Empire of the Mediterranean: An Interactive Aragon AAR

[hirahammad]

((Almudena Hashem, 1568, Good Jouster, Master Fencer, Master Marksman
Almaden Hashem, 1604, No Jousting, Below-average Fencer, Average Marksman
Sancho Velazquez, 1710, No Jousting, Master Fencer, Great Marksman))

 

[alscon]

((If you want, you can make use of my list of modifiers from the last tournament. I gave bonuses for generals and conquistadors, obviously, but also for the naval positions that would involve some level of military training, and of course nobles and royalty usually being taught the basics. Clergy wouldn't do so well. Some of them might need to be lowered, especially if we have skill bonuses too.

If you're just doing the fencing one, I'll take over the joust then, since I obviously have experience handling these before. I was also looking over my old rules and noticed the inclusion of wounds and sabotage, but the former is unlikely to happen to a winner and is irrelevant here for the loser who can't die anyway, while the latter probably shouldn't be happening in a supernatural tournament anyway.

If no one wants it, I can do the pistol duelling too. If anyone does take the job, you can just use the ranged duelling mechanics I have on the front page and tweak it if necessary. I'm not sure how the winners will be decided here, since there is the possibility that both duellists miss entirely. Perhaps it should be more like an archery-style contest to see who can most accurately hit a target or something. If people are to be firing at each other, this one probably should include wounds that hamper future performance.

As for my characters:
1. Don Chesús (1477-?) - excellent jouster, good fencer, no experience with pistols (what are these handheld cannons?), tournament legend
2. Prince Martí de Trastámara (1526-1597) - master jouster (former winner), excellent fencer, little experience with pistols
3. Prince Joan de Trastámara (1779-?) - little joust experience, good fencer, excellent marksman, general

If we need to fill extra positions, I can always throw a few Trastámaras in the mix. I was tempted to bring Pere V back since he was in the last one with Martí, but opted for a fresher face with actual military experience.

Also, looking at the descriptions people have been giving, we might need a more official scaling for skills in each category. I think we should expand your scaling, adding in more options, but keep it from 0%-25%. Maybe it should be in 5% increments like this:

0% - None
5% - Little/below-average
10% - Average/some/decent
15% - Good
20% - Excellent/great
25% - Master

When people are picking skill levels, keep in mind the time they're from. Someone born earlier is unlikely to have any experience with guns, or only with inferior models. On the other hand, those born later are unlikely to be good at jousting, although skill with horses might compensate a little for any inadequacies.))

((The skill levels and military experience (these lowered to 5%) should be enough, I believe. I've edited mine to fit with the finer skill levels.

About firearms, it would be good to just put up a training dummy and then act as if duelling - walk a certain distance, then turn around and shoot. Wouldn't wound any of our living participants, but still have the same result.

If there are holes to fill, there's obviously the host bonus - for the first hole or two. If more, I'd pick other legendary figures of Hispania's history. The joust one could be filled with Trastamaras, while the firearm one depends on the host there. Anyway, I believe we should be ready to start over the weekend.

I would have used Villanovas... but Fausto is the only one with any true weapon training, so I'm using characters from the last tournament

There can always be surprises. I'm using François not because he's good at it, but because I liked him. You can do the same - after all, only honour stands to be gained in this tournament!

2. Alejandro de Leon (1690-1792) - general, the man who defeated Montsegur - good gunman, master fencer, good jouster - (can I have him fight Alexandre Cesar de Montsegur? He never got the chance to actually fight him.)

In the fencing tournament, I would perhaps set them for a second round duel, so there is a little more drama if they both win the first round.
))

As these heroes of Hispanian history stepped out of the fog, Maximilien recognized some faces directly, others from portraits, others must be from recent history. He ordered his witch to return. "I don't want to fight any old men. Give them something to temporarily restore their youth. I don't have the time to head to the source and back."

((EDIT: So far, there are 21 entries, which is not optimal for a fair tournament... even if there are six more, there would remain a bunch of filler characters. Better for everyone to be able to add another character. If this fourth one isn't necessary, then I'll just not have him participate.

Here'd be my fourth: Denis Philippe de Montségur (1503-15??) - Gold-hungry conquistador and chessmaster, founder of the good relation to Cusco. Horses didn't last long in the hostile New World (poison rocks...), but both steel and firearm were crucial. It was a while ago though, but one was forced to adapt quickly or die. Below average joust, master fencer, excellent firearms.))

 

[zenphoenix]

In the fencing tournament, I would perhaps set them for a second round duel, so there is a little more drama if they both win the first round.

((Or maybe save them for the championships if they both get that far. That would be even better.))

((Private))

Fernando de Leon heard the sound of flapping wings behind him as Wilhelm materialized in his office.

"What is it now?" said Fernando.

"I've brought another of your ancestors down from Heaven to fight," said Wilhelm, pointing to the man next to him, "The first Leon of note."

Carlos de Leon held out his hand. "Hello," he said, "It's nice to meet one of my descendants."

((In case you didn't get that, here are my four with updated stats. I will try not to make any further changes unless there are changes to the rules.

1. Carlos de Leon, general in the Royal Aragonese Army and Marshal of the Realm (1421- c.1492) - the first Leon in the history books. The Count of Syracuse, he grew up practicing his fencing and jousting skills in preparation to take back his ancestral homeland in Leon. While he never regained Leon and instead disgraced himself as Marshal of the Realm, he laid the groundwork for the Leon family's rise to greatness. Master fencing, master jousting, good firearms.

2. Hernando Francisco de Leon, conquistador, general in the Hispanian Army, and Marshal of the Realm (1542-1632) - The greatest conquistador in the history of Hispania, Hernando Francisco charged into terra incognita driven not as much as by gold but by the chance of glory for Hispania and the hope of redeeming his family's name after Carlos's disgrace. Where his ancestors had fallen or turned back, he triumphed. For years he traveled the wilds of the New World with his band of hardy men, men who were so loyal that they would literally follow him to the ends of the earth. Far from civilization, he was forced to improvise to defend his men. He was good with guns, but when ammunition ran out, the sword became critical. After reaching the ends of the New World in the frozen north and adding the last part of the continent to the maps, he was recalled to Europe, where he quickly adapted to the changing times and threw himself into the battles that Hispania faced against its enemies, becoming an expert commander. He was remembered for being very innovative on the battlefield, devising new tactics on the fly to counter any move the enemy made. He made use of the power of cannons to lead his armies to victory, but that was two hundred years ago. However, despite centuries spent in Heaven he has still retained his ability to adapt quickly to circumstances. Master fencing, average jousting, master firearms.

3. Alejandro de Leon, Field Marshal of the Hispanian Imperial Army and War Minister (1690-1792) - The greatest military leader in the history of Hispania, Alejandro joined the Hispanian Army at a young age, demonstrating his talent with the sword and the gun and rising through the ranks. He distinguished himself in the Phoenix War by taking the city of Madrid and defeating the Phoenixes at Granada through his clever use of both espionage and heavy cannon fire. Finally, he defeated the armies of Montsegur himself at Damietta, decisively ending the war in favor of the loyalists. He now wants a rematch with Montsegur, as he never fought him in life. Like his ancestors, he is highly trained in fencing and target practice. Master fencing, some jousting, master firearms.

4. Fernando de Leon, lieutenant general in the Hispanian Imperial Army (b. 1762) - The current head of the Leon family, Fernando lives in the shadow of his grandfather. Yet this does not dissuade him from his challenges. He distinguished himself in several engagements in Central Europe, the Balkans, and Arabia, honing his fencing and shooting skills even more. Where his ancestors might have trouble with modern weapons, he could back them up. Master fencing, no jousting, master firearms.))

 

[Robban204]

Martí walked down the harbor of Sassari, his ancestral homeland for centuries. Oh how much it had changed. And how much his family had changed. Going from mere counts of Sassari to being one of the oldest and most influential houses in Hispania. Being ambassadors, generals, ministers and even prime minister of Hispania.
Martí stopped and sat down on a bench by the waterfront, a cool breeze flowing across the harbor. He watched the boats sail off to distant shores, fishermen hauling in their last catch for the day and the calm, almost serene end of yet another day, the sun slowly disappearing beyond the endless horizon. As it always had done, long before him, and as it will be doing, long after he is gone.
He wiped away a tear, knowing that he, as his ancestors before him, dedicated their entire lifes for the betterment of Hispania. Oh how he wished his ancestors could see what they had helped shape, an empire unlike any other before it.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the smell of the salt, the distant buzzing of the market and the slow lapping of the ocean made him calm.
It was time. He was 91 years old. Older than any de Alvaros before him.
He went home, gathered his family and ate a last meal.

In the evening, twenty-first of august eighteen hundred twenty one, anno domini, Martí de Alvaro, first of his name, Grand Duke of Sardinia, Corsica and Albenga, Count of Sassari, Cagliari, Corsica and Albenga, faithful servant to Hispania, the Emperor and its people, proud member of the House of de Alvaro and a loving husband, father, brother and uncle, passed away in his sleep, age ninety-one.





((Wow, one and a half years... I'm beyond words, it's simply amazing how long ago it was. I still remember what I was doing at that time. I will gladly continue to follow this AAR into Vicky 2, the AAR is simply too amazing to stop. Also, I'm sorry I haven't been able to post as much lately, I've just switched jobs and are now in a QRF, so I've had a lot of work. Anyway, simply amazing AAR, and I'm glad to have been a part of it, and hope to continue to be a part of it in Vicky 2. Bless you Michael, and keep up the awesome work ))

 

[DragonOfAtlantis]

((May as well add a fourth, will also put stats of the other characters here.

1. Fausto Villanova (1667-1770) - some training with the lance, great fencer, master gunman, general, Count

2. Javier Torto (1560-1647) - good lance training, good fencing skill, no gun skill, soldier

3. Don Diego Fajardo de Mendoza y Guzmán (1594-1660) - no lance skill, great fencing skill, some skill with flintlocks, Baron

4. Félix Villanova (1796) - no lance skill, good fencing, good marksmanship, Count, son of Llúcia de Trastámara (who knows, maybe I can get the royalty bonus instead of the noble bonus. )
))

 

[05060403]

(( I can't think of many characters, so I might as well put in few that I have momories of, some more blurry than others, so excuse me if I get something wrong about them, even if they were my characters.

Anyhow:

1. Arturo de Valencia 1412-1468 ( Noble, great jouster, good fencer and he has no idea what those hand held cannons are. )

2. Gilbert de Saint-Pierre 1698-1798 ( Courtier, general, bearly any experience with joursting, decent swordsman and an excellent (master) shooter. )

3. Gaston Jacques de Saint-Pierre 1604-1694 ( Courtier, general, no experience with joursting, master sword fighter and a decent shooter )

And that'd be all I have. ))

 

[Michaelangelo]

((The skill levels and military experience (these lowered to 5%) should be enough, I believe. I've edited mine to fit with the finer skill levels.

About firearms, it would be good to just put up a training dummy and then act as if duelling - walk a certain distance, then turn around and shoot. Wouldn't wound any of our living participants, but still have the same result.

If there are holes to fill, there's obviously the host bonus - for the first hole or two. If more, I'd pick other legendary figures of Hispania's history. The joust one could be filled with Trastamaras, while the firearm one depends on the host there. Anyway, I believe we should be ready to start over the weekend.

((You're probably right about that now that I think about it. Generals should naturally have better skill, which will be accounted for with the various skill levels, so no point in adding huge bonuses. We'll do 5% for both generals and conquistadors as you suggested, but that's it.

That makes sense for the firearms. Mimics a duel while making it like target practice.

I was sort of hoping to see all three tournaments have the same combatants, but that might just be me. And if we are to start this weekend, we should formalize the rules since we're jumping around a lot working things out. I say we use my skill scale and go with your suggestions for general/conquistador bonuses. Not sure if nobles need a bonus, since it'd be implied in their skills.

If we're adding fourths, I can bring back Pere V then. I also like how some people are writing little bios for their characters, so I'll do that too.

1. Don Chesús (1477-?) - A mysterious knight who only appears during tournaments or times of great distress. Despite his seemingly spectral nature, his appearance continues to show his age, although his skills remain as honed as ever. Many a man has been knocked from his horse with surprise at the unsuspected strength of the 100+ year old knight. He is quite skilled with a blade as part of his knightly training, although his tactics are considered quite out-of-date and he easily falls prey to underhanded tactics. Pistols and other guns are an enigma to him, for their existence was rare during his time amongst the living. Excellent jouster, good fencer, no experience with pistols (what are these handheld cannons?).
2. Prince Martí de Trastámara (1526-1597) - Third son of King Ferran III, Martí was a major figure at his brother's and nephew's court, serving as Chancellor for a long period of time. As the previous winner of the last jousting tournament in the 1500s, where he defeated his grand-nephew Pere, his skill with a lance is unquestioned. He was also quite experienced with a sword, although he rarely wielded a pistol during his entire lifetime. Master jouster, excellent fencer, little experience with pistols.
3. Prince Joan de Trastámara (1779-?) - The son of the long-lived Emperor Alfons IX, Joan is an ambitious man, and possibly one of the most militarily trained Trastámaras in generations. His time on the battlefield has made him well equipped for combat, especially in regards to his use of both firearms and occasionally a sword. While a talented horse-rider, he has never wielded a lance. Little joust experience, good fencer, excellent marksman, general.
4. Emperor Pere V de Trastámara (1560-1630) - The first man proclaimed Emperor of Hispania, Pere faced much tragedy and adversity in life, including the kidnapping of his beloved bastard children, who were not found until after his death. Incredibly fit during his time amongst the living, he made up for his lack of skill through sheer finesse, placing him second in the last tournament where he lost to his grand-uncle Martí. His strength makes him devastating with a lance and his stamina allows him to keep up with most swordsmen. He has a basic knowledge of pistols, but nothing extensive. Excellent jouster, good fencer, average marksman.))

((Wow, one and a half years... I'm beyond words, it's simply amazing how long ago it was. I still remember what I was doing at that time. I will gladly continue to follow this AAR into Vicky 2, the AAR is simply too amazing to stop. Also, I'm sorry I haven't been able to post as much lately, I've just switched jobs and are now in a QRF, so I've had a lot of work. Anyway, simply amazing AAR, and I'm glad to have been a part of it, and hope to continue to be a part of it in Vicky 2. Bless you Michael, and keep up the awesome work ))

((I can probably still remember what you were doing back then. You were always good about warning me when you'd be too busy to participate. I can't tell you how annoying it is as a GM to have someone disappear without warning when they have certain responsibilities you expect of them, so I always appreciated the heads up. I'm glad you stuck around despite a busy life. ))

 

[Arcas Cronifer]

If we're adding fourths, I can bring back Pere V then. I also like how some people are writing little bios for their characters, so I'll do that too.

1. Don Chesús (1477-?) - A mysterious knight who only appears during tournaments or times of great distress. Despite his seemingly spectral nature, his appearance continues to show his age, although his skills remain as honed as ever. Many a man has been knocked from his horse with surprise at the unsuspected strength of the 100+ year old knight. He is quite skilled with a blade as part of his knightly training, although his tactics are considered quite out-of-date and he easily falls prey to underhanded tactics. Pistols and other guns are an enigma to him, for their existence was rare during his time amongst the living. Excellent jouster, good fencer, no experience with pistols (what are these handheld cannons?).
2. ...

I almost expected to read about Archangel Michael's skills here . Just mixing up the AARs a bit.

 

[Michaelangelo]

I almost expected to read about Archangel Michael's skills here . Just mixing up the AARs a bit.

((Don Chesús, unfortunately, cannot fly and doesn't have divine powers. He just lives forever, cursed forever to wonder the land looking for tournaments to participate in. ))

* * * * *

((I forgot that I had a question for everyone. I know several people have stated they aren't familiar with Victoria II and I've said it shouldn't matter that much to participate in the sequel. I still believe that most people can get by without being that familiar with it, but it may cause difficulties when it comes to people serving as ministers. There will be certain positions that will inevitably require some knowledge of Vicky 2. What I want to know is how familiar everyone is with Vicky 2. How many of you have actually played the game? How many of you have just read Vicky 2 AARs or gameplay videos? How many of you have absolutely no experience with Vicky 2 in any form? Don't feel like if you have no experience you'd be unable to participate. I just want to know so I can figure out how much info I'll need to give on the game when writing rules and stuff like that. If there are enough people unfamiliar with it, we could even have miniature tutorials introducing everyone to the key mechanics. I don't mind spending some time trying to get everyone prepared.

Also another update on the royal family tree, which at this point I don't even know if anyone cares about seeing it. I'm just enjoying messing around with it. I'm done with the royal marriages our major allies had and am now working on filling out the lineage for them, since I think it'd be cool to see who each person married into the tree is descended from rather than just them and their parents. I'm only showing those who were in the game, so the ruling line back to the 1400s or so. I'm also going to try linking some of them that are related, like the von Sponheim family for Germany/Munster and Luneburg, if I can figure that out. There are a few player characters scattered around the tree that I haven't touched though, since I don't want to go digging through this iAAR trying to figure out how they're related. I've also figured out the best way to name monarchs so you can recognize them and easily find them in the search. The final thing I'm considering is adding cadet branches. It's kind of a mess when we have hundreds of Trastámaras and no way to tell if they're part of the main branch or not. In the process of trying to figure out where these cadet branches would be, I've made some interesting discoveries. For one, the whole messed-up succession for France caused by the Catherine de' Medici event and the story I crafted for it means that the current Valois line should be a cadet branch. I've also noticed that our current line of Trastámaras could be considered a cadet branch from when Pere V sired no legitimate children and his second-cousin once-removed, Francesc I, inherited. I'm thinking that if I make both of those cadet branches, it'll only show on the family tree, but they shall continue to be referred to by the previous shorter name. I noticed that the historical Valois line had cadet branches inherit before the Bourbons, and they're usually still referred to as just Valois. It'll make things less messy going into the future that way.))

 

[alscon]

((You're probably right about that now that I think about it. Generals should naturally have better skill, which will be accounted for with the various skill levels, so no point in adding huge bonuses. We'll do 5% for both generals and conquistadors as you suggested, but that's it.

That makes sense for the firearms. Mimics a duel while making it like target practice.

I was sort of hoping to see all three tournaments have the same combatants, but that might just be me. And if we are to start this weekend, we should formalize the rules since we're jumping around a lot working things out. I say we use my skill scale and go with your suggestions for general/conquistador bonuses. Not sure if nobles need a bonus, since it'd be implied in their skills.))

((Yeah, that's all I'm going to use. Skill levels with the greater scale and general/conquistador bonus. Nothing for nobles/courtiers, though there should perhaps be a small noble bonus for the joust.

Nothing prevents the tournaments from having the same fillers, as I won't pick ones from my family. For example, one filler is going to be Rodrigo de Vivar, then likely some monarchs and generals of our timeline. Suggestions are welcome .

As for Vicky, I'm fairly familiar with it, though I favour small starts, so I have little experience starting as GP. ))

 

[DragonOfAtlantis]

((I have never played Vicky, but I have been reading aars based in it, including an iaar, but I still barely understand it.))

 

[Arcas Cronifer]

((I forgot that I had a question for everyone. I know several people have stated they aren't familiar with Victoria II and I've said it shouldn't matter that much to participate in the sequel. I still believe that most people can get by without being that familiar with it, but it may cause difficulties when it comes to people serving as ministers. There will be certain positions that will inevitably require some knowledge of Vicky 2. What I want to know is how familiar everyone is with Vicky 2. How many of you have actually played the game? How many of you have just read Vicky 2 AARs or gameplay videos? How many of you have absolutely no experience with Vicky 2 in any form? Don't feel like if you have no experience you'd be unable to participate. I just want to know so I can figure out how much info I'll need to give on the game when writing rules and stuff like that. If there are enough people unfamiliar with it, we could even have

I know quite nothing about Vicky 2, but it doesn't matter anyway, since I wouldn't have more time to dedicate to a participation in a new iAAR than I had for this one, unfortunately . I'd be glad to read and learn from you about that game and its mechanics, though, just like I could do about EUIV so far, thanks to your previous works

 

[Firehound15]

((I'm much more familiar with V2 than I am with EU4.))

 

[05060403]

(( I have few hours of experience with Vic2, but I'm in no way good at it. I played some games as GPs and secondary powers, and some games as minors, but in those I relied heavily on cheats.

However I have a basic grasp on most of the mechanics and basic concepts. But there's still a lot I don't understand.

I've also read some AARs and watched few series on YouTube, and I participated in a Vic2 iAAR for a very brief time. ))

 

[wzhang29]

((As for V2, I know vanilla back and forth, but I have no idea what all those AHD and HOD mechanics are))

 

[zenphoenix]

((I'm sort of familiar with V2 and modding, but I heavily rely on the Validator (in the V2 mods section) to check for errors. I'm okay with the mechanics, though I'm not really that good of a player.))

 

[Michaelangelo]

((Yeah, that's all I'm going to use. Skill levels with the greater scale and general/conquistador bonus. Nothing for nobles/courtiers, though there should perhaps be a small noble bonus for the joust.

Nothing prevents the tournaments from having the same fillers, as I won't pick ones from my family. For example, one filler is going to be Rodrigo de Vivar, then likely some monarchs and generals of our timeline. Suggestions are welcome .

As for Vicky, I'm fairly familiar with it, though I favour small starts, so I have little experience starting as GP. ))

((Okay, I'll give a bonus for the joust then only for nobles. I suppose that makes sense since courtiers would most likely never joust and nobles at least are trained to ride a horse, which is a slight benefit when jousting. Generals and conquistadors get 5% bonus each, and the skill levels have been set already. Once we can get enough people (preferably 32), we can start. I believe we only need 4 more characters, so one more person joining with 4 characters or everyone who only posted 3 so far adding another would be enough.))

((I have never played Vicky, but I have been reading aars based in it, including an iaar, but I still barely understand it.))

I know quite nothing about Vicky 2, but it doesn't matter anyway, since I wouldn't have more time to dedicate to a participation in a new iAAR than I had for this one, unfortunately . I'd be glad to read and learn from you about that game and its mechanics, though, just like I could do about EUIV so far, thanks to your previous works

((I'm much more familiar with V2 than I am with EU4.))

(( I have few hours of experience with Vic2, but I'm in no way good at it. I played some games as GPs and secondary powers, and some games as minors, but in those I relied heavily on cheats.

However I have a basic grasp on most of the mechanics and basic concepts. But there's still a lot I don't understand.

I've also read some AARs and watched few series on YouTube, and I participated in a Vic2 iAAR for a very brief time. ))

((As for V2, I know vanilla back and forth, but I have no idea what all those AHD and HOD mechanics are))

((I'm sort of familiar with V2 and modding, but I heavily rely on the Validator (in the V2 mods section) to check for errors. I'm okay with the mechanics, though I'm not really that good of a player.))

((Seems like we have a wide mix so far in regards to Vicky 2. Honestly, those who have just played the game a little bit or even just followed enough AARs that explain the mechanics are probably fine. I've probably mentioned before that I'm less familiar with Vicky 2, although I can still play it well enough. I've only ever played through one entire game, although I've had a few abandoned campaigns, and I may have been relying on cheats to lower infamy because I'm a warmonger. Despite that, I believe I know enough about the game, like how reforms work, the best techs to research, the whole great power system and crises, etc. If necessary, I'll probably do some basic coverage of the various mechanics that players need to know about to perform minister duties, like the finance sliders, the tech tree, factories, etc.))

 

[Mach Twelve]

((Well if I have to....

Demetrios Mandromenos - Son of Petros, Demetrios was a famous Lieutenant General, but never advanced beyond that. Good Swordsman, Little Jousting, Great Firearms

))

 

[hirahammad]

((Santoros "Abu" Hashem- The first of the Hashems into Iberia, he was raised poor, and only received minimal training during his merchant days. No Jousting, Below-average Jousting, average Fencer, below-average Marksman.

I have never touched Victoria II ever, so I'll probably only be fit for a Ministry in name alone, such as Religious Affairs. (Keep Calm and Convert the Quickest First)))

 

[Michaelangelo]

((Santoros "Abu" Hashem- The first of the Hashems into Iberia, he was raised poor, and only received minimal training during his merchant days. No Jousting, Below-average Jousting, average Fencer, below-average Marksman.

I have never touched Victoria II ever, so I'll probably only be fit for a Ministry in name alone, such as Religious Affairs. (Keep Calm and Convert the Quickest First)))

((You have both none and below-average listed for jousting, so which one is it actually?

Religious Affairs may possibly get the axe, or become like EUIV's Ministry of Education in that it's entirely IC and does nothing. I don't think you can actually convert POPs (units designating different segments of the population, if you're wondering what POPs are). As far as I'm aware, the only way to impact religion is through each party's religious policy. I'm have to make serious revision to the Cabinet and our laws so they actually work with Vicky 2.))