The world according to the Koinon

[Quirinus Kuhlmann]

Thank you very much for the feedback, which I really appreciate. I think the game itself is extremely interesting. Even the diplomatical behaviour between the factions often seems to make sense, which is, as you know, very unusual for a RTW mod. I liked the activities around the punic war very much. Qarthadast tried to isolate Roma by forming alliances with her neighbours, the Epirotes and Aedui. Roma tried the same and allied with the Lusitanias. Only one year later Lusitania is destroyed by Qartadast and another year later, Qartadast manages to involve the three mighty Epirote armies in their war (probably by sending a small one to the front and asking Epirus for reinforcement when attacked)
So the Phoenicians seem to act really smart. (While Roma is on the loose in the northern forests due to her crazy Consul Blasio, but that's another story)

Also the trait system is simply amazing. I especially like the smeary and doubtful characters it creates.

The biggest problem for me in the mid-game is, that I earn too much money (I know I could simply destroy the mining centres, but thats not the same) But though my Empire is quite safe now, the game is definitely not starting to get boring.

Currently fundamental changes shake the earth in the Koinon neighbourhood, so the next update will show a world, that somehow turned upside down.

[Vorian]

Great read.

A question though: How do you manage to monitor so carefully the AI movements? (especially diplomatic ones) Do you have toggle_fow always on, even during changing turns? Man if that's true your patience is Budha-like.

[Quirinus Kuhlmann]

During the year, that I am reporting about, I completely turn off the FoW and watch, what the AI does while changing turns. Then I leave the game with strg/alt/entf and try to write about what has happened, not knowing what the KI will do next. That indeed affords a little patience but to me is very interesting too.
After the year I turn on the fog again and rely on the informations of my spy network all over the world.
As for the diplomacy, you always get the messages. I belive, the diplomacy-system is tuned down by the EB-developers, so that the KI-Factions are not too agressive among eachothers and relationships are quite stable. So most of the messages you get, are really important. And it's quite fascinating: Kathargo was neighbouring the Lusitanians for over thirty years without declaring war. Then you get the message: Alliance of Rome and Lusitanii and immediately the Lusitanian faction is destroyed by Kathargo.
Same whith Karthago and Epiros: Karthago had conquered Rhegium from the Romans and was now neighbouring Epirus, but instead of declaring war to them they allied and soon the longlasting Epirotean-Roman peace was over and Epiros did most of the work for the Qartadast.
This tuned down diplomacy system together whith the social-security script, that supports poor factions with money is one thing I especially like in EB, because it keeps the small factions alive and prevents the world from being a super-power-monoculture. Even the Lusitanians will hopefully do much better when they are worked out in the upcoming patches.

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

But anyway it has a somehow reconciliating epilogue: Only one year after the Qartadast Elite-fighters murdered the lusitanian nobility, simple Ombroxia-people arose with grim and kicked out the pontic parfumeurs.

Ombroxia? Pontic parfumers?

[Obelics]

ahah! this is somethink between an AAR story and an AI Faction Progression, and the whole think is a sort of very original, creative work.
Great job Quirinos, and thanks for having had a nice eye on my guys, it's strange, reading of Phraotes, Thuxtra etc. i almost had an eye tear. I think this is the evil side-effect of EB. Playing this mod you begin to think to faction you liked a lot as somethink of your own... in my time-frame, phraotes is dead long time ago of old age, as governor and restless-pedagogue in gava-alanna (he was never king sic!), while thuxtra is still alive as Shahanshah in gava-mazsakat...
Liked very much the images too, they seems a sort of postcards.

great contribute to EB!
salut!

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Liked very much the images too, they seems a sort of postcards.

Yes, and each sorrounded in the faction's colour.

I really like your funny style of writing, Quirinus. The idea itself is very interesting.

"They were baking little breads" hähähä! Im really looking forward to read how Koinon told Pontos "were the frog has the curls".

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Sorry posted twice! Would delete it if I could...

[Quirinus Kuhlmann]

Aymar de Bois Mauri: Thank you for reading so carefully. I have already edited the post, so now the phoenician parfumers are thrown out of Oxtraca, as it has to be. I had a lot of difficulties with the proper spelling of settlement-names, especially the town of Bratosporios was misspelled by me in four or five different ways.
Artaserse: I think, everybody, who read the Waste Land and then stumbles over one of the phalavian armys with a spy, while playing a campaign, wishs them more then good luck in their hopeless struggles against the neighbouring superpowers, especially when the stack is led by a familiar character and contains some Daha skirmishers, phalavian archers and stuff. It's like a different version of the Wate Land, that happens somewhere out of sight, while you are making your own expieriences.
The next update will take a while, because I'm going to Berlin now for about one week. But I want to tell you in advance, that Thruxa has survived the next ten years, but god, must he suffer! I'm glad to hear, that he's much better off in your timeframe.

I highly appreciate your interest in this story. Next update will will show a world, which has turned upside down in more than one way.

[Quirinus Kuhlmann]

Thank you too, Nixalsverdrus, and don't you let those gaulic recruts trample on your nerves too much!

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Aymar de Bois Mauri: Thank you for reading so carefully. I have already edited the post, so now the phoenician parfumers are thrown out of Oxtraca, as it has to be. I had a lot of difficulties with the proper spelling of settlement-names, especially the town of Bratosporios was misspelled by me in four or five different ways.

No problem. Yours is a great AAR. And you have a very funny sense of humour. Great work.