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stnylan

Compulsive CommentatAAR
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Aug 1, 2002
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I've had this wonderful game for about three and three-quarter years, and I realised the other day that I have never properly played a Protestant or a Reformed country. Catholic, CRC, Orthodox, Sunni, Buddhist, and Hindu have all provided me with much entertainment, but nothing Protestant. Oh, a few years here and there, but I've tended to stay Catholic in my European games, largely because it made sense at the time.

Well, I decided that I would play a game where I would convert and stay Protestant. I also decided to finally use the AGCEEP that I have not yet played.

What to play. Well, I've always thought the Livonian Knights had an interesting starting position, with several different options for expansion. Also, I didn't really have a clue what their event file is like, so I might get some surprises. And, of course, they will at some point turn Protestant.

And since I am playing the game I decided to try and make an AAR of this. It won't be narrative, this is just some light entertainment when I need to take my mind off Memory of France.

As for game details EU 1.09 AGCEEP 1.39
Very Hard/Coward

The first update to follow.
 
Chapter I: First moves

liv00019xf.jpg

I have to say those 3 cultures are quite nice, I wonder if I will keep them

The Year of Our Lord 1419 begins, and finds the Order of the Sword at peace, for the moment. No one expects that to last long. They are allied to, and the vassals of, the Teutonic Order. To the south is the great expanse of Poland, and the greater expanse of Lithuania, and Poland has this desire for the port of Danzig.

The Grandmaster von Spanheim knows this: his spies across the border have reported the Poles have been building up an army and are ready to strike. He also knows that between the Poles and the Lithuanians there is little chance for victory. His first loyalty is towards the Order. He does what he can to prepare them for th coming war, increasing the training regimen and disgracing those recruits not up to the challenge (Quality +1).

War comes quickly, and on the 4th January a messenger arrives saying that the Poles have invaded the Teutonic overlords. Von Spanheim withdrew to his study for three hours on hearing the news. When he emerged he called together all the ranking officers of the Order. He then denounced the Teutons, calling them barbarous, oppressors who have defrauded their Polish subjects of their ancient liberties, and thus unworthy of allegiance. He sent a messenger to the Poles and Lithuanians declaring his neutrality (break alliance).To the Teutons he also sent a missive, a tract upbraiding them for their tryanny, and a declaration that the Teutonic Order had broken the contract that bound the two orders together, and that henceforth the Knights of the Sword would not be subject to them (break vassalage).

These two events, following one after the other, sent the realm into disorder (Stability down to -3), but von Spanheim immediately to work, and used the chaos as an excuse to appoint several new local officials, to better manage the Orders estates (TCs in Livland and Estland - Kurland already has a TC. In the meantime the army moved to the southern border, and waited.

Scouts reported heavy fighting taking place between the Teutons and Lithuania in Prussia. The city of Warsaw was besieged while the Poles had marched on Kustrin. At the end of May the Lithuanian King, Vytautus, finally managed to gain an ascendency in their many battles, and laid siege to Konigsburg. Once he saw his army was firmly ensconsed he and a small party set forth to the Livonian border, and under a white tent he met Grandmaster von Spanheim. They talked and feasted, and the next day there were jousts, and on the third day the von Spanheim directed his foremost general, von Rutenberg, to join the war against their former Masters (accepted offer to join Polish/Lithuanian alliance in war versus Teutonic Order)

liv00023sq.jpg

Map of the locale before the declaration of war
 
Excellent a new stnylan AAR :) . I always like your comments in my AAR glad to be able to do so in one of yours now. Nice choice of nation, I've always wanted to play the Livonian Order but never got around to it. Good luck with it I think you'll need it, they're fairly poor aren't they?
 
Aargh! Another AAR to fit into my crowded schedule! And I'm already falling far behind! :wacko: Well, I've never played the AGC-EEP and I've never seen any Livonian AAR, so this should provide some interest, some lighter fare in between frantic dashes from HistoryPark to Post-Civil-War Texas to Lovecraftian France to mythical Kingdom of Jerusalem to Navarre to... etc. etc.

It should be interesting as well because usually you hide the game quite deeply below the narrative. This should be a change and allow me to see stnylan the player. :)
 
Duke of Wellington - they are indeed fairly poor, but started off with a sweet treasury of 250. However, they also begin the game with a CoT in Livland, which I am hoping will help my in the leaner, early years. Heavens knows how long that'll stay there however.

Gorjak - what a thing to suggest! For the time being no, but in the future, quite possibly. But it really depends how many wars I get dragged into.

The Suebian - more like just concerned with basic survival. In my games that first war happens almost every time, and the TO/LO almost always loose quite badly.

Stuyvesant - Well I hope I do not disappoint, but rest assured there will not be so much reading in this one.

All - Just a note I will probably try to update this every 2-3 days, but it really depends partly on how much Memory of France is co-operating, and the game itself.
 
Good style, but shouldn't this be in the EU2AAR forum?

EDIT: Okey...now I am confused...was this in the general AAR forum when I posted this or not? I do not longer know.
 
Duke of Wellington said:
Its always been in the EU2 forum :)
Then my brain is Jell-O.
 
Now this should be interesting. I've never seen the Livonians last for very long

Good luck!
 
My disease has infected you, stnylan. Good luck keeping two AARs off the ground. And don't let France fall behind if this one proves too entertaining.

But a strong start and the right move. The Teutonic Order is not long for this world, I must think. But be careful of Poland - they tend to fight a lot of wars at first. That may be a good thing, but then again - maybe not so good depending on who the enemies are.
 
coz1 - It does seem that way. We shall see how this develops. And Poland and Lithuania are both inveterate warmongers, but they're the biggest kids on the block at the moment.

EvilSanta - Indeed. I really have no idea who going to Protestant is going to work out. Hell, I can't even remember what the particular bonuses/maluses are of being Protestant. Still, go a century or so before I need to worry about that.

angryclown - too true. The Livonians in my games always stay faithful to the TO. Suckers.

Lurken - no comment on your brain :D

Duke of Wellington - That is what I am afraid of. Still it'll be nice so long as it lasts. As for goals, I haven't really thought too much other than turn Protestant at some point. I have the shadowy feeling that at some point I will turn into Kurland - but I am going to avoid delving into the event file to find out. But at the moment I have three interesting cultures, and a Germano-Baltic Empire is definitely an intriguing prospect.
 
Chapter II: The First War

liv00043nm.jpg

Cysse von Rutenberg marched into the lands of the Teutonic Order at the hand of a mighty army, but one hampered by an inadequate number of squires. Von Spanheim had decreed that, since no Teutonic troops were in the area, the knighly would only need one squire each instead of the two to which they were accustomed. This did not sit particularly well with von Rutenberg, but von Spanheim was proved right as the army invested the port of Memel without encountering any significant oppostion (maintenance is at 50%).

Meanwhile the Lithuanians besieged Konigsberg, while the Poles had marched into the Teuton's western holdings of Neumark, around the town of Kustrin. They had just finished reducing the fortresses of that place when news arrived that the Order had mortgaged the land to the Elector of Bradenburg. The Poles fumed, but had to abandon their conquests.

liv00057mk.jpg

The initial stages of the war

Their mood did not improve to learn that the city of Warsaw fell soon after, and the Teutons incorporated it within their realm (Teutonic Order annex Masovia). The Teuton army then marched to relieve Konigsberg, but where met and deated by an army of Poles and Lithuanians under the Lithuanian king. They retreated back to Warsaw, and there defeated the army of the Polish king that was hoping to retake the city.

Hearing that the Teuton army was being reduced von Rutenberg left a small covering force at Memel and marched back into Kurland. After a conference with von Spainheim regiments totalling a further four thousand infanty were raised. He split his army into two. The infantry, and the new regiments once they completed their muster, were to go and complete the siege of Memel. Von Rutenberg, at the head of just over eight thousand knights, departed southward through Prussia, and emerged onto the Polish plain.

In a series of battles in Masovia, Wielkopolska, and near Mozyr the Teuton army had been dispersed. The Polish King had marched north to besiege the port of Danzig. Von Rutenberg routed the remnants of the Teuton army to and surrounded Warsaw. The Teutons fled northward, where they were defeated again by the Lithuanians. By this time the siege of Memel was progressing once again, and the entirely of the Teuton lands were under threat.

liv00064lh.jpg

Poor Teutons!

Barely three thousand Teuton troops remained, from an army that had once numbered over twenty thousand. Unfortunately they realised that the Knights of the Sword had completely left their lands in the hands of God. They marched into Kurland, and although they could not secure any cities or fortresses, they rampaged around the countryside, looting everything in sight. The sieges continued, each progressing slowly. It was Warsaw that fell first, when a Polish patriot opened the gates. Von Rutenberg then marched with his army to join the army at Memel. Konigsberg was the next city to fall, and then Danzig, and finally Memel fell on the first day of spring 1421. Peace was not, however, forthcoming.

It was at this time that a remarkable document arrived from Sweden, and the Council there declared that they would not acknowledge the independence of the Knights of the Sword, and would not recognise their heralds. This brazen statement angered many, but there was nothing that could be done, for the Swedes had a powerful fleet while the Order had none at all (Diplomatic Insult - Sweden).

Desiring to free Kurland from the Teuton bandits von Rutenberg led his army home, but now they paid the price of von Spanheim's frugality, for the army was ambused by the Teutons. Short of squires the knights were unable to arm, and had to make an ignomious retreat. Three months later they returned, and the mistake was not repeated. The Teutons were surrounded, and annihilated.

The long drawn out business of negotiation now proceeded. To celebrate the victories von Spanheim inducted new members of the Order from both Poland and Lithuania, to seal the friendships recently established with those lands (Royal marriages with Lithuania and Poland). At last, after many months of denial, the Teutons agreed to terms. First they recognosed that the Grandmaster of the Knights of the Sword had sole right to name the castellon of Memel, and sole right of garrison. A few weeks later they surrendered the port of Danzig to Poland, and the remnants of their treasury was split between Poland and Lithuania. However they did retain control of Warsaw. Peace returned once more to the Livonian Order.

liv00073wm.jpg

After the two peace treaties. The Black lines marks the original border of the Teutonic Order.

A separate peace with the TO for Memel, followed by LIT+POL making peace for Danzig and 83 gold. This followed about six months of no peace despite the TO having no troops and on provinces. I got bored of the waiting.
 
Duke of Wellington - The thought had crossed my mind ;)

Incidentally this takes us up to Apr 18 1422.
 
Well I do have a core on Ingermanland. Actually, what was pretty amusing is that, as of this point in the game, no one has declared war on Novgorod. The North is at peace. Not a clue why.