Broken Crescent Hotseat: Commanders of the Faithful

[Askthepizzaguy]

It is regrettable that you did not say so... Zim

If you had, my situation would be much more peaceful. As it is, hostile powers are advancing upon me and my allies. War has just started, according to a secret communique I recieved.

I would have been able to ally with the parties in question, rather than be forced into war. And I would have been much more able to repel the Mongol invasion with the rest of you guys.

Alas, this is not the path I have chosen. The fate of the Rum Sultanate will soon be decided.

[Zim]

If you've been planning a slow, peaceful game all along learning that the Kypchaks are an excellent blitzing faction probably wouldn't have swayed you.

If I recall correctly, your dismissal of them was that you did not want a corner faction, thought they would be poor, and feared none would ally with them. They are indeed a corner faction and, while not in the same boat as Oman, they are pretty poor compared to most factions. Long distances between cities in BC means high corruption, and several Kypchak players have complained in the BC forums that they conquered the Steppes only to have multiple towns making no profit at all, or even losing money from having to pay a small garrison. They also happen to be in the way of possible Roman, Georgian, Seljuk, and Kwarezhm expansion routes, which could have caused tensions.

Plus, they lack priests and, according to one complaining poster, assassins and spies as well. They also cannot build ships, but move rates for cavalry in BC are so large that isn't much of a handicap.

I haven't played a game with them beyond my 1-2 turns in the TWC hotseat, so I can't really verify what I've read about them in the forums.

[rossahh]

If someone has attacked you ATPG, make an announcment in the court. Those sort of things are probably better to discuss in the court than in this thread.


Zim: I didn't think any faction got priests in BC, right?

[Askthepizzaguy]

I am waiting on verification of war before I make any rash announcements.

EDIT" Upper tier religious buildings for Islamic factions allow Imams to be recruited. I would assume the reverse is true for non-pagan factions.

[Zim]

Yep. Currently only the Kypchaks and Makurians do not get some kind of priest unit.

I am waiting on verification of war before I make any rash announcements.

EDIT" Upper tier religious buildings for Islamic factions allow Imams to be recruited. I would assume the reverse is true for non-pagan factions.

[Ramses II CP]

The Kypchaks have awesome advantages, but unless you do a classic blitz I think their negatives will outweigh them over the long term. It comes down to money and order, you have to sack to keep up your cash flow, and you have no priests and weak religious structures. Their unit roster is solid though, and like I said I'd put them in the top three for blitzing, but for a long term game they would be a difficult faction.

Personally I think the Seljuks are #1 for a blitz for the simple reason that they start in the middle of the map. They can expand voraciously while still preserving sea trade lanes for a couple of coastal cities. They're in striking range of Baghdad within, IIRC, two turns of the start as well, which is a huge boost.

[Askthepizzaguy]

I offer this as a possible Kypchak strategem:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

castles in outlying provinces will maintain public order. They can be left for the rebels to occupy if they become a burden.

Expand towards Jerusalem, and place your capital in the Turkish domain to improve public order and corruption in the realm. The rebel provinces to the north will provide some defense against the Mongols.

Kypchaks can easily crush the Romans, spread through Turkish lands, and take on Jerusalem. By then they will be unstoppable. For money, use merchants and trade with the far east.

I have a merchant in my SP campaign earning over 1000 per turn. That will cover the cost of corruption. As for priests, if you move quickly enough, no one will have any and the sacking florins will cover your continued expansion.

Leave your core provinces intact and decimate all the buildings in territories left to become rebel. Then move south and keep moving your capital to wherever it is most profitable.

[barcamartin]

Personally I think the Seljuks are #1 for a blitz for the simple reason that they start in the middle of the map. They can expand voraciously while still preserving sea trade lanes for a couple of coastal cities. They're in striking range of Baghdad within, IIRC, two turns of the start as well, which is a huge boost.

So that's why you have been "anti-Seljuk" in the council ?

I have no intentions to blitz the map, Ramses, and I don't think I could even if I wanted to. So no worries there. ;)

[00jebus]

afraid of fighting the mean ol' monguls ATPG?

tut tut tut...


my kypchak plan;
Grab Kiev and the Crimea, get ports, black sea trade is usually good enough to sustain further expansions, head east until you hit the caspian, doing this means you unite the steppes = 2 nice new shiny armies

take the nice new shiny armies to baghdad, sack it, keep it... the Abbsaids should have built it up... so hello big money

from there, do what you like, its not like you can lose at that point.

Capital should be somewhere near Yerevan when your done.

note: havn't played any steppe faction since Saka in EB... several months ago, so dont blame me if it doesn't work.


edited, just because I can now :D

[barcamartin]

Go for Armenia!

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/BC-04-03.zip

Just thought it needed a bump.

Can't wait for my turn, things seem to be heating up in Anatolia !

[_Tristan_]

Save for Jerusalem is here :

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/BC-04-04.rar

And announcement made in the council thread...

All hail the mighty Romans picking on the lowly Armenians...

[Zim]

Looking at history, the Armenians seem to spend entirely too much time being picked on by the Romans or Turks...

Save for Jerusalem is here :

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/BC-04-04.rar

And announcement made in the council thread...

All hail the mighty Romans picking on the lowly Armenians...

[00jebus]

All hail the mighty Romans picking on the lowly Armenians...

The romans are chasing the hai!





*hangs head in shame*

[rossahh]

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/BC-04-05.rar

[Ramses II CP]

So that's why you have been "anti-Seljuk" in the council ?

I have no intentions to blitz the map, Ramses, and I don't think I could even if I wanted to. So no worries there. ;)

Hah! No, I just had to pick between a power that could get to me and one that couldn't. Not a hard choice. It would've been the same with anyone the Ghazni or Ghorids opposed.

[phonicsmonkey]

seljuks are up

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/BC-04-06.zip

[Askthepizzaguy]

The Sultan of Rum has made an offer of peace to the Romans in exchange for their surrender, and also has issued a proclamation which you all will profit from. See the diplomacy thread.

[barcamartin]

Seljuks done, Ghazni up !

http://www.mizus.com/files/pbm/BC-04-07.zip

[Askthepizzaguy]

It has come to my attention that the line between in character and out of character has been blurred on my part. I must offer my solemn apologies to anyone I've unintentionally offended by my zeal to roleplay this game as both a chivarlous leader, but a man of iron who will not be bullied.

If this "character" has escaped from the confines of my creative mind, I must make amends.

I truly wish all of you enjoy this game, friend and foe alike, no matter the outcome. It is just a game to me, albeit a very fun one. It was never my intention to make anyone feel slighted personally or made unwelcome.

It is my error and no one elses. Please forgive me, as this is my first hotseat game and I can barely control my enthusiasm.

In person, I am nothing like myself in character. Most of you know this already. I hope this solemn and public apology will serve to highlight my true nature and motivations.

Let's all enjoy this friendly game. I will confine my "character" back where he belongs, in the Caliph's Court.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I consider this a great personal failure on my part... lol I had actually been trying to suck up to most of you and be as friendly as possible... how I allowed such an egregious and counterproductive error is truly beyond me.

I also must laugh at my own foolishness. Without intending to do so, in the Council thread I broke the unwritten (or possibly written, even) rule to not double post. In hindsight, I did not just double or triple post... I quintuple posted. Good gravy! No wonder some of you grow weary of hearing from me... perhaps a vow of silence is in order?

edit: bows towards Deguerra, Zim, and Banzai Kamikaze (below) for their kindness.

[deguerra]

I for one would miss both your and your characters rants, so please do continue posting. Your apology is kind, and I hope those whom it concerned accept it, but I for one know that hotseats are most fun when they are...energetic and I commend you for making this one so

[Banzai Kamikaze]

I agree. I don't mind if you post often personally. Your posts are interesting :) .

[phonicsmonkey]

hi all

I thought I should pipe up here to say that it was my request to ATPG to ensure that he keeps IC and OOC separated in future.

I had been a little worried by the tone of some of his OOC posts and by the reactions of some players to him, that we had potential for a misunderstanding that could damage the game (my precious!).

I didn't request that ATPG make a public apology, nor do I think it necessary that he did so - but given than he has, I thank him for that.

But I would request that now we should all just move on from this and refrain from posting further on the topic...

If anyone would like to discuss you can PM me.

Let's play ball!

Monkey

[deguerra]

(carefully avoiding the last sentence about continuous posting. this will be my last utterance on the topic, by the beard of the prophet)

no worries, phonicmonkey.

i meant no ill-feeling towards anyone who felt offended, nor towards you for making ammends. keeping IC and OOC seperate is a must, and you were right to make it known.

i just wanted to reassure ATPG, because i also respected his apology and his ability to correct his mistake. i nearly saw one hotseat destroyed by something similar, and just wanted to thank him for his (and once again, everyone elses involved) good spirit in keeping this one strong.

now no more from me, and get the damn turn done already

[Zim]

Ghorids are up.

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/BC-04-08.zip

I would like to express my admiration for both phonicsmonkey and ATPG. The hotseat deguerra is talking about is one of mine, where both I as the GM and a player I had heard concerns about did much worse in trying to resolve the issue.

[_Tristan_]

How I wish OOC considerations were kept out of the game also...

[Ferret]

Hindu blokes:http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/BC-04-09.rar

[Ramses II CP]

Ayyubids:

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/BC-04-10a.zip

For the Ghazni; my diplomat is just north of Kabul if you'd like to contact him. Otherwise I think he'll be buzzing past one of your cities soon. For the Ghorids, offered map exchange again, just to keep our borders clarified.

[Zim]

NIce to know. My diplomat is heading towards Kwarezhm and then to Baghdad, but Ghazni is just south of Kabul if I recall correctly. We can exchange trade rights there meet at Baghdad.

Ayyubids:

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/BC-04-10a.zip

For the Ghazni; my diplomat is just north of Kabul if you'd like to contact him. Otherwise I think he'll be buzzing past one of your cities soon. For the Ghorids, offered map exchange again, just to keep our borders clarified.

[Banzai Kamikaze]

Shah's turn:

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/BC-04-11.zip

[00jebus]

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/BC-04-12.rar


ATPG's rum