slaughter in ernest. It doesn't take long, and the general killed.

After battle report:

42 men lost, 21 killed. Thessalonica taken.

Sire, the city is yours.

Doge nods somberly.

And Theotokios?

Dead on the field sire. What of the city?

He looks at the city for a moment, then says,

We can't afford a rebellion. Show them the price of resistance. Put it to the sword. Take anything of value, kill anyone who gets in the way.

The captain nods, then returns to relay the orders.

Over 2000 florins for taking the city, expanding some of my cities.

Tacticians notes: Note to self, don't send in my archers that far ahead of my infantry. Really bad idea.

And I wasn't planning on things being so grim, but crushing a city with more than 1000 men more than they have just didn't seem funny.

Such is the grimness of war.

Nice to see your opening moves are well done. Make sure to bolster your western frontier, though, before the Milanese get any ideas.

Yeah, that's actually something I've been meaning to do.

1114

Strongest Faction!

As happy as I am to have that distinction back...could whoever decides this make up their minds already? Doge

A militia in Iraklion, to help reinforce the city before the Byzantines get any ideas. A couple archer units in Ragosa, just in case as well. Earlier, a Byzantine army marched towards Thessalonica. So, I march my army out to meet them....

My first REAL battle!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK146IC-E7w&feature=related

Doge Domenico: 2 stars

911 Men

Bodyguard unit: 31 Men, 1 valour

Allesandro Salvo: 21 Men

4 Spear Militia 74, 74, 69, 68 Men 1 valour each

2 Mailed Knights 34, 40 Men

1 Mounted Sergeants 31 Men

5 Sergeant Spears 75 Men

2 Archers 38 and 58(1 Valour) Men

Captain Basil

329 Men

2 Units Peseant Archers 47, 46

3 Units Spear Militia 63, 37, 58

1 unit Peseant Archers, General 58

Setup:

My army sits at the bottom of a rather steep hill. The enemy sits slightly off to the left, on top of the hill...and they refuse to move. They're in standard formation (archers in front, spears right behind), so while I have them outnumbered, attempting to move my infantry in will make them easy target as they have to run up hill.

This is all to easy. We'll use the cavalry to ride them down. Infantry...take the day off. Allessandro, let's go! Doge Domenico. They ride out, and take up positions on both flanks. Alessandro takes the left, Doge the right. Each Knight takes a flank, and my sergeants charge the archers, driving them behind the spears.

Perfect! Now attack! Alessandro. With the archers all in one position, they're easy targets. My cavarly charges the spears, with Alessandro leading the charge. Doge slams into the archers, as do the Knights. The sergeants take up the other flank. It doesn't take long before the spears break and flee, and the enemy commander is riden down. The rest of the army limps across the border without a fight, although half is taken hostage, and ransomed for a pretty penny later.

Post Battle Analysis...

Clear Victory!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkClB5WwToY

22 Men lost, 313 killed.

OK, that was totally one sided. Sure they enemy got a fair number of those soldiers back, but still...that's gotta hurt. My army's still in great shape. Now, the only thing left to do is decide where to attack next. Constantinople is the obvious target, but then again, Corinth is a potential threat. Already there's a sizable force there, and the city itself won't be easy to take. I COULD divide my army, but my numbers are my greatest advantage right now. Dividing my army puts things on an even playing field more or less....and I don't like that.

edited 3rd Sep '10 9:19:30 PM by Nightmare

1116

Barbus Selvo marries Cristina de Michelis. And I figured out his traits. 2 Command, 5 Loyalty, 4 Piety. Can tell a tale, and...dislikes Milan. What don't you people like Milan?

They're traitorous, greedy, backstabbing bastards? Barbus

And that makes them different than you guys...how?

.....Dammit. Barbus

Berasuto Selvo comes of age.

5 Command! Why wasn't this guy the heir again?

''With the right maneuvering, we can fix that." Berasuto

Are you plotting to remove your family and become Doge?

No....just saying if I was, the empire might be better off...just saying.... Berasuto

...Ok, your making Cristino looks honest.

5 Loyalty....or he's just good at hiding his REAL feelings.

There's a difference?

And 3 Piety. This is not a particularly religious group.

Born Conquerer...how fast can you get to the front?

Easily Riled....meh, I'll take it under the circumstances.

Un Manly...passes out at the sight of blood. So much for his chances of being a general.

Hey!

1118

Land Clearance in Thessalonica, Communal Farms in Zagreb, Brothel in Venice.

The provinces get large amounts of food to feed an ever expanding population...and the capital gets a breeding ground for disease? Helena.

Hey, I needed a place to recruit spies.

If you wanted spies, I could just ask my uncles.

I wish. Another Byzantine army appears, and I attack....

I'm not going to give you a full report, because it went pretty much the same as the last one, and frankly, I'm to tired to report it. I did lose more men thanks to an ambush by a unit of spears though.

37 men lost, 176 killed, ransom refused. Part of my fleet got damaged to thanks to the Byzantines. Jerks.

Leave Constantinople for last; its high level of fortifications may make it harder to get.

Wow... just, wow.

Those battle results are amazingly good. You barely lost 50 men. The enemy lost or had to pay for almost 500.

EDIT: A general who is a genius, but who passes out at the sight of blood...

edited 4th Sep '10 9:06:21 AM by GameChainsaw

You ain't seen nothin yet!

1120-Church in Thessalonica.

A ballista to. My army'll pick it up before marching on Corinth. I'm actually hoping to get them to sail there....if the Byzantine navy would leave me alone already! I've lost like half my navy thanks to these jerks.

France Declares war on England. This will become a monthly occurance.

I notice a rather large army near the Thessalonica border, and march my army out to meet them. It's a pretty large group, and they have reinforcements....

Battle of Mosynopolis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT-qo68EOp4&feature=related

Doge Domenico: 2 stars, 32 Bodyguard

Allesandro Selvo: 17 Bodyguard

4 Italian Militia: 74, 69, 68, 75 men. 1 Valour

2 Mailed Knights: 25 (2 valour), 23 men 1 Valour

1 Mounted Sergeants: 9 Men

5 Sergeant Spears, 75 Men each

2 Peseant Archers, 34 Men, 58(1 Valour)

Total Men: 859

Captain Alvanita

6 Town Militia, including the General. 60 Men Each

2 Spear Militia, 74 and 75(1 valour) Men Each.

2 Byzantine Spears, 75, 69 Men Each

1 Trezbizond Archers, 40 Men, 1 Valour

Captain Stefanis, 1 spear Miltia, 31 Men, including General.

1 Trezbizond Archers, 28 Men.

Total Enemy Forces: 753

Doge Domenico looks over the battlefield.

This may be our toughest fight up to date. We only have 100 men advantage over the enemy. Not only that, but because our general thoughfully didn't move us up the hill, we're at a terrain disadvantage....

Alright, alright, in retrospect moving men up the hill to match the enemy's level would've been smart. I need to work on my tactics...

You think? And where are those reinforcements the enemy was supposed to get?

Right over there sire!

Yeah, the two units move right in front of my army. It takes my cavarly less than two seconds to slaughter them and capture their commander.

Now that that's done, up the hill men!

Yeah, I advance my men up the hill to match the enemy level. I'm reminded why I hate moving my men, as getting them into a resonable battle line is...impossible.

No, left...your other left...turn around you idiots! And you, the line's supposed to go the OTHER way! Wide part towards the enemy! WIDE PART TOWARDS THE ENEMY! Domenico

Frustrated by his men, he decides to take the cavalry off to kill something. His men move around the flank, and spot the Trezbizonds out front. They charge in and take half of them out before they can retreat behind the spears. Then, the entire army....retreat!

Get back here you cowards!

The army reforms, moves back...and moves down hill.

Are they...going down the hill, essentially giving us free reign to charge their flanks? Alessandro

Yes they are! That idiot's given us the battle! Cut them apart! Domenico

My infantry easily hold, and in fact moves around to flank the enemy as my cavalry charges in....and the entire army routs in less than a minute!

Sire, we've won! The battle is ours! Alessandro

Good, now...catch them!

The rest of the battle looks a Scooby Doo episode...only with swords and spears....the people getting chased get caught....and there's no dog....

Moving on, the after battle report...

Clear Victory!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkD0MxNY_Bw&feature=related

Men Lost: 23

Men Killed or Captured: 751

Tactician's Notes

This is what happens when the computer gets it so wrong. First, they allowed their reinforcements to be slaughtered, without doing anything to capatilize on me attacking them. Second, the let my cavalry flank them and third they moved DOWN the hill they were on, losing their main advantage. If they had stayed put and let me come to them, it would've been a lot worse for me. While they still would've lost probably, I would've lost quite a few men, men I couldn't afford to lose. Instead, I ended up caturing half the army and slaughtering the other half. Actually, I collected almost 3000 Florins in ransom for these guys. All in all, a good day's work.

edited 4th Sep '10 9:41:58 AM by Nightmare