Sforza!!! - A Milan AAR

[rhynoclemmis]

So all these wars were not the "War to end all wars" but rather the "Wars to start the one war".
Milanese high school teaching must be a funny thing a few decades later.

"Professore, so do I understand it correctly that the Kindgom of Milano has subdued the Iberian Penninsula, fought and soundly defeated France, landed in England several times, colonized most of the Americas and set up an African empire by force simply in order to attack the Ottomans?"
"Yes, very good. You are correct."
"But why?"
"Eeer....... faulty maps? Don't pose such stupid questions!"

 

[unmerged(53911)]

"Eeer....... faulty maps? Don't pose such stupid questions!"

Damn maps! Don't trust any that I have made meself!

 

[Rensslaer]

At Gloucestershire, Gen. Testi engaged with Gen. Talbot with his cavalry. He hardly had a superior force, and really had meant to skirmish with, and then slip past, Talbot as quickly as possible, en route to undefended lands to the north. However, his initial contact was so successful, he determined to press the attack for a few days.

By the middle of July, 1619, Milanese troops were swarming over the British Isles, burning the commerce and hearts of their cities. They were still not there in sufficient force to withstand the onslaught of the full British Army, but they would be able to concentrate against the small detachments that were being sent north. They would defeat them, and then come for the rest when their strength had been taken, piecemeal.

Coming from Lancashire, Gen. Testi led his cavalry against a target of opportunity in the Marches. The rule, in this conflict, would be to attack smaller forces where they exposed themselves. That way, Milan could wear the British defenses down without losing too many of her own troops.

Joining in the act, Gen. Pico attacked two British regiments in Anglia, and the enemy took the brunt of the casualties even though they held the high ground in the battle.

Meanwhile, Milanese ships kept bringing more Imperial troops to British shores. The balance was quickly shifting. Even overseas, St. Lucia soon fell under siege.

Testi’s success in the Marches was substantial, resulting in only tattered remnants escaping. Pico continued to pound the British in East Anglia, redoubling the viciousness of his attack…

The only difficulty was that 21,000 soldiers were known to be en route to East Anglia from London! It was time to bug out, no matter how successful the campaign had been so far!

Soon, it became obvious that far too many British troops were moving around the southern provinces, not just in Anglia, but elsewhere. A gradual, orderly withdrawal toward the north began. The siege at Gwynned was broken, on the approach of 8,000 of the enemy (vs. 3,000 Milanese). And Gen. Pico prepared to move north, after having bloodied several more British regiments. Gen. Gilbert was leading his 21,000 north from East Anglia, chasing him!

The good news is, within 2 weeks, there will be more Imperial troops on the British Isle than British!

Setbacks must be expected. However, setbacks must not be allowed to become permanent! Lest all be lost. Much more of this game of cat and mouse needed to be played out before a victor could be identified.

 

[rhynoclemmis]

The Pico family has a tradition of bringing out the best geberals in the empire for decades now.

 

[Enewald]

and continuing beating brits... as allways.

 

[unmerged(81390)]

*yawn*

Even more war?

 

[robou]

if this does not destory the british ability to have an empire, it will no doubt cripple them for some time to come.

 

[Berrrie]

The situation in that last screenshot looks messy. But Milan has the power of numbers; the only problem is ferrying them over.

 

[unmerged(53911)]

Defeat in detail! Sounds like someone should coin this new-fangled Milanese military doctrine. Keep the Brits on the hunt. It worked well for the Continental forces under Morgan in the South; and very poorly for Lord Cornwalis (as I recall).

 

[unmerged(58610)]

Independent Ulster would make an excellent staging area. Provding those numeroius forces are well-lead the war will soon be over and chunks of England will forever be Milanese.

 

[Lord E]

Yet again the forces of Milan are marching around England using roads and seeing cities they have seen so many times before. Still it seems like you might be able to get something done about the English menace this time, but then on the other side we thought so last time as well, but then it always seems like someone else decides to declare war on you and you need to use your forces on other fronts, I guess the moment you have sent most of your forces into the British Isles would be a great time for Austria or someone else to declare war and get revenge against the empire. Maybe it is all one giant conspiracy against the Empire?...

 

[unmerged(81763)]

I'm curious as to what your domestic slider looks like...

For instance, do you favor defensive or offensive?

 

[Qorten]

I'd build lots more transports before I'd have declared against Britain. But that's just me of course. You're doing very well with what you have on the island , time to bring fresh recruits over.

 

[unmerged(60841)]

DO we have a vassalization candidate?

 

[Rensslaer]

A pitiful attempt at feedback after WAY TOO MANY weeks of absence...

Stupid aside comment... Anybody out there a fan of Kimigure Orange Road? I'm listening to soundtracks... Good '80s reminiscences.

At first, when I saw pictures of you fighting in England, I thought you're back-and-forth war of conquest was still going on but now I see that this is an entirely new invasion. You'd think those perfidious sons of Albion would've learned their lessons from the last time and built up the wooden walls some, but I guess that's the AI for youl *sigh*

Yeah... Part 4, or something! Britain becomes a recurring nightmare. At least until I start to get a handle on them... Which is soon!

Warmonger

About AI Conversions - it's pretty rare so Force-conversion may not help that much except for new and developing colonies. I 'think' that by this stage in a game the AI has usually moved sufficiently innovative that it doesn't have any missionaries - that's the same root cause as the mid game colonial slow down the AI normally goes through.

Good point about colonies -- they do have some, still. It might still be worth trying, if only for a role-playing purpose... And economics, of course.

I say that going territorially into Britannia is a mistake--the same one the Romans made, of overstretching their logistical capacity beyond any ability to defend their homeland. At the very most, you should be looking to reduce their threat in the future...and that certainly won't happen if you've taken their core territory, mon frere.

I would say force convert, bankrupt, and humiliate if at all possible. Not one more BB point wasted on those British savages! They don't deserve the honor of Milanese sons in their daughters' beds! Teach them a lesson they shan't ever forget and then put your rudder to their shores but good. You don't want the world to think you're a...a warmonger or anything.

Right?

I tend to agree with you. That's "a bridge too far" as they say. Not really in my interests at all. On the other hand, I need to find a way to control them, somehow, and to become a looming presence so I don't have to keep invading them by sea. I do, in fact, have a solution for this problem coming up... I'm actually a war or two ahead of you, so... You'll be pleased to see how things turn out.

Well, I started reading this after finding it with a google search, after reaching page 18 I decided to see how long the thread actually is.

Just want to say thanks for sharing. Reading this has helped me grasp the pacing/basic strategy of playing the game and also excellent insight into forming alliances and how to use (abuse) them. After four starts and wipeouts I have started with Sweden, survived a whole 5 years, and am totally addicted. It will all end in tears or course but then I just get to try again (or finish reading this thread which may be just as entertaining).

I've already responded to this, but it's worth restating! I'm really glad to hear you say this is helpful for learning strategy, even if I don't always hold to the Strategy Guide! That's really what I'd hope would happen, when I started this AAR. I'll repeat that you'll catch on eventually. All I ever needed to know, I learned while playing Victoria! That is to say, in a realistic simulation, you'll find that the most victorious strategies are inherent in ALL realistic simulations! And, yes! That IS an invitation to read Fire Warms the Northern Lands, my Victoria masterpiece of fiction, historybook and gameplay!

I guess that hints to a war with the Ottomans...?

Who???

So all these wars were not the "War to end all wars" but rather the "Wars to start the one war".
Milanese high school teaching must be a funny thing a few decades later.

"Professore, so do I understand it correctly that the Kindgom of Milano has subdued the Iberian Penninsula, fought and soundly defeated France, landed in England several times, colonized most of the Americas and set up an African empire by force simply in order to attack the Ottomans?"
"Yes, very good. You are correct."
"But why?"
"Eeer....... faulty maps? Don't pose such stupid questions!"

:rofl: Well, I had to guard my back, right?! Seriously... I had to guard my back, so that my neighbors who, stupidly, would not ally with me against the Arab menace, would refrain from attacking me while I was busy crusading!

The Pico family has a tradition of bringing out the best geberals in the empire for decades now.

Yes, well... Need I say that I'm frustrated with the pool of names for poor, little Milan (at least it was at one time -- not meant to become a world power, I think!)?

if this does not destory the british ability to have an empire, it will no doubt cripple them for some time to come.

Pesky shopkeepers!

The situation in that last screenshot looks messy. But Milan has the power of numbers; the only problem is ferrying them over.

Yes, messy, it is true! Got 15,000 enemy troops roaming the countryside... Time to really deal with them, I think!

Defeat in detail! Sounds like someone should coin this new-fangled Milanese military doctrine. Keep the Brits on the hunt. It worked well for the Continental forces under Morgan in the South; and very poorly for Lord Cornwalis (as I recall).

Indeed, you are correct (though I'm dreadfully short on my Rev.War history -- don't know who Morgan is). When outnumbered, the universal rules of irregular warfare state, keep moving and attack only when victory is assured.

Yet again the forces of Milan are marching around England using roads and seeing cities they have seen so many times before. Still it seems like you might be able to get something done about the English menace this time, but then on the other side we thought so last time as well, but then it always seems like someone else decides to declare war on you and you need to use your forces on other fronts, I guess the moment you have sent most of your forces into the British Isles would be a great time for Austria or someone else to declare war and get revenge against the empire. Maybe it is all one giant conspiracy against the Empire?...

I'm afraid their chances are gone... Milan is now powerful enough to fight a two-front war, no matter who the 2nd opponent is. At least I HOPE so!

I'm curious as to what your domestic slider looks like...

For instance, do you favor defensive or offensive?

Well... Looking back (ACK! I'm 15 years ahead of my updates!!!), I see this...

I'm actually not a big believer in slider changes, because of the Stability hit that I take every time I move one, which puts me back several years in Stability improvements... I also don't believe Offense/Defense has any real advantage either way -- they tend to balance each other out -- so, combined with my reluctance to move sliders, my Off/Def sliders tend to stay pretty close to the middle. One thing I noted in the Strategy Guide is that defensive is sometimes good for aggressive players, because of the bonus it gives for siege warfare. In any case, no I don't typically recommend one over the other.

I'd build lots more transports before I'd have declared against Britain. But that's just me of course. You're doing very well with what you have on the island , time to bring fresh recruits over.

I've really neglected my navy (and you'll see these chickens come to roost in future updates!), because I'm concentrating my money on colonization, army building, and economy investments (followed by anti-inflation measures, which never seem to be a priority with me -- which is probably a mistake!).

DO we have a vassalization candidate?

The way vassalization is rigged in this patch, I don't think it's realistic for any country that actually has a colonial empire. England would require more than a complete takeover, in order to be ripe for vassalization. That's too bad, for many reasons. They'd be a good ally!

Okay, before I wrap up, another stupid aside question... Anyone out there a fan of Spaten Optimator beer??? I'm on my 3rd bottle, and I'm having a GREAT time! I'm willing to take recommendations to disprove my assertion that this is the best beer in the world!

An update should be coming relatively soon. I can't promise right away, because I have about 5 things I need to do urgently (and an update, unfortunately, is not one of them!). But real-world priorities are not necessarily determinitive of when I make a Paradox update. Oh well....

Thanks for reading and commenting, everybody! Special thanks, also, for those first-time commenters!

Rensslaer

 

[unmerged(53911)]

Take a stroll over to the Wiki and look up the Battle of Cowpens. Very useful for irregular war tactics!

 

[Rensslaer]

Reinforcements might be coming, but the British still packed a wallop, and we were needing to watch out for that! A strategic withdrawal was made from the province of Lincoln, to retreat to a standline.

In the Atlantic, a battle was beginning for control of the island of Bermuda.

Yorkshire became a major victory, wiping out yet more of the priceless British troops, and improving the balance of power on the island.

By early October, every British province north of Lincoln and the Marches was home to at least a couple regiments of Milanese soldiers. These sieges were making progress, if slowly. The islands of Bermuda and St. Lucia, near America, would both fall, soon.

The battles which raged in the middle-lands – at Lancashire, and Cumbria – both favored Milan in terms of the balance of casualties. Britain could not afford near the casualties Milan could, and yet she was taking the lion’s share, even when they won!

At Yorkshire, Pico was beating Gen. Talbot around the head, but Gen. Gilbert was quick-closing from the south with more than 12,000 troops, which would even out the battle.

Worse yet was news that Gen. Saunders was bringing another 15,000 from East Anglia! The Brits were swarming, and despite the several promising indicators of Imperial strength, these numbers would still test Milan’s mettle.

Gen. Sopransi’s battle near Oxfordshire took yet more of a toll on the British, to add to the tallies at Yorkshire and the Marches (Sopransi’s previous complete victory).

When Gen. Testi’s reinforcements, drawn from Bremen, and landed at Kent, arrived, they were able to reconnoiter and discover that London was defended by only 3,000 men! Two large Milanese armies lurked in the countryside nearby.

Meanwhile, Gen. Saunders and his army of 15,000 (reduced by remarkable numbers of desertions!) had successfully been lured north…

Sopransi’s victory at Oxfordshire was near-total. He had pinned those regiments down while Gen. Testi slipped into London from the south, hitting Gen. Talbot hard.

The sieges Milan held upon many northern provinces – many of them Scottish – were beginning to tell upon the defenses in those cities. Some provinces would soon fall to Imperial control.

The Battle of London continued, with mounting casualties for the English.

Then, at the beginning of December, Gen. Massi Pico thundered into Gen. Warwick’s flank in Northumberland.

This battle went very well, initially, and eventually took the lives of nearly 3,000 Britons.

And, before the end of the year 1619, the defenders of London were pushed back, and a siege of their capital began. Another 1500 men had suffered death or injury there. The British were losing their capacity to renew their manpower.

 

[unmerged(98701)]

How large is the British colonial empire anyway?

 

[PrawnStar]

Decent progress there.

I'm guessing but the easiest way to undermine Great Britain would be to force the release of the various minors on the British Isles - even if they are a bit weird (I grew up in Northumberland and an independent 'Geordie Nation' sounds bizarre).

 

[unmerged(53911)]

Very nice work in the UK! Is your Land Tech advantage greater than theirs? You are swarming the island and keeping them off balance and this should work well for you given the limited amount of maneuvering space. Any plans for the peace (or should I say "piece") requirements?