Ultima Ratio Regnum : The Final AARgument of Kings

[King of Men]

This is a placeholder post, since I'm at work. This is the AAR thread for the new MP game, Ultima Ratio Regnum. Let the posting begin!

 

[unmerged(18239)]

This is a placeholder post, since I'm at work. This is the AAR thread for the new MP game, Ultima Ratio Regnum. Let the posting begin!

So, won't you tell us a bit more about it? Or will this stay a placeholder for some time?

 

[EvilSanta]

MP aars are always welcome. Are you playing this already or just starting the game?

 

[Ccbasin]

Guys,

We started our first session last Friday. I plan on putting up my AAR today.

 

[VILenin]

Cool, looking forward to your post.

 

[Ccbasin]

Bourgogne Family 1066-1074

Just to forewarn everyone, this post will be a little dull. Not too mich can happen to a Duchy in 8 years.

I picked the Duchy of Bourgogne for two simple reasons. Their good genetics and the rich provinces they control at the start of the game. Duke Robert starts out with good stats:

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He also starts with a large extended family that is mostly grown up. This will allow me to get some early marriages and some good early prestige. Here is his heir Henri:

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While Henri's stats are ok, what really sold me on him was his two sons:

Eudes:

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Robert:

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Hopefully, this means that I will at least be three deep in good rulers.

As the game starts we have the following Duchies played:

Bourgogne (Ccbasin)
Saxony (King of Men)
Bohemia (CanadianCreed)
Flanders (Wilcoxchar)
Apulia (Revo)

We were supposed to have a few more but we have run into a few weird connection problems the last couple of weeks.

Well, to start the game, I use a couple of Robert's other sons to marry some good courtiers since the ones I have are not very good. I also hustle my daughters off to various places in France.

We all settle down into building our provinces when, a few years later, KoM predictably attacks the pagans in Mecklenburg. KoM is able to win a couple of provinces for himself in a blitz attack. I sure dont like to see any opponents get any stronger but the attack on the pagans does have an unexpected bonus, the Count of Forez, a diredt vassal of the King of Germany, breaks free and immediately joins me as a vassal. I always love it when a two province count joins up on the winning side.

So, back to building up our provinces when the King of France and the king od England decide it is time to fight. France attacks the Duchy of Normandy and King Phillippe asks for my regiments. I am not too keen on turning over my army but I dont want to give the King any free claims on my Duchy. So, I accept and immediately set my maintenance to zero. This is the AI so the war will probably go on forever. To make a long story short, France wins by invading England. France gets Maine while wilcox managed to get Eu. All I got was a serverly wounded Duke who dies right after the war.

So, Henri inherits and then we call it a night. I will try to do better next weeks guys but I lost all my notes. This is from pure memory.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Here's my AAR. It is my second AAR, first being an MP AAR for Vicky. Anyway, here goes. I hope you like it.

Part I: From the Chronicles of Baudouin V de Flandre (Jean Froissart, ~1380), 1066-1074

The year was 1066, the thirtieth anniversary of the coronation of Baudouin as Duke of Flanders upon the death of his father, Baudouin IV. As the Duke of Flanders, Baudouin ruled over the lands of Brugge, Yperen, Artois, and Gent. Baudouin had been a wise ruler, and in the past thirty years Flanders had become the richest land in all of France. Its capital, Brugge, was the busiest port in the kingdom and aside from Paris, was the richest city in France.​

In 1028, Baudouin had married Adele de Capet, aunt of the king of France, Philippe I. They had three children, two of whom were sons. The eldest, also named Baudouin, was the Count of neighboring Hainaut and the designated heir. The daughter, Matilda had married William de Normandie, who by 1067 had been crowned King of England.​

The recent conquest of England by William I put Flanders in a difficult situation. It was nestled in a rich land surrounded by three mutual enemies, England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire. At the time, Flanders was part of France, but could easily switch allegiance to either of the other kingdoms. Baudouin, now at the age of 54, decided to stay part of France and let his successors decide the fate of Flanders. With this mindset, he decided to repeal the taxes on his vassals, the counts of Boulogne and Guines. This would ensure their loyalty to the Duchy, plus it did not affect the flow of money into the royal coffers too much. Over the following years, Baudouin instituted a series of internal building programs, constructing forestries throughout Flanders and fishing wharfs near the cities of Brugge and Nieuwpoort. In the following years Flanders was governed well and the area was peaceful. With money pouring into the royal coffers, Baudouin created a new title for himself, the Duke of Artois.​

In 1070 King Philippe of France exerted his claim on the county of Maine and declared war on Robert Duke of Normandy. This brought France into a war with England, and thus Philippe asked Baudouin for use of his troops, as they were some of the best fighters in France and close to the battlefield. Baudouin was reluctant to allow Philippe the use of Flanders’ armies, and declined the request, thus giving Philippe a claim on the title of Flanders. In the beginning of the war, France lost some ground south of Normandy, but the tide turned as a French army sneaked through Flanders and boarded ships bound for England. They landed and started rampaging through the English countryside, forcing William’s armies to evacuate Normandy and save England. Meanwhile, Baudouin gained a claim on the title Count of Eu and, seeing the war going well for France, declared war on Normandy and England.​

He mobilized the armies in Yperen and Artois and sent them to invade Eu. France regained their lost lands and occupied Maine, while Flanders occupied Eu and Arques. Baudouin met with the Duke of Normandy and they peace, giving Baudouin the title Count of Eu. By this time, William had sent another large army across the Channel and was heading for Arques. This army was estimated at over ten thousand men, while Baudouin only had about seven thousand men mobilized. Baudouin quickly mobilized the army in Gent and sent all three armies to defend Eu. William’s army arrived in Eu to find a grand army of thirteen thousand men waiting for him. A long battle raged with many casualties on both sides, and eventually Baudouin emerged as the victor. After the battle, a white peace with William was made within a few months.​

The next three years of Baudouin’s reign were peaceful and fairly uneventful. A marriage celebration occurred in 1072 as Baudouin’s grandson, Arnoplh, was wed to Agnes, the eldest daughter of the Count of Cornwall. Also, through the conquest of Eu, Baudouin was able to declare himself Duke of Picardy adding a third duke title to his list. The land was rich, and thus there were many bandits in the Duchy of Flanders. Baudouin implemented a system of courts to police his realm and bring the robbers to justice. He also started building training grounds in Brugge and Yperen so his army would be prepared for another war. But Baudouin was getting on in years. He was already over sixty, and death could come at any moment. So he decided that with his prestige in the Anglo-French war, he felt that his dynasty had developed a legitimate claim on the County of Vermandois, to the south of Hainaut.​

It was around this time that a messenger arrived at the Duke’s home in Brugge. This messenger proclaimed that, as the Duchy of Flanders was the richest in all the land, Vratislav, Duke of Bohemia requested a loan of one hundred gold to get him out of debt after a war with Poland. Baudouin thought about this for a moment, and granted the loan, as the war between the Holy Roman Empire and Poland was long and expensive, if not very well known on the other side of the HRE. This was also given to congratulate Vratislav on his recent conquest of Silesia in the Germano-Polish war. The messenger thanked the Duke and left.​

A couple months passed by, then came the start of a new year, 1074. Baudouin was sixty-two, very old for his time. As he sat on his throne he wondered. What would the following years bring, and would his dynasty thrive in later generations, or would it fall into obscurity? Only time will tell.​

Note: The dates are estimates as they have been lost over the years.

Some pics:

The stats on the Duchy in 1066 and 1074.

The red is my heir's lands, while the yellowish is my claims.

EDIT: Fixed a couple mistakes, and changed some of the wording a bit.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Here's the second installment.

Part 2: From the Chronicles of Baudouin V de Flandre (by Jean Froissart, ~1380), 1074-1082

By 1074, the Duchy of Flanders had not grown much, and Baudouin felt that if he did not do much his legacy would be lost in history. His son died a few years earlier, leaving his grandson Arnolph as count of Hainaut and heir to the Flanders throne. Baudouin continued building training facilities in Flanders to equip his army in case of an English or German attack. In the meantime Baudouin amounted numerous amounts of gold, and soon after the training grounds were completed, a marvelous thing happened. A young scholar arrived on a ship from Hamburg and requested an appearance with the Duke. This request was granted, as the boy was not carrying any weapons, but a scroll and some tools. The duke welcomed the boy, who soon unraveled the scroll on the floor. After a long talk, the boy emerged from the room and departed. The next day Baudouin issued a statement that Flanders had acquired the knowledge of road building, and had masons constructing roads in Brugge and Yperen. Within two years road networks around the region were extensive providing a large boost to the economy.​

In 1077, the Pope issued a crusade against the heathens in Tunis. France and Germany took up arms, but Flanders did not agree to mobilize. By now Baudouin felt a stronger bond with Germany, and instead funded the Duchy of Saxony’s crusade. Baudouin had a shipload of 20 gold sent to Magnus Duke of Saxony in Bremen every month, to allow him to maintain his armies while still making a slight positive income. The Duchy of Bourgogne also directly participated in the crusade but they were making enough money that they could support their armies on their own. The crusade took just over a year and ended well. The Duchy of Saxony took Mahdia and Tunis itself, while Bourgogne took Bizerte. Various French and German duchies split the rest of the Kingdom of Zirid. The crusade ended successfully, and relative peace returned to Europe.​

Soon after Bourgogne and Saxony gained possessions in North Africa, Baudouin developed a desire for a piece of Africa himself. After surveying a map, he decided on Tangiers, as it was closest to Flanders by ship. War was declared in 1079 and Baudouin gathered the army based in Yperen in Nieuwpoort. The army numbered just over two thousand men, while reports put Tangiers’ manpower at half that. The army boarded ships and sailed for Tangiers. The troops restocked in La Coruña in two weeks and set off again. After another week the army arrived in Tangiers. Having been away from home for a month, however, the army was homesick and demoralized. They put up a good fight though, and eventually beat the heathens out of Tangiers. About halfway through the siege, the Tangerines attacked again, and beat Baudouin and his troops back. The army returned to Flanders, defeated. Baudouin did not give up though; he quickly mobilized the troops in Brugge and set out again with 2500 troops. They arrived in about a month, but their morale was high due to Baudouin’s tales of his original victory. The heathens were beaten back yet again, but by this time troops from King Philippe had arrived in Cebta to the east. This gave Baudouin an advantage, as the Tangerine armies could not reorganize. In two months Tangiers had fallen, and a month later Philippe’s army led by the Archbishop of Orleans took Cebta. The war had ended a victory for Flanders, with Baudouin gaining yet another county.​

With Tangiers conquered Baudouin returned to Flanders. Along the Iberian coastline he had seen many large, fine harbors for merchant ships much bigger than the fishing boats in Flanders. Once he arrived home, Baudouin commenced construction of a civilian harbor in Brugge, so that slightly larger ships could unload their goods in the city. It was almost Baudouin’s seventieth birthday and he had lived much longer than he expected. For such a momentous occasion a large present was necessary, so he bought himself a claim on the County of Amiens, the only county in the realm of Picardy not owned by Flanders or its vassals. He also gave his second son a present for leading Flanders’ armies in the Anglo-French war. This present was the title of the County of Eu, the land Robert had helped conquer. He took it with great pride, and went to govern his new land. Baudouin felt that his reign would now be remembered; he had conquered two new counties for Flanders, pressed new claims, and made the Duchy into a realm of three Duchies. In 1083, Baudouin V died peacefully and his grandson Arnoplh succeeded him as Arnoplh III.
​

EDIT: Added in part about Baudouin's death (he finally DIED!!!!!)
EDIT 2: Entered wrong year of death for Bauduoin. o

More pics.

Once again rad is heir's land and yellowish is claims. Tangiers not shown.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Still no comments? They'd be greatly appreciated. Anyway, sorry about the length of my posts, they're long because I'm using this to help with writing for school, and it's wotking.

 

[VILenin]

I'm watching, I wasn't sure if you wanted comments or not since some threads (especially mp ones) like to keep clean for just the AARs.

Is Tangiers a worthwhile target? I know you don't want to get left out of the crusading. What's the base income? And do you have plans for expanding your foothold in North Africa? It might be advisable if only to counter Saxony/Germany's influence in the region. Finally, do you have a King title in your sights (as long as this won't be giving away your strategy ).

BTW, I like your writing style - it's interesting and very easy to follow what's going on in the game Keep up the good work.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Thanks, this is really motivating for my writing, I don't normally write much outside of school so your praise is most welcome.

Tangiers' base income is 2.45, so it's a medium income prov IMO. I plan to expand south at some point to claim the Duke of Tangiers title, but I still need to build up a force to take on the Al-Murahids. Still not sure about the Kingdom title, I may wait a bit.

Next update should come tomorrow, I had a lot of homework last weekend (grrrr first week of junior year of high school).

 

[wilcoxchar]

Part 3: From the Chronicles of Arnolph III de Flandre (by Jean Froissart), 1082-1089

Arnolph inherited a rich land from his grandfather, who had expanded the Duchy of Flanders greatly, adding many titles to the realm. Now it was Arnolph’s turn to rule the duchy. Arnolph was a charming man, good with a sword as well as a pen, although he was lacking in intrigue. He had good courtiers, all helpful in performing his various duties. Most important of these was his spymaster, Heinrich Hainaut, who was also his personal bodyguard.​

Before the death of his grandfather Arnoplh was the Count of Hainaut and a loyal vassal of the Kingdom of Germany. During this time, he had gained warm feelings toward Germany, and upon his coronation as Duke of Flanders, vowed to make Flanders part of Germany before his death. His first action as the new Duke of Flanders was to grant the county of Hainaut to his brother, as he did not feel he had enough administrative skill to directly rule over as many regions as his grandfather. Arnoplh also granted land to the church with the creation of the Bishopric of Artois, led by Bishop Charles of Hainaut.​

Since Arnolph was still a de Flandre, he had gained a hatred for England in the Anglo-French War. He noticed an upstart duke in Cumberland, Morcar Leofricson, one of the few remaining Saxon duchies in England, and sent a messenger to York to greet the Duke. The messenger returned with news that the Duke of Cumberland was planning on restoring the Saxons to the English throne. Arnolph thought this was an excellent idea. To assist in the first steps, Arnolph financed and guided the Duke so his descndants would inherit the Duchy of Lancaster. Heirs were killed and marriages were arranged. In the end, Morcar died and his son Aethelweard became Duke of Cumberland, but his son was all set to eventually become Duke of Lancaster.​

The purple is Cumberland and the light green is Lancaster.

In early 1087, a terrible thing happened! A fire broke out in Nieuwpoort burning the fishing wharf to the ground. This was disappointing and Flanders’ economy fell for a time while the fishing wharf was rebuilt. Using the extra money in the treasury Arnolph started construction of a tile factory in Gent and a small castle in Brugge modeled after the one captured during the campaign in Tangiers. This would provide another boost to the economy as well as help defend the capital against Flanders’ enemies coming to take their wealth. Also around this time, Arnolph’s son Robert was soon to be coming of age and it was time to look for a wife for him.​

The one young girl was the eldest daughter of Dirk van Holland, Count of Holland, Zeeland, and Westfriesland, who was also soon to turn sixteen. Another bonus was that Dirk had no sons, so whomever married Haduwyn would be heir to his titles. Unfortunately this fact created competition for the marriage, mainly from the Duchy of Saxony. Magnus’s wife, Swietoslawa, had died of suspicious circumstances earlier in the year and he was looking for a new wife. When Arnolph found this out, he ordered a messenger to go to Holland right away to arrange the marriage. The messenger came back, and reported that the decision would be made after Haduwyn matured. As soon as news arrived of her turning sixteen, Arnolph sent his son on a ship to Holland. Magnus sent one of his courtiers, but by land. Robert arrived in Holland and greeted Dirk at the dock. During the visit, Robert became friends with Dirk, and the marriage was assured. As Robert was leaving, the Saxon courtier arrived but was immediately sent back as Haduwyn had already been married. Haduwyn and Robert arrived back in Brugge at the end of the month, and the next morning, she was pregnant.​

It was the start of a new year: 1089. Arnolph sat back and observed his realm with pride. He had almost secured his succession and his son was set to inherit the County of Cornwall. Although Flanders’ income had not surpassed that of the previous ruler, it was still gaining a steady income and progressing steadily in internal improvements.​

More piccies:

OOC: Cumberland was being played by Sid Meier, who probably will join as a perm.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Sorry for not updating this week, I forgot to save after the session and didn't remember much of what had happened. I got the save yesterday, and am writing the update now, so it should be up soon, hopefully before the session starts tonight.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Part 4: From the Chronicles of Arnolph III de Flandre (by Jean Froissart). 1089-1096

With a wife for his son, Arnolph sat back and wondered what to do next. He did not have enough prestige to claim any neighboring provinces. He did not want to go on a crusade to Africa yet, because there were no heathens that were very weak near Tangiers. What he did want to do was switch Flanders’ allegiance to the Kingdom of Germany. Germany had served Arnolph well when he was Count of Hainaut and he was unhappy as a vassal of France. However, he could not switch without a reason to do so, and that reason had not presented itself yet.​

The opportunity came in 1090 when France declared war on England with intentions to gain the rest of the Norman counts. Roger repeated sent letters to Arnolph asking him to lend Flanders’ forces, but Arnolph declined again and again. Soon, Arnolph became fed up with the constant French badgering, and inquired Konrad king of Germany to take Flanders as a vassal. Konrad accepted, and Flanders became a vassal of the Kingdom of Germany, an ally of France but not involved in the war. A census in 1090 showed that because of the loss of Flanders, France also lost one third of their manpower. This showed the power of Flanders to shift the balance of power in a war between its neighboring powers.​

Another of Arnolph’s priorities was spreading the Catholic religion to the masses. He funded the construction of churches throughout Brugge, and withstanding a popular revolt, he managed to convert the majority of people in Tangiers to Catholicism. Another measure of extending Catholicism was promoting Charles of Hainaut to the position of Bishop of Artois. He did not, however, allow an increase of power for the clergy.​

By 1091, Robert and Haduwyn had produced two daughters and she was pregnant again. The first daughter had died within a year of birth, and both Arnolph and Robert hoped for a boy. Unfortunately, the child would be another daughter, named Péronelle. Soon afterward, the count of Frisia was excommunicated. Arnolph took advantage of this situation and made a claim on the county of Frisia in anticipation of the future inheritance of Holland. But that would require a grandson. Luckily, Haduwyn became pregnant a year later, but she died before giving birth. Robert went to Holland to present Dirk with the bad news, and to request his marriage to Jutte, Dirk’s second daughter. The marriage offer was accepted, and Robert returned to Brugge with her.​

Robert's new wife, Jutte van Holland.

Arnolph considered how his duchy faired. He needed to secure the succession beyond Robert. He also considered what he should do in the future. He could possibly go to a war with France with its weakened position, but was unsure how Germany would react. He could go to war with England since they were already involved in a war with France, but did not have any claims on England and France was already occupying the only English land on the continent. Another option would be to invade the Al-Murahids in Morocco, but he would have to leave for Tangiers, which could cause unrest at home. Arnolph decided that he would wait and see what Jutte would bring, and how the second Anglo-French war would play out.​

The regular end of session pics.

 

[unmerged(60276)]

Nice work with the marriages... good luck with getting a grandson

I had hoped that the other players would write AARs as well, so that I could see the developments in the game from several viewpoints, but I guess they are too lazy. But nevermind, you keep up the good work and keep us informed!

 

[wilcoxchar]

Thanks. From what I've heard they've been pretty busy and haven't had time to write their AARs. But hopefully they'll write some soon.

 

[unmerged(48100)]

It seems you took rather strong Duchies in first place. Why is that?

Too bad this currently is more a wilcoxchar AAR about an MP game than an MP AAR. But as he is doing this very good, I can live with it.

 

[VILenin]

Another good update wilcoxchar. I can't decide whether I want you to go north or west more. Sweep down and grab the throne of France or perhaps beat up your neighbors in England. If you had 1/3rd of France's manpower then your pool has got to be pretty healthy.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Yeah, I have around 20k and France has 40k atm. I'm still thinking about it, but I probably won't do anything soon. Anyway, next update should come in the next couple of days. That previous update was for the session before yesterday's, and the one yesterday went pretty well.

 

[Ccbasin]

Wilcox,

Are you sure that France only has 40k?? I myself as Bourgogne had 16k before my big war with Germany.

All,

I plan on doing an AAR before I go on vacation. My 60 hour work weeks keep me from doing more but I am trying to get better. I cant let Wil get all the propaganda in.