• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Gosh darn it!

Man I still haven't had time to finish the next post in my AAR. I just stopped by to check on things while I download my new schedual from work and look at what I find. You've gone and taken over my home state! And you haven't even finished with the Prussians yet! How do you expect me to follow all of this!

BTW where did you get the Colorado flag to put in the shield?

Good luck! Hope that in your Colorado we will still meet up in the 5th grade!
 
Mr. Capiatlist said:
I had almost entirely forgotten about this AAR.
anonymous4401 said:
A new Rensslaer AAR!

That's not really new at all!
Yes, well.... :eek:o

This really wasn't meant to start back when it started. It's not even really set to start just yet. I'm just giving the background for it... slowly!

I can't promise to post but about once a week for now. Speeding up later. I still must resolve my Prussia AAR, which is approaching conclusion but still has lots to go. I'm also working on planning and writing for a 3rd AAR, not quite posted yet.

Prussiablue, my plan is to develop a reasonable story for how Colorado came to be in existance as of 1836, and then keep the Mexicans and Americans from toppling me from my mountain! Beyond that, my plan is pretty open ended.

Kiryevskiy, thank you for dropping by! The Colorado flag was modded in (instructions for this are on VickyWiki, the Victoria "wikipedia" -- very useful! -- under mods and modding). I still haven't gotten the animated flags in-game to look quite right. If someone could help me with this, I'd appreciate it -- I couldn't get the wikinstructions to work quite right! Developing Colorado required some extensive modifications, too.

BBBD and Earth's Savior, the pop situation is going to be modded somewhat, based on things that will transpire between 1807 and 1836. I presume that, once a western government is in place in Colorado, there is more reason to attract settlers. There are three major additional reasons, which will become clear as the background develops.

Mr. Keiper, thank you for dropping by... hope you come back around. My third AAR will have a Mr. DeKuyper, so... :)

Mike von Bek! The sun has stopped over the Arabian sands! Can't you do something about this??? :D Thanks for dropping by!

Method41, Ghostwriter, Mr. Capiatlist, El Presidentse, Anonymous, Clamp, and all the rest of you who have taken the time to take a look, thank you! We'll get it cranking slowly at first...

Rensslaer
 
Okay... I was home for a grand total of 30 minutes today.

When I arrived, it was cloudy but with no wind and no rain. About 10 minutes later, there was an enormous gust of wind, blowing sheets of rain sideways against the side of my house!

The rainsquall lasted for about 5-10 minutes. By the time I left again, the weather was cloudy but with no wind and no rain. The water left from the storm was already drying...

Welcome to Freakweather Colorado, I swear! :rofl:

More to look forward to. Ready with the next update.... Just need to see if I want a photo or two.

Rensslaer
 
Renss - I could have sworn that I commented when you put the first post up, but I don't see it. So I'll comment now and say good luck and I see some interesting bits already. Just don't get too carried away with other projects while your Prussia AAR moves along.
 
The Plot Exposed: Part 1 of 2

Alexander Hamilton’s auburn hair, at age fifty-some, was gently streaked with gray. His face was strikingly handsome. His delicate nose pierced quickly wherever fell his intense gaze, which ranged across his desk. He moved his head with a certain energy – not nervous – expertly taking in one page at a glance, browsing for a moment over another, and comparing it quickly with a third.

He seemed at ease, but not relaxed. He was focused, but nothing was in question. This was what he was used to. This was his world – a world of words, facts, figures, laws, ideas, visions. And his ease was brought on by the fact that he understood most everything. Even in crisis, it had always been so. And crisis he had seen – from the Rebellion against England to the tumultuous foundation of a unique nation, entirely new to the face of the globe and the mind of man.

A knock brought him out of his work, and he stared for a moment at the door. “Come, my Love!”

Sweet and beautiful, Eliza Hamilton led a thin, short young man into the study. The name he had given – Mr. R. Smith – in his written request for an appointment sounded suspiciously contrived. But he came also with the recommendation of one of Hamilton’s trusted Army acquaintances. Examining him keenly from across the dimly lit room, Hamilton – a lawyer accustomed to assessing clients and witnesses at a glance – evaluated the stranger.

He was dressed in a plain golden vest and white pants, with a black wool coat of an older, cheaper style. Probably the only one he owned, Hamilton thought. The man gave the impression of being uncomfortable in such clothes. Yet, he had every proper bearing of a gentleman. Hamilton took the combined perceptions to mean that this was a military officer. Presumably of lower rank, as he appeared to be in his middle-twenties, though Hamilton knew that age was not always the best gauge. He, himself, had been a colonel at age twenty, and chief military aide to General George Washington.

Eliza excused herself with a kind word and a smile, and closed the door behind her.

“General Hamilton,” the young man said with great deference, and no small degree of nervousness. “It is a great honor to meet with you.” He sat. He struggled with something greater than himself, and seemed sorely tried with the burden he bore. “Please forgive my coming under an assumed name, General, and in disguise. But the information at which I intimated in my letter is of such sensitivity that, were I found out, there are those who would surely have me killed.”

“Indeed?” one-time General Hamilton said. “Well, then I can certainly understand.”

“My real name is Captain Zebulon Pike. I have recently returned from assignment on the frontier, at Saint Louis.”

Hamilton nodded. “I am somewhat familiar with your exploits.” He extended a hand toward a finely crafted chair. “Please, Captain Pike. Have a seat and tell me of your great need.”

“Thank you, General.” He settled into the chair. “To get right to the point, I have reason to believe that at least two individuals of… great eminence – or power, in any case – are conspiring to split off Louisiana Territory from the United States through force of arms, and to use it as their own private fiefdom.”

He explained his story. His assignment, by General Wilkinson, to explore the frontier with Spain “without too conspicuous an attention to the treaty boundaries.” His expedition, briefly. Then, their capture. And the peculiar conversation with Don Xavier which implicated General Wilkinson in a plot.

Hamilton’s eyebrows rose, slightly, at the incriminating evidence, but he did not seem overly surprised. Only one thing of the man’s story puzzled him. “Captain… I seem a most illogical choice to whom to reveal this. Why did you seek out someone such as myself, and not a person who you know and trusted?”

Pike nodded. “I understand your skepticism, General. But I felt you were the obvious choice,” he explained, “because the plot also involves the former vice president. And you are the one person who I could know with certainty would not be in league with him.”

Hamilton’s face lifted in sudden understanding. Unconsciously, Hamilton rubbed a hand over his left shoulder.
 
Ahhh, a chance to get that bastard, Burr! That gets Hamilton's blood up I bet.
 
Rensslaer said:
Hamilton’s face lifted in sudden understanding. Unconsciously, Hamilton rubbed a hand over his left shoulder.

ahhh. a light goes off. i thought that a picture of Hamilton at the beginning would mean that Hamilton does not meet his IRL demise. splendid! ! ! ! :D



BBBD said:
I have to say that I am unfamiliar with the events in America, is this based on fact or fantasy

fantasy

as in excellent fantasy! ! ! :cool:
 
BBBD said:
I have to say that I am unfamiliar with the events in America, is this based on fact or fantasy
Actually...

There is no historical proof that I know of that Pike ever knew about the plot, even though he was sent by Wilkinson on a mission of espionage into the territory in question.

And obviously, Hamilton was never involved, because historically Hamilton was dead (killed in a duel with Burr).

But otherwise, this update and the plot between Burr and Wilkinson to split off Louisiana and/or seize parts of Spanish Mexico is 100% historical.

Historically, Burr and Wilkinson were brought back and tried for treason (a former vice president!), but were acquitted because US law required two eyewitnesses to an actual act of treason, and the two men wouldn't testify against each other.

And historians have apparently established that General Wilkinson -- the top US general on the frontier -- was on the Spanish payroll. Presumably for espionage purposes!

Rensslaer
 
It's amazing what you learn on these boards. I, of course, knew historically Burr slew Hamilton in a duel, so I caught the point when in-game Pike explained why he'd gone to Hamilton for help. I didn't know about this plot to split off the Louisiana Territory though.

I wonder what would have happened....I can't imagine the US would have taken that lying down.

Looks like you had some fun modding this Rens, and your backstory so far is interesting and compelling! Certainly focus on your Prussian AAR, but when the time comes I want to know what happens here!
 
So far, it sounds like there will be a phenomenal amount of high-level scheming going on. That by itself should be enough to make this an entertaining story.

I liked this little sequence:
“because the plot also involves the former vice president. And you are the one person who I could know with certainty would not be in league with him.”

Hamilton’s face lifted in sudden understanding. Unconsciously, Hamilton rubbed a hand over his left shoulder.
I knew no more than that this Hamilton character apparently died from a duel in Real Life, and I only knew that because you had said so in an earlier post. But these four lines elegantly establish two facts: one, Hamilton clearly survived the duel in this story (only shot in the shoulder) and two, the duel was fought with the former vice president.

It does raise one question for me: since Hamilton is obviously still alive, and so is the former vice president (he'd be hard pressed to be involved in a plot if he were interred in his own plot :rolleyes:, six feet under), that must mean the duel was concluded without a fatality. Wasn't it common to have a fight to the death? Or did Hamilton cry uncle after his injury?
 
Stuyvesant said:
It does raise one question for me: since Hamilton is obviously still alive, and so is the former vice president (he'd be hard pressed to be involved in a plot if he were interred in his own plot :rolleyes:, six feet under), that must mean the duel was concluded without a fatality. Wasn't it common to have a fight to the death? Or did Hamilton cry uncle after his injury?
This is where the fact that I'm not 100% engaged in this story yet comes to light... Actually, I may have to defer to CatKnight for some of the detailed rules on dueling, as he's recently done some in depth study on the subject for his Resurrection AAR.

It's my understanding from some brief research, that if one of the participants of a duel is disabled, then the duel ends. I'm trying to work out a scenario before posting the next update where Hamilton is disabled, but not dead.

From my reading of Chernow's recent biography of Hamilton, I seem to recall he laid out just such a plausible means by which the duel could have been ended... I just need to go look up what that was! :rolleyes:

Stuyvesant, Catknight and Stymphalid, welcome to this new story! Mr. Capitalist, Coz, Ghostwriter and BBBD, thank you all for your comments! I apologize for the initial slowness of this. It will improve with time.

Rensslaer
 
Wild! Another week, another freak storm.

We just had another 10 minute wind-driven rainstorm, out of nowhere...

The only difference is that today is warm and, except for a few clouds, the sun was shining this time!

I love Colorado!

Rensslaer
 
Rensslaer said:
But otherwise, this update and the plot between Burr and Wilkinson to split off Louisiana and/or seize parts of Spanish Mexico is 100% historical.

amazing! now who was that person who coined the phrase, "truth is stranger than fiction"? LOL :eek:
 
Just finished the bio by Ron Chernow and now there's more to read! Great start Renss - now what I want to see later on is Theodore Roosevelt found an independent North Dakota in the 1870s and duke it out cowboy-style with Alexander's successor. How weird it would be but cool in a history nerd way :p
 
The Plot Exposed: Part 2 of 2

Unconsciously, Hamilton rubbed his hand over his left shoulder. In 1804, Aaron Burr had lodged a bullet there during a duel.

Burr was then the Vice President of the United States, and a failed candidate for Governor of New York. And those two facts were the key to the problem.

Hamilton and Burr had been colleagues. Friends, even. Together, they were considered the young, rising stars of the New York Bar. They had argued cases together. They had argued cases against each other. Their trials often attracted spectators merely because of the skill with which the participants matched wits with one other, or with other unspecified windbags of the bar.

But Hamilton had always been rather free with his opinions. He had accomplished great things by expressing his opinions, not the least of which was convincing several very reluctant states, including his own New York, to become part of a federation of united states under one national government.

And the expressive Hamilton had been neither sparse nor yielding in his appraisals to others of the kind of character Burr possessed… which was to say that Hamilton had voiced the opinion that Burr had no character, whatsoever.

In 1800, a freak artifact of the Electoral College system – the method by which electors under the United States Constitution chose the President and Vice President – had resulted in a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. Ever striving, Burr instantly recognized that it was his opportunity to achieve his greatest ambition.

Jefferson had been intended to be the Republican candidate for President. Burr was meant to be the Vice President. And everyone knew that. The way the college was designed, votes were cast in common for both candidates. He who received the second most votes would become Vice President. On a “slate” ticket, one elector would have had to withhold his vote from Burr to avoid a tie. But there was a fear that Federalist President John Adams might take second place, rather than Burr. If President Adams became Vice President, and Vice President Jefferson became President, Adams could become the thorn in Jefferson’s side that Jefferson had been to Adams through four years of quibbling, contentious hell.

So, despite the fact that most electors trusted Burr as much as Hamilton did, partisan concerns prevailed, and no one withheld a vote. Burr, who suddenly held as much legal claim to the title of President of the United States as did Jefferson, decided to wait and see what might happen. He began lobbying friends and colleagues for support in the Constitutional crisis, and began to make promises to Federalist colleagues so that they might prefer him – a former Federalist – to Jefferson, whose mutual hatred of Federalists was legend.

It was Hamilton, the leader of a major faction of the Federalist Party, who sealed Burr’s fate. He told his friends that Burr could not be trusted, that Burr was likely to attempt to take on more power than anyone would agree to (which should have been obvious, considering the situation)… that Burr was a dangerous man. And his words carried all the more weight because Hamilton was telling his allies to prefer his political arch rival, Jefferson, over his friend, Burr.

Jefferson prevailed, largely by Hamilton’s hand. And in 1804, Burr’s bid for Governor of New York had also faltered and crumpled largely because Hamilton campaigned against him.

In Burr’s eyes – in truth, really – Burr was prevented from being either President of the United States or Governor of New York solely because of Hamilton. It had led to a duel.

In a clearing on a New Jersey shore, they had met early on a July morning. Pistols at ten paces. Burr was a crack shot, but the pistols were smoothbore – not as accurate as a rifled pistol. Hamilton, who disapproved of dueling and who had lost his eldest son to a duel, wished to face the challenge, but meant not to harm Burr. He “wasted his fire” by shooting into the nearby trees only split seconds before Burr’s angry shot raced toward Hamilton’s heart.

The large caliber ball had struck Hamilton’s third rib, which deflected it. It missed his heart by a fraction of an inch, bounced off his left shoulderblade, and then lodged in his collarbone. It had shattered each – his rib, his scapula, and his collarbone. The pain was incredible, and he passed out for a few moments.

Waking, on the ground, his eyes would not focus. But he saw two figures – Burr and his second – retreating from the scene of what they expected would be considered a murder. When others arrived, and found him conscious but in great pain, Burr could have been recalled. But Hamilton was clearly unable to rejoin the duel. He was unable to raise himself on his own, and it was doubtful that he would have been able to raise either arm in his condition. Besides, Burr was gone, wishing to avoid witnesses to place him at the scene of the crime.

Even though Burr had not killed Hamilton, he had clearly meant to. He was ostracized in society. So he had fled for the frontier, to find adventure and fortune there.

Bringing himself back to the present, Hamilton reflected on the irony of Pike’s bringing this story to him.

Hamilton did not find it very surprising that General Wilkinson was involved in a plot employing some sort of military action to split off parts of Spanish territory. In fact, Hamilton had personally corresponded with Wilkinson about just such a possibility. The plan as perceived by Pike was somewhat different, but not unfamiliar to him.

The revelation of Burr’s involvement was also not very shocking. Indeed, it seemed entirely in character for Burr.

“You were the only witness to this?” Hamilton asked, carefully. “And Wilkinson is not aware of what you know?”

“No one else knows, General,” Pike replied. “Though Wilkinson must suspect from my absence that I know something, he had been removed from his office by the time I returned.”

Hamilton nodded, contemplatively. “Surely,” Hamilton surmised, “you had to have had Governor Lewis’ permission to leave your post.”

“Indeed, General,” Pike confirmed. “But I presumed upon our friendship. I called in a favor and asked for special permission to leave just after I arrived, before Wilkinson could find a way to stop me. I did not explain what I had discovered.”

“You were quite correct, not to tell Governor Lewis.” Hamilton explained, “Meriwether Lewis is a fine scientist and explorer, but he is neither a soldier nor an administrator. He wouldn’t have the wherewithal to deal with this.” He paused and looked Pike in the eye. “So I am the first person in whom you have confided?”

“Yes, General.”

Hamilton thought for a long moment. “Very well,” he said. “Captain, please allow me to consider this, and I will be in contact with you. Will you please advise me as to where you are staying?”
 
Last edited: