Emperor of Byzantium

[Demon of Light]

This is a new e-mail campaign game. First, lets get some basics down:

version 2.0
expert difficulty
early period


There are some differences with this campaign that should be readily apparent. First is that it is in the Main Hall. There are two reasons for that. One is that I am looking to attract players who have shown that they have frequented these forums for at least a reasonable period of time. I have a better chance of finding those people here simply because the posting requirements are a bit higher. the other reason is that KukriKhan already has his hands full with the Almohad games in Entrance Hall. If I place this here, it won't be his problem.

The next difference has to do with how we select players. There will be NO list. This will operate on a first come, first serve basis. Whoever is first to ask for the game after a reign is over gets the game next. Second place counts for squat. If you asked after someone else did, try again later. Anyone who has followed these games knows why this rule is in effect.

Here is how I want things to work:
MisterX petitions for the game

MisterX receives game

MisterX posts that the game is recieved.

MisterX (substitute Mrs.X if that is appropriate)finshes game and sends the file to totalwardynasticgames@yahoo.com

MisterX posts an account of his reign.

MisterX posts something like "awaiting next player"

MisterX sends the game to next player when they show up.

OK. Are there any questions?

[Demon of Light]

I hereby ask for the game

[Demon of Light]

I acknowledge that I have the game

[Demon of Light]

Brief history of the reign of Emperor Alexius I of Byzantium:

Alexius I will be known primarily for two things. First is the extensive building program he embarked upon during his reign. He was truly a magnificent builder. This, however, pales in comparison to his most lasting feat. Alexius I will be long remembered for ending the Turkish threat.

In 1099, the Turks launched an offensive against the Byzantines. Sultan Suleyman I commanded the attack on Georgia while his son Osman commanded the attack in Lesser Armenia. The result was disastrous for the Turks.

In Lesser Armenia, Osman had his personal unit of elite bodyguards together with his brother’s unit. Accompanying them was a unit of mounted archers. The Byzantine commander, Romanus Maniakes, knew that he needed to force the enemy into a disadvantageous position. With this in mind, he positioned his infantry and archers (one unit each) upon a wooded hill. When Prince Osman and his brother attacked, they found that their Calvary was ill-equipped to conduct maneuvers in the woods. Osman’s brother died and Osman himself was forced to withdraw after it became apparent that the Byzantine infantry clearly held the advantage. The archers had already won the archery duel by this time.

The attack on Georgia was an even bigger disaster. It started well as the Turks initially seized the high ground but they ceded that advantage early in the battle and never recovered. Sultan Suleyman took his youngest son with him and proceeded to lose him in battle. It seems that the impetuous youth thought he could bypass the Byzantine infantry and attack the archers from Trebizond without repercussion. His error cost more than his life. His father saw him imperiled and desperately sought to save him. The Byzantine lines wavered and it looked like he might succeed but his son was cruelly cut down (by the very Trebizond archers he had sought to decimate no less) and fresh troops were tossed into the fray. Suleyman was seperated from the rest of his army and was slain by a flight of arrows. Had he not lead a charge to save his son, history might have turned out differently. As it stood, fate had decreed that the Turks were repulsed on all fronts and that a young and untested Osman I would lead a now humbled and humiliated empire.

Osman did a credible job as Sultan. He wrested control of Lesser Armenia from the Byzantine and seemed ready to redeem his father’s errors. He personally conducted a spirited defense of Rum and repulsed a Byzantine counter-offensive despite the fact that at one point he was surrounded by 150 enemy soldiers without the benefit of any living bodyguards. This all came to a crashing halt after Alexius I took an alternative route in destroying the Turks. In the final year of his reign Alexius ordered three assassins to kill the still youthful Osman. Two of them never returned. Osman had yet to produce a male heir so his death splintered the Turks into bickering factions that no longer posed a threat. ( funny how the point of a knife accomplished what 100 swords could not)

[Demon of Light]

Who's next??

[Mount Suribachi]

I'm up for it

[Mount Suribachi]

Received save game from Demon of Light

[kataphraktoi]

i petition for the next reign after mount suribachi

[Mount Suribachi]

I think you've misunderstood Kataphraktoi - when I say that I've finished with the save game, the 1st person who posts "I want it" gets the save game next.

Anyways, got the save game this morning, played up until around 1116 and I think I've got a bug...

I keep getting the "insufficient funds" message. My profit is circa 500 florins per turn. I had 1112 Florins in the bank. Each turn my balance goes up 1 florin - 1112, 1113, 1114, 1115, and I still keep getting the insufficient funds message. So I removed all my stuff in the build queue that costs 1000 florins and I still keep gettting the message, even though the only things in my build queues now are 100 & 200 florin improvements. I just took lesser armenia, got 300 florins for it, and my balance still went up by 1 florin. Anyone else seen this? Any suggestions? I think my next move will be to remove everything from my build queues and see if that sorts the problem.

[Mount Suribachi]

I am the stupidest Emperor who ever lived

STOOPID STOOPID STOOPID

Guess who was looking at the year, and not his florins above it...I feel like such a n00b...

[Brother Derfel]

Quote[/b] (Mount Suribachi @ July 12 2003,05:50)]I am the stupidest Emperor who ever lived

STOOPID STOOPID STOOPID

Guess who was looking at the year, and not his florins above it...I feel like such a n00b...

hehe, thats hilarious

[The_Emperor]

Ok Demon sign me up for it... The Byzantine Empire will endure

ralphwolf@clara.co.uk

[Dîn-Heru]

Quote[/b] (Mount Suribachi @ July 12 2003,11:50)]I am the stupidest Emperor who ever lived

STOOPID STOOPID STOOPID

Guess who was looking at the year, and not his florins above it...I feel like such a n00b...

that is the funniest thing I have heard in a while

[Pablo Sanchez]

Quote[/b] (Mount Suribachi @ July 12 2003,05:50)]I am the stupidest Emperor who ever lived

STOOPID STOOPID STOOPID

Guess who was looking at the year, and not his florins above it...I feel like such a n00b...

Everyone, get your sharpest knife. It's time to play "Justinian II."

[MiniKiller]

I would like to try to, just gotta be on at the right time. Now can I put the save file on a floppy and onto my other computer? Thats where MTW is, then transfere it back via floppy and back to you guys? My rain would be peaceful unless already at war or trying to gain rebel territories.

One more question, if my kind dies on the first turn its over right? Only one king no matter what the age?

[Demon of Light]

I tried the floppy disk idea once. It didn't work for me. Of course, that isn't to say it can't work but only that I couldn't make it work. As far as the year thing goes, the answer is that you'd better make that an eventful year because it is the only one you'll get.

[Mount Suribachi]

The Emperor Alexius II, Anatolia, The year of the Lords grace 1116.

My Darling Mary. Good news my English Rose, our warriors have successfully taken Lesser Armenia from the muslims and returned it to the Roman Empire once more. Many of the Muslims fled on their horses to the North to join their brother in the rebel princedom of Rum. I am undecided at to whether to press home the attack there as well. They are many, and their army consists of light cavalry, such as I have so far been unable to recruit. I fear with their superior speed they will run rings round us and tire us out.

However the Egpytians are also contesting the province and I would seek to deny them any enlargement of their Empire. Reports from our border forts in Georgia say that the Egyptians have been having problems subduing Armenia, though they appear to have the area under control now. The Egyptians worry me, they can only attack in one of 2 directions - towards us or their Muslim brothers to the west. I have sent Stephen Orphanotrophus to try and conclude an alliance of friendship with the Egyptian Sultan, but Stephen is young and inexperienced and I hold out little hope.

I would desire to travel North and secure the Northern shore of the Black Sea, in order that it might become a Roman boating lake, and I would desire even more to return to Constantinople to be with you my love. But alas I do not trust the muslims and I feel I must remain here, to watch them, and warn them. I have left our only son, your beloved Manuel with an army to hold Lesser Armenia. He is a fine general, though I am worried about his strange behaviour. He has started talking to servants who don't exist I fear the stress of being the son of Gods Vice-regent on Earth is getting to him. Perhaps you could ask Patriach Sergius II to offer prayers to the Lord God on his behalf (not publicly of course, we must not worry the people or give our enemies an oppurtunity).

How is my sister Vigilantia? Perhaps you should visit her and her husband, Lord Prvovencani in Greece.

I worry about our economy too. We do not have enough money to make the investment necessary to increase our cash flow. Perhaps we must tighten our belts for a few years in order to save the money we need to build up our infrastructure. I have also been severely embaressed. Whilst checking the annual financial report I saw that our coffers had increased by only one florin. I flew into a rage and demanded to know where the missing money was, then I realised I was looking at the year, rather than the balance. It was a most embaressing public display which greatly amused those gathered in the Main Hall. I hear whispers that some have started calling me "Alexius the Wise" though alas, not in a respectful way as my forefather Leo was known, but in a mocking way.

Nevertheless, I plan to try and continue to build up my empire and increase the happiness of my people.

Your loving and faithful husband

Equal of the Apostles

Alexius

[The_Emperor]

Well i do spend wayyy too much time on these boards as it is... but saying that its lucky I came on at all, I was just about to disconnect and start a game.

Oh well its now downloading, cheers mate.

(Like a true politician, I now retract what I said about the system)

Alright I now confirm that I have the Game, I'll keep you guys posted of my reign and be sure to give you a full write up complete with Pictures.

[MiniKiller]

So ur not dead yet? bummer lol just kidding.

[Odinn]

Post the maps plz

[MiniKiller]

update update

[Casca]

Well done Mount Suribaci I look forward to reading more of your progress

[Mount Suribachi]

Mary, my love. I must first apologise to you for the fact that I have been a stranger to you all these years. Just once in the last 20 years have I been back to Constantinople to see you, and even then the stay was so brief, as once more our enemies attacked our borders and I was called away. Now we have no sons to take over from us, but at least I have 2 brothers to take over from me. You must call my brother Andronicus back from Serbia. By the time he reaches our great capital, I will probably be dead. Yes my love, I am ill and the physicians tell me that I have only 12 months to live, if it is the Lords will. I would ask you to pray to out protector, the Virgin Mary, but I am mindful of Hezekiah. He prayed to the Lord for healing when he was at the point of death and his prayer was granted. But in the extension of life that was granted him, Manasseh was born, the longest lived and the wickedest of all the Kings of Israel. I do not want to live on, only to sire a Manesseh. It is worry enough that Manuels mental state has deteriorated lately, he is now painting his servants blue and sucking on horseshoes...he is fine general, but the men can only take so much.

Andronicus's affair with Lord Diogenes may have become public knowledge, but he is a fine general and an intelligent man. As soon as he arrives in Constantinople I order that he be crowned as Basileus by the Patriach in the great church of St Sophia. I hope he has a more peaceful reign than I. It was with great joy that I heard the news of the defeat of the Crusade by the Holy Roman Empire that was rampaging through our lands towards Antioch. The army in Bulgaria, though greatly outnumbered put up a brave fight before they were forced to retreat to their fort. And what a sight the battle outside the walls of Constantinople must have been Lord Byrennius, Duke of Trebizond led his small army with great skill and bravery to drive those hordes of Frankish barbarians from our land Send him my apologies that I did not provide him with more troops, but I did not expect the crusade to arrive at our borders so quickly.

As for myself, I am happy with what I have achieved in the East. The battle to defeat the claimant to the vacant Turkish throne in Rum was a fine example of the valour and skill of the armies of Rome I was most proud of my men that day. The treacherous surprise attack by the Egyptians produced more of that pride as we beat them back in Georgia, Trebizond and Armenia. The Egyptians paid for their treachery when a civil war ensued following their series of defeats. Indeed,as their empire broke apart, it gave me great satisfaction to receive their emissary, grovelling and begging for a ceasefire Though I agreed, I am sure they will no doubt attack us again soon enough.

Still, their problems were to our advantage. I have been able to take some of the lands that broke away during the civil war. Antioch and Edessa are now ours again, and the way is open to Tripoli and even the Holy Land itself, should Andronicus so desire it.

I must go now my love, farewell. I shall try and write more soon.

Alexius.

[MiniKiller]

so does that mean ur 55? How old is ur brother? I want to try this but if he is past his 30's....

[Mount Suribachi]

Andronicus the adulterer is in his 50s. Manuel the crack brained is in his 30s.

[MiniKiller]

And will Manual be taking over? If so and you are near death I would like to take on ur reins.

re-read ur write up, guess not, lol but he will only have like 3 turns or so. I'll wait

[Mount Suribachi]

hehe, hold your horses minikiller, you gotta be the first to post *after* I'm done.

All this power is going to my head muwahahahahaha

[MiniKiller]

well than by golly...finish hehe u old old man

Let me know who takes over, maybe send ur 50 year old brother to battle to die, that rein would be what 6 years tops, lol.

[The_Emperor]

Quote[/b] (Mount Suribachi @ July 15 2003,17:47)]hehe, hold your horses minikiller, you gotta be the first to post *after* I'm done.

All this power is going to my head muwahahahahaha

I think that system sucks,

I say create a list and even things out... and if the list gets too big and the campaing ends, you can always start another campaign.

[MiniKiller]

WEll I have to go to work, can I like, uhh be exempt lol and take control if the younger brother takes over? maybe I can but only if u guys after me dont mind?