Survive or Thrive - England AAR (Phoenix III Mod)

[blklizard]

I've started this AAR because I abandoned my other Phoenix III Mod AAR due to many reasons. I felt Phoenix III Mod offeres a lot of things and deserves another chance. This AAR, unlike my other ones, will simply be a game play style.

Difficulty: Normal [Changed to Very Hard on February of 1244] (See Chapter 3 for more info)
Lucky nations to None
All other settings default
Mod: Phoenix III

Rules:
-no cheating (including no reloading)
-will only cancel missions if they are impossible
-remain Christian
-cannot declare war without a casus belli
-when called in by ally, play an active part in the war
-when conquering lands that are outside the British Isles, my infamy cannot pass the halfway mark of my infamy limit [eg. I can only take 12 infamy if my limit is 24 infamy limit] excluding the diplo-annexing of vassals where, if I do pass it, it must still be under the infamy limit
-after the year 1420, conquering Catholic lands cannot make my infamy pass the quarter way mark of my infamy limit [eg. I can only take 6 infamy if my limit is 24 infamy limit]
-if I'm the defender of the faith, I must answer to all calls to arm
-vassals and personal unions limited to 4 in total (once I reach the total, I must diplo-annex two of them before I can get more vassals)
-after the year 1292, no vassals and personal unions are allowed
-remain under the infamy limit
-cannot use Add Core with Spies
-cannot expand if I'm overextended
-after the year 1393, can only take provinces from the nation war is declared on


The nation I picked will be England. See the map below.

I know what you're thinking. This guy is picking such an easy start. What is he trying to accomplish. The purpose is to explore many aspects of the mod.

First, I, with England, can see the colonization aspect. Africa is within reach which will let me see if any changes were made to colonization.

Secondly, there are lots of new trade goods added into the game. What better way to discover them all than to colonize.

Thirdly, the buildings added to the game has been numerous as well. With hopefully a large treasury, I'll be able to see the benefits of the different buildings.

Fourth, we can build wonders. It may take me awhile to figure out but I will build at least one wonder by the end of the game .

With the purpose of this game explained, I wish to show you another part of the world.

Now, that is an amazing sight! The Mongols are coming! Europe is fractured and can be easy pickings for this giant. Will Europe survive the Mongol invasion?

I will now set my goals:

1. Control all of British Isles. [Completed 1269]
-1.1. Conquer or vassalize Scotland
-1.2. Take over Wales.
-1.3. Ireland will be third to fall.

2a. Deal with the France region [Completed 1291]
-2a.1. Conquer or vassalize France
2b. Deal with Venice [Completed 1444]
-2b.1. Break Venice down by either taking their land or force them to release vassals
-2b.2. Take enough territory to open up a path into Italy

3. Deal with the Almoravids
-3.1. Conquer Almoravids' Iberian possessions and remove Muslim presence in Europe
-3.2. Take other land they have in Africa

4. Conquer Ayyubids [Completed 1544

5. Defeat Bulgaria
-5.1. Take over Bulgarian Asian and African Possessions
-5.2. Remove them from the map

[This is all the goals I'll set now. Depending on what happens in the game, I will decide on the next set of goals.]


Table of Contents:

Gameplay Style

Prologue
Chapter 1 - The Opening Moves
Chapter 2 - Establishing Some Dominance
Chapter 3 - This Must be Easy Mode
Chapter 4 - Dominant Powers Emerging in Europe
Chapter 5 - Mongols Losing Grounds
Chapter 6 - Opportunities Following Interesting Expansions
Chapter 7 - Controlling the Seas
Chapter 8 - Few Steps Away from Unifying British Isles
Chapter 9 - Ireland Nearly Unified
Chapter 10 - Nation Update (Bulgaria)
Chapter 11 - Nation Update (Mongol Khanate)
Chapter 12 - British Isles is Unified!

Chapter 13 - Bulgaria Growing Out of Control!
Chapter 14 - Excommunication War on Venice
Chapter 15 - Excommunication War Rages On!
Chapter 16 - Venice Cut Down in Size
Chapter 17 - England Facing Dangerous Coalition
Chapter 18 - Polish Coalition Defeated!
Chapter 19 - England-Bulgaria Expansion Race
Chapter 20 - Bulgaria Leading In Expansion Race
Chapter 21 - Invasion of Iberia!
Chapter 22 - Almoravids Kindly Handing Over Land!
Chapter 23 - African Campaigns Going Swimmingly!
Chapter 24 - Conflict Between the Empires Becoming Inevitable!
Chapter 25 - Great Britain is Born!
Chapter 26 - Miscellaneous of Mod!

Storytelling Style

Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38

 

[blklizard]

Prologue

Our quest has begun with England. Let's see what resources we have and what opportunities await us.

Spoiler

We begin with Feudal Monarchy. The prestige boost and larger land force limit will give me a much needed edge. I'm on very good terms with the Papal State. As for Scotland, they're a little too friendly with me. There's something I must do about that .

Spoiler

Let's look at modifiers that are affecting my nation. First, we are a settled civilization. I must admit it looks great. At the expense of some of my war capacity, I get some nice bonuses to my economy. The lower national revolt risk will definitely be helpful once I start expanding outwards. The land attrition and war exhaustion are both going to hurt me bad in a prolonged wars. Guess I need to pick my enemies carefully. Ironically, the extra infamy reduction is actually promoting war for me. The English State Bonus isn't much, is it? I guess it's better than nothing. Apparently, we have plenty of horses and not enough weapons. That is interesting indeed. I guess there are some provinces that would be alluring if they have horses or weapons. The age of Medieval hinders anyone that even considers colonization. The biggest impact for me must be the technology cost. With the size of my nation, that 1% is going to have larger impact than one thinks.

Spoiler

I have a nice ruler. He's going to help me burn off infamy from the inevitable wars. Got some advisers with the main focus of improving the ducats I can reap from my nation. I need it for the army I will be fielding. It will take a toll on my treasury, especially when I start recruiting them. Looking at my economy, it's pretty obvious that production is my main source of income. When constructing buildings, I think I will need to focus on production efficiency until the new world is discovered. To further improve my economic situation, I focus on getting level 3 stability since it makes such a huge difference.

Spoiler

Heading into the military tab, I immediately upgraded my troops to the better versions. The sooner the upgrade, the sooner I can start my wars. Looking at my force limits, I must admit that I field a decent army and navy. The only problem that hinders me is my economy. It may take a few years or so before I get even close to maxing my regiments.

Spoiler

Next, we have the religious tab. I'm Catholic and it does, thankfully, help me more than it hurts me. Production is my primary source of income so the national tax modifier doesn't hurt as much. The stability cost will hurt later on into the game. Overall, this religion will aid my nation in the long run. Going into national ideas, things are looking interesting. I made a minor change with the help of the console. As you can see, I already have Quest for the New World in 1238. This makes no sense whatsoever so I decided to change it. What would happen is that I would change the idea to Military Drill once I reach level 3 stability and enter stability in the console. Military Drill makes sense in this start because I have a reasonable amount of continental territories. The other two national ideas make historical sense so I decided to let them stay the same (though I was tempted to change the Bill of Rights as well. Who says my people need rights? ).

Spoiler

I got the most ideal mission in this start. Time to plot against them, I guess.

 

[blklizard]

Chapter 1 - The Opening Moves

While England is in a great starting position, the Mongols are too close for comfort. I needed to make smart moves to avoid getting bogged down in prolonged wars with little gain. Before I can start wars, I need to make sure my economy is heading the right direction. Therefore, my first order of business involved the sliders where I moved a step closer to centralization. The negative national tax and production modifiers are hurting my economy way too much for my liking. A pretender would rise on the European continent which proved to be a minor annoyance. My troops there aren't plentiful and, with the upgrades to the troops, their low morale just meant they weren't ready to take on the rebels. I waited a few months before I eliminated the pretender.

Spoiler

With the domestic decisions made, I must focus on the diplomatic situation next. I have five diplomats which meant I needed to make five well calculated moves. My first two diplomats were sent to guarantee the independence of Tyrone and Munster. I'm a bit worried that Norman would have ideas. Yes, the Normans have a sizable territory in Ireland that splits Tyrone and Munster. The last thing I want is for Normandy to control all of Ireland and be a threat so near my territory. Next, I chose to ally myself with Burgundy. I need a counter for France and Burgundy is the perfect candidate for that position. With an army that I assumed could rival the French, the alliance should guarantee us victory over the French. Of course, I need to take further steps to restrain France. With all the French foreign claims in my territory or provinces neighboring mine, a single warning would guarantee that I be called into a defensive war against the French. I wasn't taking any chances for France to become any stronger than they already are. With the continental situation solved, I sent an insult to Scotland to prepare the stage for war against them. Burgundy accepted my alliance offer and Portugal, as though in real life, decided to be on my good side with a royal marriage. I thought an alliance offer would follow (but it never got to that point).

Spoiler

Speaking of Portugal, I only just remembered to update the situation of Iberia. All I can say is the Iberian peninsula is anyone's game. Four relatively even matched Catholic nations compete control of Northern Iberia while the south is controlled by the Muslim nation of Almoravids. The question is whether the Catholic nations will band together to kick the Muslim nation out of Europe or if they fight amongst themselves and allow the Muslims to gain a further foothold in the region. The truth be said, I would benefit if the Almoravids controlled all of Iberia. With a Holy War casus belli (one of which I don't have at the moment), I can take Iberia for relatively low infamy costs. With a few nations between me and Iberia, it will be awhile before my expansion will occur in Iberia.

Spoiler

Let's head a bit further east to Anatolia and the Balkans. The map of this region is a lot more messier than Iberia. Bulgaria controlled a vast nation. If it weren't for the fact that they border the Mongols, I would say they have no problem becoming the dominant power in the region. Epirus, another Orthodox nation, looked destined to unify all of Greece (I assume that they can form Greece). There are a couple of nations standing in their way but none of which that could really challenge them outright. The light green nation controlling Constantinople isn't the Ottomans. It's a small nation called Latin who is the lone Catholic nation in the area. Surrounded by Orthodox and Muslim nations, I doubt they stand much chance surviving the first decade. Nicaea,another Orthodox nation, has the Muslim nation of Rum to her east while the mighty Bulgaria to her west and north. Other than Latin, there aren't many easy pickings for this nation. Southeast of Rum, you may notice tiny nations that control coastal provinces. Those nations, with the exception of Armenia, are crusader states that struggled for survival in the region. While we share the same faith, it would be disadvantageous for me to try to aid them when my supply range doesn't even come close to that area. I wish them luck and, if they still survive for another century or so, I may just give them a helping hand.

Spoiler

It would appear that the Normans are already creating problems for me. They are trying to lay claims on all of my provinces or I would take a legitimacy hit. I had no choice but to pick the legitimacy hit. I dared not take a chance of finding out the consequences of giving them cores to all my territory. In time, I will make them pay. As of now, they are fortunate that my immediate goal isn't to eliminate them. While this major setback was taking place in England, there has been interesting development in Europe. Many European nations realized the threat the Mongols posed on Europe and decided to band together to fight the scourge. As a result, Hungary declared a crusade on the Mongols hoping that they could halt the Mongols. As for me, I must solidify my power in the region and pray that the Mongols don't make too much headway into Europe before I am ready to take them on.

Spoiler

 

[blklizard]

Chapter 2 - Establishing Some Dominance

Following the setback by Normandy, I was eager to find an opportunity to repay them back. Before much could be done, it would appear that Hungary got luck on their side (I'm sure I set lucky nations to none) when they instantly inherited Saxony barely a month into the game. This isn't what I hoped for but I guess I should be glad they are so far away. I just hope that this doesn't happy with Burgundy or France. Last thing I need is for them to grow even stronger.

Spoiler

I waited patiently for a year while I built up my troops. Even though I haven't hit my force limit, I felt that the English had plenty of men to take on the Scottish and her allies. On the June of 1239, the subjugation war of Scotland has begun. Flanders joined the war as well but the only other threat was Naples. I had a feeling that Flanders would enter the war and prepared a nice surprise for them. After getting military access through Normandy and France, I ordered 13 thousand soldiers to wait at the Flanders border and, the minute they entered the war, I sent the troops into to clean up the pitiful resistance. In the north, the Scottish thought that placing their entire army near my border would dissuade me from attacking. They made a huge mistake and I capitalized on it with the annihilation of their army. The only thing stopping me from carpet sieging was that I was worried that they would trigger the decision that would give them a sizable army when their war exhaustion is high. Playing it safe, I only sieged two provinces at a time so I can react in time.

Spoiler

Nicaea had conquered Latin and that apparently triggered their decision to form Byzantium. While it's nice to see them back, I would say they still had a rough road ahead of them. However, bad news soon arrived from the east. It would seem that the mighty Mongol Khanate had decided to begin their invasion of Europe. I had little doubt that Lithuania cannot hold out but I had other things on my mind. First and foremost, I had my nation to manage. I took a daring decision to answer the call to arms from one of the minor French states. The warning had worked and I found myself the war leader of the nations taking on the mighty France. Our number advantage was misleading because a large chunk of my troops are fighting the Scottish. Burgundy has a sizable force but I doubt they can hold out against the 35 thousand French regiment that had disappeared into the fog of war.

Spoiler

Knowing my limits, I decided to vassalize Flanders instead of annexing them. It would free up my troops to begin moving into French territory. Or rather, they nearly got caught by the French regiment I was talking about earlier. I did everything in my power to escape and did so without an engagement. Soon, I discovered that they were focusing on the Burgundy regiment, roughly 20 thousand men, which was a larger threat. I knew that, if the Burgundy army fell, all chances to defeat the French would end right there. Most of my troops are tied up north and there was no way I could control the French until my new recruits can join the battle. As soon as French and Burgundian troops meet in battle, I redirected my 13 thousand troops to aid my allied. After a hard fought battle, we pushed back the French. I wasn't going to let the French troops to escape that easily and gave chase. Burgundy did the same and we annihilated the French's only chance at winning this war. Once I got enough warscore, I ended the war by forcing France to renounce some claims and give some ducats. Burgundy was occupying a sizable amount of French territory and I wasn't too thrilled to see them taking any French territory. Plus, I need to place my main focus in Scotland where it actually mattered.

Spoiler

In 1241, the Scottish surrendered and agreed to be my vassal. I promise to treat them well once they become a part of my nation. Until then, I will merely be friendly towards them. Too bad I didn't have much time to celebrate the victory. Peace was shortlived and I soon found myself at war with my ally, Burgundy. They foolishly declared war on Flanders and I wasn't going to allow them to annex my vassal. If they want Flanders that bad, they will have to fight me for it. Just because they helped me with the French doesn't mean I will turn the other cheek. Bring it on, Burgundy!

Spoiler

 

[blklizard]

Chapter 3 - This Must be Easy Mode

I don't know what happened but Hungary gets a personal union. I pray that they won't have a personal union over the rest of Europe, especially not with a larger nation. Luckily, not everything is bad news for my nation. France had apparently ended their alliance with Austria. Austria is the Holy Roman Emperor and fields a pretty impressive army. With Wales and Ireland still independent, I don't want to fight a tough war in the east. Of course, I still have to deal with Burgundy.

Spoiler

Burgundy has 21 thousand troops sieging the two Flanders provinces. My forces in the area only numbered roughly 15 thousand men. Luckily, the Burgundians were too busy with their sieges to bother with me. Thus, I reorganized my invading troops of Scotland and transfer troops to Dunkirk. Once I felt confident with 25 thousand men that gathered in Dunkirk, I sent them in to engage Burgundy forces. The first battle took place in Lille. The rulers of two nation met in battle and the extra shock for their king definitely had its impacts. I lost a lot more men but, luckily, their morale broke first due to my troops having military drill. Burgundy retreats into Arras where we still have a tough battle. I suffered slightly less casualties this time but the Burgundian forces is still alive. Finally, I destroyed their large and only army in Laon to pave the way to sieges in their territory. While these battles were taking place, some good news reached my nation. Poland had annexed Lithuania to delay the expansion of the Mongol Khanate. I wanted to thank them for their contribution but I had other things on my mind.

Spoiler

I got better government tech which doesn't offer much. With the expensive tech costs, I guess I should be happy that I got a single level at all. With the north taken cared of, I began to mobilize my troops to the main Burgundy territory. I wasn't going to allow Burgundy to rebuild their army and targeted one of their regiment with 8 thousand men. With that regiment gone, I can begin carpet sieges. Do note that I allied with Foix at one point (can't remember which) and they unfortunately, got to Burgundy and began sieging a few provinces I had in mind. To make matters a bit more interesting, Burgundy is at war with Provence who brought in quite a few allies. Let's just say the situation is getting quite entertaining. Looks like Burgundy was about to collapse following the two war they are having.

Spoiler

I got a new heir not long after the victory over the large Burgundy stack. I'm not too picky with my heir as long as their have at least 5 in all their stats. So, my new heir is acceptable and the timing is perfect for my new mission. I need to conquer Ireland and apparently the game thinks so too. Guess I shouldn't let it down, right? As for Hungary, their good luck has finally ended with a huge loss against Bulgaria. Don't know if Hungary is out of the game to control the Balkans but I must say Bulgaria has an upper hand. A few more losses like those will definitely force Hungary into a minor power in the region. I really couldn't care less about the situation in the area but it's still fun to keep track of the progress in the area.

Spoiler

First, I decided to vassalize Savoy. Their position makes them an ideal buffer to Italy while I take care of business in the France region. I then wait for the sieges in Burgundy to end so I can take some territory. It was by chance that I learned of my ability to actually vassalize Burgundy. The decision is too tempting for me to turn down. With the vassalization of Burgundy ending the war, I must admit that my nation is in a very comfortable position in the region. France is going to fear me now that I'm even stronger. I might hold off attacking France and focus on uniting all of the British Isles.

Spoiler

Following this game, I made a change to my game. I decided to change the difficulty of the game to very hard to make sure the game stays difficult.

 

[unmerged(803785)]

The AAR looks good for now.Lets hope that the Phoenix mod doesn't crash.

 

[blklizard]

The AAR looks good for now.Lets hope that the Phoenix mod doesn't crash.

Thanks! I've played a fair bit and it hasn't crashed yet. I've been told that there's a bug that always crashes the game at the year 872. This sorta explains why I abandoned the other AAR and started this one.

Chapter 4 - Dominant Powers Emerging in Europe

I wasn't fortunate enough to enjoy peace for too long. Foix had asked me to aid them against Provence which I accepted without hesitation. The war was pretty even earlier but my entry will definitely shift the balance in our direction. I was the war leader and I intend to take some provinces with my infamy pretty much at 0. The fourth member of the other side is Hainaut who commands a sizable amount of territory. They field the bulk of the soldiers in the opposition and I need to target them first. It does help that they aren't the war leader. My new vassal, Savoy, is providing some assistance even though they aren't taking a direct part in the war. With no soldiers fielded at all, I guess I prefer it this way. For some odd reason, Savoy just refuses to build any regiments which pretty much makes them useless as a vassal.

Spoiler

Meanwhile, the Muslim presence in Iberia has grown with a victory of the Almoravids. With Iberia divided like the way they are, it shouldn't take the Muslim state too long to take all of Iberia. As for me, I don't mind this development. Holy wars cost a lot less infamy and taking over Iberia would eliminate all colonial competition. On second thought, that might not be the best. I want to see some competition in the new world to keep it interesting. If the Almoravids foolishly enough share a border with me, I will teach them a proper lesson by taking their land. I'm thinking of widening my options for expansion and southwards seems the best. With my rule with infamy management, expansion into Europe would definitely be slow and painful.

Spoiler

The Provence army has been soundly defeated and sieges took place. Unfortunately, one of my "allies" in the war had already occupied a good chunk of Provence. Guess I will have to make do with whatever is left. My first king, the one that led me to victory against France and Burgundy, has passed away. I will miss him because his contributions are incredible. I'm entering a regency council that will take roughly a decade. After the war with Provence, I guess there will be time of peace for my nation. I probably would use that time to build up to my force limit.

Spoiler

Blue Horde and Grey Horde are breaking free from the Mongol Khanate. I must say I'm liking this development. Maybe the Mongol, as in real life, won't be posing a threat to Western Europe. I can only hope . Meanwhile, I've learned of a threat closer to home. Venice has annexed all of Milan and is on her way to becoming the dominant Italian power. I must say I'm not liking this. I still have France to deal with and Venice decides to use the distraction to strengthen herself. I checked the navy and they vastly outnumber me in ships. For naval national ideals, I have the morale boost while they have the maneuver. Remember when I said I need to build up to my force limit? I'm putting my ships on priority so I don't fall behind Venice too much.

Spoiler

Back to the subject of the Mongols, they are still trying to establish their dominance in Eastern Europe. Let's hope they don't get enough gains to bounce back from their loss of lands to the hordes. Hungary decided to aid Poland and Bulgaria saw an opening. I must say Bulgaria is definitely well programmed. They have made some really good choices and, once again, they took more territory for themselves. Hungary is falling behind and Bulgaria is going to be the undisputed dominant nation in the Balkans.

Spoiler

Here's a screenshots of the current wars. There are two things I wanted to note. First, Portugal and Leon are fighting Castille, Aragon and Hainaut. I must say Iberia is going to be a cakewalk for the Almoravids if these four nations continue fighting amongst themselves. I guess I better take care of the British Isles and France region quickly so I can start invading Iberia. With the way things are going, the war for Iberia might come sooner than expected. The other thing to note is the war with Austria and France. I made sure that I don't get on the wrong side of Cologne since they are allied to the two Europe powers. Luckily, I can't say the same for France.

Spoiler

 

[blklizard]

Chapter 5 - Mongols Losing Grounds

The Almoravids declared another war on Castille. I dislike the fact that they declared war without a casus belli but I guess they, like me, just lack the casus belli this early in the game. With two wars, Castille isn't going to hold out too long, not that they stood a chance against Almoravids in the first place. While I watch their war taking place, I get another land tech with a much needed morale boost in the very hard difficulty.

Spoiler

I've finally managed to occupy a couple of Provence provinces. I would occupied more but there wasn't any good reason to do so. I can only take, at most, half my infamy limit and the 9 infamy was the closest I can get from the war. With the remainder warscore, I took a nice amount of ducats. At roughly the same time, the war between the Iberian Catholic nations had finally concluded. Portugal has gotten stronger with an extra province from Castille. Aragon, surprisingly, got nothing out of the war which made little sense. I guess they weren't in the mood of taking anything.

Spoiler

Soon after, Almoravids pushed further into Iberia with four provinces. It has become clear to me that the Iberian nations cannot possibly hope to fight against the Muslim nation. The question was whether they will eat up all the Iberian nations before we share a border or that we will share a border before that. What disturbed me more was the situation in the east involving Bulgaria. Yup, Bulgaria had defeated Byzantium and took a sizable chunk of land. I guess Byzantium won't be posing a threat to Bulgaria anymore. Of course, Bulgaria didn't stop there. They decided to take a few provinces from Hungary for kicks. At the moment, Bulgaria was the only nation other than the Mongols that I fear threaten my position. Our land tech isn't that different which means I don't have much of an advantage of them. I'm curious with why the Mongols haven't attacked Bulgaria yet.

Spoiler

I built a tax assessor to get 0.05 inflation reduction. This would really help me in getting extra ducats which was otherwise non-existent with my military maintenance. The tax assessor is definitely expensive but Provence sorta helped me out there. I've decided to check on the Mongols in the east and I must say the developments have been interesting. The Mongol Khanate is falling apart which may mean that they will fail to invade Europe. I was hoping that they would be more stable than this .

Spoiler

 

[unmerged(803785)]

I didn't believe bulgaria can get that powerful.But this was an good update great job.

 

[blklizard]

I didn't believe bulgaria can get that powerful.But this was an good update great job.

Thanks! The problem with Bulgaria is that there aren't many nations that can challenge them for control of the Balkans. They have more options for expansion than me.

Chapter 6 - Opportunities Following Interesting Expansions

Byzantium bounced back from their loss to Bulgaria by expanding into Italy. I found this move to be a good one since it opens up expansion into Western Europe. I was curious whether the AI can make something happen with this new expansion. Meanwhile, Portugal expanded in Holland. Yup, they are made expansion northwards. I'm not sure what may come of this but these two expansions are definitely making the game interesting. Meanwhile, Byzantium defeated Normandy to took three Irish provinces. With those provinces as my goal, I need to do something to deal with the Byzantines. With our nation so far apart, it might be difficult to get enough warscore to get the provinces I need to unite all of British Isles. The next set of wars have further changed Europe. Portugal would take the last coastal province from Castille. Not only was Castille landlocked but they have also lost much of their strength to regain their former territories. Castille is out of the colonial race which means that I wouldn't mind annexing them when I get the chance. Byzantium lost their sole province in Italy to Naples who I have no doubts challenges Venice for control of Italy.

Spoiler

Scandinavia also looked as though it would be united soon. Denmark had an earlier war with Norway and took a couple of provinces. Sweden, following a hard fought war, had took a firm control of Scandinavia. If Scandinavia is united soon, I would face another powerhouse to my east. I'm not too thrilled about this but I guess I don't mind the game remain challenging. I soon discovered that Almoravids had somehow defeated Bulgaria in a war to take a single province. I didn't see this coming and began to fear the upcoming war between the two nations. Almoravids appeared to be stronger than I expected and retaking their provinces in Iberia won't be easy at all.

Spoiler

I got another land tech researched which improved my infantry slightly. I really hoped these soldiers could help me win key victories against my enemies. Meanwhile, Bulgaria took more provinces from Hungary to make up for their loss against the Almoravids. Hungary has become a punching bag for Bulgaria and I would say I don't approve of it. I had no doubt Bulgaria would begin to make further gains eastward where the resistance seemed to be weaker.

Spoiler

My conquest for Ireland then took place. I have three separate wars knowing full well that my wars against Tyrone and Munster would be easy to manage. Wales entered the war as well which makes my unification of the region quicker. My plan was to quickly take care of business of with Munster, Wales and Tyrone before focusing on the war with Normandy. There will be some major naval battles and I hoped I can rise up on top.

Spoiler

 

[iisbroke]

I hoped I can rise up on top

I hope so too, good luck

 

[blklizard]

I hope so too, good luck

Thanks! Seeing how powerful Sweden has become, I see them as the only threat. Not to mention that Wales has quite a few provinces which is going to be a pain to take down.

Chapter 7 - Controlling the Seas

Engagement would take place on the Normandy Continental territory first. The small force that was assigned to guard the area was quickly taken cared of and the sieges would follow soon after. With the Normandy capital in Ireland, I'm glad that I didn't have to face too much resistance where my numbers are few compared to the numbers that gathered in the British Isles. Things got a lot more complicated when Wales brought in Naples. As a result, I'm at war with everyone in the British Isles and the naval battles would get a lot more uglier.

Spoiler

I took out the Wales army and began the sieges in their territory. Wales was desperately trying to recruit more men but I started carpet siege as soon as their army was eliminated. I preferred to take care of business with Wales first before moving onto Ireland. Around this time, I've decided that I don't want to take chances. Naples is a reasonably powerful naval power as well and I need all the advantage I can get. I called Scotland in so that the naval strength of my side increases a fair bit. I would say the timing of my call to arms was pretty good. There would be an engagement with Naples who foolishly fought me alone. With the combined fleet, I won the battle with two extra ships in my navy. Naples still had plenty of ships left and they returned back to the Italian peninsula to be repaired. Meanwhile, Venice continued to be a threat as they continued their expansion. When the war in Ireland ends, I will see to it personally that Venice be defeated and fractured.

Spoiler

Another naval engagement would take place with my side winning another key battle. The steady losses for my enemies meant that my edge in naval combat was increasing ever so slightly. There has yet to be a decisive battle to ensure my dominance over the seas but I know I have to wait patiently. Meanwhile, Armagnac was annexed for joining against me. The tiny nations in the France region were becoming a nuisance and every one I can annex is a small victory. It was funny how Naples sent their entire navy in alone just to land some soldiers. The combined forces of English and Scottish soldiers were more than enough to take on the Naples troops. While the land battle was taking place, I managed to catch a couple of Irish ships off guard. The ensuing battle would guarantee I get two more ships while the Irish nations losing a sizable number of ships. The capture of ships is definitely helping me save ducats from actually building them.

Spoiler

The decisive naval battle I've been waiting for finally arrived. Naples attempted to land more troops onto the British Isles and I made sure they paid for it. The ambush of my ships went according to plan and much of the Naples fleet has been sunk. This was without a doubt the victory I needed to dominate the seas. The landed Naples soldiers were quickly slaughtered before they could cause too much trouble. Naples had not only lost much of their fleet but they also lost their chance to get enough troops onto the British Isles. The shortage of transports would pretty much end their hopes of an actual invasion of my lands. As for the Mongols, they began to lose more control over their lands. The so called horde has proven to be quite a disappointment. I still had plenty to do since I haven't even began sieges on Ireland. I better wrap things up in Wales so I can get to the main course.

Spoiler

 

[blklizard]

Chapter 8 - Few Steps Away from Unifying British Isles

The great naval victory over Naples had reduced their ships to manageable numbers. Naples still attempts to land their troops but their threat has went down dramatically. Wales attempted a final stand hoping to hold off my soldiers. These Wales soldiers were holed up in Isle of Man where they avoided the initial assault. With 6 thousand men, I landed them, forgetting to give them a general, and they still got the job then. The remnants of the Wales fleet was taken cared of as well and Wales, excluding their garrisons, no longer can resist my invasion. As soon as I occupied all of their provinces, I annexed them for a ridiculous 18 infamy. I will admit that this will take awhile for me to burn off but I'm glad I took care of Wales.

Spoiler

Sweden decided to take care of their original war before dealing with me. They got a huge chunk of Norway and were pretty close to uniting all of Scandinavia. With the conclusion of the war with Norway, I know that I should expect them to land troops on me soon. I catch what's left of Naples fleet and eliminated the annoyance they have given me so far in the war. The battles in Ireland went very well following my victory over Normandy's last standing army. There was no longer anyone standing in my way occupying Ireland unless Sweden or Aragon wished to land troops there. Knowing the AI, they probably would focus on sieging my provinces. A naval victory over East Frisia got Scotland another ship while we cleaned up the Aragon troops that landed in Brighton. I wasn't able to catch their fleet yet but I intended to take care of them when I get the chance.

Spoiler

With my high infamy, I knew that I couldn't possibly hope to annex Leinster and Connacht. I gave them each a white peace to send them packing. The sooner I end the war with them, the sooner I can declare war on them again. A key battle took place in Southern France when Aragon assembled an impressive army to lay siege on Armagnac. Using a slightly larger army, I was able to annihilate the Aragon army. Without much of a standing army, Aragon was no longer a threat they once were. Tyrone, unlike Leinster and Connacht, wasn't so fortunate since I had a conquest casus belli on them. Annexation was demanded which put me really close to the infamy limit. What was left in Ireland was waiting for the sieges to end and see what I take from Normandy. Sweden hasn't made an entrance yet but I expect them to join us very shortly.

Spoiler

 

[unmerged(803785)]

These Norwegian borders are quite ugly if you ask me.Btw i was just wondering what is happening in the Mongol Khanate and Bulgaria?And can you post an picture of the map of
the known world?

 

[blklizard]

These Norwegian borders are quite ugly if you ask me.Btw i was just wondering what is happening in the Mongol Khanate and Bulgaria?And can you post an picture of the map of
the known world?

My next update could be about Mongol Khanate and Bulgaria along with the development of the world. However, the update may not be up until next week since I need to write updates for my other AARs.

 

[blsteen]

Very interesting, Sweden could be a pain

 

[blklizard]

Note: The update for Bulgaria and Mongol Khanate will be delayed until the next update since I have a few more things to update before I reach my next save file. I don't want to spoil anything so I thank everyone who is waiting for the update.

Very interesting, Sweden could be a pain

Sweden is growing steadily and I simply cannot invade them at the moment. I guess they're going to be a naval threat once they have cores over all of Scandinavia.

Chapter 9 - Ireland Nearly Unified


Sweden has finally engaged me in battle. Their numbers hasn't been impressive and I think their war with Norway put a bigger toll on them than I thought. Sweden may not be a threat in this war but they will be once they solidify their rule over their new territories. Sweden wasn't in a mood to fight me either. They wanted peace and were persistent in sending white peace offers. Seeing nothing to be gained with fighting them, I decided to peace Sweden out. Around the same time, Munster was completely occupied and they were annexed. I was a province closer to unifying Ireland with my truce with the other Irish minors expiring shortly.

Spoiler

An increase of government technology was nice. While it doesn't give any immediate benefits, it definitely moves me closer to unlocking another national idea slot. I haven't decided on what to pick yet but I have a small list to choose from. To pass the time, I declared war on Connacht and Leinster as soon as the truce were ended. These two minor nations no longer had large allies and were easy pickings. My troops and Scotland's troops were still situated in the area and they were directed into battle shortly. The victories were quick and sweet with my troops controlling the sieges.

Spoiler

Almoravids had expanded more in northern Africa to strengthen their control of the region. This is beginning to be alarming since the last thing I want is a strong Muslim nation creeping so close to my borders. News abroad from elsewhere weren't any better. Bulgaria had, through diplomatic means, got a nation under personal union. As if their military conquests haven't expanded them enough. Venice got a powerful vassal with their latest war. With Almoravids pushing from southwest and Venice pushing from southeast, I'm starting to feel to pressure of taking action before they get too strong.

Spoiler

My wars were soon concluding with quite a few annexations. Naples was forced to annul many of their treaties to reduce the threat level of this nation. The Irish nations and Normandy were all annexed into my growing nation and I completed the mission which gave me core over all of Ireland. The extra income will help me enlarge my army while I began choosing my next set of moves.

Spoiler

 

[blklizard]

Chapter 10 - Nation Update (Bulgaria)

Bulgaria was situated in an interesting starting position. They had many easy prey while sharing borders with a couple of nations that could do them real harm. How did they do up until 1264?

The Bulgarians had a couple of wars with Hungary where they came out on top. The wars not only transferred a sizable chunk of land to Bulgaria but severely weakened Hungary. These wars were integral to Bulgaria's success. Hungary was one of Bulgaria's neighbors that could do them real harm. At the starting position, the two nations were roughly equal strength. The winner of the first war between the two nations meant that the victor was practically decided. Hungary made a couple of bad moves and Bulgaria took advantage. As a result, Hungary was reduced to a shadow of its former self and the Bulgarians had became the dominant power in the region. Compared to their starting position, Bulgaria has improved greatly. Not only was Hungary no longer a threat it once was but the Mongol Khanate was losing enough European possessions that they had a much smaller presence in the area. The two nations still shared a border but the Mongol Khanate had better things to worry about than invading Bulgaria.

Conquest wise, Bulgaria has, surprisingly, been quite passive. Excluding the couple of wars with Hungary, Bulgaria hadn't really expanded much outwards. First, Bulgaria hadn't made any moves in the rest of Western Balkans. Raska and Bosnia couldn't hope to hold out against the Bulgaria at the start of the campaign, let alone the state they were in by 1264. In addition, their lack of interest in Greece saw Greece still fractured. The lack of casus belli might be the reason of their passiveness in those areas but it's easy to see that the nations in those region were doomed the minute Bulgaria declared war. Expansion eastwards was out of the question, even by 1264. While the Mongol Khanate is fractured, the newly emerged nations still had close ties with the Mongol Khanate (more detail on this in the next update). To attack one of them might facing against all the hordes. Bulgaria was smarter than that and, with the exception of the province of Cherson, had no gains to their east.

In 1264, Bulgaria had the third largest standing army numbering nearly 160 thousand. The only nations that were fielding larger armies were the Mongol Khanate and Khwarezm. Khwarezm controlled Greater Iran and was a powerful nation in Asia. Thus, Bulgaria had the largest standing army in all of Europe. They were also tied for 1st in navy with 138 ships with no big ships but plenty of galleys. In the Mediterranean, Bulgaria had no real rivals on the waters. With a powerful army and navy, it's no wonder that Bulgaria was becoming a threat for the English in the west. Unlike the English, the Bulgarians had plenty of conquest opportunities through the Asian Minors to the rest of Asia. What was most alarming was the war they were in which was close to ending in 1264. The Bulgarians were at war with Poland to claim the Polish throne. To put things into perspective, Poland had annexed Lithuania and was undeniably a dominant power in the region. With a warscore of 43%, the Bulgarians were close to take control of a powerful nation. Once Poland gets integrated, the Bulgarians' strength would grow by nearly 50%. In other words, it wouldn't be surprising if they could field a 240 thousand army.

Bulgaria has taken one loan of 6 thousand which appeared to need to be extended. The wars with Hungary had its impact on this Orthodox nation but there were no signs of collapse. -3 stability has been hurting this nation and there's no doubt they needed to mint some money to cover their expenses. With an inflation of 0.5, Bulgaria would unlikely be hurt too much with some short term minting. Ignoring the minor financial difficulties, Bulgaria was in a relatively strong position. The war with Poland was coming to a close and Bulgaria can soon turn her sights elsewhere. HRE couldn't hope to stand in her way and neither can the nations that reside in the Asian Minors. England, the only European power that could stand a chance against Bulgaria, was too far away to interfere. Overall, Bulgaria could grow out of control and no single nation, at the time being, seemed to be able to dedicate their time on stopping her. In time, the fate of Bulgaria will be revealed. Until then, Bulgaria would, without a doubt, be in the best position to overtake the Mongol Khanate and become the single most powerful nation in the known world.

 

[blklizard]

Chapter 11 - Nation Update (Mongol Khanate)

The Mongol Khanate began as the strongest nation/horde in the known world. With territories stretching from the Pacific to the Mediterranean, no single nation dared to take on the Khanate alone. With better land tech, the Mongol Khanate was not someone you dared to anger. How did they do up until 1264?

The Mongol Khanate had a couple of small wars here and there. They were, after all, a horde and got cores on their neighbors as time passed by. Covering such a vast territory, the randomness of the cores definitely kept the Mongols busy. With so many targets, it has been no surprise that they struggled to make up their mind expanding in a certain direction. With the exception of the random cores and call to arms, there were no other ways for the Mongol Khanate to join or start a war. Their religion, Buddhist, is a contradiction to their ways since it doesn't really help them in their wars. The extra land and naval cost from this religion will mean that other nations will slowly close the gap between their land techs. To make it even tougher for them, their succession crisis are pretty bad as well. Their troops are spread pretty thin which doesn't help them much during wars. For a nation so powerful, the lack of casus belli doesn't help them one bit. The Mongol Khanate probably spent more time fighting rebels than with their neighbors. That just explains how occupied they are within their own borders.

The biggest factor for Mongol Khanate's "collapse" is their decisions. There were a couple of decisions which the AI always take that aren't necessarily the best choices. Controlling certain territories and after a certain year, one can release certain nations. Now, you may wonder why the AI would do such a thing. After all, doesn't this decision make them weaker? The answer is yes and no. Losing control of the territories (I believe you lose your cores on those provinces as well) does make you weaker. However, there are benefits for doing so. The benefit is mostly associated with infamy limit and infamy reduction. By releasing one nation (doesn't matter their size), the "liberator" gets +5 infamy limit while losing an extra 4 infamy a year. To put this into perspective, we will use the Mongol Khanate as an example. They have released two nations (Grey Horde and Blue Horde). With just those two nations, the Mongol Khanate got a +10 infamy while, with their other reductions, getting an incredible -11.5 infamy/year. For a nation that relies on expanding quickly and building up infamy rapidly, this definitely would be a great benefit. There isn't much that can stop you. In the case of the Mongol Khanate though, this benefit isn't that great overall. First, the Mongol Khanate lack the casus to fully utilize this benefit. Secondly, they released relatively large nations that definitely hurts them overall. One thing to note is that releasing a one province minor would earn you the same amount of benefit as a large nation. For the Mongol Khanate, this decision was a terrible idea to say the least.

The Mongol Khanate, despite their losses over their land, still isn't a pushover. They ranked first in income which explained how they could maintain the largest army in the world. The second largest army is Khwarezm numbering 170 thousand. The Mongol Khanate had nearly 460 thousand. Clearly their loss of land hasn't stopped them from massing up such an enormous army. To make things a lot worse, the Mongol Khanate has the third largest navy with the most big ships. I felt fortunate that their main fleet was stuck somewhere in Asia and, hopefully, won't be bothering me any time soon. The Mongol Khanate appeared very powerful at first glance but they had lots of internal problems they must deal with. To tell the truth, I wouldn't want to play them because they're in a real bad position at the start which would be a pain to play through. What are the problems that hinder them?

First, they had a religious problem. To say that they lack religious unity is an understatement. The Mongol Khanate began, in my campaign, without a single province that's Buddhist religion. In other words, they had a ton of conversion to start with if the AI hoped to maintain the large armies. Secondly, the Mongol Khanate began with only a third of all their provinces cored. Two third province uncored with chance of succession crisis, I'm no longer surprised they expanded so little up to this point. Lack of cores and different religions already made rebels a headache. I hate to see them dealing with succession crisis. Finally, the released hordes split them up. The distribution of troops for AI has always been questionable and now they had to get the right amount in Europe while maintain a healthy does in Asia. Let me remind you that the Mongol Khanate share a border with the nation with the second largest army. Not having enough soldiers in Asia would be playing with fire, player or AI.

Seeing that my first impression was false, I'll be interested to see just how the Mongol Khanate will do. They had a harder start than expect but they still had plenty of fight left in them. Will the Mongols reinstate their dominance over the known world or will they slowly collapse under their own weight? Will they rewrite history or will they repeat history? All will be known in time.

 

[blklizard]

Chapter 12 - British Isles is Unified!

My next mission is India. I hate it when the game gives me these hopeless missions. First, I cannot reach India even though I heard about it. Second, my supply routes are so pitiful that my ships suffer attrition in the Mediterranean. There's no hope of reaching India anytime soon. On the bright side, Aragon accepted my peace deal so that war is over. Still, my work is far from over. Did I mention the part where Byzantium still control a province in Ireland? If not, then you know now. Those silly Greeks think they can just have a province here and there. Who do they think they are? England? Yup, it's my job to have scattered provinces everywhere. Not theirs. Dublin will be mine! I have a core, after all. Raska joins them which doesn't bother me one bit. Still, the Byzantium navy isn't a pushover. I guess we will see who rise on top, will we?

Spoiler

Interestingly enough, Sweden helps me by giving me a hand with Venice. The excommunication is one of those things that could keep Venice in check. I hope Venice's neighbors see this as an opportunity to pounce. I have Byzantium who are definitely a handful. I think I'll let Venice live for now. As for the near future, I cannot guarantee anything. Raska asks for white peace. I have no reason to decline and, being in a good mood, I decided to take a gamble and cancelled my mission. What did I get next? Vassalizing Avignon. Now, that is a good mission. Once I deal with Ireland, I might turn my sights back on the continent.

Spoiler

Poor Jerusalem was destroyed in their war with Ayyubids. Those cursed Muslim states should take on someone their own size! Being large than me, I'm not suggesting that they should attack me. Still, picking on a small nation like Jerusalem is pitiful. I know that because I do it. Jerusalem hangs on to their capital, the holy city. Will they hold out long enough for me to save them? We'll see, won't we? Epirus joins Byzantium to fight me. Hopefully, they'll actually make things interesting. There has not been a single engagement between either sides. I'm not willing to send my ships to their graves in the Mediterranean with the brutal attrition. The AI, apparently never suffers naval attrition, should at least try something to keep the war going. So far, Byzantium hasn't sent a single ship to my waters. Cowards! Epirus definitely has more guts than their larger neighbor. Sending 2 thousand soldiers is still something, right? Sad to see Byzantium needing Epirus to fight their war for them. No wonder Byzantium is collapsing. As for Jerusalem, they are standing up for themselves. Sort of. Calling a crusade definitely will help. Did I mention that I still don't get a holy war casus belli on Ayyubids after the crusade is called? Crazy, right? Is there a bug with this mod?

Spoiler

Epirus has guts, I'll give them that. We had two more engagements that gave me swift victory. Guess what? Byzantium realized the might of the English and was willing to give up Dublin. If it weren't for the fact I cannot reach them, I would happily give them a good beating. For now, getting Dublin is my best option. Ireland is mine! Wait! I'm not done yet. Scotland! You will be now part of my realm. I declare myself Great Britain!!! Oh wait! What? This is ridiculous! I cannot form Great Britain until 1550.

Spoiler

Time to set new goals!