Let's Play the Megacampaign

[HMS Sophia]

OOC, he's damning me for being unable to update for a couple weeks starting Friday. Vacation out west. It'll be nice to see Vancouver- haven't been there since I was six months old.

Vancouver's nice, but the island is better. I was over there a couple of years ago for my uncles wedding. Hell, that's where I got my tattoo..

[doom3607]

Given that I ran a test and determined that we can fairly easily be running Ireland by New Year's Day, 1080, and at the rate the first update went at... we'll probably be busy annexing land in Spain from the Muslims, or getting ready to launch an attack on Scotland. Or Wales. Not England, they have thirty provinces and Ireland has 14.

Edit: Yeah, we'll be going by the island too. And Calgary. What, you thought we'd be able to spend two weeks just on the city?

Edit, Again: I'll do the next update now. By the end of it we should have another Duchy or two, and may have even claimed the throne.

[doom3607]

THE MEGACAMPAIGN: CRUSADER KINGS: DEUS VULT

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Chapter the Second: New Year's Day, 1070 to

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It was on New Year's Day of the year one thousand and seventy Anno Domini that the Duke of Leinster ascended to the Duchy of Meath, as well, and the first small step was made down the long road to the great and immensely powerful Irish Empire of today. But this was not enough to establish the Kingdom of Ireland, let alone the Empire. More land, more Duchies, needed to be gained. The King had two options before him. Two unaligned counts in the north could be brought into the fold, giving him the yet-unborn Duchy of Ulster. Or, he could march west, and claim the Duchy of Connacht.

He decided both were needed, before the end. He would first attempt to take the unaligned County of Sligo, to strengthen his claim to Connacht. Within a week, the Count agreed, and became the second to peacefully join the Duke. Within a few short years after the arrival of the Immortals, Leinster had nearly doubled in strength and size. This was only a precursor of the glory to come.

The Duke then took the next step. He secured a claim to the County of Galway, and, once certain he was prestigious enough to take the title of Duke of Connacht once Galway had fallen, began to march to battle once more.

The war was short, and immensely one-sided. By April of 1071, Connacht had been brought into the fold. Three of the five Irish duchies belonged to Leinster. Even one more Count being brought to heel would be enough to claim the throne. Irish unification was within reach at last.

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So... if my other game is any indication, Tir Eoghan will attempt to attack our northern province within a few years. I may actually let that happen. You know why? The Kingdom of Aragon joins them. They then proceed to attack us... with about six hundred troops. Now go take a look at our troop count from the war. We have even more, now. After we smash Aragon's army, at least in the other game, they sorta pissed themselves and threw their treasury at me in the hopes I wouldn't kill them. Nearly a hundred and fifty. Not bad.

[HMS Sophia]

All we can do right now is unify the nation. Take the north and then bring as many troops south as we can. And watch them walk all over the southern counts...

[doom3607]

Eh. If the other game is any indication, our southern friend joins willingly fairly soon. But don't worry, we can start preparing to invade immediately anyway.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Agreed. March north but prepare for an invasion south if our...proto-vassals do not come quietly.

As for letting Aragon attack us...it is a gamble, but if your foreknoweldge proves accurate, it will be one that pays off handsomely.

[OmegaChief]

Defensive preperations are a must then, never gamble unless the dice are weighted in your favour after all.

If we -did- let Aragon attack us does that open them up for perfectly jsutified retallation too? This might be an option to consider.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Indeed. In many of my campaigns that haven't happenned yet I would let an enemy attack first, parry and counterstrike against their capital region. Worked every time, but then again I had hyperdrive-equipped starships not horses...

Anyway, yes, prepare defenses and garrisons.

[doom3607]

Aragon only has at most one or two counties. Counterattacking would be pointless in the extreme, since thanks to our lack of claims, we can't take either of them.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Well, then we can build a strong frontier, break their attack, and let them piss away their treasury on futile actions. Perhaps once they are broken we can offer to let them become vassals or else.

[OmegaChief]

We can't force-Vasselise them? Or arrange a plotical marage instead of coin payment after we crush thier armies?

[The Vortex Empire]

Though I may have rather limited experience, I find myself agreeing with our space admiral friends here. Our best bet is to crush the the last holdouts in the North, at which point our southern neighbors should recognize their hopeless situation and accept our rule. After we've unified Ireland, a push into Wales or Scotland would be our best bet, depending on who's weaker.

Once these are complete, we'll have to deal with the Kingdom of England, but that's still some way away.

I also think improving our navy is a good move. He who rules the sea rules the world.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Indeed, I can help you there. Naval combat is my forte after all. I would recommend investing in the largest and most powerful ships available, as these make ideal units for smashing enemy fleets, even outnumbered. They are also excellent for "showing the flag," or gunboat diplomacy.

[doom3607]

OOC: My apologies, but CK doesn't really do the whole 'navy' thing. We pay for the shipping our armies use to cross the oceans, but it's not until EU3 where navies start getting fleshed out. They get really improved in Vicky and HoI.

In words the king might use, with drunkenness added on of course: Why should we need a navy to rule Europe?

[FaxModem1]

A guy in a green bathrobe woke up.

"Uh, hi. I'm Jack. Am I still dreaming?"

[OmegaChief]

Yes, once the whole Unification and Aragon invasion is dealt with, I say (If it's still there) we get our foothold on that one grey terratory in Wales, if nothing else to stop the English from getting even -more- terratory.

Getting involved on mainland europe will give us a whole host of headaches we'd do best to avoid for now after all.

[The Vortex Empire]

Well mi'lord, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. You are the sovereign after all. *under my breath* Idiot...

[HMS Sophia]

But beating the stuffing out of the muslims is such fun....

But yes, Wales after unification could work, but watch the diplomatic situation with the English...

[doom3607]

OOC, don't worry Vortex. You only have to deal with these idiots for another three centuries or so.

[FaxModem1]

Jack, now done rubbing his eyes, looks at the map.

"Uh, if we're the green guys, let's invade the gray and yellow guys."

[OmegaChief]

The Colonel frowned and crossed his arms, glowering across at the sleepy idiot who had just shown up.

"Fine, whats -your- story then son?"

[The Vortex Empire]

Oh yeah, something we learned in the future sir, it turns out that filling the roads with shit and shitting in the rivers we get drinking water from is, believe it or not, actually a bad idea. And doctors should wash their hands between medical procedures, I understand that the fine doctors of Ireland are gentlemen and a gentleman's hands are always clean, but just trust me on this one.

[FaxModem1]

"Name's Jack, college student. Only tactical thing I've ever done is play games of Chess and Risk. But still, solidifying our border so that our enemies have to cross water to get to us sounds like a good idea, right?"

He rubbed his forehead. "I need my morning tea."

[Eternal_Freedom]

He may be a sleepy student, and therefore probably hungover (if the students from my time are representative), but he is right. A solid water barrier to invaders is a sound strategic position.

[doom3607]

Micro-update! Short, but something you'll all find nice!

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THE MEGACAMPAIGN: CRUSADER KINGS: DEUS VULT

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The summer solstice, year of our Lord one thousand and seventy-five. The year a dream that began half a decade ago finally come to fruition. The fourth year after that fateful May when both Tir Connail and Tir Eoghain, on the same day, had the messengers bearing word of their fealty to then-Duke Murchaid of Leinster, Meath, and Connacht arrive at the doors of the Ducal Palace in Laigin.

Which was now, this day, the Royal Palace.

Inside, silence. The Duke stood before his throne, and the Bishop stood beside him, holding the newly-forged Crown. The King took the Crown, put it on his head, and sat down...

...to thunderous applause.

"LONG LIVE THE KING! LONG LIVE IRELAND!"

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FYI, our color has changed to a different shade of green, since we are no longer Leinster- being Ireland overrides that.