Originally Posted by
Philippon
One of the interesting things about the Byzantine Empire was that it is often rather misunderstood in the west and as far as the Greeks are concerned, often dismissed as an aberation or regarded with a great deal more sentimentalistic nostalgia than it merits.
It was a nation, like any other, and had to it's advantage a long standing history which gave it much in the way of tradition. And it needed all the tradition it could get since it's government, still very Roman, was as unstable as anything. Coups and overthrows of dynasties were a routine matter as well as a host of enemies constantly poking and pushing on the borders.
The Byzantine army is often poo poohed as retrograde by the 14th century but it must be remembered that the nation was in a constant state of decline from 1075 on and they simply could not modernize as quickly given their economic situation.
What needs to be done to give the Player the authentic Byzantine experience is a much higher level of unrest and a host of enemies. The Byzantines must be consantly having to deal with aggressive neighbors on all borders, especially the Moslems, but also raiders from the north as well. Everyone wanted a piece of Constantinople's legendary wealth, even the Vikings were initially attracted south to 'get at' that wealth before the power and pomp of Byzantium awed them into a simplistic devotion, e.g. the Varangian Guard.
The point is that a player will have to be very good in order to keep Byzantium capable of surviving given the inheret unrest which was endemic to the Empire as well as the constant threats to it's territorial integrety.
At the same time some other factors should be incorporated if possible.
Alliance with the Vatican - if this is achieved, the Orthodox Church should be regarded as merely another variation of the Catholic Church and Catholic populations in the Byzantine Empire should not be a source of unrest. Likewise the Vatican will be loath to break this alliance with the Empire. The reunification of the church was a persistant Vatican goal from 1054 on and every opportunity to achieve it was undertaken by the Vatican.
Technological advances - The Byzantine Army should have access to gun powder units once they become available. Byzantium did not hesitate to adjust their military technology to meet the threats of the day. But because they faced different threats on different borders, it was often a compromise unit which came to the field as the Empire's manpower and financial capabilities dwindled. The west brought heavy infantry and cavalry which had devistating impact charges, and the moslems brought light harrasment units which depended on distance and speed to kill. Hence should the player prove capable of keeping the Empire intact and at least stable in size he should see cannon, handgunnes, arquebusses, matchlocks, and likewise, wheellock cavalry. He should also be able to produce some form of pike unit, both professional and milita. The difference should be that the Byzantines will never be as armored as the western units, but they will remain more moble on the battle field. Light infantry and cavalry should be the order of the day.
As a result, the gunpowder units of Byzantium will be less powerful. They will be more designed for assembly at the site of the siege. Battle field cannon will be more moble than western cannon and possess a slightly faster fire rate, but also possessing less range and damage capabilities.
Byzantine Empire... ROMAN Empire... ideas
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