[APE AAR] On the Front Lines of the Lord - An Austrian AAR

[Kip]

Austria.

A Catholic land. Muslims to the south. Protestants to the north. Orthodox Christians to the east. The only secure border lies to the west, and the Adriatic Sea; but even these lands are under the watchful eyes of greedy Italian merchants seeking to extend their influence.

This is the story of a nation on the Front Lines of the Lord.

The year is 1707. A long war has just come to a close; an ungodly war, a war between sons of Christ. The kind of Poland-Lithuania was jealous of Austria's strength, and sought to strip the wealthy province of Silesia away. The Prussians, treacherous protestants as they are, invaded as well; it seemed Silesia would be the battleground in a war between three great powers. Only the might and bravery of Prince Eugene of Savoy, the Austrian army's finest general, saved the province from the clutches of Austria's enemies.

Meanwhile, the treacherous Prussians had showed their true colors, and attacked Poland while their armies were tied down by Austria. Gdansk fell in a single attack.

In a surprise move, Eugene took advantage of the Prussian's absence and bypassed the Polish army, seizing the undefended capital of Warsaw. The Austrians were wily. They did not seek to expand their empire at the expense of the Poles. In a move of excellent diplomacy, Warsaw was handed back to the Polish in return for a military alliance. Former enemies, now allies? Soldiers who had been firing at each other just weeks before, now on the same side of those very muskets?

So sets the stage in the year 1707 of our Lord.

The Royal Family of Austria:

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Leopold was pleased with his eldest daughter Maria. He sought to coach her into a great queen, should no sons be born to him.

After peace was achieved, Prince Eugene was dispatched on the offensive. He pushed northwards from Warsaw, and ravaged the countryside surrounding Konigsberg. He was able to march unopposed into Gdansk, but a nearby Prussian army forced an action:

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Eugene had a slight numerical advantage, but the Prussian troops were not to be underestimated. They were highly motivated, and highly trained. The only troops of any quality in the Austrian force was the Second Regiment of Foot, "Prince Eugene's Finest", a regiment which had proven itself in the bloody fighting in Silesia, and a ragtag team of pandours from Croatia.

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The battle opened with a bombardment from the Austrian cannon.

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"Prince Eugene's Finest" stands at the ready as the Prussian soldiers emerge from a copse of trees.

A devastating volley of musketry erupts from the woods! Dozens of Austrians fall, and the Second Foot suffers nearly 40 casualties, while the Prussians are protected by thick bark and branch. Prince Eugene knows he cannot match the Prussians gun for gun, and commits his line to hand to hand. The withering fire of the Prussians is unlike anything Eugene encountered against the Poles. It is a surprising new tactic, and many good men fall to a lead musket ball before Eugene could even react.

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The Prussians break under the weight of the charge. A mixed formation of horsemen and infantry panicked even the well trained Prussian troops.

Austrian pikemen clear out a final defensive position.

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The battle is won, but not at low cost:

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"Prince Eugene's Finest", the Second Regiment of Foot, has suffered dearly. They were the point of Eugene's sword, and therefore took the brunt of the enemy fire. Eugene scrambled to recoup their numbers, drawing veterans from his other regiments to bring them to strength.


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Hey all,

Hope you enjoy. This is a VERY simple AAR, not too intense in terms of writing or screenshots; I'm just doing it for a bit of fun. I'm playing A Proper Empire: Terra Incognita, which you should definitely check out if you're curious about the "manpower" messages in the top left corner of my campaign screens. Also, the uniforms are Remo's excellent Prussians and Austrians, worth a look as well.

I have enough screens for one or two more short updates, and I'll probably at least finish out this campaign.

Hope you enjoy!

[Sgt Gul]

very nice, i like reading AARs. Even more when they have nice screenshots. good job

[l33tl4m3r]

*cheers*

[Kip]

Thanks for the comments guys! My screenshots seem to be selectively disappearing, so I'm trying to figure that out... Its forcing me to leave several gaps in the story that I wanted to tell
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In other news (this happened earlier but I forgot to discuss), Serbia has overthrown the yoke of the Ottoman Empire! Leopold swiftly dispatched an army to convince the Serbs of the benefits of Austrian suzerainty... the territory was seized with little resistance.

After the defense of Gdansk, the Austrian coffers began to run dry. Its citizens were not wealthy, and taxes would not support the war effort on their own. Accordingly, and upon the urgings of the Lord Minister of the Treasury, Leopold commissioned the first Austrian trading ships, to be dispatched around the globe.

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The indiaman, under escort of the fledgling Austrian navy, was dispatched towards Africa to seek a suitable harbor in which to establish a new trading post.

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In other news, the Ottoman Turks, already distrustful of their Catholic neighbors, were not pleased with the "take-over" of their Serbian territory, which they believed to have been absorbed into Austria illegally. It was their territory to retake, not Austria's.

Leopold sent an embassy to discuss a mutually beneficial trade agreement to settle the dispute, but the Turks were hostile to any approach:

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Leopold was growing tired of Turkish insolence. They were not welcome in Europe, by his or his generals' opinion. It would only take a spark for the hostility to ignite in full-blown war.

Meanwhile, Wurttemburg has graciously accepted Austria's protection in war. The citizens of Stuttgart and the surrounding countryside were unnerved by the growing French power on their border, which had recently been unleashed against the United Provinces at the behest of Spain. A mobilized France on the warpath did not bode well for the tiny German state, who invited the Austrians in for protection.

Leopold did not hesitate in agreeing. Taking on Wurttemburg as a protectorate both extended Austrian influence into Germany proper, and countered the power of Austria's traditional rival France in the west.

An Austrian army was dispatched to help fortify Stuttgart against attack, as per the agreement:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

More to come....

[Cyphon88]

Is that a particular houserule you have for your protectorates, or are you just fully roleplaying this?

[Kip]

Combination of both. I think that if you undertake a Protectorate, you should "protect" them; I personally am not a fan when I see people pay 5000 to some random Indian tribe to take them on as protectorates, when they have zero military contact. In my opinion its a little exploitative, in the sense that a 5000 initial investment to any minor faction in the game will net you half their profits for the rest of their existence. My personal house-rule is to only take on a protectorate that "makes sense" politically, militarily, etc. I do roleplay the reasoning and politics behind it, but it sorta makes sense that little Wurttemburg, threatened by France, might request the military protection of a French rival (in this case, me, Austria) to guarantee their security. I also see it as a little bit of extortion; my Austrian diplomats would in all likelihood have exaggerated the French threat. Either way, the end-goal was to extend Austrian influence into Germany Proper, without actually conquering the whole place. These kinds of things make the game more fun for me

As for the actual army that I've deployed there, that is a house-rule of mine. I think if a little nation is paying my faction half of their profits every single turn for my military protection, they deserve to actually receive it. Going back to my example of the Indian tribes: Why would the Iroquois pay Prussia half of their profits every turn for military protection, when not a single Prussian settler, let alone soldier, is in the entire Western Hemisphere? In the game, the AI has no way to throw off the yoke of protectorateship if their protector doesn't actually "protect" them, so I compensate by actually deploying an army to my protectorates.

Cheers

[Biggles]

Combination of both. I think that if you undertake a Protectorate, you should "protect" them; I personally am not a fan when I see people pay 5000 to some random Indian tribe to take them on as protectorates, when they have zero military contact. In my opinion its a little exploitative, in the sense that a 5000 initial investment to any minor faction in the game will net you half their profits for the rest of their existence. My personal house-rule is to only take on a protectorate that "makes sense" politically, militarily, etc. I do roleplay the reasoning and politics behind it, but it sorta makes sense that little Wurttemburg, threatened by France, might request the military protection of a French rival (in this case, me, Austria) to guarantee their security. I also see it as a little bit of extortion; my Austrian diplomats would in all likelihood have exaggerated the French threat. Either way, the end-goal was to extend Austrian influence into Germany Proper, without actually conquering the whole place. These kinds of things make the game more fun for me

As for the actual army that I've deployed there, that is a house-rule of mine. I think if a little nation is paying my faction half of their profits every single turn for my military protection, they deserve to actually receive it. Going back to my example of the Indian tribes: Why would the Iroquois pay Prussia half of their profits every turn for military protection, when not a single Prussian settler, let alone soldier, is in the entire Western Hemisphere? In the game, the AI has no way to throw off the yoke of protectorateship if their protector doesn't actually "protect" them, so I compensate by actually deploying an army to my protectorates.

Cheers

Makes sense and it's a very nice touch.

[Kip]

@Biggles: Thanks mate

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Prussian incursions were swiftly becoming a nuisance, a thorn in Austria's side. West Prussia, though bordering the sea, had no outlets for shipping, and was surprisingly barren in terms of wealth. Countless Prussian raids destroyed what industry the poor region did offer. Leopold decided that if the Prussians wanted war, they would have it, but the collateral damage would fall on their own towns and countryside:

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A small Austrian force was sent to besiege Kongisberg, with the sole intent of distracting Prussia's armies from Gdansk. The city itself was nearly emptied due to the ongoing raids.

A call was sent to the Poles. They answered:

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The citizens of Konigsberg were outmatched in numbers, but a ring of strategic starforts rendered the Polish fire-power nearly worthless. Even a citizen, when faced with the loss of his home, was a fierce foe, and Polish light infantry would be weak fighters on the walls.

In lieu of this, a sneak attack was agreed upon by the allied generals. A deep blizzard provided the opportunity:

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The assault above was spearheaded by the 3rd Gdansk Regiment ^^

Led by Captain Jakob Bondmann:

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Polish Militia sneaking through the streets.

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The city was taken!
East Prussia was ceded to the Poles, in compensation for the Austrian acquisition of West Prussia and Gdansk, which would remain under Austrian rule.

[crucify_ego]

A family tree! WHAT?

[Kip]

A family tree! WHAT?

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=246530

Cheers mate

[The Donz]

Nice read! lol at Jackob Bondmann.

[Their Law]

Good read. We needed a few more Austrian AAR's around the place. Too many damn Prussian's....

[M D]

quite good mate
+rep

[Kip]

After the victory at Konigberg, Prussian power was deemed broken, yet the stubborn Berliners refused peace. Leopold deemed it no matter; the Prussian Army was scattered, and the Prussian Nation had been reduced to nothing more than a rival city-state in North Germany. Prince Eugene of Savoy, the Savior of Silesia, was dispatched southwards. His battlefield ingenuity was needed in the south, where the insolent Turks were brewing trouble...:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Meanwhile, the first Austrian traders made landfall in central Africa! Shipments of ivory are expected to arrive in the Adriatic ports immediately.

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Prince Eugene's march southwards was all too timely...

WAR!

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The declaration followed a unilateral attack by the Austrian's Polish allies, who had seized undefended Moldavia from the Turks in a surprise attack. Leopold was a bit peeved at his ally's somewhat selfish move, but he himself had his eyes on Turkish lands...

Prince Eugene's Finest, the Second Regiment of Foot, led an attack on Sarajevo.

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And so fell Bosnia into the Austrian fold. A swift victory for his majesty! Prince Eugene sent a courier to Vienna, bearing this message:

"I send word to you, my king, that while I am remiss in being absent for the birthday celebrations of your eldest daughter Maria, I kindly offer her a grande gift: The city of Sarajevo."


But alas!...:

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Saxony has fallen! Dresden is now a jewel in the crown of the Prussian king, and attempts at a Saxon rebellion are weak and disorganized! Trouble once again brews in the north!

[Biggles]

Still alive I hope?

[Kip]

Indeed

I have enough pictures for a couple more updates I believe, but no time at the moment

[Amaz]

Those are awesome! The screenshots are amazing

[Kordian]

I like your AAR, screens are realy amazing and im waiting for new chapter...

[Danigol of South America]

nice! i would some too but i lack of the communication skills jaja!
+ rep for all the work!