The Chronicles of the Golden Cross Redux
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Snuck one out there. Good thing Saladin didn't feel like sticking it out for that province. I've noticed that 50% replenishment event is pretty regular even with a average-ish Marshall
RESPONSES
Kurt_Steiner: Definitely planning on some peace time activities. Don't know if there's any in-game mechanism for recruiting settlers, but I'm a little bit worried about Richard getting sucked back to Europe. If he got involved in some of the internecine warfare going on in France, he might never come back (a la Chalus).
Chief Ragusa: Indeed. That Isaac Komnenos was never a popular fellow. I might take you up on your suggestion to sow dissent amidst the Muslims, although at this point I'm further along in the game than I currently am in the AAR. Your prediction about Reynald is pretty accurate, though I think you'll be pretty surprised about what Raymond does.
I think you're also correct in your assessment of the proper way to fight Saladin: quick and dirty hit-and-run tactics before he can fight back with overwhelming force.
loki100: Thank you! Peace treaties/ceasefires do indeed give you a set respite from conflict with your nemesis. IIRC, before the patch it was three years, but now they've changed it to five.
The_Archduke: Certainly. I'll include an updated map with the next update. Of course little has changed besides the acquisition of Madaba, but still. I might also do a quick rundown of who owns which territories if you like.
Estonianzulu: Thanks. Yeah, you're right. I got it pretty regularly in another game I was playing in which I had a pretty mediocre Marshal.
Dadarian: Maybe. I'm open to suggestions. What did you have in mind?
Kurt_Steiner: Definitely planning on some peace time activities. Don't know if there's any in-game mechanism for recruiting settlers, but I'm a little bit worried about Richard getting sucked back to Europe. If he got involved in some of the internecine warfare going on in France, he might never come back (a la Chalus).
Chief Ragusa: Indeed. That Isaac Komnenos was never a popular fellow. I might take you up on your suggestion to sow dissent amidst the Muslims, although at this point I'm further along in the game than I currently am in the AAR. Your prediction about Reynald is pretty accurate, though I think you'll be pretty surprised about what Raymond does.
I think you're also correct in your assessment of the proper way to fight Saladin: quick and dirty hit-and-run tactics before he can fight back with overwhelming force.loki100: Thank you! Peace treaties/ceasefires do indeed give you a set respite from conflict with your nemesis. IIRC, before the patch it was three years, but now they've changed it to five.
The_Archduke: Certainly.
I'll include an updated map with the next update. Of course little has changed besides the acquisition of Madaba, but still. I might also do a quick rundown of who owns which territories if you like.Estonianzulu: Thanks. Yeah, you're right. I got it pretty regularly in another game I was playing in which I had a pretty mediocre Marshal.
Dadarian: Maybe. I'm open to suggestions. What did you have in mind?
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Are you sure Saladin actually has a truce with you? I thought only the aggressor in a war gets a truce and not the defender. And could you perhaps take a screen of your laws and dynasty tree for your next update?
Dutchling: I'll see what I can do. Might spread it out over the next two updates. And re: truces, Naggy has the right of it.
Naggy: Yep, that's right. Thanks.
Naggy: Yep, that's right. Thanks.
Not bad. Still waiting to see if Jerusalem will get any valuable lands of the Arabs.
GregElSho: Thank you sir! A pleasure to have you on board.
Ivir Baggins: Thanks. You may have to wait a little while before any large scale expansion. One of the beauties of CK2 is that it is more difficult to go on a wild conquering rampage. It's still possible of course, but your actions have harsher consequences. It's harder to exploit the game engine and pull all kinds of insane stunts like you could in CK1. Some of my old readers will recall from the first Chronicles how I was able to take Guy de Lusignan all the way to besieging the gates of Baghdad. It takes a lot more effort now to be that kind of crazy.
Ivir Baggins: Thanks. You may have to wait a little while before any large scale expansion. One of the beauties of CK2 is that it is more difficult to go on a wild conquering rampage. It's still possible of course, but your actions have harsher consequences. It's harder to exploit the game engine and pull all kinds of insane stunts like you could in CK1. Some of my old readers will recall from the first Chronicles how I was able to take Guy de Lusignan all the way to besieging the gates of Baghdad. It takes a lot more effort now to be that kind of crazy.
I was thinking of the old "hide in the isles while your enemy rampages on land" trick. We could meet your old friend in Cyprus, take on the Cretians; those Greco-Turkish islands in the Aegean are always tasty (if not part of the Byzantine Empire). There is also Malta, Corsica, Sardinia and WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY in the corner there are the Belearies.
Plenty of good areas to expand without picking up too many enemies.
Plenty of good areas to expand without picking up too many enemies.
You tickled the dragon and it didn't awake. Count yourself lucky. I doubt he'll be so unprepared next time. And I'm loving Richard's music--perfectly fits with his character!
On the other hand a strong Byzantine Empire will help you recover those lands of the County of Edessa when Sibylla inherits the titles and claims from Uncle Joscelin. Fighting the Sultanate of Rum alone doesn't seem to be "fun". Especially when you haven't finished off Saladin. I think that as long as the claims are close to your lands and all the troops of the Kingdom are available, you should win. I think having your Prestige hiked to a level where the Prince of Antioch swears undying fealty would net you two mortal enemies. One's enough for most states.
Are the de jure lands of the Duchy of Ascalon the same as the de facto lands? Is there a Principality that you could form out of Ascalon and other lands in the South? Might be nice to make Richard a Prince-Regnant in his own right -and see if he invites other westerners to the Holy Lands?
Are the de jure lands of the Duchy of Ascalon the same as the de facto lands? Is there a Principality that you could form out of Ascalon and other lands in the South? Might be nice to make Richard a Prince-Regnant in his own right -and see if he invites other westerners to the Holy Lands?
The defender only doesn't get a truce in holy wars, and even though this was against Muslims it was apparently a normal duchy claim war so Saladin will also have a truce.
RESPONSES
Dadarian: As much as I'd like to stick it to old Isaakios Komnenos in Cyprus, he's still a part of the Byzantine Empire and in order to steal Cyprus away I'd either have to get him to rebel and break off... or I'd have to tangle directly with the Basileos himself. That can get really messy. Too many of those little islands are a part of a bigger entity that protects them. I've even had a peace forced on me in another game when the small enemy I was attacking joined up with a neighboring kingdom for protection against me.
General_BT: Sage advice. A wise person once told me, "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with mustard." And I'm very glad you enjoyed Richard's music. It's good to know somebody's listening to the tracks I picked out.
Chief Ragusa: No kidding. The last thing I need is to tangle with both the Turks and the Saracens at the same time. As for Jaffa-Ascalon, it's only "duchy" level in game. I guess I could give it to Richard, but that guarantees I won't be able to control it any more or count on its troops. I worked hard at accumulating a large chunk of the kingdom to control so that I could fight off Saladin in an intelligent fashion, and I can't guarantee that Richard's AI would be so reliable. Also, if I gave Jaffa-Ascalon to Richard and he somehow managed to inherit the Kingdom of England, I'd lose control of the duchy entirely, because as an independent king Richard would have total control of both its monies and soldiers.
Mizzle: That makes perfect sense. I had been wondering how I had been able to turn around and bloody Saladin's nose at Madaba with no ill effects for not waiting a decade. Thanks for popping in.
Deaghaidh: Thanks, and welcome to the AAR. I hope my lucky streak holds true as I continue to play.
Dadarian: As much as I'd like to stick it to old Isaakios Komnenos in Cyprus, he's still a part of the Byzantine Empire and in order to steal Cyprus away I'd either have to get him to rebel and break off... or I'd have to tangle directly with the Basileos himself. That can get really messy. Too many of those little islands are a part of a bigger entity that protects them. I've even had a peace forced on me in another game when the small enemy I was attacking joined up with a neighboring kingdom for protection against me.
General_BT: Sage advice. A wise person once told me, "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with mustard." And I'm very glad you enjoyed Richard's music. It's good to know somebody's listening to the tracks I picked out.
Chief Ragusa: No kidding. The last thing I need is to tangle with both the Turks and the Saracens at the same time. As for Jaffa-Ascalon, it's only "duchy" level in game. I guess I could give it to Richard, but that guarantees I won't be able to control it any more or count on its troops. I worked hard at accumulating a large chunk of the kingdom to control so that I could fight off Saladin in an intelligent fashion, and I can't guarantee that Richard's AI would be so reliable. Also, if I gave Jaffa-Ascalon to Richard and he somehow managed to inherit the Kingdom of England, I'd lose control of the duchy entirely, because as an independent king Richard would have total control of both its monies and soldiers.
Mizzle: That makes perfect sense. I had been wondering how I had been able to turn around and bloody Saladin's nose at Madaba with no ill effects for not waiting a decade. Thanks for popping in.
Deaghaidh: Thanks, and welcome to the AAR. I hope my lucky streak holds true as I continue to play.
Well that's a non-starter. If Richard inherits England that ought to mean more troops from an allied England against Saladin.
Females from a marriage of two such interrelated people are more likely to survive than males -and if they do tend to be sickly. Just how chumy is the Patriarch of Jerusalem with the Pope. Is it possible to influence him to call on Rome to call a crusade on say claims for a duchy that you've transferred to him? .Does Saladin still have a land connection with his Syrian territories or has the loss of Madaba broken them?
Who inherits from Balian and Maria Komnenos of Ibelin? If I recall the elderly couple have no children. In other AARs i've seen a state based arounf Sinai. Is that a Duchy, Principality or Kingdom? Are you going to claim it?
Females from a marriage of two such interrelated people are more likely to survive than males -and if they do tend to be sickly. Just how chumy is the Patriarch of Jerusalem with the Pope. Is it possible to influence him to call on Rome to call a crusade on say claims for a duchy that you've transferred to him? .Does Saladin still have a land connection with his Syrian territories or has the loss of Madaba broken them?
Who inherits from Balian and Maria Komnenos of Ibelin? If I recall the elderly couple have no children. In other AARs i've seen a state based arounf Sinai. Is that a Duchy, Principality or Kingdom? Are you going to claim it?
Chief Ragusa: I would hope that in that instance Richard would contribute English (and Angevin, Norman and Gascon) troops to defend Jerusalem, but the AI is just as likely to either refuse a request for military aid or to accept and then bungle the assistance so badly as to be of no help at all. It's a long distance for the computer to go, after all.
I'm not quite sure what you're asking re: the Patriarch. Also, I haven't figured out how to get the Pope to call crusades at all, if it's even possible in CK2 (and I really hope it is). Saladin does indeed still have a land connection between Syria and Egypt. The province in question is Eilat, just north of the Red Sea. I have plans to seize that territory as soon as I am able, which will not be for a while as we're under a truce now. Also, I don't want to provoke Saladin unnecessarily. I was extremely lucky not to get dogpiled back at Madaba.
Balian and Maria have a handful of kids. The eldest is John of Ibelin, a real historical figure who became "the Old Lord of Beirut" after Jerusalem's fall to Saladin. IIRC, there is a "Sinai" duchy, but unfortunately it isn't possible to fabricate claims on duchies, just counties. So if I wanted to take it, I'd need to either fabricate claims for 2/3 of the counties in question or launch several holy wars to claim the requisite provinces. Once I have a large enough proportion (usually around 2/3), I could usurp the title and then dole it out to a vassal. Still, either way that's a long drawn-out process. There's unfortunately no principality tier in the game (they're all at duchy level), although in this AAR I refer to historical principalities (such as Antioch) with the correct term.
The five tiers are barony, county, duchy, kingdom and empire.
I'm not quite sure what you're asking re: the Patriarch. Also, I haven't figured out how to get the Pope to call crusades at all, if it's even possible in CK2 (and I really hope it is). Saladin does indeed still have a land connection between Syria and Egypt. The province in question is Eilat, just north of the Red Sea. I have plans to seize that territory as soon as I am able, which will not be for a while as we're under a truce now. Also, I don't want to provoke Saladin unnecessarily. I was extremely lucky not to get dogpiled back at Madaba.
Balian and Maria have a handful of kids. The eldest is John of Ibelin, a real historical figure who became "the Old Lord of Beirut" after Jerusalem's fall to Saladin. IIRC, there is a "Sinai" duchy, but unfortunately it isn't possible to fabricate claims on duchies, just counties. So if I wanted to take it, I'd need to either fabricate claims for 2/3 of the counties in question or launch several holy wars to claim the requisite provinces. Once I have a large enough proportion (usually around 2/3), I could usurp the title and then dole it out to a vassal. Still, either way that's a long drawn-out process. There's unfortunately no principality tier in the game (they're all at duchy level), although in this AAR I refer to historical principalities (such as Antioch) with the correct term.
The five tiers are barony, county, duchy, kingdom and empire.
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With 10 years, that's a long enough period to fabricate claims. Why worry about offending Saladin, your existence is enough for that. When the 10 years are up, Saladin will come at you again with a Jihad for Madaba. What Duchy is Eilat part of? AI allies are wont to do their own thing.
You did get dogpiledat Madaba, Richard just cut the enemy to pieces.Saladin will just send more men in his iniital wave next time. Ibelin is secure then, despite the presence of half-Komnenids.
You did get dogpiledat Madaba, Richard just cut the enemy to pieces.Saladin will just send more men in his iniital wave next time. Ibelin is secure then, despite the presence of half-Komnenids.
Chief Ragusa: Haha, you make it sound so easy! Ten years is sometimes enough time to fabricate claims, though not always. Holy wars make for an easier casus belli but they'll also upset all Muslims every where, which territorial claims won't do. AFAIK, Eilat is a part of Sinai, although Arabia Petrae is very close as well.
I'd like to think I can pull another Madaba, though that victory might just as easily have been a fluke. I need to find the right balance. Be too aggressive and I provoke all the Muslims into dogpiling me, but be too cautious and I won't ever accomplish anything and will just be a weakened target for stronger neighbors.
I'd like to think I can pull another Madaba, though that victory might just as easily have been a fluke. I need to find the right balance. Be too aggressive and I provoke all the Muslims into dogpiling me, but be too cautious and I won't ever accomplish anything and will just be a weakened target for stronger neighbors.