The Frozen Crusade: Teutonic Order PBM

[gibsonsg91921]

Sign-up thread is here, reserve your avatar now! Rules are going to be posted soon, borrowed heavily from KoTR.

Goal: Hold 45 regions including Visby, Vilnius, Novgorod, Kiev, Poznan, and eliminate Lithuania.
300 turns. Initial Enemies - Lithuania, Rebels

Generals List: Name Command-Chiv/Dread-Loyalty/Authority-Piety
Hochmeister Gunther 6-4c-5a-4 - Zim

OrdenMarschall Maximillian 4-0-5l-4 - Elite Ferret

Dietrich 1-1c-5l-3 - Warluster

Hans 1-2d-5l-3 - gibsonsg91921

Karl Scherer - deguerra

Athalwolf von Essen - RoadKill

Agents
Johannes - Priest, 2 Piety
Wilhelm Guiskard - Bishop, 2 Piety
Ortwinus, Bishop - 4 Piety
Leopold, Merchant - 2 Finance

Admirals
Michel - 0 Command
Friedrich - 1 Command - icejuggernaut

Settlements are allocated according to a House in the beginning of the game according to global location. Newly conquered settlements are allocated to a House by the Hochmeister.
South - Prussia
Marienburg - Fortress, Capital of Teutonic Order and Prussia
Thorn - Castle
Konigsburg - Large Town

North - Livonia
Riga - City, Capital of Livonia
Dunaburg - Castle
Pernau - Town
Windau - Castle
Arensburg - Town

Avatars come on a first come, first serve basis. Generals join a house chosen by the Hochmeister, fight the battles of their avatar, roleplay their character in IC stories and speaking in the Council, and vote. Agents and Admirals do all of this except fight battles.

Each player's avatar has a political rank.

Elector
The Elector is the standard level. All players, except Hochmeister, are Electors. They gain no influence bonus due to rank. Electors speak in the Order Council, propose and vote for Edicts, can run for or vote for OrdenKanzler (KOTR Chancellor).

Count
A Count is a General avatar that receives feudal land from their Duke. They set the build queues and tax levels of their settlement. They also gain +1 influence, essentially an additional vote for each Edict, Charter Amendment, or Chancellor run.

Duke
The Duke is the head of the House, either Prussia or Livonia. They grant land to Generals of their house to make them Counts, giving their subjects additional influence and power in exchange for loyalty. They may remove land at any time. They also administrate ungranted land. The original Dukes are chosen by the Hochmeister, but the position is hereditary - Dukes choose their heir. Dukes have +2 influence.

OrdenMarschall
The OrdenMarschall has no additional powers except +3 influence. They inherit the position of Hochmeister. A new OrdenMarschall is then chosen by the game, picking the General with the highest Command.

Hochmeister
The Hochmeister has no votes except a tiebreaker. He allocates land and generals to Ducal Houses, picks who guides Western Crusading Heroes (picks the player who controls his battles), and do not belong to a House. Can assume post of OrdenKanzler without a vote for one term only. They may be reelected, but must be voted for. He can call an Emergency Council Session as well if he is unsatisified with the OrdenKanzler.

OrdenKanzler
The OrdenKanzler is the most powerful person in the game. Upon election, he plays the game for 10 turns following edicts, build queues, tax levels, and the rules. When generals are in a battle, he notifies the players by PM and by posting in this thread. The players then take turns picking up the save and fighting their battles, and then reuploading the save. He does not have to build anything in a settlement, but if he does, he must follow the queue.

Every 10 turns, the game is paused and Council convenes for three real-life days. They propose and vote upon Edicts and Laws and elect an OrdenKanzler.

A sample edict:

Edict ex.xx - The OrdenKanzler shall declare war on the Novgorod Republic.

The edict would require a seconder, e.g. "I, Hochmeister Gunther, second Edict ex.xx." At the end of the the Session, there is a one-day voting period and it would need a majority vote (influence taken into account). If there is a tie, the Hochmeister breaks the tie with his vote. Edicts only last for the session.

A sample Law:

Law ex.xx (a different set of numbers than the edict) - The influence of a Duke shall equal +200000.

The Law would require two seconders and pass a 2/3 weighted vote after the session. The Hochmeister breaks ties.

If a player wants to run for OrdenKanzler, they should announce their candidacy and give a brief description of their platform. Whoever gets the most votes running for OrdenKanzler wins. As Kanzler, they play the next 10 turns until the next Council Session, following edicts, rules, build queues, and tax levels. They also delegate the battles to the players.

Ex. Battle

Ulrich McJohnJohn:
You have assaulted the walls of Krakow. Destroy them utterly and sack the city.

Stevey MacJibbly:You are to fight the Russians. Attack them and attempt to capture their general at all costs.

The players would post in this thread that they have the save and upload the new save to patrons/pbm when they are done, and tell the next person to play their battle. First come, first serve. You have 48 hours to fight after the Kanzler posts the battle list.

Rules subject to change for a while as I figure everything out.

[Ferret]

in :)

edit-I'll take the Hochmeister if no-one else wants him

[gibsonsg91921]

u can be kanzler or anyone if they want, i don't have that kind of constant time.

If anyone wants to suggest any rules changes or notes any flaws, now is the time.

[Zim]

I shall take Maximilian, or if anyone wants him, then Dietrich.

Whichever it is, I'll run for Kanzler. :yes:

[Ferret]

okay then Zim can be Kanzler seeing as Gibson has listed himslef as Hans and I'll take the OrdenMarschall

[Zim]

You can still be Hochmeister, Maximiliian is the Ordenmarschall. :yes:

Kansler and Hochmeister are seperate, I think, like Emperor and Chancelor in KOTR.


okay then Zim can be Kanzler seeing as Gibson has listed himslef as Hans and I'll take the OrdenMarschall

Edit: Or I ca be Hochmeister and Kanzler for a term. Either way is good for me. Heck, I'd be happy to take Dietrich.

[gibsonsg91921]

okay. lets wait a while for this to gain members before we start up. get to know the rules, etc. we'll start with a council meeting in a few days and then get going. i'll update the playlist - EF is maximillian and Zim is Dietrich?

i'll be hochmeister if no one wants to be, but it's an important position that we'll have to start off the game filled.

[Zim]

okay. lets wait a while for this to gain members before we start up. get to know the rules, etc. we'll start with a council meeting in a few days and then get going. i'll update the playlist - EF is maximillian and Zim is Dietrich?

i'll be hochmeister if no one wants to be, but it's an important position that we'll have to start off the game filled.

Dietrich is fine with me. I like chivalrous characters. :yes:

Is my Kanzlership unopposed? :clown:

P.S. Ok, Hochmeister renounces his House, so that leaves the other three as possible Dukes. Any votes on which guy is Duke of each House?

[gibsonsg91921]

Then I'll switch to Hochmeister.

[Ferret]

You can still be Hochmeister, Maximiliian is the Ordenmarschall. :yes:

Kansler and Hochmeister are seperate, I think, like Emperor and Chancelor in KOTR.

no but, like in KotR, the Hochmeister can take the position of Kansler once during his reign and, like in KotR, this is usually taken at the beginning of the game rather than have a vote with just 3 players.

[Zim]

Got it. Gibson, are you taking your right to take the Kanzlership? Or shall it come down to a mighty 3 man vote? :clown:


no but, like in KotR, the Hochmeister can take the position of Kansler once during his reign and, like in KotR, this is usually taken at the beginning of the game rather than have a vote with just 3 players.

[gibsonsg91921]

I think I'll pass on being Kanzler - maybe during the summer I'll have more time. Right now, I can do all the administrative stuff but I don't have time to actually play the game.

[Zim]

Ok, is everyone ok with Dietrich being Kanzler? Or should Gibson and I switch (if he's ok with it)?

[gibsonsg91921]

You can be Hochmeister and I could be Hans.

Remember the administrative duties you have to perform - naming Dukes of each House (while I strongly suggest Maximillian for Livonia and Hans for Prussia, this is really up to you), and everything else the Hochmeister has to do. I'll start the councils using a Diet Speaker-esque character, similar to econ21 in KOTR.

[Zim]

We'll switch then, and Gunther's first act at the diet will invoke his power to take the first Kanzlership.

I'll take a look at the starting game for the Order. If I remember correctly, Maximilian is the only person in Livonia, so he's a shoe in for Duke. Hans will be the Dread Duke of Prussia itself.

Since Diets last a while, the first one can also be used to allow any more new players to introduce themselves and get involved. :thumbsup:

[Warluster]

Are there any more positions left? I would like to play.

[Zim]

Dietrich is still open. :yes:

Dietrich 1-1c-5l-3

There should also be a few adoptions over the upcoming turns. Since there are no real "families" for the Teutonic Order, the Hochmeister (me, Gibson and I are switching avatars) gets to assign people to their House.

Dietrich starts in the south, but so do the Hochmeister and Hans. If you would prefer to be in the Livonian (northern) House with Elite Ferret, I don't think it would be a problem.


Are there any more positions left? I would like to play.

[Warluster]

I'll take Dietrich.

But could Dietrich be in Livonia?

[Zim]

I'll take Dietrich.

But could Dietrich be in Livonia?

Certainly. I can move him up there with the console, or just have him march/sail that direction.

Ok guys. Should I take it that there will be an equivalent to the KOTR's Imperial capital, which is under control of the Hochmeister himself? Marienburg is the capital for the faction, and could be used for that purpose. On the other hand, I'd hate to Take the prussian House's best castle, when the Livonians have more settlements and Riga.

Konigsburg would also work, it's nicely situated in the center of the Order's territories.

[gibsonsg91921]

Just march him there, we can say he was in Prussia helping with campaigns but will be returning home.

Playlist updated, and welcome Warluster!

We will be ready to start soon. I'll have a brief period of time for more people who may want to join as electors and for anyone to suggest rules, but after that I will start relevant threads.

[Zim]

Ok. :yes:

Now that all general avatars are assigned, shall we start the Diet?

[gibsonsg91921]

I'll start it now.

[Zim]

The thread looks great, Gibson! :2thumbsup:

As the first Kanzler, I guess I'm starting the game (not now, after the Diet of course). What difficulty should I use? VH/VH? Maybe H/VH?

[gibsonsg91921]

Let's go H/H so we don't scare away new players. H/H is no walk in the park. If you think that's too easy I'm open to H/VH, but campaign difficulty doesn't have to be more than H, that just makes the diplomacy terrible.

[Zim]

Let's go H/H so we don't scare away new players. H/H is no walk in the park. If you think that's too easy I'm open to H/VH, but campaign difficulty doesn't have to be more than H, that just makes the diplomacy terrible.

That's fine. I think H/VH would be better, since the AI doesn't get bonuses on higher battle difficulties (except when buring siege towers :furious3:) .

What difficulty is KOTR on, anyway? I suspect that with all the micromanagement, this will be a bit easier than SP.

[gibsonsg91921]

Yeah, let's go with H/VH. I think that's what KOTR is on.

[Zim]

Yeah, let's go with H/VH. I think that's what KOTR is on.

Sounds good. :2thumbsup:

Just one more thing: How centralized is the Order going to be? I understand that the Hochmeister can assign Houses, since there are no family members that makes sense. What about other stuff? Do we vote to attack a settlement in the Diet? Is the Order's capital Houseless and under control of the Hochmeister, like Rome was in KOTR?

[gibsonsg91921]

Well, at the start there is nothing barring the attacks of enemy settlements except for the penalties of the Hochmeister, etc. Legislation can be put into effect that prevents things like that.

Also, as of now, the capital of the Order is Marienburg, which is also the capital of Prussia, but that is also subject to change by the Hochmeister.

[deguerra]

might join up at some stage. should point out though that CAs german is terrible. its Ordensmarshall and Ordenskanzler, with an extra "s" and no capital in the middle of a word!

[gibsonsg91921]

haha yeah. i made up the Kanzler, but i based it off of CA's so i wasn't sure how to pull it off. join now! we're sure to get adoptions by turn 2. we also need people for the council as seconders and voters.

[Zim]

Oh yeah, well your first word has no subject! ~;p

:clown:

I'm not surprised it's wrong. I'll make sure to try to get them right now that I know, although I might slip up from time to time. :sweatdrop:

I hope you join. :2thumbsup: As Gibson noted, adoptions are common early on.


might join up at some stage. should point out though that CAs german is terrible. its Ordensmarshall and Ordenskanzler, with an extra "s" and no capital in the middle of a word!

[deguerra]

oh yeah, well it was a sentence :clown:

fair enough sign me up. I may have to be somewhat absent during the next week due to work though


Oh yeah, well your first word has no subject! ~;p

:clown:

I'm not surprised it's wrong. I'll make sure to try to get them right now that I know, although I might slip up from time to time. :sweatdrop:

I hope you join. :2thumbsup: As Gibson noted, adoptions are common early on.

[gibsonsg91921]

Alright! at the very least be a seconder to the 4 laws so far. u can be a generic member of the order not associated with a house until next turn when we adopt some dude

[deguerra]

im not sure I actually like the house system, it doesnt really fit with the order. im happy enough for you to use it, but would it be ok if I remained out of the houses for now, even once i get an avatar? in any case, consider them seconded

[gibsonsg91921]

hmm, interesting thoughts. the houses aren't actual family systems, but rather ways to organize the regions of the order better.

and thats up to the hochmeister. u probably won't get an army without being in a house tho, only a defensive garrison.

[Zim]

im not sure I actually like the house system, it doesnt really fit with the order. im happy enough for you to use it, but would it be ok if I remained out of the houses for now, even once i get an avatar? in any case, consider them seconded

I guess I could refrain from assigning you one forecver, technically. :clown:

Is there a better organizationaly system? I do like the idea of a hierarchy, and seperate centers for the sections of the Order.

Maybe the Brotherhood of Prussia, and the Brotherhood of Livonia? Or the Chapter of such and such?

[Zim]

hmm, interesting thoughts. the houses aren't actual family systems, but rather ways to organize the regions of the order better.

and thats up to the hochmeister. u probably won't get an army without being in a house tho, only a defensive garrison.

I could make him a general of the Order, and delegate the Hochmeister's army to him sometimes.

[gibsonsg91921]

I actually have thought about how it was strange to have the Houses. From henceforth we can call them Chapter Houses, but still Dukes because that's easier.

[deguerra]

well, broadlly speaking the order can be divided into the Teutonic Order and the Livonian Order (the Livonians being the more northern group) although technically the latter was a subject of the former by the time this campaign starts IIRC. I suppose if one wanted some sort of hierachical system the house system (or provinces, or chapters if you want a more "order"ish system) works best

[Zim]

I actually have thought about how it was strange to have the Houses. From henceforth we can call them Chapter Houses, but still Dukes because that's easier.

That works for me. Lets wait for deguerra to chime in. As a German he might have a better idea of some kind of title that would fit better than Duke (even if in game they're the same), or even a better organizational system.

[Zim]

well, broadlly speaking the order can be divided into the Teutonic Order and the Livonian Order (the Livonians being the more northern group) although technically the latter was a subject of the former by the time this campaign starts IIRC. I suppose if one wanted some sort of hierachical system the house system (or provinces, or chapters if you want a more "order"ish system) works best

Gah, I sposted right as you were writing this. :clown: If you were in complete control, how would you set it up? Keeping in mind that we'd like to keep some kind of hierarchy, and titles.

[gibsonsg91921]

Yeah, I'm open to ideas that will diversify it a bit from KOTR.

Hey, the Gahzette is out. I wonder if we were too new to make it in.

[deguerra]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Teutonic_state_1250.png

is a nice map showing the teutonic and livonian order territories. ill have a think and search regarding names and titles, but not now, as im still at work. english wiki seems useless, so ill have a search of the german one when i get home

[Zim]

That's fine. Are we agreed upon changing the names of the Houses to the Livonian and Teutonic/Prussian Orders?

[Zim]

Ok, I redid my first post in the Diet, changing the Houses to the Livonian and Prussian Chapters (both part of the Teutonic Order :yes: ). Does that look good, guys?

[deguerra]

if anyone didnt catch me on that lie then they dont know me well. im not devoted enough to my work.

right. basically, the order was split into two "Meistertuemer" (lit. Masterdoms, if you will): Prussia and Livonia, which is pretty much the same as having a Teutonic and Livonian order, except this is how it was done once they were unified. If you're happy with having just two "houses" for now, and possibly adding more later (more Masterdoms on different territory, ie a Masterdom of the Baltic or whatever) then you could use those.

After that, the Masterdoms were split into Komtureien, headed by a Komtur. This is basically what the individual regions in M2TW represent (CA got that much pretty accurately).

As for titles:

Brother (Knight)
Komtur (Count)
Meister (Duke)
Hochmeister (King/Emperor)

other titles include the Ordensmarschall (Headed the army) and the Schatzmeister (treasurer, possibly could be chancellor rather than Kanzler which doesnt really exit for an order)

sound allright?

[Zim]

It's Gibson's and EF's game, but I like those. I changed them in this post. Everyone tell me if it looks ok (haven't changed Kanzler yet, waiting for input).

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showpost.php?p=1778641&postcount=2

[deguerra]

rereading it now brother should be Bruder to stick with the German

[gibsonsg91921]

Yeah, I dig it. Change the Kanzler too, it'll help wean us from KOTR a tad.

[deguerra]

excellent. I think the distinction is an important one, as the Order was technically an ecclesiastic entity rather than the secular one it became later on.

[Zim]

Ok guys. I have to run to do my turn in the Teutonic campaign, but I'll make those last few changes. :yes:

[gibsonsg91921]

Sweet. We'll be able to start Tuesday.

[Ferret]

I'm happy with these ideas, 2 Houses is fine for now and we can add stuff like Chapter of Poloand or something if we conquer it. So right now my guy is Duke of Livonia and faction heir?

[Zim]

I'm happy with these ideas, 2 Houses is fine for now and we can add stuff like Chapter of Poloand or something if we conquer it. So right now my guy is Duke of Livonia and faction heir?

Yep, and upon request, Warluster's Dietrich is in your House as well. Given the probable lack of players, it might be good to make him your heir.

[gibsonsg91921]

Perhaps it's a bit premature, but

https://forums.totalwar.org/wiki/index.php/The_Frozen_Crusade

is the wiki article for our PBM. Feel free to edit it or create new pages as you see fit.

[RoadKill]

I'll join this PBM when there's a spare general. But don't just adopt any general, adopt a good one for me :beam:

[Zim]

We should get more generals soon, Roadkill. :yes: Not only do we have few for the number of territories we own, but we're about to conquer more cities. :skull:

Good work, Gibson. :2thumbsup: I'm sure that entry will be much longer in no time.

We should clarify something. Should we adopt all generals offered, or can I avoid terrible ones (i.e., a fifty year old, disloyal general with 0 command).

[gibsonsg91921]

Deguerra is first on the waiting list, but there should be one coming on Turn 3 too. You won't have to wait to long. In the meantime, feel free to play as a regular nonmilitary Bruder so you can get a piece of the Council.

[gibsonsg91921]

As far as adoption goes, don't get old or disloyal ones. Others, as shown in KOTR, can still advance quickly.

[Warluster]

I like the CHapter's thing.

We should think of similar things to make this PBM, I don't think most players want this to be a KOTR Copy. Perhaps we could have two Chancellors? Economical one and Military One?

Or maybe, OOC, we could try and be like the Order and vote in the Leader, simply by swapping characters and such and pretending one CHaracter is Hochmeister?

I have a few other ideas, though small ones. We could have Military Police?

[Zim]

I suppose we could make the Hochmeister have chancelor-like powers, then vote them in each ten years. That would make the game more distinct from the separate Emperor/Chancelor system in KOTR.

Gibson and EF came up with this game, we'll have to see what they say.

What would military police do, clear our lands of rebels?

I think everyone involved is open to inew deas to make things interesting. :yes:

[gibsonsg91921]

I'd be interested in trying new things, but I'm afraid that two chancellors would complicate and slow down the game, and making someone change characters would just be annoying to someone who's been developing the whole time. This system works well, I think.

But military police? What's that? It sounds intriguing.

[icejuggernaut]

Can I join as Admiral Friedrich?

[gibsonsg91921]

Yep! I'll update the playlist.

[Ferret]

when are we going to start?

[Zim]

when are we going to start?

I thought we had to wait 3 days for the Diet to end to start(Sunday night)? If we're done in there, we can start sooner.

[gibsonsg91921]

Yeah, I think we're done. If you want to start the first turn, go for it!

[Zim]

Yeah, I think we're done. If you want to start the first turn, go for it!

Will do. icejuggernaut, if it's ok I'm going to put your navy to work blockading Palanga, Lithuania's only port.

gibsonsg91921, I don't think Warluster meant we'd switch characters, I think he had the idea of making the Order more centralized than KOTR, but still elective. With his idea, Hochmeister and Chancellor would be merged and have the powers of both, but a new player would be elected for the position each ten years, and we'd just ignore who the game gave the title to.

I'm going to start preparing, turn one may be a bit dull, but action should start turns 2-3! :2thumbsup:

Oh, and Meisters, I need build queues. If nothing comes in by the next, say 8 hours, I might just prioritize it roads/first level farms/port/merchants.

[Privateerkev]

Just so you know, Palanga only has a fishing village. The Order starts with 2 ships that are almost useless in the early game. You could just sell them to save the upkeep.

[Zim]

Just so you know, Palanga only has a fishing village. The Order starts with 2 ships that are almost useless in the early game. You could just sell them to save the upkeep.

Drat. Well, anyway, I am not disbanding one of our Avatars to save cash. :clown: The war will be quick, and Visby and Abo are intended targets of mine.

[gibsonsg91921]

Hmm, voting on a Hochmeister would be interesting. Where would the Hochmeister go after he's served his term, though? How do you decide which house? Why would his rank be less than that of the Meisters? It raises difficult questions.

I would like to know what military police do, it sounds interesting.

[Zim]

We can spend the next ten turns figuring out some of this, I guess. The next Diet might be more revolutionary that this one! :clown: I would guess they'd go back to their old Order, and mine would probably go back to Prussia, to even things out.

Calling all Meisters, I need build queues.

[gibsonsg91921]

Haha, indeed!

I'm doing homework now, writing a paper about the MPAA rating system. If I work hard enough tonight I can get to it. However, if someone were to go on the game and PM me the options for Marienburg and Thorn, I'd be much obliged. Only if they were already on the game, I won't inconvenience anyone.

[Zim]

Writing the PM now.

[gibsonsg91921]

Thanks! You have my undying gratitude.

[Ferret]

just prioritize roads and farms in Livonia.

[Zim]

just prioritize roads and farms in Livonia.

Got it. :2thumbsup:

Hey guys, if no battles happen the first turn can I go ahead an move forward a turn or two?

[gibsonsg91921]

Umm, tell us what happens (world events, buildings, recruitment) but u can go after u post that.

[Zim]

Ok. :yes: I'll go ahead and start in a bit, then, and post back here.

[gibsonsg91921]

Alright. For the report, put it in the Council so we can react and respond IC.

[Zim]

Alright. For the report, put it in the Council so we can react and respond IC.

You want me to put in a report in the council every single turn? :clown:

[gibsonsg91921]

just a quick post, u don't need to do one of the big chancellor reports like what happens in KOTR. we're too early on for long posts anyways

[Zim]

Done. We had an adoption offer for a very bad, disloyal general. I rejected him. I hope that's ok.

Money is very tight, so we need to decide whether to disband or conquer. Given that Lithuania starts with a few large, nasty looking armies, I'd go for the latter. We need those men.

[gibsonsg91921]

I'd conquer. I ain't afraid of Lithuania, especially if my army is the one with those Dismounted Ritterbruder. I think it's Dietrich's, unfortunately, but Hans has a pretty nice army himself. We need to hit Lithuanian cities and get roads built everywhere.

[Zim]

I'd conquer. I ain't afraid of Lithuania, especially if my army is the one with those Dismounted Ritterbruder. I think it's Dietrich's, unfortunately, but Hans has a pretty nice army himself. We need to hit Lithuanian cities and get roads built everywhere.

Dietrich has the Ritterbruder (will probably transfer to Maximillian's army, since at this point they're a prestigious unit). You do have the best cavalry unit, a unit of Halfbruder.

[gibsonsg91921]

Excellent! If you want to start the next turn nobody's stopping you, but if you don't have the time there's no rush.

[Warluster]

Well I just threw the idea of MP around but...

I got the idea from the MP in WWII. As we don't have heaps of players now, we only have one MP.

The MP could be voted in, or perhaps chosen by Hochmeister? THey would then focus on destroying Rebels, keeping unhappy cities under control, escorting Allied Armies, that sort of thing.

We could change and add a few things but I reckon it sounds okay.

[gibsonsg91921]

Yeah, that sounds cool! Let's wait until deguerra and RoadKill have avatars and then we can introduce the new position of Military Policeman and the Hochmeister can choose one for each Council session.

[Zim]

Ok, guys, turn two is done. We have two battles, one for Warluster and one for gibsonsg91921. It might be a bit ebfore I can upload the save(someone's using the comp with the good internet connection) but in the meantime I'll try to upload on my dial-up.

deguerra, you are officially Karl Scherer. He has no command stars yet, but is young (27), and has a few good traits (including marks of war, which gives hit points and authority if you ever become Hochmeister).

I should have rephrased that last post, gibsonsg91921, Halfbruder are our best current cavalry unit, but there is a mounted ritterbruder we'll get some day.

[gibsonsg91921]

Sweet! I can't wait to fight 'er. When it's uploaded just post here, and I might be able to fight it tonight.

[Zim]

Good news, I should be able to get it up in a few minutes. Sadly, Hans' battle is a bit lame, it's only against rebels (the Lithuanians are on their way, though). Waluster has an assault on Palanga, which has a weak garrison, but they have a decent reinforcing army.

[Warluster]

I won't be able to fight mine, please Auto Resolve.

I hope Scherer is luckier then the one in KotR.

Edit: Seeing as it is a decent battle, maybe someone else would want to fight it?

[Zim]

I let a young whippersnapper command the dismounted Ritterbruder and you can't fight the battle. Tsk tsk. :clown:

You should cream them in autoresolve. :yes:

[gibsonsg91921]

I'll fight my battle now and Zim can auto-resolve when I get it back.

I like fighting rebels and creaming them, I'm not too great a battler. I'm ok though, I have a few Heroic Victories in KOTR and had one that was my only battle in Magna Carta.

[Warluster]

Ah, Magna Carta. What happened to that? it just died...


I let a young whippersnapper command the dismounted Ritterbruder and you can't fight the battle. Tsk tsk

[long reminicsing rant] Well back in my day... [/long reminicsing rant]

I'll try and think up some other stuff, like MP. Good way to find stuff is go over history.

[gibsonsg91921]

Yeah, let's try to make this game a precedent people follow! Haha

[Zim]

Alright, I got it!

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1252-1.zip

If that doesn't work, go into the filespace and hit last modified twice, it'll go right to the top.

With Warluster unable to fight the battle, that leaves only one.

Meister Hans
Hans, you have departed Konigsburg with a decent force and met the rest of your army east of Marienburg. You now control a large army, albeit somewhat mixed in quality. You have marched east, intending to take Hrodna on your way to Minsk, but have been stopped by a small group of rebels. They are old style pagans, and seek to undermine Order rule by stirring unrest in the area. Their army is small, and this is merely the first test of your new army.

[gibsonsg91921]

up up and away!

edit: fought, not gonna bother posting the screenshot. 4% losses, 87% kills.

save uploading

[Zim]

Sorry, gibsonsg91921. When I saw there were no new posts in the thread, I assumed you hadn't done the battle yet. :clown: I'll get us at least one more turn tonight.

[Zim]

Ok guys, another turn has passed. Poland came begging for an alliance, and Palanga was taken, but we have some tough decisions to make as well. Check the council thread for details.

Also, we have another avatar, Athalwolf von Essen. His stats are great. :2thumbsup:

[gibsonsg91921]

So deguerra is Karl Scherer and RoadKill is Athalwolf von Essen? Excellent.

[Zim]

Alright, before I can end the turn we have one battle for Karl Scherer (deguerra).


http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1253-1.zip

Karl, you have sieged the village of Bialystok. It has a fairly weak garrison and no walls, allowing it to be assaulted right away. Meister Hans was kind enough to lend you some infantry for the assault. Use them well, because in doing so he endangered his own siege of Hrodna. He will need you and most of your forces to reinforce him there to make his assault on it next season easier.

Also, I'm disappointed moreof you weren't outraged IC by the Novgorod-Lithuanian alliance. :clown:

[deguerra]

am at work at the moment. will do my outraging and fighting when I get home :D

[gibsonsg91921]

I can outrage soon!

[Zim]

Hooray outraging!

[deguerra]

save is up

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1253-2.rar

(hope .rar is ok, I didn't have anything else)

Battle was fairly uneventful. Village was better fortified than expected, and with a decent AI would have given me a fair run for my money. As it was losses were about 10% (30 men) although I must confess quite a few of the ChristKnights copped it :D (nine of them).

We gained a grand 1 florin from occupying the village. Both exterminating and sacking would have killed 14 people and gotten us nothing. So I figured 1 was best :D

Screenshots and a brief report at some later stage.

[Zim]

Cool. I'll take the save and move it to the next turn. Hans may have a battle over the AI turn.

I can handle .rar files.

[Zim]

As I expected, there was a battle in the AI turn. Hans, sieging Hrodna, was attacked by three armies. Two are tiny and suck, and the last one is larger and sucks. :clown: All together they might be a challenge, but since they'll likely come one by one, it should be easy. I'll get the save up as soon as I can.

Elite Ferret will be getting a battle next turn, to relieve Windau, which appears to have a decent force sieging it. From there, he'll move south to take some unit from Dietrich, and starting kicking butt.

The war is heating up, guys. :thumbsup:

[Zim]

Forgive the triple post, but I wanted the thread to show as having a new post so it doesn't get skipped over.

gibsonsg91921, you're up. :yes:

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1253-3.zip

Meister Hans, you have sieged Hrodna, albeit with a smaller force tha orgially planned. You have been attacked before Bruder Karl can reach you with the soldiers you lent him. There are three Lithuanian armies. Two are small and of no consequence. The other is closer to the size of your own army, but contains much weaker troops. Together, they might be a threat, but you could probably take them piecemeal as they enter the field.

Hey guys, how are we handling expansion in the long run? I know we'll want to reconnect the Order territories, but will we keep up a similiar pace after? In short, how long a game would you like?

[gibsonsg91921]

I'd want a long game. As long as it stays active, I don't see why it won't be as fun as KOTR.

[Zim]

Ok, I wasn't sure. I know we don't have rules like Edicts to incorporate, but that make sense as a military Order. I just wanted to make sure I didn't push expansion too fast in my term.

I've found that if you leave the western half of the map alone long enough, sone of the three factions there becomes dominant. Since thy're all Catholic and not targets, that gives us a good target for the end game. :yes:

Should we put together some kind of stack composition rules like in KOTR?

[gibsonsg91921]

Picking up the save, I'll double post when I'm done and it's uploaded.

[gibsonsg91921]

Done, Heroic Victory. The Novgorod's proposed trade rights and map information before i got a chance to save and i accidentally refused, which isn't bad cuz im sure we would have anyway.

FrozenCrusade1253-4.zip is the file.

[Zim]

Ok, you ended the turn then? Hans has a battle so I might as well let Elite Ferret take it before I do anything. Did you get the city?

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/FrozenCrusade1253-4.zip

Meister Maximillian, when your castle of Windau was sieged you raced from Riga to relieve it. Your force is large but somewhat mixed in quality. Nonetheless, it is more than a match for the opposing Lithuanian force. You should be careful with your troops, though, because next you march south to take in some of Dietrichs, and from there you will go into Lithuanian territory.

[gibsonsg91921]

Yeah, the turn is over. I sacked Hrodna and executed the prisoners.

[Ferret]

Taking the save.

[Ferret]

well I would if it didn't link to atomic gamer :P

I'm guessing it's a .rar file in the archive then.

[Zim]

It's a zip, I must have done something wrong typing up the link.

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/?C=M;O=D

[Ferret]

umm a new guy got offered as soon as I loaded up the save he has:
0 command
1 dread
7 loyalty
3 piety

he is below 30 (IIRC) and is called Markus Otterbach. I accepted seeing as the benefactor was my avatar :clown:

[Zim]

I'll mention him in the Council post for this turn. :yes:

[Ferret]

battle fought and save uploaded:http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1253-5.rar

stats:
https://img230.imageshack.us/img230/2903/fc1ce8.th.jpg (https://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fc1ce8.jpg)

[Zim]

Nice, I'll get us through the next turn today.:yes:

[Zim]

Ok, I need to ask a question of one of the experienced KOTR players here. An army is marching on Konigsburg. I can play a battle myself (as the Hochmeister) but I need to pull troops down from Palanga to match them. Is it within my authority as a chancellor type figure to do so?

If I need permission is it from Dietrich, who the troops are currently under, or Meister Hans, who they were promised to?

[Ferret]

Usually the chancellor does decide this, AFAIK. In KotR garrisons can be used freely as the Chancellor orders but troops from Household armies or suchlike need permision to be used usually. But hey your the Faction leader and Chancellor, who's going to stop you or notice :clown:

[Zim]

Ok, just checking. Technically, I'm not sure we have "Household armies" at the moment, unless you count the troop I put under Hans and Maximillian (Max is getting those men I'm about to use, not Hans. I mistyped).

In that case, I'll fight the battle now. :yes: No more this turn, should have a report soon.

[gibsonsg91921]

Chancellors have pretty strong leeway, and a Hochmeister especially seeing as they're the faction leaders elected for life.

[Zim]

I'm starting to think I should give up on leading battles in these games. After a rather bloody battle in the woods, I thought I was doing well. Took some losses from their horsearchers, but closed in, and routed nearly their whole army (with the rest withdrawing).

Then a shot from a mangonel crew (with fire at will turned off and specifically ordered to stop firing :furious3: ) killed the Hochmeister! :wall:

Somehow I got a man of the hour promotion for the Hochmeister's army. Rupert Bresch. He's taken control and is awaiting orders.

Oddly, Hans seems to have been made the heir in the prior turn. I think whoever has the highest command becomes Ordensmarschall, and he might have gotten 1 star from that last battle of his.

[Zim]

Ok, Maximillian has a battle. I should be able to upload it in a bit.

Since the Hochmeister has died, I guess I'll make the report OOC in here. Windau is safe, Hrodna has been secured. We are making some 1,000 florins in profitc per turn, and build queues are beginning to be fulfilled this turn. If Maximillian wins this next battle, which drew a city garrison out, then we will be making plenty of money.

The Hochmeister never assigned Roadkill's character (von Essen) to an Order, as he hasn't replied to my pm asking which he prefers. Rupert would prefer the Prussian Order, since Hans' having to leave it makes it a bit short.

Also, Palanga was never assigned. :clown: I meant to leave portioning out the Lithuanian territories to Orders after the war. I had planned to have the new Teutonic Order capital in the center, but hadn't decided if Palanga would be better, being on the sea, of something like Vilnius, directly in the middle of the territories we're taking.

[Warluster]

For the MP thing, should I suggest it to the Council?

[gibsonsg91921]

Yeah, outline all the details. We can implement it next session.

[Zim]

Guys, since it's the middle of the night where EF is, and he probably won't get to his battle until tomorrow, why don't we work out some of the unassigned counties and such, and start a vote on whether Rupert can finish the Schatzmeistership of Gunther?

[deguerra]

this is excellent. karl scherer felt very unappreciated so I"m going to make him a bit of a nasty meister, but don't worry his sentiments do not reflect my own.

is there any reason we shouldnt let Rupert take over as Schatzmeister?

[Zim]

this is excellent. karl scherer felt very unappreciated so I"m going to make him a bit of a nasty meister, but don't worry his sentiments do not reflect my own.

is there any reason we shouldnt let Rupert take over as Schatzmeister?

None OOC, but IC it might be a bit odd to give away such an important title to a new general, even if he does have the old one's army for the moment. I think only the Hochmeister can have the title without a vote, so it may be prudent to hold one for Rupert, since half the term has not been filled.

[deguerra]

well its not like we HAVE that many generals. as i said IC, could I OOC ask for a list of territories, generals and their positions within the order. just to make things clearer

[Zim]

If I recalle correctly gibsonsg91921 made a list like that at the beginning of one of the old game threads. Maybe he could update it?

I can put one together tonight, but I have to go in a bit.

Konigsburg is Imperial land for the time being, likely to be returned to Prussia at the end of the war. Only Thorn and Marienburg are Prussian, with the latter the capital of Prussia. There are no Prussian Counts/whatever religious orders would call them.

Livonia is the larger and wealthier of the two Orders, amusingly, since it starts with more territory and hasn't lost one to be the Order capital. I think only we are in the Prussian Order/Chapter, plus maybe the unassigned general.

[deguerra]

Counts are Komturs.

Koenigsberg would be...Order territory I suppose, but not Imperial :P

And Livonia may be larger, but Prussia is obviously the home of the order and as such more prestigious :P But I am Meister and would say that.

:clown:

But thanks anyway, that gives me a bit of an overview

[Zim]

Close enough. :clown: I'll get these terms down yet. So, mein Meister, shall I be Komtur of Thorn?

[Zim]

Ok, Maximillian is up for a battle.

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1254-1.zip

Meister Maximillian, you have attacked a small Lithuanian stack near one of their cities (Sialuwhatsit). The garrison is reinforcing, andif you defeat them you'll take the city. Their forces are slightly weaker tha your (4:3) and the first force to enter the field will have no general. You can affor to use your men hard inthe battle, as Rupert Bresch is a season or so away with a huge army built by the old Hochmeister for you.

[gibsonsg91921]

do that stuff IC! the meister of thorn stuff.

[Zim]

I'm not sure it would be polite for Bresch to ask to be Komtur of Thorn IC. :clown: Of course, the announcement could be made IC.

Too bad we aren't having some sort of cataclysm, with all of the Hochmeister's old army, and the several units added from Dietrich's, my new character now leads a force by far the largest the game has seen in its short life. :laugh4:

[deguerra]

Komtur of thorn, Meister of Prussia. Ill get you there yet

[gibsonsg91921]

Why does Karl feel unappreciated? Is that a trait of his?

[Zim]

Well, we did send him with a mighty host to conquer a village with only florin in it. :clown:

[deguerra]

yeh he has that trait. hes also handsome and with the village thing I thought it would make for good roleplaying

[Zim]

Wow, Prussia looks a lot smaller with its territories listed out next to those of Livonia like that.

[gibsonsg91921]

yeah, kinda. Hrodna and Bialystok will go to Prussia, and Konigsburg will go back, and right now Palanga's looking like a good capital. But not yet.

[Zim]

Just wait until after the war. If Hans doesn't pull a Jan (my first character to die in a successful attack, in KOTR), then he'll have a lot of territories to apportion.

[Warluster]

I've proposed the Edict, hope it explains a lot. I've tried to RP my character as young and angry.

[Zim]

:laugh4: We have a lot of angry youngsters lately. I wonder how I should roleplay Rupert, with his beginning with dread.


I've proposed the Edict, hope it explains a lot. I've tried to RP my character as young and angry.

[Ferret]

???? I thought Maximilian had more command stars? I'm sure in my previous games the Ordensmarshall has always become the next Hochmeister and it's the next Ordensmarshall that is selected by command rating. Very very strange. I'll fight the battle now.

Edit: Hans starts off with one command star and Max has 4, I don't see how he could have gained so many from just tow battles.

[Zim]

Hmmm...that is odd. I'll look at the save in a bit. I kept some of the older ones as well. Maybe it's a bug or something. Even if it is, I don't think we can change it, though. :no:


You have a battle from this post, EF. :yes:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showpost.php?p=1783597&postcount=138

[Ferret]

no I checked before the battle and Hans did have more command, I didn't realise he even had a famous battle marker to show for it! Battle won:
men lost: 75
men killed:149
prisoners executed:259+enemy general

Max has gained another point of dread and some more command, he's the top general again now :clown: Doesn't look like he'll become Hochmeister unless Hans dies in battle though, he's older by about 10 years.

[Zim]

I'm sorry, something odd must have happened when he fought those 3 battles for Hrodna. :sweatdrop:

[gibsonsg91921]

Yeah, that's really weird. Who knows! Probably some bug.

[Zim]

Hey, EF, did you upload the save. I'm having trouble finding it. :sweatdrop:

[Ferret]

oops I've done it again, I wrote the post and forgot to post it or upload the save :wall: I'm such an idiot at times, sorry

save:http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1254-2.rar

[Zim]

I'll get us to the next turn then. :yes:

[gibsonsg91921]

Alright. Make sure you post the report and battles in the Council.

[Zim]

I'll get mine up tonight. :2thumbsup:
Sorry about the delay, my wireless was on the fritz last night, New save should be up today, with, I suspect, battles for Hans and Maximillian.

[Zim]

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1255-1.zip

Ok, it took only one turn to get two new battles. :sweatdrop:

We have two battles.

Gibson, Hans is ready to assault a decent sized Lithuanian settlement. Souldbe fairly straightforward.

Elite Ferret, you have a tougher possible battle. Novgorod has besieged Riga with a large army. You can relieve them, but it will be tough. At most, maybe the garrison and army together are equal to their's Rupert can send you some(or a lot) of reinforcements, but you'll have to wait an extra turn if this happens, and Riga may fall.

[gibsonsg91921]

What settlement is it? Minsk?

[Zim]

Lida, you're still a couple turns from Minsk, although I'm pushing you straight east towards it. Would you rather skip other settlements on the way? I thought it might be dangerous to g deep into Lithuanian territory without taking the settlements.

[Warluster]

The Finger of Accusation has been pointed in the Council.

Riga, hey? If that's lost it will be quite a fury for us Livonians. Imagine the Council thread... I'm going to write up a story for the Stories Thread soon, it needs filling.

[deguerra]

well its not part of Prussia, waluster. you can hardly blame this one on me :clown:

[Warluster]

Darn it, there goes Plan A. Don't worry, I can blame this on someone *cough*HochMeister *cough*:drama3: :joker:

[Zim]

Well, guys, I'm out of here for a few houre. Either Gibson or EF (or both) can play their battles, and I'll continue it after they're done. :yes:

3 more turns until the next Schatzmeister.

[Ferret]

hmmm who is inside Riga? If there is just a small garrison then I will risk it falling and besiege as soon as reinforcements arrive.

[Zim]

I think it is fairly small at best. Between them and your army, you should have an equal number of units to the Novgorodan army. With extra men from Rupert's army(half of which was going to you by right anyway), you'll have far more men than them. :yes:


hmmm who is inside Riga? If there is just a small garrison then I will risk it falling and besiege as soon as reinforcements arrive.

[Ferret]

I think I'll wait then, ummmm there was a small mutiny which delayed Maximilian for the tiem being :clown: it should be sorted out by next year.

[Zim]

That's fine. :yes: I'll give you the best units from Rupert's forces, as befitting a Meister, and keep on the defensive with him. With Hans going full out on the Lithuanians, we should be able to keep expanding in the meantime. Eventually, we'll talk expansion against Novgorod, depending on how quickly we want this game to go.

[gibsonsg91921]

Yeah, keep steamrolling through. Don't go straight to Minsk if there's settlements on the way.

[gibsonsg91921]

Uhh, my grandparents are over so I won't be able to play. Autoresolve it, please. Sorry for the delay.

[Zim]

Will do. Should be an easy win. :yes:

[Zim]

Ok, two more turns and two more battles. Gibson can assault Minsk this turn, I take it he's still indisposed, thought. EF can retake Riga, which has been occupied. I'll get the save up soon.

[deguerra]

zim, as the high and mighty master of prussia, do i need to be submitting any build orders and telling my army of subordinates (you) where to go, what to do, and to praise god and me in the highest?

[Zim]

Well, money's been on the tight side, so I haven't pushed much for new build orders from you (I couldn't fulfill them anyway :clown:), but yes, you are now in control of the build orders of Marienburg. Since Rupert is Komtur of Thorn, he does build orders for that city.

You can command Rupert if you'd like, right now he's hanging back in reserve to send men to reinforce armies at both sides of the conflict. We need to hire some troops soon, but with Minsk taken and Riga retaken (both to happen this turn), we'll be good to do that next season.

Theoretically, your underlings could tell you to sod off and you can't do much aside from take away titles, but I doubt that would happen. Given Rupert's dislike of Livonia, I think he'd be happy to leave his position in the north and march down to help Prussia. :beam:

[Warluster]

. Given Rupert's dislike of Livonia, I think he'd be happy to leave his position in the north and march down to help Prussia. :beam:

Oho! The truth comes out! The next time Dietrich wants to accuse someone, I shall remember!:idea2: :grin3:

Right, off to the Council to cause some trouble!

[Zim]

Hey now, no metagaming! ~;p

I think it's pretty well established that the young generation of Dread-heavy Komturs isn't enamored of their rival Orders. :clown:



Oho! The truth comes out! The next time Dietrich wants to accuse someone, I shall remember!:idea2: :grin3:

Right, off to the Council to cause some trouble!

[Zim]

Ok, I'm guessing GIbson still can't play so I autoresolved the Minsk battle (only 1 unit in it anyway). The Order is now the proud owner of Minsk.

EF, you have a chance to assault Riga now. :yes:

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1258-1.zip

[Ferret]

should be able to play it in about 4/5 hrs.

[Ferret]

taking the save

[Ferret]

triple post and won:http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1258-2.rar

[Zim]

Ok, I'll get my last turn today. I don't forsee any more battles my term, unless the AI does something unexpected. Our next Council should be opening up soon with elections. Who should make the thread for it?

[gibsonsg91921]

It could be the same thread, just with a new Council Speaker opening it up. We didn't really adhere to edicts and laws this term, that could have precedents.

Zim, have an end of term report to post before we open up the next Council so we all know where we stand. Just like the territories, any adoptions, etc.

Is anyone thinking of running for Schatzmeister.

[Zim]

Latest save ready for perusal while we wait for the new elections.

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1259-1.zip

[Zim]

I should note we have two new avatars ready, Markus Otterbach and Matthias Carolinger.

[gibsonsg91921]

yeah, and RoadKill is Athalwolf von Essen but he isn't active here.

[Warluster]

Its funny how many names in M2TW:K are so similar to M2TW. ALl the names we have I can remember from KOTR.

[Zim]

Since we're playing another German faction, they might have used the same set of names.

I wonder if there were Prussian specific names they could have added for the order?

[gibsonsg91921]

I think there are a few more Polish names too, right?

[deguerra]

so should I be setting build orders etc for Prussia myself, or telling the new Schatzmeister to do so?

[Zim]

You tell the new Schatzmeister and he sets them.


so should I be setting build orders etc for Prussia myself, or telling the new Schatzmeister to do so?

[gibsonsg91921]

And any of your men that are Komturs set their own settlements.

[Zim]

Alright, Rupert wins by default it seems. :beam: I'm waiting for my wireless to get back up (it's fickle sometimes :clown: ) then I have a lot of game things to do. I'll get the next turn started tonight. Warluster, I assume you're able to play battles now? I'll try to get you on some of the action with Novgorod, maybe with Rupert's army. Be warned, the best of it went to Maximillian so it's large but not great yet. I'll reinforce from Windau or something.

EF and Gibson, I'll be moving you to take out the Lithuanians if that's ok. I think I need build queues again, I'll put up the save when my wireless gets back on tonight, so you can look at it.

I should have an IC post in the Council thread in a bit detailing my plans.

[Ferret]

build whatever you want, I'd only make your job harder by saying. As for battles, the more the merrier.

[Zim]

build whatever you want, I'd only make your job harder by saying. As for battles, the more the merrier.

:thumbsup: Sounds good. Anyone else? I'm going to start the turn today, orders or no orders. :yes:

[gibsonsg91921]

focus on economy in Minsk, thats all.

[Zim]

Sorry for the wait guys. The weather has been bad where I'm at and my wireless connection has been off the past few days. It took me half an hour to upload that KOTR save yesterday.

I'm going to forge ahead and take the turn tonight. If the wireless is still out, I can upload the save after everyone else in my house is asleep (luckily, I'm a night owl).

Sorry again. Normally this doesn't happen. :sweatdrop:

[gibsonsg91921]

It's cool. I can't blame you for the weather. We want to keep the momentum up - keep 'er going.

[Zim]

I'm sorry about the even further lateness. Some rather odd family things occurred last night. Good news is the wireless is up making uploading the save easy, so I'll get a turn done right now.

[Zim]

Alright, another turn done. No battles for anyone but me this turn, and I was forced into it. Denmark besieged one of our northern territories, and only Rupert could reach it. If we were playing EU3, I'd say we're entering into the badboy wars you get if you take too many provinces too quickly. :clown: Dietrich is now in command of a solid half stack, Maximillian is sieging Vilnius, Lithuania's capital and settlement of decent size. Hans is still in Minsk. The Mongols are puttering around there, and I'd like him to watch out for them.

I'll fight the battle today, and should have a siege assault (or field battle if they relieve) for EF tomorrow.

I've learned something from this. I'd be a really bad Chancellor in KOTR. I'm just stretched too thin because I'm involved in so many MP games (and an EU3 aar). This won't affect this game, but it's something for me to remember next KOTR Diet.

[deguerra]

what about karl? its time I get more into this

[Zim]

I was thinking Karl should babysit that village he took. :clown:

Actually, now that Hans is Hochmeister it's time to build a new Prussian army for Karl.

I'm sorry, I am trying (and failing :clown: ) to make sure everybody has something to do. It's largely been Hans' game before this, so I was trying to get Maximillian and Dietrich in on things more the past couple turns. I had planned on having Rupert sit in Riga a while, then the Danes attacked. He doesn't have a proper army, just some prussian archers and pikemen from Riga. :clown:

I'll start recruiting a Prussian army in Marienburg right away. Lithuania just needs some mopping up but I think perhaps Prussian generals should lead the assault on Visby, and any assault on the Mongols or Danes in Scandinavia. :yes:

Is there a specific thing Karl would like to do? You can submit plans/orders in the Council thread. I don't think we'll need a seperate Orders thread like KOTR.


what about karl? its time I get more into this

[deguerra]

Dont have m2tw here atm, so I didnt even know where he was. Feel free to keep him wherever he is and doing little until that Prussian army is finished. Then let him rendezvous with that.

[Zim]

Any particular theater you'd like him to go to after the army is complete? Lithuania is pretty much dead (more villages after Vilnius falls). A long march could take him to Novgorodan territory, or he could raid Scandinavia to get back at Denmark for attacking us. There is also a very nice rebel island city in Visby I could send him to.

[deguerra]

good plan, take Gotland (visby). Probably don"t need a very large army for that at all.

[Zim]

Ok, it's 1261 now. Rupert saw off the Danish armies, although with some losses (not much fun going against viking raiders/dismounted huscarls and Norse archers with Burgher Pikemen and Prussian Archers :clown: ).

I have bad news for EF. The Lithuanian's have moved to relieve Vilnius. They have a large garrison inside reinforcing one tiny army and one very large one relieving the siege. They also have some five units of horsearchers between the two bigger armies.

Unless you're a far better player than me (not only possible but probable) I'd say this is too nasty a battle to risk it. Bleeding one of the larger armies then withdrawing might be a good idea, so they don't follow you after your withdrawal with too many men.

The good news is Dietrich is in nearby Dunaburg with a strong half stack and between the two of you the Lithuanians won't stand a chance next turn.

The save for EF.
http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1261-1.zip

Since Hans became Hochmeister and took his army with him, a new Prussian army is being recruited at Marienburg for Karl, who will be sent to take Visby, a good trading city and staging point for any future assault on the Danes.

[Ferret]

will fight in about 5/6 hrs

edit: taking the save

[Ferret]

...Unless you're a far better player than me (not only possible but probable)...

didn't you learn anything from the crusades hotseat?

anyway save is here:http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1261-2.rar

battle report to follow

forgot to save before popups again though

Profits: 2827
Strongest faction: Denmark
Most Advanced: us
War between the Danes and HRE

[Zim]

didn't you learn anything from the crusades hotseat?


I've learned that ability with the campaign map and ability with the battles are not directly proportional. :clown: If you won the battle you did better than I could. :yes:

I wonder if we should be worried about Denmark. Up until now, every turn we've been the strongest faction but one of the less advanced.

[Zim]

Alright, I'm taking the save and moving us forward.

Thanks for the notice on the popups. As long as I'm informed of anything important I'm not too bothered about whether you save before they come up. I consider this kind of a more casual version of KOTR. We don't need edicts to conquer territory, and since there are so few of us formal votes have been rare in the Council (at least, adding up points of influence has typically been unneccesary).

[Warluster]

It would be good if we could get more players though. Do you think we should go 'campaigning' for more people? Or just leave it like it is? I think theres plently of players now to have a good dsicussion/ argument/ duel.

[gibsonsg91921]

More players would be nice, Roadkill is inactive in this game although technically he's supposed to be Athalwolf von Essen. Hopefully we can get more players. Feel free to campaign if you'd like.

[Zim]

Alright, another year done. Currently we have the stongest military in the Baltic, but the drain of fighting three factions simultaneously is beginning to tell. Rupert fought off some Russians threatening Riga but marched north too late to save Pernau, which fell to the Danes (no general inside, so I had to autoresolve it. Not pleasant, but it adds to the challenge). It should be recaptured shortly. Karl has a small but powerful army, with siege engines, sailing to take Visby (two turns, I think). We really need the money from it to stay afloat.

This save is up for EF, who gets some revenge for that last battle. This time he has the overwhelming numbers, English knights, and a catapult to assault A Lithuanian city.

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1264-1.zip

Gibson has a choice. A full stack of Lithuanians, remnants from EF's last battle, seem to be marching south on Lida. Hans has a half decent army in Minsk, and I queued up more men there. I also queued some in Lida, which will be hired before the castle is sieged. More men in Hrodna to the west await a general. If these armies could be combined, I'd say a relief of the future siege of Lida is possible.

[Ferret]

taking the save

[Ferret]

two battles fought: http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1264-2.rar

https://img124.imageshack.us/img124/1308/fc1jg4.th.jpg (https://img124.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fc1jg4.jpg)

[Zim]

Another turn done.

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1265-1.zip

EF, you may have another battle up. You can take the small town of Paneveszys to the north. Two very large Lithuania armies are hanging around Vilnius, I don't think you can fight one without bringing the other into battle. Maybe one can be drawn away? Cavalry reinforcements are available if you need them.

Deguerra, you are two turns away form assaulting Visby.

Gibson, that army marching on Lida move back north to guard Vilnius. You can chase them to help Maximillian, or wait in Minsk to see if the Mongols are going to attack (thry're snooping around).

Pernau has been retaken.

[gibsonsg91921]

Hmm - I think I'll chase the Lithuanians. Mongols scare me in a siege - i want to trap them in the open field between the walls of the city and an army.

[Ferret]

I don't think I'll have time to play this within the time limit but I'd like to, I can always use night attack to only face one you know, Max does have 7 command and the trait is automatically gained at 5 stars.

[Zim]

at might be a good idea, EF. Those two stacks outside of Vilnius are Lithuania's last major forces, so taking them out would make Maximillian quite the hero. ::yes:

[Zim]

*crickets chirping*

Am I to take it you're unable to fight the battle, EF? :clown:

[Ferret]

Argghh sorry my internet is back up again now but I'm not sure how long for, I'll take the save and see if it is still up when I've finished.

[Zim]

Ok. You've got a turn up for the Grand Campaign hotseat as well, but if you're still having trouble one of your allies could play it. :yes:

[Ferret]

well I've played both hotseats and this battle and the internet is up again so I'm hoping it will work long enough to upload the files - watch this space.

Edit:http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Frozen-Crusade1265-2.rar

sorry I don't have any screenies as I couldn't trust the internet to upload them but I fought three battles:

one against their largest army, one against the little one and a final one leading to the capture of Vilnius. There is one large army left outside but it's mainly horse archers which would wipe me out in a field battle.

[gibsonsg91921]

Sweet! Way to rebound.

[Zim]

Sounds good. :2thumbsup:

I shall get the next turn up today.

Good luck with the internet. I have wireless, so I have problems a lot as well...:sweatdrop:

[Zim]

Hey guys, sorry about the delay. Before we contine, I was wondering about something. What should we do about EF's internet problems and deguerra's going away a few weeks? With Warluster still working on getting Kingdoms, that leaves us down to two who can fight battles.

Should we take a break until these are resolved, or just forge ahead?

If we do continue, should we designate subs for the players unable to fight battles?

[gibsonsg91921]

I believe we should take a break to rest and advertise.

[Zim]

Ok, I'll get together a list of the available avatars. Haven't got any new ones recently, but I think there's still 3 open or so.

[Ferret]

I think my internet is working fine now as it hasn't been down for a few days so I should be able to play battles fine again but I'm fine with a break, it was a bit dull with rare discusion IC or OOC.

[Zim]

Funny, I think AussieGiant made the same complaint about KOTR. The answer was that when the Chancellor is doing his job well, there's less discussion. :clown:

I could try to prompt some discussion in the Council thread, and I'll finally get a battle report for Rupert's last battle up today.


I think my internet is working fine now as it hasn't been down for a few days so I should be able to play battles fine again but I'm fine with a break, it was a bit dull with rare discusion IC or OOC.

[Zim]

Ok, it appears as if jsut about all participants are ready to start this up again. I will get to the next turn within the day. If there are any thoughts before I push it through, I'm happy to hear them. :yes:

With the Frozen Crusade's rebirth we may want to advertise again, I'll write up a list of available avatars.

[Warluster]

So all edict's proposed and passed beforehand are still confirmed?

[Zim]

I believe so, although all I know so far is that Gibson pmed me saying everyone but deguerra has signed off on restarting. I think we will just be continuing from where we left off.