The Rise and Fall of Red Gryffin

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This is not a story about demigods conquering the world with one hand tied and closed eyes. This is not a story about great success and vicorious armies marching through the streets of the cities everywhere in Europe, Asia and Africa. Quite the opposite. This is a story about utter failure.

On the other hand, there are some people who believe that every game in Europe Universalis is in fact reflection of some true events in alternative universe. If you are one of those people, then you will read that story as a tale about how nations of the Earth can work together against the evil. For you, It will the story be about hope.

You can also think about that as the attempt to became vicepresident of the worst player club.

I played EEP 1.4.1, beta 1.07 from 22 July (or was it 23? Anyway, last beta). The mods: Greatest AI, PAI, Sopay Froggy Combat Tables. The settings Very Hard/Ai=furios. Some say that AI=furious is too easy since it gives you free DoWs. Then I am hopeless player. But before you will start to laugh, start a game as German minor with that settings. I have no idea whether the results were the effects of Greatest AI or AI=furious, or SFCT.


The AAR is partially translated from Polish. Pardon my errors and grammar.
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Between the inhabitants of the nrothern Europe there is a legend, a myth, that Pommern had once different coat of arms. It was also Gryffin, but its colour was different: It was gold. It has only later changed it's colour to red, after it bathed in the blood of innocently murdered christian brothers, slaughtered in pillaged cities and killed on the battlefields.

Pommern for long time was in nothing different amongst other European states. Just one more little country. But everything was changed in one night, when Pommeranian duke lost his way in the woods and marshes close to Szczecin. He found a little house, a shadow of the house build in country inhabited only by mosquitos and wild beasts. He met someone there: someone very special. Old man with long, white beard. A holy man. No one knows exactly what happened that night and why the holy man soon started to live on the castle. One thing we are sure is that duke started to behave totally differently from that time. Old advisors were forced to live the castle, which was commonly explained by the influence of the old man.

It is true beyond the doubts that instead of feasts there were fasts, and the knights instead of hunting were lying in the churches and going to pilgrimages.

And only the envious ones were repeating that during that night between the marshes the duke made a pact with the devil. And only the peasants - and, while the years were passing, more and more cautious with choosing the ears to which they were gossiping - were saying that the name of mysterious man was Smetek - the name, by what the Kashubs knows the devil. The feasts dissapeared, they were saying, because the duke chose now other, much more darker food.

Many were syaing that the duke was smart man and only made one mistake in his life - he forgot, that the other name of the devil is prince of the lies.

 

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Very nice set up. I am looking forward to this AAR!

 

[Lord Durham]

Originally posted by szopen76
This is not a story about demigods conquering the world with one hand tied and closed eyes. This is not a story about great success and vicorious armies marching through the streets of the cities everywhere in Europe, Asia and Africa. Quite the opposite. This is a story about utter failure.

How refreshing!

Don't worry about the errors and grammar, either. It's just fine.

 

[Machiavellian]

Very interesting start, I look forward to reading the rest of this AAR. Failure is often more interesting then sweeping aside all resistance, so this may prove to be a very good read,

 

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Pomerania in the beginning of the 15th century was small tiny country close to the mouth of Odra. Main influence in the state was in the hand of the aristocracy [1], which was ruling over serfs in their hereditary castles[2]. People from Pomerania weren't quite known of their open minds[3], and trade was under control of few powerful gildias[4]. Army was not the best amongst the neighbours[5], and dukes were giving equal attention to advisors who were forcing building of large fleet, as to those who were convinced that all resources should be concentrated on creating large land army[6].

The name of the prince was Kazimierz V, who, as a result of strange coincidences[7], was able to unite in 1419 Pomerania. It was in that year that young cousin of prince, Boguslav IX - who was just about to take over Slupsk part of Pomerania, died few days after exceptionally tempestuous storm over Slupsk castle.
The storm bring the plague, which took lifes also of other ruling princes. Few survining children from Gryffithes dynasty were taken to the Kazimierz' court.

The first thing Kazimierz have done was putting few lands in pawn, and creating army from received funds, equally from mercenaries and peasant recruits. Against all expectations he immedietely striked his peacefull neighbours from west, Mecklemburgians. No one could guess what dictated that strange move; All that events, deaths of the siblings, secret plague, violent attack without any legal casus belli, caused that initial popularite of the prince faded away[8]. What's more, prince attacked without the consultation with allies, don calling them to his aid - either being affraid of open scandal if they would refuse to help in such coward attack, or not wanting to share with spoils of war.

In august 1419 Pomeranian druzhinas defeated Mecklemburgian army and besieged numerous castles of the province. Mecklemburgians twice were trying to repell the attacker and both times they have to escape to the lands of their allies, Bremeners and Holsteiners. Army of Holstein defetead in Mecklemburgia iinstead of withdrawing to their homeland raided the lands of Pomerania, besieging in february 1420 Szczecin.

Pomeranians soon were able to control whole Mecklemburgia, but situation of Kazimierz as not as great as he was expecting at the beginning of the war. Mecklemburgians weren't eager to ackonwledge him as new ruler despite numerous executions. They were determined to continue fight with help of their allies.
Despite new taxes[9] Kazimierz had to put another lands and castles to pawn[10]. What's more, raid to the lands of Holstein was total disaster, and with similar spectacular catastrophe ended tryings to relief Szczecin.

But prince, against all his advisors and main barons of the Pomerania, continued war, trying to get separate peace from Brema, who, of course, refused even when Kazimierz suggested a few dukats as war reparations. In that situation all prince advisors were convinced that catastrophe is coming very fast.

But it was prince who had right, not his advisors. In august 1420 Pomeranian armies defeated twice Holsteiners in open field, starting the siege of country's capital, and although they weren't able to relieve Szczecin, Holsteiners in the face of danger in their own country were more eager to agree for status quo peace.
After Holsteiners refused to help Mecklemburgians, they were also less reluctant to acknowledge new prince and Mecklemburgia was fully annexed into Pomerania. Only Brema continued fight, defeating Pomeranians despite their numerical advantage in battle after the battle.

But sudden raise of Pomerania caused uneasiness amongst Teutonic Order. Grand Master decided to prevent that fall of Brema and declared war on Pomerania. But on the other hand, fall of Pomerania and strenghtening of the Teutonic Order was against vital interests of Pomeranian allies, Brandenburg and Magdeburg, so when Kazimierz asked them for help, they answered positevely.

Financial situation of the princedeom was fatal. More and more castles and villages was put to the pawn, and the sum of loans reached astronomical one thousand of ducats. The unhapiness between peasants and nobles was raising, and the moods were not better even after news about new victories against Brema, or after processions in main churches. The spiritus movens of raising opposition became bishop of Kamien, Magnus.

The year 1421 was the breakthrough. In the battle lasting whole day, very bloody and remembered even generations later famous Triebsees, twelve thousand of Pomeranian cavalry slaughtered more than twenty thousand Bremeners. Three more times Bremen was trying to cross the Elbe and each time the steel armies were repelled by druzhinas[/] led by young Dieter von Plestau.

What's more important, in february of the same year Poland and Lithuania[12], mainly as effect of long traditional friendship between Gryffites and Wladislaw Jagiello, raided the lands of Teutonic Order. Without doubts it saved Pomerania, because the treasury of the prince was empty and unpaind merecenaries started to take their salaries directly from prince's subjects.
Armies of coalition of Magdeburg, Brandenburg and Pomerania soon took Danzig - and from twenty thousand of Pomeranians only few survived the macabric siege, the effect of hunger, plagues and cold weather. [13]

Both Bremen and TO received new leaders that time. New grand master, Paul Bellizer von Russdorf decided - facing Lithuanians and Poles in every conrner of his land - to buy peace with Pomerania by ceding the Danzig[14]. New prince of Bremen, Niklaus, was less willing, but after another failed assaults across the Elbe he finally decided to status quo peace.

So in 1423 Kazimierz had the lands twice as big as before, even if much much poorer.



references:

[1] aristocracy = 8

[2] serfdom = 9

[3] innovative = 4

[4] mercantilism = 8

[5] quality =5, offensive=5

[6] land = 5

[7] IIRC in 1419 Pomerania had AT LEAST two provinces, and at least FIVE princes were alive: Kazimierz, Otton, Warcislav, Barnim, Boguslav.

[8] Losing of three stability points as result of attacking without CB.

[9] In old versions war taxes caused lost of stability and it was VERY NICE, as tiny states are getting back stability REALLY fast.
It took some time before i started to read "last changes in betas" and saw that it causes inflation now...

[10] Two more loans..

[11] I don't know whether this is result of AI=furious or Greatest AI, but EVERY war always ends with someone stabbing you in back.

[12] Luckily the same is about your neighbours.

[13] Well, it was my allies who actually win Danzig. In the end only 10% of sieging forces was my leftovers from army..


[14]. I proposed that in peace to TO, and they, of course, refused (i didn't really counted that they will accept, just had spare diplomat). Just few moments later they proposed me Danzig on their own.