Day of Glory (MP megacampaign)

[Sid Meier]

CAT 174 Millions (Up 10 Million)
BAV 101 Millions (down 13 million Catalunya!)
ETH 87 Millions (Down 2 million)
QIN 86 Millions (Down 7 Million )
KHA 84 Millions (Down 4 Million)
NOV 80 Millions (Down 2 Million)
KON 69 Millions (Up 1 Million)
MSA 65 Millions (Up 1 Million)
ENG 58 Millions (Up 10 Million)
CRO 57 Millions (Down 4 million)
TIB 56 Millions (Down 10 million )
USA 51 Millions (Down 3 million)
PER 48 Millions (Down 1 million)
JAP 47 Millions (UP TWENTY MILLION WTF!?)
PUN 42 Millions (Down 7 million)
TRP 39 Millions (Up 1 million)
QUE 21 Millions (Up 6 Million)
BNG 18 Millions (Down 3 Million)

************************ OLD

Catalunya 163.2 Millions
Bavaria 114.05 Million
Qin 98.3 Million
Ethiopia 89.3 Million
Khanate 88.9 Million
Novgorod 82.2 Million
Kongo 68.4 Millions
Malaya 66 Millions
Tibet 64.9 Million
Croatia 61.6 million
USA 54.1 Million
Persia 49.6 Millions
Punjab 49 Million
England 48.3 Million
Tripoli 38.1 Million
Japan 26.2 Million
Bengal 21.6 Million
Quebec 16.4 Million

[el_zilcho321]

Oh, no Khmer. Thats the way it is, is it? :'(

[Gollevainen]

blayne allready included Khmer into his own realm

[Gollevainen]

[King of Men]

Life is smile of Spainball!

I can't help it, that phrase makes life smile of me.

[Gollevainen]

making deliberatly bad english is actually lot easier than to struggle with good english on the novel format AArs I used to do. Finglish suites polandball setup really well

[oddman]

Life is smile of Spainball *nods*.

[King of Men]

We must continue to study and make use of foreign methods; for among settled nations the scholarship of their officers constitutes the most important part of their military preparations. If new cannon are considered necessary we must, at any cost, build them; if the organization of our Legions is inadequate we must start rectifying it from now; if need be our entire military system must be changed. We must build ironworks to provide us with guns and munitions; we must educate the people to provide us with obedient soldiers.

At present Rome must keep calm and sit tight, so as to lull suspicions nurtured against her; during this time the foundations of her national power must be consolidated; and we must watch and wait for the opportunity that will surely come one day. When this day arrives Rome will decide her own fate; and she will be able not only to put into their place the powers who seek to meddle in her affairs; she will even be able, should this be necessary, to meddle in their affairs.

- Speech of Senator Achilles Komnenus, given at the Forum Romanum in New Byzantium on May 29th, 1559.

------------------

To be pushed back from the Urals by the steady encroachment of Russian settlers and Cossacks was one thing; there was precedent for that, in the loss of the Crimea and, for that matter, in the persistent raiding across the Black Sea that had triggered the Breaking of the Don. To be defeated by Russian troops was cause for concern, but not for anger and shame; the military power of the Rus was a well-established fact. But when, twice in a row, Legions sent into the Tibetan highlands returned defeated, the Komnenoi were dismayed, and more than dismayed; they were outraged and incredulous. The Third Rome, defeated by a hbunch of yak-herders notoriously so lazy that they had automated the process of prayer? It was not to be borne; the generals responsible were summarily beheaded, and a process of carefully examining everything that might possibly prevent future defeats was begun. New Byzantium, after all, was a constructed society; the Citizens had carefully modelled themselves on what they thought were the best traits of ancient Rome. The possibility that the wrong traits might have been selected, or that the construction was subtly wrong, was not unthinkable to men who had consciously chosen what to emulate.

The outcome of the re-examination process was not in any sense socially radical; after all it was being conducted by men who fully intended to stay in power, at least as a class, after any necessary reforms were made. But in terms of the daily activity of the Komnenoi, the purposes for which they organised themselves as state actors (and it should be remembered that New Byzantium quite deliberately tried to reduce the Citizens' private lives to a minimum, and keep most of their actions public) the change was considerable: The Komnenoi turned themselves, in the space of a few years, from being chiefly judges, statesmen, and soldiers, to being, in effect, spies and industrial organisers. Previously the first part of the cursus honorum had consisted of riding the Great Circuit, enforcing the law (and reminding the chieftains that it existed) all through the Komenoi domains; this had been done by the men of twenty to twenty-five years of age. Now, the age for riding the Circuit was moved up by two years, and the men of seventeen to twenty-two were sent out into the world, where before they had stayed at home to finish memorising the laws in preparation for the Circuit. They went as traders, at first chiefly in horses, and were expected to make at least a minimal profit; the Komnenoi could not afford to pay for mere tourism. But their chief task was to ask questions, to look not at how foreigners did things, but why; and if the reasons seemed good, to consider how they might apply to Rome. For, of course, not everything that the settled nations did was immediately applicable to a realm inhabited chiefly by nomads.

The most obvious effects were in the Legions: The introduction of corned powder, to take just one example, made practical lightweight guns that could keep up with supply trains over long distances. But, as so often happens, the unintended side effects were far larger in the long run. The Komnenoi had learned, in the hard school of combat, that they could no longer maintain themselves as an isolated enclave of rulers over a vast steppe domain: Distance, archery, and horsemanship was no longer sufficient even for defense against settled kingdoms which could now give every conscript a firearm. They therefore broke their isolation just enough, as they saw it, to reform the Legions. But to expose the youngest Citizens to outside ideas in search of means, necessarily meant that they might become corrupted in the realm of ends - might lose the devotion to the idea of a restored Rome that, as the elder generations saw it, was the purpose of having a New Byzantium in the first place. To avoid this danger it was necessary to make their upbringing much more regimented - in fact, to encroach on one of the few remaining private spaces in Roman life, the raising of young children. The young had to be taught a nearly schizophrenic division of means and ends: They had to apply a questioning, skeptical attitude to everything that was done to further some particular goal, but at the same time believe unquestioningly in the correctness of the goal itself. The effects of such an attitude were not always optimal.

[oddman]

"I shit on God, Christ and the Virgin." It came from the very depths of Ponç' heart, even though it was muttered under his breath. The breath he desperately needed after the sudden involuntary dunking in Adriatic as a result of the RNS Lancaster mercilessly mowing down Our Lady of the Roses, which had been Ponç' floating wooden home for the last six years.

A home with its ups and downs; a loyal vessel, if not particularly quick in stays or sharp on a bowline, it was a weatherly, dry vessel, even after taking a beating at the Action of Finisterre back in the day when the Catalan navy was the pride of the seas.

All around Ponç the disaster was unfolding. There went the Valencia, there the Santissima Trinidad - it was butchery. Sheer butchery. Just hours ago the fleet was blockading the Croatian ports in the Adriatic, strung out in a stately line of pristine white lateens stretching out over miles of coastline, smugly looking at the Croatian merchant marine lying in port, the next moment the English Navy was bearing down on them, while they were unaware that war had even been declared. The resulting carnage was a far cry from the elegant dance performed off Finisterre, and the results the diametrical opposite.
At Finisterre, the Catalan fleet sortied in an orderly, planned fashion. The English fleet was blockading the harbour, but was blown off station by the land wind, allowing the Catalans their break, automatically giving them the weather gage. The English were disorganized, had been on station for weeks and were outmanoeuvered by the crafty change in formation of admiral Llull just before the English fleet was wearing, preparing the battle line.
Caravels, those lateen-sailed vessels so suitable to diligently connecting Al-Andalus to Catalunya Nou, with spacious holds and gracious curves are more suitable for generating fat profits than for carrying the fight to the enemy in an effective manner. Llull took this into account, and didn't play long bowls with the British. He knew the merits of his ships and the men sailing them: Catalunyan fleets plied the seas' trade lanes expertly, able to sail tack upon tack in winds to which other navies would hove down in a sheltered bay.
At Finisterre, the winds were nowhere near gale-force, but still of a kind that would cause most captains anywhere near prudent (and imprudent captains are short-lived in any service, even in the honor-obsessed Japanese naval forces) to put a reef or two in their mainsail. Admiral Llull knew the risks: carrying away a spar or two was by far to be preferred over gunnery duels with the English, blasting away with relative impunity at the gentle lines of Catalunya's life's blood. Swiftly the Catalans flew on wings on canvas; the British, disarrayed by their attempt at organizing a battle line were in a melee before the slowest among them had completely cleared for action.
The action was decided before it had begun, and it was the same off Zadar - only this time it was the English that had the final word.

Swift hulls and superior seamanship do not a navy make.

(woo, 500 words of lukewarm prose!)

EDIT: for Blayne:

[King of Men]

What does the map show?

[Sid Meier]

What does the map show?

EITC provinces (east india trade company).

[Emperor Ike]

Like father like son

In 1553 tragedy hit all of Egyptian Trade Empire when the beloved ruler Nizar Asker died at the age of 76. He ruled for fifty-two years and was loved by his people. He brought in radical reforms since the times of the Fatimid dynasty. Reforms that ensured Egyptian dominance over the Islamic faith and trade. He was part of the African Crusade against Gujarat, securing rich Indian land and Trade Centres to Egypt. He together with the Africans protected and kept the peace in India when the evil Mongols tried to grab land in India. But everyone has to leave the earthly places for heaven some day and now Nizar Askers turn had come. The people all over Egypt and India mourned for the death of Caliph Asker, a man that had kept them safe and made them strong, was now gone. How could keep Egypt running as it had been running for fifty-two years.

The answer was clear, a new election were held. There were three candidates one who believed in power by diplomacy, one who believed in power trough administration and one who believed in peace trough military. The armed forces of Egypt were strong and vast in numbers and they had been the reason why Egypt was so strong currently. So they voted and the one with the most votes was the military man. He was named Harun Asker and he was the second son of Nizar Asker. Some said that now that the son had been elected to office after his father had died it would mark the return of the monarchy but the majority still rejoiced that the legacy of Nizar Asker would live on and they were anxious to see how the son would do in his fathers boots. Harun was an brilliant military man and he had fought in India against the Gujaratians.


His first deed as the new Caliph was to take the province of Suroda, later known as Askeristan. It was clear that the Gujaratians were doomed to be part of the African nations and now that they lost their capital city both Kongo and Ethiopia had a clear path to strike the finishing blows. The Indian people quickly embraced the true faith of Shiite Islam and became part of the Empire. Harun was not just a military man but he also knew that the Trade League was in dire need of reformations. His father had taken in almost everyone he was able but that was hurting the Trade of Egypt, so Harun Asker issued an statement that all members were needed to pay a fee for their membership in the League and those who failed to deliver would be excluded from the League. It made Harun's job easier when the Mongols once again took offensive against Gujarat and without listening to the African warnings took provinces from Gujarat. The African United Front declared war upon the Mongols and their subjects and Punjab was excluded from the League for the actions they had commited against the Africans. So the Africans pressed in to Punjab and there was no chance that nothing would save them now that Mongols had crossed the line.

[Ton de Vid]

How did Croatia mange to vassalise half of Asia anyway?

[Emperor Ike]

How did Croatia mange to vassalise half of Asia anyway?

If half of Asia is played by Humans then it is quite easy.

[Ton de Vid]

If half of Asia is played by Humans then it is quite easy.

It seems my question was not exact enough. Why did the player let themselves be vassalized, whats the back-story to it?

[Gollevainen]

its considered fashionable these days among the underdogs

[Ccbasin]

It seems my question was not exact enough. Why did the player let themselves be vassalized, whats the back-story to it?

To try and avoid African and European rampages in their lands.

Ton, to be honest, that is speculation on my part.

[fasquardon]

Heart Of Darkness:

An African View Of The Wars For Hegemony:

Our game has so far had two super powers: Catalunia and Bavaria. Built out of the ruin of the Western Roman Empire and France in the later stages of CK, these two have reigned supreme since the dawn of EU3. They are both rich in vassals, have extensive European empires and fabulously wealthy colonies in the Americas. They are also allies.

Now they are both locked in a life-or-death struggle for mastery of Europe. Their challengers are Novgorod and Croatia (which together form the one and only Roman Empire). Croatia has built a network of vassals in Asia who aid their bid for mastery, they also have the wealth of their extensive trade network to sustain them. Novgorod depends upon a ruthless military focus and the heavy hand of mercantilism to harness their internal trade. Novgorod is also the game's second industrial power (after the Kongo).

Both Bavaria and Catalunia have vast superiority in funds, but so far they are losing badly. Catalunia has been ravaged, and Bavaria has lost land in Italy and Eastern Germany. Both are hamstrung by poor diplomacy, in part because they have been too busy fighting to negotiate new alliances or call on existing allies, in part because they have been too stingy in offering crumbs to lesser powers in order to build strong friendships and give the second tier powers reasons to support their vast leads in wealth and power over all the other players. (Indeed Catalunian stinginess with Croatia is a major cause for why Croatia changed from a Catalunian ally to their major challenger.) Though this is changing, it remains to be seen whether they are yet able to shift the momentum of the wars.

In comparison, Croatia and Novgorod can win people over to at least a level of non-interference with the idea of a more equal world.

The struggle for hegemony in Europe is complemented by the emerging hegemonic struggles in Asia. The Mongols are contesting India with the Africans, Croatia is working to protect and expand their vassals and Malaya is launching a bid to achieve hegemony of the seas.

The most interesting case is the rise of Malaya (really a re-emergence, since the decline of Malaya was due to a Catalunian-led gangbang while Malaya was subbed), together with England, Malaya smashed Catalunia badly last session. This session, Malaya has built up a network of NAPs, including one with Catalunia that saw both England and Malaya renounce their territorial claims from their decisive victory. Malaya's next action is awaited with a general sense of unease. Have we just chosen the next superpower of the game? Only time will tell.

What exactly England is up to in this context is a question that is easy to forget, but that does not make it unimportant.

All of these struggles threaten to suck Africa in like a particularly tasty spaghetti noodle. The Mongol war has clearly involved Africa deeply in Asia, particularly due to the strengthening alliance with Tibet, who has been under constant Mongol assault for some time. Mongol ties with China seem likely to pull us in still deeper, and only Croatian orders have kept the Chinese from helping their old ally. NAPs and alliances that Africa has with various European parties could also draw us in on either side. Africa, with its large fleets and armies (and high levels of military tech) is also attracting a good many offers of subsidies to follow policies that aid the more ambitious powers and from all sides come proposals of "mutually beneficial" plans to destroy some enemy.

All in all, interesting times.

fasquardon

[OrangeYoshi]

It seems my question was not exact enough. Why did the player let themselves be vassalized, whats the back-story to it?

Other than my promised annexation of Qin ever since I joined the game, my foreign policy towards Asia has been to make friends and help them out for mutual benefit. The rest of Europe, however, only had conquering the entire ROTW on their minds.

Well, when my intentions to not let other Europeans interfere in what I considered my sphere of influence (Asia) and my intentions to not let people I deemed friendly get annexed (Bengal, Khmer), it was easy to negotiate a deal in which I offered protection in return for vassalization.

[Emperor Ike]

So the wars this session were: Africa vs. Komgoloids = Africans won (duh!) Malaya vs. Kamikaze land = Malaya won. Bavaria vs. Russia = Russian alliance won. African-Russia vs. Persia = Africans won.