Out of character thread XIX

[AussieGiant]

If everyone doesn't mind, I would like to participate in the final battle if it's as Tincow described. Internal power struggles are the bread and butter of KOTR, after all.

Nice one Cecil!!!

[_Tristan_]

My original recommendation on the armies was that each person gets a force that is suitable to their rank and situation. Counts get more units than Electors. Dukes and Viceroy get more than Counts. Chancellor and Kaiser get more than Dukes. Then toss in a bit of individual flavor as appropriate: A few Crusader type units for the guys from Outremer. Imperial Knights for the Kaiser alone. Flemish Pikemen for von Bohmen. Heavier on the Mercs for Fritz... that kind of thing.

If the sides end up unbalanced as a result of this, so be it. It's a war, it's not meant to be fair.

Now I wish I had been granted a title...

[TinCow]

Now I wish I had been granted a title...

The battle hasn't started yet. Go find your Duke.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Technically, Herrmann doesn't have a County either...

[FactionHeir]

So right before the battle there's mass promotions and Count's armies rising up from nowhere?

[Ramses II CP]

Okay, I'll fight the battle at Prague and then it'll be Duke Dieter's turn.

One further problem, mini-Econ is going to be under siege at Hamburg by the Russians, with zero chance of a favorable auto-calc.

I'll have a save up in a few hours.

[TinCow]

Technically, Herrmann doesn't have a County either...

How about I make him Count of Fatlington? Surely its imaginary nature won't make a difference to anyone.

[FactionHeir]

Okay, I'll fight the battle at Prague and then it'll be Duke Dieter's turn.

I don't think you could fight the battle manually according to the rules. econ was quite clear on this.

[GeneralHankerchief]

How about I make him Count of Fatlington? Surely its imaginary nature won't make a difference to anyone.

Oh, I can see this inter-subforum warfare isn't going to end well at all...

[TinCow]

I do have something of an advantage in this subforum, since here I really am your daddy. Don't make me spank you.

[_Tristan_]

The battle hasn't started yet. Go find your Duke.

Duke ? Which Duke ?

I have asked about receiving some reward for my service some time ago but the Duke seems to have gone deaf as well as loony...

[Ramses II CP]

Understood re:Prague, I'll talk to Cecil about it.

I'd really hate to lose Hamburg and the Prinz as well. Since two turns are likely to pass I will try a sally or something, see if I can delay the AI's assault. Depends on the odds though, I think that Russian army is pretty good.

[AussieGiant]

You're going to have to lose them Ramses...that's what I had to do.

[econ21]

If Cecil wants to take part in the PvP battle, I'd be inclined to bend the rules to allow Becker to survive (i.e. let Ramses fight it for him). The alternative is to let Becker die and have Cecil participate in the PvP battle wearing a different hat, which does not seem so satisfying. At this point in the proceedings, I don't see that much virtue in sticking too rigidly by the rules.

On another matter, clearly Cecil's withdrawal highlights the issue Overknight raised about how we strike a balance between spawning armies that provide a challenge for some players but are not beyond the comfort zone of others. I am not sure there is an easy answer to that, although some OOC private communication might be part of the answer (e.g. Cecil to econ: "give me a break!")

On Prinz Dieter, if the battle comes up before Sunday morning, it can be handled manually. Even if it comes after, something should be possible as it is me who is going away not mini-econ (the only thing is that the downloading and uploading of games is something I have done for him, but he could be taught how).

EDIT: On balance, I agree a perfect balance might be dull and negate interesting in character political recruitment. I guess the main point is that I won't take army strengths directly from the campaign map, so people should not worry about trying to snag a big stack. The principles that the side with more players should have more men and that higher rank generals get more men are fine. But it will be no fun having a very lop-sided battle.

[Ramses II CP]

Do we want to wait for Cecil to sign off on it explicitly, or does his post above constitute agreement? I fought the battle to test it after I advanced the turn, and I can upload a save anytime. I should mention that I wasn't making any special effort to win, so the AI broke through the gates and Fritz Becker died in the fight there, but it was still a victory in the end.

[Cecil XIX]

I do wish to fight the battle. I won't be able to do it for another twenty-four hours or so, so I suggest we use that time to decide how the KOTR Finale will work.

[Ramses II CP]

Works for me, though that's about at the 48 hour defensive battle limit. EF will be up after that at Madgeburg, and then the offensive season will start.

I'd expect, since quite a few of the top people in the Reich are suspected of Illuminati membership but most of the younger, lower positioned people aren't, that the battle won't be too lopsided. I guess we'll see how the neutrals fall out first though.

[OverKnight]

The History should now be up to date. Feel free to double-check.

Sorry for the delay, but between travel and a nasty bug I picked up, I've been wiped out. I've only managed one snarky post in the Diet, I should be doing better.

[AussieGiant]

Hi OK,

Good to hear you are well again.

The history looks great.

[OverKnight]

Stupid Timurids, God forbid they fight anyone besides us.

Man, I wish we had time to fight them, it would mean I've fought against all the hordes.

Edit: Wait, there is a fifth Tim stack torn all to hell, maybe something has been chewing on them.

"Great Khan, the Mongol Chronicles mentioned nothing of these uber-stacks!"

[Zim]

OK, I counted up all the superstacks within visible range of our settlements and spies in Outremer. Something like 20 in sight, with only about 1/3 of them being Timurids. One of the Timurid stacks even looks like it lost a fight, unless they spawn with a quarter stack or split up or something.

At least the end of the game means not having to deal with all those stacks.

[Zim]

I guess this relieves me of the pain of choosing a side in the war.



Still managed a heroic victory, despite half my army fleeing and being slaughtered, while the enemy units, badly outnumbered, having lost 50% of their men in the early parts of the battle, facing withering fire in the flanks and rear from mounted crossbowmen and morale reducing reiters, fought to the very last man.

No, I'm not bitter at all.

Edit: Hooking up the computer that gets wireless right now. Updated save should be up momentarily.

[Ramses II CP]

ARGH! I was just telling OK that I expected people to play it safe now that the end is in sight.

Well, there's plenty of Steffens and a Becker unclaimed. I also suspect that Igno would be happy for you to take von Hapsburg, and I know Duke Arnold would kiss you for it.

Andreas will be missed.

[Zim]

I thought I did play it safe. Only committed my bodyguard when a mass charge by the triple gold chevron Varangians and Cataphracts threatened my line. A well placed charge by the bodyguard and my two units of knights destroyed two units of Cataphracts, then I pulled Andreas out with well over half of his guard intact. He died during the pullout.

At that point I had 10% losses to their 50%, and their leader had already died. However, when my general died it initiated a mass rout (it was particularly depressing funny to see a 30+ man unit of mounted armor piercing crossbowmen rout at the sight of a 5-6 man Cataphract unit). By the time the battle ended I had some 50% casualties, mostly killed while routing, although they did pull together to finally drive off the tiny enemy army remnants chasing them.

Anyway, can't pull out 2 turns before the end of the game so I might as well take over for some avatar.

Where did this Becker come from? Is he related to Cecil's Becker? I'll like to pick an Austrian noble so I can do some good before the game ends, but I wouldn't take von Hapsburg without Ignoramus' permission.

[OverKnight]

Those triple golds fight like lions.

Sucks, sucks, sucks.

Looks like the chip on Matt's shoulder just got a bit bigger.

Up to now he was quite compassionate towards the Greeks, this will change.

[Ramses II CP]

I'd advise you to PM Igno about von Hapsburg. Igno no longer has a computer that can play MTWII if I'm correctly recalling what he said, and it's been a long time since he posted in a KOTR thread. Roadkill's Jan Zirn also looks abandoned, but Jan is in the stack with Max and so won't see any action, probably.

Fritz Becker, Edmund's son, won't likely see any action before the end, while von Hapsburg has a potential crackin' good battle against the Venetians coming up, well, next season.

[Zim]

I'll pm Ignoramus right now, just in case, and have a decision within the day.

I'm guessing the PVP battle will go better with maximum participation, so I'll definately pick someone. Then I might take a break for the beginning of the next KOTR type game. If most of the current players start in that one as well, it may be a bit crowded for the beginning situation of a faction.

P.S. If that Venetian army is a tiple gold chevron army, I might play a different avatar instead.

[OverKnight]

Whatever we play next, no more TRIPLE GOLD STACKS!!!!

[Ignoramus]

What's going on about the civil war? I'd like to play as Hapsburg, although I'm not really up-to-date on recent events.

[Zim]

There was going to be a trial to find out if Lothar conspired to kill Kaiser Siegfried. It never went through, but there's still going to be a battle between supporters of the current Kaiser and supporters of Lothar and his organization to end the game. Some giant pvp thing. I don't really know if it will be everyone at once, or a bunch of set battles or what, but I think it's going to be run by Econ like the other pvp battles, so no need to be able to actually play them out on you computer.

What's going on about the civil war? I'd like to play as Hapsburg, although I'm not really up-to-date on recent events.