Child In Time - A Grand Campaign Tuscany AAR

[Psychedelic Sou]

Child In Time - A Grand Campaign Tuscany AAR​

Hey everybody!

This is my first attempt at a EU3 AAR, and If everything goes well I intend to play on in Victoria (or Victoria 2) and then into AoD.

I'll be playing a minor nation, Tuscany in this case. My goals are:

- To unify Italy before the end of the 17th century
- To colonize India
- To remain Catholic
- To occupy the Adriatic coast line and Greece before the end of the game

The rest I'll see as the game progresses

I'm playing on HTTT v4.1b.

I hope this will be an interesting read for you all, and any suggestions/ideas are always welcome

 

[Psychedelic Sou]

Chapter 1 - The Beginning

It was a rainy Friday, the 14th of 1399. The streets of Firenze were almost empty as people sought refuge against the storm that had been terrorizing Central Italy for almost two weeks now. That afternoon, bad news arrived at the office of the Doge of Toscana.

It seems the Tuscan people are fleeing the country following reforms earlier this month that gave greater freedom to our people. However, this wasn't what bothered the man the most. What was really on his mind, was the perilous state his nation is in. After a Milano-Toscana war several years earlier, Toscana had shrunk into the city state of Firenze. He refused however, to lend money from the di Medici family, who were gaining more and more power over the city. This is how Toscana looks today, Friday the 14th of 1399.

Green is the state of Firenze, which we currently govern. Pink is the state of Pisa, which we lost in the Milano-Toscana war. The Kingdom of Milan is far too powerful for a small nation such as Toscana to defeat, so instead we will concentrate our efforts on establishing ourselves in the banking world. In Firenze, the di Medici family is making a name of itself as one of the most trustworthy bankers in all of Italy, some say even the whole of Europe. But currently, the state refuses to borrow money. Instead, they will send official state merchants to the most important European trade theaters, and gather money through taxes. The people of Firenze are some of the most heavily taxed people in the world, but in return they are granted full freedom. Serfdom only excists on the countryside, and even out there new laws are limiting the amount of power landowners can exercise over their workers. On this rainy day, the Doge of Toscana issued the following order.

With the Reconquista nearing an end and the south of Spain opening up to the European market, Andalusia is becoming a very attractive new trade theater for our merchants to exercise influence on. Full priority is being given to this theater for now, and 4 merchants are on their way to Andalusia to establish trade routes.

On the political front, our Doge was made an appeal to the hand of the daughter of Urbino, who accepted his offer.

We might be able to include Urbino into our sphere of influence when the time is right...
​

 

[dinofs]

Mega campaigns are always fun. I'll be following this.

 

[Mico94]

just playing a Tuscany->Italy game,
you can form Italy quickly (did it in 1500) if you get lucky
GoI Urbino if you want an early war with the Pope

good luck

 

[Psychedelic Sou]

just playing a Tuscany->Italy game,
you can form Italy quickly (did it in 1500) if you get lucky
GoI Urbino if you want an early war with the Pope

good luck

The Pope already DoW'd Urbino, but I'm going to try and avoid wars as much as possible. Instead I want to focus on economy, technology and politics. I won't DoW unless I got a Casus Belli and a very good reason, to avoid my infamy sky rocketing through the roof and having to fight rebels every 5 seconds

 

[The_Shepherd]

Yay! new mega campaign!

 

[oddman]

Looks interesting, as long as it doesn't devolve into a long-winded story about things that barely have a connection to the game.

If this remains decently gameplay-focused, I will most certainly follow.

 

[Psychedelic Sou]

Chapter 2 - Expanding The Beginning!

1400

Shocking news arrived at the office of our Doge in Firenze this morning: the nation of Urbino refused our support in the new Urbino-Papal war! On New Year's Eve 1400, Papal forces crossed the border to "punish the heretics of Urbino". We believe they simply want to connect their northern state of Romagna with the main body of their nation. Anyway, our Doge doesn't understand why the Urbino people have refused our offer: together we could've held off the Papal hordes AND we could've punished them for their belligerent behaviour. But we guess they like dying.

News has reached us that the Danish have begun expanding their empire to the south, causing turmoil among the Northern German states. Denmark has annexed its vazal of Holstein, which was guaranteed by most Northern German nations in the area. But German opposition failed to unite, and any form of intervention failed to materialize. It seems that without support of the HRE Emperor they won't do anything, but considering the current HRE leader, Bohemia, couldn't give a toss about Holstein, it seems that Denmark can continue expanding into a southern direction without opposition.

1401

The 1401 population census in Firenze has shown that our population is, after years of decline, growing again. This growth can be attributed to our recent successes on the Andalusian market and the further expansion of the di Medici financial empire. However, political tensions are increasing.

Urbino has fallen and has been annexed by the Papal States. This has caused immense tensions between the other Italian states, but just like the Northern German states, any form of resistance failed to materialize. Besides that, it is still very hard for deeply Catholic Italy to rise against the Pope himself. In Milan, a large coalition of Burgundy, Sicily, Modena and Aragon has destroyed the Milanese army and is besieging the major Milanese cities. Milan's only ally, Genoa, is completely occupied by Aragon.

1402

In an attempt to relax tension in Italy, the Pope called for a crusade in Morocco. He hopes that this would be a motivation for anyone willing to fight a war in Italy, would instead divert its energy into subduing the Heretics in Morocco.

On the 4th of July 1402 the Merchant Republic of Genoa and the Kingdom of Aragon signed the Treaty of Bonefacio, handing over the island of Corsica to the Kingdom of Aragon.
​

 

[tuore]

If everything goes well I intend to play on in Victoria (or Victoria 2) and then into AoD.

It's not possible to convert HTTT game to Vicky.

 

[The_Shepherd]

you don't intend to blob.... do you?

 

[Psychedelic Sou]

It's not possible to convert HTTT game to Vicky.

I know, but I intend to mod the world at the endgame into Vicky

you don't intend to blob.... do you?

If by blobbing you mean making insane armies, then no. I don't really want to focus on the military, but more on the other aspects of the game

 

[JDMS]

Looks interesting. I'll follow.

 

[Dafool]

Looks like an interesting game. Italy's always fun and a mega-campaign is always neat.

 

[ThatUglyGuy]

You stole mah epic country! -_- I'll be back!

 

[Psychedelic Sou]

You stole mah epic country! -_- I'll be back!

It wasn't our Tuscany/France game that inspired me to make this AAR

But you can join in If you want

 

[ThatUglyGuy]

it would be an honour, italian f*** (-> fish if anyone gets insulted)

 

[Psychedelic Sou]

it would be an honour, italian f*** (-> fish if anyone gets insulted)

Hmm.. Italian Fish. We'll discuss this further tomorrow?

 

[unmerged(86922)]

I like this aar so far. I did one as Tuscany in vanilla, was very fun.

 

[sjones25]

Mmmm... Italian fish! Sounds delicious, do they serve it with pasta?

Unfortunately Firenze has no port, therefore their Italian fish supply must be rather limited...

 

[ThatUglyGuy]

Mmmm... Italian fish! Sounds delicious, do they serve it with pasta?

Unfortunately Firenze has no port, therefore their Italian fish supply must be rather limited...

Thats why he should conquer Pisa..
MMMMh, pizza, this will become a grand culinary AAR!