[SS AAR] Emergence of Sicily

[Contingency]

This will be an AAR based on the growth of Sicily into a super power in Europe. I'll be playing early 1100AD campaign on hard/hard difficulty with the Savage AI.

This will be my first AAR so pointers and constructive criticism will be welcomed. I'll have the first installment up soon.

[Contingency]

Chapter 1 Reclaiming southern Italy

Journal entry of King Ruggero Spring 1100AD

"I look at my Kingdom: it is young and naive, the people believe that we are safe and that no one would ever seek to pillage and conquer our lands. I will need to expand my military and my borders if i am to keep our numerous potential enemies at bay and ward of any invasions. But to do this i am going to need more training facilities if i am to levy the necessary forces"

"The council of nobles has suggested i secure the small castle of Bari to the east of Naples. It appears the council has made a good suggestion for once. So i have ordered all spare forces to gather on the outskirts of Bari to prepare for an assault"



The Battle for Bari

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Enemy force consist of 4 regiments of spear militia and 2 regiments of crossbow militia they number around 500 strong but I'm confident that my men can take it with minimal casulties.

I order my men to move forward and secure the walls

They push onto the walls but the enemy is putting up more of a fight than i expected so im going to need to ram down the gate and use my cavalry to break their will to fight.


We break through the gate and proceed to run down the militia who are in full retreat to the town square


the 2 regiments of crossbow militia are easily mowed down by our heavy cavalry


The last of the militia are finished off ending in a clear victory.

We took more casulties than i would like to have taken but for every man that we lost at least 3 of theirs were slain. Regardless of the losses we have secured this keep and i will put it to use as soon as it is upgraded to acceptable standards.

I have received word that the Council of Nobles have levied forces to strengthen our military. I doubt that they are fit to fight in any major battle so i will just use them as a garrison force until i can afford a more proper garrison.

[Nebulon]

ahh a sicily AAR, ha! i abandoned my scily game sicne it got to boring but i can give you a record to break: Make your kign thats father to rodrigo live to see the age of 90 or more, i got him to 90+ on my sicily game hell yeh! Hall of Fame here i come

[Contingency]

his father died the first turn -.- so i decided just to continue with the youngest son who for some reason became king instead of his older brother.

Update coming soon

[Nebulon]

he became king because he was appointed faction heir

[Contingency]

Chapter 2 New Alliances and Final unification of southern Italy

King Ruggeros Journal entry 1102AD
"I have received good news on the diplomatic front my sister Maximilla has secured trade rights and alliances with both the Holy Roman Empire and the Republic of Genoa."



"This will surely help to secure our northern borders for now. Allowing me to focus on expanding my kingdoms borders to the south and east."

King Ruggeros Journal Entry 1103AD
"It appears that a lone Byzantine general has been spotted on the outskirts of Bari. I don't know what his intentions are but he may have been seeking to take Bari for his own empire. But it appears he was not here on a diplomatic mission as he dismissed my messenger as soon as he arrived at his camp. I will have one of my spy's keep an eye on him for now as i have more important matters to attend to."


"It has been brought to my attention that there is a small rebel castle to the north of Naples. So therefore I am going to take advantage of this opportunity to expand my northern borders. Ill have to leave Bari lightly defended for now i just hope that the Byzantines don't bring a larger force to seize the settlement from my control."


"My spy's have reported the garrison at Ancona is stronger then i previously though so i am going to have to bring some of the garrison from Naples to assist in the siege."


Siege of Ancona

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

"I decided to siege the castle at night to reduce the effectiveness of their archers."


"Without the constant rain of arrows down on my ranks my men easily make it to the walls taking no casulties"



"The fighting on the walls is fierce and they are soon covered with the dead on both sides but my troops remain strong as their brothers and friends are breaking through the gate"



"The minute we break down the gate the general and his bodyguard charge into our ranks we easily surround them."



He was either a brave fool or thought his men were charging behind him either way he is no less dead"



"Once the enemy general is out of the way my infantry proceed to push towards the town center where the remnants of the rebels have consolidated."



"Meanwhile i proceed along with my cavalry to mop up the stragglers that haven't yet made their way to the town center"





"After killing the helpless militia i lead my cavalry to the rear of the remaining enemy infantry and charge into their ranks destroying any hope they had of victory.


"My men fought hard and in the end we take the settlement only losing one man for every 3 of theirs we killed"

"As soon as the garrison is setup and secure i will move my remaining forces south to strengthen our southern border and ward off any possible Byzantine invasion. I also have received a letter from my sister asking for my blessing to marry a the German general Otto von Tiroll"



"After reading what she has said about him it seems he would make a fitting husband for her and also would make for a great general to command my northern forces. I give her my blessing and they have a very extravagant wedding in the city of Bologna."


"I am glad that my sister has found a fitting man to marry and hopefully if i am unable to do so they will produce a fitting heir for the throne of Sicily"

[dezikeizer]

Very good start and updates. While a greater level of description would be nice, it's still very good as it is. Just a few grammar and spelling errors:

ward of

Shouldn't that be: ward off?

I look at my Kingdom it is young and naive

Perhaps that should be: I look at my Kingdom: it is young and naive.

calvary

Shouldn't that be spelled: cavalry? There are several places where this happens, so you should probably fix that.
There are also some periods missing, so that might be good to fix too.

[Contingency]

Very good start and updates. While a greater level of description would be nice, it's still very good as it is Just a few grammar and spelling errors.

Thanks i corrected all the grammar mistakes and i did notice it wasn't as detailed as it could be and I'm going to work on that to make it more interesting and hopefully make my first AAR a good one.

[Contingency]

Chapter 3 African Campaign

Journal Entry King Ruggero the Wise 1108AD

"With our northern borders secured I have taken the bulk of my forces back to Naples to rest and reequip. To my surprise my brother Simone was waiting for me in the city to discuss as he put it an urgent matter."



"He shows me many reports from his ships and spys that there are several undefended settlements on the coast of Africa. If he were to succeed in taking these settlements it would give us direct access to many of the exotic goods that are so high in demand in Europe. I give Simone permission to gather forces for his invasion of africa i hope he succeeds for if he fails it will leave us weak and vulnerable, for an invasion from any of our greedy neighbors."

"After a year of courting Teodora a beautiful young woman from Naples she has agreed to marry me. She is a fitting woman and I hope together we can produce a male heir and continue the d'Altavilla line. We have the ceremony in Rome in an amazing cathedral I don't think I have ever seen a more magnificent place of worship."


"It appears that the Muslims have called one of their Holy wars against the Byzantines this should keep them distracted, so that I can strengthen my military and prevent any invasion from the east. It may even weaken them enough that i am able to seize the rich cities of Greece from their control."



Prince Simone's African Campaign Reports filed to King Ruggero 1110AD

"Brother we have arrived on the coast of Africa just on the outskirts of the city of Al-Mahdiya. I immediately order the construction of several rams to destroy the meager defenses that the city has in place."



Siege of Al-Mahdiya

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

"We quickly move up to the pallisades and begin destroying the gate and walls to force the enemy to split their meager forces between the two breaches."



"As soon as we breach the gate the defenders charge into our ranks. But to their dismay when they seek to retreat back through the gate my men are waiting forcing them to fight to the death although I do commend them for their bravery or stupidity"



"I hear the sounds of horns in the distance it appears that the enemy wasn't as weak as I had previously thought. They had just sent the majority of their forces off to conquer who knows what. Regardless my cavalry and I will make short work of them."



"I hear the sounds of horns in the distance it appears that the enemy wasn't as weak as I had previously thought. They had just sent the majority of their forces off to conquer who knows what. Regardless my cavalry and I will make short work of them."



"With that handled we proceed to run down the infantry that are just now arriving on the scene of the slaughter. They try to run but without any form of leadership it turns into a full on rout making it that much easier for us to kill them all."




"My cavalry and I move back into the town to find my spearmen in a dead locked battle with the remaining enemy garrison" We charge into the backs of the spearmen instantly causing a rout and ending the battle."




"We kill at least 5 of them for every single man we lose. I will push north and seize the castle of Tunis once the city is under control."

[Desley]

Ahh interesting... You have a sicily early era campaign, and i have a sicily late era campaign .
Lets see which of us 2 can make the biggest empire!

[Contingency]

Yes i just finished reading yours very well done especially with the betrayal and we will see I think i can forge a larger empire but who knows haha.

[Desley]

Yes i just finished reading yours very well done especially with the betrayal and we will see I think i can forge a larger empire but who knows haha.

Haha ok mate, we'll see + rep

[Theseus1234]

Nice update. Cropping the pictures really does help direct our attention. One thing I would suggest, though, is that when you're doing a battle screen, pause the game and make sure everything is deselected. Have those little green circles around the units kind of takes away from the immersion. I understand that Sicily is cursed with looking like the rebels due to the gray-ness (and the night battle makes it harder to see) but you should try to avoid it whenever possible. Also if you want to capture that "perfect moment", pause the game and make sure you de-select everything, then press shift+the speed up button to increase game speed in 0.1 increments. It's incredibly useful if you want to get the shot right as people charge or when archers just unleash a volley of arrows and it allows you to take several so you can pick the best.
Keep up the good work, though!

[Contingency]

Alright i did intentionally use the green selection dots so it was a bit easier to distinguish between the two sides but ill take your advice and not use the green selection circles. Also yea with the first two updates I didn't know photobucket had a crop feature so I was forced to use them fullsize but from now on ill be cropping the images. Oh and thanks for the tip with pausing ill try that out.

[Contingency]

Before I update i need to know what you guys think. I've noticed this thread has had over 160 views so far but hasn't gotten much feedback. So let me know what you think, I want to continue this but I need feedback so I know what I can do to improve it and make it more interesting.

[Tim1988]

Before I update i need to know what you guys think. I've noticed this thread has had over 160 views so far but hasn't gotten much feedback. So let me know what you think, I want to continue this but I need feedback so I know what I can do to improve it and make it more interesting.

A good start so far. The last lot of screenshots are far better having been cropped to get rid of the UI - it really does add to the immersion. As mentioned previously by others though, try to de-select units when taking screenshots to get rid of the green markers. This can be done either by pausing and pressing enter or by disabling the selection markers altogether via the User-script. It will make the pictures look far more realistic.

Overall though, a good start. +rep

[Contingency]

Sorry for the green selection bubbles in this next update i took them all at the same time as the last update and I completely forgot about the but the very next one i will make sure there are none..

[Contingency]

Chapter 4 Punishing the Romans

King Ruggero Journal Entry 1120AD

"My spies have reported to that the Roman garrisons in Greece are weak and will be easily overpowered by a large Sicilian force. Therefore I have spent the last month Levying the necessary forces to invade and conquer southern Greece in a matter of days. Surely this will teach the Romans to not underestimate the Kingdom of Sicily."


King Ruggero Journal Entry 1121AD
"The final preparations have been made we have landed on the coast near the Castle of Corinth as my spies reported the castle is lightly defended and will fall with minimal casualties to my forces."




Siege of Corinth

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

"My men are eager to slaughter the Roman garrison and soon they will fulfill their blood thirst."





"With my towers at the walls the Roman defenders don't stand a chance against the superior valor and numbers of my Sicilian warriors."





"The Romans have left their gate undefended in an attempt to hold the walls all the better for my cavalry and I. We charge to the keep to kill what ever defenders survive."






"As soon as we round the corner onto the road up to the keep the enemy cavalry is already charging down the ramp. I lead my men in a full charge against the enemy cavalry once we collide many Romans die forcing them to retreat back to the keep. We give chase killing every last one of them."

"With Corinth secured I leave a small garrison behind and march swiftly to Athens and put it under siege. I must take Athens quickly so I am able to secure the pass to the north and prevent the Romans from retaking either settlement."




Siege of Athens

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

" I can only imagine the fear in the hearts of the Roman garrison seeing such a vast force marching towards them. Regardless none will be spared for if it was my people being attacked they would spare none killing every last one of us."





"My towers reach the walls and my men began pouring out onto them overpowering the Roman defenders."




"The gate is broken and we proceed to the town center to kill the retreating spearmen."




"I move more men onto the walls to as the Romans are putting up more of a fight than I expected."





"We hit the cowards in the town square on two sides killing almost the entire regiment in the initial impact."

"Now that Athens is secured my men can take a well deserved rest. I send word back to Naples to organize another invasion force to reinforce the men I already have in Greece. I will put my German brother in law in command of this force considering my brother is in Africa and is unable to assist me here."


Otto Von Tirol Progress report filed to King Ruggero 1122AD




"My king I have gathered the forces you requested but the Romans dominate the waters in between Greece and Italy so I hope I am able to make the journey without alerting the Roman fleets."

World as we know it 1123AD


World as it is 1123AD

[Contingency]

Chapter 3 pt 2 The End of the African Campaign and a Arrogant Enemy

Journal Entry of King Ruggero 1113AD

"The Romans continue to harass our trading ships in the Eastern Mediterranean. I have sent several diplomats to negotiate an end to this harassment all have been sent away humiliated." I have had enough it is decided I am going to personally wipe that smile right off the Roman Emperors face he will see what happens when he angers the Kingdom of Sicily. I set my eyes on Greece it is the perfect place to establish a foothold in Roman lands. It is mountainous with many choke points eliminating their advantage of superior numbers."

Meanwhile... the conquest in Africa continues

Military Report From Prince Simon 1113AD

"Brother I have begun the siege of Tunis.

"The enemy garrison is light and the enemy should be defeated with minimal casualties to our forces."

"While my forces are strong and well rounded with archers, cavalry and infantry"


The Siege of Tunis

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

"I start by moving my siege towers and ladders up to the walls followed by my ram. Resisitance is light as I expected and we easily make our way to the wall with minimal casulties."





"My men rush out of the siege tower onto the walls to find the defenders absent. They quickly take that section of the wall and move on to help their brothers farther down the wall."





"While my infantry secure the walls my cavalry and I push through the newly breached gate and proceed to run down the helpless archers up the street."






"Meanwhile my infantry push up the adjacent street towards the keep only to be charged by waiting Arab cavalry. My infantry suffer extensively in the initial charge but regain their composure and begin pushing the enemy cavalry back."



"I lead my Cavalry in a final charge at the back of the enemy Heavy Cavalry killing the few stragglers instantly simultaneously winning the battle."

"We have successfully captured the two rebel settlements on the coast of Africa. They will undoubtedly become major trading hubs along the Mediterranean. I will remain in Africa and manage the development of these provinces. God is smiling upon us brother it is in this time that we can forge a great empire we must not let this opportunity slip through our fingers."

[Mega Tortas de Bodemloze]

A great start, thanks for sharing... +Rep