Novum Romanum Imperium 2.0 -- a Vicky 2 AHD Conversion AAR

[Avindian]

Interesting update!!! I am wishing to know about Gabriele. He looks as a good candidate to Emperor, a big loss for the Empire.

Gabriele was, if you recall, the second son of Sylvia Robespierre (Laura Datti) and Constantine XII. I have serious plans for Gabriele, so don't expect him to disappear.

Even though Gabriele seems to have develop a fine set of qualities despite the influence he had; his abdication to the throne does streamline succesion and consolidates Trajan's branch of the throne... I do hope that he's able to make a good position and name for himslelf on his own.

.... And women can vote, let's see what happens with that

Thanks for your comments! I'm honestly not sure what I'll do with women voting in the AAR; I'll have to think of something, I'm sure

[Duke of Britain]

Gabriele deserves glory...maybe he will find it in the Great War?

[Mr. Santiago]

Thanks for your comments! I'm honestly not sure what I'll do with women voting in the AAR; I'll have to think of something, I'm sure

Well top of miy head I can think of Rosa Luxemburg popping up in some years....

[Avindian]

Gabriele deserves glory...maybe he will find it in the Great War?

A distinct possibility. I'm really excited about writing for the Great War, especially since it wasn't the one I anticipated.

Well top of miy head I can think of Rosa Luxemburg popping up in some years....

Great minds think alike! I was originally going to make Femina Rosa Luxemburg, but she's much too young to use now. She will appear later on, though.

[trekfan]

Finally had a chance to read all of this. Excellent as always, Avindian.

[Avindian]

Finally had a chance to read all of this. Excellent as always, Avindian.

Glad you had the time There's still plenty more on the way!

[Erebos26]

If you ever want to do another EU3 AAR, you might want to do it in MEIOU. in MEIOU it has ruler personality traits, and with your narative ARR style, it would be great and provide a lot of interesting situations for you most likely. I really love your AARs, and hope you do even more!

[Raistlin82]

Yay for the Roman ladies! They've always been an important part of the history of Rome, after all.
Not to mention the Novum Romanum Imperium!

I didn't quite understand what you did with Israel, though...

[Avindian]

If you ever want to do another EU3 AAR, you might want to do it in MEIOU. in MEIOU it has ruler personality traits, and with your narative ARR style, it would be great and provide a lot of interesting situations for you most likely. I really love your AARs, and hope you do even more!

I've dabbled with MEIOU a tiny bit, but have never had the time to play it all out. I also want to try KR for Darkest Hour, except for my complete lack of skill with DH. I've already got my next project planned out after this one: it'll be HOI3. That's all I'm willing to share right now.

Yay for the Roman ladies! They've always been an important part of the history of Rome, after all.
Not to mention the Novum Romanum Imperium!

I didn't quite understand what you did with Israel, though...

Israel was a tricky problem; when I originally did the Balfour Declaration, my intent was to release Israel, but I got so busy with playing the game that I forgot to do it. So in game, Israel has cores but that's it. I decided to RP a half way measure that gives Israel limited autonomy -- i.e., they elect their own leader, but that leader is fully under the control of the Empire. Does that make sense?

[EU3NOOB]

I've dabbled with MEIOU a tiny bit, but have never had the time to play it all out. I also want to try KR for Darkest Hour, except for my complete lack of skill with DH. I've already got my next project planned out after this one: it'll be HOI3. That's all I'm willing to share right now.



Israel was a tricky problem; when I originally did the Balfour Declaration, my intent was to release Israel, but I got so busy with playing the game that I forgot to do it. So in game, Israel has cores but that's it. I decided to RP a half way measure that gives Israel limited autonomy -- i.e., they elect their own leader, but that leader is fully under the control of the Empire. Does that make sense?

Which is sorta like what the Romans of ye olde times did to Judea. Now if only you could create the People's Front of Judea as a political Party. It'd give me a laugh!

[Cataphractoi]

Wow. Followed this all the way from the beginning, and Its been thrilling. I am very excited to see the great war. If it wasn't against Mexico and Russia, who I think were the ones you expected, I'm hoping that china will be involved somehow. Those endless legions...
Also, to find out who is #1 in military, click on the military icon when selecting your save. I want to find out who it is as well, and then you should sphere them.

[Avindian]

Which is sorta like what the Romans of ye olde times did to Judea. Now if only you could create the People's Front of Judea as a political Party. It'd give me a laugh!

That would be pretty hilarious. If I had the time, I would seriously manually edit all of the Israeli parties to those mentioned in Life of Brian.

Wow. Followed this all the way from the beginning, and Its been thrilling. I am very excited to see the great war. If it wasn't against Mexico and Russia, who I think were the ones you expected, I'm hoping that china will be involved somehow. Those endless legions...
Also, to find out who is #1 in military, click on the military icon when selecting your save. I want to find out who it is as well, and then you should sphere them.

It's China, at present. No surprise there.

I'm glad you've enjoyed the ride so far! The Great War should be a treat.

[Raistlin82]

So in game, Israel has cores but that's it. I decided to RP a half way measure that gives Israel limited autonomy -- i.e., they elect their own leader, but that leader is fully under the control of the Empire. Does that make sense?

Oh, I get it. Like a "special administration province" of sort. Neat.

[Avindian]

Oh, I get it. Like a "special administration province" of sort. Neat.

Exactly right!

After a few days, a lot of irritation, and some phone calls, we are moved into the new apartment with everything a-OK. I'm going to start working on the update tonight -- tomorrow at the latest -- and hopefully have something for you folks by this weekend. Thanks for your patience!

[Avindian]

Chapter 20: The making of a soldier

Author's note: This update and the next one will be told in diary format from the perspective of our good friend, Gabriele di Farnese. I'm doing this for a couple of reasons. One, it's easier for me to write. Two, not a whole lot happens for a while, so I'll have time to work on characterization. In particular, Gabriele got a much better response than I was anticipating, so my original plans for him may have to be altered somewhat.

One final note: For this update, I have not included any screenshots of rebellions. I had a choice between including the many techs I discover during this period or some insignificant rebellions (for the most part). I chose the former. I'll still discuss them in the update, but you won't get any pictures.

2 March 1887, London

I certainly picked a fine time to travel to my recruitment center. Uncle Trajan and I thought it would be best if I enlisted in the legions as far away from Rome and Constantinople as possible. Along with the rest of my education, I'm fluent in English (as well you know, journal), so it should be relatively easy to pose as a British lad. I'm going by the name Gabriel Price; it's easy to remember, after all. Leopoldo turns 14 in a few weeks; I'll be glad when I don't have to worry about being Regent any longer. The Emperor is in fine health, of course, but then again, relatively few of our Emperors die of natural causes.

Anyway, the Whites struck another blow today. The telephone, instead of making us more secure, has simply made it easier for the rebels to communicate. Why hasn't Minister O'Connor caught any of these traitors? Isn't that his job?

Speaking of O'Connors, the Minister's third son -- Douglas -- is in my recruiting class. We haven't talked very much, but then again, I haven't made many friends yet. Still, I've been enlisted for a couple of hours, so I suppose I shouldn't get too upset.
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10 March 1887, London

The first week of training has been brutal. Of the twenty people who started, fifteen are left. Four quit, while the fifth... well, explosives are dangerous under the best of circumstances. I tried to warn him about drinking so much the night before. It's... disheartening. I know my life has been relatively sheltered. I've not experienced the slightest hardship. Yet his death really bothered me. He's the first person I've ever known, even moderately well, that's died. That he died in such a stupid accident is even worse.

I hope I can make it.
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10 April 1887, London

One week to go! I know I haven't written much, but I haven't had much time. We had a fellow from the Liverpool garrison in last week; he was telling us about fighting off the White insurrection. Our Sergeant keeps telling us that we're much too civilized to fight a proper war, so we should plan to fight rebels more than enemy soldiers. I don't know how wise that is, especially since the Sergeant fought in the war against Bavaria. Maybe I'll write General Orsatti, see what he thinks?

We did have a bit of a laugh. A British aristocrat -- Churchill, I think his name was -- brought his young son Winston to see us. That little tyke was getting into everything! Not even ten years old yet, but I think he'll be a fine soldier someday.

I earned my first commendation two days ago, for marksmanship. I'm a natural with these rifles, or so the Sergeant says. I don't know if he's just being generous or not, but it does seem rather easy to hit something with these things. I'd been considering going into the Artillery until now. Every recruit chooses his branch of the legions at the end of training -- Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, or Engineering -- then goes to specialized training for another three weeks. At the end of that period, you're given a specific role, depending on your competencies. I like the way it works; everybody has the same basic skills before you start getting too involved in minutiae.

I still might work with Artillery, but according to regulations, every recruit who earns a commendation in training gets his first pick for branch. There's something alluring about Infantry. Still, two more weeks to go before I decide for certain. We'll just have to see.
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24 April 1887, London

Well, I graduated with flying colors, as did Douglas O'Connor. I like him, and we've gone to become fast friends. He chose Engineering for his branch, and is leaving for the nearest Engineering school in Manchester tomorrow afternoon. I wish him the best of luck; he's got a real eye for new weapons. He wants to work on smokeless powder rifles; I don't doubt him for a second. Manchester could certainly use a little less smoke!

The screening process was pretty brutal -- we were down to nine before graduation. No more accidents, thank God, but a lot of people washing out. The Roman legions are the finest in the world, and so they can afford to be picky.

I decided to go with Artillery school after all. I'm going to train as an artillery observer. In the end, I just didn't want to get... too close to death. I can still serve the legions with distinction and use my talents at mathematics at the same time. Best of all, I don't have to lug around shells like one of the gun crew. I'm leaving for artillery school in Birmingham, along with two other recruits. Excuse me, I should say legionaries now. Joseph Howard is absolutely massive; there's talk he's going to be an artillery horse. I can certainly believe it!

The other artilleryman is Malcolm Dunning. A Scot, he's kept entirely to himself whenever possible during training. He insists, when he's drunk, that he's destined to be Marshal one day. I find that very difficult to believe, since he's almost completely illiterate in Latin. I don't know how he ended up in artillery, to tell the truth, since he has problems with figures too. I suppose the Commandant of the school knows best.

I'm not going to be able to write until I finish training; the legions don't want our enemies knowing how we train our artillerymen, and they've already had a couple of incidents with Americans posing as British soldiers making off with secrets. I don't understand. We've been friends for so long -- why are the Americans getting so aggressive?

It is not for a mere Legionary to know, I guess.
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15 July 1887, Birmingham

A lot has happened since I finished artillery school. Since Britannia doesn't have any new artillery brigades in the pipeline, a lot of us have been temporarily transferred to other jobs. I've been assigned to an artillery factory here in Birmingham as an inspector's assistant. I fire between fifteen and twenty cannon a day, depending on the day. I may end up completely deaf by the end of this stint! I had no idea how fascinating this process would be. The slightest weakness in the steel could result in a ruptured breech. It's instructive, to say the least.

Our factory has been chosen as a pilot factory for a new process of organization. The hierarchy is going to be more firmly established, which seems to me an excellent idea. It gives the laborers something to work for, and it's already improved our output substantially. I'm told in another few months it'll be spread out to all factories in Britannia, then to the rest of the Empire.



I'm covered in black powder every single day. I've jokingly written Douglas to hurry; I hope he does.
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30 September 1887, Birmingham

Well, I was right about one thing: they're going to expand the pilot and add another new wrinkle. A few researchers at the local University are working on more systematic and scientific methods of managing factory production.



To help expedite this process, members of the Corps of Engineers are being assigned to each factory in the program, including mine. I was surprised -- pleasantly -- to see my old friend Douglas as our plant's representative. He's brought along a few batches of the smokeless powder; I can't print the formula here, obviously, but it's very promising. Douglas tells me that he's been guaranteed a promotion if it works out. I bet all he really wants is to stop saluting me.

Oh, I didn't mention that yet. I was promoted to Corporal after I uncovered a small cell of Populares in this factory. The bastards were purposely using inferior alloys, making steel more brittle. I heard they were all executed; they deserve it. I'm still a member of the artillery inspectorate, but my new job is to travel around Britannia to see if there are any more traitors in our midst.
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23 January 1888, Rome

I'm carrying a rifle again, only now I'm a guard. It seems that the London cell of the Populares was larger than anybody realized; in the past few months, I've identified twenty five agents. One was even a factory manager! I guess somebody messed up the science on that one! I've been ordered, along with a squad of infantry, to take an important prisoner back to Rome for interrogation by the Ministry of Security. I can't say who he is, but it's an important job and I'm honored I was selected. Douglas asked me to visit his father while I'm in town; since I can't really see my uncle without giving up my real identity, I guess that's as good an idea as any.

One of the soldiers is a real chatterbox; all he wants to talk about is money. Normally, I wouldn't mind, but his obsession with central banks and inflation and gold standards drives me nuts. It's in all the papers, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.


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17 June 1888, Venice

I have the worst luck. At least when the reactionaries rose last February, I was in London. Now that I'm in Venice, I've got anarchists practically knocking on my door. It's unseemly. The Venice garrison knows its stuff, I guess, and the fleet is blockading the island until control is restored. I'd be a lot more frightened if the anarchists were even the least bit organized -- I suppose that's why they call them anarchists.

It looks like I might never get to do my actual job. My talents at uncovering Populares have earned me a new job and another promotion; I'm now a Sergeant, but I'm attached to the Ministry of the Security. Specifically, a new branch of the Ministry -- the Vigiles.



After a fashion, I'm still an observer, I'm just observing criminals instead of targets for artillery fire. I have a squad of ten other legionaries; we're covering northern Italy. I have quite an extensive network, from Milan to Florence to Genoa to Venice.

The most exhausting part of this job is all the false identifications. A surprising number of Romans will report neighbors just for reward money, or report superiors to get a better job. Even if a suspect is found innocent, he's usually stained for life. That's why we send investigators for each and every claim, but don't arrest anybody until we're certain he or she is guilty.

I can't wait until I get back to some honest soldiering. I'm grateful for the promotion, but I miss the simpler things, like blowing things up.
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18 July 1888, Birmingham

I'm a little ashamed of myself, but I think I did the right thing. I just can't work for the Vigiles any more, and I'm back in Birmingham with Douglas.

I wrote to Uncle Trajan about the practices of the secret police. I understand the work has to be done, but I'm not cut out for it. He got me a transfer back to Birmingham. I'm attached to the Artillery school, formally working on new doctrine for our smokeless powder shells, but more practically teaching basic artillery skills to new recruits. I got to keep my existing rank, but something tells me I'll never be an officer; Minister O'Connor was furious about my decision to share his less than scrupulous techniques with the Emperor.

Douglas is nothing like his father; his latest preoccupation is clocks. Although he's researching more intricate clockwork as a way to make artillery fire more accurate, his real goal is to improve the efficiency of the Birmingham plant yet again.



I think Douglas will go very far; he's whispered to me, when we have lunch, that he's going to try to get into the Germanicus Academy. The Academy still trains raw recruits, but with larger and larger recruitment centers outside of Florence, it's focusing more on young officers. I considered asking my uncle to give him a spot, but Douglas is like me -- he wants to get where he goes by himself, not because his father gets him there.

I can certainly respect that.
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7 January 1889, Southampton

Somebody in the chain of command doesn't like me very much. Minister O'Connor must have some very powerful friends. I've tried applying to the Germanicus Academy four different times, and every time the application "gets lost." My credentials are solid, and without all of this "missing paperwork" I'm sure I'd get in. Douglas already has, and he's not even a Sergeant!

At least I've got a little more money in my pocket. Taxes on all Poor citizens were cut to 10%. Officers don't pay any taxes at all, like the rest of the Middle Class, while even the wealthiest Romans pay a mere 25%. I guess all of these new management techniques are really paying off!

I've been assign to liaise with the navy. Commodore Alekseyev is part of a naval task force to improve naval decision making; while I like him, this job is often boring. I'm not even sure why I'm here, unless it's to punish me further. All I do is take notes and act as an aide to the Commodore. Aren't there naval types who could do that? Why me?


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18 January 1889, Adelaide

I should have kept my mouth shut. I was on the committee for less than a week when I got an even more unpleasant job. I've been assigned to help put down the Communist rising in Australia. Now, as it goes, that's no big deal. I've got experience dealing with the Communists, and it gives me a chance to finally put my knowledge to work.

They made me fly there.

I never want to get into an airplane again. It was the most terrifying experience of my life. Why a mere Sergeant has flight inflicted on him is beyond me; I'm seriously thinking of leaving when my four year enlistment is up. It's clear that Minister O'Connor has taken a very... personal interest in my career, and his interest I could do without. The Australian Legion doesn't even have any artillery; I'm on General d'Austria-Este's staff, for now. I don't think this rebellion will last very long, thankfully.

I plan on taking a nice slow steamer back to Britannia when I'm finished here. Only a maniac would fly.
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24 May 1889, Adelaide

Well, the rebellion is over, but I'm still stuck here. Very few ships come out to Australia, which makes sense, I suppose. I've enjoyed working with General d'Austria-Este, but there's nothing to do here. All the interesting stuff is happening in Europe. The Senate passed a new health care law, which gives not only soldiers and officers free health care, but reduces the cost of all emergency surgeries for all citizens. Good on them!



I can't help but think that the accident in Catalonia had something to do with it; factories are dangerous places, and they really could use some better safety standards. Nobody asked me, though.



While I'm here, I've been trying to make myself useful. Commodore Alekseyev visited a week or two ago (I begged him to take me with him, but no such luck) and asked for me specifically. I'm a very good typist, and they've got me typing up new doctrine for the navy again.



I wish I had something exciting to share. Even when we put down the rebellion, I was always behind the action, with the General.

It would take a miracle to get me to reenlist.
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1 January 1890, Rome

With Leopoldo's 16th birthday rapidly approaching, I'm in Rome for a couple of days. I won't attend the formal party or anything like that, but I'll still visit the family while I'm here. It also gives me a chance to look carefully at the political situation.

The dissolution of the alliance with the USA was a huge blow to our foreign policy. I'm not sure what they're after, but relations have been cold for quite a while. I don't think we'll get into any kind of war with them -- they're too far away. It might even be good for the Empire, since we can leave Mexico alone now, at least for a while. However, the biggest cost wasn't borne by the Foreign Ministry; it was the Provincares who suffered. Liberals made up less than 10% of the Senate. The end of the Roman-American Alliance, a cornerstone of the Provincares who admired the laissez-faire economics of the United States, sounded the final death knell for the faction. This new faction, who simply call themselves "Liberal", looks like they're trying to grab votes from disaffected conservatives and, especially, socialists. I don't know how successful they'll be, but the election is in a few months.



The navy continues to expand, according to the Commodore. Sixty new cruisers were ordered, with the latest in fire control systems. Douglas and I worked together on them, along with a team of naval specialists. I'm very proud of them, and hope they will serve our fleet well.



Even a rebellion by the Whites -- again -- can't spoil my mood. For once, everything is going well.
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21 June 1890, Rome

I was assigned to election security by the legions; although it wasn't a thrilling job, it was important, and I'm glad it went so well. I was even happier to see the results of the election.



Why was I so delighted? The Liberal faction had a larger share than the Agricolares. That meant that the head of the faction -- Marcus Tullius Cicero (the Ciceros need a little more creativity in names, I think) -- would get better committee assignments within the Curia. The head of that faction had a long standing grudge with James O'Connor, and as he was the new chairman of the Ministerial Conduct Committee, he engineered a vote of no-confidence in the Minister of Security.

The vote was nearly unanimous. Even Douglas was delighted, for he and his father had been estranged for sometime. The new head of the Ministry is General Pietro d'Austria-Este, my former Commander in Australia. The Vigiles aren't going anywhere, but they've cancelled that foolish program of accepting condemnations from any and all citizens. It may take longer to investigate incidences, but there's a higher chance of success now, and innocent people won't be harmed. I wish him the very best of luck.

Even better, with O'Connor out of power, the last objections to my entering the Germanicus Academy have vanished! I'm scheduled to report at the end of the month, but not before I finish one last report on naval technology. Commodore Alekseyev wants stronger barrels to deal with armor-piercing projectiles; I'd hate to see the enemy fleet that has to deal with those!


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6 July 1892, Vienna

There you are, journal! I thought I'd lost you!

A lot has happened to me in the past two years. I'm doing reports, as always, but more importantly, I'm attached to a real command unit, the new Legio XLVII 'Vienna'. Specifically, I'm on the staff of Colonel Carlo Filomarino, the younger brother of the recently passed Admiral Roberto Filomarino (who Commodore Alekseyev thought very highly of). The Colonel commands an artillery brigade in the legion, and has earmarked me to command my own battery when the next legion is raised. I'm getting critical administrative experience as a staff Lieutenant, and I'm getting a chance to work with some of the newest guns in the legions. The navy passed on a few quick-firing cannon from their research labs; they're most impressive!



I'm on the list for all new technological advancements, and we have certainly been busy. Here's the most recent stuff we've been working on.







As you can see, most of them are economic; they've obviously been effective, since taxes for the poor are down to 5%! As an officer, I suppose I shouldn't care so much, since I'm exempt from paying taxes, but it's good to know my men have more to spend, even though most of them tend to lose it gambling or any number of other soldierly pursuits.

Vienna is a lovely city, such an impressive mix of old and new. It's also the frontier, or very near it, so we must always be vigilant. Vienna already has an Infantry School, with plans to open its own Cavalry School and Artillery School in a couple of weeks. If I weren't going to serve in an active Legion soon, I would request a transfer to the Artillery School, but instead I'll wish them my best.
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14 May 1893, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

Well, I got my legion, and it looks I might get a war too. The new legion -- the Legio XLVIII 'Scutum' -- is commanded by Massimo Datti. He's one of the real Dattis, like my uncle Cyrus was. I've heard all about my mother; I'm ashamed of her, and my brother, but she's still my mother.

While everybody talks about the Olympics or our growing prosperity, I've got a bigger concern.





Russia is at war with Poland, and I'm almost certain we'll get called in. I think the National Liberals certainly suspect it, since they were the ones -- and not the Agricolares -- who proposed the latest round of subsidy increases for the unemployment, to curry favor with the people while they find a way into this war.



I'm nervous, but I'm excited too. This will be my first chance to get into real combat. I've trained my men relentlessly for the past few weeks. Our battery is 10 guns and 150 men; each gun has three full crews, including an observer. There are a total of 15 batteries in each brigade; the remaining personnel are administrative, including 50 engineers and armorers. Douglas, now a Captain in the Engineers, got himself assigned to this brigade too. I don't know how he keeps doing that, but I'm glad he's here.

Hopefully one of us knows what we're doing.
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Let me know what you think of the new format! I'll try to get into a regular rhythm again, at least two updates a week, other circumstances permitting.

[varetta]

Good update, but I prefer the old system. It is good to know more about Gabrielle and it will be interesting for a time, but in general I prefer the old system.
Apart form this, I´m glad to see your great advance in technology.

[Omen]

His voice was engaging and the diary entries small enough that I didn't mind the format as much as I thought I would! It really helps that you break it up with graphics.

[Avindian]

Good update, but I prefer the old system. It is good to know more about Gabrielle and it will be interesting for a time, but in general I prefer the old system.
Apart form this, I´m glad to see your great advance in technology.

Glad you liked it! I'll only use it in this past update and the next one.

His voice was engaging and the diary entries small enough that I didn't mind the format as much as I thought I would! It really helps that you break it up with graphics.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[loki100]

I remain amazed and impressed at the sheer range of 'voices' and perspectives you can summon up.

[Duke of Britain]

Nice update, even if different from the usual, it's nice to have a change sometimes.

I've dabbled with MEIOU a tiny bit, but have never had the time to play it all out. I also want to try KR for Darkest Hour, except for my complete lack of skill with DH. I've already got my next project planned out after this one: it'll be HOI3. That's all I'm willing to share right now.

Oooh, an Avindian AAR using the KR mod for DH would be pretty cool

And i agree with an EUIII MEIOU AAR, it would be pretty cool...lots of interesting countries as well...