Derc Plays Through World History

[Turkafinwë]

Rome falls and the fanboys are sent reeling (sorry Kilo ). This victory shows that a Republic can never stand against the might of a Tyrannos. The Romans are not only militarily humiliated but their entire way of life has been pushed face-first into the dirt. Romans hate kings. Let's see how they fare under the benevolent rule of a Tyrannos!

I agree. The second battle mechanic would've been a great addition to Total War games. It would make sense to make the battles multifacetted, like they mostly were in RL (especially sieges). The capturing of a settlement is a difficult and dangerous endeavor with many stages.

[Derc]

Rome II
Rise of the Republic
#7

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Fortunately it wasn't the Etruscans that crossed the border. It was the Syracusans. With the conquest of two Etruscan jewels, Tarchuna and Velusna, Dionysios stuck his finger into a bees' nest. The Etruscans are outraged. It seems they are willing to take this crippling sacrifice, however. These are very tame bees. Dionysios declines. Tyranny is upon them. As Dionysios is busy at the frontier, the enemies on the inside grow stronger once more. Being a tyrant isn't easy. For the Etruscans, these years are the apocalypse. Their allies are gone. City after city falls. Their forts offer no protection. Many Etruscans burn down with them. Yet they are not willing to become clients of Syracuse. Syracuse has reached a point where hegemony over the whole of Italy is inevitable, if not already achieved. However, if Syracuse wants to be truly uncontested, the journey leads to a city outside of Italy: Carthage. Carthage has to wait until the Etruscans are finished off. Dionysios is an intellectual man. Even though he has no mercy for his enemies, he studies them with great interest. 📝 Authors Note Why did I include a Wikipedia screen here? To show an important part of the TW experience. Learning. I have the attention span of a water hole. I play 10 or 20 minutes, then I have to read something. It's usually about the land or culture that has recently been conquered. Especially the newer TW's since Empire TW onward offer a lot of well researched information in compact form. For everything else there is Wikipedia. If something is especially interesting, more complex research is no problem. Sometimes I completely lose myself in it, reading way more than playing. It was particular "bad" when playing a Europa Barbarorum II HS with Cookiegod, where I learned a lot about the Black Sea region. Turns out these dudes over there had a plant called "Azalea Pontica", which, IIRC, they did use to make honey grenades. This has become almost a meme for Cookie and me. Dionysios is powerful like never before. After crushing the armies of Rome and the Etruscans, central Italy was relatively easy to conquer. Despite from a few hotspots here and there, it is also relatively easy to maintain. It's an incredible wealthy region. Public disorder does not grow where there is wealth for everyone. Once more a great shot from the Tuscan countryside, and a nice city to take. Syracusan workforces have a good reputation; they are desired throughout the Greek world. Such the Massalians pick up on the offer. Some other cultures tend to prefer dead Syracusans instead. The Etruscans started sending new armies again, but Dionysios and his men have grown so skilled that they can ambush them in their own homeland. Superior Syracusan weaponry ensures a quick death. The Massalians are happy with the Syracusans, and become close friends - and of course important trade partners, offering Syracuse rare goods from the dark forests of Gaul. There are a few dark places in Syracusan lands too. Syracusan power still lies off the shore. If Athenai, Sparta, Syracuse and all the other Greeks would bundle their power, they could pick up on the whole Persian Empire. Unfortunately, the Greeks are too divided. So this task may fall to someone else. The Rasna have played their last flute. At the end of the world, demolished and diminished, still looking back to old days, they beg for mercy. Bad men are full of repentance. 📝 Authors Note Not only did I learn quite a bit about history by just playing it, I also did so by reading some of the many stories the internet, in this case TWC, has to offer. For RotR it even was a motivator to start this campaign (next to Cookie's fanboyism about Dionysios, of course ). I knew very little about this time period, and close to nothing about the Etruscans. Having had a look at Skotos' Last Chariot of the Tarquins, I was really intrigued. Having started the campaign, I kept reading updates from Skotos' AAR while simultaneously listening to Cookie's stuff about Dionysios and conquering my way to the Alps. Great time. Guess that circle closes here. Even though it is not a perfect one, as Pi is irrational, and so am I: Really? I actually hated the faction emblem, which is why I haven't used it. Interesting factoid: That instrument, in Greek, is called an aulos. Transliterated into Latin, it's aulus. Avle's name transliterated into Latin is Aulus. Sorry Skotos, wherever you are, I still think the Etruscan emblem is pretty badass, and these are still two flutes for me. But at least I found out where CA drew its inspiration from. Tomba dei Leopardi, Tarquina I'm just glad my circle didn't get disturbed, like Archimedes' one. As the troops head out to finish the Rasna off, they make an unusual sight. A bunch of naked wildlings charging against them? In the midst of winter? What a sight to behold! With this very astounding pic, I wish you all a Merry Christmas.

I remember the battle of Rome. When I did the first battle, I pressed manual battle because I wanted to see the city and the moment the battle had loaded I Alt+F4d, restarted the game and made autocalc. Then I was told I needed to attack the same city again, which I did. I wanted to see the Capitoline Hills, so I pressed yes on manual battle, only to see that the loading screen had the exact same city map as before, so I Alt+F4d again. What was it again I wanted to say? Oh yes. I don't remember the battle of Rome.

Hm. Strange. It was completely different for me, as you've seen. The both battles felt completely different, as the first one was fought in a devastated city, and the second one was fought around a still very intact temple complex.

As when anyone takes Rome, I have seriously mixed feelings. Good on you for taking down the lion. But then again, you have taken Rome, and I am not sure I can ever forgive you that crime!

Come on. Destroying Rome is a classic.
Playing through world history means you will need to mess with everyone. Killing Denmark, the Nervii, the Etruscans and so many others - it has won me many loveable frenemies.
Sad thing that I couldn't include Camillus in my list of famous historical persons killed. He just vanished. Like a true mobster. Can't be a coincidence he looked like one.

Interesting that CA built in a "rallying the people" second battle for Rome though. I feel like that would be cool to have in more places, and linked to certain in-game elements, rather than hardcoded to settlements the developers think merit it. Like, I could imagine having it so that any city will rally if it has enough military infrastructure, and the people are above a certain happiness threshold. That would be cool, and it would make it so much harder to crack into regions that are well-governed.

I like your idea. It should make a difference if you attack a settlement with a happy population, or one without one. Sieging the exact same settlement twice would be annoying, but more barricades and more garrison units could be a possibility. I don't know if something like this hasn't even been implemented in the newer titles yet. If it is, it's not noticeable.

Rome falls and the fanboys are sent reeling (sorry Kilo ). This victory shows that a Republic can never stand against the might of a Tyrannos. The Romans are not only militarily humiliated but their entire way of life has been pushed face-first into the dirt. Romans hate kings. Let's see how they fare under the benevolent rule of a Tyrannos!

As Cookie already said, Syracuse was pro forma still a democracy. The Romans could arrange with that a few hundreds years later. They can arrange with it now. They are turbo converted in a few single turns anyway.

I agree. The second battle mechanic would've been a great addition to Total War games. It would make sense to make the battles multifacetted, like they mostly were in RL (especially sieges). The capturing of a settlement is a difficult and dangerous endeavor with many stages.

It could be something for citadels in Med 3 or more complex settlements. Thrones of Britannia already introduced something similar with strategically placed outskirt villages. If garrisoned, they forced you to conquer them before you take on the big city next to it, delaying you for a turn. Good idea, but classically the AI couldn't make much use of it.

[Cookiegod]

As a Dane I can tell you from experience that the only appropriate time to charge at people naked is when it's cold. Otherwise you have no excuse.

I have some other bad lewd jokes about the flutes but I'm not gonna say them because I know they blow.

Oh and yeah the honey. Did you know they for some weird reason still make that today?!? There's still a "mad honey's disease" because of it. Xenophon's Greeks had to suffer through that, and Pompey Magnus lost a thousand men because the Pontics used it as a trap, storing lots of it all around and attacking once everyone got sick. Pretty much the most effective weapon in that region (especially considering that their military achievements otherwise weren't that impressive).

Kinda wild that the Syracusans have to imitate the Athenians AFTER having defeated them multiple times at sea, including that very first time that broke the Athenian's back, and AFTER having made the first major technical innovations at sea (Pentereis and Hexereis aka Quinquiremes and "Sexiremes") when everyone else was still building Triereis. That's like level 6 vs level 3 and then he gave his ships range buffs by being the first one ever to put siege engines on them. God I loved abusing the generals flagships in this game to just oneshot every single enemy ship in the game. But sure. (Un)Learn to naval warfare like it's the last century.

[Derc]

Rome II
Rise of the Republic
#8

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Dionysios never found Camillus or many other high ranked Romans and Etruscans. What he found out, however, was that the Rasna had some help from some tribes northwards. Such Dionysios' eyes go there. There are many smaller and bigger tribes, all of them having a different oppinion of Syracuse. But Dionysios does not allow himself to get distracted once again. He has a bigger goal. Getting old, time becomes ever more important. The Carthaginians recently lost their hold in Sardinia. Could there be any better time to attack? Before Dionysios and his son land in Africa, the whole Syracusan fleet is ordered to pick up on Carthaginian ships, and to plunder some of their coastal cities, perhaps even securing a foothold in Africa. Once more, just as another war is picking up, the enemies from within also see their best time to strike. Dionysios has learned the game and left some men behind to make short process with them. Syracuse managed to secure a foothold in Africa, but it can't be held for long as long as the Carthaginian navy is still around. It must be confronted. Now. The biggest sea battle of the Western Mediterranean happens. It can be compared with Athenian battles against the Persians. Controlling and fighting so many ships is overwhelming even for the greatest admiral. Both Carthage and Syracuse lost a tremendous amount of ships. The Carthaginian navy was left in a better shape, but they were forced to retreat. Meanwhile, Syracusan reinforcements were coming. Interestingly, the Carthaginians managed to assimilate their colony in Sardinia enough that Carthaginians outnumbered the natives, leading to violence in the region. Carthage is under dire stress. Dionysios arrived and puts the great city itself under siege, together with his son. Calculation is a powerful skill, but a battle of this size simply cannot be calculated in all its detail. Dionysios and his son have the best forces with him, but Carthage has lots of reinforcements, a mighty wall, and of course the home advantage. The city can only be attacked if it also gets invaded from the sea. For that, the last remnants of the Carthaginian navy must be destroyed. It is a powerful sight to see the flag of Carthage sink into the waves under the moonlight. Darkness has fallen over the city. Its days were numbered. The Syracusans had them surrounded by land and by sea. The Tyrannos played with them. With each passing day Carthage would run out of supplies more, while the Syracusans would continue building new siege weapons, and bring in more men. Half a year later Dionysios fulfilled his greatest wish. Being a huge fan of artillery, and an inventor himself, he would let his machinery shoot down Carthage. He was happy like a little child that day. The Carthaginian nightmare is no more. It will be terribly expensive to rebuild the city, but it shall be worth it. Carthage - a Greek city. Dionysios has finally seen the day come. What is up next for the great Tyrannos? ⚙️ Authors Note - Technical +40 public order shortly after taking it and already with a Greek majority. Balance has completely gone out of the window by now. Two years of peace pass. It is then interrupted by a slave rebellion. No wonder they are angry, being forced to wear such clothes. ⚙️ Authors Note - Technical I think this pink may be a placeholder color. Anyway, it's awesome. Indeed, Syracuse's ascent has led to some kind of a slave problem. Romans, Etruscans, Carthaginians, Barbarians, other Greeks - many people were enslaved. It was the common lot of the defeated one. Slaves were the backbone of the economy, and just another motivation to wage war. Ignoring all these trivial problems, the beloved Tyrannos does just that. His next target: Sardinia. It will actually be Dionysios' son who will lead the campaign. This shall be his ultimate proving ground. Southern Sardinia falls relatively quickly, still being weakened from the long war against Carthage. This isle feels like another world. The fashion of these Nuragic people is really interesting too. 📝 Authors Note Seriously, it's a shame so few people know about them. These guys are like from sort of fantasy universe, or still stuck in the Bronze Age. Nonetheless, a very exotic, unique culture. Dionysios shows them something equally interesting. A nice souvenir from Africa. Elephants. The Natives got literally trampled into the dust, indeed. Having achieved everything, feeling the weight of many years on his shoulders, Dionysios should finally come to rest, enjoy his achievements, and let his son take over. But things are not that simple for a tyrannos.

Hope y'all had a nice Christmas. This campaign will come to an end with the next update, which will either be next weekend or this Thursday. At the beginning I said this campaign will most likely end at the turn of the year. This tight schedule worked out. God, how fast time flies.

As a Dane I can tell you from experience that the only appropriate time to charge at people naked is when it's cold. Otherwise you have no excuse.
I have some other bad lewd jokes about the flutes but I'm not gonna say them because I know they blow.

Women feel cold more often, so I guess that means they can charge at people more often? I think this explains a lot.

Oh and yeah the honey. Did you know they for some weird reason still make that today?!? There's still a "mad honey's disease" because of it. Xenophon's Greeks had to suffer through that, and Pompey Magnus lost a thousand men because the Pontics used it as a trap, storing lots of it all around and attacking once everyone got sick. Pretty much the most effective weapon in that region (especially considering that their military achievements otherwise weren't that impressive).

Thanks to you I read about Grayanotoxin. You had me once again.

Kinda wild that the Syracusans have to imitate the Athenians AFTER having defeated them multiple times at sea, including that very first time that broke the Athenian's back, and AFTER having made the first major technical innovations at sea (Pentereis and Hexereis aka Quinquiremes and "Sexiremes") when everyone else was still building Triereis. That's like level 6 vs level 3 and then he gave his ships range buffs by being the first one ever to put siege engines on them. God I loved abusing the generals flagships in this game to just oneshot every single enemy ship in the game. But sure. (Un)Learn to naval warfare like it's the last century.

The first step to degeneration has been done. The circle continues.

I am just too dumb for naval warfare in Rome II. Fighting Carthage was a pita. As soon as I rammed one of their ships, they already rammed two of mine.
Good thing I already had another navy fullstack coming after them.

[Alwyn]

The night-time pictures of the defeated Carthaginian navy and of the fall of the city of Carthage are particularly good. I know what you mean about controlling a lot of ships being overwhelming. Brilliant update!

[Turkafinwë]

I agree with Alwyn. Those night-time screenshots are beautiful. My favourite is definitely the city of Carthage in the dark with the only light coming from the lighthouse. It's almost as if the city is asleep, unaware of the danger it is in.

Two years of peace pass. It is then interrupted by a slave rebellion. No wonder they are angry, being forced to wear such clothes.

⚙️ Authors Note - Technical

I think this pink may be a placeholder color. Anyway, it's awesome.

They are fanboys of the Eastern Spearmen from Parthia.

I am just too dumb for naval warfare in Rome II. Fighting Carthage was a pita. As soon as I rammed one of their ships, they already rammed two of mine.
Good thing I already had another navy fullstack coming after them.

It's like the old TW proverb says about the Apaches: They might kill your first stack, they might even kill your second stack but will they kill your third?

Hope y'all had a nice Christmas. This campaign will come to an end with the next update, which will either be next weekend or this Thursday. At the beginning I said this campaign will most likely end at the turn of the year. This tight schedule worked out. God, how fast time flies.

Like you I have learned a lot by this campaign and especially Cookie's comments. This campaign has been a very special in the series. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well Derc. Onto a happier New Year!

[Derc]

Rome II
Rise of the Republic
#9

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Interesting. What land may Syracuse have found? Hope it looks better than Kerkyra. ⚙️ Authors Note - Technical CA is really lazy with border regions in this title. At the right edge you can see water where Epirus and Macedonia should be. I love to lift the fog of war everywhere. It's usually fun, but here it is just horrible. Dionysios loves artillery. Next to being a tyrant, a poet, a lover, and a founder of many cities, Dionysios was also famous for being an inventor. 📝 Authors Note It was such a shame that I simply did not need to use them. They required an own building chain, which was blocked by several technologies, and advance was smooth enough without them. Would love to have seen some proper artillery action. It may be my fault that I didn't use them, yeah, but it's not my fault that they were more hassle than help. Perhaps I'm just a slack-jawed Barbarian after all. Lazy priests preaching heresy flock to Syracuse. They are lucky that this is not the Middle Ages. Ignited by several factors, Dionysios continues his journey. He wants to see all these wildlings under his control; and the Alps with his own eyes. The tribes up north are divided. Many tribes try to bribe Syracuse to finish their rival off. Demanding money instead isn't the right way to do so, aye? The Veneti seem to have no problem picking up on the Insubres anyway. Dionysios studies the tribes with great interest. One of them is even led by a queen. The Tyrannos wants to find out how good they can handle javelins. Not very good, it seems. The queen was the last one standing. Very interesting! A great show. Dionysios didn't have so much fun since some random historical battle Cookie might tell about. Clearing this region of Barbarians has become a great sport for Dionysios. But it gets harder for him. He is old and his hearing fails him more and more. War was declared on the Veneti a short while ago. They offer an interesting peace right away. They understand that they are doomed. While thinking about the offer, Dionysios reminisces about old times. Oh my! The Veneti have just blown any chance of peace out of the window. They were always tricky people, it seems. Nice region. Some soldiers are too destracted by its beauty to even hold their swords straight (yellow guy on the bottom right corner) Pergamon would've been a better catch, but Bergamum will do nicely too. Syracusan blue goes well with it. May it safeguard the city against every future plague. Dionysios greatest invention may have been to span artillery on ships. Pure madness, but also pure efficience. Dionysios proved it, and in order to consolidate this proof, his invention will do the final push in Tegeste, while he himself conquers Vedinum. Success! Whole Italy is under the thumb of the Tyrannos, yet something feels off. Something seems to have been forgotten. 📝 Authors Note Oh. The victory conditions require to field 100 mercenary units and have 10 Ballistae of each type. I completely missed that. So after the end of the game I have to "break" the special goal in order to unlock the victory video. A little extra rule - I had to recruit all 100 mercenary units in a single round, otherwise the goal would count as failed. Guess what. It worked. You can easily pump out multiple fullstacks in a single turn without batting an eyelid. Insanity. CA, that shouldn't be possible. I mean... we talk about 103 units in a single turn. And I could still have recruited more. As once said before, things are not simple, especially not for a Tyrannos. Dionysios may only truly find rest if he dies, but with the conquest of whole Italy, and many innovative reforms and technological breakthroughs to look back to, what more can a man achieve? Dionysios prepared the stage for his son. It is better to do so before the youth itself forces its way. A tyrant seldom dies peacefully, especially not if he is old, and also not when not enough preparations had been taken. Dionysios had. Both, the older and the younger one. The world will embrace tyranny, like Italy did. Looking at the majesty of the Alps, one has to wonder. What lies beyond it? Perhaps the younger Dionysios will answer that. Or he will march against Persia. The older one won't. He already pushed far enough. Dionysios' journey, this long odyssey... is over.

📘 Alternate History

What can I say? Syracuse would've been a fitting replacement for Rome.
I won't elaborate this time. I let Cookie and you guys think about the details, lol.

🏠 House Rules & Special Goals

Unwritten Rules:

• Conquer the whole map - Check
• No exploits, hacks, etc. - Check

Written ones:

• Severed Ties: No mercenaries - Check

⭐ Conclusion: Rome II - Rise of the Republic

• + Own models, own technologies, custom CGI, quite some flavour. Nice!
• + Cool era, nice map.
• + Special actions like expeditions for Syracuse are a nice addition
• + Other events like the war in Greece or the interaction with Massalia added some flavour too
• + Rampaging around with your navy is really great here
• + The Nuragic guys are cool
• + Aggressive Rome
• + Dionysios!
  

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• - Brutally unbalanced, both in terms of military and economy. Once a third of the map is conquered, you are overpowered
• - Wonders are way too powerful, adding to the unbalance
• - Modern Greek technology icon. Boo!
• - Conquering along Italy, a simple strip, makes the campaign easy, and gives not much flexibility for expansion
• - Once pushed out of Sicily, Carthage was way too tame. But perhaps they were only so in my playthrough
• - Artillery almost useless because of Autocalc and ships

So there we have our comparison:
Rise of the Republic feels different from Caesar in Gaul and most of the other Rome II campaigns. There are some things that are better, and there are some things that are worse. Ultimately it is Rome II, and it feels like Rome II. It's more of the same, just different. Much more diffent from Vanilla than earlier DLCs.
I really like it in terms of setting, atmosphere and flavour. I dislike it in terms of balance.

The story of the great tyrannos is over, having earned me one of the most infamous achievements there ever was in the entire history of TW:

Funny. Almost exactly two years between now and then.
Thanks again to Welsh Dragon for reminding me of it.

The night-time pictures of the defeated Carthaginian navy and of the fall of the city of Carthage are particularly good. I know what you mean about controlling a lot of ships being overwhelming. Brilliant update!

Yeah, it was a spooky atmosphere, and Carthage actually fighting back so desperately in the end, giving me a surprising late game challenge, was great.

I agree with Alwyn. Those night-time screenshots are beautiful. My favourite is definitely the city of Carthage in the dark with the only light coming from the lighthouse. It's almost as if the city is asleep, unaware of the danger it is in.

It's a lovely illusion. If empty cities mean anything, even at night, especially at night, then it is that danger is close.

Spoiler for the world after 2020: 

2020 has given us the chance to witness what seemed to be impossible for so many. And also the unique chance to record the world in a different way.
Schools 20 years from now on will show this in history class.

They are fanboys of the Eastern Spearmen from Parthia.

Haha! Good one. We all love these pajama guys.

It's like the old TW proverb says about the Apaches: They might kill your first stack, they might even kill your second stack but will they kill your third?

Gosh, the Apaches were a real pain in the Americas Campaign.

Like you I have learned a lot by this campaign and especially Cookie's comments. This campaign has been a very special in the series. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well Derc. Onto a happier New Year!

Yes, it was a fine Christmas, and a surprisingly lovely little New Year's celebration as well. But 2020 started well too. Let's see what shape the world will take on this year, and hope for the best. As we already embraced tyranny, no matter what kind of face it shows this time, we are prepared. Aren't we?

--
Unto the next campaign, folks. It'll be one I've been looking forward to for a long, long time. But before that, there will be another D3. And before even that, there needs to be a little break. I have to catch up on some AARs and also need to get back to work. Holidays were over way too fast.

[Cookiegod]

What land may Syracuse have found?

Denmark.

It was such a shame that I simply did not need to use them.

As someone who did very few battles myself: When I had them I always used them. I always switched to aiming the artillery myself. And it's just OP. I think I sent you the example where I killed ~900 men with a single artillery unit in a battle and went from next to no experience to 3 silver level in one go. Then there are two other advantages that do not relate to damage. One: You get to take everything without losing a turn sieging. Given that most provinces are extremely close, you don't have to worry about the decrease in movement range. You'll still make it to the next settlement and take it. And then the other advantage is if you decide on doing the battle, the fact that you have artillery means the enemy will have to attack no matter what, so you get to choose the ground. If the enemy has artillery, you always lose people to them, because AI always makes more damage than you do. Except that with artillery you get to destroy them and they'll again have to go after you.

The queen was the last one standing. Very interesting! A great show. Dionysios didn't have so much fun since some random historical battle Cookie might tell about.

Dionysios was much more focused on oppressing his own gender and unlike you, he respected women. So much in fact that he had two wives instead of just one.

Oh. The victory conditions require to field 100 mercenary units and have 10 Ballistae of each type. I completely missed that.
So after the end of the game I have to "break" the special goal in order to unlock the victory video. A little extra rule - I had to recruit all 100 mercenary units in a single round, otherwise the goal would count as failed.

Guess what. It worked. You can easily pump out multiple fullstacks in a single turn without batting an eyelid. Insanity. CA, that shouldn't be possible.
I mean... we talk about 103 units in a single turn. And I could still have recruited more.

Hahah yes! Great minds forget to read the victory conditions alike.

Dionysios continues his journey. He wants to see all these wildlings under his control; and the Alps with his own eyes.

So Dionysios has an Alp-dream?

Pergamon would've been a better catch

Pergamon cannot be defeated. It possesses the power of REEEEE and ragequit.
Ok the last two were for insiders only.

[Kilo11]

I have been busy with holiday stuff, and so missed the last two updates. But I am back now, and you will get my thoughts, whether you want them or not!

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Ah, Derc, I agree with you so much about the research and learning. That is also one of my favorite TW pasttimes, just reading stuff about history. And you are totally right that EB II is a treasure trove for that. Those guys have their stuff together like nobody's business, and finishing an EB II campaign is so difficult, just cause you get sidetracked reading theses about central Gallic agriculture, or eastern Mediterranean naval warfare. So much cool stuff to know, so little time to learn it (while simultaneously conquering your neighbors )

The shout out to Skotos was also lovely! I don't know where he went off to, but his material is solid, and definitely opens a window into a world very few of us know. I hope one day he will come back and show us the rest of that world!

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The Nurgaic peoples are indeed really cool. They were also one of the few people to remain for an extremely long time largely unassimilated into larger outside cultures. They had all these conical forts up in the hills, and they'd flee to those when Romans or Carthaginians came a knocking, and somehow those crazy hillbillies held out longer than many "more advanced" enemies of the great powers. Definitely an interesting crew on that island.

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Perhaps I'm just a slack-jawed Barbarian after all.

Was there ever any doubt about this?

Also, that Veneti guy looks like a total boss. I can see him doing virtually any profession, and crushing it! He just looks baller. Baller to the max!

What can I say? Syracuse would've been a fitting replacement for Rome.

I totally agree with this. Syracuse and Rome (post Caesar) fit together like peas in a pod. This world you've created would have been eerily similar to the one we actually got. The only big difference I guess is that a whole host of languages today would be Hellenic rather than Romantic, and that seems like a pain in the hole. :rofl:


p.s. All of the night shots are indeed super cool! You capture a serious measure of artistry in them, and they are a treat to have mixed into the campaign!

[Turkafinwë]

�� Authors Note

Oh. The victory conditions require to field 100 mercenary units and have 10 Ballistae of each type. I completely missed that.
So after the end of the game I have to "break" the special goal in order to unlock the victory video. A little extra rule - I had to recruit all 100 mercenary units in a single round, otherwise the goal would count as failed.

Guess what. It worked. You can easily pump out multiple fullstacks in a single turn without batting an eyelid. Insanity. CA, that shouldn't be possible.
I mean... we talk about 103 units in a single turn. And I could still have recruited more.

I like to think that Dionysios gave those mercenary companies the finger at the beginning of the campaign to now enlist them all just to personally guide them on a tour of his realm. Like: look what I did all without you, you useless goblins. That is some big energy.

[Alwyn]

A flavoursome campaign and a fitting replacement for Rome, indeed! I'm intrigued by the campaign that you've been looking forward to. Enjoy your break!

[Derc]

Derc's Development Diaries
#3: Your environment manipulates your perception

It's a simple thing, really. No one would play a horror game in a well-lit room, in the midst of a summer day with bright blue skies, chirping birds sitting around in the tree next to you. Or at least you don't need to be surprised if the game doesn't work as well as if it would have, had you played it under better circumstances.

Let's face it: games are really nothing else but an illusion. You order nodes around, doing certain things in a set framework of given rules. The textures, the sound, all of it is just a simple facade, hence the possibility of total conversation mods. And there are plenty for TW and world building games in general. Why? Because especially in these games most of the story is only really playing out in your head. In fact, everything is. The better the facade, the better the fantasy in your head plays out. That's the very reason why atmosphere is the single most important thing in a game, at least for me. It can be enhanced or destroyed in very simple ways. A major influence: your environment. I do not simply talk about your room. I talk about something we all witness together, is timed like clockwork, has a huge impact, and cannot be changed by anybody. The seasons, of course.

I tested it and was amazed what a huge difference the seasons can make. I really topped it with Far Cry 2. I played that game in June + July 2018, when a heat wave was going on in Central Europe. Far Cry 2 is an old and simple game, but its unforgiving African atmosphere is superb. Play that when it's +37 degrees Celsius, when you sit there half naked, sweat running down your chin, seing parched fields outside your real window while traversing the burning Savannah in your virtual one. The atmosphere-o-meter will explode. Great experience.
I checked back how it all would hold up in winter, and it just felt like a card house fallen apart.

Simply said, I tried to add more atmosphere to a campaign by having it scheduled into a season I think fit it the most. For Caesar in Gaul and Rise of the Republic, autumn was fitting. Spring is good for Japan. Summer? Something set in the desert or the jungle maybe.
Of course it did not always work out, as there were many other factors playing into the decision when to show what campaign, but it was a solid fundament from which to build upon.

---

Since it's still winter, it shouldn't be surprising that something "wintry" is coming up.
Let's spoil it right away. It will be the Med 2's Teutonic Campaign.

And here is the big question, people:

Who will I play as?

Every faction is possible, and everyone is also welcome to make his guess. Even Cookiegod. I already spoiled it to him, but one does never know if he actually tells the truth or keeps trolling around once more.

I think this question is more interesting for the guys that actually know and played the Teutonic Campaign. CA experimented around a lot in this campaign. There are specialities for almost every faction. We will pick up on that speciality, and try to do something insane.

I looked forward to this campaign for so long. Finally it is about to happen.

---

Note that certain parts of this diary are written in past tense. Originally I had planned to keep the concept of the seasons going, but in the past few weeks I came to realize that I lack the energy to keep this up. I've also run out of pre-written stories once more. So I worked out another concept, a slowed down one. I will most likely present it after the end of the next campaign, which will start in a week or so.

On to the comments.

What land may Syracuse have found?

Denmark.

It said something about lush flower fields, white streams and calm weather. Pretty sure Denmark doesn't meet that.

As someone who did very few battles myself: When I had them I always used them. I always switched to aiming the artillery myself. And it's just OP. I think I sent you the example where I killed ~900 men with a single artillery unit in a battle and went from next to no experience to 3 silver level in one go.

Yes, artillery is lovely <3. Even in older titles. We just had that talk. See it in the next campaign.

Hahah yes! Great minds forget to read the victory conditions alike.

These victory conditions are dumb, honestly.

So Dionysios has an Alp-dream?

Kind of.

I have been busy with holiday stuff, and so missed the last two updates. But I am back now, and you will get my thoughts, whether you want them or not!

Pretty sure there is not one parallel universe where I said 'no' to that.

Those guys have their stuff together like nobody's business, and finishing an EB II campaign is so difficult, just cause you get sidetracked reading theses about central Gallic agriculture, or eastern Mediterranean naval warfare. So much cool stuff to know, so little time to learn it (while simultaneously conquering your neighbors )

#relatable

The shout out to Skotos was also lovely! I don't know where he went off to, but his material is solid, and definitely opens a window into a world very few of us know. I hope one day he will come back and show us the rest of that world!

Miss that guy somehow.

The Nurgaic peoples are indeed really cool. They were also one of the few people to remain for an extremely long time largely unassimilated into larger outside cultures. They had all these conical forts up in the hills, and they'd flee to those when Romans or Carthaginians came a knocking, and somehow those crazy hillbillies held out longer than many "more advanced" enemies of the great powers. Definitely an interesting crew on that island.

The perfect example of strange hillbillies, indeed. You don't get them down that easily. They were ancient preppers, after all.

I totally agree with this. Syracuse and Rome (post Caesar) fit together like peas in a pod. This world you've created would have been eerily similar to the one we actually got. The only big difference I guess is that a whole host of languages today would be Hellenic rather than Romantic, and that seems like a pain in the hole. :rofl:

I don't think it would be bad. Maths would suddenly be much easier to understand.

p.s. All of the night shots are indeed super cool! You capture a serious measure of artistry in them, and they are a treat to have mixed into the campaign!

For many the night is a blessed time, a time of silence and peace, of no obligations. The time when you feel alive the most. Perhaps my obsession with the night played into it. Rome II is just a lovely game to take screenshots from.

I like to think that Dionysios gave those mercenary companies the finger at the beginning of the campaign to now enlist them all just to personally guide them on a tour of his realm. Like: look what I did all without you, you useless goblins. That is some big energy.

My thoughs, exactly.
Did you know that Dionysios actually did something similar (something Cookiegod had missed to explain)? Afaik, the great Tyrannos himself led some annoying mercenaries to a desolate island, pretenting to invade it or something like that. He then left them there to starve to death. Talk about cheap disposal.

A flavoursome campaign and a fitting replacement for Rome, indeed! I'm intrigued by the campaign that you've been looking forward to. Enjoy your break!

So am I.

[Kilo11]

@Development Diary:

I totally agree with the points about immersion and feeling the story correctly. I just got a free game on Xbox Live called "Little Nightmares", and I have to play it at night, but then it is too creepy, so I turn the light on so that I can still sleep later. I also remember that from playing the original Bioshock. I think I first bought the game in summer, but then had to wait till winter to actually use it, because that is one to be played in the dark.

As to your campaigns, I didn't notice the linking with the seasons, but now that you mention it, I can totally feel how those worked. And I think that is good, for one to not quite realized those subtle points unless they are pointed out, but to just sink into the story and its setup. So I think you've done really well there with your meta-aspects of the storytelling.

---

@Next Campaign:

I don't know what you are likely to do, but I super hope you will play as the Lithuanians and keep paganism alive! I always felt that Lithuania is the real challenge in that campaign, and it is just so satisfying to break those d-bag Teutonic knights. I mean, who do they think they are, coming and telling us to believe in some carpenter who was fool enough to forgive the people who literally crucified him? Call me old fashioned, but when someone tries to crucify me, I fight back like a honey badger caught in a trap. To borrow a quote:

We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged.

[Derc]

Dionysios united Italy, truly giving rise to a great Greece. We leave the warmth of the ancient Mediterranean to travel across the Alpes, into another time, into the dark, cold pine forests of the Baltic.

A.D. 1250.

Welcome to the land of winter. It is said that only two things melt the snow away. The warmth of the sun, and blood. Certainly not the souls of the men who live here. They are as frozen as the land that formed them.

The winds blow bitter cold in this place. The gentle touch of the sun is a rare good. Blood on the other hand? There is plenty of it!



Something is brewing in the bitter north. Demons have been summoned, tasked to chase the godless men away who made these wastes their home.
In this forsaken land, the devil himself is a fitting creature to bring the light. He is inside the soul of every man who came here, wielding fire and sword.
Sinners fight the godless, sinners fight sinners, and godless fight other godless.

It is understandable that some men look somewhere else; that they seek their fortune in other lands.

---

Total War: Medieval II Kingdoms
Teutonic Campaign
Norway

Starring: Haakon Haakonsson, apetor

Norway hasn't given up on Britannia. While almost all of Norway's men are out there ravaging far away shores, making a new home, a few souls had to stay behind to protect the homeland and secure the backyard.
Not wanting to miss out on anything, they began their own adventure.


A lovely description that matches the Norwegian unit roster quite well.

This is the story of a band of a few Norsemen who go up against hordes of religious zealots. Madness... truly runs wild in this frigid land.

Only one guess? Aww. Guys. :/

I don't know what you are likely to do, but I super hope you will play as the Lithuanians and keep paganism alive!

Paganism? That's so old fashioned. Why not be hip and play an agnostic faction? Judging from the lack of churchs and priests, Norway already became one.

I always felt that Lithuania is the real challenge in that campaign [...]

I agree. The Lithuanians are in a lousy situation. Loved playing them.
Now Norway... that's something I and many others did not even dare to try. And yet, after over 12 years of TW, experienced from many campaigns and hotseats, I gave it a honest run last year. Starting this weekend, we will see how it turned out.

Call me old fashioned, but when someone tries to crucify me, I fight back like a honey badger caught in a trap.

Don't mess with the honey badger!

[Derc]

Medieval II Kingdoms - Teutonic
Table of Contents

• #0: Start
• #1: (Summer 1250 - Summer 1260 CE) "...throughout the battle galloped amidst the banners, replacing the exhausted and the fallen by new forces, he watched with utmost alertness as fortunes swayed between the combatants"
• #2: (Winter 1261 - Winter 1269 CE) "The two armies met, and there was terrible carnage, and the crash of spears and their breaking and the clash of swords smiting as they moved over the frozen sea, and you could not see the ice, it was covered with blood"
• #3: (Winter 1269 - Winter 1279 CE) "He would water his horses in the Rhine"
• #4: (Winter 1279 - Summer 1288 CE) "The brothers fought well enough, but they were nevertheless cut down. Some of those from Dorpat espaced from the battle, and it was their salvation that they had been forced to flee"
• #5: (Winter 1289 - Winter 1291 CE) "The forces of the Polish king were so numerous that there is no number high enough in the human language"
• #6: (Summer 1294 - Winter 1309 CE) "With God's help he vanquished them, and the enemy forces turned and fled. But they smote and pursued as if from the air; there was no place to which they could flee"
• #7: (Winter 1309 - Summer 1316 CE) "A hundred picked men to plunder and harass the pagans... entering four villages that were not warned of their coming and putting to the sword whoever they find beginning their nights' sleep"
• #8: (Summer 1316 - Winter 1333 CE) "And they went against the godless Lithuanians, and thus for our sins they were defeated by the godless pagans, and only one man in ten came back to his home"
• #9: (Winter 1333 - Summer 1360 CE) "The Grand Duke instilled so much terror in all the knights that they shook like leaves before him"
• #10: (Summer 1360 - Summer 1372 CE) "But you may rest assured that your childrens children will bewail your deeds"

---

Overall Campaign Ambience

🏠 House Rules & Special Goals

• The No Recruit Challenge: I can't recruit any own troops except agents (actually ensured by game)

Specialities of this campaign

• Together with the Mongols, Norway is not meant to be a playable faction in the Teutonic campaign, but they can easily be unlocked by editing a single text file. Both factions cannot build religious buildings nor recruit priests. On top of that, Norway cannot recruit any own armies at all. Only diplomats, spies, assassins and merchants are able to be recruited. Can we conquer the map with them?
• Weekly Dose makes a return, featuring apetor, the most Norwegian man alive. Sit back, have a Vikingfjord and witness Norse madness. Aaaahh.
• Apart from this introduction, there will be no immerse storytelling this time. I comment on pictures as if this were a Let's Play, fooling around and giving many tipps how to exploit Medieval II hard. Really hard. This is mostly about gameplay, not storytelling.
• Not even the victory conditions are defined, which means that Norway can only win when it conquered the whole map? Let's see. We plan on doing that anyway.
• On a personal note: this is the ultimative campaign for me. After that, I'm at peace, no matter the result.

⚠ Attention

This AAR promotes the drinking of alcohol somewhat. Please be responsible at all times. I mean it.

📝 Authors Note

I listen to Fimbul Radio sometimes. It has a few good tunes now and then. Perhaps it will help you get in the mood, as it helped me.

[Kilo11]

Huh? I don't get it. So are you not going to conquer things, but instead try to buy them or something? Or by "no recruit" do you mean that any new troops will need to be bribed over to your side? I guess that still counts as "not recruiting", but then you can get more troops as you move along. Just wondering how this is going to progress.

Also, why no Lithuania? You not a fan of Pagans? I thought you were Pagan!

[Alwyn]

I wouldn't have guessed that you'd play a faction which can't recruit armies. Like Kilo, I'm wondering how you'll expand without this ability - will you carefully preserve your troops from the start or use agents to expand your territory? I've found Total War campaigns enjoyable and challenging when they take out something that I usually rely on (like the ability to peacefully occupy settlements, which the Senones lack in the Rome II Rise of the Republic campaign), so I'm intrigued by the idea of a Total War campaign without army recruitment.

[Turkafinwë]

It looks like this is going to be the campaign were Derc will be Dercing like he never Derced before. Looking forward to it!

[Cookiegod]

The last no mercenaries challenge was good but this mercenaries only challenge is norse. Jk this one's got to be the best challenge. I guess it's reload time with assassins. Welf approves

[Derc]

Medieval 2: Total War
Teutonic Campaign
#1

-------------------------- (Click to view) --------------------------

Welcome to Norway. It's a silent, peaceful country - because almost all the savages are out there along the waves, raiding Britain. With the eyes set somewhere else, feeling secure at the northern edge of the world, the Norwegians see no necessity why they should be able to recruit anyone. The first step towards the friendly 21th century Norway we all know and love seems to have been taken. Still - Norway has a formidable little force to do some stuff. Raiding Swedish villages along the border is a good old sport. Why harass the Brits when the Swedes are right next to you? As it happens, there are also some mercenaries in the region. It's not much, and they are damn expensive, but it's better than nothing. The enemy is kept busy with spear units while the cavalry flanks them hard from the side. I quickly realize that what is otherwise a fine tactic cannot be used here. At least not on the long run. I lost 27 units in the conquest of this little village. That's too much. Rebels pop up in Medieval 2 every few turns. Similar to reality, they usually do not get anything done. They might even be exploited in the future. Perhaps we can bribe some units from them in the future. For now, we ignore them. As long as you do not get near them, they won't do anything. It'll cost too many units to storm a settlement, so the goal is to starve them out. Failed right at the first walled settlement. If the AI thinks it is strong enough, it will counter the siege and attack. Playing defensive battles, however, is easy. We only lost 50 men or so. Still too much. Bad start. Interesting alliances. Norway will try to get some allies too. But not the Danes. Wealthy, almost empty cities? Who says no to that? We have some catapults, allowing us to attack the city immediately. But what is that? They run out of ammo before getting down the wall! Welp! So if your catapult fails to destroy the enemy walls, and you have no siege equipment, then the battle is automatically lost. Your army will try to retreat, but if there's nowhere to retreat to, then the army will be destroyed. As I had no family members left, it was game over. This is what I call an epic fail. Enjoy this minor victory, Cookie. I pull an Alexander and allow myself to try again. First wars start and there's another ally for Denmark. Why not for Norway? We autoresolved the battle of Aarhus this time. Lost a few good men but luckily no catapults. I just realized how extremely important they are in Norway's early situation, since they allow me to instantly storm a settlement, and it will take some time until we have good spies. Ah, there's the Danish army. Oh well. Already bigger than all my forces. Normally I should avoid them, but since I had the hope to destroy them entirely by killing their family members, a similar thing to what just happened to me, I would engage them. Nice view. We'll try to delay close combat as long as possible, letting the catapult and the archers shoot them down first. Works good so far. They have catapults themselves, but they don't seem to understand how to fight back. They suddenly did when they charged will all their men. The catapults managed to retreat in time, and the Danes could be defeated. But it wasn't without cost. Ugh. 200 men lost. That was an expensive encounter. Back then in 1259 CE, when Germans liked being friends with Germans. The Norwegian prince has come of age. First thing he does is to storm a Swedish village with only his bodyguards. Family members mean free elite units, 30 men, which will be replenished automatically over time. We will abuse that. Hard. Norway hasn't had enough legends already. The Danes on the other hand need no legends. They can just spam new units easily. Hamburg must be taken asap. Without it, the enemy can spam no more units. This Danish army fields only melee infantry. This can be abused. You can entirely take them apart with cavalry and archers only. To make sure my casualties will be as low as possible, I detach all of my own melee infantry before engaging them. Get the archers close to an enemy units, if possible hidden and on the high ground, shoot them, lure them away, and charge in with the cavalry from behind once they're isolated. Divide et impera, quite simple, and extremely efficient in Med2. With not a single unit recruited (hey, mercs don't count!), and only dying once () we took half of Denmark and made it to Hamburg. Looks bad already. Can only get more interesting from here on. Weekly dose of apetor

Huh? I don't get it. So are you not going to conquer things, but instead try to buy them or something? Or by "no recruit" do you mean that any new troops will need to be bribed over to your side? I guess that still counts as "not recruiting", but then you can get more troops as you move along. Just wondering how this is going to progress.

Simply put, everything that is possible and necessary to make it happen is allowed. Except flat out cheating, of course. Bribing is a good option. Amassing family members is another. Mercenaries? Of course! They are hired, not recruited, but unlike Rome II, they are a very limited resource in Med II, aren't they?
Seriously, this was no game anymore. It was an insult. One I loved.

Also, why no Lithuania? You not a fan of Pagans? I thought you were Pagan!

[*Chinese Dad voice*] "Y u no Pagan yet!?"
I like playing the underdog, especially in terms of religion, and I feel sympathy for the Lithuanians, so yeah, they would most likely have been the "natural" choice. But there were also the muslim Mongols, who can't build mosques, and have a really bad income. And of course Norway. Norway is legendary. I know of no one who really gave it a honest try, except LegendofTotalWar himself, but he never finished it (even thought he could most likely have done it).

I wouldn't have guessed that you'd play a faction which can't recruit armies. Like Kilo, I'm wondering how you'll expand without this ability - will you carefully preserve your troops from the start or use agents to expand your territory? I've found Total War campaigns enjoyable and challenging when they take out something that I usually rely on (like the ability to peacefully occupy settlements, which the Senones lack in the Rome II Rise of the Republic campaign), so I'm intrigued by the idea of a Total War campaign without army recruitment.

Yeah, sometimes taking out assets can make it much more interesting. But when the devs decide to do so, the fanbase is suddenly enraged. See Thrones of Britannia.

Preserving troops is of utmost importance, of course. Usually you don't care much about your troops. Here, it was like a personal bond had been formed. These few hundred virtual souls lost in this chapter really felt.... well, like a real loss.

It looks like this is going to be the campaign were Derc will be Dercing like he never Derced before. Looking forward to it!

Herp, derp, nerd. You got it.
Just a little fun fact, "Derc" stands for my name, "(Der C)hris", "Der" obviously being the masculine German word for "the". Somewhere online, ages ago, spaces were not allowed in one's name tag. Underscores looked ing ugly. So these two parts were merged together, becoming "DerC". It rhymed with "Derp", and "dercing" actually became an inside joke, the verb roughly translating to 'doing really stupid stuff all alone'. Fits this campaign very well, indeed.

The last no mercenaries challenge was good but this mercenaries only challenge is norse. Jk this one's got to be the best challenge. I guess it's reload time with assassins. Welf approves

Booooo! Bad pun.
There was some reloading here and there, there is no need to deny it. But it was reserved for extreme situations only. Stupid Danes left me no choice.
It's too early to say anything about assassins. This isn't AC Valhalla, after all.
Not so sure if Welf will approve it. Keep this comment in mind for later.