[M2TW AAR] Novgorod - United Europe

[Sub-Zero120]

The year is 1080 and the old Russia that stretched from Kiev to Novogorod is now in disarray. The former Russian leader is now dead, and all the Russian nobles are picking sides in this struggle for power, glory, fame, and ultimately....a chance at domination of all Europe....

One prosperous family in the North who currently own Novogorod are readying soldiers to sweep across the former towns, castles and cities of the former Russia. Led by Grand Duke Ysevolod, this new kingdom of Novogorod has made preparations to seize control of all lands from Kiev to Novogorod and from Tblisi to the far reaches of the former Russia which boardered Poland.

In the early half of the year 1080, preparations were made by the city of Novogorod and her generals and most trusted advisors to beseige and take the regions of Vilnius, Moscow, and Riga within the next ten years.

By 1084 the small village of Riga located along the Baltic Sea was beseiged by Prince Vladimir. Two years after that in 1086, Vilnius and Moscow are beseiged by the Grand Duke and Mikhail. Within just one year the rebel Rus soldiers of Vilnius sallied forth upon the army of Mikhail.



Mikhail was dressed in Russia's finest plate armor. Banners of Novogorod's ruling family littered the sky. Captain Vaclav brought forth an army of 481 soldiers compared to Mikhail's 406. Just as Mikhail's battle line was formed, Vaclav and his men rushed out the gates of Vilnius to face off against Mikhail. Unlike Mikhail, Vaclav was new to the life of warfare, he rushed his personal bodyguard right into Mikhail's spearmen. Within just about a minute Vaclav was cut down and Mikhail's calvalry had encircled what was left of his army.









The remainder of the Vilniun garrison ran like cowards back into the castle. They were closely followed by Mikhail's Kazaks and personal bodyguard.




After the battle was over, Mikhail gave his personal bodyguard the great honor of pacing the battlefield for survivors and brutally finishing them off by cutting them open and lopping their arms and legs off one by one.



The battle was quite conclusive as to who had won the day. Although outnumbered, Mikhail only lost 54 men compared to the 481 losses of Vaclav.



To be continued....


Thank you for taking your time to read my first AAR, United Europe, I appreciate your comments and although you guys (the senate) may request missions now, the actual senate will be mentioned in the story when Kiev is taken and the Kingdom of Novogorod is renamed....

Questions Comments etc are welcome and I would actually like you guys to let me know what I could do to make the story more interesting.....

Thanks!

-Emperor Jon

[cj324]

I like the idea...good going!!!

[LockeCarnelia]

.... How did you win by that much? Were you just facing wimpy peasants, or what? X.x

[Sub-Zero120]

They were actually about the same level troops as mine....basically i sent my infantry up right away and as their general was cut down, my calvalry came up from both flanks of the enemy formation making a gigantic route....you two are new to this thread....if you would be so kind and read my pre AAR by the same name so you understand what Im trying to do with this AAR it would be much appreciated you guys......

Also, if either of you have any questions comments or recomendations.....please speak up....this is my first AAR and i'm willing to learn....

-Emperor Jon

[Sub-Zero120]

Please Comment....

[Musthavename]

Pretty decent start for a first. Your writing is pretty sound, theres nothing wrong with that at all. Just a few things:

- Keep to one colour font. Paragraphs distinguish from each other well enough without it. With it it just bothers the eyes a bit.

- Crop your images, particularly to take the UI out of it. Also, if you're using an image viewer / editor to open tga files, don't be afraid to take pictures. If you don't like a picture after you've taken it, don't bother cropping it and just leave it in the tga folder. Just open the ones you want, crop it and save it somewhere else.

- Considering the AAR is about world domination, it'd be nice to see a couple of screenshots of the campaign map. Ofcourse, some AARs, don't need that, some AARs don't even need pictures. I just think it could use a couple.

But yeah, for a first AAR its started off pretty well. The most important thing is the writing works. It's clear, conscise and to the point, and it's got enough description to carry it. Just to clarify, you're planning to right this as a narrator right? There's nothing wrong with that, its just make sure you're consistant, as it'd get a bit confusing otherwise.

The other thing to remember is the best thing you can do to make you a better "AARtist" is to just keep updating! You'll get far more confident with each update.

[moosey]

I fell the same way as musthavename on that one, a solid start man. One bodyguard sent out to chop up all the fallen enemies lopping off their arms and legs!?!?!?! ROFLOL!?!?! youre sick dude, lol.

As royal advisor i would suggest taking Finland ASAP and converting into a city as it has some very good trade resources which together with Novgorod will make you the dominant trading nation of the northern baltic.

Otherwise i would advise sending the bulk of the army southwest to take as man settlements as you can before the poles and hungarians do. most of the settlements in the east are small castles with little strategic or monetary importance at this point in the game so you must take Kiev as it will be one of youre largest and most prosperous cities

my liege.

PS youre last thread i believe is being deleted at youre request, it might be good of you to write a short overview of what it is this AAR is about.

Another thing you might want to try is hiding youre pictures from the text into pull down tabs. you can do this by typing {source} in front of the pic and {/source} behind it (both use the square brackets [])

it will look like this;

Prince Bob attacked Lithuania

Click to view content: 

picture of prince bob attacking

take care bud and happy conquering

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

I'd like to add only two tips to the previous comments:
- set some specific campaign goals to give the AAR a context
- get rid of unit banners, to do this, open your medieval2.preference.cfg file, in the video section there is a line that says: showbanners = 1, turn this to 0

Other than that you're doing good.

[Musthavename]

Another thing you might want to try is hiding youre pictures from the text into pull down tabs. you can do this by typing {source} in front of the pic and {/source} behind it (both use the square brackets [])

Meh, personally I hate this. Makes the pictures look a bit odd to me. Though, thats personal preference.

[Silent Assassin]

Nice Job Sub I don't have any problem at all with your AAR, if you need me for something just ask

[Captain.E.Blackadder]

Lord Blackadder at your comand. I am the lord of the Vikings of norway and sweeden. Also i am heir to the scottish trown.

My advise is to sack the local towns to get more money.

Sud i give you sone rep

[Sub-Zero120]

Thank you all very much for your comments. I will carry out some of your requests within the hour. I should also have the 2nd installment in by late this evening.....perhaps 4 Eastern Time......(live in Florida)

About the comment of adding pics of the campaign map, I actually ment to do so but they somehow apparently disapeared.

On the other request of using the teaser button to have my pics in, I actually prefer the pictures in with the writing personally...but thanks for mentioning it anyway

Will getting rid of the banners affect my LAN battles with my brother?

AND FINALLY

A prologue of sorts

I'm playing the game on VH/VH
It's straight out of the box, no updates, no mods, and no patches
I also will not be reloading (another first since RTW as I hate losing family members in battle)
Like it said in the AAR, the current goal of the Royal family of Novgorod is to take the lands of former Russia, and hopefully become the biggest power the world has ever seen. As in the title of the AAR, United Europe, I do hope to unite all Europe under Russian control yet I do not want to actually destroy the other factions. My ultimate goal is to have majority of all factions as vassals, to maintain a mostly reliable state (which yes...i know means I cant be vicious and begin wars and sack exterminate pluder and execute but I have never ran a campaign like that).
Of course, my goal is also to take the Holy City of Jeruselem and the grand city of Constantinople....

Once again, thanks and please comment!
Im now working on the 2nd installment...

-Emperor Jonathan

[Musthavename]

Will getting rid of the banners affect my LAN battles with my brother?

As far as I know, the banners are just a cosmetic thing. So it shouldn't affect anything bar the graphics. Someone please correct me if i'm wrong here.

Looking forward to the next update

[Sub-Zero120]

The Seige of Riga
It was the year 1087, within about a month of the victory at Vilnius. The small castle of Vilnius is currently being governed by Mikhail and is undergoing construction. At the seige of Riga, a small village just inland off the Baltic Sea. Ysevold is well on his way to assert his power at Moscow and the Livonians at Riga are scrambling their forces in an attempt to break the seige that is holding down their settlement. They had been under seige for quite some time now and they are out of food, it was surrender or a head on assault.

The surrounding area of the city was covered in a layer of snow. The harsh Russian winter had just about reached it's peak. The snow was as white as heaven, but it was about to be as red as a rose, for battle was at hand and much blood was to be spilt by the time the sun had fallen.



The defending archers of the city began to load their crossbows and to prepare to fire on the Russians when Prince Vladimir, Novgorod's play girl bunny and later to be grand duke, ordered his personal bodyguard regiment to run down the opposing archers. Within moments the men on horseback had reached the archers, mercelissly impaling them with their lances that pierced their bodies like a hot knife through butter. They then pulled out their swords and began cutting them down one by one and trampling them with their horses.


Once all the archers were slain, Vladimir ordered his troops to fall back into the lines. Just as they got in formation a band of peasants from the village who had armed themselves with pitchforks marched forward and prepared to defend one of the main streets that led to the village's central square. Vlad ordered his own archers to move forward and drop the enemy. They strung their bows and fired volley after volley of arrows. The peasants fell in groups, incapacitated and unable to do anything but lay there and wait to bleed to death or until the battle was over when they would meet a similar demise to that of the Rus at Vilnius.



Once the peasants had been cut down by countless arrows, the captain of the Livonian army marched forward with a small detachment of spearmen. Within about two minutes he and his entire force were shot down by arrows.



The majority of the Livonians were dead, and those who were still alive succumbed to the same inglorious death their general had fallen to. Vladaimiz ordered his personal mounted bodyguard to follow to follow him to the village's main plaza. They met no opposition.



That day, the bow had played a huge role in Vladimir's victory against Captain Szczepen. Such a great victory they had that not a single Russian soldier had died. Tis such a pity they chose to fight rather then surrender, they would have been good tax-payers.



That is all there is to the 2nd installment of United Europe, like always please comment even if it's just saying I did a good job. I hope you enjoyed this installment and I hope you will continue to follow the Grand Duke's rise to power....

- Emperor Jonathan

[cj324]

My Lord...though it is far away, I suggest you attack Kiev...we need the economy that it will bring in order to launch our attack on the rest of Europe!!

[Silent Assassin]

Russia will soon become leader of the world my liege!!!!

[Sub-Zero120]

Installment three will be up in about an hour or two. Seeing as though its 3:00 PM sharp Eastern Time (Florida) you do the math....

please keep the comments and feedback coming....

-Emperor Jonathan

[Captain.E.Blackadder]

My leage ,One day the russian empire wil rule to world

[Sub-Zero120]

i've been busy with homework so expect it by 7:30 Eastern Time....

[Sub-Zero120]

The Battle of Moscow

The last mound of snow from the bloody winter of 1087 had finally melted away. The Russian's of Novgorod had gained much land that year and had no intentions of halting their expansion just yet.

Although the people of Novgorod had successfully taken Riga several years back a revolt had began. A Livonian noble of Riga had protested Novgorod's rule over the town. Within months he had raised a small army larger than the army of the Prince.



The year was now 1088, and the seige of Moscow was about to come to an abrupt end. Moscow had been under seige for 2 years, since 1086. The battle for Moscow was no different than any other battle the people of Novgorod had fought in, it was bloody and there would be no mercy, it was live...or die. Grand Duke Ysevold had fielded a grand army to take the town.

The night of the battle was filled with chatter of the fight to come. The men put on their armor, grabbed their weapons, mounted their horses, and hardened their hearts for what was to come. These men believed what they did was for God, but although they conquered in his name didn't mean they wouldn't have losses.

The Grand Duke gave out his orders and his bodyguard division filed into battle lines. The sky was a strange dark blue. The order was given and the ram moved forward to the gate. Within a few minutes the night was blazing, not just with torches anymore, but with Russian arrows as well. It was a Bar B Q. The men lit up as fast as pine trees (i don't think Christmas trees were thought of yet =P).




WIthin minutes the Russian archers had burnt a hole in the enemy's defense leaving the area free for the rest of the army to seap through. Ysevold led the attack and was followed by his bodyguard and woodsmen. By this time the opposing archers had began to fire and the sky became littered with flaming projectiles from both sides. The defending force sent in their calvalry in an attempt to cut down the Grand Duke.



Within about two minutes of fierce combat between the Grand Duke's royal guard and the town's calvarly it was over. Dead horses and riders laid strewn across the street, blood was everywhere, and it wasn't very hard to find a spare hand.



Within moments, the Russian's force had breached the town square, where the town's Lord awaited his demise. His bodyguard of mounted calvalry were quickly torn apart and he was quickly surrounded by woodsmen. (sorry about the green circles underneath the men, they had a dose of radiation during nuclear arms testing)



They enemy Lord didn't go down easily, before he finally was unhorsed, he took the lives of many of Russia's sons. But inevitably he was slain.


The battle of Moscow was over. In just under an hour of shear terror the battle was over, Russia had once again won. With only a mere 16 losses.



The people of Novgorod had consolidated almost half of the former Russian lands. They had "liberated these lands in the name of God". Novgorod would soon descend upon Kiev and the remainder of the divided Russia.




Thank you for reading the third installment of my AAR United Europe. As always please comment and let me know what you think. And don't forget to request missions fellow counselmen.

-Emperor Jonathan