The House of Palaiologos
A Byzantine AAR
Update Very Soon (A.K.A. I accidentally posted the thread)
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Introduction
I Have Served the Emperor for a long, long time. As did my father before me, and his father before him, and so on. My name is Ionnes Angeloi, I am the official historian of the Imperial court and I am commiting the volume to writing in the hope that the story of the Roman Restoration may be remembered accurately for all eternity for the Senate and People of Rome.
The Imperial Insignia
For those of you not familiar with the poor state of the Roman Empire in 1420 allow me to familiarize You. In 1420 the empire had been reduced to three tiny enclaves, seperated by hostile territory. The Dying Emperor, Manuel II, Had done All he Could to revive the Empire, however all he managed to do was to regain Thessalonika in 1403, a valueble addition none the less. His Efforts had been impeded by his desire to obtain help against the Turks from the Italian States who were in a Quasi Alliance with the Remaining Frankish Duchies, which kept him from retaking the a large amount of rightful Imperial Territory in Greece.
Greece and the Frankis Duchies
The Hated Turks, had spent the years since 1408 expanding thier own powerbase in anatolia and remaining remarkable placid to the pitifuly weak empire were becoming progressively more menacing and putting increasingly ridiculous demands on the empire, trying to reduce, of all things, The Roman Empire to a mere protecterate. The Combination of the Turks steady rise and Manuels steadily decreasing capacity to rule with vigor emphasized this relationship.
A View of Ottoman and Roman Territories
Event The Great City Itself, Constantinople, was in a truly depressing state, Though the Walls and the Hagia Sophia had been Kept (mostly) Intact the city itself through decreasing population and damage following the betrayal of 1204 had decayed to the point of being a collection of seperate Farming Villages, Widely Spaced, WITHIN the Theodosian Walls. Only Just over two centuries ago this city had been the greatest west of the Far Indus and Transoxinia, possibly the greatest in the world, and now it was a collection of villages inside a ridiculously large wall.
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A 1422 map of COnstantinople showing the remaining large structures
I was Born 23 Years Ago, For Two Years I have Been The Emperors Aide, But For all The Granduer this is an empire in decline, We are staring Into the Gates of Oblivion, Beyond Which No living soul may dwell, Behold Before us the Turks burn the land, This is the 16th of October In the Year of Our Lord 1420. These are the Closing days of the Empire, and the Final Hours of our Lives....
*(Play Oblivion Title Music)*I Have Served the Emperor for a long, long time. As did my father before me, and his father before him, and so on. My name is Ionnes Angeloi, I am the official historian of the Imperial court and I am commiting the volume to writing in the hope that the story of the Roman Restoration may be remembered accurately for all eternity for the Senate and People of Rome.
The Imperial Insignia
For those of you not familiar with the poor state of the Roman Empire in 1420 allow me to familiarize You. In 1420 the empire had been reduced to three tiny enclaves, seperated by hostile territory. The Dying Emperor, Manuel II, Had done All he Could to revive the Empire, however all he managed to do was to regain Thessalonika in 1403, a valueble addition none the less. His Efforts had been impeded by his desire to obtain help against the Turks from the Italian States who were in a Quasi Alliance with the Remaining Frankish Duchies, which kept him from retaking the a large amount of rightful Imperial Territory in Greece.
Greece and the Frankis Duchies
The Hated Turks, had spent the years since 1408 expanding thier own powerbase in anatolia and remaining remarkable placid to the pitifuly weak empire were becoming progressively more menacing and putting increasingly ridiculous demands on the empire, trying to reduce, of all things, The Roman Empire to a mere protecterate. The Combination of the Turks steady rise and Manuels steadily decreasing capacity to rule with vigor emphasized this relationship.
A View of Ottoman and Roman Territories
Event The Great City Itself, Constantinople, was in a truly depressing state, Though the Walls and the Hagia Sophia had been Kept (mostly) Intact the city itself through decreasing population and damage following the betrayal of 1204 had decayed to the point of being a collection of seperate Farming Villages, Widely Spaced, WITHIN the Theodosian Walls. Only Just over two centuries ago this city had been the greatest west of the Far Indus and Transoxinia, possibly the greatest in the world, and now it was a collection of villages inside a ridiculously large wall.
A 1422 map of COnstantinople showing the remaining large structures
I was Born 23 Years Ago, For Two Years I have Been The Emperors Aide, But For all The Granduer this is an empire in decline, We are staring Into the Gates of Oblivion, Beyond Which No living soul may dwell, Behold Before us the Turks burn the land, This is the 16th of October In the Year of Our Lord 1420. These are the Closing days of the Empire, and the Final Hours of our Lives....
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Event:Rush of Byzantine AARs
Description: Many have decided to write AARs about the Byzantine's
Decision 1: Embrace these new writAARs.
*Presses decision 1*
Description: Many have decided to write AARs about the Byzantine's
Decision 1: Embrace these new writAARs.
*Presses decision 1*
I like your start, especially your tid-bit about Constantinople.
Plus your cue of Oblivion music rocks. Great introduction and I love Byzantine AARs so having two is awesome. What's your plan? Go after the Ottomans? Trade first? Annex smaller Duchies first?
Plus your cue of Oblivion music rocks.
Great introduction and I love Byzantine AARs so having two is awesome. What's your plan? Go after the Ottomans? Trade first? Annex smaller Duchies first?
Event:Rush of Byzantine AARs
Description: Many have decided to write AARs about the Byzantine's
Decision 1: Embrace these new writAARs.
*Presses decision 1*
Well I hope this doesn't mean you'll be the only subscriber
also Note I will not use any terms in this AAR a Roman wouldn't use like 'Byzantine'
Chapter 1: The First Two and a Half Years
Shortly Into the month of November 1420 the Ailing Emperor Manuel II finally died, and his son Ionnes VIII ascended the throne. for Ionnes there was no time to mourn his father, he had to settle fo honouring his father in the way he best knew how, by destroying the Frankish Duchies, the remnants of the evil latin empire. The Period that followed was nothing short of a miracle.....
First the Remnants of the Varangian Gaurd are transported to Thessolonika
Ionnes Ordered the Recruitment of 2,000 men from Thessalonika and the Surrounding lands, in a manner typical of the Greeks living in the Roman Empire they responded enthsiatically since we could pay. The Decision was made to attack Athens first, then to sieze Achea and Naxos
The Notification of War is sent to Athens
The Siege of Athens Was Relatively Uneventful, the Frankish Fleet ran from harbour after athens fell (which in Itself took less than a week) and was subsequently destroyed by the waiting Roman Fleet
The Siege of Athens
After Taking Athens the Army was sent to wipe out the achean armies besieging Mystras (Morea) and to subsequently besiege Achea itself.
Achea is placed under Siege
Achea Fell and our attention fell on the final target, Naxos, The Greek Armies there Resisted bravely and were helped by the terrain so it took some months to actually sieze Naxos, The Italian states had officialy Intervened but so far done nothing to actually help thier allies.
The Surrender of Naxos
A Footnote: Corfu was siezed afterward but so little resistance was met that it was not considered important enough to chronicle in this manuscript
Good job securing yourself in Greece, Now all that remains is to kick those vile turks out of the balkans.
Only if I can Keep those Vile Turks off my backs long enough until I'm Ready to fight them
I purpose standard tactics. DIvide the ottomans by having a large navy and blocking the bosporus. It is the only way in my experience to wage a succesfull war against the ottomans. Ofcourse a little luck with spies and revolts helps a great deal.
I agree, you would not be able to stand against the entire Ottoman army, yet if you can divide them up and deal with them one at a time, you would have a chance.
So you did go after the smaller duchies first. I knew it!
Haha. Nice to see I'm not the only one who still remembers Oblivion vividly and fondly.
When I play as the Roman Empire in EUIII I usually retake the Latin states through the use of rebels, they are extremely effective.
You really need your luck to be in to defeat the Turks - I wish you luck.
ps Don't abandon this.
When I play as the Roman Empire in EUIII I usually retake the Latin states through the use of rebels, they are extremely effective.
You really need your luck to be in to defeat the Turks - I wish you luck.
ps Don't abandon this.
Nice start! Overwhelm those Franks and then turn on the infidel!
I will be following this!
I will be following this!
The Infidel Turk Shall fall before the Mighty Axes of the Varangians!
Haha. Nice to see I'm not the only one who still remembers Oblivion vividly and fondly.
When I play as the Roman Empire in EUIII I usually retake the Latin states through the use of rebels, they are extremely effective.
You really need your luck to be in to defeat the Turks - I wish you luck.
ps Don't abandon this.
I did indeed enjoy oblivion, I will not Abandon This, NEVER
Also I Figured I Needed my Spies for other Purposes, By dumb luck I didn'tI agree, you would not be able to stand against the entire Ottoman army, yet if you can divide them up and deal with them one at a time, you would have a chance.
So you did go after the smaller duchies first. I knew it!
Mmmmm.........Franks For Breakfast, Turks fo Lunch, and Venetians For Dinner (hint,hint)
I Concur, I have Played as the Romans A lot and this does seem to be the only way to win the first war, after that first war your free
Chapter II: The Next Decade and the Great Balkan War
The Year was 1423, The Frankish Duchies and Islands had been regained and although the Italian states had yet to intervene this was about to change. Corfu was but a footnote in the previous chapter, but now it steals center stage
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Corfu, an Italian Obsession
Either Due to Geography, A Change of Heart, or Madness the Italians Descend on Corfu Like Rabid Dogs, It takes over a Year of Constant Fighting between a local Roman Force of 5,000 men and Italian Invasion Forces and Constant Naval Engagements for the Italians to sue for peace, The main Worry was the Fleet, It could not be kept too far from the bosphorous and dardanelles in case of a turkish attack. Luckily the Turks Were Pre-occupied with a war with the Crown of Castille, Leon, and Asturias.
A Battle Between Roman and Italian Galleys
The Moment The Imperial Fleet Returns to Constantinople Imperator Ioannes VIII orders the Recruitment of 5,000 more troops for the Varangian Gaurd bringing total Byzantine Military Strength to 15,000 Men and 20 Ships, the Turks have 25,000-30,000 Men and 11 Ships, Thier Naval Defieciency became obvious after a Huge Stroke of Luck.....
A Coin Struck by Ioannes VIII to pay the new soldiers
The Capital of the Roman Empire, Constantinople, Had long Been Kept under the Watchful Eye of A Large Turkish Army based in Adrianople (Edirne) it was noticed, however that the Turks Were now moving thier entire army into Asia, As it turns out, the Turk in His Greed had Declared war on the Shiekdom of Candar, and was going to use excessive force to enforce his demands. The Moment Thiere Army Crossed The Straits War Was Declared and The FLeet Blockaded the Straits.
[/IMG]
A Great Stroke Of Luck, Didn't even need the Spies
The Ottoman Cpaital Edirne was taken by assault after a bombardment from the Empires Notorious Trebuchet Arm and a small group of primitive bombards, not enough of them were prensent, however, to be a signifigant contributor, The Turkish Deffenders were literally hacked to Death by the Varangian Gaurd wielding thier Deadly Two-Handed Axes, on the 16th day of the Siege the Citys Remaining Defenders surrendered and Ioannes Entered the City in Triumph
Ioannes enters Edirne with the flags of the defenders
The Rest of The Balkans fell Accordingly, and an Expedition was launched across the dardanelles to Bursa, However, This Failed and In a Initial truce The Emperor Setlled For the Balkans. However another Great STroke of Luck Occured, The Ottoman Sultan Murad II succumbed to His wounds a few days after the battle, A Distant Cousin, the Shiek of Smyrna took the ottoman throne, The Ottomans, Now Weak and lacking thier old skilled leadership, were now tied to a tiny anatolian Shiekdom. The Emperor saw this and managed to force the turks to return to war by attacking Smyrna without actually Breakin The Truce. The Ottoman-Aydini Armies were Wiped out and as A Result of these combined wars the Roman Empire Went From the Brink of Defeat To a Position of Power..
The Empire Reborn by 1434
The Year was 1423, The Frankish Duchies and Islands had been regained and although the Italian states had yet to intervene this was about to change. Corfu was but a footnote in the previous chapter, but now it steals center stage
Corfu, an Italian Obsession
Either Due to Geography, A Change of Heart, or Madness the Italians Descend on Corfu Like Rabid Dogs, It takes over a Year of Constant Fighting between a local Roman Force of 5,000 men and Italian Invasion Forces and Constant Naval Engagements for the Italians to sue for peace, The main Worry was the Fleet, It could not be kept too far from the bosphorous and dardanelles in case of a turkish attack. Luckily the Turks Were Pre-occupied with a war with the Crown of Castille, Leon, and Asturias.
A Battle Between Roman and Italian Galleys
The Moment The Imperial Fleet Returns to Constantinople Imperator Ioannes VIII orders the Recruitment of 5,000 more troops for the Varangian Gaurd bringing total Byzantine Military Strength to 15,000 Men and 20 Ships, the Turks have 25,000-30,000 Men and 11 Ships, Thier Naval Defieciency became obvious after a Huge Stroke of Luck.....
A Coin Struck by Ioannes VIII to pay the new soldiers
The Capital of the Roman Empire, Constantinople, Had long Been Kept under the Watchful Eye of A Large Turkish Army based in Adrianople (Edirne) it was noticed, however that the Turks Were now moving thier entire army into Asia, As it turns out, the Turk in His Greed had Declared war on the Shiekdom of Candar, and was going to use excessive force to enforce his demands. The Moment Thiere Army Crossed The Straits War Was Declared and The FLeet Blockaded the Straits.
A Great Stroke Of Luck, Didn't even need the Spies
The Ottoman Cpaital Edirne was taken by assault after a bombardment from the Empires Notorious Trebuchet Arm and a small group of primitive bombards, not enough of them were prensent, however, to be a signifigant contributor, The Turkish Deffenders were literally hacked to Death by the Varangian Gaurd wielding thier Deadly Two-Handed Axes, on the 16th day of the Siege the Citys Remaining Defenders surrendered and Ioannes Entered the City in Triumph
Ioannes enters Edirne with the flags of the defenders
The Rest of The Balkans fell Accordingly, and an Expedition was launched across the dardanelles to Bursa, However, This Failed and In a Initial truce The Emperor Setlled For the Balkans. However another Great STroke of Luck Occured, The Ottoman Sultan Murad II succumbed to His wounds a few days after the battle, A Distant Cousin, the Shiek of Smyrna took the ottoman throne, The Ottomans, Now Weak and lacking thier old skilled leadership, were now tied to a tiny anatolian Shiekdom. The Emperor saw this and managed to force the turks to return to war by attacking Smyrna without actually Breakin The Truce. The Ottoman-Aydini Armies were Wiped out and as A Result of these combined wars the Roman Empire Went From the Brink of Defeat To a Position of Power..
The Empire Reborn by 1434
Wow...solid gains! Great job! Excellent update; pff the Turks didn't stand a chance, did they?
Wow...solid gains! Great job! Excellent update; pff the Turks didn't stand a chance, did they?
Thank You, I've been playing as The Eastern Roman Empire since the Introduction of In Nomine, so i've had a bit of practice
anyway the Bosphorous sound toll is nice too
Always great to see other people play the Byzantines!
Question to you, I have In Nomine, but not HTTT. Would it be better if I attempted to learn most of the game mechanics and how to play Byzantium in IN, and then just move to HTTT when I get it, or just wait until I purchase HTTT to begin playing?
Question to you, I have In Nomine, but not HTTT. Would it be better if I attempted to learn most of the game mechanics and how to play Byzantium in IN, and then just move to HTTT when I get it, or just wait until I purchase HTTT to begin playing?
I would reccomend just switching to HTTT, IN is good but HTTT has mqassive improvements in game structure without fundamentally altering the necesary tactics
Well, I bought the EU3 combo pack, but HTTT does not come with that. So, I think I should boot up EU3 and try my hand at learning the basics in IN so I can just jump right in when I can finally get my hands on HTTT.