MacDidz: The Scottish Blog

[Didz]

I know you're from Bedfordshire and probably don't get out much but do you really think it's unusual for a wife to have the same surname as her husband?

Good point! Why didn't I think of that.

I foolishly assumed the family tree adhered to the usual practice of noting the wifes family name not her married name which actually doesn't provide much value information wise.

But your probably right, there is no reason to suppose MTW2 follows this practice. The proof will be in checking what happens in the case of an arranged marriage with a princess of royal blood to see if it changes her name also.

Oh, and do you mean Anglesey, rather than Anglesea?

Well, I mean both or either, but not the Anglesea, in Victoria, Australia obviously.

Anglesey or Anglesea (both: ăng'gəlsē) , island and county (1985 est. pop. 68,800), 278 sq mi (719 sq km), NW Wales. Beaumaris is the chief town. It is a region of low, rolling hills. The principal industries are agriculture and stock raising. Two bridges over the Menai Strait connect the island to the mainland. The town of Menai Bridge has long been a stock-trading center for NW Wales. Anglesey is said to have been the last refuge of the druids from the Romans in Britain. Penmynydd, at the center of the island, was the home of Owen Tudor, founder of the house of Tudor.
http://www.answers.com/Anglesea

[IrishArmenian]

Great stuff MacDidz

[helmeteye]

Love the bio of Scotts. I know this may belong somewhere else but here goes anyway, How do I make all fashions playable in vanilla 1.2?

I am am my first campaign and I am the English. I chose the English because, I can remember the names better and thus more easily role play.

The problem I have encountered is that I was trying to role play and just recently checked my mission status and it appears that I no longer have time to complete the mission to get more factions. Of course I am still trying to complete the mission but with a less diplomatic strategy.

I would love to unlock other factions instead of have to complete another campaign. I want to be the Scotts.

[Kobal2fr]

Scots wha hae !

If only they had some gunpowder units...

@helmeteye : check the FAQ (stickied post), it's the most answered question (plus lots of good info too)

[phunkbot]

this is making me mouth water and i still have 3 hours left to work before i can get home and get them pikes... aaargh im buying a laptop and taking it to work

[Didz]

Winter 1099 AD: News from England and the army marches South.

Messengers from Ruadri Wallace, the agent sent to gather intelligence on the English, inform Edward that the English have made an alliance with Spain and that as a consequence Prince Henry has left the English army and gone. Wallace assumes that he has gone to London but cannot say for sure.

However, the English army has been left in the charge of a mere captain.

Wallace estimates its strength to be somewhere in the region of 2,000 men, but at least a quarter are nothing more than armed peasants, no more than 300 are archers and these of poor quality, and only a handful are knights.


Furthermore, Wallace confirms that there is no garrison in Nottingham Castle. Only King Rufus is in residence guarded only by his personal retinue of knights.

Edward studied the report for some time as if some clue in its content would reveal an English trap or deception.

Why would Rufus sit alone in Nottingham and leave his only army leaderless?

Were the English trying to provoke him, to trick him into sticking his head in a noose, or was this truly a perfect opportunity to be grabbed and wrung for all it was worth?

Well trap or not he would not be the one to trigger it. He called for his equerry. 'Take a message to Edinburgh, tell my brother that all is set and that he is to march on York immediately, inform him that the army in Wales is already on the road for Nottingham and that he is too waste no time. is that understood?'

The equerry nodded 'Shall I inform the captain of the army to prepare to march, sire?'

'No! just send the message.' replied Edward. 'And inform Wallace to keep me updated on the movements of the English Army'.

If there was a trap it must be triggerred but not by him, not by him.

Edinburgh: A few days later
All is bustle and haste as Alexander Canmore gathers his troops and heads south.

He had felt it prudent to leave a small garrison in Edinburgh, particularly as there had been reports of Danish ships patrolling off the east coast. He had hoped to hire more men as he marched south but funds had proved sparse since the death of Gawain the merchant and so his army was less impressive than he had hoped.

Nevertheless, his brother the King had assured him that the English garrison of York was weak and he was already on the march to Nottingham and would draw the English away from York. So, it was unlikely that the English would prove too much of a problem.


Alexander marches south.

[Didz]

Summer 1100 AD: Edward finally marches
York is under seige, but Wallace confirms that the only movement from the English was a rather hearthearted attempt to block the road from Caernavon to York.

Re-assured by the news Edward finally musters his troops and marches east, avoiding the dithering English army he heads directly for Nottingham and the English King.

Even now with two Scottish Armies on their land and their King under threat the English Army dithers and does nothing. The only action from the English is to appeal to the Pope,who sends a terse note to Edward informing him that he is to cease all hostilities against the English immediately and return to his own lands. 'This is a strange note to be sending to your most loyal and trusted ally.' he commented 'Inform his holiness that we shall be in our own lands soon enough, once we have thrown the English out of them.'
[With a Pope-o-Meter rating of 8/10 I was reasonably certain that the Popes threat was a hollow one, but nevertheless secretly Edward was concerned.]