[ETW AAR] Rule Brittania - My First Empire Campaign *Complete*

[Musthavename]

I'll try and upload a few things later today, provided I can get Empire working. This is not a serious AAR. However, I will be documenting my battles (loosely), and any events to demonstrate campaign features (such as tech, diplomacy, rakes etc...) just to give some info to people who are either waiting on installing / getting Empire to work, or people who are waiting to see what the game is like before buying.

Currently patching. I've got an hour lecture to go to for 12:15, but after that I have the entire day off, so I can hopefully get some serious playing done.

Although, i'm sort've predicting this launch will backfire on me and it'll refuse to work. If that's the case i'll delete the thread (and perhaps ressurect it when I do get it working), so if you see it disappear, that's why. Considering i'm currently looking at Steam failing to do maths, I don't have high hopes this is going to work perfectly.

Update to come hopefully this afternoon.

[Musthavename]

Huzzah! Working!

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My starting provinces: The British Isles, a bit of the Caribean, and somewhere far up in Canada.

Time to deal with these pirates. Seems the dutch agree with me that getting rid of them is a good idea. The advisor likes getting in the way of my screenshots. I autoresolve, the battle's too one sided to bother with, and the Dutch can get shot at first. Easy victory.

Meanwhile, it seems the 13 colonies don't have to stay a Protectorate at all! Seemingly, this mission turns it into a union. I just have to take 3 provinces in the Americas.

But ofcourse, i've got other things on my mind. I open the diplomacy panel. I've got the Dutch and a couple other Protestant nations already allied to me. Unfortunatly, the Spanish are on the French side, so removing them is a must. I move my ships out of the French fleet's range and declare war before popping an army off in Brittany. But, that leaves the issue of a French fleet in the channel to destroy.

[More to come later when my lecture is over! Including some screenshots from this battle.]

[GeneralMaximus]

Nice info and screens. +rep =) im getting mine any minute!!! Really excited!

[tuore]

I'm getting my copy on Friday but i'll read this, you're a legend, musthavename!

[SkyShadowing]

AhA! I knew there was that mission!

[boerekovic]

first AAR eh? good one

[tuore]

AhA! I knew there was that mission!

Me too!

[Kingzilla]

I want ETW SO BAD!!!!!

[Pink Beard]

Where did Cakmak go?

[Selifator]

So jealous...

[Musthavename]

first AAR eh? good one

Oh, this isn't my first AAR. I think i've already done something like... 5. This is my first campaign in Empire, not my first AAR.

Where did Cakmak go?

This is just trying to be a campaign report, nothing much more . And without further a do, here's the next udpate.

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As the fighting breaks out, ships are taking damage. Ofcourse, this just seems to give the cannons a clearer shot!

Meanwhile, the fighting has turned into absolute chaos. The French seem to have opted to form a nice orderly line. I meanwhile dive my ships inwards and attempt to try to pick them off, using some of the smaller nippier vessels to "draw fire" so I can keep my fifth rates safe.

Finally though, the deadlock is broken, and the French flinch first.

And another one bites the dust.... or rather... chokes on the water? Meh, whatever.

Fighting is fierce. Ships scale up to each other and unleash their broadsides. It's probably an easy time to get a splinter with all that wood flying around.

And then, just what I love to see. Frenchmen running away... into the sea .

Annoyingly, I accidently sunk (yes, accidently!) the French Fifth Rate, which I was hoping to capture. The only other ship they had proceeded to leg it... or swim it.. or sail it... whatever.

Turning my attention back to home, I realised I had a genius of a physicist. Much to his disapointment however, leaps forward in physics must be stopped. Because... I need... bigger guns.

And old Isaac delivers.

Hmm, turning my artillery into massive shotguns... I like. What I like more is that i've pretty much razed Britanny & Normandy.

After running around France like a headless chicken simply "borrowing" France's structus, I seem to have struck a chord. They attack.

It begins with a cavalry charge from the French... into my own cavalry. Soon enough I send some pikemen (pretty much cannonfodder otherwise) in to have some fun.

Similarly, the French decided to go a bit bonkers on me and charge my cavalry on the other side. Ofcourse, they didn't seem to count on my own cavalry charging and absolutely maiming them.

Meanwhile in the centre, it was a deadlock. Lines met and the orderly polite exchange of "stand still in nice lines and shoot each other" started.

The French hwoever realised suddenly that "Wow! These bullets hurt! Ooh la la! They killed Francois!!! RUN!!!". Ofcourse, when running away, it really helps to be faster than the person your running from. When that person is riding a horse, you're pretty screwed.

With victory at my back, I turn my gaze to Paris. The garrison is just too big to bother assaulting now. So, looking to the east a bit, I spot Bruges! I'm already at war with the Spaniards (who seem to be in bed with France, probably just because they both hate me). So, I decide to take out three birds with one Stone. I limit Dutch expansion, I reduce Spanish influence, and I get somewhere to train troops on the mainland. Excellent...

The Spaniards decide to have some guts and meet me on the open field outside the town. Excellent.

Ofcourse, the Spanish have a slight oversight. I have more guns... more BIG guns. I hit one of their cannons with a direct hit, and everyone guarding them does a runner back to the town.

The Spaniards, seemingly in a fit of intelligence, decided to send a unit of cavalry to flank me and try and take out my artillery. Though, the big huge Spanish flag kind of gave their position away, and I proceeded to make mincemeat out of them.

With only the cannon crews left outside the town, there was nothing left to do except... CHARGE!

We started to set up our lines of fire. Unfortunatly, my artillery was now out of range at this point, and the things can't move after deployment.

As their general charged one of my units, I brought in two units of line infantry from the other side and opened fire. Let's just say he didn't last long.

So the Spaniards decided "Screw facing them in the field, let's hide!"

Nothing a good old bayonnet charge can't fix.

On a nicer note, that was the most fun i've ever had in a siege. It's FAR more open in this time period. It's more of just a battle where one side has buildings on than a slugfest. Now, with Bruges under my control, I turn my attention to Paris. Time to reequip my forces and ruin France's campaign.

[Selifator]

I hadn't really decided yet, but this pulls me over. I'm getting Empire.

[LlamaD]

Nice as cau-sual. Difficulty?
I wonder if you ain't too successful.
Can the economy keep up?

[alexetches]

have you got any shots of the campaign map mini map? well played so far, i think your playing under the assumption that the french and spanish are renown cowards?

[alexetches]

also i would see if you could get some of the spanish american colonies such as florida and cuba in return for peace and the return of brussels? gives you the chance to mop up the french colonies in america unhindered : P

[Selifator]

Look in the AAR-thread by PW, he's linked to an AAR at the .org that has pics of hte minimap. And I can tell you it doesn't look different from the previews.

[alexetches]

ahh thanks man i would rep but i cant for some reason :/

actually i dont wanna seem like a noob, which i am :p, but whats PW?

PW = Power Wizard, he's a user here ~ Musthavename

[The_Rusher]

Are you sure it was Bruges don't you mean Brussels?

[alexetches]

nope i mean brussels

[Musthavename]

Just realised it was Brussels, wasn't sure. Difficulty is H/H.

have you got any shots of the campaign map mini map? well played so far, i think your playing under the assumption that the french and spanish are renown cowards?

So far they have been! The Spanish in Brussels ran the instant I met their lines. The French have done a lot of running aswell.

Update coming.

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I regrouped my forces into a good sized army. I proceeded to besiege the French in Paris. I decided to see if the French would surrender the city to me or not.

Infact, they refused so much that while I besieged them they came forth and attacked me! Most of their army was a simple mob though. Pretty much peasants with guns.

I set out to make my line as wide as possible. The French decided going in one giant group makes more sense...

A unit of Pikemen seemed very eager to get into battle. So much that they charged alone into the centre of my line. Unfortunatly for them, they forgot that bullets well... kill people.

After the failure of the sole unit of Pikes to breach my line, the French proceeded to try to replicate that tactic with more men.

They loved charging so much, they forgot to guard their artillery. Something I liked very much, as it meant I could do this to it.

After charging their army into one spot, I flanked round the other side of my army and got them in a crossfire. Considering most of the army were effectivly peasants generated when Paris was besieged, they ran quite quickly.

Easy.

One thing to note about this is I did't get Paris. Instead, LOADS more peasants with guns spawned in their place. So I autoresolved... and got this.

Unfortunatly for me, I seem to forgot to take screenshots of Paris itself. I must've pushed PrintScreen instead of F10 (which is used for FRAPS). Sorry . Regardless, Paris wasn't very happy being under my rule. I exempted them from taxes, and they still wern't very happy. A few turns later, with me being prompted with an angry letter from nobles and strikes from the working class, it seems to have settled down a bit. Though it has allowed the French to start getting back at me and raiding my farms.

Meanwhile, I finally got a few trade ships together and set abuot going to Brazil. The Portguese (my Allies) were already there, as were the Spanish. I promplty set about destroying the Spanish fleet (of one entire Galleon), and then parking trade boats on the remainder.

Meanwhile, it seems a bloke naming himself after a 1970s prog rock band appeared. So I set about sending him to research some stuff... like... how to make bigger guns. [Yes, he was indeed a real person. Wikipedia it ]

And a General election was held. My goverment was pretty popular right now (well, you would be if you'd conquered France), and they got reelected easily enough.

Now, that's it for this "short" update. Before tonights over i'll be trying to take Cuba from the Spanish, and hopefully regathering my forces to take Alsace and exile the French from Europe.