RationalGoblin
2009-09-27, 07:24 PM
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Hohenstaufen_emporer_arms.svg/500px-Hohenstaufen_emporer_arms.svg.png
Introduction:
Hello everyone, I am RationalGoblin, and I will be playing Crusader Kings, as the von Hohenstaufen dynasty. I hope this concept is interesting enough for people to care about, as I'm very interested in it.
What is Crusader Kings?:
Crusader Kings is a real-time historical simulation game made by Paradox Entertainment. It is one in a series of games intended to take a country from the legendary year of 1066, all the way to 1966. Obviously, history will be different, because the game can't anticipate everything that happened in history. So, the world might look quite different by the time we're done. To be helpful, I will explain the mechanics of Crusader Kings as we play.
Who will you be playing as, and when?
I will be playing as the Hohenstaufen dynasty, a Swabian (Central German) noble family that produced three Holy Roman Emperors, including the legendary Fredrick Barbarossa, hence the thread title. I will start play the day after the Battle of Hastings, on December 26th, 1066.
Will you have any mods to the game?
Why yes indeed, I will have two mods. First, the expansion to Crusader Kings, Deus Vult, which fixes many bugs, and makes many things more historically accurate. Second, the Alternative Scenario mod, which fixes more bugs, changes the art around, AND allows me to play two different scenarios BEFORE Hastings, but I won't be playing those.
How quickly are you hoping to update?
Hopefully, at least once a week, maybe more. I have school, but it isn't very intensive, so I should have time to update this.
To make this a "Let's Play", instead of a "Watch me Play", are you going to let the readers make choices?
Yes, for major events in the game, I will allow readers to vote one what they want to see happen. However, I reserve the right to veto the vote if it will utterly ruin me.
That having been said; Let's Play, Crusader Kings!
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP1.jpg
Here is my Count, Friedrich von Hohenstaufen. He starts as the count of St. Gallen (in German, Sankt Gallen). He is only 17, and unmarried, which is good. I can find a wife, and soon start having loads of heirs to inherit the Hohenstaufen name. He can call upon less than 500 soldiers, mostly spearman and peasant troops, with a few men-at-arms and knights.
He has three traits, Decitful, which improves his Intrigue (your assassination skill, as well as your ability not to be murdered), Forgiving, which decreases his Martial (fighting) stat, while improving his Diplomacy (how much everyone likes you.) His third and only education trait is Naive Wire-Puller, which decreases his Stewardship (how easily you can keep money), Martial, and Diplomacy stats, while improving his Intrigue by a little bit. A terrible trait.
See those Coins? That means that Friedrich has 25 ducats, the currency in the game. The Crown means he has 100 Prestige, which is what you need to stand out amongst your peers. The cross is Piety, 100 of it to be exact, and means how much you like the Church and how much the Church likes you.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP2-1.jpg
And here is St. Gallen. Not the richest province, but not the poorest, either, especially once we get a good steward. St. Gallen is ruled according to the traditional laws of the people, and the inheritance of the Hohenstaufens is passed from father to son. Friedrich recently raised taxes to the highest levels allowed by the law, and similarly reduced his donations to the Church, offering the excuse that "I must gain an advantage over my rivals somehow" while the gold piles up in the vault of the Hohenstaufens.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP3.jpg
And here is Heinrich Von Franken, Holy Roman Emperor, and the master of over twenty-five vassals, including the Duke of Swabia, our own liege. And now, after this charming explanation, the in-character part of this LP will begin!
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP1.jpg
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP4-1.jpg
In the waning days of 1066, and the beginning of 1067, there was no sign, no omen, no thought of any kind pertaining to the idea that the Hohenstafun line could one day become the lords of Germany. Controlling only the tiny province of St. Gallen, there was little way of advancement for the German Count beyond rebelling, and that would lead to a messy end. So, the Hohenstaufen scion needed to bide his time and wait for the opportune moment to strike.
To occupy his time, he sought a wife.
Needing a good steward, Friedrich decided to kill two birds with one stone, and marry an Italian with an eye for money.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP5-1.jpg
Yeah, I don't know why Friedrich's mug keeps popping up either.
The Prince-Bishop of Siena consented to the marriage, and soon Friedrich was no longer a bachelor.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP6.jpg
And as couples are wont to do, they were soon expecting a child.
Over the months, little happened to St. Gallen, except for a bishop from Rome arriving in the county on orders of the Pope, and asking if he could preach to the people.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP7.jpg
Not having any reason not to, and fearing the wrath of the Church if he did not, Friedrich allowed the bishop to set up in St. Gallen, becoming his personal cleric.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP8.jpg
A month later, the merchants and burghers of St. Gallen came to Friedrich with a petition to ban the unwashed and disgusting peasants from selling goods with the walls of St. Gallen.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP9.jpg
The cunning Friedrich readily acquiesced to the demand, knowing that the burghers provided fearsome spearmen for his army, and that they gave him much more money then the peasants.
A few months passed, and Friedrich became aware of a rivalry beginning to develop between himself and a fellow vassal of the Duke of Swabia.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP10.jpg
Rivalries are a new addition to the Crusader Kings Deus Vult Expansion. Basically, it means you get more events relating to your rival, especially hostile events like claiming his title. This is especially good for me, because if I can take this guy's title of Count of Tirol, I'm one step closer to Dukedom.
In July of 1067, the inevitable happened: Matilda di Canossa, rival to Emperor Heinrich, and Duchess of Toscana, rebelled against Imperial rule, starting the Rebellion Wars.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP11.jpg
Being the Papal favorite, she received no condemnation from the Church, unlike many other rulers.
However, with such a tiny army, Friedrich could do nothing to capitalize on the Duchess's revolt. So, while he kept a close eye on the war, he did not obssess about it, and in fact, resolutely kept his troops in St. Gallen, expecting to be left out of the whole mess.
However, he soon received a German refugee from the young war.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP12.jpg
Allowing the man to take refuge in St. Gallen, he made the warrior his marshal, commander of the few men in the service of the Hohenstaufens.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP13.jpg
As Toscana burned, with the thousands of Imperial soldiers from every province marching on the Duchess, the cunning Friedrich simply waited for an end to the war.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP14.jpg
Happily, a son was born to the Hohenstaufens in August, a little boy named Bernhard.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP15.jpg
Thinking about his son's birth, Friedrich realized just how far he would need to go to make his family all-powerful in Germany. This realization humbled him immensely.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP16.jpg
Friedrich's prediction that he would not be involved in the Duchess Rebellion was correct; in the spring of 1068, the rebellious Matilda was defeated, and stripped of her lands and titles.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP17.jpg
With the slightly troubling matter of the Duchess over, Friedrich turned to matters of family. He decided to raise Bernhard himself, rather then ship the boy off to the nannies or monks.
This update is getting rather long, so I will just say that you can raise your children in different ways, and I am raising Bernhard personally.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP18.jpg
Of course, Bernhard asked the typical questions one would expect of a child, and all was well.
The months seemed to fly by, as absolutely nothing happened to the Hohenstaufens, and Friedrich continued to pile up gold for his own use. That is, until September of 1070.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP19.jpg
The Duke of Carthintia had peacefully declared independence from Emperor Heinrich, and as luck would have it, had a vassal, the Count of Bresigau, whose lands lay somewhat close to St. Gallen.
As 1070 drew to a close, Friedrich had a choice: Claim the lands of Bresigau, and face a certain attack by the rebellious Duke, while contending with the Emperor for control over the lands, or leave well enough alone, possibly passing up an opportunity for land and glory.
End of Update.
Vote time! There are two options:
A: Attack the Count of Bresigau and risk contending against Duke and Emperor.
B: Leave the Count alone, passing up possible Hohenstaufen lands, but risking nothing.
Introduction:
Hello everyone, I am RationalGoblin, and I will be playing Crusader Kings, as the von Hohenstaufen dynasty. I hope this concept is interesting enough for people to care about, as I'm very interested in it.
What is Crusader Kings?:
Crusader Kings is a real-time historical simulation game made by Paradox Entertainment. It is one in a series of games intended to take a country from the legendary year of 1066, all the way to 1966. Obviously, history will be different, because the game can't anticipate everything that happened in history. So, the world might look quite different by the time we're done. To be helpful, I will explain the mechanics of Crusader Kings as we play.
Who will you be playing as, and when?
I will be playing as the Hohenstaufen dynasty, a Swabian (Central German) noble family that produced three Holy Roman Emperors, including the legendary Fredrick Barbarossa, hence the thread title. I will start play the day after the Battle of Hastings, on December 26th, 1066.
Will you have any mods to the game?
Why yes indeed, I will have two mods. First, the expansion to Crusader Kings, Deus Vult, which fixes many bugs, and makes many things more historically accurate. Second, the Alternative Scenario mod, which fixes more bugs, changes the art around, AND allows me to play two different scenarios BEFORE Hastings, but I won't be playing those.
How quickly are you hoping to update?
Hopefully, at least once a week, maybe more. I have school, but it isn't very intensive, so I should have time to update this.
To make this a "Let's Play", instead of a "Watch me Play", are you going to let the readers make choices?
Yes, for major events in the game, I will allow readers to vote one what they want to see happen. However, I reserve the right to veto the vote if it will utterly ruin me.
That having been said; Let's Play, Crusader Kings!
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP1.jpg
Here is my Count, Friedrich von Hohenstaufen. He starts as the count of St. Gallen (in German, Sankt Gallen). He is only 17, and unmarried, which is good. I can find a wife, and soon start having loads of heirs to inherit the Hohenstaufen name. He can call upon less than 500 soldiers, mostly spearman and peasant troops, with a few men-at-arms and knights.
He has three traits, Decitful, which improves his Intrigue (your assassination skill, as well as your ability not to be murdered), Forgiving, which decreases his Martial (fighting) stat, while improving his Diplomacy (how much everyone likes you.) His third and only education trait is Naive Wire-Puller, which decreases his Stewardship (how easily you can keep money), Martial, and Diplomacy stats, while improving his Intrigue by a little bit. A terrible trait.
See those Coins? That means that Friedrich has 25 ducats, the currency in the game. The Crown means he has 100 Prestige, which is what you need to stand out amongst your peers. The cross is Piety, 100 of it to be exact, and means how much you like the Church and how much the Church likes you.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP2-1.jpg
And here is St. Gallen. Not the richest province, but not the poorest, either, especially once we get a good steward. St. Gallen is ruled according to the traditional laws of the people, and the inheritance of the Hohenstaufens is passed from father to son. Friedrich recently raised taxes to the highest levels allowed by the law, and similarly reduced his donations to the Church, offering the excuse that "I must gain an advantage over my rivals somehow" while the gold piles up in the vault of the Hohenstaufens.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP3.jpg
And here is Heinrich Von Franken, Holy Roman Emperor, and the master of over twenty-five vassals, including the Duke of Swabia, our own liege. And now, after this charming explanation, the in-character part of this LP will begin!
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP1.jpg
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP4-1.jpg
In the waning days of 1066, and the beginning of 1067, there was no sign, no omen, no thought of any kind pertaining to the idea that the Hohenstafun line could one day become the lords of Germany. Controlling only the tiny province of St. Gallen, there was little way of advancement for the German Count beyond rebelling, and that would lead to a messy end. So, the Hohenstaufen scion needed to bide his time and wait for the opportune moment to strike.
To occupy his time, he sought a wife.
Needing a good steward, Friedrich decided to kill two birds with one stone, and marry an Italian with an eye for money.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP5-1.jpg
Yeah, I don't know why Friedrich's mug keeps popping up either.
The Prince-Bishop of Siena consented to the marriage, and soon Friedrich was no longer a bachelor.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP6.jpg
And as couples are wont to do, they were soon expecting a child.
Over the months, little happened to St. Gallen, except for a bishop from Rome arriving in the county on orders of the Pope, and asking if he could preach to the people.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP7.jpg
Not having any reason not to, and fearing the wrath of the Church if he did not, Friedrich allowed the bishop to set up in St. Gallen, becoming his personal cleric.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP8.jpg
A month later, the merchants and burghers of St. Gallen came to Friedrich with a petition to ban the unwashed and disgusting peasants from selling goods with the walls of St. Gallen.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP9.jpg
The cunning Friedrich readily acquiesced to the demand, knowing that the burghers provided fearsome spearmen for his army, and that they gave him much more money then the peasants.
A few months passed, and Friedrich became aware of a rivalry beginning to develop between himself and a fellow vassal of the Duke of Swabia.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP10.jpg
Rivalries are a new addition to the Crusader Kings Deus Vult Expansion. Basically, it means you get more events relating to your rival, especially hostile events like claiming his title. This is especially good for me, because if I can take this guy's title of Count of Tirol, I'm one step closer to Dukedom.
In July of 1067, the inevitable happened: Matilda di Canossa, rival to Emperor Heinrich, and Duchess of Toscana, rebelled against Imperial rule, starting the Rebellion Wars.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP11.jpg
Being the Papal favorite, she received no condemnation from the Church, unlike many other rulers.
However, with such a tiny army, Friedrich could do nothing to capitalize on the Duchess's revolt. So, while he kept a close eye on the war, he did not obssess about it, and in fact, resolutely kept his troops in St. Gallen, expecting to be left out of the whole mess.
However, he soon received a German refugee from the young war.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP12.jpg
Allowing the man to take refuge in St. Gallen, he made the warrior his marshal, commander of the few men in the service of the Hohenstaufens.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP13.jpg
As Toscana burned, with the thousands of Imperial soldiers from every province marching on the Duchess, the cunning Friedrich simply waited for an end to the war.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP14.jpg
Happily, a son was born to the Hohenstaufens in August, a little boy named Bernhard.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP15.jpg
Thinking about his son's birth, Friedrich realized just how far he would need to go to make his family all-powerful in Germany. This realization humbled him immensely.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP16.jpg
Friedrich's prediction that he would not be involved in the Duchess Rebellion was correct; in the spring of 1068, the rebellious Matilda was defeated, and stripped of her lands and titles.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP17.jpg
With the slightly troubling matter of the Duchess over, Friedrich turned to matters of family. He decided to raise Bernhard himself, rather then ship the boy off to the nannies or monks.
This update is getting rather long, so I will just say that you can raise your children in different ways, and I am raising Bernhard personally.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP18.jpg
Of course, Bernhard asked the typical questions one would expect of a child, and all was well.
The months seemed to fly by, as absolutely nothing happened to the Hohenstaufens, and Friedrich continued to pile up gold for his own use. That is, until September of 1070.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk288/SplendidTuesday/CKLP19.jpg
The Duke of Carthintia had peacefully declared independence from Emperor Heinrich, and as luck would have it, had a vassal, the Count of Bresigau, whose lands lay somewhat close to St. Gallen.
As 1070 drew to a close, Friedrich had a choice: Claim the lands of Bresigau, and face a certain attack by the rebellious Duke, while contending with the Emperor for control over the lands, or leave well enough alone, possibly passing up an opportunity for land and glory.
End of Update.
Vote time! There are two options:
A: Attack the Count of Bresigau and risk contending against Duke and Emperor.
B: Leave the Count alone, passing up possible Hohenstaufen lands, but risking nothing.