Event Six - The War of the Four Basileis

[TinCow]

Event Six
The War of the Four Basileis

As a new century dawns, the Last Empire of the Romans is beset by internal strife and discord the likes of which have not been seen for ages. With four men claiming the throne at the same time, the Byzantines have once again proven that they remain the true heirs of Caesar. As with the Western Empire, the throne of Byzantium will never be secure until one of these men triumphs over his opponents. Whether there will be anything left worth ruling when this war is over has yet to be determined. The only thing that is certain is that the victor will truly be the Last of the Romans.

Rules

1. All players must declare neutrality or swear fealty to one of the four Basileis: Ioannis Tagaris (TheFlax), Ioannis Komnenos III (Ignoramus), Andronikos Komnenos (woad&fangs), and Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX). Players may swear fealty to any of the Basileis, regardless of any oaths of loyalty they have previously sworn. All declarations must be made in this thread. Players who declare neutrality may not join in the war later on, their role in the game is over and they will become simple spectators. Anyone who swears fealty to a Basileus will be considered an ally of that Basileus and will join any nearby battles on the side of that Basileus. All players who swear fealty to a Basileus must also state whether they are willing to fight multiplayer battles and whether they prefer Abbreviated Tabletop Battles or regular Tabletop Battles.
   
   
2. Every movement round, all players will submit movement orders by PM to TinCow indicating where they want to move their avatar on the game map. In-game movement rates will be significantly expanded for this Event, so instead of stating the exact spot where you wish to move, instead indicate the destination you are marching to and the route you would like to take. TinCow will determine, according to his judgment, how far each army will be able to move each 'round' depending on the circumstances, but in general movement will be increased by approximately 2.5 times the normal in-game movement rate. All movements will be considered to take place simultaneously after all PMs have been received. TinCow will move all units in the game himself.
   
   
3. Players may choose to gather all of their military strength by not moving for a single turn. When this turn is complete (after any battles have been fought), any player who chooses this option will have every unit that he owns on the entire map gathered into his army. This includes all units in all city garrisons, forts, and fleets at sea. This does not include any units owed by vassals or allies. As this may result in armies larger than 20 units (the maximum size of a stack), the normal rules allowing a player to control only a single stack are abolished. Any units in excess of 20 will march alongside the avatar's main stack and will participate in any battles the main stack fights.
   
   
4. No recruitment, construction, diplomacy, or other such typical TW in-game activities will occur during the Event. It will consist exclusively of movement of military units and battles. The game year will not advance during the Event, and all movements will be made using console commands.
   
   
5. Battles will be fought whenever TinCow determines that two or more armies loyal to different Basileis have entered into the same general area, even if they have not moved adjacent to one another in-game. All battles will be fought according to the normal rules PvP Battles, with the following exceptions:
   
   
   
   • (A) The type of battle (Multiplayer, Abbreviated Tabletop, Tabletop) will be determined by the preferences of the participants, not a general vote.
   • (B) All players must tell the Umpire at the start of the battle whether they will surrender or fight to the death if faced with such a situation. This decision will be permanent for the duration of the battle and cannot be reversed. Players who die in a battle will be permanently killed off and will not be allowed to respawn with a new avatar.
   • (C) No player will receive any reward (units, traits, or ancillaries) as the result of a battle.
   • (D) Players will have exclusive control of all units they owned at the start of a battle, though control of units can also be voluntarily handed over to allied avatars who are present in the same battle. Players may use their units in any way they see fit during a battle, including attacking their allies.
   • (E) Surviving generals on the losing side can choose to switch sides after the battle is completed, taking their surviving units with them. Those who have survived by withdrawing from the field can keep their loyalty and attempt to escape in the next movement phase. Those who have survived by being captured must change their loyalty or be executed or imprisoned, both of which will permanently remove that avatar from further participation in the Event. If a Basileus is captured, he may choose to change his loyalty to the Basileus whose army who defeated him. If this happens, the defeated Basileus permanently becomes a normal general and is no longer considered a claimant to throne for the purposes of this Event.
   • (F) When a Basileus is captured or killed, all living avatars who are loyal to that Basileus must swear fealty to one of the surviving Basileis or declare neutrality.
   
   
   
6. The game will continue in movement/battle rounds until only one of the claimants to the throne is left alive. When this occurs, the Last of the Romans game will be over. The victorious Basileus will be allowed to write the epilogue to the game, determining the future of the Byzantine Empire in whatever manner he deems appropriate.