Turn 1: an explosive start
Jim: Welcome back, everyone! The match has started with the insertion of the Japanese team.
Bob: And they are off for a flying start. They've already infiltrated the army and have ordered to expand Taira's army.
Jim: Not only the military, Bob. The participants have already strengthened the reign of the Daimyo, increasing the Centralisation. They are also already active diplomatically, securing a royal marriage with the Minamoto clan and influencing the Daimyo to hire ninjas.
Bob: An expensive move, as the National Decision to hire ninjas costs 100 ducats.
Jim: Still, it seems worth it, as the participants are making claims on the northern neighbour Fujiwara.
Bob: Within the Japanese empire, the way for the Daimyo's to expand is to lay claims on provinces, which creates a core when successful but also raising infamy by five.
Jim: Okay, I see that they have succesfully claimed Totomi...and they now also have claimed Musashi...and they go for broke and even claim Echigo!
Bob: Wow! Their ninjas are shredding the opposition to ribbons! Taira's claim missions have an astonishing 99% success chance and only a 55% chance of being detected! No wonder they claimed three provinces in one year.
Jim: The ninjas are not only useful for claiming provinces: they can also bring prestige to Taira by killing the Kanrei.
Bob: Always good to have prestige, Jim. The Japanese team will surely be glad with this.
Jim: The Japanese team keeps up the pace and declares a War of Reconquest on Fujiwara in December 1401, who is joined by its ally Minamoto. Seems the Japanese team favours a high-risk high-reward approach.
Bob: Evidently, as they have convinced the Taira Daimyo to become a field general, even when the Daimyo has no heir yet. Not a bad move, as the Daimyo is a great general, our military analyst considers him to be a Shock 3 general.
Jim: the campaign is focussed on the north, where after two battles the Taira army has annihilated the Fujiwara army. Four Fujiwara provinces are besieged.
Bob: Meanwhile the Minamoto army is laying sieging in south Taira.
Jim: Indeed, Bob. Also, the bureaucracy is expanded. Probably this is because with a better bureaucracy the participants have a tighter grip on the Taira society.
Bob: Besides, it's not like the political agents of our participants have much to do right now.
Jim: All too true. I see on the monitor that Fujiwara has surrendered. They agree to give the three claimed provinces to Taira. Well, our participants have now conquered three provinces in as many years. Let's take a look at this false-colour satellite image:
Bob: Don't count on them keeping up that pace, Jim. The infamy of Taira is already quite high and inflation has risen with a couple of percent to pay for the ninjas, spies and soldiers.
Jim: Still, so far they go from strength to strength. The Taira army has now moved south and attacked the Minamoto army after a failed assault. The Taira army pursues the enemy... and annihilates it!
Bob: Ouch! The Japanese team shows us how to properly execure "divide and conquer". At the start of the war, Taira forces were outnumbered two to one, but they have negated this numerical superiority by dealing with both enemy armies one bye one. Strangely, the security branch of the Japanese team has used its spies to make two claims on Minamoto provinces, Tauba and Hiairma. As Taira has no Casus Belli on Minamoto, they can't enforce these claims without a heavy infamy penalty.
Jim: Probably they save those claims for a future war. I see that the southernmost Daimyo, Tachibana, has declared war on Minamoto and is now sieging all its provinces.
Bob: In 1406 Tachibana and Minamoto sign a peace in which Minamoto gives a province to Tachibana. The peace enable Taira to siege Minamoto provinces. Within a couple of months Minamoto concedes defeat to Taira.
Jim: With Taira's infamy now close to its limit, our participants can do little but wait for their turn to end. The only notable achievement during the last four years is that the team completed its first mission.
Bob: The referee will assign missions to both teams. If a team completes the mission, it is rewared in some way. What's more is that Minamoto is no longer the Shogun: Taira is now the Taikun, the first step to becoming Shogun.
Jim: With that the first turn for Japan has ended. The Japanese team is teleported back and I see a lot of content faces. And with good reason: their opening turn was quite good.
Bob: Certainly Jim. As you can see in the satellite image, the team has expanded Taira's territory with three provinces. With two cores on Minamoto, the team is well on the way to unite Japan under their supervision.
Jim: The German team is now teleported to Bavaria, anno domini 1410. What has happened in the ten years that Bavaria was autonomous, Bob?
Bob: Well, it seems that Bavaria has allied with Hungary, that will please the German team. Even better, Bavaria has gained four cores on Sudety, Franken, Konstanze and Linz, as this image shows.
Bob: Furthermore, they have adapted the Idea of having a Grand Army, have recruited an army organizer who increase forcelimits and still have an army larger than the force limit!
Jim: Well, if the Japanese start is representative, I would say that this is an ideal situation for the German team to start some wars?
Bob: It would be, Jim, if only Bavaria wasn't ruled by a regency.
Jim: Ouuhhh. The German team will not be happy with that! Nonetheless, they start with much vigour, convincing the regency council that with the Emperor watching over us and Hungary as ally, we don't need such a large army and instead should praise the Lord by forcing the Serf to compulsory Church Attendance.
Bob: The participants are also backing up major cities and local nobles, increasing the Decentralisation of Bavaria as the rules dictate. With this the Decentralisation of Bavaria as measured on the Brockenheim scale is now maximum.
Jim: With the church enriched by the donations of all the compulsory church attendants and with a little nudge from a participant, the church institutes Gilded Iconography, enriching Bavaria's cultural tradition. Soon after that the political brach of the German team convinces the regency council that compulsory Church Attendency is a violation of the freedom and rights of the serfs and that a proud military nation like Bavaria should have top notch Military Drill instead.
Bob: The German team can be very convincing.
Jim: The serfs are emboldened by this council speech, however, and demand even more freedom. Our participants make many deals behind closed doors to convince the nobles to agree with the demands of the serfs.
Bob: As I said, very convincing.
Jim: I think this is a bit of a ruse of the German team, to distract the population from the fact that Constables are now installed everywhere, to increase taxes.
Bob: That big army needs a lot of ducats. Inflation is rising at an alarming rate.
Jim: But what do I see there? I zoom in...yes, I saw correctly, Karl I has risen to the throne! The German team is now able to start wars. And they do so by declaring war on The Palatinate, Franken's owner.
Bob: Smart move. The German team has also a mission to get Franken, for which they lose two infamy when succesful. The Palatinate is also at war with Burgundy and has only two weak allies.
Jim: After one battle and some sieges the Palatinate and Bavaria sign a peace in 1418. Bavaria gets Franken and the Palatinate becomes Bavaria's vassal. The referee modifies the timeline so that Bavaria loses two infamy and gives the German team another mission: Conquer Ansbach.
Bob: A very nice mission. A bordering province and Ansbach is only allied with Mainz, Luneburg and the Teutonic order, the first two are weak OPMs and the latter one too far away to be dangerous.
Jim It seems the German team agrees with you, Bob. They declare war on Ansbach immediately and the three allies join. In 1419 Bavaria vassalizes Mainz and annexes Ansbach.
Bob: With two Electors as vassals, Bavaria is well on its way to become Emperor! Let me show a satellite image to the audience.
Jim: Yes, the German team has had an opening turn as succesful as the Japanese. Two conquered provinces and two vassals, the German team has nothing to be ashamed of. They end their turn still at war with the Teutonic order and a couple of OPM nations, confident that even without their guidance Bavaria will come out ahead. With that this episode of Double Domination: Germany vs Japan is at an end and I say to our viewers: adieau and until next time!