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gornard

Colonel
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May 8, 2009
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  • Crusader Kings II
  • Darkest Hour
  • Magicka
  • Victoria: Revolutions
  • Victoria 2
  • 500k Club
I've been in and out of these forums for a good while and i'd like to try my hand at an AAR. It will be my very first, and i'm not an expert by any stretch, so all help is appreciated. This will be primarily game play focused.

For a bit of a change i've chosen to use divergences, a lovingly crafted alternate history mod that i'd recommend to anyone looking for a change from the old set up. Theres been a few well written divergences AARs before so i'll try something a tiny bit different. Just to get me started i'd like you to help me make a decision, if i may be so bold.

I've decided to play one of the old uncivilized empires that are still hanging around like a bad smell in this scenario. There are 4 that bare the title, lets take a look:

V2_2.jpg

The Mossi empire was never really an empire at all, but that won't stop me.
Total Pop: 3.22M
Lit: 5%
Brigades 6
No outside cores, no link to the sea but far away from any major threats. Plenty of room to maneuver.

V2_4.jpg

The Durrani empire is limited by its single national pop (Pashtun) and half of its territory aren't cores. It has a couple of cores in panjab and chagtai, but in other games i've seen it get stomped by aragon fairly early on.
Total Pop: 4.75
Lit: 13%
Brigades 3

The Mughal emperors have a long and illustrious history, its also the name of my local indian restaurant. They have cores on the civlized Bengal, and are also close to tranvencore which is also civilized, so they are not safe despite their size.
Total Pop: 59.52
Lit: 7%
Brigades: 35

Finally the once proud Khmer empire is the runt of the group. They have cores on Dai nam and champa though
Total Pop: 2.42
Lit: 3
Brigades: 5

My plan is to do the best i can with the empire i run with, civilize hopefully and maybe become a great power... or maybe get wiped out. We'll see. This will be my first time civilizing so again any help is welcome.

If there is some interest for this kind of aar, let me know which you want me to do, i'll come back in a few days hopefully and pick the most popular.
 
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I'll vote for the Mughals, since I see them survive for the least amount of time (except for Durrani, but that would just be masochistic. :p).
Evict the Europeans from India and restore Mughal greatness!
 
Khmer. I actually remember the history of that empire somewhat...... and the uprisings in Siam.
 
Ze Khmer for me too! :D
 
Ooh, Divergences! Easily my favorite Victoria 2 mod. I say go with the Mughals.
 
Ok looks like we have a winner. The Khmer Empire got 7 and the Mughals got 4. If i come to a very abrupt end with the Khmer, i've got a back up at least. Thanks for all the replys

I'll get started later today hopefully. I'm going to install the latest version of Divergences as it appears to have some changes to the Khmer, a new civilizing system and a lower requirement for NFs which is handy for such a low population.

One question while you're waiting: whats the best tech to start with for an unciv?
 
I haven't played divergences yet, but this should be interesting.

As for tech, I think it depends on your starting set-up. I'd say Freedom of Trade usually wins, unless your economy is in pretty good shape, in which case a bee-line for Romanticism might just pay off for prestige...
 
Well i installed the latest version and i was very pleasently surprised. For starters the Khmer Empire has now pretty much double the population compared to the last version, and the largest military of all its neighbors, if only slightly. They also changed the capital to Angkor.

1. The Khmer Empire: An Introduction

The world as it is to the Khmer people
V2_24.jpg


With less than 3% of the population literate, records are understandably poor or embellished by word of mouth. But what we do know is that the Khmer empire has survived for just over 1000 years, little has changed in centuries however. The defeat at the hands of Dai Viet and Champa, the Thai revolts and the deep rivalry with Ayutthaya are all sourly remembered. But since then the region has remained almost unchanged. The Khmer people and their King have endured, and a strange peace has descended on them.

The same can't be said for the rest of the known world, the middle kingdom has disintegrated into squabbling fiefdoms, the Empire of japan has also collapsed. To the south, on the Malay peninsula and beyond the strange traders from the west have made a home for them selves, disseminating new and fabulous ideas. The peoples of Bengal and Tungning have already established themselves as imitators of these so called 'Europeans', and the Khmer Emperor is certainly not immune to their seductive methods. And he's certainly interested in their insatiable desire for Khmer opium.

Lets talk strategy. The Empire is surrounded by old enemies, except for maybe Taungu to the west. The first 2 targets are our lost lands (since 1220!) in Champa and Dai Viet.
V2_25.jpg

I have no cores in the Thai Kingdom of Ayutthaya, but they have some on me so i have to be vigilant. They are also the most powerful of the empires neighbors.

V2_21.jpg


I only just balance the budget, so maybe i should hold on before i go to war. Now let me show you an interesting new feature.

V2_20.jpg


(Note a war started not too far from my stomping ground, this has added to a very long list of wars, but we can look at that another time)

With the new civilizing system my nation starts off with a special government type called, feudal monarchy. This is the main stumbling block towards civilization, gives a nasty nerf to my budget and my research. Feudal systems are difficult things to shake loose though:

V2_22.jpg


Each of the 'Art of...' points are generated by a single tech and when enacted give their own bonuses, including prestige. So this is an interesting new system. First one i'm going to go for is 'art of diplomacy' which is caused by freedom of trade.

Finally here is the population info

V2_23.jpg


The people have long since converted to Theravada Buddhism, and i have a pretty diverse population, fortunately most of them are accepted. I have a healthy population of slaves working in the poppy fields, probably have to reconsider their status at some point. Understandably the population is largely conservative, that won't change anytime soon.

My first NF is on the Khmer region, set to promote clergy.

Thats it for now, the next installment will feature actual events!

Feedback appreciated, let me know if the pictures are too large.
 
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2. The Cham War

The Cham state to the west of khmer isn't a unified political entity, but rather a conglomerate of princedoms united by a common culture. The Cham people may speak a Malayo-Polynesian language but they migrated from Borneo some time before the 2nd century AD, so they are hardly blow ins.

Relations with Champa have always been somewhat choppy.

800px-Bayonnavalbat01.JPG


This relief from Angkor depicts Cham soldiers invading Khmer in 1177 via the Mekong river. The dead Khmer underneath them were just a start. They sacked Angkor and murdered the Khmer king.
After a brief period as a province or puppet of the empire, the Cham people become independent once more. They have remained that way...until now.

Champa is the weakest of my neighbours, with only 15,000 soldiers to call on compared to my 30,000 they shouldn't be much of a problem. Out of my lost territories these are almost as populated as the ones in Dai Viet, have valuable tropical woods and only require 8 war score.
As i move the Imperial army to the border i get an alliance request from Atjeh and Palembany. Two impotent Indonesian states with no navy, only fit to get me into an unwanted war. So i send them on their way. Atjeh obviously didn't take kindly to this as after i declared war on Champa i noticed they had been joined by a new ally.

V2_5.jpg


Again no navy and no army to speak of so i'm not worried. Needless to say i won't forget this. Before long the Cham army comes out of the rock it was hiding under, and is soundly destroyed in 4 battles (i missed a screen of the first)

V2_6.jpg
V2_7.jpg
V2_8.jpg


with that out of the way its simply a question of occupying some provinces. The war is taking a huge toll on my economy, and the large tariffs i am forced to enact cause my artisans to starve. Fortunantly i have no industry to bankrupt.

V2_13.jpg


The chance of a back stab from the west is severely reduced as two of my neighbours decide to settle their differences. Taungu has a core on Ayutthaya.

V2_14.jpg


On the home front the tea harvest seems to be doing well. The King graciously allows the farmers to keep some.

V2_15.jpg


As the Khmer armies ravage the Cham country side, drunk on a victory they have been waiting centuries for, the King of Atejh sensibly looks for peace. By now i have more than enough war score to reclaim my lost lands, but that simply isn't enough. The men are insatiable and the Cham deserve nothing less than full annexation for their crimes.

V2_17.jpg


The war in the east is in stalemate, the two sides have an army each of roughly the same size and neither is willing to meet the other in the field. The Thai army is milling around between Bangkok and Moulmein, and every time they enter the border province the invading burmese army stops in its tracks. The Thai kingdom asks for access from me which i (accidently) allow, but it doesn't make them any braver. It doesn't matter to me, i hope they are at war forever.

V2_26.jpg


By January 1838 i have the whole kingdom under my control, their temples sacked, their treasures plundered and every petty prince put to the sword. The last notable lord is made to sign his country into non-existence, before being kicked off a pier. The last thing we need is more feudal lords making my country poor and stupid. The Cham people are spared the humiliation of slavery. Infact it seems that their lands were largely overpopulated and upon annexation many unemployed Cham travel to the opium farms of Sukhothai to make their fortune. The new soldiers of Champa add to my expenses and i have to decrease soldiers wages considerably, but at least finances are stable.

V2_27.jpg

1, The new larger Khmer Empire, now sporting a population growth of 4! A good start i guess.

2, The war between the distant super power of Burgundy and the small unciv of Java is going strangely, the Javans have occupied the Burgundian colony on their island! However their war score is offset by being blockaded on every port.

3, China has erupted into civil war, and i didn't even notice. It all start when the christian state of Taiping declared war on Dai Viet for its cores. But (and this is worrysome) Dai Viet are allied with Ming, the most powerful chinese state. Shortly after Daxi and Shun declared war on Ming. So this should be interesting. It also may be the perfect time to attack Dai Nam (despite their growing military advantage and the toll on my finances).

4, The japanese civil war has nearly ended, with the pretender claiming the Imperial throne and a newly united Korea as the only remaining combatant.

5, The hopeless stalemate on the western front, hope it occupies them for a while longer.

In other news Kingdom of Aragon had a brief war with the Durrani Empire, which ended in white peace. Still glad i'm not them.

So thats the end of the installment. My Infamy is just below 10 and i'm half way through my first tech.I could be civilized by the 1850s (assuming getting rid of feudalism is all i have to do). Also with the conquest of champa my literacy went from 2.9 to 3.6%.
 
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