No papal re-emergence... (as yet)

[Ironsword]

Interesting one this,

I've been finishing off an old English campaign, the year was 1289 and my empire reached as far as Italy. I didn't want to attack the papacy, but the AI made the decision for me and marched a stack of (mainly siege) into English held Naples.

I retaliated and wiped out the invading papal forces. Marched into Rome, took it with minimal casualties; the papacy was woefully underpowered. Moved a stack into the Papal states, with the aim of implementing the Macsen Rufus pope on a rope plan. The pope sallied and was killed on the field. The remaining papacy forces turned rebel and I withdrew from the papal states the next turn. I kept a strong garrison in Naples, but withdrew all but tiny garrisons in both Rome and Tuscany, (56 & 67 men respectively), waiting for the inevitible papal re-emergence. The rebels only have a force of about 120 men and 5 ballistas. It is now 1338, a full 49 years later and still no re-emergence. It's allowed a full and bitter campaign against the polish and Hungarians to be implemented without a single ex-communication threat.

My Empire is the biggest and happiest according to reports, but I know they'll be back, but when?
Usually they strike back within a decade at most. I'm getting a little anxious that after all these years they will return with a 30k stack... Why has it taken them so long? What influences when they return? Or has the pope encountered a glitch before the gates of the vatican?

[macsen rufus]

Sounds like he doesn't want to come back out to play, knowing he's gonna get whupped

But it is a long popeless interval... is it the first time the faction has been knocked out? I have heard from some people that after a few knockouts & re-emergences they can take a long while/never come back.

With the regular factions I usually reckon that after about 60 years without a re-emergence, then they are gone for good, but not sure if that would really apply to the Papacy.

[Martok]

But it is a long popeless interval... is it the first time the faction has been knocked out? I have heard from some people that after a few knockouts & re-emergences they can take a long while/never come back.

Yeah, I too am wondering if that's the case. I remember a thread from last year (in fact, I bet it's the same one you're thinking of) in which a number of players stated that the Pope doesn't seem to return after his 5th or so re-emergence. On the other hand, I also seem to recall accounts of the Papacy showing up again after an absence of over a century, so who knows.


I personally can't vouch for it either way, though. My favorite tactic for getting rid of popes is to either assassinate him or (better yet) use a Grand Inquisitor to try and convict him of heresy.

[m52nickerson]

I wish that would happen to me. It seem that I've never been able to keep the Pope down for more then a few year.

Normally I just beat his forces until he only has a few units and try to trap him some were.