Pics & History of your Empire

[Maloncanth]

The Sicilians invaded with an enormous army in 1228 and Prince Kaloyan opted to abandon the humble keep to rejoin his father in a desperate bid to defend Constantinople from the encroaching hands of the Catholics. For the next two years, the Bulgarians and Sicilians massed their forces, but fate would not have it. In 1230 the King of Sicily fell ill and died childless, struck down by Divine Providence!

P.S. - Double bribery GET!

[Maloncanth]

I've played this XL mod thing for a bit now and I'm really rather impressed. It feels much more challenging strategically as the player's economic base is greatly shrunk, relatively. My main criticism would be that it's very generous to historically minor factions though. Right now as I type, the Lithuanians are utterly disembowling the Horde, the Crusader states have completely conquered Egypt and the entire holy land, and I think the Armenians turned the tables on the Turks around them.

Anyhoo...



In 1246, the Byzantine Empire invaded Horde territories in Georgia. Considering the Mongols by far the stronger side, and having only garrison troops ready in distant Moldavia, Kaloyan sided with the Mongols.

In 1247, two of his younger brothers as well as Prince Stafan, a rather disappointing and unready heir apparant, crossed the Bosporus and seized Nicaea.

Emperor Constantine XII returned next year with a heroic force of Kataphracts whom the vastly more numerous Bulgarian army heavily defeated. The Emperor was captured and executed when his own sons declined to pay ransom. The year after that, the Seljuk Turks returned to bordering Anatolia with a new army recruited largely of rabble.

Tzar Kaloyan II also fell ill and died in 1249, just in time to see his life's work, the great Asen walls at Turnovo completed. The new fortifications were said to be the equal of Constaninoples. His son Stafan however, did not share his Bulgaria-centrism and unlike his predecessors, was coronated not at Turnovo, but Constantinople, to a court full of intrigue and numerous uncles of superior intellect, questionable loyalties, and disparate agendas.

With large amounts of former East Roman territory now under Bulgar rule, the capital is shifted (officially) to Constantinople, and the Roman Empire of the Bulgar People is established.

[danfda]

Nice campaign Maloncanth! Keep it coming.

[Martok]

Nice, Maloncanth! Way to beat down those Sicilian scoundrels I also see Greece is now in rebel hands and that the Sicilians have been kicked out. (I don't suppose you would've had anything to do with that, would you? )


As for my Bohemian campaign, events continue to unfold in a different direction than what I was anticipating. It is a time of change and uncertainty. Kings and Caliphs have died, leaving their thrones to largely-untested sons of sometimes questionable ability. Kingdoms have fallen, while others are just beginning their rise to power and glory. Old allies turn on each other, and traditional enemies become fast friends.

Last night's session saw a flurry of diplomatic activity by a number of factions, including and especially myself. Alarmed by the French's growing strength, I dispatched the Bishop of Prague to offer terms of peace to Emperor Wilhelm, who was vacationing in Switzerland at the time. Upon hearing His Grace's proposal, Wilhelm was all too receptive to agreeing to a ceasefire. Indeed, the message delivered to me made it clear he was painfully eager for peace--he sounded less like an emperor, and more like a dog hoping to get a pat on the head from his beloved master. I confess I actually felt a little sorry for him!

My diplomatic activities continued elsewhere as well. Desiring to secure powerful allies in the east, I sent an emissary to Levidia, where the Prince of Kiev was currently residing. (The Kievans had unexpectedly started dominating the eastern steppes, pushing out both the Cumans and the People of Novgorod.) Somewhat to my surprise and concern, the Prince politely but firmly refused my offer of alliance. Given that he recently conquered Prussia and appears to have designs on pushing further into central Europe, I've realized I must watch him as warily as I'm watching the French.

Fortunately, Byzantine Emperor Alexius II (whom I found campaigning in Naples, of all places) was much more receptive to my embassy's offer of alliance. I suspect his willingness to see me might have had to with the fact that he's currently fighting a multi-front war against a numer of enemies. Interestingly, one of those enemies is the Pope--a man with whom the Bohemians have enjoyed only a lukewarm relationship. Only time will tell what retaliation--if any--the Vatican inflicts upon us as a result of this new treaty.

Perhaps just as interesting is that my newfound friendship with Alexius forced me to terminate my alliance with the Hungarians (the Byz had recently taken Croatia from them). I did so with regret, as I harbor no ill will towards them; they've been nothing but good Christian neighbors. The Byzantines are currently the greatest power on the map, however, and I greatly desire to be on good terms with them--particularly since they now share a border with me!

In the midst of all this deal-making, the Bohemians suffered a great loss: Vratislav II, who had led his people to victory over the Germans and tripled the size of his kingdom, succumbed to pneumonia and died in his sleep. The people greatly mourned his passing, particularly since the throne was now occupied his son, Vratislav III.

Vratislav the Younger has never had much appetite or aptitude for statecraft--he viewed his father's diplomatic maneuverings with both disinterest and disdain. In addition, rumors abounded throughout the court (and among the commoners as well), that he was a bit of an odd fellow at times. It's thought that he may be a touch schizophrenic, although as of yet it doesn't seem to affect his mental faculties overly much. Whether this problem will become worse later on remains to be seen.

For all that the people have their doubts about his ability to rule them, Vratislav himself has none. Owing largely to his father's accomplishments, he can exert a modest amount of influence over his neighbors, and he's not afraid to use it. In addition, he has a deserved reputation as a canny battle commander. (So what if he occiasionally demands that trees be baptized before being cut down to build siege weapons? At least he knows how to win! ) Perhaps most importantly, however, is that Vratislav III is ambitious--much more so than his father. He feels he can surpass him, and he's determined to do exactly that.

Towards that end, he makes a move that surprises nearly everyone--he offers to form an alliance with the Bohemians' old enemy, the Holy Roman Empire. (It should probably be mentioned that at this point, "Empire" is something of a misnomer, as the Germans now own just 2-3 provinces.) Wilhelm, trying to find any advantage he can against the French, gladly accepts the offer.

In this treaty with the Germans, Vratislav proved himself to be more cunning than anyone suspected. For not only has he now secured a buffer zone between his lands and the French, but it also gave him the excuse to cancel his alliance with the Venetians. (They were still at war with the HRE, and had in fact just invaded Tyrolia.) This was important, as he'd decided that Venice was going to be his next target.

The very next year, fortune gave my king's plans a small boost. The Venetian Doge died of an illness, leaving behind a son who was incompetent in all matters of kingship, including warfare. Vratislav was ready to pounce, and immediately invaded Venice with an army that swept all before it. The new Doge (who didn't even have a chance to celebrate his coronation) possessed just enough intelligence to know his forces were no match, and retreated back to the city.

I now have Venice under siege and at my mercy, but there are ominous rumblings on the horizon. Word has come that while most of my allies have remained steadfast, the Polish have instead sided with the Venetians in this conflict. In addition, the Venetians appear to be preparing a massive relief army, as their conquest of Tryolia is now complete. It looks like I'm going to have a real fight on my hands, and this time the war may come on two fronts....

[Don Corleone]

The year was 1087. Venice has survived for nearly 400 years as a vassal state of the Byzantine empire. They have held off invastions from the North by Germanic tribes, each led by a barbarian confident that they in fact are the next Charlemagne, as well as seaborne raids along the Adriatic by the new upstart Normans to the South, stationed in Sicily. At the age of 36, a bright young star rose in the sky for Venice, Vitale the first true sovereign of Venice ascended the throne.


Immediately, Vitale declared his independence from the traditional Ventian overlords, the Byzantines, but leading a charge into Naples. With a band of militia raised from the local city and his personal bodyguard, Vitale drove the Byzantines from Naples, freeing the mostly Catholic province from their Orthodox overlords, gaining the allegiance of the Holy Father in the very same year. Vitale's charge was so perfectly timed, over 40 Byzantine swordsmen fell in the initial impact, including the Byzantine's hapless General. Understanding that discretion is often the better part of valor, Vitale immediately ordered a halt of all contact with the Byzantines, by land or by sea, for a period of 2 years, to squelch the anger.


Instead, Vitale focused his time on diplomacy with the other nations of Europe, including bonding his family to that of other Catholic former victims of the Byzantines, the Hungarians, to whom he wed his eldest daughter Adela, and the Poles, from whom his son received a beautiful bride, Zophia.

Aside from snatching the barbarous state of Serbia, allowed to languish in horrific squalor by the uncaring Byzantines, the 11th century of our Lord passed without conflict.

This all changed, in the year 1100AD, exactly. The pompous ass, Adam, Norman King of Sicily violated the Doge's second, and favorite, daughter, Margarita and then refused her hand to his son. Vitale first married his now ruined daughter off to his most able general, Bohemend de Tankerville, with whom Margarite's secret could be concealed. He then smashed two Sicilian based fleets and sent his eldest son, Margarite's older brother, the young Vitale to Sicily who stormed Palermo itself! Showing a shrewd accumen that would continue to serve the Doge through his reign, Vitale allowed the Normans to continue their pathetic existence in Malta... the heap of rocks while strategically attractive could not possibly afford the Normans enough wealth to ever challenge his rule of Mediteranean again. Vitale found himself as the sole owner of over 10,000 square miles of a vast blue highway of trade, the Mediteranean sea. He also demonstrated his reason and restraint to his fellow Catholic monarchs in Spain, France and Aragon, as well as maintaining the blessed alliance with the Holy Father in Rome.

[So much for last night's adventure. Will continue with another update tomorrow night, after playing some tonight. When I get some time, I'll explain my self-imposed role-playing rules.]

[Maloncanth]

No, the Sicilian king died of natural causes, honest ;p

May've been a bug actually. I think they started with a king but no sons and didn't get any as the years went by.



Despite the animosity between the Bulgarian peoples and their former Byzantine overlords in the late 12th century, the royal household of Bulgaria was properly a subordinate branch of the Byzantine imperial Comnenus dynasty through Theodora, wife of Tzar Kaloyan II whom he had married to secure recognition of the Bulgarians' legitimate 'regency' of Constantinople following 1219 the Bulgarians first to restored the city to Orthodox hands. Troubled by the raging Armenians at the the time, the proper Byzantine Empire was in no position to refuse. The Bulgarian royal family had also taken up the name Comnenus upon retiring from direct line of succession from the throne.

Following the arrival of the Horde, Bulgaria allied with the Khan for survival's sake, as did the Byzantines, until the latter attacked the former in the 1240's. The Bulgarians sided with the Horde and the close relation of the family branches allowed a legitimate rival Roman Empire, especially since the capital was in Bulgarian hands. The war of the Comenus family lines continues with the invasion of the Byzantine island stronghold of Rhodes, the attacking Bulgarians led by Ivan Comnenus is victorious over the defenders, led by Andronicus Comnenus.

Rich words for this victory as well as the strategic disenfranchisement of lesser lords to favour the king's many uncles with high titles has restored stability to the Bulgarian Roman Empire.

[Maloncanth]

With the conquest of the Rhodes corridor, the shores of the Bulgarian Roman Empire are truly secure for the first time. With the Hungarian border yet at peace, the Empire turns her eyes eastwards in the late 1250's to expand her holdings further.



Thoros Rubenid, Armenian royal on the losing end of a war for succession, held control of Lesser Armenia. A few thousand florins acquired his loyalty and his marriage to princess Vigilantia, (famous for her work on the front lines as a Hordewatchers agent from the age of fifteen) reinforced the allegiance of the talented general and his lands.




Despite the numerically superior Seljuk Turks, Bulgarian armies led by another uncle of the Tzar invaded Anatolia and with superior quality troops dealt the Turkish army an outrageous rout. Over three hundred muslims were slain or captured and executed, including their Sultan for four Bulgarian casualties and the Seljuk line returned to the ashes.




At the same time, the Crusader States attacked and easily conquered the remnants of Armenia. Ivan Comnenus once again took to the field in 1259, invading Trebizond, taking the province without a fight. The year was an eventful one, with alliance secured with the powerful Crusader States and the powerful English in the west. Gunpowder was introduced, the royal lines of the Armenians and the Turks were extinguished, and briefly prior to the full subjugation of Rum by the Crusaders, the Bulgarians replaced the trading empire of England as the wealthiest empire in the world.

The World in 1260

[Shaun]

Nice empire, XL certianly rocks!

[Martok]

That's awesome, Maloncanth; looks like you have a good game going! It's cool that there's several major factions (yourself, Kievans, English, Crusader States), instead of just you and maybe one other superpower. Even factions like the Danes, Mongols, Hungarians, Venetians, Papal States, and Castille-Leon all seem to be thriving fairly well. Looking forward to seeing what the BRE does next! (I'm curious to see if you'll finish off the Byz.)


As for my campaign, I only had time to fight two battles. Although I won both of them, neither was decisive.

As I expected, the Venetians attempted to relieve the garrison in Vienna. Although the Doge's army outnumbered mine by a good margin, he fielded mostly inferior troops. In addition, my king's brother Boleslav was a far superior general (5 stars, whereas the Doge was only a 1-star), and I was able to win with acceptable losses. (I lost ~250 men, the Venetians lost ~600 men.)

In addition, the Polish simultaneously invaded Bohemia, where my small garrison there was personally commanded by King Vratislav himself. The Polish army (led by their crown pirince) wasn't very big, but it was composed of mostly cavalry (RK's, Polish Retainers, and 1 Horsemen) and a unit of Joggabys. This battle, while tougher, was also somewhat amusing. It was probably a bug or fluke in the AI, but what happened was this:

I'd stationed my men on a small but heavily-wooded hill, where my infantry-heavy army would have better odds against the Polish horse units. The enemy commander, not being a complete idiot, sent in his Horsemen and some of his Polish Retainers to scout out the terrain to try and find me. They wandered into a shallow valley between two hills, upon one of which my troops were positioned. My Bohemian Bowmen (who until now had been hidden in the trees) started pouring arrows into the Horsemen and PRs as they passed between the two hills. What's odd is that they then started wandering back and forth from one end of the valley to the other, allowing my bowmen to kill them at their leisure.

Eventually, the Polish commander rode in with the rest of his army, and his men started behaving normally again. But prior to that, his scouting forces just wandered around the valley, letting me pick them off one by one. Has anyone else noticed bizarre behavior like this? I know the battle AI does some strange things from time to time; but in over 3 1/2 years of playing this game, I'd never seen that before.

[Vladimir]

It's probally the AI's inability to understand where missiles are coming from and why its troops are dying. My favorite cheesy tactic is to engage the enemy at maximum range and hope that they bunch up several units and die. In most cases, they even face their backs to me!

[Martok]

It's probally the AI's inability to understand where missiles are coming from and why its troops are dying. My favorite cheesy tactic is to engage the enemy at maximum range and hope that they bunch up several units and die. In most cases, they even face their backs to me!

Okay, that might make sense. What I still don't understand, though, is why the AI wouldn't be able to see my archers in the first place. Yes, my Bohemian Bowmen were initially hidden since they were in the woods, but they became visible as soon as they started firing. Does the AI have a problem seing hidden missile units even after they've started firing?

[Maloncanth]

I considered finishing off the Byzantines but decided against it or at least against doing it traditionally. Georgia's a pretty worthless province and difficult to hold down from where I am. It'd only be territory for territory's sake.

I considered jumping them, killing them, and then letting the province go rebel but that might tempt the Crusader States a bit too much for the turns it could take to actually go rebel. Assuming it worked though it'd be a Byzantine revival (which could be good or bad) or else the Russians ending up bordering the Crusader States which is also good.

I'm also considering Crimea though that's an outside thing. It's probably less valuable and more difficult than Georgia and barely more politically acceptable since the Horde is right there. And it'd take ages of holding it to make something able to build Steppe Cavalry. It would make a nice supplement to my limited number of Boyars however.

My next preferred enemy by far would be the Hungarians. Hungary and Serbia have been built up excellently and would add much needed solidity to the lines. As it is, Carpathia is quite isolated (and valuable) and every province on the western frontier positionally needs a defense.

Shooting at the Horde would be acceptable, but I'd prefer the Horde remain as strong as it can in the face of the Russians. I dislike fighting Russians immensely because the computer can use Boyars better than I can.

The option I am taking is simply to build up. I'm in a rare state of peace now since the Georgia based Byzantines can't really hurt me and one thing MTW has taught me, reinforced by the additional aggression in XL is to value times of peace. It's not like Civ 3 where I won whole games hardly fighting at all. The economy is healthy so this is an excellent chance to start high level fortifications everywhere. I dunno if it's built into the mod but XL is not forgiving at all with facilities and most of the conquests so far have been unable to build anything worth building at all. In fact, Tzar Stafan's greatest accomplishment (or what will be) is definitely not the conquest of the Byzantines. That's miniscule small beans compared to the massive work being done to improve troop training quality and the economy.


Character Profile
Ivailo Asen Comnenus

Ivailo Asen Comnenus, fifth son of Kaloyan I (and fourth uncle of current Tsar Stafan I) was always the odd one out of his siblings, perhaps from the syphillis to which his mother eventually succumbed. Nevertheless, he has become an administrator without peer, and perhaps the most important pillar of the empire.

On the surface unhinged loon, yet prone according to those close to him, to 'attacks' of incredible lucidity, Ivailo is as mad as he is ingenious. His outrageous and insane, yet in hindsight visionary schemes made him a bureaucrat and financier without peer. Under his guidance, Nicaea overtook Greece as the second most productive province in the Bulgarian Roman Empire after only Constantinople itself. He is said to be able to remember word for word and number for number, every financial report ever penned in his career as Duke of Nicaea.

Because he was only six years the elder of the Tsar, he shared a closer relationship with him and Ivailo's prodigal childhood achievements made him look up to his uncle with a sense of amazement at an elder brother figure. The only uncle to remain steadfast (as steadfast as he could in his usual state of mind) in the times of trouble following his coronation, the Tsar is said to have characterised him the most honest man in his court.

[naut]

Very nice Bulgaria campaign Maloncanth!

[Maloncanth]

I've noticed that the AI in XL seems very eager to retreat. I've just gone into a battle with comparable numbers of forces of fairly comparable quality (I had 3 flags on them due to general, they had better troops and advantage of defender) and they withdrew from the fight immediately. The same thing more or less happened with the Turks earlier. Has anyone else noticed this?

[Vladimir]

It seems that when faced with defending against 3-to-1 odds the AI seems to abandon the providence. At 2 to 1 I've had them withdraw to the fortification. Most of the time when they do the former they will attack the next year, but in the case of the latter, they usually starve.

[Maloncanth]

When Bulgaria conquered and supplanted large portions of the Byzantine Empire, they inherited the empire's traditional dominance of east mediterranean trade. This unbalanced trade served to keep the peace of the early 1260's a short affair. Though the Byzantines agreed to a ceasefire, the Crusader States, dissatisfied with unequal trade through which the Bulgarians profited hundreds of florins annually, declared war in 1266. The end of trade damaged the Bulgarian economy somewhat, and more importantly, highlighted a naval threat to the empire's coastlines.

Hostilities began in 1268 when, having amassed sufficient forces, the Bulgarians launched an army of over two thousand at Rum. The First Battle of Iconium was an inconclusive affair as the Crusaders opted to retreat. The Bulgarians traded 6 dead for 75 Crusaders dead or captured and ransomed. The Bulgarians then laid siege to Iconium Castle.

In 1269, the Bulgarians defended their siege of Iconium Castle against an attack of over three thousand Crusaders (no screenshot of this one). The Bulgarians were greatly victorious killing hundreds in the ensuing battle in which Wallachian Mercenary Cavalry demonstrated the first and many times their incredible prowess. Several Armenians as well as ex-Sicilian units also served with distinction. The cavalry forces captured over 1,300 Crusader prisoners whom Lord Basiliacus of Greece had impaled alive all along the road to Iconium such that the next Crusader army should see them as they marched on the Bulgarian siege the following year. This great victory however, was balanced by the disastrous Battle of Cyprus, where the Bulgarians lost their entire east mediterranean fleet. This forced a reshuffling of forces at the war front to draw a skeleton army back to defend the perimeter at Nicaea in case the Crusaders attacked there.

1270 was marked by a series of violent battles. The Golden Horde attacked in Moldavia, perhaps sensing an opportunity, and were defeated heavily by numerically superior Bulgarian defenders although this new war caused three inconsequential alliance breaks.



The Crusaders again attempted to lift the siege in the Third Battle of Iconium with an army of roughly 1850 a somewhat lesser army of 1550 Bulgarians. Bulgaria was decisively victorious, losing 183 men for 1,178 Crusaders killed or captured and drawn and quartered to the man.



Weeks later, the Crusaders struck once more, this time in Lesser Armenia with 2,225 crack troops under talented general, Lord of Sargines. Facing them was a vastly smaller force of 840 Bulgarians.

After a shaking start in which two units of Wallachian cavalry nearly routed, the Bulgarians settled into tight formation on a hill and awaited the main body of the Crusaders. Upon their arrival the Bulgarians showered formations one at a time with storms of arrows such that even with their great shields and heavy armour, the Crusader States' famed Order Foot fell by the score and scattered. Thus disrupted as they marched on the Bulgarian position, the slow but supremely heavily armoured Bulgarian halberdiers were able to engage in favourable terms even as the Latin auxilliaries and a single company of Bulgarian heavy infantry (stuck permanently on Losing Badly throughout) held the right flank. In the confusion, the general and his own bodyguard of Boyars rode into the Crusaders' rear and snapped the back of their first Battle, sending the whole of them into a rout. The second and third Battles arrived and, composed of inferior troops and demoralized by the destruction of the first, were easily beaten.

In this climatic Battle of Lesser Armenia, the Bulgarians annihilated the Crusader army, losing 226 men and killed 1,289 Crusaders and during the battle capturing a further 582 who were left bound at the shore to be drowned by the tide.


Suffering nearly five thousand casualties over a mere two years, the back of the Crusader army has been broken. If command of the seas can be retaken, the road to Antioch is just ahead.


EDIT: Leading to 1275, the war goes poorly for the Golden Horde as they are railed upon by the Hungarians and the Novgorods. As the Crusader States quickly rebuild their military forces, Antioch and Edessa are besieged and taken without fighting. The naval war however, rages on as the Crusaders and the Mongols both score victories despite inferior ships.

UPDATE: 1277, the English declare a Crusade on Constantinople and signs of a computer dogpile are definitely starting to form. Meanwhile, the Bulgarians are quickly finding the naval war impossible with the lack of mobility inherent in Italian/Byzantine ship designs.

[Martok]

Wow. Congratulations on your impressive victory, Maloncanth! Lesser Armenia must've been a brutal battle!

[Maloncanth]

Well that was the high point of the game, really. I have the replay so I could take screenshots sometime in the future I suppose. ;) It's been downhill from there (in terms of interestingness) though.

Quick summary:

-In the 1280's the English Crusade arrives at Bulgaria and is defeated heavily by the Tzar personally taking the field.

-In 1282, Genoa declares war. The entire Genoan battlefleet is humiliated by a single Bulgarian galley, proving that the empire can roll dice with the best of them.

-In 1283, following rapid gains in territory in Syria and Mesapotamia and ongoing sieges in Georgia and Tripoli, Tzar Stafan I dies and is succeeded by Tzar Peter I. Hungary and the Crusader States are both wracked by civil war with Egypt and Sinai falling into rebel hands.

-1284: A huge army of Danes teleports to Egypt and crushes everything there. ~


There's been no real battles of note for several years now, since the Crusaders consistently retreat. I don't mind either since I hate fighting offensively in the desert, especially with many of my units silver or gold armoured.

[Silver Rusher]

Duklja (Serbia): The Vukan Age

Hello folks, and welcome to my Serbian campaign.

Stats:
Early period
XL mod
Expert difficulty
GA
Huge Units

In 1086, Vukan, a young General but powerful defender in the service of King Constantin Bodin (or Petar III) of Duklja rose up against the leader. In a strangely successful rebellion, which ended up gaining an uncanny amount of support from the Dukljan people, Vukan emerged triamphant and proclaimed himself Tzar of the new Serbian Empire. Empire is the wrong word, though. All it consisted of was a fairly large but not-that-great plot of land, a town with a keep and some buildings, a few poor peasants, a couple of depressed Noblemen and a weak unit of spearmen.

But Vukan was going to change all that. In just a single year he united all the squabbling peoples of Serbia under his rule. Most were happy to subject (or probably just afraid of what would happen if they didn't), but the people of Rashka proved highly disputive. A battle was raged between the Serbs and the Rashkans.







The Serbs experienced a great victory that day! Their 200 Spearmen managed to rout the 120 Urban Militia of Rashka in an overall small battle, but still a significant victory nonetheless.

And through this victory, Vukan gained control of all Serbia. And this is where we begin our campaign.



Serbian GA:



Vukan was never going to stop here. He had united all Serbia, but his dream of a huge Serbian Empire fuelled him on. However, surrounding him already were two large empires: the Byzantine Empire, whom Vukan had no hope of defeating in the current state of his army, and Hungary, who had conquered Croatia at around the same time that Vukan led his revolt. One thing was for certain; Vukan needed was still not yet a contender for World power. At that point all he had in his control were 20 Caska Garda (Royal Guards) and 200 measly spearmen.

Four Years Later: 1091
So, I have provided you with a background. As I live in the service of His Highness the Tzar of Serbia, I write this account of the events that shall take place in his rise to glory. To begin with, the Turks have sent an emissary.


The Turks could help us in any future wars against the Byzantines, and so we accept.

The Sicilians also send an emissary.


We need strong Maritime ally, and so we accept.

We have also sent an emissary to the Hungarians with an offer of alliance. Strong allies like this are necessary, especially if Vukan wishes to attack the Byzantines.

1092

Another year has passed, and the construction of a Port in Beograd has finally been finished. Now we may be able to become a maritime power at some point. But not just yet.


Also, excellent news for Tzar Vukan as his son, also called Vukan, has come of age. Now he is fit to fight in the Serbian army, should it be necessary.


But the Hungarians have greatly insulted us. Not only do they refuse our reasonable offer, but our emissary was barely able to escape with his life!

And what are they doing in Croatia anyway? The Croats have no connection with the Hungarians; but they have a strong connection with us. Vukan's army is almost ready, war with Hungary shall follow soon!


1093
War begins!
The Serbian army, led by His Highness Tzar Vukan, has attacked Croatia. A unit of Spearmen is being trained in Beograd to hold the inner keep should it be attacked.


Our army consists of:
2 units of Caska Garda: 40 men total
2 units of Spearmen: 400 men total
1 unit of Archers: 120 men total
1 unit of Voynuk Swordsmen: 120 men total

Result:

The cowards have retreated!

The Genoese have sent an emissary with a request of marriage.


Why should one of Tzar's daughters marry into this ignoble 'democracy', which allies itself with our enemies? In his wisdom, His Highness has refused.

1094
It has been a long year, but spies operating from our watchtowers have revealed the threat of a large Hungarian army. Unfortunately, the rebelliousness of the Catholics in Croatia means we have to tie down too many troops keeping them in check, which leaves us with few options. Tzar Vukan, a naturally good defender if there ever was one, has returned to Serbia to meet the garrisson and will defend if the Hungarians try to attack Serbia.


Other than that, this year there has been more diplomacy.

To begin, the Pope has sent an emissary.


No doubt he wants us to convert to Catholicism, and so we must decline. We are proud of our religious heritage.

The Fatimids have also sent an emissary.


They could also help us in future wars against the Byzantines, and so we shall accept.

Here is one final picture of the Serbian Empire at this time, but other than that I must be leaving you now.


Stay tuned for the next installment!

EDIT: Future editions will not have the same level of detail. I will remove most diplomatic relations for example.

[naut]

Very nice, it makes me want to play as Serbia!

[Silver Rusher]

Well I have now had to replace all thumbnails with full size images...

[Deus ret.]

cool story and an interesting faction. keep it up! you could just use bigger pictures....

edit: oh, nevermind.....

[Silver Rusher]

I have been reading up about your campaigns, Rhythmic, and my God, those Byzantines are the most loyal allies I have ever seen!

[naut]

I must say the Bulgars ar my most exciting faction to play as to date. Its a pity I haven't the time at the moment to play them furthur.

[Vladimir]

You do know that your king is Catholic already right?

[Deus ret.]

At first I also was confused but the king depicted was the Hungarian ruler.

[Vladimir]

No problem. I wasn't trying to be rude but the irony of your King's max Catholic piety was precious!

[UltraWar]

I have started a Armenian campaign in MTW:XL on Normal mode:

[Silver Rusher]

It has been a long year, but spies operating from our watchtowers have revealed the threat of a large Hungarian army. Unfortunately, the rebelliousness of the Catholics in Croatia means we have to tie down too many troops keeping them in check, which leaves us with few options. Tzar Vukan, a naturally good defender if there ever was one, has returned to Serbia to meet the garrisson and will defend if the Hungarians try to attack Serbia.

You do know that your king is Catholic already right?

You did notice the Hungarian emblem in the top left hand corner, the camera centered on Hungary, the Hungarian name, the little white flag on top of the Hungarian King showing that he was the character selected and the Orthodox crosses depicted on the Serbian emblem several times on diplomacy screenshots, right?

EDIT: Also:

At first I also was confused but the king depicted was the Hungarian ruler.

No problem. I wasn't trying to be rude but the irony of your King's max Catholic piety was precious!

So after Deus ret. kindly pointed out your mistake, you completely ignored that as well. Hmm.

Nice campaign, UltraWar. You seem to have made mincemeat out of the Egyptians and Turks, well done. I think I may start an Armenian campaign right now actually.

[Martok]

@Silver Rusher: Easy, man. It was an innocent mistake on Vladimir's part, and I certainly doubt he meant to offend you. In addition, he *did* apologize, although perhaps not in a formal way:

No problem. I wasn't trying to be rude but the irony of your King's max Catholic piety was precious!

It maybe wasn't "proper" English, but his phrasing is a fairly common way of expressing an apology. He was also clarifying that had your king been Catholic, it would have been ironic (thus acknowledging he'd missed that you'd posted a shot of the Hungarian king and not of the Tsar).

This is one of those situations where my native toungue (English) is prone to all sorts of misinterpretation and leads to miscommunications such as this. I think I speak for all here in saying that none of us would ever intentionally insult you or Tsar Vukan (or anyone else, for that matter). We now return to your regularly-scheduled thread already in progress.