St Exupère
Warlord
Game with the Franks, emperor level, currently 1270ad -
Started well with settlers joining in the early years; Franks settled the northern half of France. 2 early wars were fought vs Germans but the big deal was vs Burgundians. Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse and Aix-en-Provence were in turn conquered and by 1082, the Franks controlled the whole of France.
Until 1190 the kingdom was always at war but had become strong enough to fight on all fronts, sometimes simultaneously. Thus, the Franks managed to conquer Flanders from Germans, Bilbao from Castillians, Barcelona, the Baleares and Corsica, and most importantly Florence. At this point in time, the Franks had become the dominant power in Western Europe while the civilizations of the Khazars, the Scots, the Rus, the Magyars, the Aragonese and the Italians had all disappeared.
It was then that the Franks understood their divine mission: protect Christian Europe from the islamic threat. The Abbassids declared war while they were gaining ground in Central Europe without much opposition. The Franks sent their chevaliers in a long-lasting alliance with the Germans; the Abbassids were repelled from Hungary but the pesky Tatars proved an even bigger threat. For half a century, the battles around and into the Carpathians were savaged but gradually, around Hungary, the Franks consolidated their Central European presence.
Simultaneously, the Franks got drawned into a long war vs the dangerous and dominant Moors in Iberia. The Reconquista, as it later became famous, sees the Franks conquering the entire Meditteranean coast from Barcelona to Cadix, and the city of Cordova itself falls in 1223. The situation settles in Central Europe, and the Franks answer to the Sicilians foolish declaration of war is the conquest of the entire, rich Italian peninsula until Calabria!
In 1235 however, the mighty Tatars who have clearly taken the advantage over Novgorod and are set for the domination of Eastern Europe, launch devastating assaults accross the Carpathians with tens of thousands of keshiks. With Germans as a (powerful) ally, this 2nd Tatarian war is tough but finally our generals repel once again the moslem to the other side of the Carpathians. In a bold move, the Franks then decide to concentrate up to 25k chevaliers in the area and push their advantage accross the vast Ukrainian plains. Tatars are taken by surprise and by 1257 it is 6 Tatar held cities in Ukraine that become Frankish! The Sicilians decide to go to war again and despite a very tough resistance, they finally lose Sardinia, Malta and Sicilia itself to the unstoppable Franks. More powerful than ever, the Frankish empire is in peace.
Burgundians, Armenians, Moors, Lithuanians, Bohemians, Venetians, Serbs, Portuguese, Turks and Sicilians are now also, gone.
I am trailing behind powerful Abbasids and Tatars both in VP scoring, and Historiograph. The Franks now plan to hit the most powerful moslem caliphate right where it hurts: the Holy Land. An immense army of crusaders and chevaliers from all over the empire embarks in Malta with an aim to liberate the island of Crete, and then conquer Palestine. Ad Gloriam Dei!
Started well with settlers joining in the early years; Franks settled the northern half of France. 2 early wars were fought vs Germans but the big deal was vs Burgundians. Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse and Aix-en-Provence were in turn conquered and by 1082, the Franks controlled the whole of France.
Until 1190 the kingdom was always at war but had become strong enough to fight on all fronts, sometimes simultaneously. Thus, the Franks managed to conquer Flanders from Germans, Bilbao from Castillians, Barcelona, the Baleares and Corsica, and most importantly Florence. At this point in time, the Franks had become the dominant power in Western Europe while the civilizations of the Khazars, the Scots, the Rus, the Magyars, the Aragonese and the Italians had all disappeared.
It was then that the Franks understood their divine mission: protect Christian Europe from the islamic threat. The Abbassids declared war while they were gaining ground in Central Europe without much opposition. The Franks sent their chevaliers in a long-lasting alliance with the Germans; the Abbassids were repelled from Hungary but the pesky Tatars proved an even bigger threat. For half a century, the battles around and into the Carpathians were savaged but gradually, around Hungary, the Franks consolidated their Central European presence.
Simultaneously, the Franks got drawned into a long war vs the dangerous and dominant Moors in Iberia. The Reconquista, as it later became famous, sees the Franks conquering the entire Meditteranean coast from Barcelona to Cadix, and the city of Cordova itself falls in 1223. The situation settles in Central Europe, and the Franks answer to the Sicilians foolish declaration of war is the conquest of the entire, rich Italian peninsula until Calabria!
In 1235 however, the mighty Tatars who have clearly taken the advantage over Novgorod and are set for the domination of Eastern Europe, launch devastating assaults accross the Carpathians with tens of thousands of keshiks. With Germans as a (powerful) ally, this 2nd Tatarian war is tough but finally our generals repel once again the moslem to the other side of the Carpathians. In a bold move, the Franks then decide to concentrate up to 25k chevaliers in the area and push their advantage accross the vast Ukrainian plains. Tatars are taken by surprise and by 1257 it is 6 Tatar held cities in Ukraine that become Frankish! The Sicilians decide to go to war again and despite a very tough resistance, they finally lose Sardinia, Malta and Sicilia itself to the unstoppable Franks. More powerful than ever, the Frankish empire is in peace.
Burgundians, Armenians, Moors, Lithuanians, Bohemians, Venetians, Serbs, Portuguese, Turks and Sicilians are now also, gone.
I am trailing behind powerful Abbasids and Tatars both in VP scoring, and Historiograph. The Franks now plan to hit the most powerful moslem caliphate right where it hurts: the Holy Land. An immense army of crusaders and chevaliers from all over the empire embarks in Malta with an aim to liberate the island of Crete, and then conquer Palestine. Ad Gloriam Dei!
How are those numbers working out for you? I see loads of pikemen. I remember back to one of my very first games with MEM in my war vs the Abbassids I had around 300 late knights roaming around their lands, I barely built sth different...
