Ok, now that I received the game I can start my own AAR thread. Expect it to be full of newbie mistake, typos and unfinishing sentences, but that's the way we like them , right ?
AT BEGINNING THERE WAS A GOD, or somewhat...
First of all, I need to design my pretender. And choose the way I will play the tin-cans mobs from hell. I am not too fond of IF and the new black forest is too much dependant on Blood magic, wich I consider too much complicate and micromanagement to my taste, so it will be vanilla Ulm.
I consider aiming for a massive crossbow armies but I think Man or Tien Chi are better suited and the Master Smith can far more easily cast Blade Wind than Fire Arrow. So my main weapon will be my armored forces, later on backed up by trolls and other invocated troups, or perhaps constructed ones.
My pretender will be ... Hephaistos the Cyclop. I am quite fond of it and it definitely make sense in a roleplay view. I will use him at start as a semi SC then later on he will mainly forge items and cast invocations.
I buff him to Earth 5, with Earth boots later on he will be able to invocate all he need. I had an hard time not giving him any other path, especially a bit of fire or Water1. But he is an earthly god and could be empowered for the quickness. Also I dont consider putting Alteration in main research early. I must admit the main conteinder was the scales...
Speaking of scales, the land of Ulm is an Order:3, Productivity:3, Growth:3, monarchistic worker's paradise. The Drain:3 will help me defend a bit better and as my starting main researchers aren't affected by it... Misfortune:1 sound quite lenient with that much order. With some scales I manage to get a decent dominion of 6, seems enough for Hephaistos needs ( no blessed troups ).
The castle was another hard choice but I choose it over the fortified city for a simple reason: the more , the better. I like to have dedicated troups conscription center and 750 gold city is just too costly.
Basically everything sound good, except that I start with a mighty research of... 4. Well I just guess, poor old Hephaistos always favored TV sitcoms over library search ( taking into account he is married with Venus I can bet he doesnt look too much late night reprisal too.... *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge* )
Lets get started.
AT BEGINNING THERE WAS AN EARTH, a nice one, flat but nice...
I wanted a big playing ground so I choose the infamous worldmap. It have the advantage to help people follow on with the AAR places name. As I dont like having to watch my back I adjust it to be flat, I guess Colombus would be surprised
.
After some test I rule out small islands as starting place or connect them with mainland. Test played Hawaian Caelum wasn't especially fun...
Indies were upgraded to 9 ( who played with them lower anyway ? ) as it help lower SC uberpower and Marignon and Abyssia Infamous Armies of One ( you know the 2-3 assassins that walk ahead and kill the indies leader while your follow on wizard rout their armies by himself... ).
Playing with such a big map I put the victory at first to 9 VP, with only nation capitole valued 1. It keep a small chance of a draw but ...
All the nations where on, and as I decided I wont win this game I put Ermor too. Difficulty is set to Normal AI, dont like AI cheating and I am not that strong either.
HERE THEY GO
Turn 1
Hephaistos blink his eye at the pale sun of Northern France. "God is dead"... "Well time to make some ascension". Looking at his city he smile. Rouen was a strong fortified port. His soldiers practicing in the courtyard, so few of them... but each one being forged as the perfect weapon, lethal and unbreakable.
Gold was plenty and steel even more
( Income : 243 gold, Ressources: 130 
) , the sarge was ordered to rally some knights and pikemen, while the better smiths will congregate to receive the god teaching.
Heading to his forge, Hephaistos ordered the realm boundaries to be scouted in search of an easy prey...
notes: I decide I wont build arbalest troupers from start as inexpensive as they are, they're also one of the only thing that can hurt my troups.
Turn 2
"Hum, that is no good...", he was looking for easy prey and listening to his spy report make him realise he actually WAS the easiest target of the whole continent... Hephaistos was annoyed, Germany was full of HUNDRETH of knights and barbarians, and Britain was overrunned by warmongerring chivalry and dangerous longbowman.
The only target seems to be Spain and Southern France, defended by hordes of militia and infantry. Being ready for the war will take time, and he need luck not to be attacked before being ready.
Adjusting his newly built helmet
black steel, of course , he ordered some more knights and pikemen, while telling his smiths to practice their spell for the battle
Conjuration and Evocation starting to be researched . To this war he need an army, strong and bold, and a weapon, yeah, nothing put him into good mood like forging a good blade... Back to the forge.
Turn 3
"Afterall, Rouen wasn't such a nice place", thought Hephaistos in the chariot that conduct him and his retenue to his new palace of Strasbourg, as far as possible from the sea and thus damn flood...
Quite depressed, Hephaistos play with his Sword of Sharpness, unable to convince himself to start working on a new project....
Note: Great, 1/4 of my population killed, income down to 188. And I thought Order will protect me... With Luck -1 getting flooded on turn 3 is really, really bad...
Turn 4 and 5
Proudly standing in his brand new Black Steel Full Armor, Hephaistos was looking his armies marching to Aquitania. Spy report than their armies was mainly composed of militia and some heavy infantry... "I am gonna teach them what is HEAVY infantry" laugh the Cyclops, trying to forget he will confront the 50+ scores of ennemy troups with only one-fifth of that. And more than that, that this 1/5 is all that he got....
Magical research have been slow and probably wont give results before the battle, no need to risk his precious master smiths so. He will lead the assault himself. The plan is simple but daring. His greatly outnumered troups will charge right into the middle of the ennemies and crush them... He just ordered his 4 score of knights to try to outflank the mobs and get to the ennemy commander. His army is separated in 3 waves who will engage one by one. Now, to the battle... "And, please, may the spy be right this time ..."
Turn 6
"Taiaut!!!", after some quick protective magic Ulm troups charge right into the ennemy. Just to be greeted by an flock of javelin. But the wooden spear is no match for the black steel and the barbarian mobs are struck by the ferocity of the Black soldiers.
Alas the first regiment of Flail is quickly outflanked and in deep trouble. At the same time the pikemen advance to secure his flanck while the Axeman start to chop into the mass. Alas for one that fall there is two more and the french commander was clever in taking the brunt of the assault with his cheapest forces. As the militia and light infantry flee Ulm soldiers are faced by independant heavy unit, no match for them usually, but now they are exhausted.
On the Left flank, Hephaistos is taking a full wing of ennemies by himself, and down they go , but so slowly.. he is hit but only minor bruises, nothing can hurt throught his impervious armor
Protection 33 , ants spear try to keep him at bay while his giant sword harvest heads and arms.
On the right flank the Black knight are charging but they are stuck in the middle of the ennemy infantry and cant progress...
Things start to get grim in the center, one soldier fall , then another one... Demoralised one regiment rout, then another one... Quickly Hephaistos is faced with the whole ennemy army,he will get swamped !!!
Hopefully not, being madened by the fear of losing their gods the Black Knight cross the ennemy ranks and reach their leader. Cutting through the commanders they start a panic wave that set the whole independant army to rout. Alas they are in the way of the routed stampede and half of them are slaughtered.
But it is VICTORY !!!
65 indies and 2 commanders dead, I lost 2 black knight, and 4 of my starting infantry
Alas, news come that a german horde is taking advantage of the fact that the whole army is stuck in Aquitania to assault the Capitole !!! Hopefully they ran into the battletest range of the newest weapon of Ulm's Great Forge : Arbalest. Two volley afterwar the barbarian hords are routed !!! without even engaging.
Seduced by the power of this new discovery, Hephaistos order at once the levy of a Arbalest regiment and appoint Arnulf, the master smith as his commander. He have to join the army to help finish the unification of France, while Hephaistos start searching new ore mines in Aquitania. For his bravery Wittemle, the Ulm Commander is promoted Prophet of Hephaistos.
Note: ouch I got some luck on that one... But pleasant one.
I really missed divine caster in the battle, that one of the reason for promoting a standard commander and not waiting for a named national heros.
The other one is to take advantage of the added dominion effect, when concentrating God and Prophet in the same army I make sure I will always fight in good dominion wich will help my Army of One.
Current Total Income: 277 ( back to decent ), ressource:137.
Next update tomorrow.
As usual comments and advice welcome.
[ February 11, 2004, 20:47: Message edited by: IKerensky ]
ULM AAR, "An Happy Planet"
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