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Who is the winner?

  • Rictus wins

    Votes: 3 6,5%
  • MrT wins

    Votes: 19 41,3%
  • You are both amazing!

    Votes: 4 8,7%
  • You are both too hammered for us to know anymore...

    Votes: 20 43,5%

  • Total voters
    46
  • Poll closed .

unmerged(6777)

Field Marshal
Dec 10, 2001
12.470
5
Greetings to yet another exciting episode of liver damage. :)

Rictus, Norgesvenn and I had been hoping to play a little MP today but unfortunately vNet is down and we can’t seem to connect via Direct IP so we devised a little game to while away our time. Unfortunately Norg is afraid to attempt the impossible, so it will just be Rictus and I at the helm of this exciting AAR.
  • We will each be playing Byzantium in the grand campaign game.
  • We are each going to start by playing five years of the game with the single, overriding goal being to have better economies than each other. ;)
  • There are certain…err…“rules” governing the mandated consumption of beer during play. Those will become obvious as we post.
  • Only the economies are important. All other gameplay aspects are irrelevant.
  • Next, we are going to post an annual budget and quick recap here for you folks to look at and discuss (if you like).
  • You, the lucky reader, gets to decide who the winner is at the end of the game. That's why I've made it into a poll. Please don't vote until we reach the end of the game, though...thanks.
Simple…right?

Okay. Great! We’ll be back in a short while with our first instalments. Stay tuned. :)
 
PS....please feel free to comment during the game play. Just don't vote yet. :) I'll let you know when it's time. :)
 
Oh, yeah, right! Always when I have no time to watch. :(

I'll check in tomorrow for the body count, though. ;)
 
MrT’s Byzanium…budget for 1419

Well, I gotta tell you that I’ve been studying Peter Ebbesen’s tactics quite carefully and I’ve really taken it to heart when he says that a few loans and a few mercs are the way to go. It’s obviously a proven tactic so…

On January 1st 1419 I, as the glorious Emperor’s brilliant advisor, went with cap in hand to the bank and took out 5 little loans of 200d each to add to the 50d we already had to start off with. Unfortunately there were no mercenaries for hire so I advised the Emperor to do the “right thing” and declare the Patriarch the Sole Defender of the Orthodox faith. Sadly, that left us with only 50 ducats again but the people were sure impressed. :)

To overcome this dreadful cash shortage, I advise the Emperor to hire a tax collector in Thrace, and we also decided to mint coins with every scrap of gold we could lay our hands on.

On February 1st we didn’t take in enough money to pay for our standing troops so I had the brilliant idea of declaring state bankruptcy. This eliminated our debts (although the people really weren’t very happy about it).

I immediately went to the bank and explained our situation. After citing the obvious threat the the Duchy of Athens presented, they were willing to lend us another 1000d (at an exorbitant interest rate I might add!) and I immediately took this to the mercenary hall and started spreading it around.

Soon, we were ready to get rid of the menace on our borders and I wrote the declaration of war personally…which was delivered precisely one day before we realised that we were out of money again.

Well, seeing as how it had worked last time, we declared bankruptcy (pleasing the peasants not at all) and then I trundled over to the bank to borrow some cash. Amazingly, despite my track record over the first four months of the year, they were willing to lend me some more cash…1000d to be precise. The interest rates they chare are criminal though. I also notice that the mercenaries are demanding somewhat higher wages these days…certainly more than they were back in February.

Anyway, I hired some more of these worthy fighters and sent them all off to battle the enemy which, despite a shockly low morale (for unknown and mystifying reasons!) they managed to defeat. I then instructed them to lay siege to the city.

Concerned about the way things were going, I hired some more mercenaries and even recruited the odd man for myself (since I really couldn’t afford that last band of money-grubbing bastards-for-hire). Sadly, this left me without enough money to pay for the army’s maintenance again in July so, after a quick chapter 11, I plodded my way back to the bank. After some rather harsh words with the manager thereof about the soaring interest rates, I left with my 1000d and went back to hire some more mercenaries to help with the siege.

It was at about this time that the Ottoman Empire decided to unleash a holy war against the Defenders of the Orthodox Faith. I promised to make Murad rue the day he dared oppose our divine providence, and quickly hired even more mercenaries.

I guess you know where this is leading don’t you…?

So after another declaration of bankruptcy and a visit to the ever-less-accommodating bank manager. I had another 1000d and was able to muster enough mercenaries so soundly defeat Murad – killing him in a glorious pitched battle in Thrace – and then send our valiant (but somewhat inexplicably demoralized) soldier off to lay siege to the heathen’s territories on the west bank of the Bosporus.
Finally, as new year 1420 rolled around, I decided that I had better have a beer because I was very thirsty doing all this monthly budgeting and traipsing down to the bank all the time. Beer, it seemed was 105% more expensive than it had been at the same time last year! Go figure. :eek:

I then settled back to see what might happen in the coming months.
 
Woah boy...

Okay, my first (very hectic) five years have been finished. I spent most of the time on 1 year = 1 minute, so despite a crash, I was able to overtake MrT :D

My arms are getting that customary heaviness of impending tipsiness so I'll make this quick. As I watch that little green bar progress across the loading screen I reflect, as I open a can of Kronenbourg that my Multiplayer games always involve alcohol. Not that I'm complaining. No sir.

Anyway, Byzantium pops up and I inspect the economy. Sigh. Ok, no luck there. I reduce maintenance on both the army and navy and pump up treasury gains. Those accountants must be cackling in glee, I'm sure. Must next step is to take 5 loans out and hire as many mercenaries as I can. This turns out to be a whopping 1 group, but again, I'm not complaining as I declare war on my neighbours - Athens. I stick on the auto-merchant chap - I'm playing far too fast to worry about that - and sit back as my first wave of Byzantine troops are crushed. The next wave are infinitely more successful. The first year is disappointing in terms of economy. A few 5% inflation.
 
MrT’s Byzanium…budget for 1420

What an exciting year!

Battle after battle where our glorious army defeats the pathetic Ottoman masses. This war business is expensive though, so I relied on the tried and true tactic of wiping out our debts and starting with a clean slate. I just don’t understand why the public is so against the idea though. I even had to put down a bit of civic unrest with some specially hired mercenaries.

The Duchy of Athens fell in the spring and I suggested to the Emperor that he annex them – and he heeded my advice. Looks like Peter’s strategy is paying off in spades! In fact, by the end of the year I had almost the entire Ottoman Empire under siege, although I was forced into the till a few times to be able to muster some disheartened troops to do the dirty work. That bank manager sure doesn’t look very happy to see me these days.

I must admit that I’m getting a bit thirsty again so I’ll have to grab another beer very soon. From what I hear, they’re jacking the price up even higher, with a pint costing about 181% more today than it did back in 1419. I wonder why?
 
Year: 1420:

I hit the first bankruptcy in May of the next year. No surprises there. This is followed by 5 more loans and a corruption event. While I hang around, alt-tabing out to check my messages and then heading out for a Joe Dash, I plunge back into the game.

November of 1240 sees Athens annexed into the glorious empire that is the Merchant Kings of Byzantium. Praise be and all that crap. So Albania are the next lucky chaps to be chosen to be incorporated into the greater-Byzantine Merchant co-prosperity sphere, or something along those lines. Piling on the troops seems to work well so the tactic is repeated there, which is quite a bit more sucessful though some brave Albanian freedom fighters continued to live to bother me else where. I take it in my stride however.

That's about the only other thing of interest that happens. So I sit back, increase the time speed, crack open another can and place half an eye on the box, whioch is currently showing Independence Day. God bless terrestial TV
I end the Year with a paltry 41% inflation. Bah. Well lagging behind MrT
 
Half way through my seige of Albania and the ottomans get the bright idea of declaring war on me. Which is a pretty stupid thing to do considering my state. I settle for peace with Albania nicking their treasury and immediately dogpile on the nearest Otto provicne. The idea of 12,000 men jumping on a province amuses me, oddly enough. I blame the drink. My next bankruptcy occurs in about April, followed by 5 more loans which gives me some more cash to raise some more mercenary armies.

By July, the only Ottoman armies that are left consist of one 9,000 force attacking an occupied Anatalio and a couple of 1,000 forces watching helplessly as my 3 armies systemically crush their so called 'Empire'. The next bankruptcy heralds another 5 loans, with the compulsary purchasing of more troops to form another army. The A.I. continues to astound me with it's strategic brilliance by building more troops in isolated Dobrubja. Towards the end of the year, Anatalia is resceued by the Otto-dudes and soundly defeats one of my armies. Fair enough, I'got 4 more ofthose to come. In the end, I crush their pansy asses descivissly.

I finish the year with a paltry inflation of 92%
 
Valdemar: Whatever do you mean? :confused:
 
MrT’s Byzanium…budget for 1421

Well, I went out to get that beer before the bastards could jack the price up on me again! Can you believe it? It was three times (200% more than) the cost back in 1419. Those bAARtenders are really getting out of hand! Oh well, it was certainly just what the doctor ordered.

This was still a fairly exciting year as a horde of Ottomans came out of the east from some other country they were fighting at the time. Don’t ask me which…geography isn’t my strong suit. Anyway, they managed to actually defeat my men so I was forced to go to the bank a few more times to scrounge up enough cash to hire the mercenaries (talk about money grubbing weasels!) to deliver a resounding blow to the Sultan’s single remaining army.

Peter’s strategy worked perfectly for me though, as the entire Ottoman nation was under siege by year end…and I was starting to get a little on the dry side again, if you catch my drift. I think I’d better visit the bar soon though, since I’m told that the prosperity of the nation is causing prices to drift ever higher.

Ah…I almost forgot. To improve our mint’s output and the overall state of the realm’s economy, I suggested to the Emperor that he hire tax collectors at the end of the year. They are much more expensive than they sued to be to promote…something in the order of 257% more expensive in fact.
 
1422 swings around with all the dullness of watching paint dry, or shit to crust, or...well, you get the idea. A bankruptcy heralds the breaking of my first 100% infaltion and the coincidental finsihing of my first can. I open another in celebration. I forgot to write down what Inflation I got towards the end, but it was about 150%, and that was only a couple more banruptcies. I continued to crush the Ottomans with a callous disregard for casaulties or, indeed, cash. DUring this period, I notice how utterly, ridiculously stereotypically Jewish the old man in Independence Day is. Absurd.

Anyway, with only 3 Turkish provinces escaping my vengeful armies and having just fought perhaps the most successful campaign of my EU2 career, I declare war on Albania with all the enthusiasismm of a teenager viewing his first pornography and give orders for 2 of the closest armies to attack. When they succeed, I am praising whatever diety looks over me. It's probably the same one that made me break the 200% inflation mark later that month. troops are getting markedly more expensive. and it's also absurdly difficult to type now with any decent speed.

Thusby the end of 1422 I suffer my first revolt. Not too scary, I mean, after all I have played both a Timurids and a Golden Horder GC so I'm used to those little gits running around. Though when they go on to dfeat no less than 3 of my formerly victorious armies, it makes you sit up and curse crappy mercenraies and levl 1 tech.

Anyhoo, I finishe the year with orders for another large army heading to Thrace to sort out the bastards and an inflation of 219%
 
Bizarre…budget for 1422

Here it is, the end of 1422 and I’m just about to nip out for another beer. Governing a prosperous nation like this is thirsty work!

As I write this, the Ottoman Empire is almost finished. Most of the cities have been captured and the running-dog lackeys are firmly under my control. Only one or two hold-outs remain to be taken before we deliver our terms to the Khan.

Unfortunately as far as the bank manager is concerned, we seem to be a little less appealing as far as lending appeal goes. Can you believe it? A powerhouse nation like our with nearly 100,000 hand picked troops in the field…it’s criminal, I tell you. Simply criminal!

Anyway, I’m really looking forward to the next year…although with the price of beer now being 389% more than it was back in the golden age (as I like to call that magic January 1st 1419) I’m beginning to think that there might be a very slight flaw in Peter’s “borrow, mint and hire” strategy. Only time will tell, I guess.
 
My economy is doing great. Food and stuff is a little more expensive fo rthe average peasant and the average banker has lost quite a bit of cash since 1419, but the Byzantines are doing splendiferously. But for the most part, my ecnomonomoy is doing great. kings and princes and other such low types come from all over the countrysude to offer congratulations on my liberal kicking of Turkish butt.

I turn them away, naturally. I'm busy dispensing more butt kicking for Christian goodness*, as they are not worthy enough to grovel beaneath the feet of the almighty Merchant Prince of Byzantium.

Anyway, I bankrupt the country another 4 times, twice by June and again in August and finally in December. Now, every single Turkish bar one is occupied (and that was taken by those imbecillic Knights) so ALbania recieves my full attention. Though this means that it falls no less quickly and is still standing by the end of the year.

Thus, with a customary dues to the banks (AKA inflation) of 320% the following prices are plaguing me:

Infantry costs me 42 ducats a piece, Cavalry is at 71 and cannons, if I had the tech is 155.

Warships cost 255 :eek:
and don't even get me started on mercenauires.

*the man who knows what quote thiw was based on gets all three of my empty beer cans, you lucky, lucky people.
 
1423!

Wow! What a great year!

The Ottoman bootlicker came to call and handed over the keys to every province save for his capital and the sweater-manufacturing one way out east. Seeing as one of those countries that has the picture of a sheep on its black banner had also stationed troops there (and let me tell you, it’s cold in them thar hills) I decided to agree to that, as long as he sweetened the deal with 400d to help me counteract the spiralling cost of beer these days.

I really don’t know where these guys get off charging such outrageous amounts for a single pint of ale, but I could only afford one this year (although I’m on the verge of needing another). By December of this year, that elixir from heaven was running a steady 484% more than it used to, although I celebrated the new year by making my fourth trip in as many months to visit the loan sha…bank manager.

I wnet ‘round to the recruitment center the other day and was dismayed to find that the mercenaries are now charging in excess of 1000d for a simple company of them. Disgustingly greedy bastards. I decided to begin a recruitment program instead. Imagine how pleased I was to find out that I can train 1000 infantry for a paltry 52d, a similar number of cavalry for only 93d, and I even managed to scrape together enough cash last fall to pay for the keel of one of those fancy deep-sea vessels everyone’s always talking about. It was only 362d…cheap at twice the price – which, the way things seem to be going, may very well be the case in another couple of years.

I wonder how Peter deals with these rising costs?

I guess word has really started to get around the newly enlarged nation about my constant trips to the bank and the large standing army I’m using tax-payer money to keep…errr…standing. They absolutely refuse to let me go to war with anyone new at the moment and there are constant rumblings and even a few bloody demonstrations as I make my way to the bank today. Oh well, with this big an army, they won’t pose any threat to me or to the Emperor. Happy new year!

Ahhh…just before I go, perhaps you’d like to see a map of the Empire?

byz1424nat.jpg


byz1424mil.jpg


OOC: there will be a short delay while we play a couple more years.
 
Originally posted by Rictus
I'm busy dispensing more butt kicking for Christian goodness

<snip>

the man who knows what quote thiw was based on gets all three of my empty beer cans, you lucky, lucky people.

Does he have a hyperdimentional space hampster called Boo?

Great work Rictus, although I notice that your uni schooling hasn't quite taught you the finer points of national finance. Perhaps you should consider enrolling in Economics 101 next semester?
 
1424 proves to be a painfully uneventuful year except in terms of bankruptcy and suspicious growing lack of alcohol. I swear that someone must have snuck into thte room and stolen a few cans out of the slab I had hear. There's no way I could have drank that much without needing a humongous piss.

Anywway, back to the game. Revolts from a stubborn Otto-dude empire are springing up in increasing amounts and with such a low morale, it's taking an avaerage of 3 attacks (i think) to slap them upside the head. But my troops continue to be most kind in dispensing butt kicking. So I let them carry on, after all, they are enjoying it.

When November rolls around, as does a bankruptcy and a superbly well timed stab-increase, I accidently make peace to Albania. Foiled in my plans, I'd shout in rage but the parental units are next door and don't take to tipsy shotung in the late hours of the day. So I bit my lip and redeclare war.

Elsehwehre I daily (in EU2 terms) curse the Ottomans, but little else happens. Ending the year on a middle-level range.
 
You two need professional help. Or more alcohol.

*sings*
"Starkle starkle little twink,
What the hell are you I think.
I'm not under what you call
the alcofluence of incohol.
Starkle Starkle little twink,
what the hell are you I think!"
 
Budget 1424

Well I must confess tht I just don’t seem to be getting the hang of this loan thing that Peter keeps tlaking about. 1425 was a very quiet year – other than the constant revotls from the peasantyr. The nation, now at peace, embarked on an aggressive warship building program that, regrettably, required extra fnding from the money-grubbres donw at the bank.

Just yesterday I had to take the crook they call “Guido” out for a beer to explain our financial plans. He even made me pick up the tab – and outrageous 635% more now for a pint back before I listened to Peter;s advice. Next time he strts talking abojt loans, I’m gonna to rmember to hask him about that. I just don’t see how he can affor dome of those things he does…particularly with the bi-monthly revolts!

Hopefully things will pick up next year.
 
Originally posted by Rocky Horror
You two need professional help. Or more alcohol.

*sings*
"Starkle starkle little twink,
What the hell are you I think.
I'm not under what you call
the alcofluence of incohol.
Starkle Starkle little twink,
what the hell are you I think!"

Wow! That's pretty good RH!