Lord Giovanni's Preview Thread

[Radkar]

Kievan Rus'
Veche System: +30% Wealth from Commerce
Primus Inter Pares: -2 recruitment slots per province

Too bad you had to abandon making Novgorod. Veche was much more important and influental there than in Kiev. Also, -2 recruitment seems... harsh. How many units per turn will Kiev be able to recruit in a province, 1? I do understand that we were weak at the time and were completely owned by the Mongols, but it seems imbalanced. Still, the lack of unity is considered the biggest trouble of Kievan Rus'. IMO, I'd do something like your Palace Intrigue for Kiev. However, it still doesn't fit very well as the struggle was mainly between relatives. Or, maybe, more unrest in the whole faction from the number of generals present, if that script is possible to make?

[Radkar]

Kievan Rus'
Veche System: +30% Wealth from Commerce
Primus Inter Pares: -2 recruitment slots per province

Too bad you had to abandon making Novgorod. Veche was much more important and influental there than in Kiev. Also, -2 recruitment seems... harsh. How many units per turn will Kiev be able to recruit in a province, 1? I do understand that we were weak at the time and were easily defeated by the Mongols, but it seems imbalanced. IMO, I'd do something like your Palace Intrigue for Kiev. However, it still doesn't fit very well as the struggle was mainly between relatives. Or, maybe, more unrest in the whole faction from number of generals present, if that script is possible to make?

[Lord Giovanni]

Hi Radkar, thanks for your comment.

I realize that -2 recruitment might seem like a lot at first, but it is something that can be remedied through technological research. Also, it doesn't affect the hiring of mercenaries, or reinforcing units already recruited. With the cap on the number of armies that can be fielded, the -2 recruitment isn't as harsh as it seems at first. By the time a Russian player raises his Imperium level to sustain a large number of armies, his technological advancement will have had the opportunity to increase the number of recruitment slots available. I'm certainly not trying to imply that the Russians were weak by limiting the amount of troops that the Grand Prince could field; the Russians actually outnumbered the Mongols at the Battle of Kalka. It just took the Russian princes a while to get their forces concentrated. I think that the -2 recruitment is the best means to represent the structural problems that the princedoms of the Kievan Rus' faced in the 13th century.

[Radkar]

I realize that -2 recruitment might seem like a lot at first, but it is something that can be remedied through technological research.

True, but it takes time. At the beginning it's a big gap. Also, it blocks several tactics. And other factions can also do the same research, so Rus' won't become equal. Yes, the Rus' can start a war later, needing more time for training, but other factions will be ready for war much earlier... And then the Mongols come knocking. Idk how it will be in the mod, but in M2 they were dangerous even for Novgorod which had no disadvantage at recruiting and had about 100 more years of preparations. Mercenaries are better as reinforcements, not as a core of the army - even while playing as Carthage I trained more units than I hired mercs to get the units I wanted.
In comparison, "Palace Intrigue" gives more Ambition to certain generals... which is no problem as you can always make those generals perform a suicide attack in battle if they start causing too much trouble.
And if you want to make a good representation of Russian structural problems, it's better to create a multitude of similar Russian factions with only one (Kiev) playable, IMHO. Like it was done in vanilla, where different tribes and protectorates replaced unified factions from the first "Rome". It's not about Kievan prince and his vassals who tended to disobey him; it's about a lot of different, independent realms - the Kievan state was just the strongest of them and the most respected and desired, but it didn't include most of the others. The princes had their own diplomatic relations. They were fighting in wars against each other for many years by that time, and before Kalka there was a diplomatic council between them. Cumans, who needed allies against the Mongols, asked Russian princes for help separately. And the Russian forces at the Kalka battle was more of an alliance than anything else - each prince commanded his forces as he wanted, which resulted in a disaster.

[ItzSam]

the Ottoman faction that destroyed the Byzantine Empire .....

[Lord Giovanni]

...did not exist in 1212.

Also, everyone be on the lookout for the next faction reveal, coming soon!

[Ltd.]

waiting for a nice read, Lord Giovanni :-)

[Lord Giovanni]

Hello again, everyone! I apologize for the delay in the next reveal, but it's finally here! The implacable states of IBERIAN CHRISTENDOM are ready! See post #6 for details!

ALSO! I've decided to update some of the factions after having given it some thought. Too many factions have had the lowered resistance to conquest bonus, so I've decided to replace that bonus for the Latin Empire and Empire of Trebizond with a 20% Morale bonus when fighting in foreign territory, and in making sure that the faction bonuses are uniform, to lower the recruitment slot penalty for the Kievan Rus down to -1 per province.

Comments and suggestions are appreciated. Enjoy!

[BalrogOfMorgoth]

Nice as always, Lord Giovanni, but do the Kingdom of Leon will be in the mod ?

[Lord Giovanni]

Thanks, BalrogOfMorgoth! The Kingdom of Leon will be present in the mod, but it will be unplayable. Its forces were more-or-less identical with Castile's, and Leon actually lost is independence to Castile around 20 years after 1212. The major question now would be whether Leon should be treated as a vassal to Castile starting out, since Alfonso VIII's grandson Ferdinand (13 years old in 1212) was in the line of succession to both Castile and Leon.

[BalrogOfMorgoth]

Alright, thanks for the information. May I ask what your next factions preview ?

[Lord Giovanni]

The next planned faction preview will be the Eastern Ummah! Stay tuned!

[warman222]

Great buddy as always. Reposted this on the MK Moddb page(as well as the others too).

[ItzSam]

[QUOTE = Senhor Giovanni; 14033982]. ... Não existia em 1212 ! Além disso, toda a gente estar atento para a próxima facção revelar, em breve [/ QUOTE]

truth is I forgot the year of enactment of the Ottomans

[ItzSam]

My computer crashed at the time of message kkkk

[b0Gia de Bodemloze]

what about Despotate of Epirus?

[Lord Giovanni]

The Despotate of Epirus, while it will be in the game, will be unplayable. At least for now.

[Lord Giovanni]

Hello again everyone! It's time for the next faction reveal, and it's an interesting one! I present the EASTERN UMMAH, with the diplomatically powerful Abbasid Caliphate, and the militarily powerful Khwarezmid Empire. They will have quite different styles of campaigns, but they must both face the hammer-blow of the Mongol Empire! Will they succeed? That is up to you! See post #10 for details!

[BalrogOfMorgoth]

The Khwarezmid seems to be an interesting faction ! Can't wait to see what kind of roster they will have.

Are you planning to add the Kingdom of Jerusalem ? Also, what's your next preview ?

[Lord Giovanni]

The Kingdom of Jerusalem and Principality of Antioch will be like the Despotate of Epirus in that they will appear in the campaign, but they will not be playable, at least for now. The KoJ is limited to just Tyre and Cyprus, while the PoA only owned Antioch by 1212. We'll see how much demand there is for them later on.

As for the next preview, I think I'm going to keep it a surprise this time. Since there are only two faction groups left, revealing my next preview now would make the whole order known. I want to keep it interesting for you guys! Make no mistake, there are some big plans for the remaining factions!