Despised...

[caravel]

Well after my HDD died last week I hadn't been playing too much MTW. I decided to start again yesterday after putting in my new one and reinstalling (yes the HDD with MTW on it died ).

I started off as the Byzzies/early/hard and thought: "nice easy one to get me back into it". How wrong was I. I started as usual developing my economy navy and trade while teching up Niccea to train it's p0rno cav and Constantinople and Trebizond for Kats and their namesake archers respectively. The Italians attacked first I think, or was it the Turks? Anyway I was soon, by 1117 that is, at war with no less than: the Turks, the Italians, the Hungarians, the Sicillians and the Papacy! I hadn't instigated any of these wars either. They were all acts of agression against me. The Sicillians have wrecked my shipping. The Italians have done the same, and invaded Greece, which I've abandoned, out of sheer annoyance. The Hungarians decided to go for Serbia and Bulgaria, which I've also abandoned and pulled back to Constantinople which is now being steadily reinforced (because the best of my troops are over fighting the Turks who so far haven't taken anything. In fact I've taken Rum and Armenia from them).

This is strange because I'm often only attacked by the Egyptians, and the Turks often make an alliance, not attacking until much later. In this campaign the Egyptians have remained allied (not for long no doubt).

Apologies for any spelling errors, amongst the flotsam and jetsam I was fortunate enough to salvage some fine beer from the wreckage of a Venetian Galley.