Total War Center Forums - Medieval II: Total War AARs http://www.twcenter.net/forums/ Got M2TW campaign or battle reports, stories and AARs? Share them here. en Sun, 26 May 2013 06:41:44 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.twcenter.net/forums/images/y2skin/misc/rss.png Total War Center Forums - Medieval II: Total War AARs http://www.twcenter.net/forums/ <![CDATA[[SS 6.4] Fury from the Desert: A Fatimid Caliphate AAR - Second Try]]> http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?601354-SS-6-4-Fury-from-the-Desert-A-Fatimid-Caliphate-AAR-Second-Try&goto=newpost Mon, 20 May 2013 03:41:56 GMT So due to technical difficulties, mainly the fact that my previous account,... So due to technical difficulties, mainly the fact that my previous account, Peacewalker 117 can't access my own AAR's threads without giving me "database error", I have decided that a more efficient and more effective method of posting Fury from the Desert would be through the use of Google Docs. So I'll post the link now for those who are interested in reading it and every now and then, I'll give out updates here on how far along I am. Please comment and enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...1wg/edit?pli=1 ]]> Medieval II: Total War AARs PeaceWalker http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?601354-SS-6-4-Fury-from-the-Desert-A-Fatimid-Caliphate-AAR-Second-Try <![CDATA[[ Vanilla M2TW ] A Englishmens castle - England AAR]]> http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?601304-Vanilla-M2TW-A-Englishmens-castle-England-AAR&goto=newpost Sun, 19 May 2013 19:42:34 GMT *_Rules and Format _*Faction: England Mode:Vanilla M2TW Difficulty:... Rules and Format

Faction: England
Mode:Vanilla M2TW
Difficulty: Medium/Medium
Unit Size: Huge
Important Info: I am not aloud under any circumstance to reload or auto-resolve in the game. Updates about the kingdom will be about every 20 years or so.

This is my first ever AAR, I have been greatly inspired by works of many AAR artists such as Skantirios. The difficulty will only be on Medium since I'm a pretty big noob and arn't that good at this game. This campaign will also contain many twists and turns as royal members of the family murder each over for power over the throne. So thats all there is to say except , enjoy!

Prologue:



It had been 14 whole years since William had become king of England , 14 years of wars and rebbellions. The kingdom then entered a time of prosperity as trade was slithering into the empire. Now most of England is ruled by William the Conquerer and his sons under a strong iron fist of execution if crime is commitited. During these times peace came upon the kingdom since most Englishmen had a home, As they say 'A Englishmens castle is his home' and he does not mind what castle.

***********

He paced the room back and forth, frustrated about the amount of time he had not heard from his son, his green eyes looked around in fear as he awaited the diplomats arrival.

This wasn't the only problem, to the north rebels stood in York, ready to stop any English armies, the economic situation was not any better thanks to the rebbellion of York.

His kingdom was in a finiacial crisis as he could bearly pay the men which fought for him only loyal to the coin. The situation was so bad that many members of the council thought that the English kingdom would not last long. These thoughts provoked York to rebel and become its own people , this situation angered William so much he exiled the member of the council who reported the statement.

Suddenly a idea went into his head of how to solve these miserable problems he faced.

"Scribe" He called to a young man, in his twenties, that was sitting on a chair in the room.

"Yes sire?" The scribe asked.

"I demand you write a letter to the mayor of London and the ruler of Nottingham plus the govener of Normandy to raise taxes fully." He replied.

"But sire this will cause the population to be angered." He argumented.

"Now scribe , do it!" He demanded.

The scribe scuttered off to the next room, which was his sleeping quaters, to write the message quickly.

Next he called for the archiect and ordered for the construction of buildings in Nottigham and London.

Soon William realised he needed York back so he sat down at his desk, with a quill and scroll, and started writing his message.

To Richard the Spy
Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
I want you to infaltrate and spy on the city of York to find out about the size of their army ,
dont fail me,

William the Conquerer , King of England.


The entire kingdom now was working and preparations were well under way for the invasion of York, England could be saved from destruction.

**********

More will be added on tommorrow but for today this is all folks, please give feedback :).


 ]]> Medieval II: Total War AARs ByzantinePeasant http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?601304-Vanilla-M2TW-A-Englishmens-castle-England-AAR <![CDATA[[SS 6.4] Fury from the Desert: A Fatimid Caliphate AAR - Chapter 3]]> http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?601193-SS-6-4-Fury-from-the-Desert-A-Fatimid-Caliphate-AAR-Chapter-3&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 20:36:23 GMT *_Chapter 3: The Cairo Incident _* The war against a single Christian power... Chapter 3: The Cairo Incident

 The war against a single Christian power had cost the Caliph dearly in manpower, resources and money. War against all of Christendom was an invitation for disaster. It was here that Abu Ahmad suggested another course of action, “If we can’t face them with swords, perhaps we can face them with deception,” Ahmad had suggested.

“I will not face our foe as a coward. It is not Islamic, and it is not in the principles of our Empire,” al-Musta’li retorted,

“We have no other choice; you yourself said that we can’t face the might of Christendom. The only way we can get them to leave is to trick them,” Ahmad had said with.
His plan called for a diplomatic offering of good faith to the France, one of the Christian states at war with Egypt. The Caliph would hand them rule over Cairo, ensuring that a Christian power now controlled Cairo and bringing an end to the Crusades while also sparing the populace any bloodshed through fighting. Then, when the time was right, Muslim armies would again lay siege to Cairo themselves and take it back once and for all. Cairo was handed the French and immediately after, a small time captain by the name of Yusuf was given charge of raising a small force to retake Cairo. For six months, Yusuf rallied a small force of loyal supporters, mostly brigands who had been bribed by the Caliphate, mercenaries from the countryside and soldiers from other cities. Should Yusuf’s takeover fail, he could be denied by the Caliphate to avoid any real retaliation from the French.
After six months of planning, training, and recruiting, Yusuf set his plan in motion. Luckily for him, the French had underestimated their Egyptian neighbours and as such kept the city poorly garrisoned, combined with support from loyal Egyptians inside the city, Yusuf attacked Cairo in the early hours of February 8th, 1129 AD with his loyal supporters after covertly sneaking spies and soldiers into the city to act as a fifth column. After a day of street fighting, the French Garrison, fearing further Egyptian reinforcements, and already being poorly supplied and poorly trained to cope with the desert heat, surrendered to Captain Yusuf and transferred control of Cairo back to the Sultan. It would be many years before France could ever muster another force to threaten Egypt again.
The abrupt end to the Crusade had levied heavy costs on the Frankish King for his Crusader army and the defeat had shown great discontent among the King’s subjects. Taking advantage of this, the English and the Holy Roman Empire descended upon France with the aims of extending their own kingdoms. France had more immediate concerns to worry about than the loss of Cairo. Al-Musta’li was now free to divert his forces to deal with the remaining enclaves of Crusader resistance in the Levant. The capture of Jerusalem, Kerak and Acre had been a decisive blow to the Crusader States which led to, not just a loss in important ground, but also a blow to the Crusaders’ production and financial and economic well being. They had been lucky to make peace with the Turks but the Fatimid Caliphate had now come to avenge the First Crusade. ]]> Medieval II: Total War AARs Peacewalker117 http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?601193-SS-6-4-Fury-from-the-Desert-A-Fatimid-Caliphate-AAR-Chapter-3 <![CDATA[[SS 6.4] Fury from the Desert: A Fatimid Caliphate AAR]]> http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?600705-SS-6-4-Fury-from-the-Desert-A-Fatimid-Caliphate-AAR&goto=newpost Wed, 15 May 2013 02:13:55 GMT *DISCLAIMER*

I'm relatively new here and I've been wanting to do an AAR for a long while, now I finally have time. I would like to make it clear that the opinions and attitudes portrayed in this AAR are not my own but rather my representation of the opinions and attitudes of the Fatimid Caliphate at the time, as such, the bias is intentional and serves to add flavor so to speak. So I ask people to please refrain from religious arguments and all that sort. Also, I apologize for the lack of pictures early on, I completely forgot to take screenshots. But nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this AAR and if you do, I will gladly continue adding to it.

Introduction:


Our story begins in the year of 1100 AD, in the aftermath of the disastrous First Crusade and the rise of Christian power in the Middle East. For almost 200 years, the mighty Fatimid Caliphate has stood in Egypt and Syria, serving as a beacon for Shi’a power in a world dominated by Sunni hegemony. Despite this, Fatimid rulers have shown remarkable tolerance to Christians, Jews and Sunnis with many holding important offices despite the constant intolerance of the neighbouring Abbasids and Europeans. However, Fatimid power has been waning. From the West, the Almoravid Caliphate, a successor to the old Caliphate of Cordova and the County of Sicily have begun pressing on Fatimid lands, seizing large tracts of land in North Africa and forcing Fatimid borders to Egypt while on the Arab Peninsula, the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina, under the administration of Bedouin governors, have broken away from Fatimid rule and announced allegiance to the Abbasid Caliphate or become independent city states themselves. In the Levant, Fatimid armies have suffered a serious of humiliating defeats at the hands of Christian invaders from France and Germania which has greatly threatened the prestige and the resolve of the Caliphate in the Islamic world. With Fatimid power being proved vulnerable, the Seljuq Turks to the North have begun descending into Syria and Palestine, with aims of both driving out the Crusaders and restoring Sunni rule in Shi’a Egypt. The Fatimid Caliphate is now decaying; still recovering from the 1099 siege of Jerusalem, Egypt needs a strong ruler, now more than ever if it is to survive the ambitions of its neighbours and rivals while also restoring the glory of the Caliphate and defending the power of the Shi’a. The Fatimid Caliphate needs a ruler who is willing to drive back the Crusaders, take on the mighty Seljuq Empire, restore Fatimid rule in the Holy Land and North Africa and is willing to make new alliances with the emerging Almoravid and Khwarazmian Empires to ensure a united front against Seljuq domination and further Christian incursions into Islamic lands.

Chapter 1: The Hijaz Campaign

 The First Crusade had left startling scars on the Fatimid Dynasty. The loss of territory to the Seljuqs, Crusaders and Bedouins had left the Fatimid Empire weak. The army was small and mostly composed of small militias, peasant infantry and Bedouin riders. The army also lacked in imaginative generals and at a crucial time. Despite seizing the Holy Land, the Crusaders were still a very real threat, one that had to be taken seriously should the Fatimids ever hope to stand on their feet again. However, all was not lost for what the Fatimid dynasty lacked in soldiers, it made up for in merchants and wealth. The rich, fertile land of the Nile Delta and the important trade routes going through this land had made Egypt immensely rich and prosperous. Cairo was very much the jewel of the Islamic World, easily rivaling the splendor of Baghdad, Constantinople, Cordova and Rome. This immense wealth in Egypt would be the sinews of conquest and Fatimid Glory, with Egyptian gold being used to rebuild the Fatimid Armies and send them to war. However, conquest can only take place if the conqueror does not themselves become the conquered. A danger that would muster in 1105... just 6 years after the fall of Jerusalem. In the summer of 1105, Fatimid Spies operating deep in the Levant sent back reports of troubling Crusader troop movements. A large Crusader Army had assembled on the outskirts of the fortress of Gaza and it seemed that they intended to attack, no doubt in the name of further plunder to satisfy Frankish Greed. Quickly, the great Caliph al-Musta’li was forced to mobilize Egypt’s forces and go to the border to meet the Crusader threat should they invade. Assembling troops from neighbouring garrisons in Damietta and Alexandria and training fresh troops from Gaza, the Caliph assembled his forces outside of Gaza in preparation for war. For 6 months, the standoff at Gaza continues until the Crusaders finally backed down, most likely to deal with Turkic invaders from the North who sought to claim the Holy Land for their own. With an army already assembled, al-Musta’li saw a chance to restore Fatimid Glory in Arabia and marched his troops south, into Hijaz with the intent of capturing the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina and once again restoring legitimacy to the Fatimid Ulema. The Caliph’s advisers estimated that the campaign would be short, with the local Bedouin forces being unprepared for the might of Egypt’s armies. However, these advisers had been wrong before. Only 6 to 7 years earlier, they had said the same thing about the Crusaders. “Nothing more than a rabble of mindless barbarians and brigands, desperately seeking riches and plunder” the Caliph’s generals had mused. These “barbarians and brigands” had defeated the Fatimids, even when it seemed that the soldiers of the Ummah would triumph, the Crusaders emerged victorious. Caliph al-Musta’il had learned his lesson about underestimating his enemies. This time, he would not be so hubris regarding his foe. This time, until the Bedouins had been defeated once and for all... there would be no letting up. By 1108, Caliph Musta’li had finished making plans for Mecca and Medina and his army arrived under the command of his youngest son, Taj Amir Abu Ahmad. After a short battle against Bedouin forces outside the city, Abu Ahmad laid siege to Medina. The battle itself was a careful one. Medina was a sacred city and to damage the holy sites in any way was absolute blasphemy, one that would not only damage the reputation of the Caliphate, but would be a tremendous blow to Islam as a whole. After a brief siege, culminating in a short battle against an exhausted and demoralized foe, Medina fell to Fatimid armies. By the example of the blessed Prophet PBUH, Medina’s blessed population was sparred any killing or looting while the populace itself relatively easily accepted Fatimid rule. The capture of Medina had gone well but now came the capture of Mecca. Mecca’s garrison was also light and after bringing reinforcements from Gaza under the command of Abu Ahmad’s older brother, Abul-Hassan Al-Niswani, Mecca also fell to the Fatimids, with its populace being afforded the same, merciful treatment that was afforded to Medina’s. The Hijaz Campaign had come to a close and for the next twenty years, the Fatimid Caliphate would find itself at peace, with time to recover and prepare itself for the coming of the Second Crusade. ]]> Medieval II: Total War AARs Peacewalker117 http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?600705-SS-6-4-Fury-from-the-Desert-A-Fatimid-Caliphate-AAR <![CDATA[[PlanetWar]Planet War Chronicles]]> http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?598375-PlanetWar-Planet-War-Chronicles&goto=newpost Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:41:17 GMT *Planet War chronicles* by Chronographer Christonikos (Human) Image:...
Planet War chronicles
by Chronographer Christonikos (Human)




The Peaceful Expansion or the Odon Expansion






A few info about the Terrans
The Terrans are from a planet almost twice the size of Earth. The increased gravity has led to the evolution of these gargantuan, heavily muscled behemoths. Their atmosphere also provided little protection from radiation, so they have thick, leathery orange skin. Don't be fooled by their fearsome appearance, for these hulking aliens are vegetarians. They have settled on the central plains of the Northern Continent. They needed the open space to grow enough grain for their massive appetites.
However vegan, they are also known for being brutally disgusting. They have been rumored to employ both biological and chemical warfare on the new planet. They have used radioactive material to poison their enemies and even throw their own feces.
A full grown Terran stands over eight feet tall and weighs at least 500 pounds. Few Terrans make it to adulthood, however, as juvenile Terrans make up most of their army. The thousands of "human sized" Terrans that routinely die in battle are actually mere children.
This faction was discovered early on by the mighty Scorp. These "Predators" have influenced their culture significantly. They build pyramids in their cities and perform sacrificial killings. They may be called upon to defend their faith and go on a sacrificial war. The Scorp gave them their traditional metal facemasks, which are only worn by the nobility.



This term describes the 30 year period, when the Terrans, those orange, heavily muscled behemoths reached the peak of their power on the new Planet. During this period of time, the Terran Kingdom doubled or even tripled its size, being the largest Kingdom on the planet. It stretched from the Great Lake in the North to the New Mediterranean at the centre of the continent, it controlled all the Steppes regions of the Northern part of the Continent.

It all started from the vision of the Terran King, known to common folk as Titanoturd the Honourable. It is true that Terrans don’t have the best relations with Civilization and Language, mostly because the life expectancy is too low. Others suggest that those Orange Giants are simply not intelligent. Anyway because we can’t understand their special code of communication, all the nicknames given to them have to do with their big body size and fecal matter. Well the second thing remarkable with those behemoths is the use of chemical weapons, mostly their own crap.

Back to the topic, the King supported by his Son and Heir, and the rest of the Generals, spent all his Kingdom’s economies to raise four large armies simultaneously. However a big army needed big supplies, and since it’s the Terrans we are talking about, they needed gigantic supplies. Therefore his imperialistic plan was set to motion. The four armies marched to four different directions.


The council










Prince Barfbelchenfart’s army at the southwestern front was the first to achieve success by capturing Sienna, which was defended by some Steppe humans. No fight was given, since the Humans had to choose between starvation or certain defeat, and so the defenders handled the keys of the castle to the Terran leader, only to be massacred by the orange beasts.. More lands mean more food. More food means more growth. So Terran armies now were not a bunch of children or babies, but rather a fierce band of titans. Those adults form the Uberdashers, orange trolls with maces and spiked clubs who instill fear at their enemies and exterminate legion after legion with minimal or none losses.
Then the Prince, reinforced with Uberdashers, arrived to Crodon, a city recently passed under Slate’s Legacy control. But that wasn’t going to stop their expansion plan. The catapults caught the Imperials by surprise and in a matter of hours Terrans controlled the city. It was then that we realized their supreme power and how devastating chemical warfare could be. It was a catastrophic day for the Empire, and it’s prestige, while the fact that Terrans had no losses was at least demoralizing.

Meanwhile General Titus also captured without giving a fight, the High Plains west of Terran Mainland, providing even more food crops.
The King captured Gragantua at the north after fighting an easy battle with local Goblin Tribes while General Uberturd, the worst of the above also easily beat the Yetians and captured Gaur. Titus continued his campaign to the West capturing the Steppe human inhabited city of Umber.

The most remarkable and memorable achievement of the Terran military was definitely the capture of Odon, the great independent Human city located at the Delta of the Long river. Lord Jamal Williams managed to pull back the attackers twice by burning down their catapults. A sacrificial war had to be called in order the Terrans to attempt to siege the city again. It was the Third Siege of Odon that painted the city orange. It was then that the Orange Kingdom touched it’s zenith before the downfall began.
Odon








Many battles were given afterwards but Prince Barfbelchenfart was always successful. Just like Hannibal, he managed to come a step next to Slate’s Capital, New Earth, he even laid siege to Fort Smolka, but never found the chance to attack the city itself. He just raided neighbouring towns, one of the being Vendon at the eastern side of New Earth

Seeing the constantly growing Terran power, the neighborly Kingdoms formed an anti-Terran coalition, known as the Fonzerelli Coalition, named after the genius diplomat Anthony Fonzerelli who managed to coordinate the Kingdoms of Daemos, the Goblins and Humans and end, temporarily, the Human-Goblin war.

Fonzerelli




The counter-attack began at the North, but the Terran King successfully repelled the red deamons and even exterminated one of their castles.
The most decisive move was made by Deamos Kingdom, which secretly moved through the Terran lands and captured the unprotected Terra, the capital. It was then that the Orange beast signed the Fonzerelli treaty, also named after the diplomat, accepting being vassals to Slate’s Legacy and giving Vendon and Crodon, after Odon had already revolted and joined the Human Empire. What Humans hadn’t achieved with their Legions, they did it through diplomacy. Other believe support that Terrans were tricked and hadn’t understood the terms of the agreement. The most plausible scenario is though, that the Prince and his experienced elite army , was called back to the Mainland, and it was too dangerous to fight his way home, especially now that Brett Smolka had gathered a huge army outside New Earth.

The period of the Peaceful Expansion or the Odon Expansion ended with the recapture of Terra by the eastern forces from Gaur, led by the upcoming General Titas Outhaus who easily exterminated the few Daemos militia at the second siege.

Now the Terrans are trying to recover and bring back stability. Having lost their remote lands and having again problems with money, an amazing opportunity has appeared in front of us to betray them and take revenge for what they did to us and wanted to do but the Mighty Mike Slate gave us the power to stop them. Of course it will be very hard, because they have now an experienced and organized army stationed at their great cities.

In conclusion, the Terran Expansion is called Peaceful, because only few battles were fought, most cities just surrendered and is also called Odon Expansion, because the city of Odon was the last Great city captured by The Terrans, the most important battle was fought there and it meant the beginning of the Kingdom’s decay.

Terra







 ]]> Medieval II: Total War AARs Christonikos http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?598375-PlanetWar-Planet-War-Chronicles