The Tales of Brandenburg
~From Obscurity to Greatness~
A Roleplaying After Action Report
Yooohooo! Hi there. Thanks for clicking on my thread. I wouldn't blame you if you stopped reading now and left, though. Are you still reading? You must be. Very well, I shall enlighten you on what exactly this is.
I have played EU4 since it came out. I have racked around 350 hours of playtime as of today. Some may consider that a lot. I consider that a lot. Point being, after so much time, the game just simply becomes repetetive and easy. Even the most difficult and smallest of nations can - with the use of gamey and exploitative tactics - become a world power, and after a couple of games like that, it just becomes boring.
That's when I started getting into mods. One of my favorite ones - Veritas et Fortitudo (hint hint) adds a lot more difficulty, variety but most of all - flavor to the game.
So I have decided to create an AAR for a nation using the VeF mod. After thinking long and hard -actually, it was more like three minutes at most - I have decided to pick Brandenburg. Well, right now you may be going - but Brandenburg is sooo overpowered with its ideas, high basetax, plus it's an elector, yadda, yadda, yadda, well that's true and untrue at the same time.
If you are familiar with the mod I will be using, you may know this already and feel insulted that I am explaining it here, but I shall do so anyways. In Veritas et Fortitudo, all provinces start with lowered base tax values. This means less forcelimits, less goods produced, less manpower, less tax income all around. Furthermore, Brandenburg is surrounded with Bohemia (the emperor) to the south, a very very hostile Poland to the east and two major rivals - Pomerania and Mecklenburg to the north and to top it all off, is part of the North German technology group, which is extremely weak until tech 10, and even then their units pale in comparison to the far more superior Polish hussars.
We will be picking the 1370 start for Brandenburg, 50 years before the Hussite Wars. The AAR will mostly be a lot of text and roleplaying. If you expect me to explain game mechanics, you may be dissapointed. Every single post I make will essentially be a story, most of them even from an in-character point of view.
Alright. The compulsory introduction is done, let us get on with the AAR.
~Setting the Stage~ (1369 - 1372)
Winter, 1369.
'Twas a cold Christmas Eve. The entirety of Christian Europe celebrating the birth of their savior. With the masses occupied in Churches and Cathedrals, deep in prayers, nobody would have suspected that just a few miles from Berlin, in the county of Altmark, history was about to be made.
They sat and eagerly awaited. Four men, all of noble blood, all of great importance to the electorate. For all of them, the envoy with the seal of the prince-elector came but mere two days ago. What could have possibly been so important to warrant a meeting in secrecy outside Berlin? And on Christmas Eve no less? They sat in silence, and eagerly awaited.
Moments later, the doors to the room opened. Through the doors, in the company of his guards walked the prince-elector Otto VII von Wittlesbach himself. He nodded towards the guards and they left. The sounds of locks being set interrupted the silence amongst the men present.
"My noble advisors." the prince-elector spoke up. "I have gathered you here for one purpose, and one purpose only. To restore the glory of the once great electorate of Brandenburg. You are here, because you have served me loyally for the past few years, and you are here to help me put my plan in motion."
"What do you have in mind, my Liege?" one of the advisors spoke up.
"All in due time, mein freund. Ludwig: What is the status of our army?"
An old robust man with receding hair, wearing a military uniform stood up and cleared his throat. "The Royal Army, under the command of Wilhelm Selasinky is currently positioned in Neumark, with smaller peace-keeping regiments of around a hundred men each stationed in each major city."
"What is our total number of men. How many toops can the army effectively field?"
The royal accountant, a man with a clean white shirt and elegant black pants stood up. "Last year's grain production has been somewhat poorer than expected, but our granaries are reporting a surplus. I estimate the Royal Army could support two or three more regiments at most."
Otto nodded and turned to Ludwig. "Ludwig. I want all the post guards to report for Neumark. The Royal Army needs to be at full strenght, and I want it by New Year's."
Ludwig stared blankly at his liege, then nodded. "It shall be done, milord."
"Good. Johann." the diplomat froze in place "What is the state of our allies? Could we count on them in the event of a war?"
"The count of Anhalt has a very high opinion of you my liege. The lords of Brunswick and the prince-elector of Saxony however, not so much. I fear they aren't very supportive. I would describe their opinion of us as cordial, at most."
"And what of my brothers?"
"Duke Stephan of Bavaria described you in the most obscene and unfavorable terms. On the other hand, Rupert I of The Palatinate respects you er... moderately. However I doubt he would be of much assistance in any armed conflict milord." the advisor explained. "Will you tell us what you have in plan?"
"It is simple my friends. Three day past New Year's, we shall attack Pomerania." the prince-elector spoke as it was a normal occurence.
Winter, 1370
On the second of January, twenty miles away from the Pomeranian border, hidden in the province of Neumark, the Brandenburgian Royal Army of 8000 soldiers was training. The general, a young man in his prime sat upon the hill and watched his soldiers prepare for the oncoming assault. Having witnessed many battles in his time, he knew the war would be bloody, but that they would emerge victorious in the end. Amongst the men, morale was at an all time high, with soldiers eagerly awaited battle against their nation's sworn rivals. That's when his thoughts were interrupted by an arriving messenger.
"General Selasinky! General Selasinky! I bring an envoy from the high council." he said as he handed the general a sealed envelope.
The general merely nodded and broke the seal. He pulled the letter out and read it. His eyes narrowed and his nostrils stated fuming. "This is an outrage! They want me to attack tomorrow, while I am still awaiting my reinforcements! My men will not be able to fight at full strenght! What insanity is this?!" he yelled at the envoy.
"The Pomeranians have begun talks of an alliance with the Bohemians. The prince-elector demands we strike before an alliance may be forged, general." the messenger replied. "Our reinforcements are but days away, and your forces should be enough to defeat the 5000 men standing army."
The general calmed down and sat on the grass, pondering his options. If Pomerania managed to strike an alliance with the Bohemians, any hopes of conquest would be over. His men could defeat the Pomeranians, no - they will defeat the Pomeranians, but he won't have enough men to maneuver around the army. The losses will be far more in number than predicted.
"What of Brunswick and the Saxons?" he finally asked.
The envoy grinned widely before replying. "It would seem the risk of replacing the diplomatic advisors paid off. Our envoys have managed to persuade the prince-elector and the count to aid us. You will have a backup force of fifteen thousand at your disposal, general!"
He smiled. At least some good news. Pomerania would not stand a chance. Tomorrow by this time, he would be engaged in glorious battle. The general stood up and thanked the messenger. He needed to prepare his men.
So as planned, in the early morning on January 3rd 1370, 8000 Brandenburgian soldiers made their way across the border and marched towards Pomerania's capital city of Stettin, where their main and only army was positioned. As predicted by the general, the battle was bloody and prolonged. At the end of the day, 1500 Brandenburg troops laid dead next to 2000 Pomeranians. Not the clear victory the prince-elector has imagined. But with reinforcements on the way from Saxony, Anhalt and Brunswick, the Pomeranians would not stand a chance.
Summer, 1370
It was a warm September day. The prince elector was residing in his castle, surrounded by his most loyal advisors, all drinking wine, singing, dancing and celebrating the progress of the ongoing war. With Brandenburgian armies laying siege to Stettin and Stargard and the Saxons and Brunswickians laying siege to every other castle in the duchy, it was truly a reason for great celebration. After a couple of quick battles, Pomerania saw its army destroyed by the mighty North German alliance, and it was only a matter of time before the duke would finally obey and accept any demand the prince elector would have.
Unbecknowst to them, this was all about to change.
"My lord! My lord!" an emissary ran through the door.
The music stop and everyone froze, looking at the emissary as if he has signed his own death warrant. "What is the meaning of this?!" the prince-elector demanded.
"My apologies, sire!" the emissary bowed. "But I bring grave news. Our scouts in Uckermarck sighted a Mecklenburg army cross into our lands and lay rampage to villages along the border. They have declared war on us, sire!" the man yelled with a high pitched panicky voice.
"Ho,.. how many?" Otto asked in a low and raspy voice.
"Six thousand sire, possibly more!"
"A.. and the Poles?" he asked in the same tone, well aware of the alliance that Mecklenburg had with Poland and the implications of such a pact.
"No word from them yet, but our scouts report seeing their army mobilize. They are coming right for us, sire!"
The prince elector stood in the room in silence for a couple of seconds. Unable to speak, unable to move, deep in thought. After a few moments, he cleared his throat and yelled. "Everybody out!"
All of the room's occupants scattered and left the castle immediately after. In the center of the ball room now stood the emissary, the prince elector, Ludwig - his military advisor and Johann - his diplomatic advisor.
"Ludwig, what are our options?" he finally asked.
"The army of Mecklenburg is weak in number and lacks in morale. It is the Polish we have to watch out for. Should they enter our lands with their men, our armies - while strong in spirit - would not stand a chance against their numbers."
"Can we count on our allies? What about the emperor? Can he help?!" he asked his second advisor.
"I will send envoys to them immediately, but they all should defend us. As for the emperor, he will claim it is Mecklenburg's war, therefore he has no right to interfere. I am afraid the emperor will not be of help in this conflict."
He pondered the implication of that statement before turning to his military advisor once more. "Can we win this, Ludwig?"
To the prince-elector's horror, the advisor shook his head. "The only chance we have is to recall our armies for Pomerania and launch a massive counter offensive against Mecklenburg before Poland reinforces them." he continued. "If we make Mecklenburg bleed by raiding his lands, we might be able to negotiate a favorable peace deal. Well, favorable considering the circumstances."
"Do so Ludwig. Defending the duchy is our number one priority, abandon the sieges up north."
Autumn, 1370
It was as the prince-elector commanded. Brandenburg and its allies abandoned all sieges in Pomerania and launched a massive counter attack against the armies of Mecklenburg. A new general was appointed to aid Wilhelm Selasinky in defending the motherland, and a series of quick battles in Uckermark and Schwerin left the army of Mecklenburg completely obliterated. But with a force of 26 thousand Polish troops passing Berlin, there was no reason for celebration. The prince-elector was currently in a tent just miles away from the Polish army, debating the situation with his advisors and a possible defense strategy.
Fortunately for prince-elector Otto von Wittlesbach, things were about to look up.
"The duke of Mecklenburg is ready to talk, sire."
"That rotting no good skank, what are his demands?!"
"It seems your tactic of laying waste to his cities has worked. Rather than risk our armies move up on his own castle, he is willing to sign peace for a handful of ducats in recompense."
The prince-elector was pleasantly surprised. "Do we have enough?"
"We would need to take a loan, but it is better than the alternative. If we were to lose to the Polish, he most certainly will demand more. I suggest we let him keep face and give him what he wants."
He only thought about it briefly before agreeing. "Do so. Inform the armies that they are to regroup in Berlin and re-launch the attack against Pomerania. Let us hope there will be no more interruptions."
Autumn 1372
The war between Mecklenburg and Brandenburg lasted two months. During those two months, Mecklenburg saw its armies completely and utterly destroyed, while the armies of the electorate got off with minor scraps and bruises. Officially, the victor was the duchy of Mecklenburg, but whole of Europe knew that the real victor was the electorate of Brandenburg.
With its armies untouched, the electorate began re-occupying the once abandoned sieges up north in Pomerania. The duchy had attempted to mobilize its armies and fight back, but the two month interruption in the war was not long enough for them to regain any significant strenght, so they were defeated once more.
For the next two years, the North German alliance laid waste to the once-proud duchy's cities, pillaging and looting, while smaller contingents would continue to siege down the last bastions of resistance. For two long years, the Pomeranians managed to bravely resist the armies of Brandenburg before being eventually overcome. It was on October the 3rd that the last castle just outside Stettin had fallen to the hands of the alliance, forcing the proud duke to seek an end to this brutal and prolonged conflict.
"You demand WHAT?!" the duke of Pomerania screamed.
"Your abdication, and the installment of my nephew, Boguslaw as the duke of Pomerania." Otto explained calmly.
"So that Pomerania can become your personal puppet?! This is an outrage! You cannot do this!"
"I can and I have. Your nobles agreed to recognizing him as duke, in return for some privileges. All I need now is for you to abdicate, a formality really." the prince-elector beamed with glee.
"And if I do not?!" the duke asked.
"Then you and your heir will die by my sword. I am fine with either option."
The old duke fumed, protested, threatened, but eventually agreed. The duchy would be ruled by the prince-elector's nephew, Boguslaw and thus began the ascention of Brandenburg into one of the most prominent countries in history.
AAR Directory WORK IN PROGRESS!
Decided to create a list of chapters for potential readers, so it is less disorganized and more pretty (yes, more pretty, not prettier!). Plus I like lists, everyone likes lists, right? I even listed all the things I have listed so far... enough rambling. The gameplay is split into Books and Chapters. A Book will contain a certain time period specific to history, e.g. the end of the Middle Ages will be one book, the Renaissance will be another. Every Book will have an X amount of Chapters and a Chapter is a part of history specific to Brandenburg that changed the country's course one way or the other. Chapters could range anywhere from three to ten publications, depending on the events that happened and may contain massive wars spanning over a couple of years or even decades of reforms and diplomatic events.
Happy listing!
Book I: A Prince Rising - History of Brandenburg and Its Ascension To The Forefront of European Politics
- Chapter I: Long Live the Emperor! (1369 - 1385)
- Chapter II: Federation of North German Principalities. (1385 - 1340)
Chapter I: Long Live the Emperor! (1369 - 1385)
Prince Otto VII von Wittelsbach, regent of Brandenburg.
Prince Otto VII von Wittelsbach, regent of Brandenburg.
- Setting the Stage (1369 - 1372)
- Dreams of a Prince Elector (1372 - 1373)
- A Taste of Things to Come (1373 - 1374)
- War for Oldenburg (1374 - 1376)
- The Prince of Terror (1376 - 1377)
- War Does Not Determine Who Is Right... - Part I of the Brandenburg - Bohemia War of Succession (1377 - 1380)
- ...Only Who Is Left - Part II of the Brandenburg - Bohemia War of Succession (1380 - 1383) TBA
The directory is a work in progress and is does not represent a finished product. Ryan does not claim any responsibility for potential health issues caused by frustration or stress while browsing the directory. Any and all complaints are to be delivered to the nearest trash bin.
Family Tree of the von Wittelsbachs, mid 1300s to early 1400s. (contains spoilers, ignore this while I find a fitting chapter to post this to - I am putting it here so I don't forget).
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