Houserules and self-imposed limitations- The Northern Barbarians

[ziegenpeter]

- No assassination of enemy FMs, except traitors (who were bribed), and cowards, who repeatedly throw mercenary armies at me and then flee the battlefield.
- Don't attack "neutral" factions unless they do annoying things like sending waves of assassins, blocking my roads, etc.
- Wipe out any faction that assassinates one of my FMs.

Why is that typical Sweboz-style in your opinion (man)?

I always try to have even more than one FM in an army, because since warfare was so important for your own glory, I guess not only the King and his successor but all of the men in a family went to war.

I don't use many Skutjonez, germans were manly melee fighters.

If there is a sacred place in a region ("Wonder") I read the description and try to make up what temple would fit.

[kekailoa]

For the Gauls...

I try and not expand anywhere but where there is Celtic culture. I'll expand into places where I can recruit Celtic client kings and Celtic troops and historically has celtic culture.

I also send Gallic FMs on glory raids, just multiple bands of FMs into enemy territory to beat the poop out of everything they can get their hands on.

I also try to relive the great Celtic invasion, sending full stacks into Italy, Greece, Spain, and sometimes Dacia and Thrace to pillage and plunder and get me lots of money.

I don't like limiting myself unit-wise, because I like to build the Gauls into real confederations, like how they might have been if not for the Roman conquest. I feel like that's just as realistic.

[Duguntz]

well, as for me, my houserules goes as this, for Sweboz :

-Never, NEVER an army withour FM when goin' on to attack
-FM in first line, no matter what (Sweboz aristocraty was mainly not from bloodline, at first, but from battle skills and exploits... PLUS it's fun!!!)
-like it have been said earlier, till a certain date, only raiding, and I enjoy specially raiding Gauls, takin' slaves and destroying everything, then leave the settlement in the very same turn.
-I try (as much as possible) to start real expension around the 190's, to simulate the Cimbrii and Teutones (althiugh a few settlements before to help you out against those dang romans when they knock on your door, it's ok!) Even earlier is ok, just not to have 15 settelements at 268BC!!! But hey, it's a game! if recreating history means to have less fun, I still prefer to be ahistorical!

-Armies composition : do not have 6 fullstack! 2 maximum (outside cities, that is. I'm not counting city guard...) i mean, 2 fullstack on the ''war path''
-mainly medium troops (duguntiz, swordmen with too long names to remember, clubsmen great AP!!!) that is, no superstack of black nudes guy with 5 FM and heavy cav...)
-when we use levies during raids or campain , after burning, pillaging and saccaging, send them back in their cities (or any other if you don't remember) and disband them there... they're levies afterall!

well, that's about it for me! i'm not trying to be as historical as possible, just to add roleplay in order to be as fun as possible!

cheers to all!

oh I forgot :

-build gov. 1 everywhere when it's possible, otherwise, only gov.4... it simulate the different tribes...
- every gov.4 are on auto management

[Macilrille]

well, as for me, my houserules goes as this, for Sweboz :

-Never, NEVER an army withour FM when goin' on to attack
-FM in first line, no matter what (Sweboz aristocraty was mainly not from bloodline, at first, but from battle skills and exploits... PLUS it's fun!!!)
-like it have been said earlier, till a certain date, only raiding, and I enjoy specially raiding Gauls, takin' slaves and destroying everything, then leave the settlement in the very same turn.
-I try (as much as possible) to start real expension around the 190's, to simulate the Cimbrii and Teutones (althiugh a few settlements before to help you out against those dang romans when they knock on your door, it's ok!) Even earlier is ok, just not to have 15 settelements at 268BC!!! But hey, it's a game! if recreating history means to have less fun, I still prefer to be ahistorical!

-Armies composition : do not have 6 fullstack! 2 maximum (outside cities, that is. I'm not counting city guard...) i mean, 2 fullstack on the ''war path''
-mainly medium troops (duguntiz, swordmen with too long names to remember, clubsmen great AP!!!) that is, no superstack of black nudes guy with 5 FM and heavy cav...)
-when we use levies during raids or campain , after burning, pillaging and saccaging, send them back in their cities (or any other if you don't remember) and disband them there... they're levies afterall!

well, that's about it for me! i'm not trying to be as historical as possible, just to add roleplay in order to be as fun as possible!

cheers to all!

Germanic aristocracy was hereditary though the expectancy to be successful warlord was also there. Royalty/chieftaincy and aristocracy was hereditary.

Cimbrii and Teutons seems to have left Jutland about 130 BC, not 190. At some point I might try my hand at a Sweboz Timeline like the Roman one.

[mountaingoat]

-you need to grow a beard before you can play them.

[Macilrille]

LOL, I am 39 and it takes me about 14 days to grow a nice short reddish-blonde-brown beard. thing is, all the figures you can get are so stereotyped. Where is the romanised chieftain who shaved?

That is what I need, so if anyone knows of some, pray tell...

[SwissBarbar]

I started a Sweboz-Testgame with the following rules:

1. You have two classes of people

- There are the common people who live in villages and towns on your land. They can defend themselves and fight intruders back as archers and light infantrymen (cityguards)

- There is the warrior class. All your FM belong to it, and therefore we come to the second rule:

2. All FM have to fight in your army. All of them. Your army is consisted of:

- All your FM, who field the heavy infantry
- Archers and maybe some light infantry, but not many.

3. In battle, your FM have to attack the enemy in the first battleline.

5. When - IF - one of your FM reaches 50 years, that's when his picture turns into an older man, he may retire from his service in the army. He has gained enough glory and now is allowed to govern a city.

6. The capital city may only be governed by the faction leader - of course only if he's over 50 years.



Advantages of this system:

- Your armies are quite strong but very cheap, for FM don't cost upkeep
- The bodyguards that die in battle are replaced automatically in ANY city by time. Other units can be recovered only in cities where this specific units can be recruited. Not so the bodyguards.
- With Archers and your FM's you will be fine against other Germanic/Celtic units.

Disadvantages:

- The bodyguards are recovered in any city, BUT not in only 1 turn like the other units.
- The bodyguard units are not many in number, rarely more than 110 per FM, mostly less than 100. Other infantry-units of the Sweboz are 160-200 or more.
- If one of your FM dies, all his bodyguards will disappear forever, no matter how few losses they suffered from in battle.
- With Archers and your FM's you will have a hard time against Hellenic factions or the Romans
- If your army, with all your FM's at sea and the ships get killed, you will have a "Faction news" message with all your FM's dead. That's quite "unfunny", so prevent ^^



If you have fought many battles against "civilized" factions, and have taken some of their greater cities, your FM may become more like them, and your armies may become more professional by time. Only led by 1 general, and better mixed etc. I'm still testing the possibilities. It could also be a reason for civil war, when some of your FM want to become more civilized, and the others prefer the old way of things. Actually the campaign is going great atm, and still not too easy.

[Duguntz]

Germanic aristocracy was hereditary though the expectancy to be successful warlord was also there. Royalty/chieftaincy and aristocracy was hereditary.

Cimbrii and Teutons seems to have left Jutland about 130 BC, not 190. At some point I might try my hand at a Sweboz Timeline like the Roman one.

oUps, thanks for correcting! i did read about it, but it's been some time ago already, I just didn't remember good the dates!