The Bloody Crescent: Rise of the Turks

[Askthepizzaguy]

EDIT: Bloody Crescent 2: Wrath of Arslan begins on post 25... scroll down to read.


Marhaba and ahlan wa sahlan!

These are the official records of Kilij Arslan the Indestructible, the Magnificent and most feared Sultan of the Anatolian Turks. History shall forever remember his glorious campaign to revive the Great Seljuk Empire, gain control of the Broken Crescent, turn back the mighty Crusader armies, slaughter the Mongolian hordes, and crown himself Caliph of Islam.

This is Askthepizzaguy's official thread detailing the events of my latest single player blitz campaign. This one is slightly different, as I'm playing the Broken Crescent (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=97817) mod which is much beefier than the vanilla version. The AI is vastly improved, the program also spawns entire stacks of experienced and advanced troops out of THIN AIR, as you will see. This is, by the way, my very first SP campaign using the Broken Crescent mod... so I'm either confident or stupid to post the results before I even finish it.

I also promise to pace myself in each post so you can actually load the page, unlike my ill-fated HRE 28 turn blitz of the entire map (blatant plug: it's still in my sig. Check it out if you haven't already... now that it's on two pages it might be viewable).

Medieval 2: Total War
Broken Crescent Mod
Version 1.05
Single Player
Turkish Campaign (Anatolian Turks)
VeryHard/VeryHard

Without further ado, let the bloodletting begin.... Images in spoiler.

=========================================

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10001.jpg

The opening moves of the campaign:
4 settlements are under seige. Take no prisoners.

The largest threat to our nation lies to the west. We must destroy the Eastern Roman Empire.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10002.jpg

Toghrul begins a seige against Amasia.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10003.jpg

Turn two: Nicomedia is but the first to fall.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10004.jpg

The enemy surrendered quickly, once they saw how overwhelming our forces were.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10005.jpg

The Sultan's archers rain death upon the enemy, who quickly die.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10006.jpg

Attalia falls with minimal losses.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10007.jpg

Laying seige to Nicaea and Amorium... now the enemy has spawned two massive stacks of elite troops out of thin air. It is of no concern.
Soon the ERE will be crushed and young skywalker will be one of us.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10008.jpg

Amorium stands no chance of victory.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10009.jpg

Little militias cannot stop me.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10010.jpg

Against humans, this movement is not advisable. But these are AI stacks which can be dispatched quickly. If they attacked me, it would just save me a turn of having to march towards them.

Ok, that's the first ten images. It's only turn two, I believe. Check back for updates... I have plenty more to post already. See those two stacks of doom? Yeah those are gonna die.

________________
:medievalcheers: To war, my brothers... to war... :charge:

[Askthepizzaguy]

Turn two continues:

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10011.jpg

Their main recruitment center is next on the chopping block.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10012.jpg

All too easy.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10013.jpg

And now... witness the final destruction of the Roman empire... and the end of your insignificant rebellion.
I don't waste much time, do I?

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10014.jpg

I have 2,780 troops, the enemy has 5,072. However, my Sultan has night fighter... which only slightly increases my odds, 1,246 versus 2,536, which is worse than 2:1 against me. And there's no mountains or river crossings to exploit. This is just a bloody, bloody battle.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10015.jpg

My horse archers begin the assault...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10016.jpg

Peppering the enemy to death brings out their general and their reserve cavalry... but he only charges towards his own death.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10017.jpg

And now the real fun begins.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10018.jpg

I could stampede over them now with just my elite general unit... but it's far more fun to rain death upon them, to put the fear of God into their hearts, so that when I do decide to trample over their broken bodies, the looks on their faces will be most amusing.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10019.jpg

Routing so soon?

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10020.jpg

Lest you neglect to notice, that's 91 percent casualties versus 16. All the AI spawn in the world cannot save you now...If the AI knew how to attack properly, this wouldn't be possible. Moving on... turn 3 still.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Turn 3 continued...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10021.jpg

Epic win

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10022.jpg

We caught many prisoners this day. Let's see if our enemies can afford the ransom!

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10023.jpg

Nope... no ransom... BUTCHER THEM!!!

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10024.jpg

Starting to look a little better... all right men, full attack.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10025.jpg

I have 2,613 men, they have 3,337... but I think you can guess the outcome. Begin round two. Still turn 3... no rest for the weary.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10026.jpg

Again I pepper the fools to death with my arrows... which draws out the enemy general from hiding... and I promptly surround and slay him.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10027.jpg

An arrow slices him through the face, impaling his skull, and knocking him off of his horse.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10028.jpg

Never lose your general in battle... a lesson I recently and painfully learned in multiplayer.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10029.jpg

Their reinforcements have arrived. Good. More pigs for the slaughter. My reinforcements, by the way, cannot all fit in the battle at once due to performance issues. But the AI gets theirs... and so they must die painfully.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10030.jpg

Those cataphracts were giving my generals trouble, so I had to pull back and use the rest of my troops to surround and pound them to death. Gah... I hate cataphracts! Nevertheless, they all will die by my hands.

Next: more of turn 3.

[Askthepizzaguy]

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10031.jpg

Another 16 percent casualty win, versus 100 percent dead.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10032.jpg

Almost lost Malik there for a second... and my Sultan is much bloodied... but still, everyone made it out alive, except for the enemy.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10033.jpg

2,330 prisoners... thats kind of a lot.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10034.jpg

One hefty ransom, considering there isn't a king or an heir involved, or even a family member. The enemy cannot afford my terms, and so they are all put to the sword. Would I accept the ransom? Yes, because I can beat these standing armies all over again, and I need the recruitment florins.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10035.jpg

Still turn 3: Nothing left of those stacks of doom, or their reinforcements. Now their southern territories are en prise and their capital is defenseless.

Defenseless* should have an asterisk next to it... as you will see later.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10036.jpg

Time to retrain my troops? Yes.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10037.jpg

Turn 4... more territories on the chopping block.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10038.jpg

You really need infantry for seiges.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10039.jpg

A hard win, but still a win.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10040.jpg This battle is tricky, because the enemy have some good troops here.

Turn 4 continues...

[Askthepizzaguy]

To the end of turn 8... Rome collapses under the weight of the mighty Turks.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10041.jpg

More losses due to seige conditions... the only thing the AI can do competently is defend walls.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10042.jpg

Turn 5: marching on Constantinople.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10043.jpg

Ha! The capital is relatively undefended!*

Asterisk...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10044.jpg

Surprise! AI spawn strikes again... only this time, very painfully. The enemy sally forth with Imperial Guardsmen, Armoured Axemen, and gold and silver chevron units of every type. I am at an extreme disadvantage here, because they have enough space to sally effectively.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10045.jpg

Begin the strategy: Pepper the AI from a distance to draw out their forces.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10046.jpg

21 percent dead already versus 2 percent dead on my part. But these arrows won't last forever.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10047.jpg

Yes, chase my general and my heavy cavalry, as they cannot run very fast... but you've made a fatal error, seige boy.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10048.jpg

I now hold your citizens ransom... if you do not surrender, I will butcher your families.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10049.jpg

Not to be too cheesy, I insist on slaughtering as many as I can. They are attempting to retake the city, but my heavy cavalry mow them down while my light cavalry block the gates. It's a trap... and it works.

I honestly didn't need to lose this many men. I could have been a coward and ran away and kept them all alive. But I crave battle scars.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10050.jpg

And so the outcome is more reasonable and realistic: I destroy more than half of their men and end up in the superior tactical position. The enemy, with their citizens in my possession, wisely surrender.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10051.jpg

But there will be much pillaging...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10052.jpg

Allahlalalalalalalalalalalallah!!! Constantinople becomes Istanbul on turn 8.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10053.jpg

Marching on Armenian-held Seleukeia.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10054.jpg

Caught his faction heir undefended...


https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10055.jpg

Still turn 8: Heraclea is under seige.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10056.jpg

Time to regenerate.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz10057.jpg

The climactic finish of turn 8... Rome has fallen, and we declare on Armenia.

That's all I have for now... so check back for updates. I have to play some more and post more screenshots.

By the way... I have the save for the epic battle at Constantinople.

If you want a REAL CHALLENGE, I urge you to play the battle and win.

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/EpicBattle.zip

Your version has to be Medieval 2 Total war 1.3, Broken crescent mod 1.5 in order to play the file.

Also, if you feel like mowing down the AI spawn from a couple turns ago, I can go back and upload the save file to that as well. See if you can do better than me. (I'm sure you can, I was rushing).

[phonicsmonkey]

nice AAR, good to see you bringing your inimitable style to Broken Crescent

and I'm pleased to see that the siege AI has held you up in the same way as me - your casualty rates assaulting cities are about the same as mine (although not for the same battles, I haven't played as the Turks)

[Askthepizzaguy]

Make no mistake... seiges are a place to lose troops, if you insist on taking the walls quickly. You can sit the seige out entirely and wait for them to sally, and destroy what's left of them with minimal casualties.

But such cowardice is unbecoming of a blitzer... engage the enemy. Full attack.

[phonicsmonkey]

ok, I did it, but it wasn't easy

https://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa181/phonicsmonkeytw/0007-1.jpg

I made a pocket with my HAs and peppered them with fire as they came out

then their general made a dash for mine, so I concentrated all bow and javcacv fire on them and withdrew my general slowly to draw their leader deeper into the pocket of fire

eventually he reached my bodyguard units and I slammed him from behind with the ghulams

meanwhile my HAs are running out of ammo and my jav cav are depleted from charging and recharging isolated infantry units

when the Emperor fell I managed to rout a few units and then I made a mad dash for the centre with my remaining cav

as they came back into the gate I charged from three sides and held them up long enough for the win

[Ramses II CP]

Good stuff ATPG! :2thumbsup:

Sieges are absolutely the most dramatic difference between the vanilla AI and the BC AI. I still don't like it when they get a massive garrison boost from the script and sally because they'll always get butchered in a sally, but otherwise the AI is much, much smarter about defending the walls. Some tricks still work, like the running ladder team to claim an undefended gate, or the three sides attack confusing anything less than half a stack. Overall, though, I probably take two or three times as many losses.

I love it though, better battles make for a better game. Unfortunately it seems like the AI doesn't want to keep troops at castles very often, so I've only had one or two good fortress/citadel battles.

:egypt:

[Askthepizzaguy]

ok, I did it, but it wasn't easy

...as they came back into the gate I charged from three sides and held them up long enough for the win

Good, Phonicsmonkey, good... I can feel your anger. It gives you focus, makes you stronger.

Do what must be done, Lord Phonicsmonkey... do not hesitate, show no mercy, leave none alive. Wipe them out. All of them! Now you are strong with the dark side of the force...

Your hate has made you powerful. Now fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!

:knight:

edit: more to come... busy with midterms all day. Give me a day or so to catch up and post more.

[cassu]

nice start to a new mod:dizzy2: , how many turns do you think it will take to accomplish your goal?

[Askthepizzaguy]

PLENTY!

This is no "jihad from turn one until victory" campaign. This is methodical, brutal blood and guts action, at breakneck speeds.

This one will have to be earned. EARNED.

All my soldiers cost money. They all are a struggle to recruit, and move, and the enemy is not such a pushover in auto-resolve. They have decent armies and when they garrison castles and towns, they put up quite a strong defense. And the Turks aren't exactly seige masters in the early game.

I still have half my midterm left... maybe tomorrow or so I can begin work on this one again.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Ok midterms completed... time to roleplay as the angel of death once again.

I take note of the geography of the map... it seems that in order to complete my conquests quickly, I should expand now into Baghdad, and secure a central location from which to spread my seeds of destruction. From Baghdad, I will have sea access to 39 provinces, and I can quickly hop from territory to territory with minimal loss of time and troops.

Then I will have cut a swath of destruction across the entire map and crippled 5 factions. From there I can expand into Egypt, as it's closer and it's not a priority time-wise, and expand north, which will be very difficult, considering how remote Tibet is...

However, I do have the added bonus of the Mongolian invasion coming from the north which should destroy a fair amount of my enemies while I am accomplishing all this. Then I can swarm through Khwarezm, Ghazni, and the Ghorids.

Also, with Constantinople turned Istanbul, I should be able to construct a proper religious building which is actually capable of creating Imams (unlike other mods, these guys are advanced units... religious conversion is insanely difficult) and once I have Imams... it will be a true Jihad.

I think everyone knows what will happen if I can manage to call a jihad. Then my journey towards the dark side will be complete, and I will become more powerful than any Jedi.

:knight:

If anyone has any suggestions or alterations to this plan of attack, let me know. Some of you might have more experience with BC. I'm also informed about the concept of Crusaders attempting to assist Jerusalem, but only vaguely. Any insights you all have would be appreciated. I know nothing more about this mod than I've already demonstrated... I'm charging blindly into a dark and forbidding map, with only my knowledge from previous campaigns to guide me. Let's see how I can handle real adversity.

[Askthepizzaguy]

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20002.jpg

Attacked by the Armenians? Good. More pigs to be slaughtered.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20003.jpg

Impaled their leader. That seems to happen a lot...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20004.jpg

Time to die.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20005.jpg

(hacks the enemy to pieces) Take that... and that... and that...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20006.jpg

Always a joy when another family member passes into the afterlife...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20007.jpg

Turks: 2
Armenia: 0

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20008.jpg

I cackle with glee to accept their ransom...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20009.jpg

And so the enemy is honourable after all. But he's no less dead for that.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20010.jpg

Mmmm.... pillage-y goodness.

The Conquest of Tarsus.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Just a few odds and ends to mop up...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20011.jpg

The survivors are eager for their most merciful death.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20012.jpg

And so I spawn the general who will cut off the heads and gut these gasping fishes... General Tartar Sauce!

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20013.jpg

I lay seige to Sinop... soon they will join us.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20014.jpg

Another exposed limb ready to be sliced clean off.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20015.jpg

Never much doubt there.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20016.jpg

Now you will experience the full power of the dark side...

Captain Oshkosh b'gosh is really about to get spanked.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20017.jpg

Charge bravely men… leave none alive.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20018.jpg

Was there any doubt? The enemy fought like children.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20019.jpg

For the record, I hate Caucasian Mountaineer Axemen.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20020.jpg

Adana falls next turn. But first, let me dispatch the fools standing watch.Soon, Armenia will crumble. Good... the fast pace is on par with my expectations as Blitzmaster.

[Askthepizzaguy]

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20021.jpg

Not many men to assist us in battle… good, more for my generals to kill personally.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20022.jpg

Smashy, smashy…

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20023.jpg

You read that correctly. A mere ten fell on our side… compared to the mass death on theirs. I also netted a gold chevron for my second general, nearly there for the commander himself.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20024.jpg

Death becomes them.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20025.jpg

Gah, the enemy still have some fight left. All right… begin the seige operation.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20026.jpg

17,924 profit this turn alone… all spent on the coming campaign.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20027.jpg

Some nameless captain seeks to slay the Roman prince? Very well… earn your stripes, my humble servant…

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz20028.jpg

Aybak commands men on the field for the first time. Dressed as a common man, he must EARN the respect of his troops in THIS battle.

More will be posted soon, but for now I have real life things to attend to. Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion of the Captain Aybak versus the Roman Prince battle.
:viking:

[Ramses II CP]

Those heavy cavalry general's units in BC are just incredibly tough, which is why I'm loving those Caucasian Mountaineer Axemen in our Armenia game. Turkey's axemen are even better, those Thaq-whatevers, as I'm sure you've noticed. Swamp the enemy general in cheap spearmen and send in the axes.

A word of warning about the Kingdom of Jerusalem (And the Kypchaks I think, some others as well) they go to 'horde' mode after you capture all their cities, where their faction continues to exist as long as it has family members. This can sometimes take the game engine a loooong time to process, resulting in ten or fifteen minutes of pause on the AI's turn after you 'eliminate' one of those factions. It might look broken, but it's just weak code trying to compensate.

I've been disappointed by the performance of the Kypchaks in the hands of the AI. I expected to have some trouble with them as Armenia, I even brought some camel archer mercenaries up to help, but their bodyguard units are of the weak but numerous type (My starting generals have 7 man companies whereas theirs have 30, but they're HA) which really weakens the overall faction performance. I'm betting with some quality HA in your roster you'll roll over them in no time.

edit: Oh, and by the way, the city of Kiev is broken. You don't want to try to fight a siege there, just auto-calc it. Discovered this last night, when my men broke into the walls and discovered the town square was inaccessable and underwater with floating buildings around it.

:egypt:

[Askthepizzaguy]

More of the Armenian war:

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz21002.jpg

The enemy prince charges directly at us after we begin peppering them with arrows. Soon, he is charging uphill and then is promptly surrounded and slaughtered by javelins from all directions.

The enemy Prince dead, his forces scatter, and we mop up what's left of them.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz21003.jpg

A few losses, but given the prize of victory, well worth it.


https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz21004.jpg


Yes, I will adopt this man into my family. He has proven himself to be most worthy. I care much for the advancement of the common man, especially if he swears allegiance and demonstrates heroism in battle. This is a man worthy of leadership and royalty.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz21005.jpg

The Armenian Avag is surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz21006.jpg

Not even worth mentioning, really, except for the loss of their leaders.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz21007.jpg

I dare the Armenians to sally forth... but they are too cowardly to face me.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz21008.jpg


Another adoptee... not very impressive, but he will make a good soldier.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz21009.jpg

More reinforcements... I hope to break Armenia totally very soon.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz21001.jpg

And here come his reinforcements... as expected.
Should I lift the seige now, he might sally against the other stack...The final Armenian province is about to fall. Forgive the short post, but this is as far as I've actually played. Now I have to go kill things.

[Askthepizzaguy]

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22001.jpg

Armenia hasn't even been defeated and already I declare war on Jerusalem and Georgia. I don't understand the concept of "friends" or "peace"

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22002.jpg

Our formal declarations of war come not on writings on a scroll, but on the edge of our swords.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22003.jpg

Konya becomes a castle to better serve the Sultan. THESE Azaps are far mightier than any other infantry we have.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22004.jpg

Gunduz is attacked at Antioch by relief forces. This seige will fail if we do not win decisively.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22005.jpg

The short reign of the new Roman Emperor is at an end.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22006.jpg

Slain in battle like an honourable soldier, the King fights bravely, but to no avail.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22007.jpg

A great warrior has died... if only he would have served the Sultan instead of desiring an Empire for himself.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22008.jpg

And so Rome is pushed out of Anatolia. They survive now only as a small state sharing a little island barely worth mentioning, or conquering.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22009.jpg

The armies of Jerusalem attempt to destroy my assault force... they will fail.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22010.jpg

When they cross the bridge, I charge into them and deliver the hammer blow from all three sides... the Triple Hammer.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22011.jpg

None can resist such a move... not even the "superior" forces of the Western knights. He runs like a scared rabbit.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22012.jpg

We cross the bridge and turn to face the advancing army which is far larger.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22013.jpg

The enemy general can only watch in horror as the Triple Hammer maneuver is repeated, with the same success.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22014.jpg

The enemy general's head has been cut off by our vicious forces... we press onward, as the enemy flees and tramples his own forces attempting to escape. The carnage that follows makes me laugh...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22015.jpg

What a crushing victory... frankly I was impressed by my own performance there. I lost fewer forces than I could have.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22016.jpg

Meanwhile, Malik, commander of the Third Rank, fights through the gates of Sinop and personally destroys every last rebel there.

The assault begins on Georgia and Jerusalem... the year is 1182.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Still only 1182...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22017.jpg

Summer, 1182: new member of the royal family is appointed to be Kaykaus' heir in case he falls in battle.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22018.jpg

We are now the richest of all factions

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22019.jpg

And we are the most advanced nation as well.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22020.jpg

We have new sons of Islam who have come of age today!

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22021.jpg

In our assault against Jerusalem, out of work Crusader mercenaries who have families to feed will advance our cause!

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22022.jpg

Crushing the enemy, one army at a time.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22023.jpg

Wipe them out... all of them.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22024.jpg

Only one bodyguard fell honourably in battle... and we destroyed them.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22025.jpg

We also did it without the support of the troops. Our generals did this alone, and the mercenary Latin knights simply mopped up some of the routers.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22026.jpg

This battle...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22027.jpg

We swiftly dispatched their smaller force, and now charge downhill to meet the rest.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22028.jpg

We converge on the enemy general, who is slain, and now we press the attack.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22029.jpg

Few escaped, and those who remain are all dead.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22030.jpg

It is still 1182... and we still press onward. We will see if Tripoli poses any challenge.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22031.jpg

The attack against Georgia now commences.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22032.jpg

Gunduz, leader of the Fourth Rank, has achieved in battle what none dared hope for. He will forever be called a Champion.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22033.jpg

And still he battles to victory for the Sultan, again...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22034.jpg

And still he mops up the remainder.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22035.jpg

In the year 1182, the Turkish forces mount ever more assaults on the enemy. Georgia is next to fall.

Our Second Rank leads the attack on Jerusalem, backed by our Third Rank who is approaching, while the First Rank disposes of Armenia.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/TurkBlitz22036.jpg

Four wars in 8 years, two of them already won, and one other halfway over... with promising beginnings for the fourth. And we have scouted the map and our merchants are bringing us lots of extra trade. The Turks are rising...

[barcamartin]

How is this thing going ? Not exactly blitz speed at the moment. :clown:

Hope you continue it, I enjoyed following your progress. :yes:

[Askthepizzaguy]

Took a break... had final examinations and assorted tests, plus overtime at work.

I may continue this campaign seeing as there are people interested in watching. Right now I'm playing around with the Roman empire.

[Privateerkev]

I can hear the Imperial March when I read this AAR. Good work! :2thumbsup:

BC is interesting. Almost makes me want to cave in and DL it. Almost...

It was also fun to watch you kill Jeremy Irons and Orlando Bloom. (two generals you killed are portrayed in the movie "Kingdom of Heaven" and played by the actors I mentioned)

Anyways, good luck and keep up the good work! :balloon2:

[Askthepizzaguy]

ANNOUNCEMENT

The previous storyline has more or less been abandoned. However, there is a new Turkish dynasty on the rise:

Approximately 1178 AD

The Fall of Constantinople to Turkish forces has finally happened.

The year before, Jerusalem and Baghdad also fell to Turkish forces, and Sultan Kilij Arslan was named Caliph of Islam, sacker of Constantinople, and ruler of the Holy Land. He was immediately declared the reincarnation of Muhammed, descended from heaven to bring the wrath of Allah down upon the infidel. Many infidels were beheaded this day.


Soon, the legend of the ultimate blitzkreig across the map will be told by the one in the golden mask. I implore you to keep an eye on this story, because the shocking events are unfolding as we speak.

[Askthepizzaguy]

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/1178epic.zip
Before the fall of Constantinople

Here is the save file of my progress so far.

I actually started a brand new storyline since my previous announcement, and it's been updated to reflect that.

The order of conquest was reversed. Baghdad was the first to fall, then Jerusalem, then Constantinople... all by turn 10, 1178 AD


See if you can take the city without auto-resolving, as I did. Auto-resolving actually fails I believe.


http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Turks-1178b.zip
After the fall of Constantinople

The AAR will begin shortly... I have to upload all sorts of screenshots. But this one puts my previous blitz campaign to SHAME. I am sure you will find it quite entertaining.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Marhaba! Ahlan wa sahlan! These scrolls contain the legend of Kilij Arslan the Indestructible, whose deeds have been a part of Islamic lore since the time of the Abassid Caliphate, and continue to be spoken of this day.

ذو الحجة 569 Dhu al-Hijjah التقويم الهجري
In the year 1174 AD of the Christian calendar, 569th year of the Hijri

Sultan Kilij Arslan was encamped outside the rebel fort of Karaman, when the voice of Allah spoke to him. Allah saw what a pious man Kilij Arslan was, and smiled upon him. None had spoken directly to Allah since the time of Muhammad the Holy Prophet, and Arslan fell to his knees. Allah frowned upon the Roman and Latin invaders of Arabia and Anatolia, and commanded Arslan to destroy all the infidels.

Allah also commanded Arslan to destroy Caliph an-Nasir, who had forsaken his duty as Allah's representative and had done nothing to put down these infidel invaders. Allah had cast an-Nasir out of his sight and declared him to be a traitor to all Islam. Though an-Nasir was Arslan's brother of the faith and the ruler of the Caliphate, his rule was to be put to a swift and timely end in the name of Allah. The Armenian infidels were also to be destroyed or converted to Islam.

Arslan knew that he must do as Allah commanded, for there was no higher duty or greater honour. Arslan was willing to die for Allah, and he was prepared to kill the infidel invaders as well.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1174-01.jpg

Arslan was not alone, his top general and eldest son Malik the Untrustworthy was with him. Malik was the most disloyal and unruly being that Arslan had ever seen. He was also faithless, openly defiant, and resentful that his younger brother Kaikosru had been named the heir. But Malik had brought that upon himself; he had been a liar and a pagan his entire life, and never once embraced the teachings of Mohammad or his father the Sultan.

However, the Sultan never once forsake his son, and loved him very much. So he took him on his great jihad against the infidel, to teach the man what it means to be a warrior for Islam. Malik was greatly displeased, but he had a begrudging respect for his father whom he disliked personally, so he agreed to join Arslan.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1174-02.jpg

In the north, Kaikosru the Magnificent, heir to the Sultan, encircled the rebels at Amasia. Toghrul the Defiant advanced east into greater Armenia which was under the control of many criminal shieks and minor emirs who have openly defied Allah's will.

Some faithful have decided to join our cause as mercenaries. They will die well and be compensated in the afterlife. Our spy has infiltrated Armenian soil and they are quite unprepared for our assault. May they die like worms.

End of turn one.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Winter, 1174 AD

The fall of Karaman opened the gateway into Armenia, and the Turkish jihadis came flooding through. Immediately the heartlands of these infidels were surrounded by good honest Muslim warriors. To prove his loyalty, Malik was commanded to take Tarsus with hundreds of gazhis under his direct command. Arslan rode ahead to take Adana with his elite cavalry in a bold maneuver, inviting the Armenians to defend what they have and die a quick and painless death, one reserved only for the brave and honourable.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1174-03.jpg

To prepare for our great forward advance, spies were being trained to pose as the infidel and infiltrate their cities and castles, and during the night, they were to sabotage the gatehouses from within using a strange powder obtained by trading with eastern mercenaries. When set ablaze, this powder would explode. If set right against the enemy gates, they would be rendered useless just as our armies assaulted the castle in the darkness of the night, and the enemy would not even be assembled to fight! We trained assassins to scale the enemy walls on the far side of our diversionary forces, open the empty gatehouses, and allow our main forces access into the settlement. We would use seige equipment to take any stronghold which we could not sabotage or sneak into.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1174-04.jpg

Kaikosru had simultaneously taken Amasia, and was tasked with moving east to put down the rebellious dogs en route to Baghdad. Toghrul the Defiant ignored orders completely and marched almost all the way to Baghdad by himself. Was he a traitor? Was he trying to warn an-Nasir of the coming attack?

There still is no word from our messengers that we dispatched as to his whereabouts. When last seen, he was encamped in the middle of several rebel settlements he left undisturbed. Worse, he was seen recruiting these rebels to form an army... was he planning on turning on his own people? Why was he arming the rebels and training them to fight?

End of turn two.

[Askthepizzaguy]

In the year 1175 AD of the Christian calendar, 570th year of the Hijri

An honourable and faithful captain has proved himself by slaying the Armenian Prince by his own hand. This man, Fadullah of Hillah, and his noteworthy second, Quilich al Su-ud, have both been granted land and title as adopted sons of the rising Turkish Sultanate. Malik, having proven his worth to Arslan, has decided to remain behind in case the Romans should attack our western holdings. These dishonourable men are not to be trusted.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1175-01.jpg

Kilij Arslan assaults Syrian forces north of Jerusalem, rebels who have declined to join either the Abassid Caliphate or the forces of Salahuddin the Ayyubid, Sultan of Arabia. So now they will be forced to join the Jihad against these traitors of Islam... some Christian mercenaries who have seen the infidel's atrocities while on a "holy" Crusade have decided to join our cause. Apparently for the Christians, a full stomach is more important than loyalty to one's God. I despise them so...

If they can hold a sword, their deaths may have more meaning than their pathetic infidel lives ever could. Perhaps Allah will forgive them. I certainly could not.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1175-02.jpg

Kaikosru assaults the rebels in Malatya, who are Turkish by ethnicity but have declined to join the Jihad. Perhaps Kaikosru will convince them that they have no choice in the matter. They will serve Allah, or our righteous swords will send them to the afterlife to be punished by Him.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1175-03.jpg

Finally, Toghrul the Defiant... perhaps he should be renamed Toghrul the Traitor! He is now at the border of Abassid territory and has no doubt informed the Caliph of our plans. He should be captured upon sight and executed for treason against Arslan and for disgracing himself before his brothers and insulting Allah.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1175-04.jpg


End of turn three.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Winter, 1175 AD


Kilij Arslan has heard Allah command him to attack the Ayyubid Sultanate. Arslan was most puzzled by the move, as he was on his way to destroy the infidels in Jerusalem... and the Ayyubids were not exactly infidels! Additionally, their forces were massive and well-defended by the Castle of Homs.

Not one to question Allah's divine judgment, he immediately declared war and besieged their main fortress. The Sultan was bolder and fiercer than a lion, and that is why he is called Arslan.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1175-05.jpg

Malik the Untrustworthy took command of the garrison at Konya and instructed the people there in the ways of espionage. He also sent orders north to the castle of Ankara, the Turkish stronghold.

Malik was acting under orders of Kilij Arslan himself... but even Malik had no idea what purpose this retreat would serve. Why waste time moving west when there were infidels to fight in the east?

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1175-06.jpg

Kaikosru the Magnificent beseiged the Emir of Edessa, a famous outlaw who had been the cause of the cessation of trade between the Turks and the Abassids. Their plundering would end this very year, with the death of their leader.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1175-07.jpg

Toghrul the Traitor was spotted inside an Abassid fort, defending the border of their territory and raising an army of rebel mercenaries! His treachery is most apparent now. It will bring me great pleasure to deal with this scum and his Abassid allies.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1175-08.jpg


End of turn four

[Askthepizzaguy]

In the year 1176 AD of the Christian calendar, 571st year of the Hijri


Note: Screenshots of battles will be posted later... don't worry. I'm not going to auto-resolve my way to victory! The critical battles will all be fought.





Midnight.

After the epic victory at Homs, where many Turks valliantly gave their lives to put down the mightiest army in the Ayyubid Sultanate, they pressed onwards to their goal... Damascus.

Even with 4 noble agents inside the city, the gates are too well guarded to be breached with guile. It seems brute force is necessary to bring about the fall of Damascus... with Arslan's depleted forces, only gall and bravery count as strength in the seige. Over a third of his men were destroyed by the Ayyubids whom Allah has cursed. It appears we were given a challenge by Allah to test our will. But none question our devotion now, least of all the Ayyubid scum.

The Latin King Baldwin sits on his throne in Jerusalem rubbing his weasel-hands together and cackling with glee. A civil war between Muslims? HAH! This is just the opening he needed to beseige his own rebellious traitors in Antioch. Word is dispatched to Baldwin that the Turks will NOT be interfering with the conquest of Antioch, as men without states are the most dangerous sorts of criminals. A proposal of alliance is sent to Baldwin himself, signed by Arslan's own hand.

One of Arslan's faithful jihadis questioned this move, and was promptly gutted.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1176-01.jpg

Malik sends one of his apprentice warriors into Roman territory with a scouting team. Should they be captured by Roman forces, our alliance with Rome will fail. Did the Sultan neglect to mention he signed a secret treaty with the Romans?

He does not tell you everything that happens. Praise Allah he tells you this much, for you are unworthy of his wisdom.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1176-02.jpg

The Magnificent Prince quells yet another rebellion in Harran after the slaying of the evil Emir of Edessa. Spies from the west have finally arrived, and they are combing the desert sands to find the traitor Toghrul. When combing the desert does not work, they attempt to curl it and then style it. Still no sign of Toghrul.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1176-03.jpg

Perhaps the rat bastard is still inside his little fort? Spies infiltrate the settlement... but find nothing except a sleeping battalion of javelinmen. They are arrested and questioned.

The javelinmen reveal nothing... except their loyalty to Toghrul. Finally, the traitor is spotted...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1176-04.jpg

...beseiging the Abassid Caliphate's forces in Samarra!

Toghrul's loyalty to the Sultan Arslan is confirmed beyond our wildest dreams! Apparently the man could not wait for orders to attack the Caliph himself. The bounty on Toghrul's head has been rescinded, and Toghrul is granted all of Syria as his personal shiekdom for his boldness and loyalty.

Even the Abassids were fooled by his trickery. They allowed him to build a fort on their lands and allowed him to recruit the Abassid's own mercenaries!

This is a great day to be a Turk!

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1176-05.jpg


End of turn five.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Winter, 1176 AD



Damascus has fallen!

Arslan the Lion marches his forces ever forward, taking what supplies they could from the city. His spies ride ahead, and posing as traders, enter the Holy City of Jerusalem.

Baldwin, unsuspecting his new Turkish allies, welcomes these vipers with open arms and flesh undefended. His elite guard is all that remains in the city as his main forces put down the rebels in Antioch.

Arslan camps on the outskirts, not wanting to attract attention, but hires what mercenaries he can and plans his next move...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1176-06.jpg

In the West, Malik has promoted his apprentice and adopted him as his heir. This man, Baraka al Ashqar, is Malik's superior in every way, but does not enjoy the privilege of nobility. Now that Malik has trained a bulldog, he brazenly makes a camp in Roman territory. The incompetent Romans are told that this is a trading post, and merchants are sent forth to promulgate this lie. Nevertheless, the Roman army is on alert.

It is of no concern... our spies already control Nicomedia, and the people there are almost ready to revolt and join our side openly. Taking this city should be easy.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1176-07.jpg

In the east, Kaikosru finally reaches Toghrul's fort... he's managed to obtain supplies and weapons from the captive Abassids in Samarra and sent them via caravan to the fort to meet his Prince.

Kaikosru was beginning to wonder how he might obtain resupply so far from home, with barely contained rebellion to his rear cutting off supply routes, and the homelands massing for an attack on Rome.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1176-08.jpg

The Caliph is not amused.

He rallies his forces, who rise before his command. By next year, his forces will redouble again... it appears the cursed an-Nasir still has venom aplenty and fangs to bite us with!

End of turn six.

[Askthepizzaguy]

In the year 1177 AD of the Christian calendar, 572nd year of the Hijri


The fall of Jaffa... The fall of Acre... the fall of Jerusalem!

The spies opened the gates of Jerusalem, allowing the full might of Turkish arms to come crushing down upon Baldwin and his elite bodyguards. He fought like a cornered elephant, and his well-armoured forces did not go quietly into the night. A cunning Arslan did surround the Leper King and fire upon him with javelins and bows from all directions, but only the force of his elite Turkish guards managed to slay the King.

عز الدين قلج أرسلان بن مسعود‎, 'Izz al-Dīn Qilij Arslān bin Mas'ūd,
the full and righteous name of the Turkish Sultan, became the man who conquered the Leper King Baldwin and recaptured Jerusalem after nearly eighty years of Crusader rule. The holy mosque there remained intact after all the years of filth and leprosy housed within it, with surprisingly few body parts left laying around, considering the circumstances.

From there, Arslan's spies infiltrated Jaffa, and the people there fought pitifully under the weight of Turkish arms. The settlement fell with few casualties... but Arslan's forces were tired. Still, Prince Guy was alive and able to defend the castle of Acre. All remaining Turkish forces were sent north and the last of Arslan's spies managed to open the gates... Guy fought much more brilliantly than his master, with less to work with... many Turkish lives were lost slaying this goat.

But still... the Turks are unstoppable. Allah has commanded us to destroy the infidel... and they have been thusly destroyed.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1177-01.jpg

Curses! The Romans are apparently more cunning than we thought. As we advanced towards Constantinople, they swept in behind us and fortified their capital, trapping us in the middle. A temporary fort was hastily constructed for defense while we made camp... would this be the end of our offensive against Rome?

...I wouldn't count on it.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1177-02.jpg

Meanwhile, the Caliph has assembled a mighty horde of Muslim faithful to protect his most valuable possession... his golden toilet. This is the mighty 'throne' upon which the ruler of infidels sits, and where he dispenses his words of wisdom, or excrement, whichever you prefer.

Still, the Fecal King refuses to be flushed. Perhaps I need to jiggle the handle.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1177-03.jpg

A man known only as Osman the Victorious rises from obscurity with a victory over some Roman troops who wandered too close to Turkish territory.

I think I will call him Ozzy and give him a delightfully appropriate Golden Mask...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1177-04.jpg

End of turn seven.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Winter 1177 AD

The forces of Jerusalem are most enraged at the death of their twin rulers... they have amassed a huge force and Arslan has moved to Damascus to regroup and train more forces. Not wanting to show weakness, Arslan dispatches a messenger to the new Latin King, and invites him to meet Turkish arms at Damascus. After handing the scroll to the Latin delegate, Arslan's messenger takes out his sword and slices him through the stomach and disembowels him.

When the body is discovered the next day, it is half-eaten by wild dogs and vultures. Only the scroll, blood-soaked, is intact.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1177-05.jpg

Nicaea has fallen! In a bold move, Malik opens the gates with his acquired gunpowder and charges the unprepared general inside, who dies remarkably quickly... faster than an infidel deserves. Then he lays seige to Dorylaeum, inviting the Romans to give chase or retake the castle.

No matter what the Roman does, it ends in a Turkish victory.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1177-06.jpg

Osman the Golden-Masked prepares to strike at more pretentious Roman scum... this man one day will rule the world... just look at his face and you'll know. He's only 24 years of age and he already has two skulls under his belt, not at all unlike a certain narrator whose work you're currently enjoying. It's only fitting I join this game as my character!

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1177-07.jpg

BAGHDAD HAS FALLEN!!!

Caliph an-Nastyr the Fecal King has been flushed! He spiraled towards his own doom and, after clogging up the pipes, plunged himself upon my sword!

This battle was particularly epic. I may have to tell you about it sometime. Stay tuned, and don't forget to call a plumber. I think the Abassids are still floating around somewhere... sometimes people don't know when to sink quietly to the bottom of the bowl.

Sultan Kilij Arslan the Indestructible has been crowned the new Caliph of Islam! With the fall of Baghdad, there remains only one more worthy infidel to slay... the Roman Basileos Megas Manuel Komnenos.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1177-08.jpg

End of turn eight.

[Askthepizzaguy]

In the year 1178 AD of the Christian calendar, 573rd year of the Hijri

Baraka has managed to distract the Roman armies who marched south to meet the Turks... they scour the region and chase Baraka into the mountains... meanwhile the main army led by Malik moves north and takes Nicomedia!

The Romans are left dumbfounded by the Turks' maneuvering. Now they don't have enough time to stop the Turkish advance into Constantinople, and their main forces are being flanked and harassed by Turkish javelins and arrows... they simply cannot catch the nimble horsemen of the east.

This will be a bad year to be a Roman...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1178-01.jpg

The Latin Teenager, fresh from the womb, is quickly knighted, made a lord, and crowned King of 'Jerusalem'. Later, he gets his first wedgie in gym class and has his first kiss, which he snuck underneath the bleachers when he was supposed to be doing his Latin homework.

Soon, he may lose his virginity... at the tip of my Ghulam's lance. Being impaled lengthwise is a fitting end for the 'kingdom' whose strongest leader was literally beside himself, always lending an ear, giving people a hand, and keeping his eye on you.

Remember, a bird feasting on your hand is worth two arms lying in a bush. Or however that expression goes.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1178-02.jpg

Caliph Arslan the Indestructible, Malik of al-Quds, has nearly massed enough forces to put the Latin doggie to sleep, and he rules with an iron fist, or seven of them. Never daunted, always scarred, and a master of political maneuvering as well as on the battlefield, this man is truly a master among masters, king of kings.

The Imams from all corners of the world have heard of this man's accomplishments and have already made his rulership of the Caliphate official... but they plan something even greater for this One.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1178-03.jpg

A man called Muhammad rises to the rank of general in the house of Kaikosru... an omen, perhaps?

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1178-04.jpg

Soon, the Romans will find themselves without a place to call Rome, and may have to rename themselves the Pathetic Greeks Who Wish They Were Still Roman or an Empire. Kind of catchy, isn't it?

End of turn nine... :viking:

[Askthepizzaguy]

Winter, 1178... the fall of Rome.


Kilij Arslan is crowned Sultan of Baghdad and Atabeg of Damascus, and soon, the ruler of Istanbul.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1178-05.jpg

The then-current ruling family of the Turkish Caliphate. I am not exactly next in line for the throne... but mark my words... Osman will become the Dark Lord, feared Caliph of Islam, Death Knight and Incarnation of Evil.


https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1178-06.jpg

THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE

O Malik the Untrustworthy... he is now named Prince Malik the Unstoppable, Slayer of Kings! His bodyguards, and those of Baraka, willfully gave their lives to defend these great men, and Malik himself slayed the Basileos Megas Manuel Komnenos personally in the last terrifying moments of the bloodiest battle yet.

Just wait until I upload those beautiful screenshots! It's a good thing this man has a personal physician, because he withstood several blows from the Roman King's own sword against his lance-bearing arm. Now he bears proudly his marks of war... proof of his allegiance to Arslan.

This man is now proud to call Arslan his father, and Arslan is now proud to call this man his son.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1178-07.jpg

Osman the Golden-Masked takes a Roman settlement and pillages.... no, wait...

...is that smoke? What could possibly be burning in the center of town? There's no wood anywhere inside the castle.

Osman the Destroyer exterminates the Roman infidels inside the castle... by burning them all alive at the stake.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1178-08.jpg

Prince Deguerra... I mean Leontios, commands three stacks of Roman Imperial armies and prepares to bring vengeance upon Malik, Baraka, and Osman the Destroyer...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/Turk-1178-09.jpg

Or perhaps Osman will become known as Destroyer of Rome. You will just have to wait and see if the greatly overmatched Turks can withstand the full might of Roman arms, and if the brilliant and deadly one known as Osman will send all the Romans to hell and reach maximum dread.

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/untitled-1-1.jpghttps://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/untitled-1-1.jpghttps://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/untitled-1-1.jpghttps://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/untitled-1-1.jpghttps://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/untitled-1-1.jpghttps://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/untitled-1-1.jpghttps://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/untitled-1-1.jpghttps://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/untitled-1-1.jpghttps://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/untitled-1-1.jpghttps://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/askthepizzaguy2/untitled-1-1.jpg


I think we all know how this turns out... but I will post the actual battle scenes soon.

Caliph Kilij Arslan the Indestructible, Sultan of Baghdad, Atabeg of Jerusalem, Emir of Istanbul... the greatest Imams of all Islam have unanimously declared this man Khalifa Qilij Muhammad al-Islam al-Arslān bin Mas'ūd, the direct successor and reincarnation of Muhammad, the Holy Warrior of Islam.

This is just the beginning... let us all now taste the Wrath of Arslan.

Comments welcome.

[barcamartin]

Very impressive, well done ! :2thumbsup:

[Askthepizzaguy]

1176 AD- The Battle of Edessa

Theme song for this battle: More Human Than Human: Rob Zombie (Past, Present, and Future)

The first major battle of the campaign. Given how Armenia was so thoroughly dominated, I don't even consider the Armenian campaign noteworthy. However, the rebels in Edessa were the first true roadblock to a quick victory.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10002.jpg

They have a strong half-stack of some of the best Turkish garrison available. First of all, they have superior upper level archer cavalry as a general, two cohorts of Turkish Infantry (longbowmen), three units of Turkoman cavalry, and three units of Adaqth (sp?) Spearmen.

What I bring to the battle is better than a 3/4 stack of mostly low-level mercenaries. Basic ghazis, Turkoman cavalry, and those worthless huntsmen archers. I have left over from mainland Turkey one unit of the Sultan's personal Seljuk Longbow Cavalry, a depleted unit of Frontiersmen, and some mercenary javelins. This band of hired swords is disciplined, but hardly fearsome. My only trump card is that the Crown Prince personally rides into battle.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10003.jpg

Mehmed, the Emir of Edessa, is a ruthless outlaw whose wealth and arms come from the intimidation of the local populace and the raiding of any wayward caravans from the Silk road. The battle is slightly in our favor, but the garrison is at full strength and we must assault now, before any seige towers can be completed.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10004.jpg

The assault begins... our most worthless and already depleted infantry take command of the ram and march bravely into the kill zone. The Turkish infantry open fire, and death rains down upon them.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10005.jpg

The enemy have already burned down our first battering ram... a second is dispatched, and the first unit of ghazis attempts to draw their fire.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10006.jpg

The enemy gates are halfway broken. We march forward to give the enemy additional targets to worry about, and send in our final ram. We return fire as a hail of Turkoman arrows are unleashed from behind our line to rain down upon the rebel scum.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10007.jpg

We have taken many infantry losses among our depleted ranks, but our main ranks are holding strong.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10008.jpg

Mighty General, our second ram has been turned into kindling! Soon, everything we have to assault the enemy walls with will be turned into ashes!

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10009.jpg

The enemy gate has finally been broken down. Now the enemy will feel our vengeance for their cowardly strategem of hurling things at us.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10010.jpg

Now is the hour of horrors... the pain and agony of my army of predators is unleashed like a firestorm upon the weaklings inside the settlement.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10011.jpg

We took heavy losses to arrow fire... but now our axemen will blunt their weapons against the very flesh of the thieves and raiders inside these walls. Spare no one... kill them all. We unleash wave after wave of piercing hail onto the foe who runs away from us in terror.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10012.jpg

My Prince pushes his way through the melee to the very front and hacks a path towards the enemy commander... now I will behead this gutless rat and turn my hatred towards his men who still refuse to surrender peacefully.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10013.jpg

I do not rest until every single one of these cowards have been slain... enraged, the Prince takes an axe from one of the ghazis nearby and dismounts, and charges the remaining rebels, and cuts them all down like a berserker. When they fall and scream in agony, the Prince unleashes his tender mercies... by repeatedly smashing the axe into their exposed limbs, hacking them all to bits as they cry out in unimaginable torment.

This is not the Kaikosru you may be familiar with in the BC hotseat... this is Dark Lord Kaikosru, the Bringer of Agony.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10014.jpg

The enemy fought well today... but not nearly well enough. The price of defeat is a painful and torturous death. Our hired mercenaries are nearly halved in number... I guess they won't be collecting the gold we promised them. :evil:

The Dark Lord has no remorse, nor does he care for the lives lost today. Those who live by the sword will die by the sword... by my own hand. Those mercenaries who fought like children in this battle deserved their deaths. Those who survived... well, they live to fight another day and collect another paycheck. If they expect to live, they had better learn how to engage and defeat superior forces.

[Askthepizzaguy]

1176 AD: The Battle of Homs

Theme song for this battle: When Worlds Collide (Powerman 5000, Tonight the Stars Revolt)

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10015.jpg

Now THIS is what the Sultan is talking about... the crushing defeat of the Ayyubids in the very first battle of the campaign against them, with their stronghold surrounding them, and their best forces defending it. No wimpy auto-resolve victory here... only the most ruthless massacre by human hands.

Their general, Muhammad Shirkuh, commands a garrison larger than our own assault force by 112 men. The guy isn't exactly a pushover, either.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10016.jpg

The formation:

Leading infantry unit: Saracen Swordsmen Mercenaries (heavy infantry), followed by Ghazi mercenaries, Azaq Javelinmen, and Turkish Frontiermen. Bringing up the rear is Sultan Kilij Arslan and two of his generals.

Leading cavalry units: Turkoman mercenaries (archer cavalry), followed by Bado Camel Archers and Seljuk Regular Bow Cavalry.

The spy has opened the gates for us!

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10017.jpg

The Saracen Swordsmen charge the enemy castle at full speed, with the rest of our forces soon to follow. Their armour deflects some arrow fire, of which there is precious little.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10018.jpg

The spy opens the gates just as our forces arrive. The Saracen Swordsmen, suddenly surrounded, smite sixteen silly soldiers seeking survival who stupidly swung spears at the Saracens. Just as the Saracens are greatly outnumbered, the rest of the Turkish army plows through the gates at full speed, catching the enemy off-guard. The Ghazi axemen begin hacking a path forward, while the Saracens deflect stupid spearpoints and other silly weapons.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10019.jpg

A third of their finest men are already destroyed... we press forward to force the enemy horse archers to fight with maces and axes instead of bows.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10020.jpg

The enemy are overmatched, and we push them further and further back, our brave Swordsmen who led the strike no longer taking any losses, only enemy lives. Now Sultan Arslan fights his way to the front and personally cuts down everything in his path.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10021.jpg

The enemy general is cornered... as arrows begin to rain upon him, and he begins to sweat icy drops of terror. Still the forces of The Lion advance.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10022.jpg

We charge from all sides, and surround the Ayyubid general, his forces ever crumbling around him. Death and destruction close in, and he has nowhere to run... he fights like a panicked rabbit.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10023.jpg

More and more of his men are slain before his eyes... he witnesses horrors no man has ever seen before... his loyal bodyguards are decapitated in front of him, and he is surrounded by shrieking Muslims chanting the name of Allah, axes, swords, and spears raised, all aimed at the general himself. He tries to fight his way through them, but his horse has nowhere to go...

Only sheer terror compels him to continue fighting, he swings his mighty sword and several Ghazis are fallen... but the Saracen Swordsmen who almost singlehandedly won this battle advance upon him. A few glancing blows cause some of our best men to die, but an axeblow strikes the general's leg, causing him to cry out in pain and agony... he continues slashing viciously at everything around him, but his is only one man with one sword, and the darkness of death is already suffocating him. An arrow tears through his shoulder, a lance strikes him in the back, an axe cuts the leg of his mount, and as his body is knocked to the ground, a mace smashes the idiot's head into a thousand bloody pieces.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10024.jpg

His body is chopped apart by axes, and his head is placed upon a pike, to rot and be picked apart by hungry birds. His head serves as a warning to the entire Ayyubid "Sultanate" that Kilij Arslan the Lion is a merciless mauler and will destroy everything in his path.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10025.jpg

Outnumbered by the enemy, we have annihilated them the hard way, with bravery, butchery, and bloody battle. The enemy have tasted the Wrath of Arslan.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10026.jpg

We offer prisoners captured in the battle to the Ayyubid Sultan as a ransom, and we tell Saladin that his men will be burned alive... slowly... at the stake if he does not comply.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10027.jpg

We then turn to the killing of the survivors inside the castle... taking what was once theirs and dumping their bodies in the middle of the desert, to be baked in the hot sun and slowly forgotten under the endless sands...

This terrible deed marks only the beginning of Arslan's reign of terror...

[Askthepizzaguy]

1176 AD: The Battle of Damascus

Theme song for this battle: Where ever I may Roam (Metallica: Metallica)

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10028.jpg

This city holds vast riches and one of the holiest Mosques in all Islam. A shame that all of that will be ruthlessly pillaged by the Lion.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10029.jpg

Shahanshah Ayyub, an heir to Saladin's crown, commands a garrison only slightly smaller than our assault force. A victory for sure, but at what cost? The battle is heavily in our favor though.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10030.jpg

3 rams advance towards the enemy gate.

Flaming arrows again? Surely you jest. Try boiling oil or gunpowder... that would be equally ineffective, but at least you could not be accused of trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10031.jpg

Some few gallant men are fallen in the line of duty... they bear the full force of the arrows piercing their hearts, and gasp their last in defiance of the Ayyubid scum, and are heard from again no more.

Their bodies were left unburied by the Sultan Arslan, but the sandstorms which came that night made sure that the earth reclaimed their corpses.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10032.jpg

It is inadvisable to give the enemy safe shelter to do the work of breaking down your own gates. A design flaw if I ever saw one...

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10033.jpg

Our spare rams form a perimeter, and our forces hide behind them to escape missile fire. A final ram pulls up to the rear, and these men also join the huddled force in the center.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10034.jpg

The gates are almost broken... our men begin chanting the name of Allah, and the enemy inside braces themselves for our devastating charge.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10035.jpg

The terrifying Saracen swordsmen march on the city, eager to begin the blood orgy with their sharpened blades.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10036.jpg

With one final smash, the gates are down, and the Turks rush forward like a tidal wave, engulfing everyone in their path in a sea of blood and steel.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10037.jpg

The moment of terror has arrived... as blades are swung, the final breaths of many men are offered up to Allah. The crushing advance of the Saracens panics the enemy and they begin to trample over one another trying to escape from the horde of death that exterminates them mercilessly in a manner most horrifying.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10038.jpg

Blackness...

Death... destruction... and agony... the horrific acts of unspeakable evil...

Nothing more is remembered from this moment on, as the enemy general falls and the Ayyubid forces flee for their lives in a woeful and wailing retreat, knowing full well that the walls that were supposed to defend them are now the Lion's cage which they are trapped inside. Their fate is to be mauled and eaten while they are still alive.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10039.jpg

In the end, slightly more than 100 brave men fell. To spare his soldiers and save them from the coming battle, he allows the cowering survivors to surrender themselves.

As they toss their swords down, and are rounded up and put in chains, they are promptly executed one by one in a manner most unclean... A unit of axemen advances upon the prone prisoners and simply begins swinging in a blind rage.

Their final cries of terror and horror are heard all the way in Jerusalem. King Baldwin is woke from his sleep to the gut-wrenching sound. He is quite unable to go back to sleep, as he cannot fathom what evil walks this earth which could produce such terrifying cries of agony.

But he will soon find out... :skull: :skull: :skull: :skull: :skull: :skull:

[Askthepizzaguy]

1177 AD: The Battle of Jerusalem

Theme song for this Battle: I Hate Everything About You (Three Days Grace, Three Days Grace)

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10041.jpg

King Baldwin did not see the Turkish spies enter the city... and in the dark of the night, it was only when the forces of Arslan were already at their throat when the Latin night watch finally noticed the advancing army. Reinforcements would not come tonight, only carnage.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10042.jpg

After an opening hail of arrows, the dismounted knights of Jerusalem took to the walls to claim bows of their own and fire back. It was at this moment that Arslan charged the gates, and the spies unbarred it. Arslan's own horse kicked the gates of the settlement open, and he rode to face Baldwin himself, with his exhausted army running behind him as fast as they could.

He paused just before facing Baldwin, taunting him, goading the fool to charge forward. When the enemy would not dare, he sent in his vast army to punish the idiot. Arrows glanced off of Baldwin's heavily armoured cavalry, but the javelins did not. Several horsemen were knocked clean off of their mounts, and unwilling to die without a fight, Baldwin charged into Arslan's forces. he was surrounded on all sides, and his dismounted knights were still stumbling over one another to get down from the walls...

It was too late.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10043.jpg

Arslan himself rode into battle and dealt the final blow to the plague-infested rat, who cried joyous tears to be put out of his misery, just before an axe split his skull apart.

His bodyguards could only watch helplessly as their leader's mind was splattered all over the dusty ground, and the terrible hue of dark red blood and the stink of human flesh being torn apart made their stomachs turn. They would meet their fate only seconds later, in one final terrifying moment.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10044.jpg

Arslan charged the dismounted knights of Jerusalem, and when the force of Turkish lances decimated half of their knights, the others wisely surrendered.

This time, Arslan had mercy on his prisoners. He only stripped them all naked, burned their flesh with a branding iron, and chopped off their sword-bearing hand, and let them sear their own wound shut on the hot coals. They scampered into the desert in order to take the long road to Jaffa and Tripoli to spread word of The Lion's terrible deeds... and order the surrender of King Guy.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10045.jpg

Baldwin's tiny force did not go quietly into the night, but he did not leave much of a lasting impression upon the earth, other than the dark red stain on the paved ground outside the Abbey of the Holy City.

Arslan took Baldwin's silver face mask as a trophy, as well as his severed head. Then he rode on to Jaffa.

[Askthepizzaguy]

1177 AD: The Battle of Jaffa

Theme song for this battle: Sad But True (Metallica, Metallica)

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10046.jpg

Captain Humphrey prepared for his inevitable defeat... but he could not foresee the absolutely devastating defeat about to commence.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10047.jpg

The enemy, devoid of archers or mounted units, fell easy prey to arrows while the Turks rode safely out of range of the advancing infantry.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10048.jpg

The enemy captain charged forward, only to be impaled through the face with a bronze javelin.

https://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm303/ATPG-3/Turkbattle10049.jpg

With the loss of their commander and most of their brothers, a simple charge caused both units to rout... utterly hopeless and defeated.

Yes, they managed to kill 8 of our soldiers. Some of their spearmen proved to be only slightly less useless than the others. But the Sultan personally tormented those 8 unlucky captors in his royal dungeon until they all died.

Still, the Ayyubids and the Latins were not the only ones on the Sultan's chopping block. There was still Roman and Abassid scum which needed to be put to a painful and agonizing death...

Baldwin was dead. Caliph an-Nasir was still alive. But Allah would not be kind to him this year...

[barcamartin]

Looks like victory in the west will be swift and deadly. Nice choice of music too ! :yes:

[Askthepizzaguy]

I seem to remember posting freely available Star wars "Vader's Theme" and "O Fortuna" as theme songs, in their actual downloadable form, for the final stretch of my England 106 province campaign.

However, posting the music selection here and providing download links would be a breach of copyright law. I think that Vader's theme is actually still copyrighted but umm... I actually bought the song and several cds worth of star wars themes, and given the small number of people likely to actually download it, and given just how completely ridiculously easy it is to download vader's theme for free elsewhere...

It's a shame, and I wish I could post battle replay files for the above battles too.... along with the theme songs, so you can witness the battle as I played it and with the music I was listening to during the seige.

If anyone here has Itunes (and shame on you if you don't... it's FREE, dunderhead!!! :clown:) you can download the above songs for what, 99 cents apiece (US currency).

Isn't there a console trick you can use to capture replays of in-game battles??? Also, what units does Bartix have and what faction replaces then???? :idea: