Thought I'd try my hand at playing Scotland next. Being English I've tended to view the Scottish faction as a potential victim rather than a playable faction and so I ignored it up to now.
King Malcolm dies soon after the start of the campaign, having achieved little in his reign and the Scottish faction begins with control of only one city 'Edinburgh', which is quite novel in itself.
The opening moves - Preparation for War
Prince Edward is dispatched north with the vast bulk of Scotlands army to subjurgate the rebel highland clans around Inverness, hiring a unit of crossbowmen and a band of Irish Kerns en-route. Edward slaughters the rebel Highland Clans with brutal efficiency effectively doubling the Canmore's land holdings at a stroke and then returns to Edinburgh leaving his brother Edmund to placate the city and keep order. The 'motte & bailey' at Inverness is torn down and replaced with an village settlement.
Meanwhile, his father has been taking steps to deal with the economic state of the Scotland. A merchant 'Gwain of Fife' is commissioned to find the trade route to the fabled riches of Africa and is provided with a ship to carry him into the heathen lands to the south. Amazingly he makes it all the way to Timbukto and before long the Scottish court is receiving 472 florins per turn in gold from the mines in Africa.
Bouyed by this success King Malcolm immediately commissions a second merchant and a cog to carry him and dispatches them both south to join Gwain.
Meanwhile, farmland improvements bring additional tithes from the local lowlanders of Edinburgh and Inverness and a port is built to encourage the trade of locally produced dyes with Denmark, Ireland and England. realising a further 400 florins in trading duties.
To increase trade, Patrick Macdougal is dispatched to Europe with instructions to meet and greet as many other factions as possible and enlighten them as to Scotlands existence and its value as both as a supplier of quality dyes and as an ally.
King Phillipe of France immediately recognises the value of an ally with an interest in the future of England and forms an alliance. The Danes formalise their exsting trading arrangments, as do the Germans, Milanese, Venetians and Sicilians as Patrick wends his way southwards towards Rome. Finally, Patrick presents his credentials to His Holiness the Pope and is even successful in securing an alliance between Scotland and the Papal States.
With its economy and diplomatic status secure and still improving, Scotland now looks to secure additional local support and expansion.
Prince Edward and the army is sent to Ireland to secure the support and resources of the Irish to their cause. A brief and bloody battle outside Dublin secures Ireland for the Canmores. King Malcom dies at about this time and so the brutal Prince Edward is now King Edward I of Scotland. He sensibly decides to leave the adminstration of Ireland to his more reasonable brother David and readies his army for the sea crossing to Wales.
The English Prince Henry has captured York by now and the Scottish court is being pestered by a rather demanding and arrogant English Princess. However, Alexander Canmore though young in years refuses to accept any of Englands demands for tribute and the princess is sent back across the Scottish border with a flea in her ear.
After a brief and typically bloody seige, Caernarvon Castle falls to King Edward's combined Scottish, Irish and Welsh army completing the tri-partite anti-English union and giving Scotland a strong castle on Englands western borders which will curb its freedom to send armies to the north.
All the Canmore brothers are now married, though I am concerned to note that they all seem to have married their own sisters, or at least cousins.
Edward to Marjorie Canmore
Edmund to Mabel Canmore
Alexander to Danea Canmore
David to Ealusaid Canmore
This is either an indication of the lack of suitable noble women in Scotland or a lack of imagination on the part of the Canmore brothers.
Mental note 'Import more posh 'totty' to Scotland'. In the meanwhile, its time to build brothels.
War with England now seems to be the next logical step, though it may be best to wait until King Phillipe is ready to reclaim his possessions in Normandy.
The Scottish Blog can also be read on Games Tales.
http://www.gamertales.com/M2TWtales/...shcampaign.php
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