Deus Lo Vulte - The lost English campaign
In the early months of 2007 I was beta-testing for DLV and started an English campaign on VH/VH ( the recommended settings). RL intervened and I had a break in my gaming for a few weeks. When I returned I reported my experience to the DLV group but never got around to posting my campaign description and write-up. SO, here is the much delayed AAR from my early beta-testing of DLV.
I am also playing an English campaign. At VH/VH, now at 1216. I have had a real struggle with the Scotts, not fighting, as I have only justed started a war with them in 1216. Trying to check their expansion while fighting the rebels in the south. On turn 2 or 3? I got a full stack of rebels under "Wat" just NW of London. They just sat in that location for about 6 years or so till I was able to raise an army to fight them without going hopelessly into debt. Even then, they are all 3 bronze chevron longbowman (Jesu* * **** *****!!!) and spearman, Scott highlanders, plus general unit. They killed my King, and routed the army in a long, bloody battle. I was lucky and killed almost all of them, so I was able to autoclac them away on the next turn with my reserve militia spear units. OK, I move on a after a few more turns the rebels stacks, which pop up as a unit or 3 at most, begin to die out.
Fast forward to 1216, because of the early funds crisis, my expansion is slowed, but I get York, Southhampton, and then a few decades later, Canervon. For some reason my early economy keeps stuttering, my only castle is a Nottingham (now my capitol), but I have a steady series of building upgrades as well as economic downturns and replacements after rebel action. The Scotts move into Dumfries, and there we have sat until !1200, when we both finally had enough to expand. I realized that if I dindt block Scottish expansion in Ireland I was probably going to lose to them soon enough after. AL ready they could field a good 4 stack army, though composed mostly of militia spearman, peasant archers and highlanders, I estimated they had a good 4-1 advantage over me. MY best units were 2 armored sargents, armored swordsman, and longbowman (merc) at York. Longbowman are essential, their volleys in an open field are like machinegun fire. And when defending a wall, their name is murder. Makes great screenshots.
So when the Scotts landed 2 full stacks in Ireland, I knew I had to match, somehow. But all I could muster was a few units of Kerns, a unit of merc Longbowman, and a boat. They generals name was Hugh. He was the first-born son of an adopted general. He was the angry type, and moody, but he was intelligent and healthy, so I sent him over to Ireland. His outlook was hopeless. Far to small to capture a city on his own, I decided to try and "piggy-back" into a city. So when the Scotts sieges Tara, Hugh followed them and did the same. Note he only had about 6 units, while the Scotts had a full stack and one in reserve. So he figured he watches the Scotts take the city for him. But its not like RTW here. In an unholy alliance, the Scotts and English team up to take Tara. The Scotts, of course do the bulk of the fighting, as planned. Even though Hugh had units in the twon square when the flag fell, the city went to the Scotts. I guess they sieged the Castle first and so, by rights, the place was theirs.
So the Scotts had Tara. That was a big blow. And, even though the English were few, they took many casulties, which are inda hard to avoid anyway when taking a castle. So now we have about 4 depleted units of Longbowman and Kerns. The economy, which was never that good anyway, was in ruins, running about 1.5k in debt. Hugh moved over to the wooded hills north of Wexford, and looked at the impossible task ahead. He HAD to capture Wexford. Their was simply no other choice if the English were going to survive. In England, units were disbanded, leaving garrisons at minimum levels. If anyone had attacked they would have had a cakewalk. But this freed up enoug funds to get Hugh another unit of Longbowman, some merc heavy infantry and a little hope. Having watched the Scortts before, the usually ended a turn NEXT to the city they were going to siege, then sieged it on the next trun. Hugh watched for this, and when the Scotts had a stack next to Wexford. He moved in a sieged the city. The Scotts, as predicted, did the same on the next turn.
Hugh made a few Rams and assulted the city. Its defenders were all bronze chevron veterns, but mostly militia and light missle units. After rammming a few holes in the wall, the reinforcing Scott army. Lined up on the opposite side of the city, ran over and rushed the defenders.
Now, to give Hugh credit, he did engage with Longbowman and Kerns of his own. But all the heavy lifting was done by the Scotts. The city was captured, and the English took control. The city was looted, and the budget went into the black for the first time in a decade. And Hugh got his Knights banner.
Well, so now he had matched the Scott expansion, but two more cities in Ireland remained. Garrisoning Wexford with a skeleton crew, Hugh raced to Cashel, hoping to repeat the Wexford strategy. And it worked, kinda…
Cashel was defended by about ¾ of a stack of the usual rebel bronze chevron infantry and peasant archers. The battle started with Hugh on a hill in front of the main gate, and the rebels were sallying. The first thing Hugh noticed was that the reinforcing Scott army was litrerally on the other edge of the map. A LONG WAY away…..and the rebels were pouring out of the city. In almost no time flat they had overrun the English positions, leaving only Hugh as the sole remaining English unit. He skirmished with the archer units, routing a few, but was down to about 30 bodygaurds. And the Scotts were essentially crawling into battle, at the rate they were going I would have to go shopping at Walmart before they made it into the battle. SO Hugh ran over to their lines, they are, after all ALLIES.
Mostly due to a beautiful princess who charmed the bastards into an Alliance many decades ago.
So here come the rebels, and they run right into the Scotts line, who crushed them. And Hugh had Cashel.
Now Hugh had a choice in Cashel. The population was large, by rebel standards. And cash was a problem. So that night the Scotts and Hugh ran free, sacking the city and beheading and inhabitant who could be found. Fires and screaming echoed through the night. And in the moring the English treasury was 10k fatter.
Now, a glimmer of hope can be seen in the English position. The only city left in Irleland was Donegal, and the Scotts sieged it before Hugh could raise a few militia units and cross the island. So taking the bulk of his forces, he moved back to Wexford to rest and retrain. The Scotts arrive outside the city, nearby, and few years later. And there they sat.
Back in Nottingham, King Robert took advantage of the sudden treasury surge, and raised an army of armored sargents, swordsmen and longbowman. He placed his son, hier Henry, in command and marched him to just insid the English border east of Dumfries, where a small rebel stack sat in English terrotory astride the road. In adition, another general was sent to trail Henry with a few reseeve units. After clearing out the rebel unit, which must have fooled the Scott AI, as they sent no units and raised no garrison in Dumfires, Henry was ready to strike, It was the the year of our Lord, 1215 AD. And, then, that fall, King Robert died in Nottingham of natural causes.
Henry immediately rushed south to Nottingham to take his crown. He named Hugh, a distant cousin, as his faction heir. Leaving his brother in the cold. All the royalty of the realm went unloyal..except for a general in Cavernon. A civil war was on the horizon.
This left another general in charge of the English army up north by Dumfries. Henry had no choice, he could not wait now, so in 1216 he ordered them forward.
The Scott king in Dumfries was caught totally by surprise. He could raise only a few militia units in response, and the bulk of his army was in Ireland and up north by Iverness. He died nobally in the streets as the English army crushed all resistance in Dumfries.
And in 1216, a full-stack army of English rebels under the name of Wat formed just NW of London.
Pillaging and Plundering since 2006
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