What submod did you use? Also, nice map
What submod did you use? Also, nice map
I am glad you like it.
Well, I was playing on medium/medium difficulty with Savage AI, Disable RR, AoR ON and Weaker Heretics. Plus on top of that my house rules and they are the main reason why I play long campaigns
If you are interested about them pm me.
This campaign drained almost two weeks of my life. But since I love playing games it was really fun!
Well it's not quite an empire yet, but here is my campaign as the Duchy of Austria&Bavaria. To play as Austria I started a campaign (Titanium submod) as HRE, moved my armies to Austria and Bavaria, then gave all my provinces (except Vienna and Salzburg) to Sicily to replace me as the "HRE" in return for an alliance and mutual military access (to simulate the role of Austria within the empire)
After disbanding most of my armies to stabilize my economy I used the remainder to conquer Prague. With war declared on me by the pagan Obotrites in the north I had to keep a strong mercenary army present because of slow unit replenishment rates (started kicking myself for disbanding so many units earlier) but that left me kinda broke so I barely had enough money to keep construction rolling while fighting skirmishes to defend Prague. Soon the Obotrites converted to Catholicism and when a Crusade was declared by the Pope and one of their armies left to join it, I used the opportunity to seize Wroclaw from the Obotrites, sold it back to Poland and continued to march onto Brandenburg, defeating the Obotritic Confederation and adding the territory to my realm.
I was then excommunicated and soon the armies of Crusade were descending on my capital Vienna. The first to reach it's walls were the treacherous armies of the other HRE states. I barely defeated them, but the Duke of Austria was slain and my garrison had 200 men left to fight the next approaching army, that of France. By now I had abandoned Brandenburg to the Obotrites and brought my Northern army South, prepared to recapture Vienna from the French as quickly as possible. The French slaughtered my few defending troops but a year later I retook Vienna from the French. My army sustained heavy casualties and I could not possibly fight against the might of the HRE and the Obotrites. I sued for peace from the HRE but they only offered me one option. Become a vassal and accept more centralized rule under the Emperor. With no other choice I sacrificed my sovereignty to save my state from destruction. United once more the combined armies of the HRE campaigned against the Obotrites relentlessly eventually reconquering Wroclaw (which had fallen to Obotrites again) Brandenburg Liubice, Stettin and Poznan.
My luck changed once more after suffering a severe defeat near Poznan, I was unable to defend Wroclaw or Poznan from the Obotrites so I withdrew my garrisons and sold the towns to the Kingdom of Poland (which by now was reduced to Prussia and surrounded by Obotrites who had conquered the Lithuania area) The Obotrites were reluctant to start a new war with Poland now that the HRE was united with Austria in the quest to destroy them and instead focused on recapturing Stettin from Austria. I placed my best units at the river crossing near stettin and used militia and peasants to sail up the Baltic, capturing Riga from the Obotrites (sold it to Poland) and harassing their reinforcements. Eventually with an army nearly double the Austrians, the Obotrites crossed the river but instead of triumph, found death. Now my elite army continued unopposed on through Pomerania, conquering another castle along the coast while my militia's conquered the island of Visby.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
SSHIP Zengids
Less of a roller coaster as I had expected compared to an old Rum game. Fought Crusader States early alongside the Fatimids, go figure I drew the majority of their forces which cost them Acre and Jerusalem right out the gate. I managed to get the rest in time for Abbassids to get uppity. Because clearly, fighting the Seljuks alone was not enough. I beat down their stack with militia spam and a few Ghulam Cavalry (amazing what these guys can do). Peace shortly after allowed me to sit about for a bit before grabbing Damascus and Sis. At this point the first crusade was called toward Acre. Not my problem. Organized my armies for a few turns and then trekked across Armenia until I reached Georgia. At this point the Fatimids got beat down, losing Jerusalem but managing to hold onto Ascalon. With the crusade losing steam, Jerusalem was retaken and I purchased Acre for 20,000 from the French. Sweet deal. I then tore through Georgia, who had lost their armies fighting rebels in Azerbaijan, and sacked their cities to regain half what I spent on Acre.
The Pope didn't like that last bit about sacking Georgia and called a crusade on Antioch. Using the money from all my new territories in Armenia I raised ~2 armies of shiny troops, and about half an army of militia fodder. As soon as the infantry finish the queue, plague hits in almost all of Syria except for Tripoli and Damascus. At this point I notice Tabriz was finally whittled down by the Seljuks and instead of moving my elite Georgian army over to save Antioch, I throw down with whats left of the rebels and take the castle. Of course, with no nearby militia centers my elite army is now policing things instead of saving my crusade. Oh well.
A few close calls and assassinations later, the majority of the crusade calls it quits. Notably the Spaniards and Germans were a bit persistent. Luckily, I managed to assassinate every Spanish general sent. Had no luck with the Germans and boy do their knights hit hard.
With the crusade now over and public order settled in the east, it was time to prepare to attack something. I did not want to go further east because mongol bad. Egypt was promising even though we were allied. Relatively safe and rich territory... Until the Byzantine Emperor walked up to our border in Anatolia. Hoping I could destabilize them in order for Serbia/Rum/Sicily to be productive I sent my max skill assassin to kill the Emperor. His fail was so epic that war was declared. With my crusade veterans I moved up and took Kayseri and Sivas relatively quickly while their armies dicked around the northern coast. Saved it at this point for the night with at least 3 1/2 stacks of troops and an angry Emperor north of Sivas.
Note: Yes, I am poor...but you would be too if your basic non-militia spear unit cost ~700 in upkeep.
Last edited by Zanze; September 15, 2015 at 07:16 PM.
Did you get a jihad on Tunis? I'm wondering why the seljuks are there
Btw, nice little empire you've got here
Last edited by Lifthrasir; September 18, 2015 at 02:47 PM.
Under the patronage of Flinn, proud patron of Jadli, from the Heresy Vault of the Imperial House of Hader
Well, the Seljuks of Rum got there first by revolting off the Byzantines somehow; they popped up in Algeria. The "Great Seljuks" got there through Jihad. I couldn't participate because it happened during the crusade on Antioch.
No picture on this update for the Zengid campaign, have taken bits of Anatolia but it doesn't look like much due to how small Sinope/Trabzon/ Lefkosia are. Europe hasn't budged outside of Spain were the Almoravids were given the boot on turn 92. Kiev is a monster. My Persian border is heating up quickly since I essentially boxed them in. My only hope is that Kiev finishes their Cuman war quickly and starts messing with the Seljuks in Persia.
The battles against the Byzantines have been very interesting. The first armies I fought were full stack of Scoutatoi and other professional troops alongside a ton of generals in their heavy cavalry. Was a tough fight, but nothing a few ghulam charges or mangonel shots couldn't fix. The second wave of Byzantines is where things started getting interesting. Their border cities and second wave of armies were almost exclusively Latinikon/Skythikon/Alamanoi. The whole mercenary aspect of the Romans got thrown in my face and it was pretty darn cool. Outside the heavy casualties of trying to melee the Alamanoi, the charges from the Latinikon, or the fact that Skythikon can somewhat match my Turkomans of course. The heavy casualties from fighting these mercs slowed me down considerably and only now in turn 96 was I able to retake the offensive. Moving out of Sinope toward Bithynia with one army, defending Ankara with another, and the third army is actually moving south against the revolted Seljuks of Rum. Yeah, they have an honorable ruler and a stack of troops...but I am not a fan of leaving exposed flanks.
Saved on turn 98, ready for a battle to exterminate Rum and to clash with the third wave of Byzantine armies. They have a roughly thrown together stacks that have loads of militia, but a mixing in what is left of their mercenaries and professional troops. As I said before, I particularly enjoyed the three waves of their stacks just off their composition. 1st wave - Professionals
2nd wave - European Mercenaries
3rd wave - Majority militia with few mercs / professionals.
Really gives off the feeling of "oh crap" that the Byzantines are going through.
Turn 189... Eastern Roman Empire...
I have all of the classical Eastern Empire rebuilt, all Greece, southern Hungary, Turkey,
I have all of Africa now. I have 8 Legions (full stand alone stacks) garrisoned at strategic points to protect these areas.
My 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th Legions are rebuilding (after their glorious conquest of Africa), and preparing for Italy.
Italy has declared war on me and has refused to stop its attacks for over 50 turns now... Ive tried to stop it.
But now, Italy will be taken over by the might of the Roman Empire re-born.
I should note, Ive managed to keep all three families
Honest and truly, I AM Robin Hood!
UPDATE:
Turn 215...
Laskaris, Doukas & Comnenos families all still alive in my Roman Empire campaign (though can only ever see the tree of the one who includes the Emperor)...
12 full legions protect strategic check-points around Greece, Turkey, middle east, Egypt and western Africa...
My continuing conflict with Poland (they've moved into northern Hungary) and Spain (they control all of Spain and we are kind of at a stalemate at Gibralter) is still going, my superior legions hold them at bay... Ive stopped advancing just short of going into Spain for now (3 legions guard the narrow straight at Gibralter).
Im finally ready to invade Italy.
Legions 16 thru 20 (Im making ridiculous money, about 50k per turn... Constantinople alone makes 19k per turn) are ready for the invasion and are moving into position at my citadels in Palermo, Cagliari, Tunis, Zagreb and Corinth.
Im mostly safe on my eastern and northern fronts (alliances with the Mongols and Russians) for now, of course I own all the south... so Italy and Spain are my only legitimate concerns right now.
Once I start the Italian invasion in the next 5 turns, I should own all of Italy 5 turns later (Im bringing in 5 full stacks after all... 1 each at Genoa, Venice, Tuscany, and 2 in southern Italy... then Ill converge on Rome.
I may try to make Papal States my vassal after I take Rome by gifting him the tiny island of Palma and consigning him there
Last edited by Duck of Death; October 16, 2015 at 05:24 PM.
Honest and truly, I AM Robin Hood!
Hi everyone!
A few screens from my Egyptian campaign here. This screenie is from turn 117, and I've turned west in a brave attempt to liberate Sicily from the Normans and restore it to Arab control. Sicily was an Arab emirate from c.800AD to 1072AD, and so I was determined to recreate that. I had quite a few battles against Sicilians and Venetians and rebels to get control of Tunisia, but once I'd cleared them out the invasion of Sicily was not too difficult. However, after my first conquest I went on a rampage, sacking Naples and Regio di Calabria before sending my men elsewhere. Big mistake. The Sicilians regrouped and managed to take the island again. Unfortunately due to an attack by the Abbasids and Zengids in Syria, combined with a rebellion in Mecca, I was distracted for quite a few turns before I could raise a new army, set sail for the west and invade Sicily for the second time. This screenie was taken shortly after I recaptured it, this time for good.
I was just deciding what to do next, when it occurred to me that instead of heading east to liberate Iraq, I could use my army in Palermo to strike at Rome, which is not far away. The thought of attacking the Crusader dogs in their home land appealed to me, so I set out for Italy, with a mighty fleet and army assembled. The cry "Allahu akbar" shall be heard in the streets of Rome, replacing the bells of the church! To battle, men...!!
Part two:
My fearless Arab army has marched up through southern Italy, capturing all the cities, and has now arrived at the walls of Rome. The soldiers of Islam stand ready to claim Rome, and tear down the false Pope and his heretical teachings. Forward men, in the name of Islam!
Once inside the city, the terrified defenders, hopelessly outnumbered, decide to fall back and abandon the walls. The cowards flee towards the town centre, where the Pope stands together with the last of his bodyguards. There, they will make their final stand - the last act in the demise of the Catholic church and the Papal authority. Soon the Islamic shahada will be recited from the cathedral in Rome, the church towers will be converted into minarets, and the muezzin will cry 'la ilaha illa-lah,' - there is no god but god... 'Muhammadur rasullah lah' - and Muhammad is his prophet. The Pope awaits his fate with calm dignity. He knows there is no escape, but he decides to go down fighting!
Part three - the Islamic host advances!
The banners of the Muslim army flutter in the wind, as a vast horde of holy soldiers march up the hill onto the high ground in the centre of Rome, the Palatine hill. General Nasir surveys his brave warriors, and urges them forward with the banner of the holy jihad. For honour, for truth, for mercy and courage - forward men!
Once through to the town square, the soldiers quickly fan out, with archers moving round to the sides on the left and the right. They have a clear shot at the Pope and his bodyguard, as the melee soldiers hack their way through the enemy front line in the centre of the square. Soon, the Pope's unit takes heavy casualties from the arrows fired by the Berber and African archers in the Muslim army.
Like king Leonidas of Sparta many centuries before him, Pope Hadrianus XII dies in a hail of arrows, bravely fighting until the end. He may have been a representative of the corrupted church, but he fought to the last. But victory goes to the just warriors of Islam. God wills it! Now that he is gone, the Islamic culture will spread in this city and the people will find freedom from the constraints of the church. Instead, the mosque will educate the people in the ways of goodness and virtue, while the schemes of the Papal throne will be a footnote to history.
On the capture of Rome, the Muslim army must decide what to do with the captured city. The Papacy has been defeated! Never again will a crusade threaten the holy lands. Instead, Islamic civilisation brings enlightenment to dark age Europe, bringing in a new golden age of science and learning.
Now part of the mighty Arab empire, Rome is a Muslim city. The citizens can now enjoy the benefits of being part of the greatest empire the medieval world has ever seen, stretching from Arabia and Syria right through Egypt to the Maghreb and into central Italy.
That's all for now, hope you enjoyed!
Last edited by bigdaddy1204; October 19, 2015 at 07:41 PM.
What a thrilling story bigdaddy1204, great battle.
Im currently playing with lithuania on H/VH and i got so pissed so I started to keep executing cause novgorod kept sending armies in every 2 turns, rebels everywhere and swarmed by orthodox priest. I struggled fighting off crusades, scoring lots of heroic victories (thanks to lithunians crazy cavalry). But with RR and BGR IV, I cant replenished fast enough to fight off everyone. I never struggled so hard in a total war game before. What should i do? Its almost impossible i have restarted the campaign many times
@jigglywong: Convert to Christianity? Or play a different faction? Or try blitzing your enemies at the start of the campaign? I find an early strike on turn 1 or 2 against an enemy faction's capital city can deal them a devastating blow, allowing you time to build up your economy and conquer the rebel towns at leisure.
@Sunster: Glad you liked it! How are your campaigns going?
Uh pardon me, I had restarted again and fixed a lot of my problems now. I was terrible in diplomacy and had fixed it now by allying the pope(no more crusades) and my neighbours. Offering attacks from allies to their enemies boost ur diplomacy more and maintaining a "reliable reputation" is much more important then "deceitful" as you can sue for peace for a large sum eventhough to fix your war expenese. I gotten much familar with BGR IV now and actually getting too much money again. I focused only on one faction and avoided 2 fronted wars. I am doing fine now . I overtaken novgorod and now broken my long time allies and attack the Kievans off their lands . The mods are great . Did a fantastic job
Kingdom of Aragon,turn 25
Aragon campaign,turn 25(SS 6.4 Early Era VH/VH)
First 10 turns were,as usual,the turns in which I reconquer rebels and raise a large amount of money.In turn 14,Genoa and Sicily blockaded my only port,Zaragoza,and this was the sign that I must expand into Moorish lands(only option,because I am ally of Leonese and Portughese and Southern France is owned by Genoa).So that I've called a crusade to Granada.All Iberian realms joined the crusade and I've used this holy war to conquer entire Iberian coast of Mediteranean Sea(except Cordoba)
Very soon Moors will be kicked out from Iberia reconquista will be done )
Here are the photos
Every time I take screen shots, they never show up when I post them here (though I can see them in their folder).
What am I doing wrong?
Honest and truly, I AM Robin Hood!
Are you posting them directly on TWC or are you using a site (like Photobucket for instance) to host them?
Under the patronage of Flinn, proud patron of Jadli, from the Heresy Vault of the Imperial House of Hader