Let's Play Total War

[AgentPaper]

Most likely Medieval II: Total War, though I'm fine with doing Rome: Total War if more people want to do that. (This is our first vote session, then, for who wants to play which one)

Basically, it would be similar to any other LP style game. Since it's Total War, though, each player would control a certain family member in the nation we choose, and would control various territories. Fighting between generals is probably going to be not allowed, unless I can find a good way to handle it. Each family member has their own army, and treasury, and controlled regions. The general of each of the regions dictates buildings constructed, taxes, unit construction, etc. I'll try to keep a list updated to who controls what units. Trading units is fine as well.

Actual battles would all be played by me, but the controlling player can give orders as to what tactics to use. If the family member is there, then I'll give an update of the battle as it's played, and you can give new orders to the "troops", which I will have them carry out. Not sure if that will work out, but I'll try it.

So, does this sound like a good idea to anyone? We can only have so many players as there are family members, and if your family member dies, you die. (I'll be careful with them, I swear) I'd like to get at least enough people to have 1 person for each family member. However, if anyone knows a good way to manually add in a family member through cheating, we can have a few more than normally.

Control of the various regions is dictated by me, the king, of course. I'm not sure what will happen when the original king dies, but most likely the "King" role will pass on to whoever is the heir. I would still play the game, but that person would control everyone else like I used to.

The king would basically control who has what regions, as well as controlling the capital region and maybe a few others if he needs to. He can give orders to the other nobles to do what he says, as well, though they can disobey. (Though, that could very easily result in loss of land and money)

[Dragor]

Oooh, oooh! Pick me, sir!

Medieval II would be my preference, due to more opportunities for interaction between family members (Princesses, etc).

I'd like to be a French family member, if that suits you OK. Libertie, mon ami. (My French is appauling.)

[AgentPaper]

So that's 1 for medieval. Second thing to decide after which game is which nation. I'm gunna check GameFAQs to see what kind of cheats there are for these games.

Also, this game is first-come, first serve, unless I make an exception. (Seeing as how I'm the king) So make sure to post if you're interested! :smallbiggrin:

[MeklorIlavator]

If you can do Rome, I would be interested in playing along. Of course, that game did have some problems with balance(calvary beats spearmen? Really?) I've found it to be very enjoyable, though its better with the total realism mod.

[Saithis Bladewing]

I was considering running something like this as well with Medieval II, just because I'm addicted to Medieval II.

[AgentPaper]

Well, In R-TW, Hoplites beat EVERYTHING in a defense. Put 2 units in a V formation in front of the gates, and every single thing that steps through is instantly dead. I leave my gates broken so that the enemy abandons their siege and rushes through. It's like a meat grinding factory.

Oh, and that's 2 for Medieval II, and 1 for Rome.

[Saithis Bladewing]

Well, what the heck, I'm willing to take part as a family member. I'd be too cranky to run an LP of this anyway. I'm a control freak about my strategy games, after all, and I'd get bitchy the moment the Empire had any kind of bad things happen to it. :smallwink:

[AgentPaper]

Recruitment will be up for a few days, maybe a week at most. Voting for which game will be form now until tomorrow evening. Then we start looking at which nation we do, and assigning family members. I think I found a way to add more members, otherwise other people have to wait until a new member joins in the game. (I'll try to have a queue up for this. If your member dies, you can get put on here if you want as well)

[AgentPaper]

Bah, I'm too impatient, so let's do the voting for nation now as well as the voting for which game. Just vote which nation you would want to play as in either game. I'll not be voting, so it's just up to you guys.

[MeklorIlavator]

Well, In R-TW, Hoplites beat EVERYTHING in a defense. Put 2 units in a V formation in front of the gates, and every single thing that steps through is instantly dead. I leave my gates broken so that the enemy abandons their siege and rushes through. It's like a meat grinding factory.

Oh, and that's 2 for Medieval II, and 1 for Rome.

Ah, Well, I've done something similar. I think it was 6 spartan hoplites and 6 cretian archers vs 5 other armies. It was one of those bridge levels, and I managed to route all of the imposing armies(this was a skirmish, not campaign). If I try the tactic in a city, though, I usually abandon the walls and simply hold the streets leading into the plaza. That way, it doesn't matter what they do, they have to attack me head on.

Oh, and how about if a new family member is introduced, you can get back in? Of course, then the problem would be what happens when more family members exist than players. Would you control the excess, or would we double up on family members?

Oh, RTW, and I'm not particular about the faction. I like the Romans, but in vanilla they seem a bit powerful.

[AgentPaper]

Any preference if we did Medieval Total War, which seems likely? So far, seems like:

Medieval: 2
France: 1

Rome: 1

At the moment, we are doing Medieval as France. Still would want more people to come participate and vote, though.

And the way I think it will work, I'll have a queue of people trying to come in. Whenever a new family member pops, the guy on top of the list plays him. If your family member dies, hopefully from old age, heh, then you can elect to put yourself onto the bottom of the queue. You'll get back in the game once some family members pop. If there's too many family members, and not enough players, then the extra members are just treated as lesser nobles, who different players control. You can role play them or not, as you want, but feel free to use them as just another resource at your disposal.

As for the hoplites, I've held a single city, with a palisade for a wall, with 2 units of normal greek hoplites, not spartans, against at least half a dozen armies from half to full strength. With almost no losses. Hoplites are godly in city defense, and no, I will not use them in that way in this game if we end up playing a faction that gets them. That's just plain cheese, it is.

[Raistlin1040]

Midieval would be better for me, and I always play as France, so a vote for that too. Of course, I have to see if the game will even really work with my horrible internet blocks, so we'll see.

Edit: So you'll be doing all the battling right? Good, because I suck so badly at all the battles, so I just sim them.

[AgentPaper]

You just have to tell me what you want to build/train and what orders you send to your units.

As for votes:

Medieval: 3
France: 2

Rome: 1


Seems likely we're gunna be France, but the vote is still open until tomorrow.

[Dumbledore lives]

I'd like Medieval II, and for faction I'd say Venice as a faction but I guess France would be okay. If you could do a mod though I would totally suggest broken crescent as it is one of the coolest mods ever. Link (http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=140857)

[Saithis Bladewing]

Ugh, I do dislike France...

Venice would be an interesting change for me. I've not played an Italian faction yet outside of Sicily, who has a rather different approach to Milan/Venice...

If RTW, then I'd enjoy Carthage. Mmm, elephants...

[AgentPaper]

Ah, rival for France! New poll of votes:

Medieval: 4
France: 2
Venice: 2

Rome: 1
Carthage: 1

If there's a tie, I'll break it, in some fashion or another. I actually haven't played France before, but that's because I don't like them as much as a few others. I'd probably flip a coin or something, at any rate.

Edit: After looking at Broken Crescent, I'm putting that up as a third option. It looks awesome. Feel free to change your vote.

[The Evil Thing]

I'll toss in my vote for Medieval 2.
Because I'm a loyal (from an RTS standpoint, at least) Briton, I'm going to vote for England. Also because I like archers.

[AgentPaper]

Ok, I think that's pretty much Medieval 2: Total War confirmed. Though, If anyone wants to change their vote to Broken Crescent (http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=140857), that would be cool. So, if we don't do Broken Crescent, then we have this for nations:

France: 2
Venice: 2
England: 1

[u-gotNOgame]

I've never played Medieval 2, so i would prefer Rome... but i could easily look up unit lists and strategies (probably mostly the same)... if rome then pick something hard like Gaul or Egypt.

In either event put me on the list for a family member/army/provincial lord.

-UGNG

[Ominous]

Medieval 1. It's the most like Shogun, which was the best one in my opinion.

Edit: You've already decided on a game. Alright then, I vote for you to play the Scots.

[AgentPaper]

Well, we're either doing vanilla Medieval 2 or the Broken Crescent (http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=140857) mod.

I don't have medieval 1, and no longer have shogun, so we're not playing those. Plus, I prefer the new versions, especially for a game like this.

[Raistlin1040]

So we gonna get this thing started or what? *Is all antsy to play*

[AgentPaper]

Ok, seems we're not playing broken crescent, so I'll do the tiebreak on france and venice, unless someone else wants to change their vote. (A few people haven't voted on this) I'll give you guys 10 minutes, eh? :smallamused:

[AgentPaper]

Ok, flipped a coin, we're doing france. Opening a game, we'll see how many family members we have. Post here to get yourself on the top of the list for starting members.

[Raistlin1040]

* Posts *

[DemonicAngel]

I wanna, although I'm a much better player in Rome Total Realism (a mod for Rome total war... gotta try medieval 2, now don't I?)

[AgentPaper]

Lucky you. Okay, there are 4 generals to start with. I'll be posting them here, each person gets to pick their general in turn. So raist, you get first pick.

Nobles:

1: King Phillip the Chivalrous
Age: 40

Ruled Cities:
-Paris:
--Units:
---120 Crossbow Militia
---120 Peasant Archers
---300 Spear Militia
--Buildings:
---Wooden Wall
---Town Guard
---Small Church
---Town Hall
---Grain Exchange
---Dirt Roads
--Agents:
---Princess Constance

Notes: This will be my player. Just posting what you know about the place.

2: Crown Prince Louis
Age: 21

Ruled Cities:
-Toulouse:
--Units:
---120 Peasant Archers
---300 Sergeant Spearmen
--Buildings:
---Castle
---Stables
---Bowyer
---Port
--Agents:
---None

3: General Perrin Gassou
Age: 20

Ruled Cities:
-Marielle:
--Units:
---240 Peasant Archers
---300 Sergeant Spearmen
--Buildings:
---Palisade
---Town Watch
--Agents:
---None

4: General Guillemot de Lyon
Age: 32

Ruled Cities:
-Angers:
--Units:
---240 Peasant Archers
---300 Sergeant Spearmen
--Buildings:
---Wooden Castle
---Stables
--Agents:
---None

5: Raoulet Poiteven
Age: 40

Ruled Cities:
-Rheims:
--Units:
---120 Peasant Archers
---300 Spear Milita
---150 Town Militia
--Buildings:
---Palisade
---Land Clearance
---Town Watch
--Agents:
---None


Armies:

1: Captain Pierre
Location: Rheims territory, on the border of Dijon and Castle Metz.
Owned by: King Phillip the Chivalrous
Units:
-80 Mailed Knights
-120 Peasant Archers
-300 Spear Militia

2: Captain Gaston
Location: Northwest of Castle Toulouse, Across the border to Castle Bordeaux.
Owned by: Crown Prince Louis
Units:
-80 Mailed Knights
-240 Peasant Archers
-300 Spear Militia

So, raist gets first pick, then whoever posts after in order. I'll put this and the queue of new players in the OP once everyone has chosen.

[Raistlin1040]

I choose the kickass General Guillemot de Lyon (Whenever I'm England, I steal him with a Princess.)

[Dragor]

Wait- if I pick the Crown Prince, you'll take control of him once the King dies, right? So picking him wouldn't be a sensible choice, could I'd have to relinquish control. :smallfrown:

In that case, I pick Perrin Gassou.

--EDIT--

If I can play the Crown Prince, then that's my pick. Sorry, I think I ended up confusing myself along the line there.

[Raistlin1040]

OK, so to play I need to have a GameSpy ID. No problem, I have three (I made two at camp by accident). However, my email hasn't been validated. I assume that it needs to be to login in the game, because it won't let me login. However, the email is sure taking a lot longer than most validation emails.

[DemonicAngel]

guess Raoulet Poiteven is mine, if so.

[Saithis Bladewing]

EDIT: Hrm, decisions...

And nevermind, apparently I was simu-ed and lost my spot. Oh well.

[Dragor]

General Guillemot de Lyon sounds good to me...I like cavalry. Assuming I'm welcome.

It's been taken by Raitlin, Saithis.

Of course you're welcome. I guess that makes you our fourth. :smallsmile:

[Saithis Bladewing]

I already edited my post. Within 10 seconds of posting that. Stop taking my quotes before I can edit them! It makes me look stupid! -.- *Bitches.*

If there is still a slot I'll take...whatever's left.

[Dragor]

I already edited my post. Within 10 seconds of posting that. Stop taking my quotes before I can edit them! It makes me look stupid! -.- *Bitches.*

If there is still a slot I'll take...whatever's left.

Haha, I've subscribed to the thread so I was kinda quick off the mark. :smalltongue:

[Saithis Bladewing]

Haha, I've subscribed to the thread so I was kinda quick off the mark. :smalltongue:

Thread subscription? Bah! Laziness, I say. Back in my day, we didn't even have this fancy BBcode, let alone thread subscription!

[Dragor]

Thread subscription? Bah! Laziness, I say. Back in my day, we didn't even have this fancy BBcode, let alone thread subscription!

What are dese pee-cees? An' dese 'mack' thingimijibbers?

Anyhow, I'll say no more, I'm sliding on the slippery slope to off topic.

[Raistlin1040]

*Nudges people back on topic by pointing to his question on the last page*

[Dragor]

OK, so to play I need to have a GameSpy ID. No problem, I have three (I made two at camp by accident). However, my email hasn't been validated. I assume that it needs to be to login in the game, because it won't let me login. However, the email is sure taking a lot longer than most validation emails.

I'm not sure I understand, or I'm misconceiving the entire thing. Assuming I knew what I was getting into, a Lets Play scenario is where one person plays the game and everyone else acts as semi-spectators, telling the person playing the game (sort of like a DM, really) what we want our family members to do.

As well as a bit of roleplaying, of course.

So, if I'm correct (and not just made a total buffoon of myself >__<) you don't need to log in to play, Raistlin. We play by post. :smallsmile:

[Raistlin1040]

Oh. Well that's a lot easier than I expected.

[AgentPaper]

If you take the crown prince, and I die, you become the king. I still play the game, but you get to rule over everyone. Of course, I can change who is the heir, and if the other nobles get mad at the person who becomes king, they can rebel and such.

I think that's 4 people we have now. Looking at the posts, then I'll post who seems to have gotten who.

[Dragor]

If you take the crown prince, and I die, you become the king. I still play the game, but you get to rule over everyone. Of course, I can change who is the heir, and if the other nobles get mad at the person who becomes king, they can rebel and such.

I think that's 4 people we have now. Looking at the posts, then I'll post who seems to have gotten who.

Dibs on the Crown Prince then. :smallamused:

[AgentPaper]

Raist gets Guillemont de Lyon
Dragor gets Crown Prince Louis
Demonic gets Raoulet Poiteven
Saithis gets General Perrin Gassou

That sound right to everyone? And of course the king is started playing by me.

Edit: Next, how should we show what's going on? I could keep a list like the one I had before up each day, and then have a map of europe with the different cities and such on it for everyone to reference. I could edit it to show what we control, what's out there to control, and so on. Or I could find some way to take screenshots in-game of what's going on, if people prefer that. One thing I kinda like about the other system, though, is that it's a bit more realistic. Scouting isn't perfect, you know generally where your stuff is, but not perfect. Ordering a captain to attack a certain city or castle, instead of saying "Go to this point, then this point, etc."

[Saithis Bladewing]

I'm cool with it, but you can be damn sure I'm going to open up MTW2 and give the French a try, to get a feel for them. :smallwink:

[AgentPaper]

That's fine. On a related note, does anyone not have medieval 2 and need info on how it works?

Edit: Also, go ahead and give out your orders for the first turn. Feel free to ask for any more info you need as well.

[Dragor]

Next, how should we show what's going on? I could keep a list like the one I had before up each day, and then have a map of europe with the different cities and such on it for everyone to reference. I could edit it to show what we control, what's out there to control, and so on. Or I could find some way to take screenshots in-game of what's going on, if people prefer that. One thing I kinda like about the other system, though, is that it's a bit more realistic. Scouting isn't perfect, you know generally where your stuff is, but not perfect. Ordering a captain to attack a certain city or castle, instead of saying "Go to this point, then this point, etc."

That sounds good. Also; roleplaying heavy or roleplaying lite? And when shall we start? (I'm in England, so it's 9:10pm at the moment.)

@^ I have it, played it extensively, the French being my favourite faction. Currently going through it again as Venice, and struggling due to woeful finances.

[AgentPaper]

Venice is fun. And roleplay however much you want. It would be cool if we had all sorts of political intrigue going on. We're not in here to win, but to have fun. Not that taking stuff over is bad in any form, of course. For France!

[DemonicAngel]

I dont have the game, and I would like some explanations, if you wouldn't mind.

[Saithis Bladewing]

I can go ahead and make my orders then...I ask, though, what kind of monetary limitations we might be facing, if any? My first step with any city is usually an expensive one. :smallwink:


Perrin wrinkled his nose with distaste at the crowds of people below him. The town of Marseilles, located on the south coast of France, was an important economic centre of the kingdom, and he felt truthfully honoured to have been entrusted with it by the King. Though he was only 20, he had shown talent as a general and his willingness to obey orders had gained him favour - so far. It was time for the good Frenchman to see just how well he might fare without a mentor to guide his hand.

As a cousin of the royal family, he was technically an heir to the throne, but that of course did not mean he had any real claim to the crown. King Phillip still had years left in him, and Louis was his age. The House of Gassou was unlikely to be seated in such a prestigious position, and would have to be content as keepers of Marseilles' position upon the fjorded coast of the Mediterranean. The Vieux Port was merely a fishing village, nothing compared to the port west at Toulouse, but Perrin believed it had other potential. Marseilles was frankly a key position for the Kingdom's future success. He would be responsible for holding the eastern border against the growing aggression of the Italian city-states of Milan and Venice, and for bringing wealth into France from the Far East and the Mediterranean.

...And if his King willed it, it would even still be his duty to fight the money-loving Italians unto his last breath. France demanded no less of him. He would do as his country, his liege and God commanded, even if it meant giving up Marseille's power.

But the first step to growing Marseilles was connecting it. The City of Marseilles was sadly isolated from the rest of Europe - it's location upon the Mediterranean, a crossroads of travel between Italy and the rest of Western Europe, it's major flaw was the lack of a clearly defined road system. He was tempted to use the tax florins at his disposal to raise more troops, but he was aware that Marseilles was lacking any real military facilities. He would have to hold off and wait to acquire better infrastructure first. The garrison he had been granted was sufficient - for now. He would also need to raise taxes to afford his planned expansion of the city. Marseilles was one of the fastest growing settlements in the Kingdom, and it would need a properly built wall in order to keep the enemies of France out.

Turn 1:
General Perrin Gassou

Actions:
--Ordering Construction of Dirt Roads in Marseilles (400 Florins)
--Raising Marseilles' Tax Rates to Very High

Marseilles:
-Wooden Palisade
-Town Watch
-Normal Tax Rates (Raising to Very High)

Budget: 900 florins left

Army:
-Marseilles Garrison
--Perrin's Bodyguard
--300 Sergeant Spearmen
--240 Peasant Archers

QUESTION: Are we playing standard vanilla Total War, or the modified 1 turn = 1 year? I prefer 1 turn = 1 year as it's more realistic, and 1 turn taking 2 years is kind of silly in my opinion.

[Raistlin1040]

I wish to construct a Small Chapel in my city, so that my citizens may have a place of worship.

Also, should it please the king, I would enjoy taking my army out and destroying any that dare move towards our glorious empire. I believe I spotted some English dogs at the border not a day ago, and I don't like it.

(Screenshots and maps would be nice, especially when we get further into the game. Also, note, the second part of my character's action is a request, he's asking the King for permission.)

EDIT: Alright, now that the main actions are done, I can do some roleplaying.


The General Guillemont de Lyon overlooked the city/castle of Angers. It was a fitting name, given his battlefield mood. He was a polite, if somewhat cold man in public affairs, but that was mostly a facade. He acted pleasant for that was what was demanded of a man of his stature. But on the battlefield, he released his inner demon, slaughtering his enemies, and putting captives to the sword.

He was even worse when he captured enemy towns, often massacring the townspeople so the remains of the living would be too afraid of him to ever revolt. Truly, Guillemont de Lyon was a demon general. The other generals and the King didn't often complain about his tactics, as he always gave them results, and as long as he remained valuble, he could do as he pleased.

However, the priests and clerics saw things a little differently. They called him the Devil's Son behind his back, and his faith was questioned, often in the open. It was true, the General was not a religious man. He cooperated with the preisthood, but rarely attended church, preferring to drink with his men, or read a tactician's book.

Something did need to be done however, as Guillemont had heard about men being executed for not being pious enough in England, and didn't want that to happen to him, if the practice ever came to France. He ordered a Chapel to be constructed outside the castle, which would satisfy the priests for a while, and he might even be able to turn a few to his side in the future.

On another subject, he had heardfrom the barracks that two different sets of young men were ready to be cavalry in his army. One set were Mailed Knights, the other Mounted Sergeants, both very well-trained.

Guillemont checked his treasury, and learned the chapel would cost over half his current funds, and decided to hold off on the soldiers for the time being. He had heard rumors of an English Army close to his castle, and had requested the King's permission to attack them. Should his request be denied, he would enlist the cavalry and they would help when and if the army attacked his town.

His decision-making done for the time, the General opened up a bottle of wine and drank from it, hoping the King would grant him his request and allow him to attack the army outside of his city. He hadn't spilled English blood in so long, and it was always such a grand event.

[AgentPaper]

Okay, forgot to mention, you each start with 1500, leaving me with 2000 florins. You can request more funds if you need it, but I won't like it. Depending on your need though, I may give it to you. You can also request troops from the capital as well. Working on a map now, as well as a summary of each player's area.

And it's pure vanilla, so I guess each turn is 2 years. I thought it was each turn was a season though?

Edit: There doesn't seem to be a screenshot option in the normal game. Anyone know a good way to get one?

[Dragor]

Alright then, let's get this rolling.


Prince Louis rode through the castle gates with his entourage, his blade fresh with blood from the hunt. Drawing back the visor on his helmet, he attempted not to breathe through his nose as the overwhelming smell of the peasantry came to him.

The King had sent him to Toulouse as a test of his will, he had surmised- why else would he send him to one of France's most prestigious military centres? Bordering north-eastern Spain and the treacherous Bordeaux dogs, it seemed the King wished to test his general skill, as well as insuring that the cocky Spaniards did not over-reach their petty states.

Louis dismounted, and beckoned his advisor, Antoine leCours, towards him.

"You are a good friend, Antoine, and I entrust you will heed my orders to the letter. The serfs in the surrounding land may be weak and feeble, but I need to muster forces capable of defending this.... 'prestigious'.... castle."

leCours nodded. "It will be done, sir. I will instruct the engineers to gather the surrounding peasantry to the Mustering Hall. Any further orders?"

Louis shook his head. "See it is done to the utmost efficiency. If any of the peasants refuse, put them to the sword."

leCours banged his breastplate with his fist. "To the letter, sir." Sometimes Louis's tactics of dread worried him, but it was not his place to question the Prince.

In short:

Build a Mustering Hall.
Budget = 1500-600 = 900

@^ Each turn is 6 months, as far as I know. We could simply ignore that, though, if we want to keep it fairly realistic.

[Saithis Bladewing]

I dont have the game, and I would like some explanations, if you wouldn't mind.

Medieval II is turn-based, each turn alternating between summer and winter. We are playing through the campaign map, where we control our city or castle and decide which buildings should be built, what taxes we want, etc. etc.

Different facilities take different amounts of time to build, and have different costs in florins. I know the starting French treasury is 8000 florins on standard difficulty, I don't know what kind of economic restrictions he's placing upon us though, if any... Nevermind, we start with 1500 florins, and I presume whatever income we get goes straight into our treasury each turn.

Here, I'll give you a basic overview of what you can do in your first turn, my brother of Rheims!

You have one building slot and one recruitment slot in your city of Rheims. Your city has the following features:

Tax Rates, Income, Public Order, Population and Population Growth

Rheims should look like this:

Taxes: Normal
Income: 916 florins
Public Order: 165% (VERY GOOD)
Population: 1,800
Population Growth Rate: +2%

That'll change and I won't be able to track it's change as the game progresses, but that's what it looks like now and it's a good example to go through. Your primary influence over the system right now is taxrates. Lowering tax rates to LOW increases public order and population growth rates due to happiness, raising taxes to HIGH or VERY HIGH decreases public order and population growth due to unhappiness, but increases income based upon the city's population (more population = more tax income).

Your recruitment options right now are very limited, the Town of Rheims looks like this:

Rheims:
-1 Unit Recruitment Slot
--75 Town Militia for 290 florins (1 available, 1 new available every 2 turns)
Town Militia are weak light infantry armed with a small shield and short spear. They are not well trained and are only useful in a defensive capacity. Your city walls may hold a small number of militia units without costing ANY maintenance fees! You may only build as many of a unit type as are available - in this case 1. Once you've built it, you can't build another until a new unit of that type is available, in this case, 2 turns away.

-1 Structure Building Slot
--Leather Tanner for 600 florins (2 turns)
New units are trained wearing at least padded armour, and you may retrain existing units to equip your new padded. Note that this would allow you to upgrade all of your existing units except for your General, who wears mail. The rest of your army is currently unarmoured.

--Grain Exchange for 600 florins (2 turns)
Increases tradeable goods. This increases the amount of money you acquire from trading, and allows you to train up to 1 merchant (maximum). Merchants can earn money from resources and battle enemy factions' merchants to bankrupt them. They are expensive and may not be worth it.

--Dirt Roads for 400 florins (1 turn)
Enables land-based trading routes and allows for faster movement speed. This can greatly increase your income when used in conjunction with a grain exchange.

--Land Clearance for 800 florins (2 turns)
A basic form of farming. This increases your income based upon the fertility of the region and a random factor that determines the quality of the year's harvest. Farming also increases your population growth rate. Note that Rheims has generally high fertility rates and is thus a good farming location.

--Brothel for 800 florins (2 turns)
A building for less than savoury folk to come and enjoy themselves... This allows you to train up to 1 spy (maximum) and increases public order in the city due to happiness.

--Convert to Wooden Castle for 1600 florins (2 turns)
An expensive and thorough process, this transforms your city into a castle. Castles make less money and you cannot control their tax rates, but they grow faster than cities do, as they require less population to advance. Castles train the best units until the very late game, where huge cities can begin to develop military academies that produce strong unit types. Castles, unlike cities, do not offer any free upkeep slots for militia. Converting to a castle can be profitable, but should not be undertaken lightly!

EDIT:


Okay, forgot to mention, you each start with 1500, leaving me with 2000 florins. You can request more funds if you need it, but I won't like it. Depending on your need though, I may give it to you. You can also request troops from the capital as well. Working on a map now, as well as a summary of each player's area.

And it's pure vanilla, so I guess each turn is 2 years. I thought it was each turn was a season though?

Edit: There doesn't seem to be a screenshot option in the normal game. Anyone know a good way to get one?

Each turn is supposed to be a season, however, in the gameplay mechanics, 2 years pass. Trust me, I've modded my MTW2's gameplay files to slow it down. It means that your generals live to be like 120 and the Mongols come so fast it isn't even funny. I don't like it at all. If you want I can send you a PM telling you how to set it to 1 turn = 6 months. It's really easy.

As for money, does the income from our cities go straight into our personal treasuries? If so, can you keep track of how much we have for us? We can't see the income after all. ;)

[Raistlin1040]

Changed a bit of my action King, just so you know.

[Saithis Bladewing]

Edited the format of my post and fixed a couple errors in my advice post...I was listing the public order and income for low taxes, not normal taxes. ^_^'

So, do we have anything resembling a coordinated strategy, or are we going all for ourselves? ~.^ I'm definitely planning on making Marseilles an economic power, and sticking up at least some kind of navy to look into annexing Corsica for France (with the King's permission of course.)

[Raistlin1040]

I'm pretty sure kicking serious English ass is a strategy.

God, I HATE England in this game, but I tried to beat the game with every starting faction (Only completed it with France. Unlocked Milan though, which is fun.)

[AgentPaper]

The king gives permission to move the armies and attack, as Guillemot de Lyon sees fit. As well, he has sent orders to the Crown Prince Louis to lead a force against the rebels in Bordeaux as soon as he has the required forces. He warns him not to leave his castle undefended as he does this, however. Once he takes the castle, that castle will belong to the crown prince to do with as he sees fit, and hopes to see good progress on the Spanish front.

In Paris, the King has begun a project to modernize the farming practices of the peasants, clearing land to plant more farms. As well, he is mustering militia to help fend off the English dogs, and has hired a professional diplomat to open trade relations to the east.

The army he sent to siege the city of Dijon has finally arrived, and it will not be long before the starved dogs surrender, or try a final, desperate attack on his superior forces.


I should mention that there's a cardinal, our only priest really, in the Bordeaux region currently. He's under his own control, though the various nobles can give him orders. I'll be controlling him for our purposes. The same will be for all priests. Merchants are also free, though whoever controls the region they are in can give them orders as well.

Diplomats and spies are under the primary control of whoever hired them, and their pay as well. (Priest's pay comes direct from the treasury, the king technically pays them) Diplomats move openly, but for spies, each player controls them separately, and secretly. Send me a PM on any moves you want to make with them. You can use them to spy on other nobles as well, though I'll make some system to determine if he gets caught. (Probably a d20 type, I'll post it eventually)

Still need a screenshot program, it will be very useful for many things, especially for posting expenses and such. Each player gets just the income from their holdings.

[Saithis Bladewing]

Well, driving England off the continent is a great plan if you can do it. Personally, I'm not sure my Marseilles men want to head all the way north just to maybe do nothing against the Britons. ;) Sadly, I must do what the king commands, if only because gameplay mechanics prevent me from rebelling. ;)

I expect Milan will probably come after us sooner or later, so I'd like to be ready for that. I'm preparing pre-placed snakes to try and disrupt their organization. (Cookie if you get the joke.)

EDIT: If you have Photoshop or any other image editing program, then you should be able to simply use print-screen and copy and paste the results into a new file. You CAN do it with paint but paint is crummy, if you don't have anything else, I'd download something free like GIMP.

[AgentPaper]

As for strategy, whoever is the king can give orders to dictate an overall strategy, but otherwise everyone is in it to gain power for themselves, however they choose. As a king, I'm letting everyone do what they want mostly, so you all have free reign to an extent with my rule. That could change when the next person becomes king, of course. Once we have a post from Demonic, I'll do any battles, tell the results, and end turn.

Edit: You can rebel all you want, actually. It will mostly be a RP type thing, but convince a few other nobles, and you've got a rebellion going.

[DemonicAngel]

Raoulet rode into the town, his plate-mail shinning in the noon sun. he took off his helmet, and got off his horse.
He was the son of the aunt of the king, making him part royal in nature, but he and most of the other lords had nothing in common.
he was the oldest lord to be entrusted by the king to rule upon one of the king lands, and knew the king from a young age. he was one of the kings most trusted friends.
The thing different about Raoulet from the other lords, beside of his age, was the fact that he was much more in line with the peasantry. he wanted to make his people happy, even if that meant going out to battle.
he quickly called his adviser, Jacque Montare, and after looking around the peaceful, inland town, quickly issued an order "We need, my dear Jacque, to have something to trade with. a land clearance shall go well with the soil here. the peasants are hard working folks, let them work. clear the shrubbery and bushes just outside of town. they will make fine fields for grain." with that, he ended his speech, and Jacque bowed and ran off to do what his lord told him. Raoulet thought about god, and how he lays in the smallest places. he walked back to his mansion, where his suffer awaited.

In short, a land clearance. we need some farms over here.

[AgentPaper]

You already have land clearance built, actually. You could go for communal farming for 1200 florins, though, which is essentially the next upgrade in the farm line.

[DemonicAngel]

Whoops. mu bad then. roads, I need roads to commence with trade!

[AgentPaper]

Ok, so what are the orders for the northern forces moving against england? I'd like to do any battles now, then I'll end turn and give the status for the next round later today. I'm going to be playing a game with friends for a while, probably, so I don't know when I can be back on.

[Raistlin1040]

Well in that case I will leave the castle with one stack of archers (if I can. i can't remember if peasants can leave the castle or not. SHows how long it's been since I played) and both stacks of the other unit, and move north east, attacking the English Army.

[Saithis Bladewing]

You CAN leave with peasants, though I question the wisdom of 60 archers and 150 spearmen against the english... ;) But hey, weaken yourself, I don't mind. Makes my job easier. :smallbiggrin:

Also, the land clearance thing was my bad, sorry Demonic. I failed to notice that Rheims was upgraded from the default Total War...

[DemonicAngel]

I shall also lower the texas. whats my income and whats the population growth rate?

Edit: it really is ok. I'm kinda new to this kind of things, and will probably get total war later on. so yeah, I wont be a noob for long (:

[Dragor]

My propositions for strategy are:

NOT to try and seize the north coast from England until we're absolutely ready. Losing all that trade from England won't be nice for our economy, and the Pope will not be happy. For now, let's content ourselves with taking back the rebel provinces, especially before the Holy Roman Empire/Milan (Milan ¬_¬) gets them.

Get a strong economy running- basic roads and farms essential!

Good garrisons. My garrisons are usually 5 basic infantry, 3 ranged attackers and one cavalry.

Of course, this is all just my machinations. Do what thou wilt, but that's what I advise, since we're a team- right? :smalltongue:

@ Saithis- we'll be working together, I hope, but expect some IC rivalry. Louis doesn't want to lose his heirship!


Louis sends a messenger to the King, saying that he'll muster a reasonable force as soon as possible, and if possible, he would like to integrate the Captain's forces in the Bordeaux region with his once the time is right.

I'm going to bed now, so no more posts from me. :smallfrown:

[Raistlin1040]

Bah, they don't have a general. They're like sheep.

[Saithis Bladewing]

@Demonic:
I'm guessing 804 and 3.0% respectively. Yes, I do play too much Total War.

Dragor, your scheming basically matches mine. I won't consider Marseilles at all healthy (economically) until I have roads, grain exchange and land clearance, and I won't be getting the latter until I have an upgraded wall. :smalltongue:

[AgentPaper]

Dirt roads it is then. What about taxes? defaulted at normal, or you can set it to low for less money but happier people. Happier people make more happy people more quickly. (Population growth) which leads to more money later. Much later, but there it is.

Oh, and for RP, I may do more later, but the basic background for the king, is he grew up in the royal palace, but made friends with the various other kids who lived around the palace, including the lower class people. His childhood friend, Raoulet, was the son of one of the palace guards at the time, but the king raised him to be a noble. Raoulet influenced him to care more about the peasants than most folk would be, and a kind ruler. While he keeps his taxes high, they are not as high as many others, and he spends most of the money on creating better conditions for the common folk, or defending them, instead of growing his personal power.

As for strategy, feel free to send letter IC to try and convince the other nobles to do or not do things.

Edit: 989 florins a turn, and 4% increase per turn.

[Saithis Bladewing]

Oh darn, I forgot about the influence of the farms on income at Rheims...where's the extra 1% come from? It only calculates out at 3.0% by my numbers.

[AgentPaper]

For the battle, assuming it's still going, I take it you're sending your faction leader as well? I'll try to keep him safe as much as possible (I usually use them aggressively, so I'll tone that down, heh) Any specific tactics you want to use?

Scouts report 5 units of troops in the enemy, at least one of which is spearmen. No other info.

Edit: Have to go game with my friends. I should be able to get a break later today, at which time I'll fight the battle and do anything else, and then end the turn, and post stats for the next turn, which will be tomorrow.

[DemonicAngel]

I'm sure all of you are total war regular players, but as I'm new, can I please get a map? the only total war I played was rome, and even then I modded the life out of it with Realism. so France didn't exist back then. so yeah, map. please?

[Saithis Bladewing]

http://medieval2.heavengames.com/m2tw/info/Factions/franceg/map_france

There's the provincial map, I'll see if I can't find a copy of the in-game map. Rheims is the northeastern-most French city.

[Raistlin1040]

Yes, Guillemont de Lyon is going. I tried that battle (The soldiers I mentioned, and the general) and simmed it, and we won. The simming gives the advantage to the enemy, so I'm sure we ought to win.

Guillemont will try to keep himself safe and alive, but being the bloodluster that he is, his tactics will probably be something along the lines of "Everybody charge that unit, NOW!"

[DemonicAngel]

thanks for the map (:
anyhow, we aren't playing with the expansion, right?

[AgentPaper]

Yes, Guillemont de Lyon is going. I tried that battle (The soldiers I mentioned, and the general) and simmed it, and we won. The simming gives the advantage to the enemy, so I'm sure we ought to win.

Guillemont will try to keep himself safe and alive, but being the bloodluster that he is, his tactics will probably be something along the lines of "Everybody charge that unit, NOW!"

Ey, that's borderline cheating right there. Full blown metagaming at least. None of that, please. :smallbiggrin:

[AgentPaper]

Ok, battle won. 323 prisoners, what do you do with them? worth 546 florins total.

[Saithis Bladewing]

Demonic, here you go:

France:
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/6687/francele0.jpg

Rheims:
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/7523/rheimsbq7.jpg

There might be some incompatibilities, our armies are larger than vanilla offers, but it gets you the vague idea. Know that your north is bordered by Bruges, and apparently we don't know the exact location of the city (though I could tell you OOC... :P)

[AgentPaper]

Oh, and using prtsc (print screen) doesn't work, like it usually does, for some reason. I don't think gimp or photoshop have a screenshot system, those are just in the game. Usuallyl prtsc is the button to press to use it, but not in this case it seems.

[Saithis Bladewing]

Huh? Print screen just makes a copy of whatever you're seeing at the time, letting you use ctrl-v to paste it onto a new image. It's literally the image equivalent of copy (ctrl-c). If the screenshots in-game aren't working for some reason, I was saying that you can just use it to make a copy, then create a new image in photoshop/GIMP matching your screen resolution, and then paste to create a screenshot. It's what I do.

[DemonicAngel]

Wait, my city border lines with whom, exactly? what other faction is right next to ours?

[Saithis Bladewing]

You border the neutral castle of Metz to the east, the neutral city of Bruges to the north, allied city of Paris to the west, the neutral (but soon to be conquered) city of Dijon to the south, and the English are nearby in Caen, which is northwest of Paris. The Holy Roman Empire are also just beyond Metz. That's all that needs to be known, I think.

[AgentPaper]

Ok, screenshot works. I thought it didn't, but it did. And I executed the prisoners. Off to play game now.

[Raistlin1040]

Ey, that's borderline cheating right there. Full blown metagaming at least. None of that, please. :smallbiggrin:

Whoops, sorry. I was playing our game for myself so I could see where everything was and all that, but i see how that could be unfair.

And I'll execute the prisoners.

Oh, I see you already did. Good.

[Saithis Bladewing]

Just as an observation, this almost seems to have turned into a PbP game rather than a Gaming (Other) thread. I wonder if we shouldn't request to have it moved?

[Dragor]

Just as an observation, this almost seems to have turned into a PbP game rather than a Gaming (Other) thread. I wonder if we shouldn't request to have it moved?

Back from getting no sleep to agree full-heartedly with Saithis!

Now crawls back to bed to attempt sleep a second time.

(Oh, good job, Raistlin, by the way. Vive le France! :smalltongue:) Or something to that effect.

[AgentPaper]

Yeah, I was thinking that too. If someone could make this the OOC thread, and make a IC thread, moving the IC posts so far into that, that would be perfect.

[AgentPaper]

Ok, all we need before turn ending is for mr crown prince to decide if he's doing anything with that army of his.

[LordVader]

If you can do Rome, I would be interested in playing along. Of course, that game did have some problems with balance(calvary beats spearmen? Really?) I've found it to be very enjoyable, though its better with the total realism mod.

To be fair, cavalry in Rome are far weaker than their M2 counterparts. It seems like charging cavalry into spearmen is generally a lose, and especially lethal to general units; Roman Generals will not survive a head-on plunge into a Warband unsupported. Whereas, in M2, really good heavy cav can steamroller just about anything, and the Bodyguard units in the Stainless Steel mod are infused with divine power.

Would anybody here be interested in playing M2/Kingdoms online? (I would play Rome, but lost my CD key before I could enter it; if anyone has a spare one they're not using, I would be eternally grateful.)

[Raistlin1040]

Just a heads up, I'm not going to be on until late tomorrow night (Going to a dentist appointment, then a friend's birthday party), so my action tomorrow will be to return to Angers.

[Pocketa]

I might be in, if I can get my internet to function well by...2011.

[AgentPaper]

Ok, you get the next noble that pops. Turn ends as soon as Mr. Crown Prince decides whether to attack Bordeaux or not.

[Don Julio Anejo]

Damn :mad:
Can't believe I missed this thread...

I'd love to play the next time you guys do something similar.

Although Rome is so much more fun... especially Europa Barbarorum mod and multiplayer (which I can't play anymore unfortunately thanks to dad and his over the top need for network security that doesn't work with GameSpy).

[Prophaniti]

I'd be in to playing an online game of M2 or Rome. Been a while, and I remember being quite tired of stomping the AI, so it'll be fun to play with some actual people. Man, I got a lot of great stories and memories of different M2 games.

So, what exactly are you guys doing here? Is one of you running the game and the rest just RPing along? Seems like fun, but I don't want to be France...

[Saithis Bladewing]

Not precisely, more like we're all RPing and giving orders to our chosen noble, and he plays out the orders as requested. I know how you feel about France. I'm thinking of starting up a thread of my own to run just so that we can play someone who isn't France as well as France. ~.^

[AgentPaper]

Over the course of the game new nobles pop in and out, so other players can come in. Here's the queue:

1: Pocketa
2: Prophaniti
3: Dumbledore Lives

So, pocketa has priority, but it shouldn't be too long before the others get their nobles. Anyways, sorry for those who dislike France, but it's what we're doing, so we're sticking with it.

Edit: Also, I should mention that Guillemot de Lyon was adopted by the king, so he's royalty now. Prince Guillemot de Lyon, to be precise. Not all that far off from crown prince, especially if the current crown prince doesn't do well.

[Saithis Bladewing]

I don't mind playing France, they're just not my favourite in the world. ;)

[Dumbledore lives]

Even though I'm a bit late to start I may as well be number four on that list. I figure with the way the game plays out babies should be made very quickly. And if you adopt some that's all the better.

[Dragor]

Sorry, I went to bed and I can't post in my sleep (without much difficulty.)

No, the army is staying where it is (my garrison). I'm going to request that the Captain and his small army near Bordeaux come back to Toulouse, though.

[LordVader]

I'd be in to playing an online game of M2 or Rome. Been a while, and I remember being quite tired of stomping the AI, so it'll be fun to play with some actual people. Man, I got a lot of great stories and memories of different M2 games.

So, what exactly are you guys doing here? Is one of you running the game and the rest just RPing along? Seems like fun, but I don't want to be France...

Agreed. Not a huge fan of France. Favorite in M2 is Denmark, in Rome is Seleucid. Seleucids have literally everything; hoplites, pikemen, heavy cavalry, chariots, elephants, legionaries, it's great.

[Prophaniti]

Call me predictable, but I like playing the Holy Roman Empire in M2... and M1, actually. Scots are great, too, they start in such a challenging position and have some fun units. In RTW, I like playing the Gauls, Bretons, or Germania. It's a fun challenge to be right next to rome and try to hold your own with mostly inferior units.

I gotta say, I love the Pope mechanic when playing as a catholic faction, it's the cause of most of my good memories and stories. I always seem to go one of two ways, though. Either I send a crusade to the holy land as soon as I can, and get on his good side (so I can tell him to stuff it later without major penalty), or I tell him to stuff it from the start and take on all christendom at once. Man, I really wish I had some time to play that again, now, but with college starting up next week, and my classes not finalized yet...:smalleek:

[LordVader]

Danes make for a fun campaign too, as you have the Juggernaught that is the HRE under you, but at the same time you are free to expand north and raid the western part of Europe to your heart's content.
I do enjoy the HRE's unit selection, Gothic Knights and Reitiers in particular are fun.

[AgentPaper]

Ok, here's the setup for the next turn. If you guys want any more info, I'll give it.

Finances:

Gassou
1500 Starting Treasury
1405 Marielle
-510 Upkeep
-400 Dirt Roads
1995 Final Treasury

Guillemot
1500 Starting Treasury
957 Angers
-383 Upkeep
-800 Chapel
1274 Final Treasury

Prince Louis
1500 Starting Treasury
1189 Toulouse
-1110 Upkeep
-900 Mustering Hall
1506 Final Treasury

Raoulet
1500 Starting Treasury
989 Rheims
-350 Upkeep
-400 Dirt Roads
479 Final Treasury

Nobles:

King Phillip
Age: 40

Ruled Cities:
Paris:
Units:
120 Crossbow Militia
120 Peasant Archers
450 Spear Militia
Buildings:
Wooden Wall
Town Guard
Small Church
Town Hall
Grain Exchange
Dirt Roads
Agents:
Princess Constance
Diplomat


Crown Prince Louis
Age: 21

Ruled Cities:
Toulouse:
Units:
360 Peasant Archers
80 Mailed Knights
300 Spear Militia
300 Sergeant Spearmen
Buildings:
Castle
Stables
Bowyer
Port
Agents:
None

Perrin Gassou
Age: 20

Ruled Cities:
Marielle:
Units:
240 Peasant Archers
300 Sergeant Spearmen
Buildings:
Palisade
Town Watch
Agents:


Prince Guillemot de Lyon
Age: 32

Ruled Cities:
Angers:
Units:
120 Peasant Archers
Buildings:
Wooden Castle
Stables
Agents:


Raoulet Poiteven
Age: 40

Ruled Cities:
Rheims:
Units:
120 Peasant Archers
300 Spear Milita
150 Town Militia
Buildings:
Palisade
Land Clearance
Town Watch
Agents:


Armies:

Captain Pierre
Location: Laying siege to Dijon
Owned by: King Phillip
Units:
80 Mailed Knights
120 Peasant Archers
300 Spear Militia

Prince Guillemot de Lyon
Location: Returning to Angers, in English territory
Owned by: Prince Guillemot de Lyon
Units:
~200 Spear Militia
~100 Peasant Archers

Queue:

1: Pocketa
2: Don Julio Anejo
3: Prophaniti
4: Dumbledore Lives


Post your actions for today, and I'll do the turn tonight. Off to classes for now.

[Saithis Bladewing]

As winter fell over Perrin's estate, the noble looked over the reports with a mild amount of disdain. At his orders, the serfs had built a new road network throughout all Provence, including a major road west connecting Marseille to Toulouse and its port. The trade was ready to flow, once the necessary infrastructure was in place. With no outstanding orders from the King, he was prepared to expand the power of Marseille through any means necessary.

Just two days later, the French Noble rode through the streets of his Town, alongside his advisor Jean DuClaire. Though his garrison was well armed and trained, the growing settlement had a flaw in its defences: a simple barrier of wooden logs was all that stood between the city and potential aggressors for Milan or the Holy Roman Empire. That, in Perrin's mind, was unacceptable.

"A wall, Master Gassou?" Jean inquired. "It sounds expensive."

Perrin nodded. "Aye, it will cost some two-thirds of my existing treasury. The rest will be going into an advance-warning tower in the east, to keep an eye on both the Milanese and the seas around our fair town. Marseille is going to be the most important city outside of Paris, mark my words. It is our duty to guide it to that position."

Jean nodded and scratched some notes onto the parchment. "Seigneur, with all respect, can we afford this? Perhaps it would be wiser to invest in a marketplace for the local peasantry to trade their goods."

The noble scoffed. "What good is trade if it cannot be conducted peacefully?"

Perrin looked around, then nodded, marking a number of locations upon his map. "I am going to journey east to the Italian border to overlook the construction of a watchtower there. I want you to begin construction of the walls while I am gone. Keep the old palisade up for now, we can salvage it to use as building materials once the new wall is in place. Look into planning new expansion within the city for our growing population...we can plan the development of the city in more detail once I return."

Jean sighed and bowed. "As you wish Seigneur, I will see to it that labourers are assigned to the necessary woodcutting and construction for this project."

Turn 2:
General Perrin Gassou

Actions:
--Ordering Construction of Wooden Wall in Marseille (1200 florins, 2 turns).
--Moving Perrin Gassou as far east as possible along the southern coastal road while still having enough movement to return to Marseille, building a watchtower (200 florins), then moving back to the city.

Marseilles:
-Wooden Palisade
-Town Watch
-Dirt Roads
-Very High Tax Rates

Army:
-Marseille Garrison
--Perrin's Bodyguard
--300 Sergeant Spearmen
--240 Peasant Archers

[Dragor]

"The Mustering Hall is still being built, my liege. By next season our preparations to muster a defensive force will begin properly."

"I see." said Louis, leaning on the wooden banquet table. Another cold breeze flew through the hall, and Louis shrugged on his fur coat. "What of the other provinces?"

"Doing mostly similar, my Lord. Marseilles is getting ambitious. As far as I know, the Kings orders to seize Bordeaux still stand, mon voi."

"Continue as planned, then." said Louis, now walking onto the balcony, and looked over the castle. It was like a ghost town; everyone was sheltering inside from the bitter cold. Some brave Knights drilled outside, practicing their lance maneuvers, but they couldn't seem to quite perfect it, drawing their lances away at the last moment. Louis sighed. (Get the reference there? :smalltongue:)

"We need more archers on these ramparts," muttered the Prince.

In short:

Continue building Mustering Hall.
Build 1 unit of Peasant Archers.

Budget- 1506 - 220 = 1286

Not moving any troops, staying put.

[DemonicAngel]

Can anyone give me a tech tree of the buildings? what I can build and what I cant with the current building.

[AgentPaper]

Mostly it's just better versions of whatever you just built. I don't think there's any buildings that require multiple others to be built. It's not really so much of a tech tree as it is a construction upgrade thing. Though you do need a higher level city for most later structures.

Edit: Also, the mustering hall is already done. Did you want to start a garrison quarters?

[AgentPaper]

Just need demonic's actions for this turn. Here's the NPC moves:

The king has sent a message to his son in Toulouse upon hearing he recalled the army he had been given command of:

"I see you have called back the army I gave you, holding your forces back despite my orders to attack the Castle Bordeaux. I hope you are not wasting both my time and my money in some foolish pursuit or in cowardice or indecisiveness. I will once again reinstate that you should be using your formidable army to further the expansion of France, instead of throwing the royal treasury to pay soldiers to sit and play dice.

King Phillip the Chivalrous

(Royal Stamp)"

As well, Cardinal Etienne Tristram is touring the villages around Castle Bordeaux, converting the pagans and heathen to the good graces of the lord almighty. He was told to stay there until the prince took the castle, and advise him in his controlling the new holdings, then head south into the Spanish lands to continue the lord's work.

Princess Constance has been sent to treatise with the English, looking to wile away a general, or if she can't, she will head west to negotiate for the surrender of the rebel town of Rennes.

The diplomat sent to the east to open trade with the holy roman empire is still en route. The army laying siege to Dijon reports no changes. The city should fall before the next winter, by there estimate.


Also, we will be roleplaying as each turn is a season, even if 2 years pass ingame. I'll do that mod to change it if you want, but it doesn't seem necessary.

[Saithis Bladewing]

Well, the mod isn't difficult, which is why I suggested it. It just requires editing 1 number in a text file. In my eyes it's worth it to have a realistic passage of time, but hey, your call.

[AgentPaper]

Sure, why not. Just post how and I'll do it before next turn.

[Saithis Bladewing]

All you have to do is go to your Total War folder, then go to data/world/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign/ and then open desc_strat.txt

I recommend making a copy of this file before editing it, just in case. Nothing should go wrong, but if for some reason it does, better safe than sorry.

Anyway, you should have some stuff about playable factions, then you have the start date, end date, and timescale...

It should have timescale 2.00 - change that number to 0.50 and you have 1 turn = 1 season as opposed to 1 turn = 2 years. You can also change it to 1.00 for 1 year, or 1.33 for 1 1/3 years, or whatever you want. Playing around with the game files can be fun. :P

...Mind you, I don't know if this will adversely affect the save file, but I don't see why it would. If it does, you can change it back, though it's best to find out on turn 2 as opposed to turn 100. :smalltongue:

[DemonicAngel]

Raoulet looked upon his town, growing bigger and better... the paved roads were almost complete, and he needed a garrison of troops if one of his borders was to be attacked. he called Jacque, asking him to send the word out to the town watch to train there next group, as he will supply the weapons and what ever equipment they will need from his own treasury.
he then sank back into his keep, hearing all the news from one of his carriers.

Turn 2:
Train town watch. (I have no idea how this costs, so if it costs too much, please, stop me now.)

[AgentPaper]

Wouldn't that make a season be at .25? .5 is half a year, and there's 4 seasons to the year...

[Dragor]

Edit: Also, the mustering hall is already done. Did you want to start a garrison quarters?

Is it? Oh. My bad. I thought they took two turns. I think I'm getting mixed up. Yes, start on the Garrison Quarters.

[Saithis Bladewing]

Wouldn't that make a season be at .25? .5 is half a year, and there's 4 seasons to the year...

...Well, if you want to have two winters in a year, then go ahead. By season I was just thinking in terms of hot half and cold half.

[AgentPaper]

Oh, huh. Ah well. .5 it is then.


or maybe, just maybe, pi?

[Raistlin1040]

(Hey, AgentPaper, did I get any Retinue or Traits after I won the battle?)


General-No, Prince Guillemot de Lyon led his army back to Angers, riding in front, accompanied by Captain Antoine, a soldier of his that had earned his respect for his quick thinking and skill with a spear.

The Prince was thinking about the battle. It wasn't nearly as satisfying as he might have hoped. It was too easy really. They had killed the enemy Captain in what seemed like minutes, and the enemy army fell into disarray, over 300 of them having been captured. On the positive side, he had executed all the captives, and his own army hadn't suffered very many casualties at all. Better yet, for having won the battle by such a landslide, he had been adopted by the King himself, making him a possible heir to the throne.

Indeed, he had heard a rumor that the Crown Prince had defied one of his father's requests, and there might be some bad blood between the two, which could lead to Guillemot becoming the heir-apparent in the coming future. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the words of Antoine, before blinking out of his plotting and noticing the man looking at him, anticipating an answer.

"Did you ask me a question, Captain?" He asked. Antoine nodded.

"Yes my Prince. I asked if I may be permitted to know our next course of action. I am aware we are going back to Angers, but I want to know what's after that."

Prince Guillemot let an amused smile pass his face. Antoine, always thinking about the next move.

"Well, that depends. I think we've scared the English with our ferocity, but I wonder if we overestimate their intelligence. They might want revenge against us, against their better judgement, and so we may have to defend Angers from them. Assuming we are safe for the time being, some of my scouts have reported a rebel town not far from where we just fought. I intend to petition for more troops from my Father, as our current treasury isn't exactly large enough to recruit more troops for ourselves. Assuming he grants my request, I intend to move out and strike the town as soon as his soldiers are under my command."

Antoine nodded slowly, uneasy. "If I may, Lord, do you think it's likely the English will attack? My wife and daughter live in Angers, and if we were overrun, I worry for their safety."

Prince Guillemot laughed, though not a happy one. "The English are unlikely to attack, and if they do, we'll chase them back to their island, with the body of their leader mounted on a pike. You have nothing to worry about."

Antoine nodded again, a bit of a smile on his face. "Yes, I thought you might say something like that."

So this turn I am returning to Angers, like I said, and petitioning the King for soldiers, to attack the Rebel City by the English border (Can't remember the name right now.)

[Dragor]

So this turn I am returning to Angers, like I said, and petitioning the King for soldiers, to attack the Rebel City by the English border (Can't remember the name right now.)

Bruges? Or Rennes? I think that's their names. Bruges in Belgium, Rennes on the western coast.

[AgentPaper]

The king replies to the request:

"While I would like to comply with your request for reinforcements, I am afraid the royal treasury cannot afford to spend money on more soldiers. You will have to make do with what you have, for now. Perhaps more money will open when your brother takes the city I asked of him."


Also, starting next turn (I didn't think of it until now) I will be taking 10% off of each city's income to put in the royal treasury, which will then be distributed as needed by the king or saved for future need. IC, this is a new decree by the king, or maybe an old one I just forgot to implement. Anyways, it's there now.

And there's rennes, on the west coast, and then the english castle east of that, and then another rebel town east of that.

[Raistlin1040]

Rennes is the one closest to Angers though right?

Edit: And I'll recruit one stack of Mailed Knights.

[DemonicAngel]

A carrier, a runner bearing the Poiteven house seal rode into the adopted prince camp, bearing a sealed letter from Raoulet himself.
the carrier quickly gave his letter, with a warning "for the prince eyes only" (yes, I allow only him to read this.)
Inside were written the following words: "I heard just recently that your father, our leige and king, denied you of extra troops. I would gladly offer one of my city's archers. you might need to re-equip them, as my own city is of no condition to arm them yet.
I eagerly wait your response, prince, for it seems the king heir has not the power nor the wits of his father. I hope you are a better choice.
decide what you will. my archers await there orders.
it was signed:
"Lord Raoulet Poiteven, governor of Rehims."



the carrier awaited his orders, and was dismissed to sleep in the servants quarters, after a hearty meal and bath.

so yeah, also, I would like to see my total treasury, after bulding the town watch and getting the next profit.

[AgentPaper]

Just so you know, I'll be reading any "secret" stuff as well, but you others better damn well not. You guys can feel free to send PMs of stuff you don't want others to even catch wind of to each other as well, just make sure to send me a copy as well. Since I'm not roleplaying much now, and won't be at all once the king dies, this is just for gameplay mechanics, I'll keep the info out of RP, of course. And just so you know, if I catch someone using info they shouldn't, They loose their family member. You can go back on the list, but I'm taking this seriously. I want to encourage intrigue and backstabbing* as much as possible to make the game buckets of fun.

*How often you hear THAT out of a king? :smallbiggrin:

[Raistlin1040]

Prince Guillemot read the letter quickly. He had a scribe write a response for him, and sent it off.

It reads

Dear Lord Raoulet,

I would much appreciate that donation of soldiers. I don't honestly think I will lose at Rennes, especially with my own new knights, but any extra force is sure to be useful in case the battle proves somewhat harder than expected. If you would be so kind as to send them over as soon as you are able, I will march as soon as all the troops are ready. And don't worry, if this battle goes as smoothly as I think it will under my command, I promise that your archers, and by extension, yourself, will get some of the glory as well.

Sincerely, Prince Guillemot de Lyon, Lord of Angers.


The Prince smirked lightly. It was always good to have allies, especially if the future passed as he intended, with himself as the king, for the current Crown Prince would most definatly not be happy. Not happy at all. The Prince grabbed a glass of wine and drank it, laughing quietly to himself.

(You didn't answer my question earlier AgentPaper. Retinue/Traits for winning the battle?)

[AgentPaper]

Nope, just got promoted to royalty.

Edit: There is castle Caen directly north of Angers, and the city of Rennes is north west, a bit further away. Not one turn's reach, probably, at least with infantry.

[Raistlin1040]

Good enough! :smalltongue:

[AgentPaper]

I should mention that the option to adopt came up in-game, not as something I just decided. Not that it needs to work that way, but it's cool that it did this time.

And don't worry too much about winning battles. I'm pretty good on the battle map.

Edit: Is that everyone? It time to end the turn?

[Raistlin1040]

Yeah I know, I've always adopted Guillmot too because I use him in every fight, it's bound to come up sooner or later. And he's a badass

[Don Julio Anejo]

Sorry, but take me off the list :frown:

I'm simply not going to have any time soon... Thank you very much 5 classes + job + hopefully I'll have at least a tiny bit of time left to party.

[AgentPaper]

I should mention that the garrison quarters costs 1200 florins. You have enough, but only barely. Got like 86 florins left.

[DemonicAngel]

Lord Raoulet called his adviser, and whispered a few words.
"Send our archers to the adopted prince city of Angers. our spear and town miltia will hold the walls until they return. and by that time, we will have the adopted son army to help us in time of need. for now, I would like to know how much gold is in our coffers, and what you advise me to build with it."

Jacque saw his lord leave his chair, returning to his private quarters. it seemed his master had some grand scheme of things, but sometimes all was to the will of god. one wrong moves, and the old lord will fall down the own steps he built.

(I like how this game is shaping up. sorry for the slow start.)

[AgentPaper]

Hey look, spam!

[Dragor]

Hey look, spam!

Where? Where?

To make an actual post: sorry guys, but I'm going to real busy as of late. It's only just cropped up. Sorry. :smallannoyed:

[Raistlin1040]

Hey guys, going out of town tomorrow, won't be back until Friday night.

[DemonicAngel]

what are we waiting for exactly?

[AgentPaper]

Sorry, that's me. Last few days were busy, but I have the whole next week off, so we should be able to get some stuff done for sure now. Looking though the last turn, to see if we need anything else before the next turn.

Edit: Demonic, I think we just need your action this turn, actually. You said you were making a town watch, but your city has one already.

You can make:
Leather Tanner - Upgrades armor of troops.
Grain Exchange - Increases trade.
Communal Farming - Increases food production.
Small Church - Spreads religion, later you can make priests.
Brothel - Increases happiness, and you can train spies.

[puppyavenger]

Could you put me on the list? I need this game, and this is the next-best thing, plus intrigue is always nice.

[DemonicAngel]

I shall build a small church then. aswell as the town miltia.

[AgentPaper]

Sweet, let's get this going again. Ending turn now.

Ack, should have posted prices as well. You have 479, church and militia are 800 and 290, respectively.

[puppyavenger]

so am I number 5 on the waiting list?

[AgentPaper]

Yeah, don't worry, your on there. I have it on an excel sheet for now, will be on the next turn update, which I will do now, and assume demonic angel doesn't do anything with his turn. (He didn't have much money to do stuff with anyways)

[AgentPaper]

Okay, there's been some accounting errors (On my part, but also ingame by the head clerk, heh) so everyone has been given an even 600 florins to work with. Good for some, bad for others.

On the bright side, our princess has found herself a worthy husband in the general Thibault de Reims. So, we have a new noble on the scene. PMing Pocketa, who has until tomorrow to answer, before I call on the next person on the list, and so on. After marrying Constance, he has been sent by the king to resolve the battle going on around the city of Dijon. French forces are currently holding the city at siege for a year now, and the general is expected to win the battle and the city for France, and for himself. If the city is taken, he becomes the governor of that city to do with as he will.

So, no free city, since all are taken, so you get to go take a rebel city, basically. And before I forget, do you guys want to know all the traits and retinue your nobles have? Retinue is probably good, but I don't know if you want to limit your characters by their stats, which are mostly random. It's not like they affect the game overly much anyways, so I don't think it's a big deal. The new guy, for example, is maxed out in loyalty, and I don't want to force a new player to play the extremely obedient type.

[Pocketa]

I'm out, I'm at Burning Man.

[AgentPaper]

That's too bad. Message sent to the next on the list, Mr. Don Julio Anejo. Want me to put you back on the bottom of the list for another try next time, pocketa?

[Prophaniti]

Got a PM, said there was a frenchman with my name on him...:smallwink: I'll give it a go.

[AgentPaper]

Cool. Will update for next turn tomorrow. See yah then!

[Raistlin1040]

Traits and Retinue would be appreciated, as would stats.

[Pocketa]

That's too bad. Message sent to the next on the list, Mr. Don Julio Anejo. Want me to put you back on the bottom of the list for another try next time, pocketa?

Nah, I might wait a while. But thanks!

Just, school's starting.

It's not you, it's me!