ShadowNES: The Age of Supremacy

[flyingchicken]

On horseback and fully armed and armored, Erik was like a knight of troubadours' tales. By his side was his lance, by which he will skewer the ignoble Poles and bring victory to his country and fame and honor unto himself.

At one end of Erik's lance was a battle-banner of blue and gold, flapping vigorously against the whipping of a cold autumn wind as he held it aloft in preparation for a great thunderous charge by he and his Swedish brethren.

A tear ran down his left cheek and into his bushy mustache-and-beard; he looked up to the clear blue sky and he knew: Sweden's glory is at hand! For Sweden! For the Crown! For—

There was a great ka-thunk! and Erik fell off his horse, bringing the banner of Sweden down with him.

*​

“Hehe, got one!”

“How could you tell?”

“I saw my bullet fly true, of course!”

“Bullets don't 'fly true,' Ludsky,” said Ludomierz's fellow musket-man and friend, Czeslaw. “They—they just don't.”

“No—“

“Besides, we both full well know there were hundreds of bullets and you damn very well can't tell which one's whose.”

Ludsky was quietly staring at Czech with an unreadable expression, and then said: “I was looking straight at it since it left my barrel.” Ludsky was more than a little smug. “Never left my sight, it didn't.”

Czeslaw did not bother responding, of course, and all in good time, too: the Swedes seemed to be stirring in the distance, and their commander was ordering another round of fire.

*​

Erik's horse, upon hearing the frightening clash of steel that came with its rider's fall, gave a great neigh and it was off towards the Poles in a gallop, signaling other horsemen to exclaim: “For Sweden! For the Crown! For Glory! Hi-yaaah!”

(The Adventures of Ludsky and Czech, Entry I)​

OOC: Thank you for the tip, azale!

 

[alex994]

OOC: Expected of infidels

EDIT: I don't even think musketmen are around in this TL yet... <_<

 

[flyingchicken]

OOC: Not even [wiki]matchlock[/wiki]?

 

[silver 2039]

We Asians have them no doubt, unlike you backward Europeans.

 

[Dachs]

EDIT: I don't even think musketmen are around in this TL yet... <_<

As flyingchicken mentioned, matchlock muskets exist, verified by Shadowbound some time ago.

EDIT: You'll be eating those words soon, silver.

 

[silver 2039]

Meh...hurry up and do your Greek revolt or whatever.

 

[Dachs]

Meh...hurry up and do your Greek revolt or whatever.

I only did that twice. Right now I'm friggin' Bavaria. Whereas you're just taking your stereotypical Indian power as usual...so formulaic...

 

[silver 2039]

I only did that twice. Right now I'm friggin' Bavaria. Whereas you're just taking your stereotypical Indian power as usual...so formulaic...

I don't play an Indian power often.

And I know what your doing as Bavaria. I considered doing the same thing, but figured I didn't want to tear down and rebuild my army again. At least not right now, when I have upstart neighbors looking for a beating.

 

[Dachs]

And I know what your doing as Bavaria.

Funny how a random Indian power knows about what's going on in Europe, even if he has a slightly wrong idea about it.

 

[Crezth]

We Asians have them no doubt, unlike you backward Europeans.

Truer words were never spoken.

And we Asians know everything about your silly and petty little conflicts in Europe. We just do.

 

[alex994]

As flyingchicken mentioned, matchlock muskets exist, verified by Shadowbound some time ago.

OOC: Shadowbound told me that siege warfare in Europe in this era lacks even primitive cannons with sieges decided in the traditional Medieval method... Was that incorrect? I naturally assumed that would mean gunpowder itself is in its very, very primitive stages...

 

[Crezth]

OOC: Shadowbound told me that siege warfare in Europe in this era lacks even primitive cannons with sieges decided in the traditional Medieval method... Was that incorrect? I naturally assumed that would mean gunpowder itself is in its very, very primitive stages...

OOC: OTL, by this time I believe that matchlocks definitely existed in Asia and partially in the Mid-east. Basically, historically China had guns as early as the 1300s, and in the 1400s the Turks had em, and in the 1500s the Europeans got their hands on em. So IMO it wouldn't be inaccurate for the Europeans to be using guns.

 

[silver 2039]

OOC: Shadowbound told me that siege warfare in Europe in this era lacks even primitive cannons with sieges decided in the traditional Medieval method... Was that incorrect? I naturally assumed that would mean gunpowder itself is in its very, very primitive stages...

In which case I'm definatley invading Europe with my rocket artillery.

 

[alex994]

OOC: OTL, by this time I believe that matchlocks definitely existed in Asia and partially in the Mid-east. Basically, historically China had guns as early as the 1300s, and in the 1400s the Turks had em, and in the 1500s the Europeans got their hands on em. So IMO it wouldn't be inaccurate for the Europeans to be using guns.

OOC: Unfortunately, this nes isn't exactly based on those premises. In this nes, the Mongols never conquered to the Middle East. Without the Mongols, many technologies which were transferred between East Asia and Europe (such as gunpowder) would not have transferred. However, it is still entirely very likely that gunpowder did eventually reach Europe, but simply that its not as advanced as in OTL.

I'm not saying about the rest of the world, just the general technological trends in Europe itself.

 

[Crezth]

OOC: Unfortunately, this nes isn't exactly based on those premises. In this nes, the Mongols never conquered to the Middle East. Without the Mongols, many technologies which were transferred between East Asia and Europe (such as gunpowder) would not have transferred. However, it is still entirely very likely that gunpowder did eventually reach Europe, but simply that its not as advanced as in OTL.

I'm not saying about the rest of the world, just the general technological trends in Europe itself.

OOC: Oh! That's a good point. I guess that also explains why the middle east developed so differently.

I suppose then, in that case, there will be a significant lag in the technology shift from the East to Europe. All the better for us Asians then, I guess.

 

[Shadowbound]

Well, that question was answered fast.

It's worth noting that Europe is ahead of OTL in most other fields, like engineering, medicine, architecture, and all, mostly because of increased contact with the Muslim world. And their navigation, because of ~200 years of exploring Affalon, is better.

 

[Symphony D.]

However, it is still entirely very likely that gunpowder did eventually reach Europe, but simply that its not as advanced as in OTL.

OOC: Yes, we just conquered vast tracts of the Americas that are currently way ahead of OTL in development using our Force Powers like Sith Lightning!

We also, despite this supposedly late exposure, have progressed beyond carracks to multideck galleons somehow (I'm sure they're really just modified oar-ships have lots of onagers!). Clearly the technology was transfered in some other way, given the other aspects of the ongoing circumstances.

 

[alex994]

OOC: Yes, we just conquered vast tracts of the Americas that are currently way ahead of OTL in development using our Force Powers like Sith Lightning!

We also, despite this supposedly late exposure, have progressed beyond carracks to multideck galleons somehow (I'm sure they're really just modified oar-ships have lots of onagers!). Clearly the technology was transfered in some other way, given the other aspects of the ongoing circumstances.

OOC: I was referring to the general technological trend in Europe involving gunpowder, not anything else. You could say I was trying to get the information I had gained from Shadowbound and trying to work out how gunpowder technology was not as advanced.

 

[Symphony D.]

OOC: I was referring to the general technological trend in Europe involving gunpowder, not anything else. You could say I was trying to get the information I had gained from Shadowbound and trying to work out how gunpowder technology was not as advanced.

OOC: If we don't have guns of a sort then this whole situation becomes illogical, because it means we're all holing up in castles and relying on knights and feudalism (which will not fall without a cheap and widespread method of dispensing killing power with minimal training to an army) despite having standing armies and relatively centralized monarchies (unnecessary and difficult to achieve under such a system), and have giant ocean-going vessels still dependent on ramming each other to achieve victory (because flaming arrows and onagers really just don't cut it out on the high-seas, and boarding is difficult and ugly). That doesn't square with the situation.

If we have less advanced guns, they're at at most a couple decades behind OTL, and if so then the advancement of everything else (which was, OTL, mostly driven by guns and the need to combat them or use them efficiently) ensures that their capabilities will grow faster than OTL, out of both the supply side (manufacturing ability and knowledge) and the demand side (need and want to go kill someone else with).

It's really a bit late to retcon Europe to being "Colonialism with Medieval Gear."

 

[Dachs]

It's really a bit late to retcon Europe to being "Colonialism with Medieval Gear."

Especially given the information I previously picked up that allowed me to start my project.