And a good war is probably exactly what the military needs.
This new aide is rather more jingoistic that his predecessor. A sign of the times maybe.
This new aide is rather more jingoistic that his predecessor. A sign of the times maybe.
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An ignorant moron! A jingoistic, trigger-happy one at that! Well this should be interesting. I do wonder why they has no interest in the empire other than the war effor though. Thankfully, they aren't in charge of anything but still...worrying that there are some in the younger generation who are focusing on the war and expansion with no thought as to how to win the peace and maintain an empire in space.
It will be a while before he gets battleships. Until then, he should be building the largest ships he has. I had a fleet strength 11,000 that only held 24 cruisers.It destroyed two opponents that had slightly smaller fleets made up of many corvettes and destroyers. I lost 2 ships in one battle and 3 in another. I usually create a couple of variants to each type, so there are different weapon systems brought to bear, but the fleets were very heavy on mass drivers or whatever the 3rd level of that weapon is Can't remember at the moment).
I am not sure if the Princeps insists on wax tablets, but perhaps.
As always, my dream of world conquest is thwarted by mere economics.
EDIT: Did I say world? I have been writing HOI3 AARs for too long. I meant galactic.
I think that a long reign will be followed by a short which is followed by a long. Merely because the heir is appointed days after the ruler is crowned, so if a ruler lasts a long time, the heir is already pretty ancient by the time they take over. Think of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles. He'll be lucky to get a dozen years.
And back in the days of Spartacus they did not have the Slave Processing Facility to ensure obedience.
Some of my weapons (torpedoes) won't go on bigger ships, and bang for buck the corvettes are pretty attractive from a cost point of view. In my experimental battle game that I ran to get an idea of combat, I was overwhelmed several times by huge masses of corvettes, despite having more destroyers. But anyway, I don't want to get rid of my older corvettes, for reasons that will be clear in the next update. And if I build only destroyers, I think I will reach my cap at about 20. Still just over half the DQT destroyer fleet, and they have four cruisers and about 50 corvettes on top of that.
Battleships? I haven't even got cruiser tech yet. But see above and the next update for my reasons for keeping corvettes for a while.
Jingoistic - a word that should be used more, by jingo! A good war is what is needed to break out from this tiny part of the galaxy. Why did I randomly generate such a horrible starting position for a public AAR?
Oh, believe me, the bureaucracy can see problems ahead. The overwhelming issue of the moment however is that we are restricted to just 5 habitable planets. There is another we know of, but it is not accessible. So we must get access to lebensraum, to use a word common in HOI3 AARs. Once we have a bit of room to move, I feel confident internal stresses will be more pressing.
guillec87, you of all people should know I do not move quickly. War in less than a dozen updates is breakneck speed for me.
Just read the intro. I will gladly follow. And read. a lot
Thanks for the vote of confidence Mr Bean. Hope I survive long enough to justify your support. I am afraid my lack of experience of this game may become more apparent as time passes. Still, that is how people learn: by laughing at other's mistakes.
A strength of 11,000! I can't even think of taking on a fleet with a strength of 5K. The largest ship I can build now is a destroyer and I think I have about a dozen. Even that is draining my energy supplies at an alarming rate. I must make do with what I have.
I fancy having them diced, boiled and served wrapped around an Aztani mollusc. Just pop them into the mouth. Delicious!
I know I am a veteran of your AARs, but still, I'm always waiting for the DOWs... at least in the others AARs I had an idea of when the moment of war would come...
Years 49 : "Cry Havoc! And Let Loose the Dogs of War!"
At last the Princeps has summoned up the courage to declare war. The whole empire was alerted that an announcement was to be made and then the media were conscripted to provide blanket coverage. With a sombre face befitting the occasion, Vladimir I recounted the indignities the Divine Queptilian Tribunal had heaped on the Imperum Universalis Romanorum and how he and his administration had been swayed by citizens who could no longer suffer the humiliation of being barred from expansion.
"Many years ago a great Roman was ordered not to cross a boundary. He did not accept that he and his armies could be prevented from their destiny and he ordered his men to cross the Rubicon. Like him, I will not be stopped from doing what must be done, and so I repeat his famous words "Alea iacta est!""
With that the cameras panned from the Princeps on the rostrum in the Forum to the Temple of Janus. On cue, the huge doors at both ends slowly swung open. It was official: Rome was at war, and the doors that had been firmly closed for so long would not be shut until peace returned.
From the inside of the Temple of Janus, a priest opens the doors for the first time in decades
Generally the response was positive, though the Prosperity Board was predictably less than completely supportive. Anything that interrupts business annoys them and the anticipated drain on energy stockpiles worries them. It must worry some in the administration too, as I found when details of some quiet diplomacy came to light. The ink had barely tried on the vellum (I told you this Princeps was a keen on the old ways as his predecessor) when agreements were made with the Empire of Kan Jutzla, the Citizen Regime of Greater Spuxulac and the Citizen Alliance of Kha'Zann. The terms were all similar: we offered access to research results and active sensor feeds, while in return we received research results and large amounts of energy. As we are unlikely to be in conflict with any of these races for many years, giving them details of our navies and systems should not be a concern, while the energy credits will be valuable as the administrative burden of an oversized fleet drains our reserves.
Last minute orders for ships were placed: several destroyers and three corvettes of the new "Hasta" class. These are the first of our ships to be equipped with space torpedoes and there is great interest in whether they are cost effective in terms of damage dealt. There was one ship of another new class, the "Explorator". This is an unarmed ship, intended to scout enemy systems before more expensive ships are sent. We are aware that our enemies may also have defence platforms with entrapment technology and we cannot afford to have a fleet caught and annihilated before it can escape. Energy and mineral resources were also approved for a new spaceport at Uqallon, as the risk of relying on just three bases became apparent. That was also the reasoning for installing a synchronised defence system on the Alpha Centauri spaceport.
The "Hasta": able to deliver our most powerful weapon
Yet for all the belligerent speeches and expenditure on weapons there did not seem to be a lot of aggressive action. Obviously military secrecy applied to ship movements, but a lot can be found out by a high-ranking official prepared to bully his inferiors. As far as I could determine, in the first month the only offensive movement we made was to send Classis II (now titled "Crabro" - presumably because like a hornet they are to sting and fly away) to the Saldar system where it attacked a DQT mining station. Although personally I was disappointed, having hoped the main battle fleet would have set out to devastate a DQT colony, I had to admit it was a sensible move. The mining station had hardly been destroyed when a wormhole opened and a DQT fleet appeared. This fleet, the "2nd Bouquet", was enormous. Four cruisers, each far larger than any ship we possess, twenty four destroyers and fifty nine corvettes. This fleet alone is more than twice as powerful as our whole navy. Perhaps a little caution is justified.
The DQT main battle fleet arrives at Saldar
The navy command must have been waiting for confirmation that the main enemy forces were far away from our colonies. The next item of news I scared out of a junior officer was that "Marcia" was in the Aztan system, near the home world of the Aztani Commonwealth. It too attacked a mining station, whether as part of a plan to weaken the enemy economy or to attract a response is not clear. Whatever the reason, the destruction of the mining station did prompt a response. "2nd Nautilus", the Aztani battle fleet, was nowhere near as powerful as the DQT fleet, but still more than a match for "Marcia", even if it had just been reinforced by the arrival of freshly commissioned destroyer. Praeceptus Abboud, as cautious as ever, did not challenge the Aztanis nor even wait for an attack. "Marcia" headed back to Sirius, where our defence platform and heavily armed spaceport would even the balance should 2nd Nautilus follow.
The Aztani main battle fleet arrives at Aztan
Praeceptus Marcus Mazzitelli showed courage as he kept "Crabro", a collection of long superseded corvettes, in the Saldar system as long as possible, luring the DQT ships far away from areas where a wormhole could appear. At last however he had nowhere to run and engaged his CQL drive and aimed for Umik. It will take some time for 2nd Bouquet to get out the now empty Saldar system.
"Crabro" lures "2nd Bouquet" closer to Saldar's sun
All this takes little time to write, even with these infernal antiquated methods that are all that are allowed in the palace. In reality it took months for the fleets to move between the stars. During that time other events occurred, though they attracted little interest. Governor Perez of Alpha Centauri died at 76, the new governor an eager 33 year old, Aya Qaderi. Slightly more significant, Investigator Maria Hernandez solved the mystery of the rectangular object on Ashypso IVa. Partially solved would be more accurate. It appears it is a mural, millions of years old. As there will be nothing for Columba I to do while enemy forces are nearby, she has been granted permission to attempt a translation.
By mens Maius "Crabro" was in position to attack a mining station orbiting Umik 2, but within a few weeks Praefectus Mazzitelli detected a wormhole appearing on the far side of the system. There was no way of saying what might appear, but he assumed that 2nd Bouquet had received a distress call from the miners. The attack was pressed home and the station was put out of action just as the enemy fleet emerged from the worm-hole. The commander was in a dilemma: Columba II wanted to enter the Saldar system to study the debris left after the mining station was destroyed, but he did not want to return there so soon. He made a brutal decision. The last corvette of the original "Scutum" class was detached from the fleet and sent to Saldar with orders to summon Investigator Julia Baldwin and her ship as soon as it was considered safe. (That single corvette has been given the name "Classis Sacrificialis" by some of the naval officers with a dark sense of humour). The rest of "Crabro" took off for Lythorius to create more mayhem for the DQT.
Lythorius: rich and unprotected
Then nothing for several months. A few more warships were ordered and Nova Roma spaceport got a synchronous defence system. There was some relief from the energy crisis as the governors of both Terra and Nova Roma implemented Capacity Overload edicts, at a great cost in the Princep's personal influence.
With not much happening on the borders with the Tribunal, in mens September "Marcia" warped back to Aztan but did nothing too adventurous, simply waiting to be reinforced by three new destroyers. Like clockwork, a wormhole was created and 2nd Nautilus reappeared. It was showing some damage and must have been engaged in battle, possibly attacking its neighbours who had renamed themselves as the Mith Fell Empire. Regardless of the damage to some of its ships, Praeceptus Abboud again simply ordered his ships to stay close to the warp exits.
What has happened to the warrior spirit of Rome? How can our military forces continue to retreat in the face of the enemy? True, the DQT fleet is vastly superior to our own, but surely we can destroy the Aztani who are not much stronger than us? It makes me embarrassed to be a citizen to have to watch such cowardice. I can understand "Classis Sacrificialis" abandoning Columba II in Saldar and warping back to Umik. One corvette would not even get an effective shot at "2nd Bouquet". But "Marcia", with fourteen destroyers and fifteen corvettes, is only a little less powerful than the sixteen destroyers and thirty six corvettes of "2nd Nautilus". If one ignores the cruiser "Salvage" that is.
"Salvage" and the slightly worse for wear "2nd Nautilus".
As it was, the captain and crew of the Columba II were the ones to show Roman courage in the face of incredible odds. With the threat of the plantoid battle fleet only a few hundred million kilometres away, they continued to collect debris for study, trusting that the warships would ignore an unarmed vessel out of range of their weapons. The other scientific ship, Columba I, had partial success in translating the alien mural. It was memorial to long dead race, left by those who had wiped them out. Whoever wrote it regretted their actions but that was about all that could be deciphered. We got more benefit from the material from which the mural was made: it gave a real lift to our engineering expertise, as well as providing Investigator Hernandez with a promotion to Level III.
With that project completed, Columba I returned to Terra to be have the new warp stabilisers installed. That will allow it to reach Aztani space. (Columba II, on the far side of the DQT, must keep the older drive).
"Crabro", having destroyed both the mining stations in the Lythorius system, left for Daarasta. Praefectus Mazzitelli was awarded a promotion to Level II, even if he could not be present for the ceremony.
Another hiatus in naval action was filled by the announcement by Investigator Wagner that the mysteries of the space whales' defences had been solved. A study of frequency tuning had allowed our researchers to design an "energy siphon" that can suck power from an enemy ship. These weapons are very effective against shields and a new class of corvette, the "Exsanguinator" will join the fleet. Two have been ordered, with two more "Hasta" torpedo corvettes. For the immediate future that will have to keep the navy happy, as the Social researchers are to find a way to control the impenetrable kelp forests that hamper development on the ocean world of Uqallon.
The last month of the year ended with a warning of hidden dangers. Not from the enemy fleets: "2nd Bouquet" was detected entering the Umik system, chasing Classis Sacrificialis, and "2nd Nautilus" is painfully making its way at sublight speed from its wormhole to where "Marcia' cowers close to its bolthole.
The danger was to "Crabro" which warped into a subspace snare in the Daarasta system. The eight corvettes are under heavy fire from four mass drivers on the platform and casualties are expected before they can escape.
Trapped and under fire: has the brief success of "Crabro" come to an end?
That was not the final event of the year however. A top level briefing for the Princeps and his closest advisers was scheduled for the last week of mens December and for once I was included. Perhaps my unhappiness about the lack of commitment shown by the navy had won me a place at the table. There was one change to normal procedure: the main speaker was not present physically, even though all the attendees were. Praeceptus Abboud had left a recorded speech before he left with his fleet, a speech in which he explained the strategy he had adopted for the first year of the war.
After a lifetime of military service, Praeceptus Titus Abboud still has the look of a leader
The sense of expectation in the meeting was palpable. Suddenly a holographic image of Titus Abboud, appeared in the centre of the small room. Hunched with age and looking exhausted, he still emanated the "virtus" that had taken him to the top of Rome's military. He paused for breath and then began:
"Romans! If you are watching this then I am either away with the fleet or dead. Whichever is not important. What is important is that you understand the rationale behind our strategy, so that it can be continued into next year. The Princeps of course knows of our plans, but only myself and Praeceptus Azzitelli know of the details. For the past year we have implemented Res Gerenda "Felis Musque" and so far it has worked as intended. However it may be that in the year to come one or more of the triumvirate may die in service. To avoid confusion it has been decided that we should share the plan with a select few who can be trusted with the safety of the empire."
"When we declared war on the Divine Queptilian Tribunal, we took an enormous risk. We knew that we were outclassed and outnumbered by the enemy fleet, and that in addition High Inquisitor Ebony Frond could and would call for assistance from the military junta that controls the Aztani Commonwealth. That would add another fleet, perhaps equal in technology to our own, but slightly larger."
The backbone of the DQT battle fleet: the "Tule" class destroyer
"We had one ally, the Ix'Ida Star Collective, but while we believed its fleet to be comparable to that of the Aztanis, its bases are far away and its help would take some time to arrive."
"By waiting until the Aztanis were at war we gained a small advantage, but the Empire of Kan Jutzla is not powerful enough to last long against their fleet and in fact could be defeated before we could use that advantage to our benefit."
"A less than optional situation, but we did have some advantages."
"The first was the presence of Praeceps Azzitelli and his rag-tag bunch of decrepit corvettes. (You know I am joking Marcus!) On the far side of the DQT, he was perfectly place to create havoc in the enemy rear. Not strong enough to do real damage, but able to be a serious annoyance."
"The second was, on the face of it, a disadvantage. Both our foes use wormholes for space travel. This is faster than our warp drive, and less predictable than the hyperlanes used by our Ix'Idar allies. It does have one pronounced weakness. Before ships using it appear, there is a brief period during which the wormhole appears. If we could determine how long that period was, we would have a warning of an incoming fleet, even if we had no idea of its size or make-up."
He paused to reach into nothing and bring a glass of what appeared to be wine to his lips. Refreshed, he continued.
"Praeceptus Azzitelli and his ships have spent the past year gathering this information about the DQT technology, at great personal risk. We now know that there is a delay of about 14 days between the first detection of a wormhole and the arrival of the enemy ships. Recent data collected by my own fleet confirms that the delay for the Aztani technology is consistent with these findings. One piece of information that we discovered was that timing is critical. Should we warp out of a system before the enemy appeared, they have the ability to cancel the transfer. To ensure that we can locate the enemy fleets, we must wait until the last moment before engaging CQT."
"We had assumed that there was a measureable delay and this was the basis of Res Gerenda "Felis Musque". We had to accept that we cannot defeat the DQT. That our only chance of winning the war was to inflict sufficient damage on the Aztani to force them to the negotiating table. To do this, we must commit almost all our ships to that region, and we could only do this is we were sure that the DQT was not preparing to invade our colonies or, Iuppiter forbid, Terra itself. "Crabro" became the mouse, nibbling at the DQT's facilities on the other side of their territory. Not to cripple their economy, though no doubt they did suffer a little. His task was to locate and tie up the main enemy battle fleet. This he has done magnificently."
"Crabro" ties up the biggest threat to the empire
"Even with "2nd Bouquet" otherwise engaged, we could not just fly in and destroy the Aztanis. We might succeed, but only at the cost of the destruction of our own fleet. A waiting game was needed. We had to be a cat, toying with our prey until the right moment. That is why we have retreated from the enemy, distasteful though I and every officer found such behaviour. Our individual pride is nothing, however, compared to our devotion to the empire and the Princeps."
"We wait for one of three things. "2nd Nautilus" could be damaged badly enough in fighting with the Kan Jutzla (now the Mith Fell) Empire. It could be damaged or defeated by the Ix'Idar fleet fighting them far away. Or, and this is considered the most likely, the Ix'Idar fleet could arrive close enough for us to warp to join them and together we could destroy the enemy. Since hostilities began, "Marcia" has been broadcasting on a translight frequency known only to our allies, a data free message simply directing the Ix'Idar to its location."
"Our allies are now almost within range. (He waved and a galactic map of the Aztani Commonwealth appeared with the opposing fleets marked.) It is likely that within weeks we will be in a position to strike. It may not be the final battle: the Aztanis may escape total destruction. If they prove to be stubborn we will occupy planet after planet until they surrender."
Situational map of the Aztani sector
"hould the gods decree that both Praeceptus Azzitelli and I fall in battle, all I ask is that you, the elite of Rome, take over this strategy and follow it to victory."
Not a word had been spoken during this address, and even after his image had faded those watching sat immobile, digesting the information. Then in silence they trooped out of the room, each pondering their role in the coming year.
Personally I was not impressed. It seemed to me a decidedly non-Roman method. These leaders seemed to care more about casualties than honour, worrying about the loss of ships and sailors rather than the achievement of glory. This "Cat and Mouse" plan seems a justification of cowardice more than a strategy to take us to the stars. If only I were in charge: these plants and molluscs would have tasted Roman steel by now, regardless of how many of our troops had to be sacrificed.
Again it is clear our new writer has a rather facile view of the Roman past, more in love with myth and popular drama than reality. I foresee yet more umbrage on his part, until he becomes more educated anyway.
The scene of the opening of the doors of Janus was a nice touch.
The scene of the opening of the doors of Janus was a nice touch.
Honest question, what is your plans if the Romans should falter? This is truly a balancing act.
That name makes me wince. Even proton or photon torpedos would have been better (even though it would make no sense).
Nice touch.
Because they are plants? Did the game actually name them that? How narmy!
And yet a fantastic strategy and one that is working,
And that's the reason you are a scribe and not someone of importance. What a moron.
Sounds like an upper class twit who's daddy was important enough to merit a position in the palace. Oh by the way, is this a man or a woman? I'm not sure yet...
Yeah, our scribe this time is a bit of a twonk - is it possible to give him a weapon and drop him off at the front lines :-D . It's good you picked romans in space, I always wipe out Rome or Byzantium in games (I'm not even sure why I dislike them so much - some weird inner hipster I suspect ) this way though, if you win I'm happy the AAR continues, if you lose I'm happy the Romans got smashed. Good strategy you've picked too
) this way though, if you win I'm happy the AAR continues, if you lose I'm happy the Romans got smashed. Good strategy you've picked too
It seems not too dissimilar to the Fabian strategy. Of course good and proper Romans hate that kind of strategy, but you have to do what you have to do.
The AI is slightly overwhelmed with this strategy
Yes it's rather effective, but mostly so when you have the superior economy.
There's a very real risk of the SPQR being undone here. I hope our author is willing to give it another go if so. The thing about strategy games in general is that failure is an option... Ah, you know, our first princeps explained this well.
Fabian strategy worked out well in the past... a Roman is also a practical man.. if something works, why change it?
When playing a WW2 game I generally try to be historical in timing, though I seem to remember a game of Black Ice: Total War where as Germany I did not attack Poland until 1941. But that mod had savage production penalties.
But relax: hostilities have commenced.
Yes, a very shallow and sensational grasp of history. Probably a fan of Horatio on the bridge.
I have always liked the doors of Janus tradition, though I have to say they must have virtually rusted in position for much of the history of both the Republic and the Empire.
Umm - if they falter, I expect this AAR to be over pretty quickly and I will retire in shame to learn how to play properly.
I am glad nobody likes the new scribe: I have tried to make him a little different from my normal placid reporter.
Yeah, our scribe this time is a bit of a twonk - is it possible to give him a weapon and drop him off at the front lines :-D . It's good you picked romans in space, I always wipe out Rome or Byzantium in games (I'm not even sure why I dislike them so much - some weird inner hipster I suspect
I thought for a moment you were going to recommend putting him in a Penal Battalion on the East Front. (I have to constantly stop myself referring to the DQT as being "east" of the Empire).
I will accept credit for the plan if we can win the war: and no, I have not played that far ahead. I think I am up to about the end of 2252.
Well, Fabius Cunctator did have the benefit of the disaster of Cannae to persuade his fellow Romans that a direct challenge to a superior foe was not a good idea.
The AI is slightly overwhelmed with this strategy
I sincerely hope it is. But it is a bit like fighting terrorism: they can make a lot of mistakes, but I can only make one.
Yes it's rather effective, but mostly so when you have the superior economy.
There's a very real risk of the SPQR being undone here. I hope our author is willing to give it another go if so. The thing about strategy games in general is that failure is an option... Ah, you know, our first princeps explained this well.
I am afraid my economy is nowhere near as strong as I would like it at this stage of my development. Only five worlds, and only 2 of them really good. But as always I am confident.
Should the Imperium collapse, I may have another go, but probably a vastly different approach, And only after getting a little more practice. I see I have run up about 300 hours on the game so far, but only about 20 of that was before I started this AAR, and most of the time I play on "slowest" so I don't miss a wormhole opening or an enemy fleet moving into sight.
Add about 50 hours with a "try-out" combat game, and it is not a real lot. And this is the furthest I have even got, so I have no idea what will happen in the future.
EDIT: I have been uneasy about that 600 hours playing the game. It seemed an awful lot more than I remembered. Then I remembered that I load the game when I am writing the updates, and leave it paused for the roughly five hours each update takes.
Plus I often pause and wander off in response to She Who Must Be Obeyed. (Apologies to Horace Rumpole). So it is probably much more like 150 hours playing time on the slowest speed. Sounds much more realistic to me than the raw Steam tally.
Not to mention the long pauses when I look at the screen and think "This is impossible" or "Why is that figure changing - I haven't done anything" - which is how I normally learn to play a game.
Does Steam just count the amount of time that the game is "live' or does it take into account when it is paused. Does anyone know?
If it works, I will survive. Otherwise, the Roman Empire becomes a Queptilian garden bed with the Romans as fertiliser.
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Steam does not care in what state a game is, as long as it is running.
It's how I've accrued over 8000 hours playtime across all games on Steam: launching them, playing for a couple of minutes, then tabbing out to do something else and forgetting about them...
It's how I've accrued over 8000 hours playtime across all games on Steam: launching them, playing for a couple of minutes, then tabbing out to do something else and forgetting about them...
I think you can win. It'll just be a long war of economic and military attrition. Their fleet cannot catch yours and your fleet cannot do large amounts of damage at once. Against the plants it's a game of patience. Against their ally, it's a game of making sure your ally is there to back you up. With them defeated, the plants cannot really win the war without attack you directly, which I doubt they would do because whilst they would win that, they would also lose their fleet to your defences. One thing that the plants lack that you should take full advantage of is that for the most part they have not shown any aggressive or savage play at all. No forward attacks, no invasions. They literally went to war and plan on getting their ally to do all the fighting, without them, you can resume your wasp sting strategy but from both sides of their empire. Unless they can afford two fleets constantly following yours and also the rebuilding costs and also an invasion fleet, they can't win.
The only thing that can go wrong is if you cannot knock their ally into negotiating peace or if another power decides to take a crack at you whilst you are distracted.
The only thing that can go wrong is if you cannot knock their ally into negotiating peace or if another power decides to take a crack at you whilst you are distracted.