[M2TW AAR]: Vignette III - HRE

**AussieGiant** · 12-03-2006, 10:29

Originally Posted by Wonderland

Aiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

I'm pleased to announce the motion has now been formally passed with the member for California's approval.

We just have to get it passed by both houses of parliament and we can turn it into a Law!!

**The Teacher** · 12-03-2006, 13:12

bring it on beefy!

Brilliant as always!

kampfen deutscheland!

**Faenaris** · 12-03-2006, 13:19

Since I am from Germanic stock (well, one of my ancestors was), I'm looking foward to this Vignette. And I'm loving it already.

Thumbs up, Beefeater, thumbs up.

**Wizzie** · 12-03-2006, 19:40

Looking forward to this one even more so than the French vignette

**Beefeater** · 12-03-2006, 23:38

GERMANIA ITALIENSIS

Being an extract from the journal of Adolphus Mann, Doctor of Letters

February 5, 1100

Full day. Met with Herr Kleiben. Distasteful. Necessary. Information is power. He still reeks of the brothel though. Huns are peaceful since Prince Henry’s marriage. Poles too far away, Danes too quiet.

Mandorf worries about Von Saxony’s adoption. Not jealous – something subtler. The Graf had more pressing concerns in any case.

“Venice.” When he wants my opinion he is always this way. A statement, never a question.

“Still besieged, Mein Graf. Herr Kleiben says that Heinrich is personally in command after that unpleasantness with the inquisitor.”

“Ja. Pity about von Kassel.” Was that the trace of a smile on his face? “Unwise of him to stray so far from his bodyguards.”

Unwise of me to raise the subject, he means. Change it. “No news from Milan, Mein Graf. Their merchants are still trading in the occupied cities; if they plan war they are hardly hurrying.”

“Why should they? Think, Adolphus! Heinrich takes Venice, with his forces reduced. From Rome to Innsbruck, who else has an army? If the Duke of Milan has any sense, he’ll canonise Heinrich – once he’s had him executed. Not good for you and me, Adolphus.”

He is right. With Heinrich dead, Henry would rule, and his adopted sons are Von Saxony and Von Tyrolia. No place for Mandorf there.

“I think our dear Kaiser may need assistance. Do you have the letter of credit?” I show him. He inspects it, smiles, signs.

“Present this to my friend Andreas in Innsbruck. Tell him what we need – arms and armour for five score horsemen, and provisions for a siege. Raise knights as well, or however many you can.” I bowed and left. Clever, Mandorf is.

I hope, for his own sake, that Von Saxony keeps a good priest handy.

General
As with chess, Civ, or almost any turn-based game of strategy, the first few turns are the charm. The HRE is going to try to expand in several directions at once and will probably continue to pull away from the centre. This will make for some interesting situations as our characters grow less able to call upon reinforcements from one another…

Kaiser Heinrich

Knowing the importance of keeping His Holiness friendly, Heinrich authorises the first expenditure of the game by permitting the expansion of the Town Centre in Bologna. As the Italians tend to field missile-heavy armies, he also orders Von Kassel in Innsbruck to raise knights and sergeants, and to build a stables so as to increase the pool of troops available for recruitment.

Shortly afterwards, he moves out with his full starting army and besieges Florence, which the council of nobles had decreed was an appropriate target. Relations with the Papal states take nose-dive to ‘very poor’. This does not throw Heinrich, however, who orders Von Kassel to lead the newly-recruited knights and sergeants from Innsbruck to the Milanese border. Florence falls to a lightning assault…

Machtpolitik

…but the Venetians have taken careful note of the reduced German presence in Italy and move to besiege Bologna. Heinrich rides back at full speed and engages the Venetians in an evening battle.

Skirmish Bolognese

This is one of those maps I always have trouble with. The whole thing is dotted with trees. I mean, who in their right mind would really fight in a forest? It’s a death trap for an organised army.
The Venetians are out in force, their army composed of Italian militia backed up by peasant archers. Heinrich splits his men into three groups: infantry to the left and right of the Venetian lines, archers forming a classic ‘weak centre’, and advances.

Tree-hugging

The infantry envelopment works like a charm, catching the unfortunate Italian archers from both directions and breaking them very quickly. The Venetian general committed his reserves to the battle, and for a moment looked set to turn things around. The Italian captain fought on bravely…

Death of a Captain

…but fruitlessly, finally sinking to his knees as he was run through by German spears. Italian resistance crumbled as Heinrich himself led a devastating charge into the flanks of the one unbroken unit, and the battle was won. Heinrich offered to ransom his prisoners, but the Venetians pled penury.Von Kessel took responsibility for passing on the bad news in person, with the aid of a large, sharp axe.

A near-perfect charge

Having shattered the bulk of the Venetian land forces in Italy, Heinrich met up with Von Kassel and laid siege to La Serenissima herself. As the Pope had recently gratefully accepted large gifts of German gold, neither Heinrich nor Von Kassel spared much of a thought for the lurking figure with the broad-brimmed hat…

Confess to me today, or confess to the Lord tomorrow.

…since the Pope was appeased, it seems safe to assume that the insanely pious (and probably also piously insane) Oddus de Giallo was on a frolic of his own when he burned Von Kassel for heresy. Possibly he had relatives in the unfortunate Venetian army that had recently come to a bad end?

Heinrich didn’t stick around to find out for certain, and immediately rode with his men for Florence, only returning a turn or two later when Cardinal Redcap had departed. As things stand, Venice can only hold for another four years at most – although they have had plenty of time to regroup, and another attack can be expected. More troops have been urgently requested from Innsbruck, although I am not sure they will be in time for the inevitable Venetian relief force.

Traits: Heinrich is now ‘Fair in Rule’ and a ‘Wall Taker’.

Into the West

Prince Henry’s ambitions in France would require more troops than he had to hand. Imperial couriers sped north, bearing the message that Dietrich von Saxony should commandeer the expeditionary force in Northern Germany and lead it to Prince Henry. This Von Saxony dutifully does, beating off a rebel ambush on the way.

As the column is marching through Teutonic forests, interesting news comes from the other side of the HRE. The daughter of King Lazlo of Hungary has arrived in Vienna, seeking trade rights. On what one presumes is a brief trip to Vienna, Henry spies the young lady and is immediately enthralled by her enormous tracts of land. They are married the following spring, and with that marriage the honest townsfolk of Vienna can breathe a little easier.

“Willst du bist der tot euch scheide, treu ihr sein für alle tage?”

Eventually von Saxony’s troops arrive and Prince Henry leads them off towards Metz, conquering it handily and building a Wooden Castle around the old Motte and Bailey.

Made Man

Success is making Prince Henry increasingly aware of the need for a coterie of generals he can trust. He adopts the ambitious and disloyal Jan von Tyrolia as a son, and packs him off to govern Vienna. Brother Leopold may get a nasty shock if he tries to requisition more troops from his old power base. Henry also adopts Von Saxony as his spare heir, following another victory of the northern governor against rebels (Shortly before his adoption, VS began to ‘Feel Appreciated’).

Traits: Henry is now ‘Fair in Rule’, ‘Religious’ and bears the ‘Marks of War’. Although his ‘Wife lacks charm’ he does at least have ‘Royal Ties’ as a result of his marriage (what, except just being the heir apparent? Bizarre).

Bohemian Dances

The second son, Leopold, has been busy in the east. Marching immediately from Vienna towards Prague with all the men he could muster, and requisitioning most of the garrison of Nuremberg as well, Leopold settles in with an army composed mainly of archers for a long siege.

The siege continues for seven long years (yes, I’m following the character timeline not the strange doubled-up timeline used by the game. Except for the diary excerpts…), at the end of which the Bohemian citizen-soldiers, half-starved and outnumbered, attempt to break out.

Cold Iron

The battle is pleasantly one-sided. The citizens of Prague had been depending upon a band of lightly armoured Slavic mercenaries. The effect of these weird, demonic figures approaching through the mist upon the superstitious German peasants can only be imagined. The natural response to eldritch forces – arrows of cold iron – proved extremely effective against burlap armour, and the mercenaries fell in their droves.

Guerillas in the mist

Leopold cleaned up shortly afterwards with his household cavalry. By this point Leopold had clearly noticed that Jan Von Tyrolia had seized power in Vienna, and would have been keenly aware of the need to bolster his own position. His solution was to bribe the Bohemians with new lands in the northeast: leaving behind a token force, he marched the very next year on unwalled Breslau, capturing it swiftly in an unremarkable fight. The nobles paid handsomely for their new lands (Council Mission, 2500 florins, capture Breslau), and the village itself was swiftly converted into a castle.

Traits: Leopold has acquired the ‘Marks of War’ and is now known to be ‘Brave’.

The Home Front

Mandorf is unlikely ever to be adopted into the family – he’s no general – but as a bright man in a safe, central city, he is better placed than anyone else to see the big picture. In his first few turns he oversees the expansion of the farming system to communal farming, and builds dirt roads, a grain exchange and a small church. He has also built a brothel and commenced the training of spies – these will be crucial for the next 10 turns, as someone is certain to attack the HRE and they can give an idea who.

Conclusion

It’s been an eventful few turns, and the outlook for the HRE is mixed. Venice will strike back with probably quite decent troops, and even if they can be dislodged, it’s highly likely that the Milanese will start causing trouble in Italy. An alliance with the French would be helpful but is improbable given the natural conflict for dominance of Alsace and Lorraine.

The Hungarians are probably dependable as allies – so long as Von Tyrolia keeps a decent garrison in Vienna and is not tempted away with Magyar cash. The Poles however have taken advantage of the sedate pace of Leopold’s expansion and are now entrenched in North Germany, with control of the castle at Magdeburg. The Danes are in Hamburg and could also pose a threat. Finally, the French might decide that Alsace would look nice as the easternmost province of France instead of the westernmost province of Germany.

Everything to play for.