The_Archduke - Actually the teaser map is still quite a was off - it was from 1399 - slightly under two centuries in the future, or a slightly longer time than the timeframe of the AAR so far! Plenty of things can happen during that timespan. And yes, keep Christina in mind...
Milites - I've been far too nice lately.
I don't think there have been any cliffhangers since Niebla, and that was on page 70-something.
AlexanderPrimus - LOL, that's actually what gave me the idea for the game - some strange combination of Risk, Settlers of Catan, and chess. The game was complex enough it definitely fit in with the Byzantine court!
Avalanchemike - Alexios is indeed of the same dynasty, and has better stats, but that won't necessarily guarantee a victory... sometimes its fun when the crappy leader wins...
Servius Magnus -
1) Yes, I am playing as Emperor Thomas
2) Well, technically Alexios has already usurped the crown, hence the treason and war!
The big question is, will Alexios get to keep his head, or will he order Thomas' head removed?
Avarri - It was definitely an omen that Venice is making her appearance. Way back people were asking what Venice was doing all this time, and the answer was - watching the rising Byzantine Empire with alarm. Now, Venice at the moment clearly doesn't have the power to pull a 1204, but if the Empire's weakened...
And Dandolo is such an interesting historical character I couldn't quite leave him out of the tale!
Antoku - Alot of how things turn out will depend on if Thomas can get his fleet deployed. The Venetians have catapults, true, but those are nothing to compare with English cannons in 1588 - they're far slower, have shorter range, and are less accurate. Most of Thomas' ships have Greek Fire, the nuclear bomb of the age in terms of naval warfare.
Add to that Thomas' ships are likely laden with soldiers (probably in armor), ready for a boarding action. The combined fleet will be at a bad disadvantage of affairs come to boarding...
Fulcrumvale - Lately we've been focusing so much on dynastic things that the emphasis on the
dynatoi, the church, and the army has faded away. They will be playing a MAJOR role in future events.
asd21593 - If you can find a carpenter, I don't think it'd be that hard to make today...
RGB - Let's just say Thomas Jrs' voices are going to get even more interesting as time goes on...
4th Dimension - Alexios definitely has some Basil traits - going on campaign at a young age, for example - but he doesn't have Basil's insane military ability (he's good, mind you, but not a god of the battlefield). The biggest thing the army would hold against him is that in their eyes, he's almost a Latin, not a Greek. His mother is French, and his step-father (who basically has raised him and taught him) is a Norman...
DarthJF - Thomas Jr also has some martial skill as well (same caveat as Alexios), and also has many drawbacks. The voices are a big one. Another is that he's the son of Emperor Thomas - something that's going to give many of his father's enemies a dim view of him...
Ksim3000 - Ah, another cog in the wheel.
The Italians in the Allied Fleet are out for their own interests, and those interests do not necessarily match up - Venice and Genoa are commercial rivals, for example. However, Thomas' force might not be united as much as you think it is...
As for next year, I doubt we'll be to Andronikos II yet. We should be close, though! Thank you for all the kind words - yes, the AAR follows me around, and I want to see it to completion!
Enewald - Alexios is Orthodox. By this point, Spain is slowly turning towards the Eastern faith. The Italians in the Allied Fleet, however, are Catholic. And considering Thomas killed the Pope, for them there would be a slight Crusadering tint to the movement...
Irenicus - It's the Alliance versus the Empire! :rofl: And true, plotting doesn't make for songs or tales (look at the public reaction to Nikolaios versus Basil), but its integral, at least to the Byzantine way of solving problems. And don't discount the plotting, even at the height of a grand battle...
Delex - It gets bigger before everything is all said and done...
The_Guiscard - It'd be much more difficult for the Spanish to pull a Salamis in Messina - the straits are wider than Salamis, and the Spanish aren't pulling the Imperial fleet into a harbor, they're sitting outside. I'm glad you like my portrayal of Serlo - it just seemed natural that after marrying Alienor he'd take Alexios under his wing, while still keeping those traits the Byzantines sneer at but the Normans find noble and necessary - honor, aggression and supreme confidence in victory. Thomas Jr
could be a brilliant commander, but everyone should keep in mind he's still very young (I think he's 10 or 11 at this point)...
Kirsch27 - Like I've said, I've been nice recently. The next update will make up for all the meanness of the cliffhanger...
Speaking of which, I have the music ready for the next update, but nothing written up yet. I'm going to start work on it tonight between grading final exams, and I'm hoping it'll all be done by Monday, if not sooner. I hope you all will find it to be well worth the wait!