Tales of Heroes II: The Hungarian Clan

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Tales of Heroes II: MP of the Hungarian Clan

Tales of Heroes II: The Hungarian Clan

Welcome, kings, warriors, travellers, wanderers, dreamers, artists, and all those who, in some way or another, have courage to follow their own wanderlust. Come forward to hear what I have to tell, for this is a tale even beyond Your imagination.

I hope you enjoy this tale! Be my guest!

Last month (23 August) our glorious Clan met once again to fight it out amongst ourselves, and this time a pledge was made, we would not finish until we reach 1820 (it remains to be seen whether we will succeed this time ).

Settings were:

Grand Campaign (1419), Patch: 1.07. beta (version: 23rd July) Difficulty: Very hard, Aggressiveness: Normal, Game speed: normal / below normal (to avoid lots of pausing, but I doubt we will be able to avoid that) autosave every 5 years, otherwise default. (music turned off, in order to enhance gameplay)

After giving much thought about choosing the right countries to play, and especially bearing in mind long-term game-balance (we have failed in our previous attempts to find a balanced setting) we have come to the conclusion to play with the following countries (I will use the real names in the case of those 2 gents who are not active members to this forum):

Castile: Kalpeti
Habsburg Empire: Zsolo
Ottoman Empire: Attila the Hun
Sweden: Zoli
England: Laci (Obelix)

And in order to enhance game-balance we use the following house rules:

1. “Charles the Bold must die”: the inheritance of Burgundy event must take place as it happened in history (Austria inheriting the low-lands, etc.), thus only defensive wars can be fought against them, and even so it can not be vassallised, provinces can not be taken in peace offers from them (this rule obviously expires with the inheritance event (late 1470s))

2. “Let Lisbon prosper”: no raid of Lisbon to steal maps from them, only defensive wars can be fought against them, and even so colonies, and TPs can not be taken in peace offers (this rule expires with the Spanish Vassallisation event (late 1570s))

3. “Do not kick the one already down at the .....”: Besides Picardie (he should at least have a fair chance of not loosing the 100 years war, and Picardie is a precondition), England can not take further provinces from France, England can only wage defensive wars against them, and it surely can not vassalise it (there is no expiry date for this, the objective is to make the English loose French culture in the long-run )


Thanks to Zsolo's scripting we have introduced a new inheritance of Hungary event, that has a more historical trigger (partly depending on the Ottoman Empire), and even more importantly a more historical outcome (instead of Austria inheriting all of Hungary, the country will be divided into 3, Transsylvania will only emerge after the event), and some other new cool events for Hungary

To be followed……….

 

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This thread will be (we hope) some kind of AAR so it should be moved maybe to the AAR section?!

 

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Originally posted by Attila the Hun
...After giving much thought about choosing the right countries to play, and especially bearing in mind long-term game-balance (we have failed in our previous attempts to find a balanced setting) ………. [/B]

Just to show how we failed:

France after a war against the overconfident portuguese
(me as France, Attila the Hun as Portugal)

Portugal attacked and conquered almost all of Castille. I thought I can not allow Portugal to become an OVERPortugal and tried to force him to give back the territories to Castille. He did not agreed and the government fall...

 

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Thoose Hungarians!!

 

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Re: Re: Tales of Heroes II: The Hungarian Clan

Originally posted by Kalpeti
Just to show how we failed:
...Portugal attacked and conquered almost all of Castille. I thought I can not allow Portugal to become an OVERPortugal and tried to force him to give back the territories to Castille. He did not agreed and the government fall... [/B][/QUOTE]


The moral of that game was:

1. treaties between human players can not last longer than 20 years (there was a non-aggression pact signed for 50 years between the two most powerful countries in 1419: England and France, which eventually lead to the destruction of my Portugease ambitions, after conquering all of Castile around 1430. Needless to say that was not a piece of cake at all.)

2. Players will no longer sign treaties forbidding them to attack each other (Once England realised that France would turn against Portugal (ME) he could do nothing to help me. Again, needles to say that Portugal is no match for France around 1430, but I guess not even in the long-run by itself)

3. The 1419 settings are unfortunately simply to unbalanced to choose countries without some extra "game-balancing" house rules that we have introduced in are current game (I understand this is excatctly the reason why that a majority of MPs start at 1492, however I for myself think we would loose out on some of the nice events between 1419-1492, thus we sticked to the 1419 starting date)

4. France will not be an option to choose in 1419 (We have simply not found a better solution to this, if there is no agreement between England and France in 1419 England will most probably conquer France by 1425 because the unbalanced start. If there is an agreement in that case France is simply to strong for any other country (like Portugal) to match, thus without English intervention France can basicly do whatever it wants on the Continent.)

Anyhow, let us not hijack the thread, shall we :D

 

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Re: Re: Re: Tales of Heroes II: The Hungarian Clan

Originally posted by Attila the Hun

...

Anyhow, let us not hijack the thread, shall we

No hijacking, just wanted to answer the obvious question: Nobody plays France, how comes?
From now on i promise i will behave.

 

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Re: Re: Re: Tales of Heroes II: The Hungarian Clan

Originally posted by Attila the Hun
The moral of that game was:

1. treaties between human players can not last longer than 20 years (there was a non-aggression pact signed for 50 years between the two most powerful countries in 1419: England and France, which eventually lead to the destruction of my Portugease ambitions, after conquering all of Castile around 1430. Needless to say that was not a piece of cake at all.)

2. Players will no longer sign treaties forbidding them to attack each other (Once England realised that France would turn against Portugal (ME) he could do nothing to help me. Again, needles to say that Portugal is no match for France around 1430, but I guess not even in the long-run by itself)

3. The 1419 settings are unfortunately simply to unbalanced to choose countries without some extra "game-balancing" house rules that we have introduced in are current game (I understand this is excatctly the reason why that a majority of MPs start at 1492, however I for myself think we would loose out on some of the nice events between 1419-1492, thus we sticked to the 1419 starting date)

4. France will not be an option to choose in 1419 (We have simply not found a better solution to this, if there is no agreement between England and France in 1419 England will most probably conquer France by 1425 because the unbalanced start. If there is an agreement in that case France is simply to strong for any other country (like Portugal) to match, thus without English intervention France can basicly do whatever it wants on the Continent.)

Anyhow, let us not hijack the thread, shall we

From now on, I hope that the AAR of the latest game will kick off at last!

 

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Originally posted by Attila the Hun
Tales of Heroes II: The Hungarian Clan

Thanks to Zsolo's scripting we have introduced a new inheritance of Hungary event, that has a more historical trigger (partly depending on the Ottoman Empire), and even more importantly a more historical outcome (instead of Austria inheriting all of Hungary, the country will be divided into 3, Transsylvania will only emerge after the event), and some other new cool events for Hungary

Thnaks Attila for that, however I would be much more happy if the EEP Forum could deliver some response to my posted scripts!

 

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This is just a brief summery of the major events that happened, from my (Ottoman Empire's) perspective, including some of my comments, so I would be glad if Kalpeti, Zoli and Zsolo would write a brief summery from their perspectives.

My primary goal was the unification of all Turkish (culture) lands under the Ottoman flag as soon as possible, even if this meant waging wars against fellow Muslims. Beyond that, I set two longer-term objectives. First of all I will concentrate to bring all core provinces under my control (except for Steiermarkt, in which case I will have a permanent CB against Zsolo (Habsburg)), and secondly, I will fight for the greater glory of Allah all mighty, that is to convert as many infidels (provinces) to the true faith as possible, even if this meant investing less in other areas (manufactories, etc.). Apart from these goals, I planned to intervene into Continental matters as often as I can, thus I refused to play a “traditional Ottoman Empire” role (expanding only at the Balkans, and nowhere else in Europe, concentrating rather on the East and Africa), but for this I needed to acquire bases in some strategic locations in Europe already in the short term. I was planning a sort of a role-play instead of trying to concentrate on VPs. If there was one single description for the role I have set for myself than “Gendarm of Europe” would come close to it. No permanent allies, only one permanent objective: Ensuring the balance between the Continental (Habsburgs, Castille/Spain) and the “peripheric” (England, Sweden) countries. This was my initial plan for the coming 100-150 years. Lots of warfare, good solid diplomacy (a bit of intrigue here and there), thus attention was paid on investing into land (DP slider settings will concentrate on max-ing out land, offensive, quality, leaning towards narrow-mindedness (keeping down stability costs, and acquiring some “help from above” (conversion of heretics events), aristocracy (the Ottomans need to have at least 2 diplomats a year) centralisation (increasing income) and free subjects (boosting morale). For the time-being I would not even think about wasting any settings on the mercantilism-free trade slider.)

1419-1433 “First blood”: First day, first move: Declaring war on Byzanthium (this comes as a surprise I guess ). Trebizond honours the alliance, great !!! one more reason not to disband any of our troops. (I was not really thinking of that anyway, but there are certainly others who would rather do so, instead of loosing 10-12 ducats (D from now on) a month keeping up the 60k army with which the OE starts with.) After annihilating the Byzanthian army at Smyrna we dispatch 6k to lay Morea under siege, while another 15k was sent to lay siege to Byzanth (and to meet the troops still recruiting there). The rest (35k) moves into the Bulgarian mountains, waiting for spring-time to come. May: War was declared on the Serbian-Ragusan alliance, a few months later Serbia, Kosovo and Ragusa are all under siege. In the meantime Candar declares war on Trebizond, which has built-up a massive force to encounter my troops, however they decide to take Kastomanou instead (capital of Candar). The “smart move” backfires on Candar they get annexed by Trebizond in 1420. (Lovely, one annexation less!!!)

1421 “Pay-roll”: After conquering all the provinces we have previously besieged we humble accept the following peace offers: 95 D + Morea (BYZ), 100 D + Kosovo + vassalisation (Serbia), 375 D + vassalisation (Ragusa) (I have to admit I was very much tempted to annex them taking their navy, but finally Mehmed I gave his heart a go, and let them be 375 D is not that bad after all). Otherwise its calm throughout the realm, Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”) succeeds his father Mehmed I who dies in the field. Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”) (besides his great victories, and a his passionate hatred for Christians) is a ruler with a vision. A good half of the treasury (around 800 D by than) is invested into promoting tax collectors in all of our provinces, while the other half is devoted to Allah (we send missionaries to Kosovo and Morea) and is kept in reserve for the unexpected. 1422 sees more action: Trebizond sues for peace: another 100 D + Kastomanou (a great rejoice as we liberate them from the Christians) + another vasall. So far so good, but we need a solid alliance, especially as rumors began to circulate of a crusade against our empire (Castillan diplomacy was actively seeking to find support for this cause (I believe it was Kalpeti, who in his great aspiration forgot to turn off the OE when sending his secret messages to the others, which was rather amusing ), without much prevail, as the Habsburgs were too much intangled in their “holy war” against the Hussites, Sweden and England did not even care to respond ) Anyhow we decided to join the Ak-Koyunlu alliance that year (they were allied with Dulkadir and the Golden Horde), and declared war upon our fellow Muslim brothers (Teke and Karaman). Fearing of diplomatic tensions within the alliance Murad II decided not to invite any of our allies. 1424: Peace has come: Karaman pays 125 D + Adana + Konya + they become our vassal, Teke pays 50 D + becomes vassal no. 5. During that year Golden Horde declared war upon Ryazan, every one dishonoured the call. Hm, time has come to build an alliance of our own, we invite Ak-Koyunlu, and gladly learn that they accept, as does Dulkadir a year later.

1426 "The glorious year": 5 months after declaring war upon Byzanthium the walls of the great city fall, Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”) has one great vision: after annexing it (and taking over their 20 ships, which proved vital later on during the Italian campaign) we made it to our new capital: Constantinople (the most populous city in Europe!!!), listening to his advisors this time (further tensions with the Christian world most be avoided this time) he allows the Patriarche to remain but appoints a new one. Murad II however decided to get rid of the Venetian traders for good, thus a CoT was opened up in Thrace, further consolidating the economy. 1427: Ak-Koyunlu declared war upon Trebizond (hey, he is our vassal!!! BTW, BUG REPORT: I honoured the call without any stab hit, and after that managed to annex it, again no stab hit there. Oh and not to forget Trebizond remained my vassal even after laying siege to them?!?!?) 1426: fall of another Christian state, Trebizond is annexed.

1430 "Riders of the Apocalypse": Ottoman troops cross the strait of Otranto and cause a havoc throughout the Christian world. Earlier in that year Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”) saw that time was ripe to declare war upon Albania (and their allies Naples and the Papal State). After annihilating Albanian troops Murad II himself (one of the greatest military leaders of his time: 3/3/4/1) shipped in some 30k (15k infantry, 15k cavalry) and massacred the garrison at Apuglia. He quickly moved north, leaving 6k behind laying siege to the city, and after a bloody battle took Naples late 1432. Meanwhile, the Turkish navy (25 galleys and 15 transport ships) sank the Papal States’ entire navy at the strait of Otranto (presumably with some invasion army aboard as well ). Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”) marched north to fulfil his old dream: destroying Rome, the centre of the Christian world. This was just too much for Castile, frenzy diplomatic activity was reported again from Madrid, Vienna, London and even Stockholm. Threats and ultimatums were sent but Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”) stayed firm. 1433: while waiting for the storm to break out Murad II layed siege on Rome, in the mean time auxiliary troops took Romagna and the last province from the papal armies. 1433: Bells rang out throughout the Christian world: Rome fell to Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”). It was time to dictate: Albania: 125 D + vassal, Naples: 175 D + Apuglia becomes Turkish military base + vassallisation and finally (embarrassing the Christian world) Papal State: 83 D + becomes a vassal of the Ottoman Empire!!!! (Murad II and his Italian Campaign had a long lasting influance on European culture as well, a fine example of this is portrayed here by Albrecht Dürer (1498) )

Almanach of 1433: Our army was ranked no. 2 with 45k (after England), we had the biggest navy (43 ships all together) in Europe, no. 2 in the size of the country, inflation was high (5,4%) due to the loose monetary policy applied by Murad II, however our income was 6th in Europe (29 D a month). VP: standing (I will insert a map together with tha tomorrow)

to be followed.....

 

[Alexandru H.]

Wow! Sorry for the intrusion, but the Ottoman evolution is great! I think another human player should have been there to stop it....It looks like easy street for them from now on!

 

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Could I humbly ask for a mod, to put this thread back to the MP forum, where I have posted it originally. I understand that there are quiet a few MP AARs there (such as this one), furthermore we would like to draw some attention from MP circles on some MP issues (mainly game-balance issues such as house-rules, etc., ), that we would raise in our furthcomming comments.

THNX

Attila The Hun

 

[Machiavellian]

Nice series of posts.

 

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At last!
The first tale of the hungarian heroes cuntinues!

Good AAR.

 

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Continuing………….

1433-1468 “Consolidating previous gains”: After destroying Rome and vassalising the Pope, Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”) was certain that a war with Castile Kalpeti was inevitable. Fresh troops (10k) were thus quickly shipped in to strengthen our elite forces at our newly acquired Apuglian province, which became a huge Ottoman base of operations with a garrison of more than 25k (under the command of Murad II). The entire Ottoman navy was set on alert, with the order to patrol nearby enemy waterways (especially the straits of Messina). After spending more than 3 years in the field and encountering Christian warfare and military tactics applied, Murad II decided to further improve our military superiority by ordering major military changes, which were later referred to as the “Great Army Reform” (event: Land investment 1000, naval investment 500, Land DP +1, Offensive DP +1). Our military machinery was thus ready for the war………………. which in the end did not brake out.

Ottoman diplomacy was rather weak at that time (only 1 diplomat / per year), thus Murad II failed to realise what was going on in Western Europe. We have later learned of a great war dividing the Christian world. (Rumours spread of a young virgin by the name of Jean, who - lead by the voice of angels – passionately convinced Charles VII to direct all his attention on acquiring the title of Holy Roman Emperor (HRE) instead of reclaiming the “worthless throne” of France. ) Massive French armies, strengthened by the new ideology started to move eastwards, annexing each and every German state on their way (Lorraine, Mainz, Würzburg..). This eventually lead to the “12 years war” between France and all the German countries (lead by the Habsburgs Zsolo). The war broke out in 1429, just a couple of months prior to our glorious Italian campaign. These two major events left the whole of Europe paralysed.

England Laci was very much worried about the French aggression, especially its new ideology, which would eventually turn against the “English invaders” some day. Fearing of loosing its continental foothold and some of Europe’s richest provinces it was reluctant to aid Castellan ambitions on the Italian Peninsula.

The Habsburgs Zsolo were in an even more desperate situation. Albert V has closed a secret pact with the old Emperor, Zsigmond of Hungary, which made him his successor once he would die. It had to stop the French intrusion, and after long sleepless months Albert V Zsolo finally decided to honour the call of one of its allies and declare war upon the invaders.

Sweden Zoli was too far away and had major problems of its own as it was still engaged in a long and bloody war against Novgorod. (This reminds me of an episode still back in 1428: Murad II was above all known for has passionate hatred for Christians (hence the name “The Christian Slayer”). However, he also had another passion: long legged beautiful blondes. Murad II had a favourite wife who originated from Sweden (PARADOXANA). He loved her so much, that she even managed to persuade him to send some financial assistance to her countryman as she learnt of the long and tragic war that raged on in the north. 100 D was sent to Stockholm during that year, which probably helped Sweden Zoli in the end to conquer some far away northern unpopulated provinces in 1431 (Arkhangelsk and Karelia). Relations with Sweden improved further after this, which eventualy lead to the exchange of World Maps. Our experts have thus gathered information of newly discovered lands west of Africa colonised by the Portuguese and our Swedish friends.)

Castile Kalpeti was thus left alone and finally decided to give up on its plans to declare war upon us.

While waiting for the war to brake out, Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”) turned his attention on getting rid of the Christians within our own realm. Missionaries were once again dispatched to Kosovo (as we have failed in our previous attempt) and to Macedonia. 1436: Castellan military build up was reported across the straits of Messina (a 20k Castellan army landed there). Hmm, maybe there is some hope for war after all? Nope, but a huge civil war broke out in Hungary during the same year instead. (New event scripted by Zsolo)

1437: “turn of the tide”: the “12 years war” was to have its crucial turn for the Habsburgs, Zsigmond of Hungary died and Albert V was elected as HRE, which eventually convinced all of the remaining German states to declare war upon France. (A huge BB war erupted, with about a dozen countries declaring war upon France within a single month!). Realising this, England tossed in its coin as well and declared war upon Scotland (ally of France). 1440: Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”) was growing restless, 7 long years without a war !!! for a man of his ambitions it was just to much to bear. (Murad II loved warfare so much that, he managed to prolong and even create some wars to satisfy his …. . ., never mind. Back in 1437 for example, Mured II sent 100 D to the Habsburgs Zsolo convincing them to continue fighting against the French. Those, who would like to portray this as an ill-fated attempt to spark dissent amongst Christians are obviously mistaken here!! ) Later on in 1440, using the incident at the Danube as a Casus Belli (Wallachian fisherman have killed several Greek traders, all of them were coincidently Ottoman subjects (“Merchants harassed CB shield on Wallachia, relations -50)), Murad II quickly declared war upon Wallachia and its allies Moldova and the Kingths (we did not bother of informing our allies about that).

1441: an “exceptional year”: It was one, in many sense. While still at war, as our armies rooted all resistance along the way in Moldova, Bujak and Wallachia, we have learnt that the Government of France had fallen. (This is what You get listening to a virgin with a sword, Murad II said, but otherwise we could not care less). (England Laci took Guyenne, Vende, Orleans, Nivernais, Champagne and Artois!!!) (Bloody hell, we forgot to forbid turbo-annexation in our house-rules, this wont happen next time ) (Austria Zsolo ended up in taking Würzburg, Mainz, Pfalz and Hessen, thus guaranteeing the corridor to the low-lands once the Burgundian inheritance kicks in) We had an exceptionally good harvest that year, which eventually lead to a decrease of the overall price-level (-5% inflation). Later on, Moldova sued for peace: 125 D + became a vassal, as did Wallachia some months later + we have received another 75 D. The Knights were spared this time. (Our diplomats were still making mistakes, they failed to realise that Wallachia was the leader of the alliance ). 1442: Castellan emotions ran high again, threats and ultimatums were sent to leave the Knights alone, this time it was followed by some action as well: the Knigths were allowed to join the Castellan alliance together with Navarra and Aragon.

1445: “further troubles ahead”: Hungary annexed Wallachia. Murad II was furious, but did not intervene (our military intelligence gathered reports of a 60k army lead by John Hunyadi dug in on the other side of the Danube). Turning his hatred on Christians once again, Murad II sent missionaries to Kosovo (after 2 unsuccessful attempts), Trebizond and Adana. The news of Christians being massacred lead Albania and Ragusa to brake their vassallisation. They quickly joined the alliance of Genova, Novgorod and Savoy. Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”) did not hesitate much and declared war upon them, but this time we asked our allies to join, who honoured our call. 1448 Albania sued for peace: 125 D + vasall once again. During that year Murad II conquers the last Christian foothold east of Constantinople: Kaffa. 1449: Ragusa becomes our vassal once again and pays 100 D 1451: Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”) dies during the siege of Genova, his son Mehemed II decides its time for peace and accepts Kaffa in exchange.

The Reign of Murad II (“The Christian Slayer”) has seen the rise of the Ottoman Empire (map to be inserted later)


To be continued…………

 

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Zoli who is not (yet) a member of this forum asked me to post his AAR. So here it comes:

1419-1433 Sweden
In the year 1419 of our Lord, patriots of Sweden led by Henrik Josefson put an end to the history of the Kalmar Union by declaring independence from Denmark. Though the national militia was ready to meet the retaliation of the Danish tyrant, the relation of the two states normalized, and the long period of peace smiling upon the north gave a useful opportunity for the National Regency to overcome the troubled domestic affairs. Though the still alarmed armies of Sweden were ready to meet the Hansa forces threatening to attack the Scandinavian alliance (strengthened with Muscowy in the mid 20’s), the so awaited attack did not take place. But not the attack on Novgorod! The late 20’s brought massive assaults of Muscowy that managed to capture the opposing capital, while a mere 10,000 of Swedish armies succeeded in capturing the defenseless colonies of Karelia and Arkhangelsk (Kola was captured by Muscowy in the very early separate wars), and annihilating every reinforcements from the Ugric territories. That lead to a fine peace offer for Sweden: though none gained ground in the later years of the war, Sweden was offered the two colonies, that made it possible to develop them in the early 30’s to become prospering catholic Scandinavian cities. Unfortunately Muscowy did the same with Kola, making it unworthy to conquer for the Swedish Crown.
(Land: 1, Naval: 1, Trade: 2, Infra: 2, Inflation: 2.9%, Income: 17.1, Treasury: 415, VP: 85, Army: 8.000, Ships: 15)

1433-1448 Sweden
The next 15 years brought a peaceful economic progress and infrastructure development, peaking in the founding of the first manufactory of Europe, the Royal Fine Arts Academy of Stockholm, despite the Kingdom was shaken by several political crisis and disasters. Another greater sum was spent on intelligence goals: with map trades of Turkey and Veneto, the Royal Cartography managed to offer Portugal enough in exchange for their early New World maps. After the great projects and the defeat of the Danish forces by the Hansa League in the late 30’s (leading to the loss of Jylland, while Sweden managed to achieve a quick separate white peace), the last years were spent on the gathering of an invasion force to conquer Norway. Sweden left the alliance with Muscowy and Denmark…
(Land: 2, Naval: 1, Trade: 2, Infra: 2, Inflation: 5.0%, Income: 19.6, Treasury: 351, VP: 194, Army: 26.000, Ships: 15)

1448-1472 Sweden
Made it! With a sneak attack on the slumbering Norway defenses in 1449, the Swedish Crown managed to annihilate the northern forces of Denmark. By 1451 victory was almost complete, conquering all but Copenhague and Iceland, which led to a Danish offer of Skane, Ostlandet, Narvik, Finnmark and Jamtland. After eliminating the Danish potentials, and a lucky exceptional year (with a deflation of 5%), policy was once again focused on developing infrastructure. The result was a refinery in Finland and Österbrötten, skyrocketing the up to that date slumbering trade development. With the Lusitanian maps of the New World, the Sultan of Thrace agreed upon revealing the secrets of reaching the wealthy trade centers of India. Though the early ventures in the fabulous East did not end in profit at all, the gathered maps were great help to make a trade with Lisboa possible again…
(Land: 2, Naval: 2, Trade: 2, Infra: 3, Inflation: 5.0%, Income: 28.7, Treasury: 1077, VP: 432, Army: 6.000, Ships: 15)

1472-1492 Sweden
The map-trading efforts were not in vain! After discovering the Portuguese trade posts in Brazil, the Royal Chamber kept a sharp eye on the fierce Indians that burnt several in the mid 80’s. The result was the first two colonies in the New World: Parnaiba and Tiracambu became two of the wealthiest cities in the Kingdom. Meanwhile we have built yet another refinery in Jamtland, and found a strong ally in the Muscowy-beater Teutonic Knights.
(Land: 3, Naval: 2, Trade: 2, Infra: 3, Inflation: 5.2%, Income: 29.7, Treasury: 361, VP: 602, Army: 8.000, Ships: 11)

 

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And another "not yet member" (Laszlo) of the forum asked me to post his AAR:

Anglo Saxon Chronicles 1419-1492


It did not start well for the peaceful English nation. In fact, it seemed that we will face a 200 years war. Although the yeomen of Henry V quickly captured Paris, Picardie and Nivernais, eliminating major French armies, the war effort started to fall apart. Unwisely, instead of making a quick peace with the French, Henry kept them in the war, while shifting his attention to their allies, allowing the Gallic enemy to recover. The result was a costly war of attrition during which the French briefly recaptured even Paris, and Henry was forced to humiliating white peaces with the minor French fiefdoms. After that, Paris was taken again and separate peace was signed with France for Picardie and some cash.

Meanwhile the Celtic barbarians in the north fought with upmost ferocity. They defeated Bedford in Northumberland, and captured the castle. After some reinforcements from Yorkshire, Bedford succeeded in defeating the clans and capture Edinburgh but his offensive hopelessly stuck in the Grampians. Henry decided to take the matter into his own hands. Leaving France to his subordinates, he sailed to north with his elite troops. His battle hardened veterans made a quick work of Glasgow Castle and Celtic resistance was quelled in the Grampians as well. Unfortunately the cunning Gaelic leader, Duncan Douglas managed to escape into the Highlands and dug in. The English led a series of offensives against the Scottish stronghold, but as the incredibly difficult terrain greatly favoured the local defenders, all the attempts were bloodily repelled. In a very sad skirmish the promising leader Bedford was struck by a crossbow bolt and died a hero’s death. Worse still, organising supplies into the Grampians was well beyond the capabilities of England, and our underfed soldiers were perishing by the thousand in the cold, wet marshland. Henry V never saw his dreamed Scottish surrender, as the stand off continued until his early death.

Henry the VI did not inherit the military talents of his father, bus was as determined to take the Highlands come what may. However, the Chancellor of the Exchequer managed to convince him that the costs are simply prohibitive. For a substantial compensation, peace was finally agreed with Scotland, and not before time: Inflation was rampant, the tax collection system in shambles and the treasury heavily in debt. For a couple of years England was forced to concentrate on domestic matters. Fortunately, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s assurances about God being on the side of England turned to be more than empty gestures. Successive exceptional harvests helped to stabilise the financial situation and all the organisational effort dedicated to shake up tax collection were beginning to pay.

Hitherto, it was not God’s will for this happy peace to last for long. In cold winter morning in 1432, a frightened courier brought grave news: The arrogant Breton nobles refused to pay homage to the English King and broke the ancient ties that knot them to England. Since the very honour of the English Crown was at stake, the King demanded an uncompromising retribution. The continental army was mobilised and a substantial royal force set sail from England.

Unfortunately, the Gaelic rebels of Bretagne proved to be as fierce warriors as their Scottish brethren and took the offensive. Despite the unchallenged military talents of the Lord of Glouchester, they rounded the main royal army in Normandie as well as some minor contingents in Guyenne and captured both provinces. It came as a shocking news that the full resources of the English Realm had to be mobilised to crush this revolt. Our Burgundian allies fortunately contributed with their mighty armies. In fact during the siege of Vendee there was a brief confusion about the leadership structure between the English and Burgund forces but that was quickly resolved with Talbot taking overall command. With the two major powers fully committed, victory was just a matter of time. Due to some logistical difficulties in reaching the last Breton stronghold in Dauphine, a compromise solution had to be found. Finally, the King reluctantly agreed that taking Vendee and some gold is a suitable punishment to the Bretons.

The following decade was a prosperous golden age. The government administration was overhauled, and domestic policy implemented a series of reforms aimed at defending the free peasantry against arbitrary feudal powers. Although this had undoubted benefits in widening the tax base as well as enhancing military capabilities, naturally the old nobility was somewhat upset. Government finances were on sound footing during this period and the government debt was finally paid off. Although English merchants had been operating since time immemorial, their activities so far were confined as minor wool dealers. With active royal promotion, from the 1430s they began to play a more active role in the thriving trade centres of Flanders.

The 1440s saw great calamities in the continent. Despite their defeat, French financial and military strength was growing by the day, and it was just a matter of when and whom they would strike. The rich lands of Germany ruled by a rag tag mosaic of mini states proved to be an irresistible temptation. France finally lashed out to Austria and her several allies. England decided to support Austria financially in their resistance against the common enemy. Hitherto, as the coward Austrians did not put up much of a fight, the French easily penetrated into Central Europe, annexing several minor German principalities on the way. Fearing the French domination, another combination of German states led by Mecklemburg also declared war on the French and somehow even Savoy got involved. The main forces of the French army appeared to move into the north of Germany. In the confusion, the Austrians captured the newly acquired French possessions with a negligible effort.

In such a turbulent situation the King decided that the insecurity in our northern borders arising from the hostile attitude of Scotland could no longer be tolerated. After suitable preparation, a sizeable English contingent led by Talbot crossed the border. Despite our peaceful gestures, the aggressive French sided with their Scottish lackeys. As England already learned in the hard way not to trust France, this move was expected and the continental army led by the Earl of Warwick laid siege to Paris. There was a brief confusion in the Burgundian Court. Initially under the influence of French bribes they refused to honour our alliance. We decided to give them a second chance, by reinviting them to the alliance. God willing, the traditions of the Burgundian chivalry prevailed, they rejoined, and committed their considerable forces to this difficult, two front war.

In Scotland, the northern barbarians lost nothing from their tenacity. However, this time England was better prepared. In a series of bloody engagements, Talbot eliminated their forces and laid siege to every fortification in the country. Soon enough all Scottish lands were under English control. Realising the difficulty of maintaining control over such savage lands, the King was willing to tolerate a degree of autonomy in Scotland, but naturally they had to accept vassalisation and pay a hefty compensation.

A strange occurrence hindered further war effort. Instead of joining the main English forces in France after their victory in Scotland, Talbot and his men spent the rest of the war in the Highlands hunting deer and chasing women. What a disgrace for an otherwise talented commander.

Fortunately, the Earl of Warwick was more than up to the job. Paris, Champagne and Guyenne was captured and the Burgundians took Nivernais and Lyon. In fact only Languedoc remained in French hands when its exhausted peasants revolted. Although conservative elements in the English court were vary about colluding with rebels, it was clear that the collapse of the French government would greatly enhance our security. For this end, English forces were instructed to stand by.

With the collapse France was reduced to Paris and Languedoc, we took Guyenne and Champagne, the later as an isolated outpost was consequently heavily garrisoned. The free rider Austrians reaped the benefits of enormous English sacrifices by getting several ex French provinces in the Holy Empire. The compensation paid by the minor French fiefdoms enabled us to establish the Royal Academy of Arts that greatly enhanced the prestige of the English court.

Meanwhile, war continued to rage in Northern Germany, this time between Austria and a coalition led by Mecklemburg. We could not recall the origins of this conflict, but it became quite clear that without the unified leadership that only the English Crown could provide, the citizens of the prosperous Hansa cities would stand defenceless against the Habsburg onslaught. Realising his responsibility, the King declared war on Mecklemburg. Since such grandiose policy is difficult to understand for uneducated laymen, domestic situation became bit strained for a while. The King also decided to give Talbot a second chance, by trusting him half of the expedition force, the other being led by the reliable Warwick.

The assessment of the situation was correct but the action was a bit late. By the time the first skirmishes took place, the free people of Oldenburg were already under Habsburg yoke. Worse still, those devilish Bavarians captured our beloved Hanover. Retribution shall be swift on them. Nevertheless, the liberation of Northern Germany was not a disappointment. Bremen was incorporated into the Kingdom as our continental foothold, and Mecklemburg after seceding Münster agreed to became an English vassal.

In the 1450s a succession crisis called “war of the roses” deteriorated into a near civil war. The York dynasty emerged victorious enjoying the support of the prosperous merchants and guilds. This was much to the dismay to the landowner nobility and several countryside provinces were in open revolt. The domestic chaos made it imperative to maintain a low profile in foreign policy. That way, England could but watch France annexing Provance, Bourbonais and Auvergne becoming a major power once again. Hitherto, preparations were of course made for the inevitable showdown. The offensive spirit of the army was reinforced and an alliance was forged with Scotland, Alsace and Mecklemburg. Also in the 60s, a refinery was established in Bordeaux to produce cognac from the best English wines.

In 1476 the Count of Burgundy died without successor and as was expected, the Habsburgs inherited the throne. However, France inherited all the French possessions, including the ones that came to Burgundy at the government collapse. The king just started to evaluate the delicate situation when our ambitious ally Alsace declared war on France. We certainly did not want this war at that time, it was gods will. Nevertheless, as a matter of principle Paris was captured again, together with Artois. The new revitalised France proved to be a tough nut to crack. They could field armies whose size and quality was simply frightening. Despite of the unparalleled genius of Lord Norfolk, in two major battles the French decimated our forces and laid siege to Champagne. The weaker souls in London already considered this war to be lost, when the French lost their nerve and sued for peace offering Artois. That was gladly taken, as with Artois we could link Champagne with rest of the English territories.

The mood in the English Court was one of a steely resolve. The king was determined to root out the French threat once and for all. The five years of the truce was spent with quiet preparation. Meanwhile, France waged a war against Bretagne, Helvetia and Savoy. In 1483, the truce was over, and His Majesty ordered a preemtive counterattack. Some pacifist elements especially in the clergy were unable to appreciate the necessity of self defence, leading to a bit of instability in the home front.

In France however, this time there were no surprises. Two contingents attacked from Normandie and Champagne respectively to form a classical pincer campaign. A third group laid siege to Paris that the foolish French left undefended. After overrunning Maine, Nivernais and Orleans, the two groups converged in southern France. Alsace was fighting miraculously capturing France Comte and Lyon. Concerned with the hostile intentions of Spain, the citizens of Orleans petitioned to be incorporated in to England which was kindly granted by the King. Some enemies of the English Crown tried to portray this as “conquest” and indeed, our reputation became a bit tarnished in the eyes of the misguided foreign circles. Worse still, those treacherous Spanish unacceptably interfered in our affairs by openly allying with the French. This decision will lead to a downfall of a great empire. In the meantime however, His Majesty agreed that perhaps it would be wise to be generous with the French and allow emotions to calm down a bit. Peace was conducted along these lines. From all the possessions that should belong to us by ancient right, France had to surrender only Nivernais and Maine and our faithful friend Alsace was rewarded by France Comte.

In 1485, the battle of Bosworth Field brought the war of roses to a conclusion, and a series of reforms greatly enhanced the power and the resources of the crown. The mood remained anxious however, as the Spanish threat loomed on our southern border. Our valiant armies heavily garrisoned Poitou and Gascogne, vying eye on eye with the legendary Spanish forces. Shall peace prevail as we fervently hope it will? Time will tell.

 

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There are only two players left to comment their actions.
Care to comment Kalpeti and Zsolo???

 

[TheArchduke]

Finally found my way here. You should really post a link in the MP forum..

 

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Originally posted by TheArchduke
Finally found my way here. You should really post a link in the MP forum..

I have originally posted this thread in the MP forum, but it was somehow moved here in the AAR section.

Anyhow, keep comming back TheArcheduke, as we continued last weekend. Plenty of new stuff on the way

BTW, comments and suggestions are very much welcomed (this was one of my main intention for starting this thread)

Cherioo

 

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Originally posted by Attila the Hun
I have originally posted this thread in the MP forum, but it was somehow moved here in the AAR section.
...

Mea Culpa, I am guilty for asking BiB to move this thread to the AAR section. I thought this is the right place for it. I promise i won't do it again!
To correct my failure I included the link in my sig, and i promise to post my part too ASAP.