The Sicilian Vespers

**Cardinal Roland** · February 09, 2007, 07:49 AM

''It was in the year ten eighty, At darkest hour of night, That King Roger from Palermo came, On his way to Florence fight!''

Apologies for the shameless reworking of ''The Ballad of John Nicolson'' by Sir Henry Newbolt but we have started a Sicilian Campaign on H/VH and things are getting serious.

This is my first time as the Sicilians and my first campaign on H/VH so I am expecting to come a cropper and to have my proverbial backside well and truly tanned, but lets wait and see - you never know.

Right off the bat let me say that I actually like the gameplay on Hard the Diplomacy seems to work better. I have Alliances and Trade agreements with loads of people and when I had to attack the Moors to take Caligiari they sent an Ambassador to patch up our differences and to offer me a truce. Now that never happened to me on Medium gameplay. So I am enjoying it so far. The battles do not seem to be so very hard and I have won all my encounters so far, but more of that later. However, Sicily is a hard faction to handle and money is short, short, short.

So off we started with Naples and Palermo and 9,000 Florins, jolly good I thought and yet the Florins they were soon spent and nothing much to show for it. The economy did not so much pick up as open an eye, grunt and go back to sleep!! Well thats the Sicilian sun for you!!

The Council of nobles said go get Durazzo heres 2,500 Florins if you do, I said ''I'm your man'' and off I went for Durazzo. The town duly conquered was not worth a fat lot and took for ever to get to even a wooden pallisade level, so not much benefit there. Also the Venetians turned up and looked sad and forlorn that Durazzo was Catholic, Sicilian and not Rebel. Their army hung around and looked as if it was about to attack, they obviously have ''Go get Durazzo'' as part of their game plan and I was a fly in that ointment. I quickly got a Trade Agreement and Alliance with them and hoped that would save me, in fact I really worked my Diplomat and I am Allied and in Trade Agreements with almost everyone.

I guessed that Florence would be crucial for me and that if I did not take it then the HRE would relieve me of the need for its conquest, so I pounced and Florence became mine. Slightly better than taking Durazzo but let me tell you I was broke, flat, stoney broke! No money coming in and the Venetians proceeded to attack Durazzo. I repulsed them and defeated their navy a bit. Another larger army turned up and again I defeated it, with some desperate city square fighting I can tell you. I was so hard pressed I was down to biting and scratching - believe me!!

Then the HRE decided I was a bad boy and could be pushed around so they blockaded a few ports - that really helped my economy I can say! But slowly by saving money and spending it wisely I managed to build up a bit of a surplus and things looked ok, the Venetians had given up on Durazzo and the HRE were only blockading at sea, not too bad.

Then the Milanese entered the fray and they too blockaded my few remaining ports. I felt popular I can tell you! I managed to put together a small (but lovely) army in Palermo and quickly ship it across to Sardinia to take Caligiari, which was being besieged by the Moors I pushed the small Moorish force off and took the castle, I converted it straight away to a town, I needed cash not Knights. This worked well and my economy is now going through a mini boom, more of a boom-ette! This means I was paying for things and could expand the economy but military units? Hah! Forget that!

The Ventians, HRE and Milanese all repeatedly asked me to become a vassal state. No way will I ever submit to that! Just a point of pride on my side, if I am going down I am going down in flames. Better to spend a day on your feet than a lifetime on your knees!!

Milan then attacked Florence and I have to say my lads really sorted them out nicely, the HRE attacked the same city and again my lads sorted them out. There is a bit of a hiatus at the moment and my economy is starting to grow but I am so weak still (this is after 50 turns) that if the HRE and Venetians get their act together I am going to be consigned to the back pages of history!!

But we are a proud, tough little bunch us Sicilians and although our Navy is sunk and we only have Florence, Naples, Palermo, Durazzo and Caligiari let me say we are there, still and ready to compete. We are game fighting cocks and ready for a scrap - so come on you big boys, if you want a fight just you come on!!... but don't bring too many soldiers with you!!

More soon, next post will see if we sink or swim to Glory!!

**Bachias** · February 09, 2007, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by Cardinal Roland

''It was in the year ten eighty, At darkest hour of night, That King Roger from Palermo came, On his way to Florence fight!''

Apologies for the shameless reworking of ''The Ballad of John Nicolson'' by Sir Henry Newbolt but we have started a Sicilian Campaign on H/VH and things are getting serious.

This is my first time as the Sicilians and my first campaign on H/VH so I am expecting to come a cropper and to have my proverbial backside well and truly tanned, but lets wait and see - you never know.

Right off the bat let me say that I actually like the gameplay on Hard the Diplomacy seems to work better. I have Alliances and Trade agreements with loads of people and when I had to attack the Moors to take Caligiari they sent an Ambassador to patch up our differences and to offer me a truce. Now that never happened to me on Medium gameplay. So I am enjoying it so far. The battles do not seem to be so very hard and I have won all my encounters so far, but more of that later. However, Sicily is a hard faction to handle and money is short, short, short.

So off we started with Naples and Palermo and 9,000 Florins, jolly good I thought and yet the Florins they were soon spent and nothing much to show for it. The economy did not so much pick up as open an eye, grunt and go back to sleep!! Well thats the Sicilian sun for you!!

The Council of nobles said go get Durazzo heres 2,500 Florins if you do, I said ''I'm your man'' and off I went for Durazzo. The town duly conquered was not worth a fat lot and took for ever to get to even a wooden pallisade level, so not much benefit there. Also the Venetians turned up and looked sad and forlorn that Durazzo was Catholic, Sicilian and not Rebel. Their army hung around and looked as if it was about to attack, they obviously have ''Go get Durazzo'' as part of their game plan and I was a fly in that ointment. I quickly got a Trade Agreement and Alliance with them and hoped that would save me, in fact I really worked my Diplomat and I am Allied and in Trade Agreements with almost everyone.

I guessed that Florence would be crucial for me and that if I did not take it then the HRE would relieve me of the need for its conquest, so I pounced and Florence became mine. Slightly better than taking Durazzo but let me tell you I was broke, flat, stoney broke! No money coming in and the Venetians proceeded to attack Durazzo. I repulsed them and defeated their navy a bit. Another larger army turned up and again I defeated it, with some desperate city square fighting I can tell you. I was so hard pressed I was down to biting and scratching - believe me!!

Then the HRE decided I was a bad boy and could be pushed around so they blockaded a few ports - that really helped my economy I can say! But slowly by saving money and spending it wisely I managed to build up a bit of a surplus and things looked ok, the Venetians had given up on Durazzo and the HRE were only blockading at sea, not too bad.

Then the Milanese entered the fray and they too blockaded my few remaining ports. I felt popular I can tell you! I managed to put together a small (but lovely) army in Palermo and quickly ship it across to Sardinia to take Caligiari, which was being besieged by the Moors I pushed the small Moorish force off and took the castle, I converted it straight away to a town, I needed cash not Knights. This worked well and my economy is now going through a mini boom, more of a boom-ette! This means I was paying for things and could expand the economy but military units? Hah! Forget that!

The Ventians, HRE and Milanese all repeatedly asked me to become a vassal state. No way will I ever submit to that! Just a point of pride on my side, if I am going down I am going down in flames. Better to spend a day on your feet than a lifetime on your knees!!

Milan then attacked Florence and I have to say my lads really sorted them out nicely, the HRE attacked the same city and again my lads sorted them out. There is a bit of a hiatus at the moment and my economy is starting to grow but I am so weak still (this is after 50 turns) that if the HRE and Venetians get their act together I am going to be consigned to the back pages of history!!

But we are a proud, tough little bunch us Sicilians and although our Navy is sunk and we only have Florence, Naples, Palermo, Durazzo and Caligiari let me say we are there, still and ready to compete. We are game fighting cocks and ready for a scrap - so come on you big boys, if you want a fight just you come on!!... but don't bring too many soldiers with you!!

More soon, next post will see if we sink or swim to Glory!!

Man, you're an AAR machine.
Believe me, once you get Palermo to the point of being able to produce mounted and dismounted norman knights, you'll be gaining territories faster than you can say "blitzkrieg". No faction in your vicinity will have anything of that caliber yet. Things will definitely improve financially when you take the wealthy cities in northern Italy, sacking is your friend.

**Gen_Phalanx** · February 09, 2007, 10:38 PM

again, just loving you're AAR there Cardinal_Roland. Man you work fast though, already on turn 50? It's been like a day or two. My long French campaign is only on like turn 60 lol

**Ippius** · February 09, 2007, 11:54 PM

The humour and tone is quite funny and nice. Keep up the good work!

**Cardinal Roland** · February 10, 2007, 12:44 AM

Bachias was quite right and as soon as I was able to produce Dismounted Norman Knights and Norman cavalry my armies gained a distinct early advantage. But its all about the money ...

We were beset with enemies: HRE, Venice and Milan, who constantly (and I do mean constantly) asked me to become their vassal. Each time I sent them away with a flea in their ear and hoped to God and the Pope that I could win through.

I was producing a little bit of money though and with judicious saving I was able to up grade cities and buy various key buildings. Upgrading the castle in Palermo cost a lot but then enabled me to build my Norman Knights. I saved up money again and this time built a nice little army of Mounted and Dismounted Norman Knights with Muslim Archers. Gave it a General added a few Spearmen to beef up the numbers and off we went in quest of a nice fat juicy North Italian town!

The HRE had Bologna and had a full stack in the city and a full army outside the city so I looked at Venice - perfect, a small garrison. Venice was taken. Things now looked up. More good soldiers were built in Palermo and they were shipped to Durazzo and part of the garrison there added numbers to the small Palermitan Army. The Venetians were obviously in a bit of a quandry as they had Zagreb and Ragusa and naturally wanted Venice back - well you would if you were the Venetians wouldn't you! So they denuded their Castle of Ragusa and marched up toward Venice. I waited and then attacked Ragusa from Durazzo with my newly shipped army. The tactic worked, too late the Venetians realised that instead of re capturing Venice they might lose Ragusa and came back to defend Ragusa. They lost Ragusa and I kept Venice. Ragusa was a castle so I could build up more Norman Knights (lovely, lovely Norman Knights!) sally forth and defeat the Venetian field army. This I did and pushed on to Zagreb and took that city.

I now owned the Dalmatian coast and all of the Adriatic side of Italy with the exception of Bologna. That was obviously my next target.

Things were still tight and at this stage the HRE decided to take matters into their own hands. They sent an army (full stack) toward Naples with the obvious intention of knocking on the gates to ask if anyone was home. I decided to take advantage of the weakening of Bologna and pulled together what I could from Zagreb and from Venice and to attack Bologna. I reasoned that at the least it would draw off the army bound for Naples, I had built up my Neapolitan garrison but ... that HRE stack looked big, black and threatening.

The battle around Bologna was terrific I was attacked by no less than 3 HRE armies - 2 small one large. Those Normans Knights worked their magic and I won (although as the commentry said at the end of the battle only by a swords breadth!) Bologna was mine. The HRE stack came off Naples as predicted and was defeated by a bolstered North Italian army which came from Florence, Venice and Bologna. The HRE were now pretty much sitting in sick bay waiting for the nurse to come and bind their wounds. Enter Milan!

I tell you its never a dull moment being the Sicilians. I think its the ice cream they all want a slice of it!! So the Milanese land an army in Sardinia and attack Cagliari I retaliate by attacking Milan my logic is that if they take Cagliari I will be better off if I have Milan.

At this stage the Pope enters and says to me that if I attack Milan he will think less of me and I may be excommunicated. I decide to risk it. I take Milan and ... get excommunicated. This is not good. I build an army of relief in Palermo and ship it to Cagliari but too late, Milan takes the city but I immediately siege them and take it back. For good measure and because things can't get any worse with Milan or the Pope I also push on and take Genoa. But I need to get back on to best chum terms with the Pope, go to the cricket with him, take him out for a dinner or two take him down to the Pink Pussy Cat Club afterwards - you know the sort of things Popes like!!! So I start building Huge Cathedrals, Cathedrals and Abbeys, like mad. I give the Pope money I get 2 Diplomats down to Rome to bombard him for a reconciliation but no go. However, the Cathedrals obviously met with his approval and my standing did rise. My cities just about stayed on track (just) and then the Pope died. I selected the right Pope at election time and hey presto I am back in the Popes good books and am a good Catholic Sicilian again! Praise the Lord!

So thats about it so far, over 100 turns into the game (sorry Gen. Phalanx) and the start of a nice little Empire is beckoning to me. It looks like I will swim after all. but after all my efforts I am still only just equal to Milan (on the graph comparison bit) and just ahead of the HRE. Venice looks to be heading for the cemetry. Greece next I think followed by an North African adventure. I still need to take Ajaccio.

I have just consulted my wrist sun dial watch (the very latest in solar technology!!) and it says that I just have time to get a few turns in before the wife expects me to start working in the house, so please excuse me...