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I pass a little time getting ready for the next inevitable event. A few rebels, a few religious conversions... Nothing major. The Netherlands annexes the Papal State. It's in the heart of Burgundy territory, I figure it will be rebelling soon at a theater near you.
Remember how I said I regret that Sicily decision:
One of these days I'll get a leader with decent diplomacy and this will end. I hate to leave these guys to straggle along, and usually I can get an Annex by the 3rd or 4th try. This just happens to be the exception that proves the rule.
Now here is something you don't see everyday...
Looks like I will be funding the adviser pool for awhile.
Burgundy is starting to subvert me, making me think they want to go east soon. Being allies with Poland, they could put on quite the squeeze.
I catch a falling extra star with a new adviser:
The sheriff is a star better, and with 3% Prod and 3% Trade boosts should out do the +10 to Govt. tech, not to mention some added flexibility.
Burgundy doesn't seem to be able to make up it's mind:
I go ahead, not that I need the prestige. The relation improvement at least bumps the the Stability hit should they decide to get frisky, and I still have an outside chance to sway someone else into the HRE seat.
I don't know if I get land or new son I didn't know about...
It's in the TI way north of Malabar. Someday, I'll need it. I always take cores unless I am real buddy buddy with the victim.
Speaking of victims... My next area of "concern" has appeared:
I start massing men and machines for the assault.
I get another couple of events, Forts and Ducats and Judges Oh MY !!!
I find out Slaves will be available in Aravadd...
And I also find out why Burgundy is acting so funky:
Now that's funny. She's being torn in her decisions to invade and to be nice. I'll have to play on that. We're -86 now... I'll make sure it doesn't get to 100 so she loses the mission and is free to come after me.
Rebels continue to pop routinely, and for the most part that is exactly how they are taken care of:
My men are almost ready, I just have to get some to the Ethiopian's lands to take them:
What's cool is that the E's are Gurty'd by the Ottomans... Another chance to steal land out from under them... I can hardly wait!
I have plenty of cap space to get them both done:
Once my men are in place, I can pull the trigger anytime.
I also get a national decision besides forming Italy...
It pits production against trade, but seeing is my trade is all internal, it's a minor inconvenience if at all, basically giving me Production and Tax bonuses for free.
My men are ready and it's go time:
And right on cue:
UGH. What is up with Generals? I don't remember them dying this quickly, nor as often before. Such a pain in the you know what.
Anyways, I won't let it hinder my plans...
This will be a very large update... More is to come, but I must stop now for some family time... Should be back late tonight or tomorrow AM to do the next set of pages.
Till Then...
T
Remember how I said I regret that Sicily decision:
One of these days I'll get a leader with decent diplomacy and this will end. I hate to leave these guys to straggle along, and usually I can get an Annex by the 3rd or 4th try. This just happens to be the exception that proves the rule.
Now here is something you don't see everyday...
Looks like I will be funding the adviser pool for awhile.
Burgundy is starting to subvert me, making me think they want to go east soon. Being allies with Poland, they could put on quite the squeeze.
I catch a falling extra star with a new adviser:
The sheriff is a star better, and with 3% Prod and 3% Trade boosts should out do the +10 to Govt. tech, not to mention some added flexibility.
Burgundy doesn't seem to be able to make up it's mind:
I go ahead, not that I need the prestige. The relation improvement at least bumps the the Stability hit should they decide to get frisky, and I still have an outside chance to sway someone else into the HRE seat.
I don't know if I get land or new son I didn't know about...
It's in the TI way north of Malabar. Someday, I'll need it. I always take cores unless I am real buddy buddy with the victim.
Speaking of victims... My next area of "concern" has appeared:
I start massing men and machines for the assault.
I get another couple of events, Forts and Ducats and Judges Oh MY !!!
I find out Slaves will be available in Aravadd...
And I also find out why Burgundy is acting so funky:
Now that's funny. She's being torn in her decisions to invade and to be nice. I'll have to play on that. We're -86 now... I'll make sure it doesn't get to 100 so she loses the mission and is free to come after me.
Rebels continue to pop routinely, and for the most part that is exactly how they are taken care of:
My men are almost ready, I just have to get some to the Ethiopian's lands to take them:
What's cool is that the E's are Gurty'd by the Ottomans... Another chance to steal land out from under them... I can hardly wait!
I have plenty of cap space to get them both done:
Once my men are in place, I can pull the trigger anytime.
I also get a national decision besides forming Italy...
It pits production against trade, but seeing is my trade is all internal, it's a minor inconvenience if at all, basically giving me Production and Tax bonuses for free.
My men are ready and it's go time:
And right on cue:
UGH. What is up with Generals? I don't remember them dying this quickly, nor as often before. Such a pain in the you know what.
Anyways, I won't let it hinder my plans...
This will be a very large update... More is to come, but I must stop now for some family time... Should be back late tonight or tomorrow AM to do the next set of pages.
Till Then...
T
Fijj said:
I have been a little bad with that lately...
One of my secret little agendas next "play time" is to really scale the inflation back...
Gotta go, the wife is a callin'
T
Enewald said:Methinks you should unite levant with Thracia.
And create your own lake.
It's Naval tech level 3240, IIRC that enables levees and speedboats... But I wouldn't build until 3244. That's when you get water skiing...
Being a geography neophyte, you do realize I now have to locate Levant... Man, I hate homework.... :rofl:
T
Day Nine: Cont'd
I'll be posting a few pages at least...
Again, my reputation precedes me... Somehow the Mutapans think I will value their reason above that of all the nations that have come and gone long before I reached their shores:
They're wrong of course. And they will learn that, soon enough.
The Ethiopians are better prepared for the challenge of defending their homeland:
Not better prepared than my invading armies, but at least they have some fight in them.
So, my men are enjoying some light besieging on the beach, talking with a few wandering folk from down the way one day... And it turns out they are all that's left of some seriously poorly planned colony a few miles to the south. Apparently, those wacky Granadians were trying to set up a few colonies down there, yet somehow could not understand that 8000 screaming lunatic natives weren't ideal bunk mates. Over time they had eventually run out the natives, but they kept losing the province. I thought it to be a perfect time to send in a colonist of my own...
A freebie colony shot with no natives... why not?
This is just an odd shot. Cracks me up every time I see it. The "Ethiopian peasants" are revolting. All 900 of them.
Where are all of the rest of the peasants? In the bloody Army! I can understand tribal differences or religious differences causing a revolt in Ethiopia. But really, they're all basically peasants at this point. I guess you can "technically" call them natives, but it's really a same difference kindof thing. And the revolt? It's like they're revolting because they don't like themselves.
"We're mad because we're peasants!"
"We're ALL freakin' peasants... We're Natives !"
(Game terms only, folks... not a real life comparison!)
Anyways... I pull a Cavalry unit from rebel patrol up north to come down and do some "elimination" work...
I let the Ethiopians get set up and then pop in and hit them when their morale dips. It isn't long before they're toast.
One of the nice things about having WE reduction on an adviser:
It will change as attrition mounts, and that happens once I start inland from the coastal provinces. No amount of advisers (at least the way I have them set up) will eliminate that, nor should they.
I don't even want to show this:
I got hit with ANOTHER inflation event. I'm at 59.1% now. Good grief Charley Brown.
A big difference in the rebellions with the WE down:
See the Ott stack there...
Here's a little closer look:
I don't know where the heck he's going, but he's got alot of guys and he's in a hurry... While I'm checking them out I get a trade event netting another 30 a month in trade tech for a year.
The first Ethiopian province falls:
They are already on the bat phone trying to get the commissioner to let them have a peace... I let my intentions be known by gathering a few good men together to drive them out of Mogadishu.
The peace is declined and my men receive their orders.
The fighting is fierce at first, but unbeknownst to my enemy, Cav reinforcements are have arrived and are ready to ready to come in:
Just as they get the orders to join the fight, the Infantry take the day:
I quickly reroute the Cav to the province of retreat so I can meet them there and have the defensive field...
Mutapa has no forts, and their provinces fall like Dominoes... No need for the 30 minute guaranty here.
They still have a decent unit in field, but its days are numbered.
It will take a little ping ponging though:
They have a general better than anything I can dream about yet. Still, he won't help THAT much.
The Ethiopians get to Majarteen and are met by 5000 rebels. My Cav is there, but they are the 3rd men in. There's no battle sounds or anything, just a popup and pause letting me know they won.
Now, time went by on the clock, but a "battle" never happened. In fact no battle actually happened.
After the first battle Paused and popped... I hit the space bar, a few short seconds and a pause and pop again to tell me 6500 Granadian troops just vanished. They didn't lose a man, but their gone... Weird. At least I won... Maybe this is that third man in bug?
The Mutapan general gathers his troops together. He has a brilliant plan...
"See that big bank of white over there??? Well, we're going to... What? Yes Harold, white is the light one... Right. And black is the dark one, Good. Anybody else need clarification? Any other questions? No Harold, I don't have any idea why your mom left you when you were 4.... I know it makes you sad, but today is fighting day, not cry because mama left you day, OK? Anyone other than Harold? No, Jerry... I have no idea why rocks are harder than goats. They just are... OK Enough... Stop... STOP! Enough question time... Just follow me... NOW!"
They disappear into the TI:
Where I'll be headed now too. There's two provinces in there that need taking.
Ethiopia sneaks a small force out into Tajura:
This exposes the fact there's some more provinces under the TI, so I am sending more forces there even now to get a handle on this quickly.
Well, it's a little closer:
I'd still wager 3 isn't a "rush", but it's better than 1. The Mutapans made another run at me, but it's a little to late to be doing anything significant. Their time is all but at hand to disappear from the Earth and be remembered no more...
Aquilean east africa?
Odd.
Poro Mutapa and Etiopia, didn't know that a small bishop would one day destroy them.
Odd.
Poro Mutapa and Etiopia, didn't know that a small bishop would one day destroy them.
The 2nd Ethiopian province drops as my Cavalry comes across to take out the siegers at Tajura:
Now it's time to move into the TI to see what's there...
My Cavalry routes the enemy at Tajura, just as another K of infantry pop out of the TI in Tigre:
It was a bit of a mismatch, I must say...
I double check my BB situation, I have to be sure "just in case" something goes UN according to plan...
I have at least 7 points to play with, so I am not overly concerned.
I pop into the TI and meet the Mutapan force head on:
With very nice results...
I get another province courtesy of the Ethiopians, and a TI reveal of my next siege for them.
I check back down south as I enter the last TI province, just in time to find I took care of the resistance in Awsa:
Now that those rebels are gone I can get under way with the siege now, and I can go on to the next TI province and get them going too.
Well, maybe:
Apparently the rebels have been reading the script again, and decide to ad-lib with a visit to my lands. They can't be very bright, otherwise they wouldn't have gone straight to the "haud" province... they would have picked an easy one instead... (be-dump bump...)
The battle turns out to be "haud" on the rebels...
Only one Mutapan province to go... Did I mention there's a bunch of gold provinces in here? It's why I'm messing around down here, it's alot of gold...
More of my men are trickling in from the core provinces to the north, and the battles for Ethiopian lands are now proceeding with alacrity. I love alacrity, it's just so... so... quick.
Well Gojjam !!!
"Easy Robin... The vocabulary one uses can seriously alter the perception people have of the person speaking..."
"But Batman, I was just..."
"I know Robin, but there are millions of children hanging on your every word, and to cut that tenuous position with the scissors of irresponsibility would not only be devastating to their developing minds, but a also a letdown of magnanimous proportions when they see the flaw exposed in your character."
"I'll bet the only reason you aren't a child psychologist Batman is that you like to wear tights..."
"Do I have to take the Bat Rag out of my utility belt again and gag you with it?"
"No, sir. But if you happen to have a Bat Graham and some milk... It IS snack time..."
Protestantism spreads far and wide to the farthest reaches of my empire...
The King goes on the air that night to let everyone in the kingdom know that going Pro is the ONLY way to go... They even believe it in Timbuktu. There is no escaping or denying it's power now. Popping Revolts are becoming a nuisance. Not heavy enough to be a pain yet, but I get the Preparation R out of the medicine cabinet for any future Rebelroidal flareups....
The Musapan general's brilliant plan is thwarted. His last battle under the sun is a quick affair as I send both him, his men and the TI away.
It's a shame it's canceled after a few short episodes... "Mutapan TI" really had hit written all over it, even though it was a little less exciting without the helicopter and the Ferrari...
Now, I dispatch this group of my finest Infantry to take care of the rebel problem over here in Bugemi:
Which is a "yeah, big deal, post something new" kinda moment...But wait, there will be more to this story.
Mr. Annex, Mutapa... Mutapa, Mr. Annex. I'll let you boys get to it then:
No more Mutapans.
They were once a proud and noble nation no one knew about...
Now they are just a nation no one knows about...
Now it's time to move into the TI to see what's there...
My Cavalry routes the enemy at Tajura, just as another K of infantry pop out of the TI in Tigre:
It was a bit of a mismatch, I must say...
I double check my BB situation, I have to be sure "just in case" something goes UN according to plan...
I have at least 7 points to play with, so I am not overly concerned.
I pop into the TI and meet the Mutapan force head on:
With very nice results...
I get another province courtesy of the Ethiopians, and a TI reveal of my next siege for them.
I check back down south as I enter the last TI province, just in time to find I took care of the resistance in Awsa:
Now that those rebels are gone I can get under way with the siege now, and I can go on to the next TI province and get them going too.
Well, maybe:
Apparently the rebels have been reading the script again, and decide to ad-lib with a visit to my lands. They can't be very bright, otherwise they wouldn't have gone straight to the "haud" province... they would have picked an easy one instead... (be-dump bump...)
The battle turns out to be "haud" on the rebels...
Only one Mutapan province to go... Did I mention there's a bunch of gold provinces in here? It's why I'm messing around down here, it's alot of gold...
More of my men are trickling in from the core provinces to the north, and the battles for Ethiopian lands are now proceeding with alacrity. I love alacrity, it's just so... so... quick.
Well Gojjam !!!
"Easy Robin... The vocabulary one uses can seriously alter the perception people have of the person speaking..."
"But Batman, I was just..."
"I know Robin, but there are millions of children hanging on your every word, and to cut that tenuous position with the scissors of irresponsibility would not only be devastating to their developing minds, but a also a letdown of magnanimous proportions when they see the flaw exposed in your character."
"I'll bet the only reason you aren't a child psychologist Batman is that you like to wear tights..."
"Do I have to take the Bat Rag out of my utility belt again and gag you with it?"
"No, sir. But if you happen to have a Bat Graham and some milk... It IS snack time..."
Protestantism spreads far and wide to the farthest reaches of my empire...
The King goes on the air that night to let everyone in the kingdom know that going Pro is the ONLY way to go... They even believe it in Timbuktu. There is no escaping or denying it's power now. Popping Revolts are becoming a nuisance. Not heavy enough to be a pain yet, but I get the Preparation R out of the medicine cabinet for any future Rebelroidal flareups....
The Musapan general's brilliant plan is thwarted. His last battle under the sun is a quick affair as I send both him, his men and the TI away.
It's a shame it's canceled after a few short episodes... "Mutapan TI" really had hit written all over it, even though it was a little less exciting without the helicopter and the Ferrari...
Now, I dispatch this group of my finest Infantry to take care of the rebel problem over here in Bugemi:
Which is a "yeah, big deal, post something new" kinda moment...But wait, there will be more to this story.
Mr. Annex, Mutapa... Mutapa, Mr. Annex. I'll let you boys get to it then:
No more Mutapans.
They were once a proud and noble nation no one knew about...
Now they are just a nation no one knows about...
Enewald said:Aquilean east africa?
Odd.
Poro Mutapa and Etiopia, didn't know that a small bishop would one day destroy them.
I may have a small bishop, but it's a small bishop with a pointy hat... Three points of destiny, i cry out unto the Lord for victory over all my enemies. It makes all the difference.
I'm waiting for when I make all of India Aquileian...
T
David Bowie plays in the castle...
"Rebel Rebel, you've torn your dress..."
Or should I say grass skirt, or "loin protection garment"...
They are getting a little more feisty now. RR and WE are beginning their inevitable climb upward, and the people must vent.
Malabar goes Pro, I lose my bid to get that colony going to the south and:
I get an event that will give me +2 Stab (I'm at 3) or +10 prestige (I'm at 100)... Forget that... Just give me the -6 BB! Great googly moogly... You can have the other stuff!
How sweet it is....
My BB is now a paltry 6.4... The only thing that number is high on is the Richter Scale...
Oh... And I was just getting to know it:
"I'm sorry Mrs. Jones, but your battle is a Gonder..."
"Oh, (sobs) What will I do now?"
"Forgive me for being so forward, but perhaps you'd like to come to my place? I make a mean Decaf..."
"Oh, but I couldn't... He's not even cold yet, (sobs) or buried, or ever coming home again...(wails uncontrollably and wrings her hands)
"There there. Your battle is home now... Gone to the great field forever... He's dead... He'll never know where you skirmish tonight... Not ever."
"I am in the mood for a good fight... (sniffles) Do you know how to make waffles?"
"Um, no... but for you, I can learn..."
(cue music-end scene)
Tune in tomorrow for another episode of "How The Powder Burns"...
I think rebels like the taste of steel:
I laughed my tuckus off at this one:
My "minorities" are fleeing to Africa... "The natives will deal with them..."
Um, yeah... about that.
"Hey brother, welcome home! My we have missed you. Are you thirsty? Here, drink this... It's good, yes? Absolutely! You know I always milk in the morning, every day so it's fresh! How was your trip, good? NO? Oh dear, that sounds terrible. Really? Well then. Oh yes, of course, If any one should ask I will tell them you were dealt with most severely...."
wink wink... nudge nudge...
More and more Ethiopian regiments are popping out of the TI:
They all meet the same fate, creating only minor delays in the siege activities. Burgundy retains it's hold on the HRE. I dare say they will hold it until they don't want it anymore. I don't have the time, the ducats nor the patience to swing anyone at this point. Th MP bonus is a joke. Only the fact they are protectorate to all the little one province minors left is of any consequence... effectively removing any possibility of taking Pisa while no one's looking.
Remember those Infantry guys in Kanem...
Apparently I was disturbing their peaceful coexistence with mother nature. They never went anywhere. Just sat there watching TV and eating Fritos.
I had to pull a Cavalry unit in to dispatch the rebels and then move the infantry over to take my dang province back.
If they think they're getting a Christmas bonus this year, they are sadly mistaken!
The Ethiopians are the next to see handwriting on the wall:
We all know the answer to this one. It would be nice to have an answer that said "never" along with the "yes/no" so they would stop bothering me every 2 months with silly make pretend peace deals that even my dog knows I won't accept.
I love how the AI responds to a rebel flare up:
"Calling all cars... calling all cars..." They got 30,000 troops marching across their country to quell this baby... Even more puzzling is the troop movements after they're gone. They're at or getting ready for war. A possible inroad? Who knows. I pull some stacks to the line to be ready just in case.
Not much left to the Ethiopian conflict:
Mr. Annex, Ethiopia... Ethiopia, Mr. Annex:
Mr. Annex is my friend. He always brings the best endings.
Burgundy is playing with some smaller countries, so it doesn't look too promising on that front. She's definitely getting antsy though, looking for openings. Being allied with Poland, she can pretty much do whatever she wants at this point. I'll have to stop and monitor this...
Unless I want to become a victim...
"Rebel Rebel, you've torn your dress..."
Or should I say grass skirt, or "loin protection garment"...
They are getting a little more feisty now. RR and WE are beginning their inevitable climb upward, and the people must vent.
Malabar goes Pro, I lose my bid to get that colony going to the south and:
I get an event that will give me +2 Stab (I'm at 3) or +10 prestige (I'm at 100)... Forget that... Just give me the -6 BB! Great googly moogly... You can have the other stuff!
How sweet it is....
My BB is now a paltry 6.4... The only thing that number is high on is the Richter Scale...
Oh... And I was just getting to know it:
"I'm sorry Mrs. Jones, but your battle is a Gonder..."
"Oh, (sobs) What will I do now?"
"Forgive me for being so forward, but perhaps you'd like to come to my place? I make a mean Decaf..."
"Oh, but I couldn't... He's not even cold yet, (sobs) or buried, or ever coming home again...(wails uncontrollably and wrings her hands)
"There there. Your battle is home now... Gone to the great field forever... He's dead... He'll never know where you skirmish tonight... Not ever."
"I am in the mood for a good fight... (sniffles) Do you know how to make waffles?"
"Um, no... but for you, I can learn..."
(cue music-end scene)
Tune in tomorrow for another episode of "How The Powder Burns"...
I think rebels like the taste of steel:
I laughed my tuckus off at this one:
My "minorities" are fleeing to Africa... "The natives will deal with them..."
Um, yeah... about that.
"Hey brother, welcome home! My we have missed you. Are you thirsty? Here, drink this... It's good, yes? Absolutely! You know I always milk in the morning, every day so it's fresh! How was your trip, good? NO? Oh dear, that sounds terrible. Really? Well then. Oh yes, of course, If any one should ask I will tell them you were dealt with most severely...."
wink wink... nudge nudge...
More and more Ethiopian regiments are popping out of the TI:
They all meet the same fate, creating only minor delays in the siege activities. Burgundy retains it's hold on the HRE. I dare say they will hold it until they don't want it anymore. I don't have the time, the ducats nor the patience to swing anyone at this point. Th MP bonus is a joke. Only the fact they are protectorate to all the little one province minors left is of any consequence... effectively removing any possibility of taking Pisa while no one's looking.
Remember those Infantry guys in Kanem...
Apparently I was disturbing their peaceful coexistence with mother nature. They never went anywhere. Just sat there watching TV and eating Fritos.
I had to pull a Cavalry unit in to dispatch the rebels and then move the infantry over to take my dang province back.
If they think they're getting a Christmas bonus this year, they are sadly mistaken!
The Ethiopians are the next to see handwriting on the wall:
We all know the answer to this one. It would be nice to have an answer that said "never" along with the "yes/no" so they would stop bothering me every 2 months with silly make pretend peace deals that even my dog knows I won't accept.
I love how the AI responds to a rebel flare up:
"Calling all cars... calling all cars..." They got 30,000 troops marching across their country to quell this baby... Even more puzzling is the troop movements after they're gone. They're at or getting ready for war. A possible inroad? Who knows. I pull some stacks to the line to be ready just in case.
Not much left to the Ethiopian conflict:
Mr. Annex, Ethiopia... Ethiopia, Mr. Annex:
Mr. Annex is my friend. He always brings the best endings.
Burgundy is playing with some smaller countries, so it doesn't look too promising on that front. She's definitely getting antsy though, looking for openings. Being allied with Poland, she can pretty much do whatever she wants at this point. I'll have to stop and monitor this...
Unless I want to become a victim...
A) using a WE reducing advisor (-0.30)! feels like cheating!!!!!!1!!!!!111oneone!! ! ! one 111!!
B) Dont diplo-annex please! DONT DO IT! You are loosing like 5% or something of your total tax income + a lot of other goodies for just 1 or two extra coreless provinces! Don't do it!oneone!!11ONEONE!
C) Burgundy? Burgundy! Burgundy?!
All points are right from the heart!
B) Dont diplo-annex please! DONT DO IT! You are loosing like 5% or something of your total tax income + a lot of other goodies for just 1 or two extra coreless provinces! Don't do it!oneone!!11ONEONE!
C) Burgundy? Burgundy! Burgundy?!
All points are right from the heart!
unddu said:
Decaf... DECAF!!! :rofl:
Sicily will still be there at the end of this. With all of the Stab hits I'm going to take when I start again, the 5 or 10 it will want to hit me with will be meaningless. Then, no more Si-Silly.
Burgundy? Who knows... she's trying. She doesn't have the room now to expand, although she has ALOT of colonies courtesy Portugal. She's also in a delicate balance of alliances. It hasn't happened yet, but I think her apple cart is less steady than she thinks.
I have to tweak them some, but I like my advisers. Not to strong, but not weak either. Some are really nice, some aren't, but have interesting trade offs. I got real lucky with what I have, the odds are stacked against it.
So much typing to do, so little time...
T
I continue to "span the globe for the constant variety of sport". The action to the north has held my attention as I look to break up and break in up there. As things cool down, and it looks like nothing will develop, I turn my attention south and east again... Where I notice alot of increased movement and rebellions in Ottoman land.
It appears not everyone is happy in Otto Land:
Yemen has spawned from a rebel hold... which is really odd for the Otts. They have been near stellar in their pursuit and removal of Rebel activity.
What's even MORE interesting is the fact his men are moving AWAY from the rebels. This would indicate a threat larger and more important than losing a few provinces...
It takes but a click to find out why:
These aren't very big countries. Maybe Otto thinks he can make a quick land grab if he throws everything he has at it...
I check my BB, now with even fewer calories, along with my WE:
My lands are new and improved... NOW with more rebellions to put down... I am also in a bit of a budget crises, my own doing. I tend to push alot of men and buildings instead of waiting it out. I'd wager it's why i have such trouble with inflation too, as it forces me to mint when I over step my budget. I'm just too impatient...
I also have the same national decision I've had since dirt was invented... It would be so nice to have a tick box that says "I do not want to carry out this decision now, remind me later." Then would come a pop up... "You will be asked again in ten years provided you still meet the conditions to carry out this decision."
Well, it used to be "Great":
A classic example of WE gone mad. At least France is small too... I won't have to see them take over the Scots or make them Vassals... And what's with that pink? Of all the colors to be represented by...
Things are really getting interesting around these parts:
I guess losing that alliance wasn't such a bad thing after all... It definitely would have forced my hand into big bad Burgundy before my time was at hand. Actually, I look at this as an opportunity... My only concern is having to fend off Poland at the same time. I start moving some men around, just in case...
Only to stop them in stride and send them back the other way:
Fresh off the war with their eastern and southern counter parts, The Otts get popped by Morea of all people. The fun is in that they somehow squeezed an alliance with Poland in there just before they did, giving the Otts a heap of trouble. Their WE is already high, and now they have a real power to contend with. For me, It's straight out of the Hollywood scripting department...
A quick check of the army stats yields the answers I need to make a decision:
I have just enough in theater to hold on in the north, but have a clear advantage over the Ottomans at 111K and their already high revolt risk.
Should I or shouldn't I... doesn't even have to be asked this time around. It's a no brainer in my book. You really aren't going to get a better opportunity to rip the Ottos than this one...
I get a little bonus too, as Adal is a vassal of the Otts... It will be my pleasure to take care of them too.
I figure this to be a long campaign. I am more right than I ever want to be.
I played straight through till the end, a total of 6 plus hours before the war was finished...
This is the game. Right here, right now.
It appears not everyone is happy in Otto Land:
Yemen has spawned from a rebel hold... which is really odd for the Otts. They have been near stellar in their pursuit and removal of Rebel activity.
What's even MORE interesting is the fact his men are moving AWAY from the rebels. This would indicate a threat larger and more important than losing a few provinces...
It takes but a click to find out why:
These aren't very big countries. Maybe Otto thinks he can make a quick land grab if he throws everything he has at it...
I check my BB, now with even fewer calories, along with my WE:
My lands are new and improved... NOW with more rebellions to put down... I am also in a bit of a budget crises, my own doing. I tend to push alot of men and buildings instead of waiting it out. I'd wager it's why i have such trouble with inflation too, as it forces me to mint when I over step my budget. I'm just too impatient...
I also have the same national decision I've had since dirt was invented... It would be so nice to have a tick box that says "I do not want to carry out this decision now, remind me later." Then would come a pop up... "You will be asked again in ten years provided you still meet the conditions to carry out this decision."
Well, it used to be "Great":
A classic example of WE gone mad. At least France is small too... I won't have to see them take over the Scots or make them Vassals... And what's with that pink? Of all the colors to be represented by...
Things are really getting interesting around these parts:
I guess losing that alliance wasn't such a bad thing after all... It definitely would have forced my hand into big bad Burgundy before my time was at hand. Actually, I look at this as an opportunity... My only concern is having to fend off Poland at the same time. I start moving some men around, just in case...
Only to stop them in stride and send them back the other way:
Fresh off the war with their eastern and southern counter parts, The Otts get popped by Morea of all people. The fun is in that they somehow squeezed an alliance with Poland in there just before they did, giving the Otts a heap of trouble. Their WE is already high, and now they have a real power to contend with. For me, It's straight out of the Hollywood scripting department...
A quick check of the army stats yields the answers I need to make a decision:
I have just enough in theater to hold on in the north, but have a clear advantage over the Ottomans at 111K and their already high revolt risk.
Should I or shouldn't I... doesn't even have to be asked this time around. It's a no brainer in my book. You really aren't going to get a better opportunity to rip the Ottos than this one...
I get a little bonus too, as Adal is a vassal of the Otts... It will be my pleasure to take care of them too.
I figure this to be a long campaign. I am more right than I ever want to be.
I played straight through till the end, a total of 6 plus hours before the war was finished...
This is the game. Right here, right now.
My war strategy this time around will be different. As we learned in the last war, flying in to Otto territory can lose you a boatload of men in a heartbeat.
The obvious provinces on my side of Thrace will be hit first, especially with Edirne as the capitol. These are lightly defended, and are minimal attrition risks due being developed and Greek in decent.
I will seek to divide the fronts as much as possible and then play a game of bait and switch until they have little to fight with. From there I can bring armies in and create a line across the territories to keep Otto from getting in behind me and reaking havoc.
Once I get rolling into the deeper parts of their empire, I want to be able to siege and move. Attrition will be a concern at that point, and the WE that accompanies it. The less time I spend on siege duty, the better.
The first few moves go pretty much as expected:
A few quick skirmishes to establish position, and keep Morea from jumping into provinces, nets me a few quick victories.
It looks like the Golden Horde will be more active in this campaign. No matter, I have enough men for them too. I just hope they stick to their usual send a few nuisance armies routine. They aren't huge, but they do have enough MP and regiments in field to make a killer attrition stack o' doom.
Adal has a few provinces in TI down south. I'm a little light on men there:
Or so I think. Adal ends up being a waste of time...
I have been moving around alot due to rebellions, and I never had a huge army down this way, as it wasn't needed against the native populations. Unfortunately, new rebels will spawn with my stats... Something I wish I had remembered at the time and prepared for.
I decide to pop an army over the land bridge at Mocha. I hear they have excellent coffee there:
By attacking Mocha, I force the Otts to cover here, plus the areas of Thrace, Alexandria and Judea. While true they will get some minimal help on the Judea front, they simply don't have the men to counter what I'm doing to them.
I begin with Unduu's effective strategy of baiting the enemy into provinces. After I wait a bit, I go in and take them out as their morale is falling:
I haven't got the timing just right yet, sometimes I'm a little early or a little late... It's pretty forgiving if you're early, but not when you're late. Morale jumps back pretty fast once a siege is completed.
I let the contingent from Calabra come into Apula and waste some time and morale before moving in:
I also stop and wait above Thrace. Taking the capitol is always a priority, and I have the extra army for Macedonia, but I do not go into Bursa or Bythinia yet. I'll let the rebels and the WE do it's work before I kick over there.
I pop some ships in the sea lane and the port to keep the Otts from getting to Edirne:
The rebels have done a number on the Otts, and he does me the favor of popping a new regiment. I send a Cav shot with a decent leader over to hit them. As long as there are men there, I won't get the zero morale issue. I just have to be engaged or be gone after those units are dead and before the other units arrive... Or have infantry backup in place for the counter attack. As long as my Cav isn't besieging by it's lonesome when they get walked in on.
This place is driving me nuts. Of all the provinces I control, these are the rebelenist ones I've ever had. Consistently popping 4-10K shots that pingpong like mad:
I start setting up a run to bring a decent Cav stack over here as soon as I can. Something just to keep from constantly having to pop over here in the middle of things. It's hard enough to fight the Otts on 4 fronts and keep it straight... Having to pop over here every 30 seconds is an intrusion I can live without.
Another thing that always has to be done in war time:
Having to go through all of your patrols... It's a pain, but I think it should stay. If anything, a little longer time between pirate spawnings... Maybe being able to automate the patrols a little more. Like being able to make a ship and give it the patrol order and have it just go off on it's own wherever you need a pirate patrol. Having to keep track of all of these can get a little tedious, but hey... That's one of the prices you pay for warring.
The obvious provinces on my side of Thrace will be hit first, especially with Edirne as the capitol. These are lightly defended, and are minimal attrition risks due being developed and Greek in decent.
I will seek to divide the fronts as much as possible and then play a game of bait and switch until they have little to fight with. From there I can bring armies in and create a line across the territories to keep Otto from getting in behind me and reaking havoc.
Once I get rolling into the deeper parts of their empire, I want to be able to siege and move. Attrition will be a concern at that point, and the WE that accompanies it. The less time I spend on siege duty, the better.
The first few moves go pretty much as expected:
A few quick skirmishes to establish position, and keep Morea from jumping into provinces, nets me a few quick victories.
It looks like the Golden Horde will be more active in this campaign. No matter, I have enough men for them too. I just hope they stick to their usual send a few nuisance armies routine. They aren't huge, but they do have enough MP and regiments in field to make a killer attrition stack o' doom.
Adal has a few provinces in TI down south. I'm a little light on men there:
Or so I think. Adal ends up being a waste of time...
I have been moving around alot due to rebellions, and I never had a huge army down this way, as it wasn't needed against the native populations. Unfortunately, new rebels will spawn with my stats... Something I wish I had remembered at the time and prepared for.
I decide to pop an army over the land bridge at Mocha. I hear they have excellent coffee there:
By attacking Mocha, I force the Otts to cover here, plus the areas of Thrace, Alexandria and Judea. While true they will get some minimal help on the Judea front, they simply don't have the men to counter what I'm doing to them.
I begin with Unduu's effective strategy of baiting the enemy into provinces. After I wait a bit, I go in and take them out as their morale is falling:
I haven't got the timing just right yet, sometimes I'm a little early or a little late... It's pretty forgiving if you're early, but not when you're late. Morale jumps back pretty fast once a siege is completed.
I let the contingent from Calabra come into Apula and waste some time and morale before moving in:
I also stop and wait above Thrace. Taking the capitol is always a priority, and I have the extra army for Macedonia, but I do not go into Bursa or Bythinia yet. I'll let the rebels and the WE do it's work before I kick over there.
I pop some ships in the sea lane and the port to keep the Otts from getting to Edirne:
The rebels have done a number on the Otts, and he does me the favor of popping a new regiment. I send a Cav shot with a decent leader over to hit them. As long as there are men there, I won't get the zero morale issue. I just have to be engaged or be gone after those units are dead and before the other units arrive... Or have infantry backup in place for the counter attack. As long as my Cav isn't besieging by it's lonesome when they get walked in on.
This place is driving me nuts. Of all the provinces I control, these are the rebelenist ones I've ever had. Consistently popping 4-10K shots that pingpong like mad:
I start setting up a run to bring a decent Cav stack over here as soon as I can. Something just to keep from constantly having to pop over here in the middle of things. It's hard enough to fight the Otts on 4 fronts and keep it straight... Having to pop over here every 30 seconds is an intrusion I can live without.
Another thing that always has to be done in war time:
Having to go through all of your patrols... It's a pain, but I think it should stay. If anything, a little longer time between pirate spawnings... Maybe being able to automate the patrols a little more. Like being able to make a ship and give it the patrol order and have it just go off on it's own wherever you need a pirate patrol. Having to keep track of all of these can get a little tedious, but hey... That's one of the prices you pay for warring.
OK, so maybe I really didn't need to wait that long before going in to Beirut, eh?
The GH is sending these 1K and 2K forays into Ott land and then into mine. It makes me wonder just what the heck they want to accomplish. Or if they actually think they're helping the fellow alliance member. I really shouldn't complain... it's easy spoils and easy tradition.
Turn about is fair play:
It's not going to net me much though. By the time I get to GH territory I'll be so strung out and MP thin I won't be able to do much.
The Otts are so tied up everywhere that they are trying to build armies under my feet:
And that's exactly where they end up...
Having dispatched the Otts in Apula, I can proceed into Calabria unfettered:
The Poles have stationed an army on Palermo... How thoughtful. Maybe they thought I would just look the other way and let them into Calabria? LOL!
I'm starting to get spread a little thin, and the Otts are doing a decent job of targeting my weak spots:
What they don't realize is I haven't built another man yet. I'm just using what I already had on the ground and what was already in the pipeline. They have to know that I am still holding 97K in reserve... This is a fundamental strategy choice on my part. I know I'll use them eventually, and attrition will be a factor as I progress into Ottoman lands, but for now I am not being forced into anything I don't want to be in.
My first Ott province falls:
From here, I look just to the east and get a little greedy... you'll see what I mean. You know that nagging in your head that says you should just leave it alone, but your eyes see what looks to be a juicy, easy target... I really need to start paying attention to that.
My Navy is called out to protect my patrols, and does admirably, not losing a single ship and destroying 7:
There was a post I read awhile back about galleys having an advantage in the seas over big ships... maybe so, but not today.
It's a bit sooner than I'd like, but the inevitable peace comes from Morea and Poland:
The news isn't bad for me though. They didn't take a single province in the peace, leaving Corfu and Salonica on the table for me. As an added bonus, Oman has decided to let the Otts know what they think too. That's great news for me. It means the Otts have to pull everything out from one front and send it to another. If anything, the Otts having to totally shift gears and focus will make my job even easier.
Remember what I said about being greedy?
I should have just left this alone. Yeah, it's all alone and no penalties and it's a free annex province... BUT...
It slowed me down. At least a few months, maybe a year.
It made my Ottoman campaign longer, and that caused a jump in the perceived province value by the Otts. I figure this one excursion into a province that for all intents and purposes was useless to me cost me at least one decent province in the peace deal that would have been usable from the Otts.
Not to mention the WE and RR rose higher than they needed too.
I should really start listening to that voice...
The GH is sending these 1K and 2K forays into Ott land and then into mine. It makes me wonder just what the heck they want to accomplish. Or if they actually think they're helping the fellow alliance member. I really shouldn't complain... it's easy spoils and easy tradition.
Turn about is fair play:
It's not going to net me much though. By the time I get to GH territory I'll be so strung out and MP thin I won't be able to do much.
The Otts are so tied up everywhere that they are trying to build armies under my feet:
And that's exactly where they end up...
Having dispatched the Otts in Apula, I can proceed into Calabria unfettered:
The Poles have stationed an army on Palermo... How thoughtful. Maybe they thought I would just look the other way and let them into Calabria? LOL!
I'm starting to get spread a little thin, and the Otts are doing a decent job of targeting my weak spots:
What they don't realize is I haven't built another man yet. I'm just using what I already had on the ground and what was already in the pipeline. They have to know that I am still holding 97K in reserve... This is a fundamental strategy choice on my part. I know I'll use them eventually, and attrition will be a factor as I progress into Ottoman lands, but for now I am not being forced into anything I don't want to be in.
My first Ott province falls:
From here, I look just to the east and get a little greedy... you'll see what I mean. You know that nagging in your head that says you should just leave it alone, but your eyes see what looks to be a juicy, easy target... I really need to start paying attention to that.
My Navy is called out to protect my patrols, and does admirably, not losing a single ship and destroying 7:
There was a post I read awhile back about galleys having an advantage in the seas over big ships... maybe so, but not today.
It's a bit sooner than I'd like, but the inevitable peace comes from Morea and Poland:
The news isn't bad for me though. They didn't take a single province in the peace, leaving Corfu and Salonica on the table for me. As an added bonus, Oman has decided to let the Otts know what they think too. That's great news for me. It means the Otts have to pull everything out from one front and send it to another. If anything, the Otts having to totally shift gears and focus will make my job even easier.
Remember what I said about being greedy?
I should have just left this alone. Yeah, it's all alone and no penalties and it's a free annex province... BUT...
It slowed me down. At least a few months, maybe a year.
It made my Ottoman campaign longer, and that caused a jump in the perceived province value by the Otts. I figure this one excursion into a province that for all intents and purposes was useless to me cost me at least one decent province in the peace deal that would have been usable from the Otts.
Not to mention the WE and RR rose higher than they needed too.
I should really start listening to that voice...
Time is ticking away, a few seconds, pause, a few seconds, pause. If I went more than 30 seconds without a pause it was a rare event. The war goes according to plan, with the exception of Yemen being added as a target.
The Otts are getting more and more strung out as they lose men and try to recover ground. As a result smaller and smaller defensive armies are appearing, which again only makes my job that much easier.
The Ottomans bring in two medium armies to work over Beirut. One breaks away and starts to siege, leaving the other army behind. Normally, the Otts would then send this army into an adjacent province in an attempt to split up the defenders, but because I already occupy that province he has nowhere to go.
I leave the siege army alone to start so his morale will begin to fade, and move a decent sized army with a good leader in on the other one in Aleppo. If I can take this one out, I'll stay there so I have the defensive position on anything fleeing from Beirut when I jump them with my army in Judea.
As I'm moving into Ottoman lands, my attrition starts to climb a little. As a result, rebels are starting to pop with a little more frequency:
The nice thing about low WE though is the size of the revolts. Most of them are relatively small compared to what usually pops.
Coming this summer to a theater near you...
From out of the TI it comes... lurking... waiting... you turn your back, you stop for a drink of water, you relax for just a second and...(music: screech screech screech screech)
15,000 crazy ottomans jump you from out of the fog... Well, heck... They had to keep that 111,000 men SOMEWHERE. At least I know where one of his decent stacks is hiding out.
Meanwhile, my men dispatch the Beirut invaders with no issues:
Now if I can just to take down the units in Aleppo...
The Otts continue to pick at me in weak places:
My response is a fast running Cavalry regiment with a good leader. They will be able to get there with the invaders on half morale, and blow them apart 6 ways from Sunday.
Good thing the revolts down here are small...
I have JUST enough men to cover down here as long as they stay this way. In hindsight, a decent Cav stack down on this end of the earth would have proven to be a very good thing, almost bordering on intelligence. But we can't have any of that just lying around, now can we???
The battle at Aleppo does not provide the result I had hoped for:
Better to pull back and let them come to me instead of the other way around.
The incursion into Sinai however is handled most efficiently:
These little nuisance attacks are brilliant, in a way. They keep your attention focused in one area, forces you to respond and commit your forces. Unfortunately for the Otts, their punch line is off near Oman so they don't have that 2nd big wave to actually take advantage of it.
It's not even 8 AM and the Otts are already on the phone begging me off...
I put a quarter in the jukebox and hold the phone close as I make my selection... "OOH that'll be the day, when you say goodbye, that'll be the day, when you make me cry-y... You say you want to leave me, well you know it's a lie, oh, that'll be the dayayay... When I die..."
Miscellaneous goings on as the battles progress:
One step closer to saying goodbye to Adal, or so I think at the time. Another nuisance patrol redirected from the Golden Horde is handled...
You can also see all the sieges going on at this time. Alot of ground to be tied up in. MP is finally moving in the downward direction too. Not only from attrition but also from minting new men for the new siege armies.
I end up putting down the rebellions in Awsa and Bagamoyo with little fanfare. I also take the land bridge to Thrace:
This gives me a hideaway to recoup my men behind the lines while keeping them only a jump across from Thrace to get back in the action. I can then cycle them back to the front without having to expose them to attack until they actually arrive there.
The first part of the attack has gone pretty much according to plan, and has been mildly eventful. I cross my appendages and hope the rest will go that way too...
The Otts are getting more and more strung out as they lose men and try to recover ground. As a result smaller and smaller defensive armies are appearing, which again only makes my job that much easier.
The Ottomans bring in two medium armies to work over Beirut. One breaks away and starts to siege, leaving the other army behind. Normally, the Otts would then send this army into an adjacent province in an attempt to split up the defenders, but because I already occupy that province he has nowhere to go.
I leave the siege army alone to start so his morale will begin to fade, and move a decent sized army with a good leader in on the other one in Aleppo. If I can take this one out, I'll stay there so I have the defensive position on anything fleeing from Beirut when I jump them with my army in Judea.
As I'm moving into Ottoman lands, my attrition starts to climb a little. As a result, rebels are starting to pop with a little more frequency:
The nice thing about low WE though is the size of the revolts. Most of them are relatively small compared to what usually pops.
Coming this summer to a theater near you...
From out of the TI it comes... lurking... waiting... you turn your back, you stop for a drink of water, you relax for just a second and...(music: screech screech screech screech)
15,000 crazy ottomans jump you from out of the fog... Well, heck... They had to keep that 111,000 men SOMEWHERE. At least I know where one of his decent stacks is hiding out.
Meanwhile, my men dispatch the Beirut invaders with no issues:
Now if I can just to take down the units in Aleppo...
The Otts continue to pick at me in weak places:
My response is a fast running Cavalry regiment with a good leader. They will be able to get there with the invaders on half morale, and blow them apart 6 ways from Sunday.
Good thing the revolts down here are small...
I have JUST enough men to cover down here as long as they stay this way. In hindsight, a decent Cav stack down on this end of the earth would have proven to be a very good thing, almost bordering on intelligence. But we can't have any of that just lying around, now can we???
The battle at Aleppo does not provide the result I had hoped for:
Better to pull back and let them come to me instead of the other way around.
The incursion into Sinai however is handled most efficiently:
These little nuisance attacks are brilliant, in a way. They keep your attention focused in one area, forces you to respond and commit your forces. Unfortunately for the Otts, their punch line is off near Oman so they don't have that 2nd big wave to actually take advantage of it.
It's not even 8 AM and the Otts are already on the phone begging me off...
I put a quarter in the jukebox and hold the phone close as I make my selection... "OOH that'll be the day, when you say goodbye, that'll be the day, when you make me cry-y... You say you want to leave me, well you know it's a lie, oh, that'll be the dayayay... When I die..."
Miscellaneous goings on as the battles progress:
One step closer to saying goodbye to Adal, or so I think at the time. Another nuisance patrol redirected from the Golden Horde is handled...
You can also see all the sieges going on at this time. Alot of ground to be tied up in. MP is finally moving in the downward direction too. Not only from attrition but also from minting new men for the new siege armies.
I end up putting down the rebellions in Awsa and Bagamoyo with little fanfare. I also take the land bridge to Thrace:
This gives me a hideaway to recoup my men behind the lines while keeping them only a jump across from Thrace to get back in the action. I can then cycle them back to the front without having to expose them to attack until they actually arrive there.
The first part of the attack has gone pretty much according to plan, and has been mildly eventful. I cross my appendages and hope the rest will go that way too...
So..many..rebels.
Always nice to see the Otts kicked around, and you've got a large chunk of Africa.
I wonder how much longer Burgundy will decide to play nice?
Always nice to see the Otts kicked around, and you've got a large chunk of Africa.
I wonder how much longer Burgundy will decide to play nice?
More war, more conqeuring, more rebels, more updates, more pain reading them. :wacko:
It doesn't take long, but The Golden Horde has decided it doesn't want to play anymore:
Not yet though. I can get a few ducats out of him yet, and IF things should go remarkably well against the Otts I may have the MP to actually carry some fight to them. So far I've only lost a little over 10K in MP, so things are looking pretty good... At least for me.
Which all sounds fine and good and all... but hindsight has such glaringly cruel clarity. If I had taken this peace, I give up Damascus, a province I couldn't keep anyways. Having to mess with them resulted in yet more wasted time, energy and ducats in taking down the Otts. It's hard during the heat of battle to let someone off the hook. Maybe I need to get a little notebook and start keeping track of who I need to take care of at a later date. But I should have declined, then turned right around and offered a peace with demand for a few ducats and went on.
The Otts are sensing that they are in the deep weeds... and are now directing more of an effort my way:
They haven't brought any huge armies my way yet... but they must have a few. The AI always has at least one gargantuan attrition manufactory running around. I expect the Otts to start pushing me, in hopes of keeping me from gaining the upper hand.
To my surprise, the army in Mocha holds...
They take a pretty good pounding, but they came out of it remarkably well.
Rebels continue to pop and make a nuisance of themselves.
I guess it's just in their blood. I'm following them up and down and all around the block and back...
It's not yet a real problem, but it is fast becoming one. It's becoming a case of having to over extend already over extended units to chase these clowns down. One of these days a revolt will pop in the wrong place and I'll be in deep weeds.
From the "It's about dang time..." Dept:
Looks like somebody dropped the ball on that one...
I get another revolt popped in Gao, while the Golden Horde plays "monkey see, monkey do":
I can't get a separate peace from Adal because of the vassalage. That is something that should be changed in my opinion. Even if it's only to switch allegiances to me as I now control them, the fact I can't do anything with them at all is just silly. Plus, I can't even get them in the Ott peace screen. Adal becomes a total waste of time and effort.
I pull back my men so the Otts can come down and start doing something around Beirut. My poor siege force in Damascus gets left alone, (DOH!) and then gets over run before I can react:
I have two stacks ready to jump in, but it's now not clear whether they can move in in time. I set them in motion and hope they don't get blasted too bad. The fact that they hold at all, being outnumbered and in siege mode is Military Drill paying for itself even as we speak.
The next province falls, and the rebels finish their work in Bursa:
You can see to the right the Ott stack in Damascus was rejected by my units of toughness. Hah Hah... they say... Bring it ON. We haven't showered for 6 days, and we are STRONG!
It's at this time that I want to start pushing into Otto's lands in earnest:
Reinforcements are making it to the line, set up as siege armies in variations of 4/8/4. It depends on where and when they pop. Some have more infantry. Some have more cannon. They all have a mix though.
As the Otts go after the rebels, I step in behind them and take strategic defensive and siege positions. Meanwhile in the south...
The Ottomans stage a remake of The Mocha invasion with a newly reinforced army...
Attrition factor is hurting this unit in a big way... It's taking forever to reinforce. I am able to pull a few cavalry from the rebel patrols to give the defenders a slight numbers and morale boost, but that is all for now.
Not even the plague is enough to keep me down on this day as all of my armies are victorious!:
To the north, I move into new provinces and dispatch the local guards. To the south my battle weary lines hold, sending the Otts packing to try again.
As I feel the tide of the war turning in my direction, I begin unleash my MP upon the Ottomans in its full fury...
Not yet though. I can get a few ducats out of him yet, and IF things should go remarkably well against the Otts I may have the MP to actually carry some fight to them. So far I've only lost a little over 10K in MP, so things are looking pretty good... At least for me.
Which all sounds fine and good and all... but hindsight has such glaringly cruel clarity. If I had taken this peace, I give up Damascus, a province I couldn't keep anyways. Having to mess with them resulted in yet more wasted time, energy and ducats in taking down the Otts. It's hard during the heat of battle to let someone off the hook. Maybe I need to get a little notebook and start keeping track of who I need to take care of at a later date. But I should have declined, then turned right around and offered a peace with demand for a few ducats and went on.
The Otts are sensing that they are in the deep weeds... and are now directing more of an effort my way:
They haven't brought any huge armies my way yet... but they must have a few. The AI always has at least one gargantuan attrition manufactory running around. I expect the Otts to start pushing me, in hopes of keeping me from gaining the upper hand.
To my surprise, the army in Mocha holds...
They take a pretty good pounding, but they came out of it remarkably well.
Rebels continue to pop and make a nuisance of themselves.
I guess it's just in their blood. I'm following them up and down and all around the block and back...
It's not yet a real problem, but it is fast becoming one. It's becoming a case of having to over extend already over extended units to chase these clowns down. One of these days a revolt will pop in the wrong place and I'll be in deep weeds.
From the "It's about dang time..." Dept:
Looks like somebody dropped the ball on that one...
I get another revolt popped in Gao, while the Golden Horde plays "monkey see, monkey do":
I can't get a separate peace from Adal because of the vassalage. That is something that should be changed in my opinion. Even if it's only to switch allegiances to me as I now control them, the fact I can't do anything with them at all is just silly. Plus, I can't even get them in the Ott peace screen. Adal becomes a total waste of time and effort.
I pull back my men so the Otts can come down and start doing something around Beirut. My poor siege force in Damascus gets left alone, (DOH!) and then gets over run before I can react:
I have two stacks ready to jump in, but it's now not clear whether they can move in in time. I set them in motion and hope they don't get blasted too bad. The fact that they hold at all, being outnumbered and in siege mode is Military Drill paying for itself even as we speak.
The next province falls, and the rebels finish their work in Bursa:
You can see to the right the Ott stack in Damascus was rejected by my units of toughness. Hah Hah... they say... Bring it ON. We haven't showered for 6 days, and we are STRONG!
It's at this time that I want to start pushing into Otto's lands in earnest:
Reinforcements are making it to the line, set up as siege armies in variations of 4/8/4. It depends on where and when they pop. Some have more infantry. Some have more cannon. They all have a mix though.
As the Otts go after the rebels, I step in behind them and take strategic defensive and siege positions. Meanwhile in the south...
The Ottomans stage a remake of The Mocha invasion with a newly reinforced army...
Attrition factor is hurting this unit in a big way... It's taking forever to reinforce. I am able to pull a few cavalry from the rebel patrols to give the defenders a slight numbers and morale boost, but that is all for now.
Not even the plague is enough to keep me down on this day as all of my armies are victorious!:
To the north, I move into new provinces and dispatch the local guards. To the south my battle weary lines hold, sending the Otts packing to try again.
As I feel the tide of the war turning in my direction, I begin unleash my MP upon the Ottomans in its full fury...