Pics and History of your Empire

[Monk]

So we have one of these threads in the Main hall but looking around here, I really don't see one. So I hope Martok doesn't mind If I start one for kicks. Besides, i think it's a ton of fun to read the history of some of the .orgah's empires that they've created.

I'll start the thread off on the right foot with my current campaign as England. (patch 1.3, Stainless Steel 6.0).

In the year 1154 of our lord the Kingdom of England's borders have been extended greatly by the blood of it's noble soldiers. After a long service to the holy father in Rome, England has chosen it's own path, forging it's own destiney from the fires of conflict and war.
Current state of affairs:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

1080-1102.
Here reigned King William the Conqueror.
After securing South of England and proclaiming himself, King William spent his days securing his newfound kingdom and doing all that he could to ensure that his sons would inherit a strong position from which to conquer. In 1095, the first crusade is declared. The King's son Prince Henry vows to see the holy city taken from the hands of the Fatamid Caliphate that now claims the city as their own. The long journey proves to be too much for him, and though he continues onward with his men, his mental health deteriorates. He soon becomes known as Prince Henry the Mad, and often threatens to skin his own men alive if they disobey him!

1102-1154.
Here reigned King William the Profane.

1103: The following year after his coronation news reaches the King that his brother, Prince Henry, has sacked the city of Jerusalem! The Crusade is deemed a great suceess by the pope, and though saddened by the treatment of the city, sends a gift in florins to the Kingdom of England. Prince Henry seizes control of the city and names himself regent acting as William’s right hand in the Holy Land. Well, he actually named himself “Great Poobah”, but no one was really sure at the time what he was talking about. So they just went along with his madness and assumed (and hoped) he meant regent. A number of border skirmishes sees the Fatamids retreat to Acre.

1104: King William meanwhile has quietly initiated a buildup of troops, his gaze sets on Scotland where the Scots have built for themselves a sizeable trade empire with their fleets sailing as far as Novgorod! The king begins to fear what this new found wealth could do for Scotland, He resigns to strike first…

Elsewhere in 1104 the Sicilians seize control of Cairo and Alexandria, setting up a client-crusader Kingdom of their own. The Pope names Sicily and England as inspirations to all Christendom, the Fatamids howevere are quietly building their strength. Biding time.

1106: William strikes! Gathering the army based at Nottingham the king hits first as he planned, slipping around the main Scots force and taking York with little resistance! The Scots turn quickly with the news and march on York, the battle that would follow would be the bloodiest in the British isles in many decades. The forces of England are triumphant but suffer terrible casualties; William is unable to press his advantage and winters in York. It is the first taste of the new Staple of the English Army that the scots have had, the Longbow. It will not be the last.

In the Holy Land Henry is slipping further into his madness. No longer fit to command the army he resides in Jerusalem as his men lay siege to the Fatamid fortress of Acre. Without a strong leader though, they are unable to make much progress and the siege bogs down.

1107: Scotland launches a counter attack. The Second Battle of York would prove to be just as bloody as the first, but again William wins the day and is able to keep control of the city.

The siege of Acre ends when the Fatamids mass an army and crush the crusaders outside the city walls. The English crusaders are forced to retreat to Jerusalem, shadowed the whole way by the Fatamids. A siege of the city is all but inevitable now as a call for aid is sent to the Sicilians in Cairo.

1108: The pope intervenes in the Anglo-Scot war forcing a ceasefire. Coming as a direct response to the peace talks the Treaty of York is signed by the two powers, in it England agrees to withdraw from York and pay tribute to Scotland for the next three years. Unable to press further with so few men William is forced to accept the peace and returns home to Nottingham to brood and rebuild. Later that year it is his tragedy to learn that Jerusalem falls to the Fatamids and the holy city is once more in Muslim hands. His brother Henry is assumed dead.

1112: Five years pass in peace between the English and the Scots, Henry though is beginning to feel cramped. Having annexed Bruges and Rennes along the North of France he is starting to sense himself “boxed in”. He begins pondering a new war with Scotland but before he is able to even draw up plans a large Spanish force lands near Exeter and lays siege to the city! The nerve! He is unable to marshal a force in time to save the city from being occupied.

1114: Numerous skirmishes between the Spanish and English follow but no significant ground is taken until 1114 when William sends his forces against the entrenched Spanish at Exeter. The two forces meet a few miles north of the city and though the Spanish have a great deal of cavalry forces and Jinnets, they underestimate the effectiveness of the English longbow. The city is won back and William initiates peace talks yet the spanish ignore the call for peace.

1117: Sensing a deadlock William sends the vanguard of his army, lead by an upstart captain only known as Richard against the Iberian landmass itself. Quickly dispatching the local forces Richard pushes on toward Castile, determined to cut the heart out of the enemy when to his surprise the Spanish are suddenly a lot more talkative! A ceasefire is signed and with the Treaty of Exeter the Spanish forsake all claims upon the British Isles, on condition England break it's alliance with the Kingdom of Aragon and pull out of Iberia. Richard is named Man of the hour and invited to join the royal court, of which he happily accepts.

1120: Having at last secured himself from threats abroad and no client Kingdom in the Holy land to finance William once more sets his eyes on the Scots and York; he decides though if he is going to avoid the blunder of his first campaign he must wait. A decade passes, the Kingdom of England builds quietly.

1130: The Scots become embroiled in a bitter war with the Kingdom of Norway and while their main army campaigns against the Norse across the sea, William sees his chance. Moving quickly the now rebuilt English army occupies York and blitzes north, by the time the Scots realize what has transpired they are too spread among their satellite provinces to send aid home.

1134: The Second Anglo-Scot war is in full swing; William leads his men into the wilderness, navigating the highlands as the army under Richard advances on Edinburgh. Even though the siege proves particularly bloody for both sides, the Scottish King Donnald is slain in defense of his capital. The loss of their king greatly demoralizes the Scots defenders and within the year the cities near Edinburgh are rolled up without so much as a fight.

1137: William emerges from the wilderness North of the great fortress of Inverness, taking the defenders completely by surprise. As the last bastion of the Kingdom of Scotland on Great Britain, the defenders of the city fight tenaciously. Though in the end the fortress is taken, William realizes his dream of a united Island all under his banner.

1140: The Scots across the sea learn of the occupation of their Homeland and send raiders along the coast of the English territories. Their raids are vicious, but each time they are repelled. Unable to reclaim anything of value the scots are slowly dragged down with their wars against the Norse and the Danes.

1143: William sends his navy to Block all Scottish ports, and slowly, one by one, the satellite provinces and trade hubs the Scots had used for so long to finance their kingdom are seized by the English. By 1146 the Kingdom is nothing but a memory.

1147: Unwilling to sit and watch as their territories are simply taken over by new foreigners, the Kingdom of Norway launches a vicious assault on Oslo and dislodges the English who had just a year before seized it from the Scots. King William pulls his men back, setting camp in a town on the western edge of Norway to rebuild. During this period King William takes up the habit of swearing, and not just a little swearing mind you! It’s not uncommon to hear the king erupt into tirades, cursing the Norse and everything about them. Uttering words so laughable it’s hard to say what they really mean, his men love him for it, i suppose it always helps to have a laugh before a battle.

1148: Captain John leads an expedition with the finest troops England has to offer into the Emerald Isle, defeating a local Irish garrison and laying siege to Dublin.. however during the summer months of the campaign the Irish counter attack and slaughter both John and his men near the city. Ireland soon severs all ties with England as a result of the unprovoked attack

1151: The second invasion of Ireland takes place, only this time commanded by Prince Henry, son of the king and heir to the throne himself. Dublin is soon seized and Henry pushes on finding and defeating a huge Irish host on their way to recapture the city. However the Irish cavalry nearly proves too much for the infantry lines of the English, Henry is forced to hold his position in Dublin and wait for reinforcements.

1153: Dublin falls under attack by a second Irish army, this time commanded by none other than their king. The siege turns bloody, both sides lose fully three-fourths of their command but the English hold the city, barely. Henry finds himself in possession of near five hundred Irishmen captured in battle, and without another thought allows them to return home to their families. His men and the Irish take to calling him “Henry the honourable” for his actions henceforth. The following year the King passes and his son succeeds him to the throne. Long live the king!


Well? Come on! Don't be shy, let's see those empires! I'll have much more screens next time, I kinda got the idea for the thread spur of the moment.

[Henry707]

Nice job Monk, I love reading through the history of peoples empires - so interesting to see the way players develop their games..

I'll be honest, I think I tend to rush through so quickly I never stop to take snapshots - I think I'll slow down.

In the case of the England, always interesting to see where you focus first.

On the Britannia campaign, my rule of thumb is normally, crush the welsh, knock out the scots then knee the Irish in the ghoulies. When the Danish land, give them a poke in the eye with a sh*&$(( stick....

Henri...

[Rhyfelwyr]

I have a habit of saving my games every ten turns with the toggle_fow on so I can trace my empire when I'm looking back. I've down this for about a dozen campaigns now, so I'll upload some pics soon. Its nice to see how the AI does as well.

[Martok]

Nice AAR there, Monk! Not that you didn't already know it, but you definitely have a gift for narration.

I have to ask, though, if only out of curiosity: How come you invaded Ireland when you were still dealing with the Norwegians? I'd have thought you'd have wanted to take care of one before going after the other.

So we have one of these threads in the Main hall but looking around here, I really don't see one. So I hope Martok doesn't mind If I start one for kicks.

Not at all, buddy -- in fact, I whole-heartedly support and endorse the idea. Everyone go nuts!

[Monk]

Nice AAR there, Monk! Not that you didn't already know it, but you definitely have a gift for narration.

I have to ask, though, if only out of curiosity: How come you invaded Ireland when you were still dealing with the Norwegians? I'd have thought you'd have wanted to take care of one before going after the other.



Not at all, buddy -- in fact, I whole-heartedly support and endorse the idea. Everyone go nuts!

To be quite honest I underestimated the Irish strength. I figured they'd be an easy win hence why I didn't even send a general along on the first invasion. Boy I could not have been more wrong, in SS 6.0 the Irish have a lot of power in their cavalry forces and the AI took full advantage of them. I found myself in a two front war, and without two of my largest trade partners. It was a tough time especially since in SS the AI uses their navy to launch seaborne invasions.

Glad you liked in Martok , I'll have more as I play further.

[Monk]

With the passing of William the profane, the kingdom falls to his son, Henry. The aggressive expansion the realm saw under his father was responsible for the fall of Scotland and the gaining of much prestige for England. However it was not without consequences. The rest of Europe views the English as nothing less than untrustworthy for their conquest of Scotland, and their campaigns against the Irish wins them no love among the other Kings and Princes of Christendom.

In 1157 the Pope sends a messenger to the new king, it is a simple warning. Return Dublin to the Irish, pull all troops from the Emerald isle, and pay tribute to the Irish for the damages the war has caused. If Henry fails to comply he faces excommunication and the kings limiting his trade. It would seem, however, that Henry not only inherited his father’s lust for conquest, but his subtly.

In 1159 Henry Leaves Ireland as a sign of goodwill, but refuses to return Dublin to the Irish; his son arrives in Ireland to take his place, Prince Edward, and quietly a slow build up of troops commences within the walls of the city. To the world, Henry is all that his father was not. A good Christian, willing to live in peace. He signs the Treaty of Oslo in 1160, effectively ending the conflict with Norway and returning the lands the Scots had originally conquered from them. His subjects, however, know better. The armies in the Norselands are quietly ferried away.

1162. It has now been five years since the pope declared hostility between the Irish and English end, on the very anniversary that the decree was issued Prince Edward leaves Dublin at the host of a mighty force, the men from Norway had simply been moved to Ireland! Edward marches toward the great fortress Galway, and clashes along the road with a huge Irish force. Whereas many of the former English armies who had faced off against the Irish had been poorly led, Edward's army is a tough and professional group who has seen many battlefields.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Edward is determined to break through and lets the Irish crash upon his spear line, He leads the cavalry on a charge around the left flank himself, and while the pinned Irish are shot to peices by the deadly longbows the lances of his mailed knights come down...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

There's no coming back from that one. The entire Irish host is either slain or captured, yet to everyone's great surprise, and considering there is much more war to be fought, Edward lets the prisoners return to Galway. It would seem he is just as honorable as his father. He wastes no time and leads his host into the siege of Galway. The pope is furious when hearing that hostilities are renewed in Ireland and demands that Henry call his son back, however Henry promptly refuses. The pope responds in kind, excommunicating England from the church. He demands that all the Christian kings and princes cease all trade with the English, however no one is capable of obeying this directed.

The Pope had just a year before declared that the Danes were the Devil's agents on this Earth and demanded all of Christendom take up arms against them. Of which they were obliging.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Frankfurt Crusade was in full swing, England had seized the trade empire the Scots had built and were profiting greatly from all the nations who were crusading, If they were to severe ties all those men would be very disappointed when the city fell if their wages could no longer be afforded!

Meanwhile Galway falls to Prince Edward; the fortress is occupied as is the honorable thing to do. He begins to be called "Edward the Honorable" as his father was before him. Henry, upon learning of his son's choices, could not be more pleased. After the fall of Galway in 1166 Henry sends envoys to the Irish King wintering in his new capital of Cork. The messenger pleads for the King to see reason, to become a vassal of the English king. But the request is flatly denied. Edward upon hearing the news decides that the end game of the war is near.

1168. Reinforcements arrive in Ireland and Edward marches from Galway south straight into the heart of the Irish defense hoping to provoke a fight. He intends to draw out the last strength of the Irish lords and smash them, leaving Cork an easy target. His plan couldn't have worked better. Issuing from Cork the Irish march out to meet the English, bringing with them great works of siege and enough men to match the English man for man. However, the greatest strength to their side, their cavalry, is absent. The long war of attrition has killed many of the Irish nobles and lords who can afford horse and armor, those who have not fallen are starting to defect to the English, preferring fealty to King Henry rather than fighting for a lost cause.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

(sorry for all the battle pics, I just love this mod. )

Still, the people of Cork stand proudly and fight to the last. Edward is impressed by their tenacity. The battle of Cork would prove to be the bloodiest of the war since the first siege of Dublin. Indeed, Edward's center is nearly broken through by the time he is able to lead the cavalry in a charge along the flanks! English discipline proves just enough, and the prince wins the day. The following year Cork is besieged. With only a few units of militia to guard the city, it doesn't take long before they surrender. By 1170 Edward has conquered the isle of Ireland and occupies Cork. Defeating the Irish, a feat his predecessors had severely underestimated, he is named "The Conqueror" sharing that title with his great grandfather.

Edward, after spending some years in Ireland returns home and rests in Nottingham. Minor troubles plague the Kingdom of England for the next decade, but as complete master of the British Isles King Henry commands authority that no other English king has enjoyed.

1180. A chance for redemption! The pope falls ill and dies, allowing the Kingdom of England to petition the church for reconciliation. With their wars with Scotland and Ireland now over Henry swears that the warlike ambitions of the English are through. The new pope, however, is not convinced. He decrees if England truly wishes reconciliation, she must join the crusade. The following year it is made official to the rest of the world, a Crusade has been launched with its ultimate target the Fatamid stronghold of Gaza. Henry, however, sees even greater potential. Jerusalem resides but a short march from Gaza, and if Gaza falls along with Acre and the citadel of Kerak, a new kingdom of Jerusalem could be founded!

1182. Prince Edward is named commander of the English Crusader forces sets sail for the holy land. He is determined to see his father's will done and eager to prove that England is ready to take her place among the other kings of Christendom again.

1186. After many months and years of marching through wilderness and sailing down the perilous coast of Egypt (Edward was quoted at saying "Let me face the peril!"), the English arrive in the holy land and waste little time. They besiege the stronghold of Gaza before the Fatamids even have news of their arrival. Gaza is quick to fall!

1187. Jerusalem is besieged by Edward, now known throughout Europe as a great crusader, he encircles the holy city. The Fatamids try desperately to break through and relieve the city, but the large garrison left at Gaza keeps them in check. Without aid coming from the south the city falls to the crusader forces. Nearly a full eighty years after being expelled from the city the English have returned and this time they intend to stay.

1189. Acre, too, falls! Edward presses on to Kerak as the English diplomats devise a cunning scheme to ensure the Papacy will never excommunicate England again. As a gift, King Henry presents the Pope with Jerusalem, to be ruled by the Papal States and ensure no petty rivalries would see its downfall. The Pope is, to say the least, shocked by such an offer. He happily accepts and names England an inspiration to christians everywhere.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

1191. Kerak falls to England. With three outlying fortresses guarding every approach to the Holy City, the Papal States take over command of the city. A new Kingdom of Jerusalem is founded under these conditions, and though the pope is the "official" ruler of the city; all those in Outremer know that it is Prince Edward who holds the true power of the crusader forces.


Current state of Affairs:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[TWFanatic]

Nice AAR, looks like a fun campaign.

Question: what mod are you using? Or is that Kingdoms?

[Monk]

It's Stainless Steel 6.0, a mod for kingdoms.

[Ferret]

ncie to see one of these threads at last, I always like seeing other people's empires

[TWFanatic]

It's Stainless Steel 6.0, a mod for kingdoms.

It looks like a good mod, I'll check it out.

Ditto Ferret.

[Martok]

Outstanding, Monk.

Out of curiosity, how many men did you bring on Crusade, anyway? It must have been a very large host to have been able to take 3 citadels plus Jerusalem itself!

[Monk]

Outstanding, Monk.

Out of curiosity, how many men did you bring on Crusade, anyway? It must have been a very large host to have been able to take 3 citadels plus Jerusalem itself!

My botched initial invasions of both Scotland and Ireland taught me something I'm not gonna soon forget; two stacks are better than one.

Two full stacks, around 1500 (aprox) in each, so a good 3000 between them. Add to that I was hiring every single mercenary I could find, I thought it was a bit of historical irony to have mercenary Saracen infantry fighting for a Crusade. Add to it that the wealth of Scotland and Ireland in my pockets i'm making 10k a turn even after the crusaders are back under my payroll so I can afford the endeavor unlike the first time!

[Monk]

Hey guys!

SS 6.1 was released and unfortunately it's not Save game compaitble. After a lot of thought I decided to upgrade to 6.1 and leave my English campaign behind. I've well documented the storyline and I'm thinking of turning it into a Mead Hall/Throne Room story, I dunno but I do know I don't want to just let it fully die!

Anyway. I thought that maybe some of the hold outs who are gonna stick with playing 6.0 a while longer would might like to give my game a shot, maybe you can turn England into a super power! I've provided a very good base. Here is the situation:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Basically the "Kingdom of Jerusalem" is prospering, I've taken the city south of Kerak and renamed it New London (I was gonna use New York, but that just made me laugh too much!), a good deal of the Fatamid's southern provinces are under your command but Cairo stands as a bastion of their power. It's a year after I launched a failed assault on the city so things will be slow going there for some years.

The Venetians have seized Alexandria and are allied to you, they were instumental in pressuring the Fatamids into near submission, don't be afraid to use them!

Antioch and Tortosa were added to the English's Crusader empire two turns ago. They currently cannot recruit so they are still vulnerable. The Fatamids are at war with the turks to the north and you/Venice in the south, Your crusader forces are spread thin but the good news is so are theirs! Public order is tough to maintain, conversion is slow going. Most provinces though have at least 25% catholic by now.

The biggest downside is the more success I saw against the fatamids, the more the other Catholic nations seemed to resent me for it. Relations are slowly taking a nose dive at home and war could be imminent. On the home front you are allied with most of Europe (the factions who matter anyway). France is your biggest ally as you've been connected with them through marriage alliances throughout the game (it's kept them from attacking) they are also your biggest rival power wise. I do not recommend taking them on.

Well that's all you need to know. One final map screenie before I make a new campaign.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

If you do decide to play, this game was done in patch 1.3, Stainless Steel 6.0. Have fun!

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/Mnkeng1.rar

[Rhyfelwyr]

knew all these ancient save-games would come in useful for something. I mainly keep them just because I like to see how the AI performs. There's some interesting AI expansion throughout these as you'll see. Unfortunately I lost my Scottish, Venetian, French, and Sicilian files after I had problems with the PC. Right now I'm playing as Hungary, and the only team left to play as is Portugal, which I will be doing a long campaign as, perhaps with house rules or even an AAR just to make it more interesting, since I'll have played the same map 16 times already.

Then I'll be moving on to Kingdoms, the next stage in my backward blitz of the TW series. Summer holidays in 2 weeks after exams!!!

Byzantine Campaign:

Sorry, got the third pic wrong, should have shown things at Turn 150. You can see the WWII war of attrition is about to take place in the second pic. And then the Romans in Mexico on the last one!

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Turkish Campaign:

English were strangely successful here. It was a lot of fun fighting with that army you can see in the last pic. Elephants in Mexico!

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English Campaign:

Decided to build a mini crusader empire in the game. Took the screenie of the Mongols since its the first time I have seen them conquer somewhere without holding Antioch. Also probably the only time I've seen Venice eclipse Milan.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Polish Campaign:

A couple of odd things such as Spain beating Portugal to Dublin and the Danes taking Paris, but otherwise pretty standard. Strzelcy and Polish Nobles are just too easy to win with.

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Egyptian Campaign:

Probably the only time I've seen Venice take Florence. Russia and the Scots also did well, with the Portuguese migrating northwards up France for some reason. Victory conditions were pretty annoying having to cross the Sahara to fight the Moors. Took Sicily by Jihad to help my men on their way.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Holy Roman Empire Campaign:

Byzantines did well and ended up north of the Black Sea somehow. It was a very fun campaign, that army in the third picture is invincible!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spain Campaign:

Pope got stuck on the island, probably the only time I've seen a Catholic faction take Rome. Also note the Hungarian monster, well done the Magyars.

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Denmark Campaign:

Felt silly having to go to Bologna just to win the game. Reviving the claims to England would have seemed more sensible and fun to me, since half the teams in the game half to beat the HRE to win their short campaigns. Really cool unit roster though. Norse War Clerics!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Moorish Campaign:

Probably the only time you will see Arguin as a Huge City there in the last pic. Also that third pic displays why I am so sick of these Mongol/Timurid wars of attrition. At least I got Camel Gunners.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Milan Campaign:

So easy to get stinking rich, with brilliant units available in the cities. The Magyars seem to have mistaken themselves for Poles and conquered the whole Russian steppes.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Russia Campaign:

Dvor Cavalry are simply the best HA in the game. Also I don't know how the Turks ended up in Bulgar. Like the Danes, a really unique and fun unit roster to conquer with.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

And my current Hungarian campaign:

Building a mini crusader empire since I'm fed up fighting the HRE as whoever I play as.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Monk]

Wow, very nice Rhyfelwyr!

The third screenshot in the Moorish campaign is my favorite, that's a huge force!

What difficulty to you play on out of curiosity? It can't be easy to keep order in empires that big.

[Rhyfelwyr]

In all those campaigns I played on M/VH, since that's the 'fair' settings to use. Playing on H or VH campaign difficulty makes diplomacy really awkward, which is annoying since I find it one of the more interesting elements of the game early on.

I don't find keeping order a problem really (although that is on M to be fair). I tend to exterminate once it gets to mid game since I don't really need the long-term payback from settlements.

EDIT: Also I had a save game where the Papal states had conquered those two islands west of Italy, then launched an invasion of Spain and took Valencia!

[Martok]

Some very nice screenshots, Caledonian Rhyfelwyr. Out of curiosity, how many battles had that German army won?


@Monk: So are you going to start up another English campaign now that you've got SS 6.1, or are you going to play a different faction this time around?

[Rhyfelwyr]

Some very nice screenshots, Caledonian Rhyfelwyr. Out of curiosity, how many battles had that German army won?

I could'nt honestly tell you since it was quite a while since I did my HRE campaign. Although I do remember making a heck of a lot of kills with Gothic Knights and Reiters. The Gothics maces and Reithers secondary spear are so devastating after they use their lances/pistols for shock effect. Two of my favourite units in the game no question. Plus watching Zweihanders charge in and knowing the first line of enemies is going to drop. :drool:

I wish I could have added more narration like Monk, but I've forgotten how exactly things went in the older campaigns. I'm going to have a read at some AAR's and then do one as Portugal once I'm finished as Hungary.

EDIT: I should stop making up smilies...

Speaking of which, I wasn't even allowed any smilies in my main post here since it took me over the 50 pics limit. :sweatdop:

Took half the afternoon getting that post made. Anything for the Guild!

[PBI]

Nice pics, Caledonian Rhyfelwyr.

I notice that on some of your campaigns, the AI actually seem to have done quite well at conquering each other and built some decent sized empires to fight. Am I right in thinking this is more common on easy or medium than it is on hard/very hard? I usually play on hard and the AI always seems to be strangely lethargic when it comes to attacking each other. I may have to go back to medium sometime to see if it makes things more interesting.

[Rhyfelwyr]

All those campaigns are on Medium campaign difficulty, VH for battles.

[Monk]

It is nine years after the terrible battle of Manzikert, and the court of the Emperor Alexius in Constantinople enjoys no peace. Long gone by are the days of the great legions of Rome and the Eastern Empire is in steady decline. A choking stagnation has settled upon the nobles, and it seems there is no end in sight. Western Greece has slipped from the Empire's control, and Anatolia is ripe for the Turk's conquest.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Yet the Emperor, despite his position of weakness, knows that if the glory of Rome is to be restored, simply wishing it were so is not the way to accomplish it! His eyes set to Greece; the cities of Arta, Durrazo, and Scopia must be taken and consolidated if this wayward province is to once more return to the empire. For the task of uniting the Greeks again under the banner of Constantinople, Alexius chooses Evarestos Evgenikos, an upstard general who has much to prove.

Gathering what strength the empire has left Evarestos moves quickly, striking at Arta in 1083, encircling the city and cutting off all assistance from the nearby fiefdoms. It is a short siege that ends in the surrender of the meager garrison after only a single year, Arta once more swears fealty to the empire. Not resigning to rest a single moment Evarestos rides north with the bulk of his army and lays siege to Durazzo! Without even the simplest of defensive walls, the city soon falls to the Empire.

That year the Emperor himself issues forth from Constantinople, determined to bring much of the lost Anatolian provinces back into fold and halt Turkish advances at all costs. Accompanied by his own adopted son, Dositheos, the Emperor sets his gaze now to the fortress of Canakkale. Dositheos presses on and also sieges the small city of Smyrna as well. Meanwhile back in Greece Evarestos is rebuilding his strength, preparing to siege Scopia.

The sieges drag on, Alexius and his generals allowing the defenders of each settlement to be fully weakened before storming each settlement in turn. One by one, the provinces are absorbed into the Eastern Empire once more! Meanwhile, word reaches the emperor that the Turks are campaigning in the north of the Black sea, becoming embroiled in a bitter war with the Cuman tribes on the Russian steppe.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The year: 1095. All of Greece has once again been united under a Roman athority, at least, that is what they consider themselves! Emperor Alexius and his son have been putting pressure on the Turks by seizing the provinces who saw fit to rebel when the empire was at it's weakest. Yet just when things look to be turning around...

Treachery! The Fatamids land an invasion force on Cyprus and besiege the small Roman garrison stationed there. Cut off and unable to send any reinforcements, emperor Alexius is forced to accept the loss of the satellite outpost... With no diplomat in position to negotiate a cease-fire, the Fatamids begin to raid and disrupt Byzantine trade along the Anatolian coast.

Despite the raids from the Fatamids the Byzantines begin building their strength. The Cuman-Seljuk war is heating up, and as the Turks throw more manpower toward their northern border, the Byzantines quietly build. Waiting fr the right time to strike. Alexius may be of Greek decent, but he is a cunning strategist in the spirit of the old Roman tradition. He will not enter a war he cannot win.

1099. The time to strike arrives! Gathering every last bit of strength the he has the Emperor issues forth from Nicaea at the head of a vast host, All of Greece empties as every man who can wield a spear and every mercenary who can be found is given the banner of the Eastern Empire and told to march east! Alexius strikes fast, hitting the town of Ankara like a whirlwind. The defenders never knew what hit them, and the city falls with little resistance.

Evarestos pushes south, surrounding Iconium as Dositheos boards the ships and sails around and hits Sinop from the Black sea. As the seige of Iconium drags on Evarestos makes a startling discovery. It would seem that the Sultan of the Seljuks himself had been wintering within the city when the Byzantines surrounded it, and now resides trapped within! A rare chance to cut the heart from the turkish war machine lies before the Romans, but Evarestos drags his feet, content to wait outside the walls instead of storming the settlement.

Sinop falls the following year, and as the spring time of 1101 approaches Alexius is pushing on toward Caesarea, the great fortress and power base of the Turks in Asia Minor. Wasting little time the Emperor lays siege to the city and waits for his chance to storm the walls.

1103. A massive relief force appears near Iconium. It would appear the Turks had not invested as much in their northern war as the Emperor believed! Evarestos lifts the seige and pulls back from the walls, drawing up battle lines three miles north of the city. The sultan follows, taking command of the relief forces and marches on the Roman battle lines. The Battle of Iconium would become renowned throughout the western world as a reference to a bloodbath. Despite what could be gained by both sides, each had brought with them their finest troops to do battle, fully three-fourths of each army is left to ruin.

The Sultan wins the day but is unable to press his advantage; in a rage he orders the one hundred Romans captured to be put to the sword and returns to Iconium. Evarestos retreats to Ankara, his position is perilous, but a rebuilt army is already sailing in from Greece. The Turks will not have much rest before another Roman army is upon them!

The sting of defeat the empire feels at Iconium would be remedied just single year later at Caesarea. With a pathetically small defense force, and the main Anatolian army left in shambles at Iconium, Alexius is free to launch his final assault on the great fortress. It soon falls, leaving Iconium as one of the last vestiges of Turkish power in Anatolia.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Content to rebuild his strength, Alexius winters in his newly captured stronghold; his men however do not take a single moments rest, be they mercenary or regular soldier, they hunt down and rid the land of brigands who have risen looking to capitalize on the recent change in leadership in the region.

1108. With his strength rebuild Alexius marches on Iconium again, this time the Sultan has no one to save him. After a long and drawn out siege, the signal is at last given and the city is stormed. It is said that the Sultan was made to pay for the lives of the one hundred soldiers he murdered in his rage, some five years prior.

1110. The Strength of the Eastern Empire may still be a shadow of its former glory, but the Emperor Alexius has made it very clear to his subjects. He shall not rest until the glory of Rome is restored... With the death of the Turkish Sultan and the Seljuks being driven from Anatolia no one dares to say he is incapable of such a feat.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Privateerkev]

Very nice thread!

Hmm... SS 6 tempts me so...

[Martok]

Outstanding, Monk! I haven't seen a Byz AAR in a long time (either for Medieval 2 or MTW). Looking forward to reading of Alexius' further exploits.

[Monk]

Four years pass in uneasy peace for the Eastern Empire, though no true agreement is signed. The Turks retreat out of Anatolia though beyond the borders of the Empire the Turks are rebuilding. Alexius knows if he does not strike again, and strike decisively, he risks facing a rebuilt and vengeful Seljuk host returning to pillage and burn Constantinople's hard won conquests. Leading half of the entire eastern army north along the coast of the Black Sea, Alexius fully intends to put an end to the Turkish threat once and for all. Meanwhile leading the push further south is Dositheos, a commander who is biological son of the emperor himself, although far from heir apparent. Alexius lays seige to the coastal city of Trebizond, encircling the defense forces and preparing to strike; all the while Dositheos is pressing eastward, nearing the great fortress of Diyarbakir.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

1115 arrives and news reaches the emperor that the Cumans and Turks have at last signed a peace treaty. Although doubt begins to trouble him, he is certain he can inflict heavy enough losses before the main Turkish host arrives to defend their lands. He is mistaken!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Grand Commander Sehzade, hero of the Cuman-Seljuk war, marches on Alexius' siege force at Trebizond. Knowing full well that if he is able to draw both the garrison out of the city and defeat it and the relief force, he can seize control of the city and deal a heavy blow to Turkish morale. Outnumbered, the Roman army is not the war machine that swept through the lands but four years before. Heavy loses and a prolonged campaign has taken their toll and the Emperor has been forced to turn to local mercenaries to bolster his ranks. Yet despite this, he has nothing but the greatest confidence in his soldiers that they will hold in the coming battle. The battle of Trebizond would see this confidence tested, the Turks hit the Roman line but the mercenaries and forces of the empire hold fast, Alexius himself turns and leads his battered cavalry forces along the right flank, hitting the turks. The already decimated cavalry forces take heavy casualties as they charge, repeatedly, into the enemy line. But the line holds.

Even as Turkish reinforcements arrive the tide of battle refuses to be turned, Alexius smashes the Seljuk forces, forcing an utter rout.

News of the victory spreads throughout the empire, the Turks are forced to retreat and Trebizond falls to the weight of the Roman advance. Alexius rests upon his conquest, knowing the men of this army are spent; they are assigned garrison duty in the new Imperial outpost. The following year, joyous news spreads through the ranks of the military once more, it is said that in the south Dositheos has utterly crushed Turkish resistance at the siege of Diyarbakir! The victory not only asserts Constantinople's authority in the area, it also completely cuts off the city of Edessa, which is controlled by the Turks, from reinforcements in the east. Alexius, upon hearing this, leaves Trebizond and races south determined to lay the siege of Edessa personally. Although, he has no army to do it with!

1117: Isaakios, youngest son (and thusly the one with most to prove) leaves his brother in Diyabakir and marches toward Edessa, not content to wait for his father coming in from the north. Meanwhile, the Army is slowly being rebuilt in Anatolia and with every year that passes the empire's strength only grows.

1118: News shocks the empire when Isaakios manages to take Edessa in a bloody siege! His lack of patience appears to have paid off at first glance, but attacking with so few troops ensured that the battle was hard fought. Isaakios only has enough men to keep public order within the walls of the city, and is forced to wait for reinforcements. Luckily, the fall of Edessa sees the last of the Turkish strongholds west of the Euphrates in the hands of the Eastern Empire so there is no immediate threat.

The year 1120 arrives and the Roman army is again rebuilt and ready for action, just in time, it would seem, as a massive Turkish force appears to he east of Diyarbakir. Alexius soon realizes however, that if he were to continue his campaign east the empire would not truly profit. The lands beyond do not serve his interests, roman interests, and thus he resigns to sue for peace with the Turks. Though the Turks bite their tongue to hide their insults, they eventually agree to a cease-fire.


Still, with a great army at his command and no one he was warring with.. What was Alexius to do? Why seek another enemy of course! He recognized the lands to the south, the small Christian kingdom that had been founded during the first crusade. It was controlled by a group of men calling themselves "Knights Templar", and though they had even aided the Empire in keeping the Fatamids in check, Alexius noted their lands would make the perfect springboard for an eventual invasion of the Holy Lands.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

1123. Roman forces cross over into the north of the Templar kingdom and races toward the fortress of Adana, only to find the Fatamids had beaten him to it! Indeed, it would appear the war between the Templers and the Fatamids was more advanced than his spies had led the Emperor to believe. Still, the Romans camp just out of sight of the stronghold, content to watch as the Fatamids use up their strength in taking the city.

Meanwhile, Alexius marches westward from Edessa, not content to wait for Adana to fall before the war starts in earnest. His forces strike quickly and seize Aleppo, a Fatamid stronghold, before the local forces are ever able to react! With the local populace in check he pushes northward, finding the main Muslim forces. The two great commanders face off against each other, but neitehr is willing to commit to the fight.

1124: Adana falls to the Fatamids, without giving them a single moment's rest; Captain Apasios besieges the tired and battered troops of the former assaulting force. Trapped, undermanned and exhausted, the defenders of Adana are little match for the well rested Romans. The fortress is absorbed into the ever growing reach of the Empire. Apasios pushes south, his gaze on Antioch. He knows if he can seize the city he shall be considered a hero among the people of Constantinople!

Alexius meanwhile acts. He hits the Fatamid general guarding the western road to Antioch with every bit of strength he has. The battle of Lower Syria would be recounted among the empire's most bloody and terrible battles. It would have been fought to a terrible stalemate if at the zero hour Alexius himself, at the head of the lancer column, led a counter attack against the left flank of the Fatamids. The weary fatamid left crumbles and flees before the Roman onslaught, winning the day but forced to return to Aleppo. A fresh troops are already on their way to reinforce his position, but all the same, the Emperor spends the winter in frustration that his new fortress.

1125: Apasios reaches the river north of Antioch but is unable to push further. He sets up camp within a days march of the city, knowing that he'll soon be upon the city. However as he sits waiting a large Fatamid host throws themselves upon the Romans, Apasios is forced to pull his men back, but the Fatamids pursue him, forcing a battle some three miles north of the river. Whereas Alexius was ground to a halt in the east, Apasios does the emperor one better by completely decimating the enemy forces sent against him. Completely destroyed and routed, the Fatamid defense of Antioch collapses. Apasios, with his great heroic victory, is invited to join the royal court. He happily agrees!

The following year in 1126, Apasios surrounds and lays siege to Antioch. Not wanting to prolong his glory a second longer, he orders the city stormed. The defenders fight valiantly, but they fall. Antioch becomes the newest addition to the Eastern Empire's advances and Apasios is widely considered a hero for near single-handedly winning the battle... reports of his bravery were greatly exaggerated.


Upon hearing of the city's fall the Fatamids send forth a great army, intent on recapturing the city in the name of their Caliph, however first they must contend with the Knights Templer in Tortosa. They turn west and march upon the crusader's final stronghold, the empire's spies report that the Grandmaster of the order retreats to the coast as the Fatamids move in upon him...

1127: The Battle of Tortosa sees the strength of the Knight's Templer broken, the Fatamids press their advantage and lay siege to the final stronghold of the order. Emperor Alexius finds himself in an interesting position. On one hand he could watch as the knights are destroyed, but on the other he would lose the only ally against the Fatamids he could potentially have. He decides at last to send a relief force under the "Hero of Antioch" Apasios to smash the Fatamids and relieve the Grandmaster. Apasios arrives in the summer of that year and launches his attack against the fatamids; the Knights issue forth from the citadel and joining the battle alongside the Romans. Cornered between the two forces, the fatamids fight with an inhuman fury. Nearly all of them resigning to fight to the death, their would prove the death of many in both the Crusader's and the Roman forces, and the Eastern Empire's forces are reduced to a mere 40% of their strength. Even so, they prevail!

1128: Alexius uses the defeat of the Muslim forces at Tortosa as initiative to move on Damascus, which was left with hardly the defenses it required for such a city. The great city cannot long hold out and after a short siege it too finds itself brought into the Roman fold.

1131: Fresh troops begin to arrive in Antioch, brought in from Greece, Thessaly and Anatolia. It seems the war machine that Alexius has built is showing no sign of slowing down, with every city that falls it is growing stronger! The Emperor himself has been given the title "conqueror" by his subjects and his men; it is an honor he is happy to accept.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

1133: Alexius the Conqueror dies on campaign in the deep desert, so far from the walls of Constantinople that he first issued from many years ago. His powerful army, though mournful at their leaders passing, press onward. With every breath he took, he sought to see the glory days of Rome restored, to once more bring honor and nobility back to a stagnant people. His great sacrifices and ambitions have been the doom of many men on both sides of the conflicts, yet his subjects know well that were it not for the drive of this man, Constantinople may have very well fallen..

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

My experiences (at least in SS) with the Byzantines has been a very fun one. Every last florin you have on every single turn needs to be spent, whether it be on training or on building, you really cannot save for the future since you need it now. The turks were annoying and the Fatamids are proving to be a tough lot, it seems everytime I destroy a stack two more leap into its place.

[Ferret]

I have also just started a Byzantine campaign on 6.0 and am finding it fun.

Here are some random pics I found in my tgas folder:
an English campaign on vanilla:



A tough battle on BC ending with a 1 on 1 duel of two generals, my guy won in the end

[Monk]

A tough battle on BC ending with a 1 on 1 duel of two generals, my guy won in the end

Love it!

[Ferret]

yeah it was great fun but annoying in the great scheme of things. I thought I could easily win that battle but I didn't notice that the Kypchack bodyguards have a full sized unit of hybrid cavalry with two HP

[Rhyfelwyr]

Reminds me when I had a go at the Agincourt historical battle ages ago. I was losing until Henry V personally slew the French General.

And I will have some very interesting pics of my 'chivalrous' Portugal campaign. They will include the Milanese in Thorn and Stettin, a Milanese army near Marrakesh, the HRE in Zagreb and Ragusa, and Italy unified by the Papacy. Speaking of which there was an anonymous Pope.

[Martok]

@Monk: Very cool, man. Nice to see Aleksios still campaigning when he died. Are you going to continue pursuing the Fatamids then, or are you hoping to get a cease-fire in place?

A tough battle on BC ending with a 1 on 1 duel of two generals, my guy won in the end

Interesting! How did that happen in the first place, though? Did you both have larger armies in the beginning of the battle, only to have both sides slaughter each other until only the opposing generals were left?

[Monk]

@Monk: Very cool, man. Nice to see Aleksios still campaigning when he died. Are you going to continue pursuing the Fatamids then, or are you hoping to get a cease-fire in place?

House rules dictate I have to reform the Roman Empire as best I can with the province boundaries. I'm gonna keep battering the Fatimids until I have what i need from them, then maybe call a cease-fire.. that is if they don't inflict heavy losses on me first and grind me to a standstill. The campaign is becoming more and more bloody the closer I get to Jerusalem.. they really want to hold onto that city! Truthfully though I am trying to keep myself warring with the Muslim factions for as long as I can. Western Europe has some powerhouses at the moment, I'd rather not invite a crusade upon me by attacking a catholic nation. (then again, i may face one anyway as I take more of the Levant) One thing I didn't report was how the Crusaders took Baghdad in 1105. There was at least three french stacks guarding the city, it took three factions united by Jihad for the Muslim world to reclaim it. I'm not looking forward to that kind of fight

I'll have more to report when I get a chance to play more of the campaign! I highly reccomend trying the Byzantines out, very challenging. Though their unit skins are a bit goofy.. fortunately there's lots of mods that can fix that!