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Thread: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

  1. #1

    Icon3 Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    The year is 950 A.D. The millennial anniversary of Christ's birth is at hand, and less than a decade later, the fourth centenary of Muhammad's exile from Mecca. Both are terrible dates, for the end of the world is forecast at both times. It is a time of desperate struggles, and titanic wars.

    The Muslim world, centred on the Abassid capital in Baghdad, has been torn apart. In Egypt, a descendant of Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, has proclaimed himself Caliph, as has Abd al-Rahman III, the Emir of al-Andalus, a scion of the ancient bloodline of the Umayyads, the first dynasty of Caliphs. The Emir of Sicily has also become independent, and is concentrating more on menacing the various states of Italy than helping create a unified Islam.

    The Byzantine Empire is recovering from a nadir in its fortunes earlier in the century. Its great warrior emperor, Nicephorus Phocas, is succeeding at pushing back the imperial frontiers but unrest and treachery at home may cause more problems for him. Also, Islamic and pagan tribes of the east have been moving. Could a mass invasion spell doom for the Empire of the Romans?

    In Britain, the Saxon king Athelstan has regained control of his domain and defeated the Vikings and Scots, but there are always more Norsemen to pour out of Scandinavia. His ancient royal line has endured so far but there will be many tests in the future.

    In France, the Carolingian king Louis IV's authority is draining, despite his being descendant of Charlemagne. The Carolingians' failure to repel Viking invaders has damaged their influence severely, and their prestige is beginning to be overshadowed by dukes and counts who have claimed glory in the defeat of the pirates.

    The Spanish kings' situation is grim indeed. The Umayyad rulers of al-Andalus are constantly embarking on jihad to prove their worthiness, and only by clinging to the rugged mountains of Galicia have they preserved their independence. Although some within the Caliphate are starting to notice signs of rot within it, their rulers' most reliable way of maintaining control is by harnessing the Andalusis' zeal and using it to wage war on the men of the northern mountains.

    The new ruler of the Eastern Franks, Otto I, will be tested soon. The Hungarians have massed and will invade the Reich shortly, to avenge the raids his brother Henry has inflicted upon them. However, he cannot afford to spare many troops as the northern provinces of Saxony and Brandenburg are being invaded by Wendish Slavs too. There are also many dissenters within his Empire, including his own son Liudolf, who would seek to usurp his throne. Otto must counter all these threats and more if he is to preserve the empire and frontiers built up so painstakingly by his father, Henry I. The Slavic lands beyond them, and the Hungarian tribes, remain pagans, but Christian missionaries are bringing the faith across the barbaric eastern lands.

    The Viking men of the North have yet to be converted to Christianity, but may have to soon, as their lands are menaced by many powers of that faith. The era of the great sea kings is past its height but not over yet. The great warrior Gorm has unified Denmark and in Sweden and Norway, the Jarldoms are beginning to coalesce into tangible realms. In the west, the Irish kings of Connaught are building resistance to the Norse. To the east, Sviatoslav the Brave, has been proclaimed ruler of Kiev, but his rule is limited to the land between Kiev and Novgorod. However, he has plans to expand widely and truly make the Rus' a great people. He remains a staunch pagan, although his mother has converted to the faith of Christ.

    This is a mod proposal for 6.2 RR/RC compilation, to add an extra campaign starting around 950 A.D. (or a similar time if that makes the game work better at all...)

    Changes:

    England becomes a much less Continental faction, with much more focus on Huscarls and similar foot units than the knights of Europe. York may be English or Danish, I'm not sure yet (need to check).

    Shahdom of Khwarezm -> The Abbasid Caliphate (using BC units). They'll have dominion over Mesopotamia, Syria and Arabia, but be allied to the Buyids and have mutual military access to represent the Iranian influence over the Abbasid government.

    Turks are an emergent faction, pouring into the lands beyond the Caspian in the early eleventh century. (Still Islamic)

    Duchy of Norman Sicily -> Emirate of Sicily. Good light infantry and missile troops, excellent naval power. (Islamic)

    Novgorod -> Kingdom of the Geats/Uppland. Similar to BftB but a bit earlier.

    Cumans -> Khazar Khaganate. Jewish, if possible (see below)

    Portugal -> Pechenegs. Pagan, conversion possible?

    Almoravids -> The Umayyad Caliphate. Same territory, but they also have Lisbon, Valencia, Toledo and Palma.

    Georgia takes up the faction slot left by Ireland as in 1100 campaign, starts with Tbilisi, Kutaisi and possible some of Azerbaijan. Christian.

    Hungarians, Poles, Rus', Norwegians, Danes and Swedes all use the Lithuanian conversion script (starting as pagans) to Christian later.

    Using the knowledge that in the vanilla Britannia campaign, the religions are different, I propose to merge Catholicism and Orthodoxy because the Great Schism is yet to happen and make Judaism for the Khazars. Don't know if it'll work with the Pope though.

    Scripted Viking invasions if possible.

    Timurids won't appear, too late on in the campaign. Instead, The Confederate Amirates of the Buyids are in Iran (That's the state of affairs in 1000 AD, I'm looking for better information, but from everything I've found the Saffarids and Buyids were the dominant power of the tenth century, with Khwarezmians and Ghaznavids in the ascendancy). If I can find a slot, then Ghaznavids will be an emergent faction, appearing on the scene around Khiva and Konjikala. They'll probably start out out at war with the Khazars, Khwarezmians and Buyids.

    Faction List:

    Christian factions are in blue, Muslim factions in green, Pagan factions in red and Jewish* factions in purple.
    Emergent factions are in italics.

    The Papal States**

    The Kingdom of the English

    The Kingdom of the Franks

    The Holy Roman Empire

    The Kingdom of Leon and Asturias

    The Kingdom of Navarre

    The Kingdom of Scotland

    The Kingdom of Italy


    The Kingdom of Danemark

    The Kingdom of Norway

    The Kingdom of Uppland

    The Principality of the Poles

    The Principality of the Magyars

    The Grand Principality of Kievan Rus'


    The Khazar Khaganate


    The Kingdom of Georgia

    The Tsardom of Bulgaria

    The Roman Empire


    The Umayyad Caliphate

    The Abbasid Caliphate

    The Fatimid Caliphate

    The Kalbid Emirate (of Sicily) - c. 965.***

    The Zirid Emirate (of Ifriqiya or North Africa)

    The Saffarid Emirate (of Iran)

    The Buyid Emirates (of Iran)

    The Shahdom of the Ghaznavids - c. 960.

    The Sultanate of the Seljuks - c. 1050.


    The Khanate of the Mongols - c. 1220


    The Oghuz Tribes (may be Muslim or Pagan)

    (Independent Sovereignties)


    * Many sources claim that only the upper classes of the Khazars converted to Judaism. As such, most of their populations will start as pagans, with a maximum of 10% Jews. (This is only if the religion slots can be swapped about)

    ** The Papal States may or may not be emergent, to represent the Great Schism. Most likely not, however. The Pope as a tab on the faction slot may be emergent if possible.

    *** After 965, although still a Fatimid territory in name, the Emirate of Sicily was almost totally autonomous.

    Any help or advice, or maybe even people teaching me what to do if I'm ever going to make this would be great

    Last edited by Sir Walter; April 19, 2010 at 12:02 PM. Reason: Adding a faction list.
    ...ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Sounds great !

  3. #3
    Gnostiko's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Brilliant! As a Byzantine fan I can only embrace moving the clock back to the glory days of Nikephoros Phokas, Ioannes Tzimiskes, and Vasileos Vulgaroktonos. Make sure the emergent Seljuk's priority are the Arabs to the south! Manzikert was an opportunity taken, not a goal fulfilled!

    I have to poo-poo your inclusion of Ireland for the same reasons they were removed in the first place!

    Maybe replace with....Bulgaria?

  4. #4

    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Quote Originally Posted by Gnostiko View Post
    Brilliant! As a Byzantine fan I can only embrace moving the clock back to the glory days of Nikephoros Phokas, Ioannes Tzimiskes, and Vasileos Vulgaroktonos. Make sure the emergent Seljuk's priority are the Arabs to the south! Manzikert was an opportunity taken, not a goal fulfilled!

    I have to poo-poo your inclusion of Ireland for the same reasons they were removed in the first place!

    Maybe replace with....Bulgaria?
    Not a bad offer, we shall accept. Why d'you want Ioannes Tzimiskes? He murdered the greatest Emperor since Heraclius!
    ...ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

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    Graeme's Avatar Tiro
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    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Sounds like a good idea. I'd enjoy playing through that time period. I think I read on the CBUR part of this forum that they made a Nikephorean era roster, might be worth a look.

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    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Walter View Post
    Not a bad offer, we shall accept. Why d'you want Ioannes Tzimiskes? He murdered the greatest Emperor since Heraclius!
    True 'dat, but he was a competent enough general and Emperor; just what the Empire needed!

  7. #7

    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Quote Originally Posted by Gnostiko View Post
    True 'dat, but he was a competent enough general and Emperor; just what the Empire needed!
    Just what the Empire needed was "the pale death of the Saracens", aka the guy he murdered, who was a good deal more than competent
    ...ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

  8. #8

    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    But why bringing Ireland back, they didnt really have that big impact and units are really....

  9. #9
    Gnostiko's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Walter View Post
    Just what the Empire needed was "the pale death of the Saracens", aka the guy he murdered, who was a good deal more than competent
    Wellll, you can't win 'em all!

  10. #10

    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    I was planning on bringing Ireland back because they had a large-ish affect on the Vikings but Bulgaria's a better idea.
    ...ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

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    Graeme's Avatar Tiro
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    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    What about Armenian Cilicia? Ive always thought they'd be a good faction mix things up in Anatolia.

  12. #12
    Gnostiko's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Armenian Cilicia didn't emerge until 1080! It was Roman territory until the Seljuks loosed their control over the area.

  13. #13

    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Quote Originally Posted by Gnostiko View Post
    Armenian Cilicia didn't emerge until 1080! It was Roman territory until the Seljuks loosed their control over the area.
    Have Armenia instead? Oh, and Bulgaroctonus (or however you spelt it ... it's all Greek to me ) was a psychopath, why d'you want him?! (I just realised who you meant through all those Vs and Os that I don't usually see)
    ...ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

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    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Walter View Post
    Have Armenia instead? Oh, and Bulgaroctonus (or however you spelt it ... it's all Greek to me ) was a psychopath, why d'you want him?! (I just realised who you meant through all those Vs and Os that I don't usually see)
    Possibly doable, the only major city I can see them owning though is Ani. Not that I'm an expert on medieval Armenia, mind.
    Bahhh, Vulgaroktonos wasn't a 'psycho' as far as we know, the whole blinding thing wasn't recorded by any contemporary historians because it probably didn't happen! And if it did....those were dark times, men did bad things to other men. Vasileos was the last of the solid, no-nonsense, dependable Emperors.

  15. #15

    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Quote Originally Posted by Gnostiko View Post
    Possibly doable, the only major city I can see them owning though is Ani. Not that I'm an expert on medieval Armenia, mind.
    Bahhh, Vulgaroktonos wasn't a 'psycho' as far as we know, the whole blinding thing wasn't recorded by any contemporary historians because it probably didn't happen! And if it did....those were dark times, men did bad things to other men. Vasileos was the last of the solid, no-nonsense, dependable Emperors.
    What about Alexius Comnenus? And a name like "the Bulgar slayer" doesn't come easy
    ...ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

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    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Walter View Post
    What about Alexius Comnenus? And a name like "the Bulgar slayer" doesn't come easy
    Alexios I would describe as 'competent' at best, which is the only reason he stands out against the preceding, terrible, Emperors. Out of the Komnenoi, I would say Ioannes came the closest to matching the great Emperor's of old. Not to offend any Bulgarians out there, but it's a case of 'one man's trash is another man's treasure'; to the Romans and those who can admire the achievements he accomplished, Vasileos B was a great Emperor, to others, he was a terror. I'm in the former crowd. As I said though, we don't even know for sure if mass-blinding ever really happened. IIRC it was allegedly invented later to use the memory of Vasileos as a morale booster in the face of the resurgent Bulgarians.
    Last edited by Gnostiko; April 08, 2010 at 04:15 PM.

  17. #17

    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Quote Originally Posted by Gnostiko View Post
    Alexios I would describe as 'competent' at best, which is the only reason he stands out against the preceding, terrible, Emperors. Out of the Komnenoi, I would say Ioannes came the closest to matching the great Emperor's of old. Not to offend any Bulgarians out there, but it's a case of 'one man's trash is another man's treasure'; to the Romans and those who can admire the achievements he accomplished, Vasileos B was a great Emperor, to others, he was a terror. I'm in the former crowd. As I said though, we don't even know for sure if mass-blinding ever really happened. IIRC it was allegedly invented later to use the memory of Vasileos as a morale booster in the face of the resurgent Bulgarians.
    It was a good ploy in that case Alexius didn't do too badly, he was at a disadvantage largely because he didn't start off with an empire, he had Greece and Thrace, and both Guiscard and the Turks on his doorstep. He used all his gold to beat one threat (bribed Henry IV to attack the Normans, time-honoured Byzantine tactic ) and all his armies to beat the other, so it wasn't as if he'd been complacent or lazy. I don't know much about John, my knowledge is largely limited to the eleventh century and before. However, my dad's bought me a three-part history of Byzantium, from Constantine the Great to Mehmet II so that may change
    ...ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

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    Gnostiko's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Walter View Post
    It was a good ploy in that case Alexius didn't do too badly, he was at a disadvantage largely because he didn't start off with an empire, he had Greece and Thrace, and both Guiscard and the Turks on his doorstep. He used all his gold to beat one threat (bribed Henry IV to attack the Normans, time-honoured Byzantine tactic ) and all his armies to beat the other, so it wasn't as if he'd been complacent or lazy. I don't know much about John, my knowledge is largely limited to the eleventh century and before. However, my dad's bought me a three-part history of Byzantium, from Constantine the Great to Mehmet II so that may change
    Don't get me wrong, I'm not denigrating Alexios, he was a good Emperor. I'm simply saying he stands out as 'great' for the same reason the one eyed man is king in the land of the blind. He did much to stem the decline of the Roman Empire, but I feel he could have done more to gone further and reverse it.

  19. #19
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    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Walter View Post
    Novgorod becomes Kingdom of Sweden.
    There was no Kingdom of Sweden at that time.

    BftB2 UPDATED 22nd DECEMBER. Member of the Complete Byzantine Unit Roster team

  20. #20

    Default Re: Millennial Campaign (sub-mod proposal).

    Quote Originally Posted by Caesar Clivus View Post
    There was no Kingdom of Sweden at that time.
    Jarldom of Skania or something then? I just think that if all you have is two kings in Scandinavia it's a two-horse race, whereas I'd like an even three-sided arena, more like Battle for the Baltic... without Novgorod.

    (Much) Better idea: Kingdom of the Geats, with Vastergotland, Gotland and Smaland/the one between Smaland and Uppland. More balanced, with more rebels and spacing between the three factions.
    Last edited by Sir Walter; April 09, 2010 at 07:03 AM.
    ...ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

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