How the mod "A New Dawn" for Civilization IV made me a barbarian

Introduction

A New Dawn

Rise of Mankind: A New Dawn for Civ IV is a total conversion mod which affects almost every part of the game, partly using their own ideas but also adapting ready-made modules such as the Revolutions mod. By adding new technologies, religions, mechanics and nations they have managed to produce an exciting new beast which plays similarly to (Beyond the Sword) BtS, but which adds many more strategical and tactical considerations that the end product feels new and fresh, not to mention challenging.

A tale of three cities

For hundreds of years my mighty kingdom had ruled a significant corner of the known world, keeping both friends and foes at arms reach. However, because of the penalties associated with controlling too big an empire without sufficient administrative technology I was forced to abandon my usual position of Enlightened Despot, honed through many hours of BtS, in favour of the role of the Bad Guy.

Every journey begins with a single step

At first, I felt that my neighbours were keeping at a reasonable distance, leaving me plenty of space for expansion. However, as the centuries passed, their settler voyaged ever closer to my small, but peaceful realm consisting of three cities.

This would not do. A king must protect his borders and ensure that his people live without fear. The kingdoms Sphere of Influence and the peace inducing, neutral borderlands must be preserved. No man in an island, but the people sleep sounder knowing that no armies can sneak up on them unaware. At this point I turned to my Military Advisor and asked where the cutting edge of military research was at the moment. His reply was "horses". The docile animal shown to me was not so impressive while grazing, but when a rider mounted the beast the combined effect was stunning. This would give us an advantage over our enemies both in power and mobility. This would form the basis of a mighty host with which to secure the surrounding plains from encroaching invaders.

Surround and destroy

A new mechanic which is added by the mod is that of encirclement. It goes something like this: The more you can surround your enemy, the greater your attacking bonus. Having units on horseback means that you can take full advantage of this fact. How convenient that our army is made up of almost all cavalry!

As soon as my mighty host rode out onto the plains it was clear that the enemy would not be able to protect their plethora of newly founded cities. Their roads were poor, their defences weak and their soldiers spread out. Feigned attacks would draw the defenders away from vulnerable cities and then the riders would swoop in for the kill.

A desolate landscape

High horses of morality and the fall into depravity

In a normal game of Civilization IV my Enlightened Despotic avatar would benevolently spare the lives of the citizens and Welcome Them with Open Arms to my kingdom built on Tolerance, Equality and Freedom. The only consequence for my ever growing empire would be some temporary financial difficulties due to the increase in administrative costs, while the cities grow enough to pull their weight.

Not so in A New Dawn.

Here, every city has a rebellion-meter which upon conquest would start to rise and rise until the cities break away, spawning huge armies as they do. While I could probably handle the new cities rebellion in the short term, it would put a serious strain on my core cities as well, perhaps enough to make them rebel as well.

Knowing this, my rule took on a much more barbaric and sinister nature. No longer did my cities produce taverns, fountains, scriptorium or any of the other excellent buildings which the mod adds. My once blooming kingdom turned its industry and efforts to just training more and more soldiers with which to scourge the plains and keep my enemies at bay. No stone was left upon stone, no lives were spared. All captured cities were put to the torch in the name of distrust and fear of rebellion. Soon ruins marred the once beautiful country side and only the wind can be heard roaming fields which were once filled with growing crops and blooming orchards. To tread this desolate landscape only leads to a meeting with the veiled riders simply known as The Swift Death.

Aftermath

Of course, this is just a game.
No lives have been lost, no real cruelty committed.
What has happened though, is that a mod has given me a new experience in which I was forced to go out of my comfort zone and re-examine how I use a feature which in the Vanilla game were merely a convenience for when "the AI settled in the wrong place" or "the game is nearly over". By introducing limitations, such as the revolution counter, the character of the game changes and controlling territory becomes more difficult. Leaving it at that would of course be fine, if a bit shallow. However, the mod also introduces a set of new rules for forts which enables them to exert control over the eight tiles surrounding it. In addition, soldiers can claim space and will hold it for as long as there is a unit to occupy it. Thus a new layer of strategy is created where forts and armies are placed in order to claim resources, city sites and create buffer zones.

If you feel as excited about this as I do, go check out the mod at their website:http://anewdawn.sourceforge.net/

Development is ongoing and the mod forum is very much alive.

Let's Play Crusader Kings II - The Bosonids Part 6 and Closing words

Closing Words

Sadly, I never got to far into my campaign as the more-or-less good Bosonid-family. Mainly I have been distracted by illness in my family which has affected us all greatly. Thankfully things are getting better although it will continue to be a struggle for my family.

Part 6 - Going Forth

What is in a name?

The unhappy lord of Monaco

After the events of last episode we find ourselves in the position as lord of Nice which has the monastary of Nizza as its capitol. This means that, since we are a duke rather than bishop-prince, we do no collect all the taxes due to us. This quibbling about titles forces us to find ways of remaking it into a proper feudal province by rather unsavoury means, in this case murder. Luckily for us the province contains the castle town of Monaco, unluckily for the lord of Monaco we need his title to convert the province. That means he has to go. The man is childless so upon his death the title will revert to his liege, ie. us. It is with a heavy heart that the Duke signs the assassination order since the man we are about to have killed is a staunch supporter of our reign.

Rebels abroad and abound

While we have been busy ousting useless vassals and ordering assassinations, some vassals in Lotharinga has been grumbling about their liege and his intention of letting his son take over when he dies. This grumbling has now reached a fever pitch and resulted in open rebellion which splits the country into two camps: one supporting the current heir and the other fighting to put an elective monarchy in place. However, this faction is rather small and will find it a difficult and lonely battle.

Lotharinga is not alone in acquiring rebels. A small Christian uprising in the mountains of the Pyrenees threaten the Muslims on the Iberian peninsula. Though small, this might nudge Asturias to declare war on the Umayyad and start the Reconquista.

"Magyars feel hungry, settle to farm."

While one kingdom is in turmoil another is forming: The Magyars have ceased their roaming and have settled around the Carpatian mountains, creating the kingdom of Hungary. The country is precariously positioned between Bulgaria in the south and Great Moravia in the north-west and will have to work hard to survive since they will find no allies in their neighbours who are Orthodox and Catholic, respectively, while Hungary follows the Tengri beliefs.

Hungary

In other news Boson, our heir, has come to us with a request that we find him a suitable bride. The young man is apparently itching to start a family and continue the fine traditions of murder and intrigue of his grandfather! So be it, we shall send out for portraits of the most eligible girls in all the Christian kingdoms and find one to match our young suitor

As the portraits start coming in on wagons, I realise that our king has two daughters one of which would make an excellent wife for my grandson. However, she is only 14 years and my impatient boy will not wait for her to mature and a betrothal would surely mean that the king will come back the day before the wedding and suggest that it be matrilinear and refuse to go through with the original wedding plans. Besides, Italy is agnatic and so there is no inheritance to be gained from marrying them. Still, she could be all right for one of his siblings to establish an alliance... But to find young Boson a mate we shall clearly have to look further afield.

Let's Play Crusader Kings II - The Bosonids Part 5

And so it came to pass...

... that in the year 867 the count Boson realised that life is short and that he had yet to make his name immortal.

We find the count in his chambers, contemplating his fate.

"Becoming more learned would surely increase my reputation, but is it enough to cement my legacy? I think not. The Bosons in ages to come shall remember me not just as wise, but also as the forefather who expanded our lands and, so to say, gave it more mass! Perhaps the king would consider making me a Duke as well, if I become powerful enough? But where to start...

Venaissin, home of Count Tour de Pin

My neighbour, Count Tour de Pin, has always been a craven pig. His people would most likely welcome a change of leadership. It so happens, as well, that I have a cousins mothers something-or-the-other who was a relative of the late count of Venaissin. Clearly the county should have been given to me when he passed away! I must consult my Master-at-arms about the condition of our levies..."

This the count did and the armies were found to be ready. However, with the declaration of war in the hands of Tour de Pin and the soldiers marshalling in all towns a courier from the king arrives. Can it be that the king has decided to interfere?

The best laid plans...

The King, may he live for ever, has not in fact decided that he desires my head on a silver plate. Instead he's decided that it should bear a silver coronet. In other words, he has given me the title of Duke of Provence.

 

With this new title on my luggage I am no longer at war with de Pin since he has effectively become my vassal along with the bishop of Nice, who was presented earlier. Whether the title was a result of the king wanting to spare his people the bloodshed or if he had in mind to make us a duke all along we shall never know. While patience is one of our virtues, we were not patient enough and thus will never find out. What we do know is that our new vassal, de Pin, hates our guts because of the war declaration. I foresee treachery down the line from this man... Unless...

The plot thickens

Count Tour de Pin

Rather than have a troublesome vassal such as de Pin plot and intrigue against us we will attempt to bring harmony to the realm by getting rid of him. We quickly form a plot to have his lands revert to the crown, which of course is Duke Boson.
Since Bosons skills at subterfuge vastly outstrips those of that bearded oaf de Pin it takes little time for us to find enough support to send a little letter showing him the impossibility of remaining in his current position. After a few days of private deliberations the count sends a reply. He accepts our demands for the good of the realm and will retire to a county in Aquitaine where he will serve a new master. As a last sign of defiance he adds that "His new master knows to value his vassals more than his last.".

After this successful coup there is some grumbling in the ranks about the duke holding rather too many holdings for a man of his stature. The general opinion seems to be that some of the counties should be given to loyal vassals.

Loyal vassals? Nonsense, I say! Insubordination is what this is. The ringleader is the dastardly Prince-Bishop of Nice. Fortunately he is a man of no great skill at intrigue, just like Angilbotto Tour de Pin. After a few well chosen words with my other vassals a letter phrased much the same as that sent to Angilbotto is carried to the ruler of Nice. He is a man of character though and refuses to give up so easily. War is declared and our armies marshalled without delay. Our spies count the enemy forces at around 300 men which is less than half of our 800 man strong army. Not even their advantageous terrain will help them. Battle is joined on the 25th of May as our valiant shieldwall fords the river and push up the steep hill supported by the archers on the right flank who send wave after wave of arrows towards the enemy. Our foe cannot hold under the furious onslaught of our men and soon signals the retreat. All but a small fraction of the fleeing soldiers are caught and the way to Nice lays open. 

The following siege is both short and bloodless since the garrison only consists of 17 old warriors who quickly yield at the sight of such a mighty host. The Prince-Bishop had indeed put everything he had into the main battle and has no reserves left. With the victory complete and all-encompassing we personally take possession of the final part of our dukedom. The good duke Boson returns to his capital Arles in Provence with a feeling of accomplishment, having doubled the size of his demesne and fought a successful war to establish peace and prosperity throughout his lands. However, it will be difficult duke Boson to manage them all himself and we will have to either find trustworthy noblemen to rule the lands in our name or find some way to improve the administration through research or further education. There is also the possibility of doing nothing and handing over the resulting troubles to our heir who promises to be a most competent ruler.

All this and much more in the episodes to come!

Let's Play Crusader Kings II - The Bosonids Part 4

Count Boson - A New Beginning

Welcome back to the Dark Ages!
I have now confirmed that there are indeed issues with playing old save files in the new patch by wandering the halls of the Paradox Fora and leafing through the tomes and commentaries displayed on the shelves. The main issue seems to be with levies and income not matching up as they should and so we will be starting over. Happily we haven't even started properly and will not loose any progress.

"I feel like a new man!"

With the new game comes a new count, or at least the same count with new abilities and traits. To save some time I've prepared two scrolls with the details of the two most important characters, namely the count himself and his heir.

Count Boson the Elder

While our two main protagonists are still much the same there are some notable changes. Our notably just count has had a change of heart and has become a lustful man with substantially weaker abilities compared to his earlier self. The new count is still rather diplomatic but has lost all his acumen and has thus a poor hand with money. The only two improvements to be found are to his skill as a commander of battle and his learning. However, they are still not close to making the family proud.

Boson the Younger

While the old man has been weakened as a result of the change, the younger man has become stronger. Our new Boson Bosonid is an even more well versed than his old self and while he has lost some skill at intrigue he has gained a considerable amount of learning and so has become a most worth heir. However, to his sins must be added the new hairstyle which looks a lot like a modern combat helmet.

The Stage is once again set

It is now time to finally start this Let's Play and see what our fate in this new world will be. Ignoble defeat, imprisonment and obscurity in the annals of time or a glorious future with the name Bosonid echoing between the four corners of the Earth? It is all in our hands!

Intermission

A patch of bad luck

I do apologise for the lack of recent updates. The Sons of Abraham patch (2.0) has changed a whole host of things, including making things somewhat less stable when playing. Since this could be due to the save having been made before the patch I'm currently investigating how well the save files are compatible and whether I should simply restart with a new count Boson with slightly different stats, since they are somewhat randomised.

Another interesting point is that there are some new rules in place with the new patch, making warfare more expensive and money a more important matter. To facilitate war it is now possible to approach money lenders with a request for gold. Of course, borrowing money is only possible at extortionate interest rates and so it will be more important than ever to ensure that wars of conquest will actually pay for themselves. In addition, it will be all too easy to borrow money in a defensive situation to safeguard ones realm only to find that afterwards the realm is bankrupt and is technically owned by the bankers...
Should be lots of fun, right?

Nonetheless, after this weekend everything should be back on track, whether we play from the old save or from a new save.

See you soon!

Let's Play Crusader Kings II - The Bosonids Part 3

Love thy neighbour

During the brutal times in which our adventure takes place the commandments were highly regarded however they were not always followed by the nobility, rather the opposite. Coveting thy neighbours house, wife, servants and household animals was the norm and the means through which they were acquired often broke the sixth commandment, Thou shalt not kill. Thankfully we are far away from those who know nothing about the commandments, as mentioned earlier, but we still have plenty of Christian neighbours who are all too eager to show us how much they value Christian love. Regardless of how much they may desire our holdings we must still do the decent thing and make our introductions. Let's start with the honourable count Angilbotto de la Tour du Pin of Venaissin.

Count de la Tour du Pin

Count de la Tour du Pin

Immediately on our western border lies the county of Venaissin. Currently it is being held by the old count Angilbotto, a man with few graces. Having no talents this man has adopted sneaky, underhanded manners spiced with cynicism which, combined with his shyness and chastity, has made him impossible at social gatherings. Safe to say, he is not a man worthy of his position and would not be missed if he were to be ousted from his county. Conveniently enough, we happen to have a claim on his lands, something which should be taken advantage of at the earliest opportunity. Before someone else has the same idea...

Prince-Bishop Benedicto

Prince-Bishop Benedicto

On our other side, to the east, lies the bishopric of Nice. This theocratic stronghold is ruled by Prince-Bishop Benedicto who rules with a lax hand. His paranoia has made him rather disliked in the area and together with his natural shyness this means he rarely leaves the monastery for neither invitations nor visitations. Like our neighbour to the west he is rather useless and ripe for being replaced by more prominent men.

Count Rodolfo d'Auriate

Count Rodolfo d'Auriate

Looking further afield we have a county just beyond Nice called Saluzzo. The ruler of this county is a somewhat more agreeable type than his westerly neighbours, but his chief talents lie in warfare. Rodolfo is young and has yet to marry making him a prime target for proposals. Although he wouldn't make for a powerful ally it may be possible to inherit his lands further down the line if the lineage dies out. Furthermore, he currently lacks an heir of any kind which means that if he were to die his holdings would revert back to the crown. If the young count becomes uncomfortable for the king he might find himself a head shorter...

Lord Mayor Ansaldo

Lord Mayor Ansaldo

The rich lands of Genoa are in the hands of the comparatively competent Ansaldo. Of course, he doesn't have a drop of noble blood but our king moves in mysterious ways. If he wants a commoner to be in charge of one of the realms richest regions then that's his choice. As for me I shall plot to make them mine and mine alone. The Lord Mayor may have nearly all of the virtues, including diligence, charity and kindness, but that will not protect him from assassins or court intrigues.

Having met our immediate neighbours there is one last person to introduce, one who technically already owns our holdings is the King, so please welcome the glorious King Louis II of Italy.

"Who is it that can tell me who I am?"

 William Shakespeare, King Lear

To answer the rhetorical question: I can tell you that you are the king,Louis II Karling.
Your Royal Highness is, as you can see, a likeable master of intrigue with some ability when it comes to the field of battle but with little acumen, something reflected in his charitable nature. His patience serves him well in all his capacities, although his table manors can be somewhat uncouth as he tends to gobble anything in sight. Being a part of the Karling dynasty Louis is involved in a complicated network of inheritances which all depend on who dies first and who manages to produce an heir before their time is up. Although our king is reasonably young his marriage to the queen has not yet yielded the hoped for results. Some say that this is because the king spends more time on the battlefield than in the bed chambers and this is supported by the fact that the king is at the moment involved in a war against the Muslims living at the "heel" of the Italian boot that is the subcontinent. We're not one of his favourite vassals at the moment but on the other hand there are others who are more disliked than our count Boson so we are not at risk of being named court jester.

So those are the people living around us at the moment!

Next time we will plan out our campaign.

Let's Play Crusader Kings II - The Bosonids Part 2

Introducing the Bosonids

Last time we talked a bit about the macro political situation around us, including a look at the kingdoms and the religions in the area. Having concluded that things are currently quite stable in our region we ended things by admitting that we are too small for other things to affect us right now. For completeness sake I would like to add that the Norse menace probably won't be an issue for us because of the considerable distance between Scandinavia and the Mediterranean and that the rest of Italy shields us from any other pagan raiders coming in from the steppes to the east.

Enough about the grand politics for now though; This time we'll be looking at first introducing the good count Boson and his family and in the next post take a look at the micro political situation. Unfortunately this means that we won't get to see any actual game play just yet, but knowing what's going on from the beginning will surely make things more fun once we get going, so stick around!

Family first

François Engelert

The name Boson has been thrown around a lot in the build up for this game so it's about time we were made acquainted with the main man himself. As is shown in his portrait, the man bears an uncanny likeness with one of the two gentlemen mentioned earlier who have been awarded the Nobel price. To start with, the luxurious beard is, although quite a bit longer, very similar to that of Englert. The two gentlemen also share the same piercing gaze (although Boson has green eyes) and striking nose. Finally I feel like they share some features in the cheekbone department, however, Boson has been more lucky when it comes to keeping his hair. Clearly this indicates that the head of the Bosonid family shares features with the Nobel Laureate such as being scholarly, hard working and having a grasp for numbers.

Count Boson

Well, what do you know: It's spot on. As can be seen on the right the good count fulfils all our expectations being both diligent, patient and zealous. The Just-trait is entirely his own. When it comes to stats the strong fortes of our bearded one is acumen and diplomacy. He's not quite modern-day Nobel prize material, but for the Middle Ages he's a pretty sharp character with no glaring weaknesses. Our head of the family is currently unmarried, this is not because he's an eternal bachelor but rather because he's a widower, his lovely but unknown wife having died many years earlier. Their marriage yielded only one child, a daughter named Richildis. She was married off to the count of Luxembourg, matrilinearly of course, so that the line could continue. However, disaster struck and the poor girl died at the age of 32, but not before producing five kids, of which 17 year old Boson Bosonid stands in line to become head of the family. Sadly her husband did not in fact leave his lands to her since their inheritance laws were strictly agnatic at the time.

Boson the Younger

The young man Boson Bosonid takes after his grandfather to a great extent, being both diligent, patient and zealous. However, rather than being just our heir carries deceit in his heart. Boson the Younger is a man of considerable diplomatic skill but has not neglected the other areas important to a nobleman, as you can see on the left. However, when it comes to learning or friend is sadly ignorant. Hopefully he will be a worthy heir who will carry on the fine traditions of the Bosonid etc. etc. His siblings, though all very fine I'm sure, we will introduce as and when they become of interest; Right now it is time to introduce the members of the counts council.

The Council

The five man strong council is, as usual, a mixed lot. The skills of Bosons' two grown grandsons have recommended them both to seats on the council as Chancellor and Spymaster respectively. While the others are hardly remarkable for their skill they are all fiercely loyal and will serve their lord wholeheartedly. This may be important in the future if and when the count becomes a duke and needs faithful vassals to entrust with ruling his lands. At this early part of the game they will surely be put to work improving the living standards of the realm by encouraging invention while the Spymaster is tasked with studying foreign technology, perhaps in the great empire of Byzantium. It will be a priority to improve the council throughout the game since they all add their skill to the State Attributes which affects many aspects such as technology acquisition speed, plot power and various events.

Next time

That's all for this now, but join us next time when we'll introduce the king of Italy and our neighbours as well as start plotting how to propel the Bosonids into the history books. See you then!

Let's Play Crusader Kings II - The Bosonids Part 1

Raison d'être

As mentioned in the last post I'll be using all the DLC, apart from Sunset Invasion.
The starting point will be the bookmark supplied in The Old Gods which starts in 867AD, however, I will not be playing as a pagan or one of the nifty Scandinavian raiders.

Celebrating Higgs

Instead, I have decided to celebrate this years Nobel Physics prize winners, François Engelert and Peter Higgs for their works in predicting and finding the Higgs Boson.

This I propose to do so by playing as 

count Boson of the house Bosonid.

François Engelert

Peter Higgs

Count Boson

I'm not making this up: However silly it may sound he's called Boson and controls the two counties of Provence and Forcalquier. With skill and a bit of luck we should be able to take this obscure sub-atomic family and both the charming (Provence) and strange (Forcalquier) holdings and lead them to a singular future. You can look forward to a naming scheme involving both gentlemen, most of the elementary particles and some of their defined qualities. Perhaps we'll have a little Tau running around with François and Photona.

Our place in the world

Our holdings in 867AD

In the year 867 the good count is a puny vassal of the much grander king of Italy, Louis II. As shown by the map above, the Carolingan empire of Charlemagne has long since been divided but his descendants still control the remaining kingdoms. Provence and Forcalquier occupies the strategically important area between the western outcrops of the Alps and the Mediterranean sea, effectively controlling traffic and trade between Aquitaine and Italy along both land and water. While the residual kingdoms of the Carolings all enjoy good relations with each other they all find a common foe in the Muslims on the Iberian peninsula who vie for control over the rugged terrain with the remaining Christian Asturian lords in the north. There are also African Beys clawing at the islands of the southern Mediterranean, but those are the concerns of the King. At our current size the extent of our political interest and power is scant, but that is all about to change when we set out on our grasp at glory.

New Let's Play - Crusader Kings II

Well, it's been a long hiatus without writing but I have now returned for what I hope to be a more stable run of posts.

In the meantime I've acquired more games of which Crusader Kings II stands out as a shining example of a well executed game in what must be considered a niche market, namely that of dynastic strategy games. In Crusader Kings II you play as the invisible guiding hand of a noble family trying to survive and flourish during the Middle Ages. Your tools for increasing your own power and diminishing your competitors include everything from strategic marriages and alliances to forging fake claims on your neighbours lands and assassination! Many have deemed the game a "Habsburg simulator" after the way the Habsburg family successfully used the same tools in real life to create the Austro-Hungarian Empire which prospered until the First World War.

The Medieval period was one of great turmoil caused by religious and cultural friction together with the lust for power, glory and gold. These factors are all reflected in Crusader Kings II in that you will most certainly see war between Muslims and Christians and between Frenchmen and Germans, however, certain events such as the reconquest of the Iberian peninsula by Castille are in no way guaranteed to happen. Instead, it is up to you to see what mark on history you can make whether you start out a count, a duke, a king or an emperor.

For this Let's Play I will be playing will all DLC, including Sword of Islam, Legacy of Rome, The Republic and The Old Gods. More on the settings in the next post!

From the Chronicles of The Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The lay of the land

I am pleased to be the chronicler engaged to put into writing the events pertaining to the rule of our most Holy Emperor Henry.

In the year of our Lord, 1102, the mighty Holy Roman Empire spans some 14 regions from Saxony in the north to Provence in the south and from Bohemia in the east to Flanders in the west. All is ruled by the chivalrous emperor Heinrich who has, through his sons, expanded the borders of the realm for the past two decades. These years have also seen a great reformation of the agricultural system, which will, God willing, pave the way to a prosperous future. In addition, a great effort has been put towards expanding the mines in the empire, with the Austrian silver mines worth a particular mention as they have become a source of great wealth

Hostilities against the Papal state have not been pursued during this period, although the state of war has not been revoked. It is widely thought, in learned circles, that the emperor has been in contact with the most holy Pope Gregory concerning the current situation, but little is certain. Something which is known, on the other hand, is that the Polish continues to honour our alliance and have directed their forces towards the Baltic coast in an attempt to further spread the word of God.

On the other side of our glorious empire, the lands of the French have been split by the activities of the British. The ceasefire in place is tenuous at best and rumour has it that further campaigns are being planned. As the area around Île de France holds considerable wealth the French have the means to field a large quantity of troops.

On our southern borders the Venetians and the Milanese have renewed their hostilities and declared open war. Although there has been only skirmishes for the past decade, I have been informed that the Doge Domenico of Venice has assembled an army in the city of Bologna, which will be ready to march come spring.

On the northern border our Viking friends have undertaken long exploratory voyages with their speedy long-ships, plying up and down the Baltic Sea and journeying far to the west around the British Isles. Perhaps they too are anxious to expand their borders?

With the multitude of conflicts brewing around Europe the Emperor, in his wisdom, has ordered the building of new facilities to hold an expanded army, as well as starting the recruitment of suitable soldiers.
Thus securing the borders of our prosperous union of duchies, kingdoms and cities our Emperor continues to safeguard the interests of the Holy Roman Empire and all his subjects.

May the peace last for ever!

From the Chronicles of The Holy Roman Empire

Introduction
Time for another gaming diary, one that will span multiple updates.

As stated in the last post, my thirst for medieval warfare has been rekindled and so, I now set out to conquer the known world as portrayed in the Medieval 2: Total War-mod “Lands to Conquer”, playing as the Holy Roman Empire (aka. The HRE).

Why the mod?
Most people familiar with the game know that the vanilla AI isn't very bright. Besides improving on this, the mod also rebalances the world, making it a bit more historically accurate and at the same time a bit more challenging. This particular mod stays quite close to the original and doesn't make any changes to the areas of the map, although it does distribute then a bit differently. Most of the work done lies in the rebalancing of the units. For more about the differences please visit this link.

Why the Holy Roman Empire?
In short: Because of the potential for challenging game play as well as drama.
The situation of the HRE at the start of the campaign (beginning in the late 11^th century) is quite interesting: The empire covers vast tracts of land located in the heart of Europe and is surrounded on all sides by Christian monarchies. At the time, the Holy Roman Emperor is not highly thought of by the Pope after the Investiture Controversy . This is translated in the game as the Papal state being at war with the HRE along with a minimal rating by the pope. Any aggressive behaviour towards the aforementioned neighbours can be expected to result in an excommunication, effectively limiting expansion on the home front. This home front is, of course, rather large. To guard these borders can be a costly affair as the wide spread nation prohibit the use of a larger centralised defence force. With better part of the realm land locked, trade routes are of lesser value than those of, for example, the regions of the Italian peninsula.

If the mod reflects history well enough there should be some trouble keeping the already existing empire together as well, since in reality it was a hodge-podge of states, territories and free imperial cities. A plethora of revolts and uproars could and should plague the reign of Coin, further adding to the excitement.

The Style
I thought it could be fun to try something new, so this gaming diary will be written in the style of a chronicler at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor. The chronicler will have full access to the Royal archives as well as the meetings of the Council of Lords and should be able to give full account of the proceedings. I'll be using modern language to make things easier on both writer and reader but try to add enough flavour to make it interesting.

The Most Exciting Event of the Whole Game!

Wow, the past week has been very busy indeed with a decided lack of gaming as well as posting.
To keep up the flow I'll post a humorous gaming anecdote from the world of Medieval II:Total War.

The Pitch
First time I played the game, which was after all the patches had been released, I decided to play on medium/medium as I had heard that the AI had been improved since Rome: Total War but still received considerable bonuses for the units in combat space. After realising that I didn't really fancy playing any of the factions available at the start I signed up for a Short Campaign as the proud city state of Venice as it's bang in the middle and thus surrounded by states to interact with. Having a small empire to start with would allow me to get to grips with all the new concepts before being severely challenged by internal and external strife; I remember all to well the rebellions that could explode in the face of the Holy Roman Empire in the original Medieval: Total War, or the Western Roman Empire in Barbarian Invasion, the Rome-expansion pack. Besides, it would be very interesting to see if the Creative Assembly had retained the over powered Italian Infantry unit.

As I start playing the game I realise how utterly dreadful the AI actually is. I will not go on a rant about that though, the faults of the game have been listed at great length by others in other places. The interesting bit came after I had invaded Genoa and Florence: Being allied with the Papal State, the Pope and his armies had right of passage in my lands. The Pope used this liberally and sent a large stack of units north and west towards France. However, on the way there his got stuck outside Genoa and turned back towards Rome. On the way to Rome the army got stuck outside Florence and thus turned towards Genoa again. This sequence of events repeated every turn, regular as clockwork: 1 turn, move to Genoa, get stuck, 1 turn, move to Florence, get stuck.

Now, what could be the cause for this constant patrolling? Did the Pope believe the coast between these two great cities to be infested by bandits? Was the general mad? Maybe he lived a double life, with a wife in each city? Unfortunately, the world will never get an answer as the Most Exciting Event of the Campaign happened, after about 60 turns of patrolling.

On the horizon, a ship!

Suddenly, from the great city of Rome, comes a mighty fleet. My spies relay news of this unique occurrence in agitated voices. With ornately crafted and painted hulls gleaming in the sun and the masts transforming the sea into a forest, the grand papal army is loaded aboard in a great hurry.
I send orders to the Genoese fleet to follow the Papal armada closely and not let them out of sight. “Where could they be going?”, I wonder. No crusade has been announced and the Pope doesn't have many enemies.

The fleet steered south, towards the African desert landscape. At the tiny fortress of Tripoli, the army departs the ships and lay siege to, wait for it, the Sicilians. Despite having been the best of friends for a long time the Pope thought it prudent to prune the family tree of the Sicilians a bit and takes a trip to Tripoli to shorten the head of the residing crown prince. In an epic siege which, of course, the player does not get to see (in hindsight I should have put an army of my own next to it in order to participate since I was allied with the pope) the defending Sicilian army is obliderated and swallowed by the desert, never to be seen again.


That's it
And that's the whole story. After decades of patrolling the papal general goes bananas, travels to Tripoli and declares war on Sicily, killing their crown prince in the process. Then he converts the tiny Motte and Baily into a city. The last shows that the Pope had at least some sense in his holy head...

Speaking of mods: In the wake of writing this post I've started a game as the Holy Roman Empire using the mod “Lands to Conquer”. I'll be sure to make a couple of updates on that!

Starcraft in the dark

The other day I played a couple of rounds of Starcraft against my brother with random teams on random maps new to us both.

This is a variant that increases the value of information and the importance of scouting as high as we can push it, which makes for some very interesting games full of deceit and cunning.

Tools such as denial of map information, a form of containment, suddenly becomes viable as the other contestant doesn't know what's out there. If you can dissuade your competitor from exploring a certain area then he or she might miss an excellent expansion or a key defensive point for long enough that you may exploit it first.

For example, on one of the maps we played I discovered very late that I had a semi-hidden third entrance to the base, which I had left completely undefended. Shrouded in shadows the scenery suggested that there was nothing there and so I didn't prioritise the exploration of that area until late in the game. Fortunately for me I had managed to keep my opponent busy through needling attacks on one his expansions, so he didn't have time to capitalise on my mistake. In the end, I had to give up that game for lost as the results of my appalling macro skills reared it's ugly hydra-like head.

The first map we played was a small 2 player map on which there was no easily found natural expansion. I was lucky enough to get protoss as my team and quickly got some zealots over to an easily defended ramp where I also smacked up a shield battery and later on a photon cannon for detection. When my probe encountered purple creep the fact lay clear to the day (or the dusk, as we played in the evening): My brother is a zerg!

I should have realised this from the sounds he made earlier in the day and the size of his fangs, but I guess I've become used to it.

Aaaanyway.

Knowing what I had in front of me I went for some dragoons while reaching for corsairs to harass his overlords. Remember: none of us knew the map we were playing so denying him the scouting from his overlords could be vital.

After having a few skirmishes zergling vs. zealot I gathered a few dragoons to make a push while at the same time annexing that far away "natural" expansion. This turned out to be a good move as I found a budding hatchery in the mirror position, and lightly defended at that. Knowing that this would grab my brothers attention I attempted to cut of his reinforcements with a second team of mixed zealots and dragoons, but they never got to their intended position as my first team desperately needed help. Outnumbered, my brave soldiers managed to dance around enough, through my microing, to ensure the destruction of the horrific zerg outpost whilst the reinforcements strove to join the fun.

At this point I realised that I didn't have any observers. As the thought registered in my brain, spikes started shooting up out of the ground, throwing my ranks into disarray. You can't fight what you can't see.

With none of the infrastructure in place to build the little blighters I quickly set a probe on construction duty and at the same time ordered up another gateway to up production of zealots and dragoons. On the front line my brother tried baiting my brave blue-skins to advance, no doubt to lure them into a trap. Keeping a firm leach on my fervent zealots I dashed in and out with my dragoons instead, managing to take out a few hydralisks and zerglings. When finally I got a reaver and some probes out, queens and a landing party came out of nowhere, destroyed a mining expansion! I quickly rallied what troops I had roaming the country-side and punished this intrusion (or extrusion rather). At this point I had a good containment of the zerg and went in with everything I had. In a reckless assault, where micro got lost along the road of macroing in all the troops, the last zerg base finally fell and victory was mine.

The Aftermath

It was great fun to add an exploration element to the game. As mentioned, scouting and denial of information became very important. Not knowing where the good first expansions were did perplex both me and my brother and things such as not scouting my own base properly could potentially have lost me the game. In games of this variant there is definitely room for tactics beyond what's normally used and a greater possibility for playing mind games.
Although many veterans will find that there aren't many good maps around that they haven't played, it could be worth finding one and trying it "blind" with a friend (or an enemy). There are some great games in store for those brave enough to take a step into the unknown.

Civilization IV - An observation on the power of the Inca

1. Introduction

In the past, whenever I have viewed a Gauntlet game, found in the "Hall of Fame" section of the forum at CivFanatics, where the rules allow the player to select the civilization to play as, I have wondered about the little sign stating "Must not play as Inca".

So I asked myself: "What about this smiling man with golden earmuffs could be frightening enough to ban the whole of the Inca civilization for competition purposes?"


Is he a homicidal maniac? 
No, that position is taken by the insanely murderous and psychotic Montezuma of the Aztec. He'll turn on you and try to drag you to the sacrificial altar if you so much as peer quizzically at his odd-looking hat.

Does he have Super Powers?
Not that I can see. Huayna Capacs' Traits are Financial, which give him an extra commerce in any square where at least 2 commerce is being produced, and Industrious, which increases his wonder production by 50% and allows him to build Forges twice as fast as normal. It's a good combination, but it doesn't seem over-powered to me. Sure, it allows for a high research rate to get to the wonders, and then an advantage in getting them, but wonders are not an instant "I Win"-button.

Having the Celtic Boudicia with her lovely combination of Aggressive and Charismatic (Free Combat I promotion for melee- and gunpowder units, double production speed of Barracks and Drydocks combined with -25% experience needed for unit promotions, +1 happiness per city and +1 happiness from Monument and Broadcast Tower) let's you rampage through the world like a drunk gorilla at the annual Ice-Sculpture Competition, crashing into city after city with a bunch of highly promoted soldiers, smashing everything in sight and generally making a mess. (Speaking of drunk: Boudicia looks a little woozy herself!)


What about his people then? Do they employ the sacrificial altar like the Aztec?
No, the unique building for the Inca is the Terrace, a modified Granary which provides an extra +2  culture per turn. That doesn't seem very over-powered to me. Sure, it's useful for a Cultural victory or for strengthening your cultural borders or even as an alternative to building a monument, but it won't win the game for you. Furthermore there is no synergy with the wonders apart from the added culture if you go for a Cultural victory.

So what's left? Could it be their Unique Unit?

Ah, now we're getting somewhere. Could their Unique Unit be a blood thirsty monster? Let's take a look at what's called the Quechua. Historically this unit is fictitious: Quechua is the name of the language of the Inca and so the usage here might at best allude to the unit being a "Quechuan soldier". The equipment the soldier is carrying is somewhat more realistic as the Inca knew how to mix tin and copper to make bronze and were known to use shields covered in leather for defence.

In the game the Quechua replaces the common Warrior and is thus the first unit the Incas can build. On top of the normal stats of a Warrior the Quechua is granted the promotion Combat I, which gives a 10% boost to it's damage output, as well as an extra 100% vs. Archery units. This is, apparently, what makes the Incas dangerous enough to ban.

Remember the earlier premises? The civilization is banned in Hall of Fame games, which are played against computer players at high difficulties. A known fact is that computer players start with Archers instead of Warriors at higher difficulties. Adding it up these individual pieces, the bonus of the Quechua, the fact that computer players start with Archers and the immediate availability of said Quechua, we have in front of us a picture, nay, a billboard, shouting at us: GO ON, RUSH THEM!!!

2. The Quechua Rush
In order to successfully capture an enemy city using Quechuas you need only two units per defending Archer plus one in reserve in case you are unlucky. The probability of victory against an unpromoted Archer defending a city is at worst (City with cultural defence at level 2 giving +40% defence, 25% fortify bonus and on a hill giving an extra 50%) 36.8% for an attacking unpromoted Quechua. As the archer is virtually guaranteed to be injured during this fight a following attacker will have a considerably higher probability of success. As about a third of the initial attacks will be successful, on average, the need for the Quechuas to travel in teams of two decreases as the number of defenders increases. Still, it is prudent to use the "2 attackers per Archer plus 1" approach as it is virtually guaranteed to win.

Eliminating close-by enemies and stealing their capitals, which are generally placed in rich areas, will give the player at the very least a powerful start, if it doesn't win the game outright.

3. The weakness
Of course, this wouldn't work in multiplayer. First of all, a normal player wouldn't start with archers as defenders effectively turning the Quechua into a 10% stronger Warrior. As Warriors have +25% bonus when defending a city the Quechua rush looses its bite. Factor in that a competitor might research a stronger attack unit such as the Axeman (if they have a source of copper), the Chariot (if they have access to horses) or even the Spearman (without a requirement) and the situation could be quickly turned in their favour.

This can happen in a game against computer controlled players as well if the distance between the starting positions is too great or if the players start on isolated islands. Given enough time the computer players will produce their own Axemen and become impervious to Quechuas.

4. Conclusion
Finding out the (not so) hidden qualities of the Man with the Yellow Hat and his collection of Curious Quechuas gives us another tool to use when we feel like lowering the difficulty level a bit. The Quechua Rush can be used to devastating effect if the enemy is using Archers to defend, but will meet with disaster if the other player is a human, left alone for long enough or in a completely different part of the world.

If anyone is interested in a further explanation of the mathematics behind the combat figures, please make a comment and I'll make a post about that as well.

Gaming Diary 1 - Minesweeper

This is an example of what's called a gaming diary.
Basically I play a game, note down what I'm doing and why, get some screen shots or videos to illustrate important points and then I type it up and then it might turn out something like this (but probably with a game more exciting than Minesweeper):

1. The Basics

Minesweeper is one of those games that come with all Windows versions since version 3.1 or something. The concept is pretty simple: You have a field, represented by little clickable squares, in which there are mines. Your job is to clear the minefield by a) flagging all the squares where there is a mine or b) revealing all other squares. To help you in your job some thoughtful person has left numbered cards in some places which tell you how many mines can be found in the eight squares surrounding each card. With a bit of time and patience, it is usually possible to find all the mines, though depending on the version you are playing you might find yourself having to guess between a number of squares.

Today there are a multitude of versions, some with sophisticated systems acting in the background to ensure that the board is solvable purely through logic and some
with simpler systems that make sure that your first click never hits a mine. The game has even inspired the people over at College Humor to make a trailer for Minesweeper - The Movie.

I first remember playing the game on my fathers ancient laptop some time in the very early 90's. The laptop, which weighed enough to make it all but desk-bound, displayed a beautiful playing field in black and orange on which I clicked on mine after mine. After a while I realised that there was a system to it and that it might not be such a good idea to click on the mines. In the end I managed to win a few games and was probably rather proud.

2. Let's clear some mines!

OK, so we come up with a really nice start. Usually you don't see half the board cleared in one click, but hey: Got to be lucky sometimes!



We can immediatly see 4 mines that need flagging and then a fifth which appears as the sweep proceeds.



We keep moving from right to left in order not to miss anything. With the 2 wedged in between two mines we can safely clear all the remaining squares around it.




The 3 appearing at the six o'clock position could be cause for alarm, thus prompting an attempt at circling around it.



Flagging the second mine at the top left and clearing the surrounding blocks reveal a 2x1 island, effectively isolating the remaining block.




Through inspection we can quite easily see the pattern appearing and so the perilous 3 is neutralised, but quickly joined by another of its kind.




At this point I make a mistake. My hand slips and instead of clicking the square immediatly below the second 3, I hit the one just to the left, thankfully revealing another 3 instead of losing the game.



After pausing to collect myself I then flag the final two mines and solve the board, clocking in on an abysmal 176 seconds, but glad to have gotten there at all after the earlier mishap.



3. The Aftermath
In reflection there wasn't anything wrong with the tactics applied, though improvements in the motorial skills-department is a necessity. Next time should probably see a raising of the difficulty level as well, but seeing as this was an exhibition game I think the level was appropriate.

If you want to try it for yourself you can find the game in the folder "accessories", sub folder "games" if you use a Windows OS or download a copy of the World Rankings-certified Minesweeper X.