Rome AARisen - a Byzantine AAR
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I hope the Empire does not falter! This will be the test, and apparently so that you keep mentioning it, that will decide the fate of Rhomanian. I hope it all works out...
How very Louis XI of Thomas. The naivety that exudes from the poor fellow just shows, to me, how unfit for the throne he is. For now, I'm still in Gabriel's corner, but I agree with the sentiment here. Rhomanion needs a Solomon, not another Megas. The Komnenid Empire was born on the backs of Warrior Emperors, but it will take a few wise, just rulers to bring the whole lot together into one cohesive unit. But given their track record, it would appear that the line of Basilieos III has failed in that regard. At any rate, keep up the good work BT, can't wait for the next installment!
Cheers,
~Hawk
Cheers,
~Hawk
Done. All 166 pages.
Uno - Arachnoi still the best.
B - I hope Gabriel will win, me being a Gabriel too.
3 - In honor of your amazing AAR I have put some easter eggs in the reign of the current king in my AAR.
D - I can't believe Thomas II seen THOMAS I, the men who killed the pope in heaven. Unless it was of course nothing more than a delirium.
5 - I seriously hope that the second Manuel-like character will be a Gabriel II so that I'll be able to dance around happily.
In overall, keep up the good work.
Uno - Arachnoi still the best.
B - I hope Gabriel will win, me being a Gabriel too.
3 - In honor of your amazing AAR I have put some easter eggs in the reign of the current king in my AAR.
D - I can't believe Thomas II seen THOMAS I, the men who killed the pope in heaven. Unless it was of course nothing more than a delirium.
5 - I seriously hope that the second Manuel-like character will be a Gabriel II so that I'll be able to dance around happily.
In overall, keep up the good work.
As I said before, I really hope for a prolonged reign of one Thomas the Third real soon. It would be sad if Gabriel has to die for it as he's a nice, likeable character as well, but I won't cry for Antemios. Sometimes you just need someone who really thinks for the greater good.
Thomas would properly be a complete disaster. Sure hes a nice guy, but that very quality would make him a poor emperor, not to mention that it seems like he's incapable of thinking of anything except buildings. If Thomas takes the throne he's likely to neglect the army, and historically thats always spelled disaster for the romans.
Gabriel wouldn't neglect the army, but hes likely to throw the empire into a series of grand, but expensive wars, and the nobility isn't gonna like having someone like him at the helm, so they'd properly rebel quite alot. And internal discord is also something, which has historically hurt the empire alot.
Thats why I hope Antemios takes the throne. Sure he's a lazy idiot, but he has Bardas, and Bardas dosn't strike me as the type to either neglect the army or to use it to wage endless wars. The only danger with the Antemios as emperor is that he's propperly stupid enough to try and do an "Aetius" on Bardas.
Gabriel wouldn't neglect the army, but hes likely to throw the empire into a series of grand, but expensive wars, and the nobility isn't gonna like having someone like him at the helm, so they'd properly rebel quite alot. And internal discord is also something, which has historically hurt the empire alot.
Thats why I hope Antemios takes the throne. Sure he's a lazy idiot, but he has Bardas, and Bardas dosn't strike me as the type to either neglect the army or to use it to wage endless wars. The only danger with the Antemios as emperor is that he's propperly stupid enough to try and do an "Aetius" on Bardas.
I think we are falling onto a PoV trap of sorts, with considering things from the point of view of only Thomas's children. Who knows, maybe Bardas is the best thing that could happen to Empire. Maybe his line are going to provide stabilising rulers that Romanion needs.
If Bardas's line is going to provide that, I'm completely content for all three of them being tortured at the rack, for the rest of their short and painful lives.
If Bardas's line is going to provide that, I'm completely content for all three of them being tortured at the rack, for the rest of their short and painful lives.
I really did enjoy that update! As someone said, it was Aladdin-esque and it was a nice change from the turmoils of politics. So, it seems young Prince Thomas enjoys sneaking into construction sites, eh? Man, he really does enjoy his buildings....
As for politics, well, Albrecht I think isn't on good terms with Gabby. I recall reading how Gabriel felt Albrecht had been "around" long enough so I can easily see there being some confrontation between the two. It wouldn't surprise me if Albrecht tried to control Thomas for his own ends...
Still Silvagentios seems a nice enough fellow. Perhaps you could recount later on his "experiances" of Neapolis. Maybe he did serve under Thomas II directly? That'd be fascinating.
Anyway, update soon!
As for politics, well, Albrecht I think isn't on good terms with Gabby. I recall reading how Gabriel felt Albrecht had been "around" long enough so I can easily see there being some confrontation between the two. It wouldn't surprise me if Albrecht tried to control Thomas for his own ends...
Still Silvagentios seems a nice enough fellow. Perhaps you could recount later on his "experiances" of Neapolis. Maybe he did serve under Thomas II directly? That'd be fascinating.
Anyway, update soon!
Objectively, I agree that Bardas has the potential to be a second Manuel--that is, a bastard magnificent enough to maintain order and suppress the chaos boiling underneath the surface. That's is why I think that Thomas III--a man with none of Bardas' qualifications and many more drawbacks besides--will wind up on the throne. Romanion's been very lucky for the last 150 years or so, and I think that its luck is running out quickly.
Traitors! I read the replies and you people support that old snake Bardas! True, he's not a COMPLETE moron, but you have to wonder what would happen when you put a guy on the throne whose entire life has been devoted to the pursuit of power. I see you comparing him to Manuel. Manuel wanted good for the Roman State. Manuel would never foolishly pursue power for his own sake. Bardas is NOT this sort of selfless fellow who devotes himself to his people or his nation. Bardas wants money, power, women and glory, and these are things won at the tip of a sword. We have had far too many swords drawn these last few centuries. I cast my vote for Thomas.
Judging from tidbits like "Rise of House Edessa" and "House Dau... Aeonite Sultans", I do hereby propose my ideas about whats going to go down up in Romanion...
Bardas and Antemios will take the Balkans, Greece, Anatolia, The Caucasus and Persia, before being deposed by the Christophorene (Edessan) Komnenoi. In Egypt, assassinations will lead to Gabriel inheriting and conquering Egypt as the heir to Dau through Christina. He will also take Carthage, and later, his son will inherit Donauri Arabia through Theodora's claim. Thomas, and Albrecht, will abscond to Italy, forming the Lombard Kingdom (somewhere along the line, I think the children/descendants of Thomas and Frederica, ruling from Rome, will go Italian, with Southern Italy being taken from Bardas in the civil wars that will come soon in the AAR.)
Nikephoros of Iberia will vassalize Algiers, who seeks protection from the chaos. The furor from the overthrow of Antemios by Edessa will lead to the Christian Kingdom of Persia, while the Black Sea shall be reconquered in order to reestablish the legitimacy of Edessa.
Bardas and Antemios will take the Balkans, Greece, Anatolia, The Caucasus and Persia, before being deposed by the Christophorene (Edessan) Komnenoi. In Egypt, assassinations will lead to Gabriel inheriting and conquering Egypt as the heir to Dau through Christina. He will also take Carthage, and later, his son will inherit Donauri Arabia through Theodora's claim. Thomas, and Albrecht, will abscond to Italy, forming the Lombard Kingdom (somewhere along the line, I think the children/descendants of Thomas and Frederica, ruling from Rome, will go Italian, with Southern Italy being taken from Bardas in the civil wars that will come soon in the AAR.)
Nikephoros of Iberia will vassalize Algiers, who seeks protection from the chaos. The furor from the overthrow of Antemios by Edessa will lead to the Christian Kingdom of Persia, while the Black Sea shall be reconquered in order to reestablish the legitimacy of Edessa.
Hey everyone!
So, I was bored over Thanksgiving, and I was looking at AP's list of the Komnenid Emperors so far, and I decided to do a little statistics work to see what exactly the "average" Komnenos has had so far stat and trait wise. So far, my investigation (which took all of 5 minutes ) has shown:
The average Komnenos Emperor has a Martial of 14.
The average Komnenos Emperor has a Diplomacy of 7.5.
The average Komnenos Emperor has a Intrigue of 11.5.
The average Komnenos Emperor has a Stewardship of 8.6.
Of the six long-reigning Komnenoi Emperors (aka no Zeno, no Andreas), three have had martial training, two have had court training, and one has had clerical training. Of these, we have had:
One Brilliant Strategist (Basil III)
Two Tough Soldiers (Demetrios Megas and Thomas II)
Two Elusive Shadows (Nikolaios and Manuel)
One Martial Cleric (Thomas I--ironic that he of all people received education from the church XD)
As for traits, a quick count reveals the following:
Lustful - 1 (Demetrios Megas)
Zealous - 3 (Demetrios, Manuel, Thomas I)
Cruel - 3 (Demetrios, Nikolaios, Manuel)
Generous - 1 (Nikolaios)
Trusting - 4 (Nikolaios, Basil, Thomas I & II)
Deceitful - 1 (Manuel)
Arbitrary - 1 (Manuel)
Vengeful - 3 (Manuel, Thomas I & II)
Just - 1 (Basil)
Temperate - 1 (Basil)
Hostile - 1 (Thomas I)
Valorous - 1 (Thomas I)
Proud - 1 (Thomas I)
Crazed - 2 (Thomas I & II)
Modest - 1 (Thomas II)
So what does this tell us? It confirms a few things we already knew: The average Komnenos Emperor is going to be a warrior above all--someone's sword has to build an empire! However, the average Komnenos is also not a lofty strategist with a mind in the clouds... they're more likely to be a Kosaca than a Basil, defeating their opponents through sound, tried and true methods rather than inventing "flying columns," new tactical theories, or other marks of otherworldly brilliance (once again, Basil is an exception).
Secondly, a Komnenos must be skilled at intrigue--again with the exception of Basil, justice and purity are decidedly not Komnenid traits. Cruelty and vengeance show up as a common trait, though with a trait that decidedly goes against a high intrigue trend--trusting. So the average Komnenos evidently trusts a few people wholly and without reservation, but casts doubt on others, and has a furious wrath when wronged.
The average Komnenos finally doesn't care much about the financial state of their realm, or for foreign affairs. Foreign affairs for most of the Komnenoi have consisted of either war or preparing for war, peaceful matters are left to someone else (likely those they trust, whether fair or foul). Domestic affairs are a source of money for foreign wars or other adventures.
It remains to be seen what this new generation looks like, or whether they will prove more exceptions to this, or follow the pattern that has been established. Being a decetiful lying cad that decimates opposing armies is great for a ruler than is an empire builder, but for someone being an administrator... they might not be the best...
Hannibal X - A very detailed prognosis there! Hmmm... what to say, what to say? Two things -- one, Algiers and the former lands of Crusader North Africa are already a part of the Western Empire, and something in your list is right. (I won't say which items, or if there are multiples or just one. Something in the list is right. )
Kirsch27 - Aha! A true patriot arises to defend the rights of Basil's heirs! I'm surprised no one has tossed in his a scion of the "evil" Leonid branch of the family! Kidding aside, Bardas does have skill desirable in a ruler--his martial is good, and he's got the all important Komnenoi deceit going (an in-game trait he shares with only one emperor, Manuel). That said, his intrigue isn't as good as Manuel's, and his ability to influence others diplomatically is atrocious. He's not nearly in the same league as Manuel was stat wise, but he's definitely trying to step into those shoes. Will he be successful? We'll have to see!
Fulcrumvale - Now, the above all said, he could be the next Manuel, though likely more in a power-behind-the-throne way. He's old (he's 49 or 50 I think in 1238), and he's a known snake, so the chances of him ruling outright himself, apart from something big happening the palace, are low, else, why would he prop up Antemios? If he could take the throne, Bardas would've grabbed it outright... or does he have another game of his own? Oh, the possibilities...
Ksim3000 -Well, we've seen Gabby definitely isn't on good terms with Albrecht, and we saw Bardas playing on an assumption Albrecht isn't on good terms with Gabby. Will this result in an outright conflict? We haven't seen Gabriel in a while...
...as for Silvagentios, maybe at some point we could. All I will say is this--don't mess with an ex-kentarchos!
4th Dimension - Here's the big unknown in all of this--what are Bardas' children like? We'll be seeing some of them later down the line, is all I'll say!
Siind - Thomas is nice enough he could be talked into about anything, and Gabriel's idea of what an emperor should be is definitely rooted in the past of glory on the battlefield. With Antemios, you get a drunkard with self-esteem issues. If Antemios has good hands to help guide the ship of state (like Thomas II did during his years of seclusion), things could be just fine. If not, things could turn out absolutely disastrous...
Qorten - Is Thomas thinking for the greater good, or his passion? He does seem to be a genuinely nice guy, and we did have one of those rule already with pretty good results (Basil)...
Vesimir - Now you have to wait for updates like everyone else!
1 - I think by the responses you can tell quite a few people want a Manuel back...
2 - Well, Gabby's got the skills that if it was a battlefield issue and he had a decent army, he could definitely solve it. He's also shown some ability at intrigue (not stellar like Manuel's, but he's got some). He's out of position right now, and its a race to see if he can get into position (with a sufficient army and sufficient political backing to solidify his claim) before Antemios and Bardas can do likewise.
3 - I just finished Britannia: A Saga of Albion, and yes, some of the characters looked a little familiar. Is a Basil going to save Romanion from your evil Bard?
4 - I purposefully left that vague, what Thomas II might have actually seen in Heaven (if he even went to Heaven) and what was his mind unraveling his life in his last moments...
5 - You and a lot of other people.
Hawkeye1489 - Empires have to be nurtured once they are build. Blood makes good fertilizer for only so long before the Empire needs commerce, culture and other seeds to continue to grow. Else, it ruptures and collapses...
Isaac Wolfe - Romanion has faced tests before, and come through shaken but still standing. However, Romanion has also had a time of peace after each of these tests, and as we've seen, recently the Empire has been subjected to one test after another. If there isn't a period to recover, things could explode real soon...
asd21593 - That's Thomas the Youngest for you... he really wants to know how things are operating without the 'official goggles' a state visit brings. Too bad he's also dumb enough, and silly enough, to think he can perfectly fit in...
English Patriot - I'm glad to hear Kentarchos Silvagentios was to your liking--and that Guy of Gisbourne can be converted into a heroic character.
von Sachsen - Don't blame me. Blame the BBC for costume design in their series Robin Hood. Though yes, I'm constantly looking for new image sources. I have quite a few I've already used up for characters that have yet to appear!
Leviathan07 - Oh noez! I am destroying the productivity of your workplace! Teh horrorz! Glad to be of service!
RGB - Nah, Albrecht doesn't get mad. Khorbut comes back from the grave and tells Thomas he has to deliver medicine to Lady Helena!
Plushie - I want a big HD TV. As for Thomas surviving... not if he keeps this kind of japing a habit. Sometime he's going to run into someone really rough that won't be as just and law abiding as Silvagentios...
So, I was bored over Thanksgiving, and I was looking at AP's list of the Komnenid Emperors so far, and I decided to do a little statistics work to see what exactly the "average" Komnenos has had so far stat and trait wise. So far, my investigation (which took all of 5 minutes
) has shown:The average Komnenos Emperor has a Martial of 14.
The average Komnenos Emperor has a Diplomacy of 7.5.
The average Komnenos Emperor has a Intrigue of 11.5.
The average Komnenos Emperor has a Stewardship of 8.6.
Of the six long-reigning Komnenoi Emperors (aka no Zeno, no Andreas), three have had martial training, two have had court training, and one has had clerical training. Of these, we have had:
One Brilliant Strategist (Basil III)
Two Tough Soldiers (Demetrios Megas and Thomas II)
Two Elusive Shadows (Nikolaios and Manuel)
One Martial Cleric (Thomas I--ironic that he of all people received education from the church XD)
As for traits, a quick count reveals the following:
Lustful - 1 (Demetrios Megas)
Zealous - 3 (Demetrios, Manuel, Thomas I)
Cruel - 3 (Demetrios, Nikolaios, Manuel)
Generous - 1 (Nikolaios)
Trusting - 4 (Nikolaios, Basil, Thomas I & II)
Deceitful - 1 (Manuel)
Arbitrary - 1 (Manuel)
Vengeful - 3 (Manuel, Thomas I & II)
Just - 1 (Basil)
Temperate - 1 (Basil)
Hostile - 1 (Thomas I)
Valorous - 1 (Thomas I)
Proud - 1 (Thomas I)
Crazed - 2 (Thomas I & II)
Modest - 1 (Thomas II)
So what does this tell us? It confirms a few things we already knew: The average Komnenos Emperor is going to be a warrior above all--someone's sword has to build an empire! However, the average Komnenos is also not a lofty strategist with a mind in the clouds... they're more likely to be a Kosaca than a Basil, defeating their opponents through sound, tried and true methods rather than inventing "flying columns," new tactical theories, or other marks of otherworldly brilliance (once again, Basil is an exception).
Secondly, a Komnenos must be skilled at intrigue--again with the exception of Basil, justice and purity are decidedly not Komnenid traits. Cruelty and vengeance show up as a common trait, though with a trait that decidedly goes against a high intrigue trend--trusting. So the average Komnenos evidently trusts a few people wholly and without reservation, but casts doubt on others, and has a furious wrath when wronged.
The average Komnenos finally doesn't care much about the financial state of their realm, or for foreign affairs. Foreign affairs for most of the Komnenoi have consisted of either war or preparing for war, peaceful matters are left to someone else (likely those they trust, whether fair or foul). Domestic affairs are a source of money for foreign wars or other adventures.
It remains to be seen what this new generation looks like, or whether they will prove more exceptions to this, or follow the pattern that has been established. Being a decetiful lying cad that decimates opposing armies is great for a ruler than is an empire builder, but for someone being an administrator... they might not be the best...
Hannibal X - A very detailed prognosis there! Hmmm... what to say, what to say? Two things -- one, Algiers and the former lands of Crusader North Africa are already a part of the Western Empire, and something in your list is right. (I won't say which items, or if there are multiples or just one. Something in the list is right.
) Kirsch27 - Aha! A true patriot arises to defend the rights of Basil's heirs! I'm surprised no one has tossed in his a scion of the "evil" Leonid branch of the family!
Kidding aside, Bardas does have skill desirable in a ruler--his martial is good, and he's got the all important Komnenoi deceit going (an in-game trait he shares with only one emperor, Manuel). That said, his intrigue isn't as good as Manuel's, and his ability to influence others diplomatically is atrocious. He's not nearly in the same league as Manuel was stat wise, but he's definitely trying to step into those shoes. Will he be successful? We'll have to see!Fulcrumvale - Now, the above all said, he could be the next Manuel, though likely more in a power-behind-the-throne way. He's old (he's 49 or 50 I think in 1238), and he's a known snake, so the chances of him ruling outright himself, apart from something big happening the palace, are low, else, why would he prop up Antemios? If he could take the throne, Bardas would've grabbed it outright... or does he have another game of his own? Oh, the possibilities...
Ksim3000 -Well, we've seen Gabby definitely isn't on good terms with Albrecht, and we saw Bardas playing on an assumption Albrecht isn't on good terms with Gabby. Will this result in an outright conflict? We haven't seen Gabriel in a while...
...as for Silvagentios, maybe at some point we could. All I will say is this--don't mess with an ex-kentarchos!
4th Dimension - Here's the big unknown in all of this--what are Bardas' children like? We'll be seeing some of them later down the line, is all I'll say!
Siind - Thomas is nice enough he could be talked into about anything, and Gabriel's idea of what an emperor should be is definitely rooted in the past of glory on the battlefield. With Antemios, you get a drunkard with self-esteem issues. If Antemios has good hands to help guide the ship of state (like Thomas II did during his years of seclusion), things could be just fine. If not, things could turn out absolutely disastrous...
Qorten - Is Thomas thinking for the greater good, or his passion? He does seem to be a genuinely nice guy, and we did have one of those rule already with pretty good results (Basil)...
Vesimir - Now you have to wait for updates like everyone else!
1 - I think by the responses you can tell quite a few people want a Manuel back...
2 - Well, Gabby's got the skills that if it was a battlefield issue and he had a decent army, he could definitely solve it. He's also shown some ability at intrigue (not stellar like Manuel's, but he's got some). He's out of position right now, and its a race to see if he can get into position (with a sufficient army and sufficient political backing to solidify his claim) before Antemios and Bardas can do likewise.
3 - I just finished Britannia: A Saga of Albion, and yes, some of the characters looked a little familiar.
Is a Basil going to save Romanion from your evil Bard?4 - I purposefully left that vague, what Thomas II might have actually seen in Heaven (if he even went to Heaven) and what was his mind unraveling his life in his last moments...
5 - You and a lot of other people.
Hawkeye1489 - Empires have to be nurtured once they are build. Blood makes good fertilizer for only so long before the Empire needs commerce, culture and other seeds to continue to grow. Else, it ruptures and collapses...
Isaac Wolfe - Romanion has faced tests before, and come through shaken but still standing. However, Romanion has also had a time of peace after each of these tests, and as we've seen, recently the Empire has been subjected to one test after another. If there isn't a period to recover, things could explode real soon...
asd21593 - That's Thomas the Youngest for you... he really wants to know how things are operating without the 'official goggles' a state visit brings. Too bad he's also dumb enough, and silly enough, to think he can perfectly fit in...
English Patriot - I'm glad to hear Kentarchos Silvagentios was to your liking--and that Guy of Gisbourne can be converted into a heroic character.
von Sachsen - Don't blame me. Blame the BBC for costume design in their series Robin Hood.
Though yes, I'm constantly looking for new image sources. I have quite a few I've already used up for characters that have yet to appear!Leviathan07 - Oh noez! I am destroying the productivity of your workplace! Teh horrorz! Glad to be of service!
RGB - Nah, Albrecht doesn't get mad. Khorbut comes back from the grave and tells Thomas he has to deliver medicine to Lady Helena!
Plushie - I want a big HD TV.
As for Thomas surviving... not if he keeps this kind of japing a habit. Sometime he's going to run into someone really rough that won't be as just and law abiding as Silvagentios...
"If Antemios has good hands to help guide the ship of state (like Thomas II did during his years of seclusion), things could be just fine."
I read your reply to Siind and I have to comment on the fact that Thomas was literally on board the ship of State.
:rofl:
I read your reply to Siind and I have to comment on the fact that Thomas was literally on board the ship of State.
:rofl:
Linking Euphrat and Tigris to the Mediterranean with a canal?
Or the Suez could be crossed 600 years early.
cheers for that link enewald. had no idea the egyptians/persians/romans (depending on the sources heh) built a canal there. ancient achievements continue to astound me.
Perhaps it is just such a canal that inspired Alexander to (supposedly) talk of building the suez before his untimely demise.
Perhaps it is just such a canal that inspired Alexander to (supposedly) talk of building the suez before his untimely demise.
Finally had some time to read up on this great AAR . The classic undercover-prince story works very well.
As for the Komnenids, what a family. They put the strangest reallife families to shame, and that is saying something.
. The classic undercover-prince story works very well. As for the Komnenids, what a family. They put the strangest reallife families to shame, and that is saying something.