Mamma Mia! The AAR

aldriq · 28-12-2009, 18:59

Mamma Mia!
Four Tales of Infambition, Randomadness and Glorytory

An Alternate Game & Play AAR for EUIII - Heir to the Throne

_______________________

A Cautionary Note

The author apologises for being under the influence of port, pernod, orujo, Christmas and other continental spirits at the time of conceiving this. The story is based on a true game, the characters are truly fictional. The author assumes no responsibility for the behaviour of the AI. No Abba songs should be played or food ingested after midnight while reading this AAR.

Bristol, Fourth Day of Christmas 2009

_______________________

_______________________

Nothing like an alternate game to play around with HttT, learn a bit and laugh (or cry) a lot. This time I've gone beyond any previous madness and chosen to alternate between 4 countries -that's right, four. Don't expect anything glorious... in fact, expect everything to end up in tears. The countries are (in order of play): Mantua, Manchu, Mali and Maya. They are all just as likely to disappear by the 16th century, so I'll basically play them one by one in 7-year turns until there is only one left or I get bored... The start date is 1 January 1419. I'm playing 4.1.b with all settings to normal (plus Strannik's magnificent HDM mod).
_______________________

Act I

I. 1419-25 __________________________________________________ _
________________ II. 1426-32 __________________________________
_________________________________ III. 1433-39 ________________
__________________________________________________ IV. 1440-46
V. 1447-53 __________________________________________________ _
________________ VI. 1454-60 __________________________________
__________________________________ VII. 1461-67 _______________
_________________________________________________ VIII. 1468-74

Act II

I. 1475-81 __________________________________________________ _
________________ II. 1482-88 __________________________________
_________________________________ III. 1489-95 ________________

C'est Moi · 28-12-2009, 19:58

Why 1419?

balkanite · 28-12-2009, 20:42

this should be good

gabor · 28-12-2009, 20:52

can't wait for the real action; and for me this will also be a sneak peek at HttT and its workings;
planning any RM between the 4?

Malurous · 28-12-2009, 21:07

Really looking forward to this: aldriq, a concept taken probably too far, HttT, and reckless consumption, what could go wrong here?

Qorten · 28-12-2009, 22:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by C'est Moi

Why 1419?

Good question.

Looking forward to your new endeavour, aldriq.

NACBEAST · 28-12-2009, 22:48

Good to see another AAR by none other than alriq himself. Good luck, and EXCELSIOR!

EUROO7 · 28-12-2009, 23:21

I am utterly confused, yet somehow excited by the first post.

Whatever this is, it's bound to be good.

Davout · 29-12-2009, 11:42

I must confess, the title filled me with much consternation. Many has been the bastard child conceived from an excess of ABBA and/or alcohol. But my fears were allayed when I saw the name of the author.

Play on, sir, gentle Mantua awaits your guiding hand.

Sweboy · 30-12-2009, 21:26

As a Swede I can but follow this AAR.

Here we go again

aldriq · 31-12-2009, 02:18

C'est Moi, Qorten - Welcome! I chose 1419 to have northern Italy a bit more balanced (neither Milan nor Venice being overly powerful), but now I think it was a mistake.

balkanite, Malurous, NACBEAST, Sweboy - Thanks and welcome!

gabor - who knows, I might even inherit Savoy

EUROO7 - Confused-excited is a good state of mind

Davout - I did not consume any Abba music while writing this, the title is merely alliterative

aldriq · 31-12-2009, 02:45

Act I

Scene I

Music room at the Palazzo Stoppia, Mantova; Lady Francesca Stoppia, aunt of the marquis of Mantua, is playing the lute. Her personal secretary Enzo Carenzi enters with a letter.

ENZO My Lady, I bring worrying news from your nephew... the duke of Provence has declared war on the Pope and the marquis is hesitant to honour Mantua's current vow to protect his Holiness.
LADY STOPPIA I see... the duke is brave enough to call himself rightful king of France and now to claim Avignon for himself. On the other hand my nephew seems to be a coward. Why did my good father have to marry my sister to a Gonzaga?
ENZO The marquis doesn't want to antagonise Tuscany, my lady. Tuscany and Ferrara support Provence, no one but Mantua supports the Holy Father...
LADY STOPPIA Ferrara is an opportunity, Tuscany is not necessarily a problem. Enzo, remind my nephew that it is thanks to my father's money and intercession with the emperor the he has the title of marquis; Mantua will honour each and every guarantee or will not stand free.
ENZO Yes, my lady.

Enzo rushes out, Lady Stoppia continues playing the lute.

Nobody wants to ally Mantua, so I had to make do with guarantees (Savoy, Venice, Papal States) and royal marriages (Savoy, Ferrara). The Pope was quick to annex Urbino and Avignon, but is now on the wrong side of Provence. I honoured, Naples didn't.

Enzo enters with a grave expression, Lady Stoppia stops playing.

ENZO My lady, I'm afraid fortune didn't favour the bold this time; despite an initial victory against Ferrara, the marquis and his army have been defeated by the Tuscans. He withdrew to Verona, where he is negotiating peace directly with Provence.
LADY STOPPIA He is useless! Will we have to pay reparations?
ENZO No, my lady, His Holiness has taken Aix-en-Provence, the duke seems willing to accept a simple end to hostilities at the moment.
LADY STOPPIA Very well, at least Mantua held her promise, the Holy Father will have to handle this on his own from now.
ENZO My lady, the marquis is quite upset about all this, he never wanted to enter this war.
LADY STOPPIA He'll have to learn to live with defeat too, it is part of the bargain.

I escaped with a white peace, the Pope wasn't that lucky, he had to cede Ancona to Siena and Avignon to Provence. Gianfrancesco didn't take the humiliation well though...

Enzo enters with a very old document, Lady Stoppia interrupts her playing, visibly annoyed.

ENZO My lady, one of our informants in Modena has found a very interesting document that proves the old lord of Modena lost his duchy to Gianfrancesco's great-grandfather in a game of cards a hundred years ago.
LADY STOPPIA This is very interesting. In fact, this is what I have been waiting for all these years. This is the opportunity Gianfrancesco needs to redeem himself. Take this document to him, he should take no time to declare war on Modena.
ENZO Yes, my lady.

And so it is finally in 1425 that I get a chance and grab it. Modena is in a personal union with Ferrara, but luckily both have only single-regiment armies.

Enzo enters, a string in Lady Stoppia's lute snaps.

ENZO My lady, both Ferrara and Modena are besieged by our armies. However, the marquis Niccolo d'Este has so far refused to relinquish Modena.
LADY STOPPIA Fool. It's only a matter of time... Send this to the luthier.
ENZO Yes, my lady.

Enzo takes the lute and exits.

The sieges are at 13% and 25% as of December 1425, the end of the 7-year turn. Will the AI be able to finish this off and survive another 21 years? Note Austria has already taken Treviso from Venice...

CatKnight · 31-12-2009, 03:00

Looks like a fun beginning. Good luck!

JDMS · 31-12-2009, 04:35

Great work! On to Manchu!

Malurous · 31-12-2009, 08:38

I don't usually like a format like that (theatre play) but that was done so well that I enjoyed it a lot. Great work!

The interesting thing, compared to your "Europe is our dancefloor" AAR for instance, is that the nations are indeed weak enough that any of them could be dead in 21 years. It's also pretty cool that your countries can't see each other yet - you won't know what's going on elsewhere unless you spy the map.

Looking forward to more!

Sweboy · 31-12-2009, 10:27

luthier

Methinks you have been back on the port again

gabor · 31-12-2009, 13:13

i like the format, but something tells me it'll be different with the other countries
now, let's put our faith in AI's skill

(didn't it make you feel sort of sorry to abandon your country in such a critical moment? will there be act II?)

Johan11 · 01-01-2010, 12:43

Well, lets see if this is as good as prawnstars....

Kidding....

Ill be in the opposite of the shadows.

enkhuush · 01-01-2010, 16:10

ENKHUUSH I hope you won't quit because of bored.

P.S: Currently I'm listening Strauss.

C'est Moi · 01-01-2010, 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johan11

Ill be in the opposite of the shadows.

The swodahs?

28-12-2009, 18:59	#1
aldriq Part Time Warp Join Date: May 2007 Location: UK Posts: 1,948	Mamma Mia! The AAR Mamma Mia! Four Tales of Infambition, Randomadness and Glorytory An Alternate Game & Play AAR for EUIII - Heir to the Throne _______________________ A Cautionary Note The author apologises for being under the influence of port, pernod, orujo, Christmas and other continental spirits at the time of conceiving this. The story is based on a true game, the characters are truly fictional. The author assumes no responsibility for the behaviour of the AI. No Abba songs should be played or food ingested after midnight while reading this AAR. Bristol, Fourth Day of Christmas 2009 _______________________ _______________________ Nothing like an alternate game to play around with HttT, learn a bit and laugh (or cry) a lot. This time I've gone beyond any previous madness and chosen to alternate between 4 countries -that's right, four. Don't expect anything glorious... in fact, expect everything to end up in tears. The countries are (in order of play): Mantua, Manchu, Mali and Maya. They are all just as likely to disappear by the 16th century, so I'll basically play them one by one in 7-year turns until there is only one left or I get bored... The start date is 1 January 1419. I'm playing 4.1.b with all settings to normal (plus Strannik's magnificent HDM mod). _______________________ Act I I. 1419-25 __________________________________________________ _ ________________ II. 1426-32 __________________________________ _________________________________ III. 1433-39 ________________ __________________________________________________ IV. 1440-46 V. 1447-53 __________________________________________________ _ ________________ VI. 1454-60 __________________________________ __________________________________ VII. 1461-67 _______________ _________________________________________________ VIII. 1468-74 Act II I. 1475-81 __________________________________________________ _ ________________ II. 1482-88 __________________________________ _________________________________ III. 1489-95 ________________ __________________ Current: Mamma Mia! The AAR ● Completed: Europe is our dancefloor \| The Shortest Road to Damascus Tintero Last edited by aldriq; 31-03-2010 at 18:42.

28-12-2009, 20:42	#3
balkanite Captain Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Appalachia Posts: 307 Blog Entries: 1	this should be good __________________ GO JAPAN!

28-12-2009, 20:52	#4
gabor Lt. General Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: 1802 Posts: 1,603	can't wait for the real action; and for me this will also be a sneak peek at HttT and its workings; planning any RM between the 4? __________________ Rigid with FeAAR - MMP 1.402 Navarre Her(?)Story - Savoy MMP2.15 Nec Temere, Nec Timide - Danzig/Gdańsk MMP Xmass Edition

28-12-2009, 21:07	#5
Malurous Colonel Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Helsinki, Finland Posts: 1,085	Really looking forward to this: aldriq, a concept taken probably too far, HttT, and reckless consumption, what could go wrong here? __________________ Sir Malurous, Knight of Hell-sinki in antracer's One Last HurRAAh... A Milan Interactive AAR Fan of the Week 12/3/09 Participating in the HT Succession Game

28-12-2009, 22:48	#7
NACBEAST Second Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 181	Good to see another AAR by none other than alriq himself. Good luck, and EXCELSIOR! __________________ The Rise of India: Legacy of Jodha A Rajputana MMP 1.5 AAR Awarded a Lord Strange Cookie of British Awesomeness ● Rising Lowlands: A History of the Netherlands A Netherlands MMP2 1.15 AAR

28-12-2009, 19:58	#2
C'est Moi Captain Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Merry Old Devonshire Posts: 350 Blog Entries: 4	Why 1419?

28-12-2009, 23:21	#8
EUROO7 Theatricality Personified Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Eurodämmerung Posts: 4,550	I am utterly confused, yet somehow excited by the first post. Whatever this is, it's bound to be good. __________________ A Glourious Paradise ♦ The Icelandic Odyssey ▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼ - EUROO7 "Why did we lynch euro!?" - You, when you lynch Euro "EUROO7 is obviously an expensive writer"

29-12-2009, 11:42	#9
Davout saw what you did there Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: location, location Posts: 447	I must confess, the title filled me with much consternation. Many has been the bastard child conceived from an excess of ABBA and/or alcohol. But my fears were allayed when I saw the name of the author. Play on, sir, gentle Mantua awaits your guiding hand. __________________ Fan of the Week 22 February 2010 Vale Flux Fedaykin - 31/5/2003-4/7/2008 Writing: Episode 4 "A New Hope" Indies -The AAR which refuses to sell out Featured on Weekly AAR Showcase 21 July 2010

30-12-2009, 21:26	#10
Sweboy Colonel Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 941	As a Swede I can but follow this AAR. Here we go again __________________ Current AAR: Tea and Leeks, A very random unification AAR Finished AAR: In Search of Jerusalem (A random map AAR)

31-12-2009, 02:18	#11
aldriq Part Time Warp Join Date: May 2007 Location: UK Posts: 1,948	C'est Moi, Qorten - Welcome! I chose 1419 to have northern Italy a bit more balanced (neither Milan nor Venice being overly powerful), but now I think it was a mistake. balkanite, Malurous, NACBEAST, Sweboy - Thanks and welcome! gabor - who knows, I might even inherit Savoy EUROO7 - Confused-excited is a good state of mind Davout - I did not consume any Abba music while writing this, the title is merely alliterative __________________ Current: Mamma Mia! The AAR ● Completed: Europe is our dancefloor \| The Shortest Road to Damascus Tintero

31-12-2009, 02:45	#12
aldriq Part Time Warp Join Date: May 2007 Location: UK Posts: 1,948	Act I Scene I Music room at the Palazzo Stoppia, Mantova; Lady Francesca Stoppia, aunt of the marquis of Mantua, is playing the lute. Her personal secretary Enzo Carenzi enters with a letter. ENZO My Lady, I bring worrying news from your nephew... the duke of Provence has declared war on the Pope and the marquis is hesitant to honour Mantua's current vow to protect his Holiness. LADY STOPPIA I see... the duke is brave enough to call himself rightful king of France and now to claim Avignon for himself. On the other hand my nephew seems to be a coward. Why did my good father have to marry my sister to a Gonzaga? ENZO The marquis doesn't want to antagonise Tuscany, my lady. Tuscany and Ferrara support Provence, no one but Mantua supports the Holy Father... LADY STOPPIA Ferrara is an opportunity, Tuscany is not necessarily a problem. Enzo, remind my nephew that it is thanks to my father's money and intercession with the emperor the he has the title of marquis; Mantua will honour each and every guarantee or will not stand free. ENZO Yes, my lady. Enzo rushes out, Lady Stoppia continues playing the lute. Nobody wants to ally Mantua, so I had to make do with guarantees (Savoy, Venice, Papal States) and royal marriages (Savoy, Ferrara). The Pope was quick to annex Urbino and Avignon, but is now on the wrong side of Provence. I honoured, Naples didn't. Enzo enters with a grave expression, Lady Stoppia stops playing. ENZO My lady, I'm afraid fortune didn't favour the bold this time; despite an initial victory against Ferrara, the marquis and his army have been defeated by the Tuscans. He withdrew to Verona, where he is negotiating peace directly with Provence. LADY STOPPIA He is useless! Will we have to pay reparations? ENZO No, my lady, His Holiness has taken Aix-en-Provence, the duke seems willing to accept a simple end to hostilities at the moment. LADY STOPPIA Very well, at least Mantua held her promise, the Holy Father will have to handle this on his own from now. ENZO My lady, the marquis is quite upset about all this, he never wanted to enter this war. LADY STOPPIA He'll have to learn to live with defeat too, it is part of the bargain. I escaped with a white peace, the Pope wasn't that lucky, he had to cede Ancona to Siena and Avignon to Provence. Gianfrancesco didn't take the humiliation well though... Enzo enters with a very old document, Lady Stoppia interrupts her playing, visibly annoyed. ENZO My lady, one of our informants in Modena has found a very interesting document that proves the old lord of Modena lost his duchy to Gianfrancesco's great-grandfather in a game of cards a hundred years ago. LADY STOPPIA This is very interesting. In fact, this is what I have been waiting for all these years. This is the opportunity Gianfrancesco needs to redeem himself. Take this document to him, he should take no time to declare war on Modena. ENZO Yes, my lady. And so it is finally in 1425 that I get a chance and grab it. Modena is in a personal union with Ferrara, but luckily both have only single-regiment armies. Enzo enters, a string in Lady Stoppia's lute snaps. ENZO My lady, both Ferrara and Modena are besieged by our armies. However, the marquis Niccolo d'Este has so far refused to relinquish Modena. LADY STOPPIA Fool. It's only a matter of time... Send this to the luthier. ENZO Yes, my lady. Enzo takes the lute and exits. The sieges are at 13% and 25% as of December 1425, the end of the 7-year turn. Will the AI be able to finish this off and survive another 21 years? Note Austria has already taken Treviso from Venice... __________________ Current: Mamma Mia! The AAR ● Completed: Europe is our dancefloor \| The Shortest Road to Damascus Tintero

31-12-2009, 03:00	#13
CatKnight Disciple of Peperna Demi Moderator Join Date: May 2004 Location: In Service to the Holy Cow Posts: 3,859	Looks like a fun beginning. Good luck! __________________ Do you want to see Crusader Kings 2? If 25,000 people 'like' this page, it'll be announced. (Offsite. No, it's not a joke. 4,956 down!) Tales of Victory: The Rajah and the Sacred Cow (EU3, Vijayanagar, ONGOING) Beyond Tannenberg III: The Last Crusade (EU3, Teutonic Order, COMPLETE (Corrupt Save)) WritAAR of the Week: Jan 17 10, Weekly AAR Showcase: Feb 13 10, Character Writer of the Week: May 16 10, ACA Award: EU Historical, Q1 2010 Resurrection: Rebirth of the United States COMPLETED!! ******* CatKnight's Inkwell When I use this color, I am speaking as a Demi Moderator

31-12-2009, 04:35	#14
JDMS General Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Mississippi Posts: 1,791	Great work! On to Manchu! __________________ God's protection is better than the strongest armor or the tallest tower. Fan of the Week: 4/25/10 Was a recipient of one of King_Richard_XI's birthday cookies: ● Nationality: American (Southern), Religion: Southern Baptist, Ideology: Far Right-Wing Conservative, Issues: Illegal Immigration/Iraq War billy bob's opinion of Mississippi My first AAR: Etruria: Forging an Empire (a disaster, but completed) My second AAR: Confessions to a Boatman: An Ottoman AAR (dead) My third AAR: Mississippi: The Rednecks are Coming!

31-12-2009, 08:38	#15
Malurous Colonel Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Helsinki, Finland Posts: 1,085	I don't usually like a format like that (theatre play) but that was done so well that I enjoyed it a lot. Great work! The interesting thing, compared to your "Europe is our dancefloor" AAR for instance, is that the nations are indeed weak enough that any of them could be dead in 21 years. It's also pretty cool that your countries can't see each other yet - you won't know what's going on elsewhere unless you spy the map. Looking forward to more! __________________ Sir Malurous, Knight of Hell-sinki in antracer's One Last HurRAAh... A Milan Interactive AAR Fan of the Week 12/3/09 Participating in the HT Succession Game

31-12-2009, 10:27	#16
Sweboy Colonel Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 941	luthier Methinks you have been back on the port again __________________ Current AAR: Tea and Leeks, A very random unification AAR Finished AAR: In Search of Jerusalem (A random map AAR)

31-12-2009, 13:13	#17
gabor Lt. General Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: 1802 Posts: 1,603	i like the format, but something tells me it'll be different with the other countries now, let's put our faith in AI's skill (didn't it make you feel sort of sorry to abandon your country in such a critical moment? will there be act II?) __________________ Rigid with FeAAR - MMP 1.402 Navarre Her(?)Story - Savoy MMP2.15 Nec Temere, Nec Timide - Danzig/Gdańsk MMP Xmass Edition

01-01-2010, 12:43	#18
Johan11 Loud-mouth-know-it-all Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: A little north of Aalborg, Denmark Posts: 1,392	Well, lets see if this is as good as prawnstars.... Kidding.... Ill be in the opposite of the shadows. __________________ I was fan of the week: 9/28/09 http://www.europa-universalis.com/fo...d.php?t=481228 The sissy's way to do it - A Pommeranian AAR The hunchbacked spaniard in the Holy Roman Empire succesion game on the CK forums.

01-01-2010, 16:10	#19
enkhuush Colonel Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Posts: 1,084	ENKHUUSH I hope you won't quit because of bored. P.S: Currently I'm listening Strauss. __________________ Current AAR: The 1001st Post - A Sweden AAR in honor of Paradox Interactive! My AARs at ink well.