From Humble Origins - Croatia Mega Campaign AAR

[totalbasscase]

As I sit here, it occurs to me that calling this an AAR is a bit of a misnomer - I will be reporting as the action happens. After all, this will likely take me weeks if not months, and would be downright impossible if it weren't the summer. The idea of a mega campaign has appealed to me since I got Crusader Kings, and I tried a couple of times with Byzantium to preserve the Empire, but I'm one for individuality and there are so many purple AARs on the board that I felt I was retreading old ground.

So I'm retreading some ground of my own, and I'm going to give Croatia another go. My theory behind this is as follows: by the time EU2 starts, Croatia's position is so untenable that to play it is suicide (see my first Croatia AAR, written back when I was in high school, which ended in a grisly suicide). Perhaps if I start further back in time I can maintain a climate in the Balkans that is more conducive to Croatian survival, if not success or (dare I dream?) dominance.

With that said, here are the guidelines:
1) The games will be CK 1.05, EU2/3 (haven't decided yet; EU3 doesn't agree wit my laptop), Victoria Revolutions, and Hearts of Iron: Doomsday. Seeing as I only own CK, EU2, and HOI, this is going to involve a slight investment, but if I can join the illustrious ranks of those leading a nation for the better part of a millenia, I consider that quite a return.

2) Difficulty and aggressiveness will stay on Normal. I'm not THAT good at these games.

3) No cheating - this includes loading other nations and reloading if Zagreb should happen to fall. It's already happened once, right?

4) I'll be using Ebbesen's bridefinder for the CK period, and ignoring my dynasty as soon as I get to EU.

Goals: Survive, first and foremost. Influence events around me to better my position (I.E., support the enemies of the Ottomans early on to prevent their dominance.) Play the opportunist and expand when I see an opportunity. Try and remain a relevant, relatively powerful nation through the conclusion of the campaign. Colonize if possible (Hey, I've got coastline, right?). Finish out the campaign as a nuclear power.

Hope you'll join me for the ride!

 

[totalbasscase]

To start: The Croatian Royal Family - My illustrious self, my frumpy looking wife, and our beautiful daughter. Too bad she's not a son - if I don't father one of those soon, my brother will take the whole lot of everything upon my death.

Isn't she just the spitting image of dear old daddy?

The Balkans a year after I begin - the only development being Serbia's swallowing up of Ragusa.

The 1.05 update was kind to Croatia, and I start in a relatively strong position in the Balkans. A demesne of four provinces, three of them coastal, but few military expansion options. Thankfully, my own substantial diplomatic ability is augmented by a stellar chancellor. Alliance proposals immediately arrive from Serbia, Apulia, and Sweden of all places. The first is rejected, the second accepted, and the third ignored. Turning the message around, I find that a diplomatic ability in the mid-twenties does indeed serve a purpose:

And thus the Kingdom expands without any sort of bloodshed. On the home front, as finances permit, I begin the construction of fishing wharfs along the Dalmatian coast. After four years I am beginning to worry that I have not impregnated my queen - Salic primogeniture is the law of the land in Croatia, and I have no male heir. A solution appears to present itself:

And for the meager sum of fifty gold coins, I have a new spymaster. This brings my total intrigue up almost to my total diplomacy, and I inquire as to the feasibility of purchasing my wife a one-way ticket to heaven. The price, however, is too rich for my blood (on the order of a hundredfold), and so I must bide my time, plug away, and hope that some of the little guys can swim.

Robert, Duke of Apulia, sees fit to attack some one-province neighbor of another, and I pay the alliance lip service by declaring war along with him and letting him prosecute it to its conclusion. He installs a vassal count, and I extend to him an offer of vassalization - his pride is too great.

Two years into my reign, I have incorporated Serbia and (indirectly) Ragusa into the kingdom, and secured an ally across the Adriatic. My income stands at a healthy 17 coins a month, and my infrastructure grows steadily.

Suggestions for my next move are always welcome.

 

[coz1]

Moved the thread to CK. We can move again when you've progressed far enough.

Good luck.

 

[totalbasscase]

As it stands, I've got two major issues. First is the lack of a male heir. My wife has contracted an illness, and isn't getting pregnant anytime soon. I'm quite frankly tired of it, but can hardly afford to off her, so I start looking elsewhere in the family tree. Completely by chance I stumble upon a stellar bride in the Kingdom of Georgia, and quickly arrange a marriage between her and my halfwit brother.

Second is the civil unrest going on in my neighbor to the east. As you can see, Byzantium is having some troubles:

In fact, the duchy of Belgrade was the first to break away, and quickly accepted the offer of vassalization I extended. I left the situation well enough alone, until the Emperor's troops set foot in my kingdom. Action had to be taken.

Thankfully, a random event had given me a claim on one of the Empire's vassals. So after a DoW on Dorostorum, four messengers greeted me:

Due to the civil strife, the Empire can only raise about 14,000 men - the same as my modest kingdom. The difference is in concentration; whereas I can send all 14,000 to Constantinople, the Emperor's troops are spread out around Asia Minor quelling rebellions. I need only win a few battles before I can secure the white peace that will guarantee the survival of my newest vassal, and expand my kingdom yet another province.

My new Marshal helped out a bit, before he caught pneumonia and had to be retired to the castle.

A year after the conclusion of the war, just as my finances were becoming solvent again, I had a windfall and called the estates general. Sacrificing my justness and wiseness for 450 gold (I'm a cheap whore!), I suddenly have almost enough money to deal with that infertile sack of meat that serves as my queen. Two months later, I've sent her to sleep with the fishes, and no one is the wiser.

Now, to find a nubile young thing before I'm too old... (nearing 50!)

 

[totalbasscase]

The next few years have been largely peaceful. My allies in the Boot have snagged a province from their southern neighbors, who had the gall to land in both Split and Senj, but both invasions were easily repelled. Meanwhile, I found my bride just as she came of age in Cornwall, England:

In an effort to get my monthly prestige up, I created the title Duke of Croatia and handed it to one of my vassal counts, as well as passing along my own title of Duke of Zara to the last remaining one, thus giving me five Dukes as vassals and no Counts. Thanks to a timely Estates General contribution, I was also able to dub myself King of Serbia, though thankfully Croatia takes alphabetical precedence and I don't have to change away from this wonderful royal blue shade of territory.

It takes me all of a month to impregnate my new wife, but the first child is a daughter! While she may not be male, her stats are definitely respectable, which gives me hope for my (eventual) heir.

I'm tearing my hair out. It finally occurs to me that the reason my brother hasn't sired a child yet is because I've appointed him my diocese bishop, and he's not allowed to! So it's up to me.

I knew I had it in me! And he's no slouch, either - a chip off the old block. Granted, he's not South Slavic, and his name is kind of bizarre, but diversity is the spice of life, right?

Then, for the third time in two years, I knock Emma up yet AGAIN... but just as I'm finishing up some infrastructure improvements - road across all my provinces - disaster strikes.

Dead at eighteen from popping out my heirs. Go figure.

So, yet again we go wife hunting across Europe. And we wait for either Byzantium or the Holy Roman Empire to crumble a bit so we can start inching outward.

 

[totalbasscase]

It occurs to me that the reason I used to have so much fun writing these in EU2 was because it wasn't about taking screenshots and photoshopping them but rather about turning the game into a story. To that end, I will be starting the entire AAR over tonight. Apologies to those who were subjected to my picture book.