Post Your Empires!

[Gabrius]

Here is my current empire as the Mongols on H/H (I will try VH later):



As you can see, I have annexed the northwestern territories early on through an aggressive campaign of expansion down toward India, and I currently have the Chinese on the run.

The Chinese actually attacked me first, and though they fielded formidable armies early on with a lot of heavy infantry that crushed my weaker spear militias, I was able to wear them down by fighting them on the open fields where I could make use of my horse archers. I was also able to overwhelm their cavalry by ensuring that I set up military buildings as soon as I conquered each territory and building as many spear militiamen as possible. It also helped that they have the same religion I do, which made taking their northern cities easier.

As time went on I was able to isolate and lay siege to the castle in the Tibet region where the Chinese could not reinforce it, and though it had a strong garrison at first, they succumbed to a 10-turn siege without a fight. After this the Chinese were quite weakened, so I have brought three more armies down and I am currently pushing aggressively into their territory.

My first two attempts at taking Beijing through blitzkreig tactics were unsuccessful, but I will soon be in a position to deal the final blow! Ryukyu and the other smaller factions to the East shall face my wrath soon after...

To the West, the Turks and Novgorod are growing in strength, and I am concerned that my territories there may soon fall under attack, so I must act quickly to bring about my dominion of mainland China. The Indians currently fight amongst themselves to the southwest, but sooner or later one of them will prevail and then they will turn to my lands as well --and they probably won't want to have afternoon tea.

Japan is currently my ally due to mutual hatred of the Chinese aggressors, but once mainland Asia is mine I may betray them just to avoid loose ends. From there on I shall press westward to wreak havoc in Europe!

[falcom4ever]

Nice

[Vipman]

great how's the rest of the world, anything interesting?

[The Holy Pilgrim]

Here is my current empire as the Mongols on H/H (I will try VH later):



As you can see, I have annexed the northwestern territories early on through an aggressive campaign of expansion down toward India, and I currently have the Chinese on the run.

The Chinese actually attacked me first, and though they fielded formidable armies early on with a lot of heavy infantry that crushed my weaker spear militias, I was able to wear them down by fighting them on the open fields where I could make use of my horse archers. I was also able to overwhelm their cavalry by ensuring that I set up military buildings as soon as I conquered each territory and building as many spear militiamen as possible. It also helped that they have the same religion I do, which made taking their northern cities easier.

As time went on I was able to isolate and lay siege to the castle in the Tibet region where the Chinese could not reinforce it, and though it had a strong garrison at first, they succumbed to a 10-turn siege without a fight. After this the Chinese were quite weakened, so I have brought three more armies down and I am currently pushing aggressively into their territory.

My first two attempts at taking Beijing through blitzkreig tactics were unsuccessful, but I will soon be in a position to deal the final blow! Ryukyu and the other smaller factions to the East shall face my wrath soon after...

To the West, the Turks and Novgorod are growing in strength, and I am concerned that my territories there may soon fall under attack, so I must act quickly to bring about my dominion of mainland China. The Indians currently fight amongst themselves to the southwest, but sooner or later one of them will prevail and then they will turn to my lands as well --and they probably won't want to have afternoon tea.

Japan is currently my ally due to mutual hatred of the Chinese aggressors, but once mainland Asia is mine I may betray them just to avoid loose ends. From there on I shall press westward to wreak havoc in Europe!

That sounds like a truly interesting campaign! The Chinese put up a great fight, huh? Let's hope you're more successful than the historical Mongols in that you can actually take Japan and the Southeast Asian peninsula. The Samurai are going to put up a hell of a fight, I can tell you that much. And horses vs. elephants? Have fun with that

Great work so far, mate

[C.Maximus]

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-(VH, VH Japanese Campaign)

Emperor Togo turns to his Shogun "You have successfully united Japan under the Shogunate, now it is time to go onward." The Shogun nods and begins his planing. It would start with the Islands around Japan. Sapporo, where we now get excelent light Japanese beer from, Okinawa where a strong but small faction lies, and the Island of Taiwan. The Samurai put an easy and swift death to those native to these Islands, they were no match for the storm of trained arrows from the Yumi, the prefered weapon of the Samurai. The Shogun then turns to the Emperor "My Heavenly Divine Lord, the Islands around our home are secure, we can go south and capture the islands of Indonesia or head into the mainland, what shall we do?" The Emperor thought for some time, stroking his thin beard, for he was only twenty one at the time, he was ambitious, knew of the Chinese, seen their wealth... if they were to go south, there would be nothing but sweaty jungle islands "China" He says with a determined tone. The Shogun bows, and heads out. The next morning the Japanese prepare to take Korea, a small power at the time (Historicaly i think they were pretty powerful however) The Korean campaign lasted a season and their capital was converted into a castle. IT was winter, and the samurai prepared for bloody war.

-The Invasion of China went well at first, they seemed to have a lot of cities and plenty of full stacks, but the stacks were spread out and the first few cities fell easily. Once the Chinese organised, however it got hard, the Shogunate had some rough defeats. However, the low spirited Chinese warriors, perhaps advanced in siege and horse warfare, were no match for the high spirits of the Japanese Samurai. Beijing fell, and from then, it was a downward spiral for the Chinese. Togo himself moves to Beijing and re-locates the Capital "We are now, a land power"


--- the Khmer are at war with the Indians, who are also in a deep civil war. The Mongols and Jurkins seem to be at peace, (uniting the tribes hopefully) while the Turks wage war with Egypt. Europe is a mess with the Germans as the super power.. Mali has the most gold and the Aztecs (though I have no spies and not seen them, based on their stats) seem to be overwhelming the Americas.... The Islands to the south (Malasians?? ) invaded Tiawan and my southern Chinese cities, though they will feel a sift death from Japanese arrows and steel.


((btw love the Japanese faction... It will be hard late game due to lack of Ships.. they can only build a Dhow it seems, no matter how high my docks are.... also the samurai high moral and good vs armor makes up for their lack of armor and a shield... im curious to see how they fare agaisnt europeans or turks and egyptians... ))

[MansaSakura]

This is my current empire as Mali on medium difficulty.


By scottfree at 2012-06-09
The first thing I did was downsize my army so I could accrue cash pretty quickly. After four turns, I was making money.
My first target was Arguin since I figured it was only a matter of time before the council asked me to take an island and I needed a port. Plus Arguin got me all that Moor trade, which meant Moor money
After that I turned my attention to the rest of the Sahel...Timbuktu, Gao etc. I only ventured to the coast when the council offered me money to do so. I rejected any missions offering advanced troops cuz the upkeep cost was ruining my budget.
While pursuing my Sahel strategy, I focused on civic buildings to get Assassins and diplomats. By 1100, I had built up an army of assassins which I used to kill off all merchants dumb enough to wander into my territory (the moors were really a problem trying to seize merchants and all my gold). I also sent out diplomats to the Moors, Egypt and even Zimbabwe for trade and map information.
The council finally asked me to start taking mediterranean settlements, and this I did while establishing watchtowers to to keep an eye on my rediculously long trade routes. I made keeping brigands off the road a priority. Now I am like number 4 financially and just got my first war galley which will allow me to send diplomats to the new world. I plan on establishing trade and maybe buying some settlements if my cash stay right.

[The Holy Pilgrim]

Excellent campaigns, Cannabis and Sakura!

I look forward to more

In both your campaigns, the Turks look pretty powerful. Be careful when fighting them as they are one of the most diverse factions in-game.

[Gabrius]

Nice start with Mali there, MansaSakura! Looks like you'll be giving the Moors a run for their money (and a quick death). Will you befriend the Europeans or push to the North?

CannabisMaximus, great work for you too! I love the Japanese as well, perhaps I will post what I have done with them later, right now I feel like pushing onward with the Mongols. The Japanese seem to have very sturdy troops so I think you will stand a good chance of defeating everybody else with them (but you'll definitely have trouble with elephants).


Just a quick update on mine:



I have taken more Chinese territory and am about to finish them off. I managed to take Beijing at last, and sacked it with much vigor (for 20,000 florins no less!) A funny anecdote though, I built ladders only to find when attacking that ladders can't actually be used on huge walls (something I forgot about!) so I was forced to fight my way through the gates and barely managed to win the fight!

The Khmers are gathering a hell of a force and have already attacked despite my efforts to be nice to them --they no doubt can sense my intentions once I finish with the Chinese! I am not sure if I will survive their first assault, but we shall see, my generals are much better than theirs from all the combat they've been through.

Ryukyu has taken a different approach, paying an exorbitant amount just to trade with me, though they clearly do not realize that in true Machiavellian fashion I will be a prince who does NOT honor his promises. (I mean, would *you* trust an invading Mongol that just slaughtered your closest ally?) Japan has attacked Ryukyu, diverting their forces and making my job easier. I have also forced the Manchu from their homes and they now freely roam the land hiding in the trees where I cannot see them (intent on wreaking havoc, no doubt, so I have kept a small garrison nearby). Annoyingly, they are hampering my efforts to get Ryukyu off the mainland. Pesky peasants just won't assimilate!

Lastly, the Turks have sent an emissary and I have allowed them to "think" that they are my allies. Silly Turks. I just hope they wait until Asia is mine before they realize what I intend to do to them...

That sounds like a truly interesting campaign! The Chinese put up a great fight, huh? Let's hope you're more successful than the historical Mongols in that you can actually take Japan and the Southeast Asian peninsula. The Samurai are going to put up a hell of a fight, I can tell you that much. And horses vs. elephants? Have fun with that

Yes, my infantry are horrible compared to the samurai, so perhaps taking Japan will unleash a beast I have not anticipated... it has also occurred to me that the Khmers will be a lot tougher to deal with than I initially thought, especially since they have already displayed such animosity towards me. My economy will soon be superior to theirs no doubt, but it will take a lot to get rid of them!

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EDIT: Ok, every so often, a battle takes place that is so ridiculously epic it warrants telling others about. I shall now relate to you a tale of the fall of Abadhun Khan:

Severely outnumbered and facing elephants with only a few groups of horse archers and some light infantry and spearmen, Abadhun Khan knew his end was probably nigh. But just before battle he resolved to find a way to win no matter what it took, for the fall of Tain would mean the beginning of a Khmer invasion!

At the onset of the Khmer attack he sent his horse archers outside the city, where they rained death upon the many Khmer spearmen rushing toward the walls with their ladders --there were simply too many to be stopped. The elephants charged the horse archers, who kept them busy and continued to pelt them with arrows relentlessly, but not a single elephant fell outside the walls.

Abadhun's men held the enemy thus far on the walls. The horse archers ran out of arrows and retreated through a side-gate to the center of the city to make a final stand.

Abadhun-Khan was a brilliant tactician. He knew his enemies were terrified of the horde with which he was associated, and he knew if he could scare them they would flee. So he set up the only two catapults in the city so that they were facing the main gates. The Khmers took the walls and opened the gates for the elephants. As his men on the walls were overwhelmed and began to retreat, he ordered the catapults to fire directly into the retreating men--and the advancing enemy. Traitors would die with the Khmers! Many Khmers were incinerated, but they continued on into the town square. A small garrison of surviving men held them off while the catapults continued to fire, downing two elephants as they went. Abadhun himself charged around the city, annihilating countless squads of enemy spearmen, but there were far too many even for his battle-hardened men. Many were lost.

The Khmer general, atop an elephant, at last pushed into the town square. The catapultmen, he noted, were some of the bravest men he had ever seen in his life. Armed with nothing more than daggers and no armor, they STILL faced elephants and did not flee! What were these Mongols made of anyway?

Abadhun took his last remaining men and circled around behind the elephants. He charged straight into their rear, killing many spearmen, but only one of them fell. He retreated to charge again. Now only two of his loyal bodyguard remained. The horse archers in the center of the city charged again and again into the advancing Khmer horde until the elephants slaughtered them all. But just before the last of them died, he killed the Khmer general, who fell off his elephant and died!

Abadhun Khan knew of his death from the cheer of the dying horse archer. He had no one left now except two loyal subjects. He charged into more advancing men who had just crossed over the wall and both of them fell beside him --but the spearmen retreated! He ignored them --he knew where his destiny lay.

Only he remained. Alone. And alone, he charged toward the town center in a last valiant effort, straight into a rain of fire arrows. They fell around him almost like firebirds, hailing his bravery, he thought. This would be his glorious end. He ploughed through countless Khmer men, hacking away relentlessly until finally he impaled himself on the tusks of an elephant.

When Abadhun Khan fell, only two of the elephants remained, and without their general, they would disband and leave the army without a general and without elephants. His death was not in vain. His place in both Mongol and Khmer history is secure.

[The Holy Pilgrim]

Wow. That sounds like an amazing campaign. The Khmer are showing you why the Mongols in real life couldn't conquer them, I guess You'll definitely win that war of attrition, though. I mean, look at your current land-holdings. Nobody save for the Turks possibly have as many cities as you do.

And that battle just sounded so brutal. You really showed the Khmer why the Mongols are feared by all.

RIP Abadhun Khan.

[Gabrius]

Thank you for your kind words, Holy Pilgrim. It's really getting quite ridiculous as their full stacks are prancing around my lands looking for cities to sack... XD

[The Holy Pilgrim]

Here's my campaign as England so far:



Hehe, sorry about the image being small. Cropped it so it would take up the whole page

My campaign as England (I know, how boring ) has been pretty entertaining so far. Firstly, the wars with Scotland went off to a great start. They tried to take York with 5 Highland Nobles, a General's Bodyguard, and 3 Spear Militia when all I had was two General's Bodyguards and one Levy Spearman unit. This tactic did not work for them, however, as not only did they fail in taking the city, they also lost their Family Member AND didn't kill a single one of my generals. A few, short battles later, I took the last of the Scottish cities and Scotland was destroyed by turn 16 or so. Not too shabby. The Pope (who I was good friends with at the time) started to hate me for it, but we still had a reasonable standing (4 crosses).

Next came the liberation of France from the French peoples. They were at war with the Holy Roman Empire (who was and is allied to the Byzantine Empire) and they were losing. Seeing an opportunity, I struck. I took the coastal cities using Caen as a stop-and-heal spot for my troops coming in from England, led by good ol' King Henry himself (William died of old age during the Scottish Wars). The coastal cities were too much of hassle. The only thing that gave me trouble were those darn Flemish Pikemen. Ugh, the horrors that they are... Anyways, as I begin to muster up an army led by my King and my Prince, the Holy Roman Empire decides that it was a good time to declare war on me. They attack a very low garrisoned city of mine (the one in the Netherlands), but I was able to muster a relief force and wipe their army out (outnumbered 2:1) Thank goodness their army was primarily Spear Militia and Peasants. They had two ballista and three Mailed Knights, but other than that, they had pretty much nothing. After I stomped them into the ground with Mailed Knights of my own, they ask for a ceasefire. Wanting to direct all of my attention on France, I accepted. After some bloody and some really close battles (with a couple of frustrating game-freezes in between), I finally broke through the French line and took Paris. With this victory, the French couldn't ever muster a large enough army to stop my dynamic duo of King Henry and Prince Rufus, I think his name was. It was inevitable; I was going to conquer France.

What I did NOT expect was a Portuguese invasion of Ireland! I had only one family member in there with one Spear Militia. Remembering vanilla AI and how inept it was at naval invasions, I just didn't think about it all that much. Besides, France was being really mean to me and kept saying my mother was a hamster and that my father smelled of elderberries. Whatever, I dealt with them. Now, the current situation is this: Portugal (who I'm now at war with for taking Dublin from me) has a foothold in the British Isles where I have very limited garrisons. My entire good army is in France, killing off rebels. The Portuguese aren't even the worst part! The Spanish, although the Moors are stomping their butts into the ground (although they haven't taken Spain's cities), have a full stack poised to attack southern France (where my army is located) and they have a ship sailing to London. They have not declared war, but I have a very good feeling that they will.


Anyways, the mod is proving to be extremely entertaining so far. The campaign is just so much fun!

P.S. The Khmer Empire wiped out China fairly quickly and the Mayans are vassals of the Aztecs. The Aztecs are pushing hard against the Incas and the Apache, but the Incas and Apache are holding firm. Japan is not doing so hot, but at least they're repelling the Khmer Empire from taking over the Island of Japan. The Zimbabwe are pretty much doing nothing at all

[Gabrius]

Off to a good start there, Pilgrim! And Portugal?! Wha?! XD Looks like you've got your work cut out for you...

[Vipman]

some long time ago, must have been my last SP campaign with vanilla (or retrofit, can't remember), as Scotland, after taking out england, (turn 20 maybe) both spain and portugal came to my lands with ~9 units each on ships and attacked me! forgot which one of them was first. and difficulty was H/VH or VH/VH

oh, and an interesting campaign you have there Pilgrim, good luck with it

[ggggtotalwarrior]

some long time ago, must have been my last SP campaign with vanilla (or retrofit, can't remember), as Scotland, after taking out england, (turn 20 maybe) both spain and portugal came to my lands with ~9 units each on ships and attacked me! forgot which one of them was first. and difficulty was H/VH or VH/VH

oh, and an interesting campaign you have there Pilgrim, good luck with it

Yeah, I was about to mention that in Vanilla, I've often noticed Portugal and Spain launching naval invasions of Rennes, Bordeaux, Dublin and the Welsh province. Usually Spain will take Bordeaux or Wales, and Portugal will either take Dublin or Rennes, but I once had a Danish campaign where I owned Inverness, Scotland owned one region just south of me, England owned York, France owned London, Spain owned Dublin and Portugal owned Wales. What a crazy campaign, with each province in the British Isles owned by a different faction. I decided to stop my campaign into Britain and focus on Russia just to see which faction came out on top, but no one moved, so I waited until 100-200 turns later to take back Britain. Funny thing is, by that point the Moors owned all of Iberia, Spain only owned Bordeaux and Wales, Scotland owned Antwerp and their starting territory, England was down to York and Bruges, Portugal owned Rennes and Ireland, and France lost Paris to the HRE, who had lost most of their German mainland to me I really wish I still had a screenshot of that campaign, it was completely nuts! Every western European faction went on a naval invasion warpath IN VANILLA!!!

[Gabrius]

Every western European faction went on a naval invasion warpath IN VANILLA!!!

That is absolute madness!

I have never had anything like that happen. Ever. XD

[ggggtotalwarrior]

EDIt-forgot I can't set TGAs as attachment. Will update when I get the chance.

[pinagm2825]

There's my mongolian empire. Notice the finances, that 17k is the lowest income in around 30 turns. Once I conquered china with my horse archers I started slowly pushing towards the turks but the khmers decided they'd like a piece of my wrath. There armies suck outside of the generals' elephants, I could mow down their spearman/archers that they were spamming me with. Also please change the upkeep for the mongols, IDK if its been described already but the mongol infantry, horse archers, heavy horse archers, light lancers, and heavy lancers all have no upkeep costs, so while it may cost a decent amount to create the army, once thats done I can pillage my way without fear.

For those wondering about my empire, the ryukyu (sp?) have the first province in korea, from there I have all china, khmer have only 2 places left, which I will probably take over in about 5 turns, depending on how long it takes to get there. I'm currently finishing up the turks and then preparing to attack the poles, they own all the way up to Bulghar but yet are vassals of the germans.

[Post Hoc]

I agree with raising the upkeep of mongols, but dont get carried away. Upkeep should be minimal but not 0.

[Gabrius]

DAMN pinagm, your campaign beats mine to shreds so far! XD No worries though, I will probably restart it anyway when 1.4 comes out...

[pinagm2825]

ha thanks, I feel like I kind of cheated though, because i've only used cavalry units or the mongol infantry so I have nearly no army upkeep, kinda makes the game less of a challenge between that and mainland china churning out ~15k on its own