Burnt Siena

[jwolf]

Introduction

I've avoided playing one-province countries up to now. I don't mind taking a weak country with just two or three provinces and lots of enemies, but I was worried that a one-province game wouldn't last very long. For example, when I played Georgia and Murad came calling, only the fact that I had two provinces kept me from sharing the fate of my late ally Trebizond.

Meanwhile, my 7-year old son Scott has played several GCs. Sometimes he has a false start and abandons the game, but he had good campaigns with France and Muscovy/Russia. He even played one as Holstein. I don't know why he picked that one, or how he managed it, but somehow he ended up with almost all of Germany plus some Dutch provinces (including the COT at Flanders). During the 1700s, since Spain wasn't doing the job, he went after several Native American nations and wiped out the Chimu, Inca, and Aztecs. He had a rather impressive gold income after all that! All in all a very good game, especially starting from such a weak and vulnerable position (Holstein gets blitzed by Denmark in almost every game I play).

So after I finished my game as Burgundy (thought it would be tough, turned out just the opposite) I told Scott I wanted to play in Italy next: Venice, or maybe as the Pope.

Scott answered, "Dad, you should play a nation with only one province."

"But I'm worried I'll get annexed before I even get started."

"You can do it, Dad. I played Holstein and made it."

"But, but, but..."

"If I can do it so can you. You should try it."

Oh, why do we listen to our children? Here I was all set to play as the Pope (no one would dare challenge my authority) or maybe as Venice (strong enough, I thought, to teach the Turks some manners). But no, Scott had convinced me to take on more humble beginnings. So I considered the possibilities.

I rejected Tuscany and Modena out of hand on the grounds that their flags are supremely ugly. Polka dots on your flag? Are you kidding?

Milan and Mantua could be interesting, but somehow I was drawn to Siena. Nice looking flag. Good classic design. And if I wanted a challenge, this was it -- wedged between the Popes and the Medicis (often the same people, come to think of it). OK, let's go for it. Siena it is.

Grand Campaign, version 1.05 (I play the wimp version), with Siena.

Goals: First, unify Italy. Second, Crusade! Hit the Turks and Mamelukes, and hit them hard. Liberate Jerusalem and convert as many provinces as possible to Christianity. In particular, capture the Islamic holy places at Medina and Mecca and convert them.

I deliberately chose to avoid all colonization. My focus would be strictly in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

[Rhodz]

Haha this looks like it'd be fun. Bonus points for using "Burnt Siena" as well...gold

[Seidita]

your 7yr old plays EUII?! THats awesome! Can't wait to see how you do as Siena.

[ArmOrAttAk]

Good Luck.
Sienna usually ends up kicking my butt when I try my hand with Rome..

[Farquharson]

7-year old?? My 9-year old daughter was asking to play, but I said it would be too hard. Maybe I better rethink! Anyway, this sounds like a nice AAR.

[TreizeV]

Haha nice story i wonder what it is like to have my dad introduce me to computer games :P

[Judge]

Good luck

[ladyfabia]

Nowadays, kids are amazing!

[Anibal]

Good to know that your son doesn't call it a "boring map game"... hell, SEVEN years old? Imagine when he has your age then! He'll be developing "Universo Universalis" by then!


Good luck!

[Seidita]

If I had a kid like that I'd get a second computer so I could MP with him.

update

[stnylan]

Good luck.

My mum has a little plaque with the following lines that are not totally inappropriate for this occasion:

"Insanity is hereditary. You get it from your kids."

[jwolf]

Originally Posted by Seidita

If I had a kid like that I'd get a second computer so I could MP with him.

update

That's exactly what he wants to do, but I have balked at the notion.

Farquharson, you should go ahead and let your daughter try it out. Although, admittedly this game may not appeal so much to girls (sorry for my chauvinism here). I also have a daughter, age 6, and if Scott is doing something fun then she wants to give it a try. So she does, occasionally, and by this time I think she knows most of the mechanics. But her EU sessions usually devolve to Scott playing the game with Laura giving a few suggestions now and then. My poor wife probably thinks her family got taken over by aliens or something.

Thanks to all for your interest. First chapter to come as soon as I can type it in.

[jwolf]

The hills outside Pisa, 1434

"Papa, what is that smell?"

"It is smoke, my son. Something is burning. Let's climb this hill so we can see what is on fire."

"The smoke stings my eyes, Papa! Can't we go back?"

"Be strong, my son. We are almost there -- ah, here is the peak. Now look at -- "

"Papa! The whole city is burning!"

"Mama Mia! May the Lord God have mercy! Oh, Giovanni, your tender eyes should not have seen this horrible sight! Let us go now -- go home and pray."

Siena 1419

We are weak and poor, but blessed with a strong ruler, our Duke. We are bounded by the Tuscans to the North and the Pope's territory to the South and East. We border the sea, but have no port. The Duke's strategy: lie low for a while and see which way the wind blows.

In August 1419 the Pope sent us a warning. Given this chilly diplomatic opening with the Pope, the Duke accepted Tuscany's offer of an alliance soon afterward. We need a friend somewhere.

The first major war in our general area broke out early in 1420 when Austria, joined by Mantua, the Papal States, and Milan, declared war upon Helvetia, joined by Wurtemberg. Fortunately, we in Siena were not involved and we could observe these nearby powers with no danger to ourselves. The result: Milan annexed Wurtemberg and took Schwyz from Helvetia. The Milanese established themselves as a formidable power to be reckoned with in future struggles for dominance in Italy.

In 1422 Austria went to war again, attacking Croatia. This brought them into war against Hungary, beginning a century of hostility between these two nations.

In other news of note, our Duke always pressed us to keep an eye on the Turks. It is our dream to turn back the infidel, but much later, when we have the strength to do so. For now, we saw that the Turks defeated the Byzantines, taking Morea. However, the Eastern Romans recovered and annexed Ragusa in 1425, clinging to power in defiance of the Ottoman might.

Through all this decade of the 1420s our beloved Duke kept Siena out of wars and out of trouble as we very gradually built up economic strength. Our time of peace ended in August 1432 when the Turks declared war upon the Duchy of Athens. From that day forward, win or lose, Siena was never the same again.

Our friends in Tuscany were the leaders of an alliance which had grown to five nations: Tuscany, their Athenian vassals, Siena, Naples, and Helvetia. None of these had the strength of, for example, Venice or even Genoa (only Naples had as many as two provinces!) but it was thought that we would have the strength together, as the five smooth stones in David's pouch, to fell any Goliath who would attack us. This theory was put quickly to the test, as Modena declared war on Tuscany just 11 days after the Ottomans. This brought our alliance against Modena, Savoy, and Genoa. Three months later Albania threw their hat into the ring with their own declaration against Athens.

Our Duke consulted with his fighting men and they came to the conclusion that the Turks would not be a problem. Clearly their goal was to crush Athens in order to stage a final assault on Constantinople. Regrettably, however, the Turks did not attend this conference and they came to a different conclusion, attacking Siena in January 1433. We defeated and destroyed this army, but our self-congratulations were short lived. This was just a probe, a reconnaissance force. The Turks attacked again in April and this time they meant business. Our army was defeated. As Tuscany was already besieged by both Genoa and the Turks, our Duke pleaded desperately with the Pope for safe passage through his territory. His Holiness could not bear to soil the purity of his lands with our men, so he refused. So be it then, Your Holiness -- but what goes around, comes around, and our memory is just as long as yours.

Consequently, both our defeated army and new reinforcements were condemned to bouncing between Firenze and Siena, not daring to attempt to fight, but simply marching back and forth waving a white banner. Finally, at the end of August our army, primed by this strenuous series of conditioning exercises, was ready to fight. The Turks in Siena had weakened during their siege, and our army won the battle. The Turks attacked again in December, but again our army held the field.

In April 1434 Athens fell and was annexed by the Turks. Hoping that their hunger had been satisfied, we remained on guard in our homeland. Meanwhile, the Turks maintained a siege in Firenze, with the Genovese and Modenans lending a helping hand. In October 1434 the Ottomans brought in a new army, once again sending our army into retreat. Four days later their siege at Firenze finished, and the Tuscans agreed to be vassals of the Turks. Our Duke desperately attempted to buy off our foes: first the Ottomans, then Modena, then Genoa. All refused. By December Genoa had begun a fresh siege at Firenze while a combined Turk-Genovese army besieged Siena. Our homeland was in flames, our army in constant retreat, and we could raise neither reinforcements nor taxes as our enemies stole anything of value. Cynical cardinals in Rome placed their bets: would Siena be annexed, as Athens was, or would we follow our Tuscan brothers and be forced into vassalization?

[heagarty]

I'm along for the ride, especially since all my games as Naples have flopped!

I may not post regularly, but I'll be reading. Good luck!

[Hajji Giray I]

Well, I was going to comment on how amazing your son is, but it seems a few people got ahead of me!

...so while I'm here I'll say that the AAR is off to a very good start. Keep it coming!

...I wish I had a brother like that...my bro HATES EUII, and he's almost a teen...

[Farquharson]

I know - why don't you let your son take over for a few years? He'd be at the gates of Constantinople in no time! Only joking! I'm sure Siena is in capable hands - it's nail-biting stuff all the same.

[stnylan]

The general of your army ought to be called Fabius Maximus or something, for more or less employing precisely the same tactics.

[jwolf]

Monte Carlo, 1437

The action was hot at the Roulette table that night. Fortunes were gained and lost as a crowd of wealthy and formerly wealthy gamblers placed ever increasing bets on the location of the little marble. Finally, the preliminary rounds were over, and the croupier announced what the crowd had been awaiting all evening: a high stakes gamble for the fate of Siena. Some bet on red for annexation while others bet black for vassalization. The Vatican had their share of the betting, too, as enormous sums were wagered on the outcome. At last all bets were placed and the croupier spun the wheel. The marble wobbled through a fast and erratic orbit, teasing the bettors by staying briefly in a black space, then changing to red, on and on. All eyes were on the spinning wheel as it slowed and the marble fell into the space of the number.......

......zero. The House won. The Pope had taken a gamble, and lost.

Siena 1435

The Tuscan alliance, including Siena, was at war with the Ottomans as well as the Modena-Genoa-Savoy alliance, and Albania too for good measure. The Turks had force-vassalized Tuscany, Genoa had begun their own siege at Firenze, and a combined Turkish-Genovese force was sieging Siena. Siena's defeated army was doomed to wander from battle to battle meekly waving a white flag. Siena had almost no money, and could not raise new troops even if they had.

Our fortunes changed in January when the Turks demanded our entire treasury as payment for peace. Though it pained the Duke to part with the 7 ducats, he agreed to the Sultan's demand. Now opposing only Genoa's army in Siena, the Duke ordered his men to fight. So they did -- and lost. Things appeared to be little better than before, until in April a representative from Modena brought their demands to the Duke: 7 ducats, all we had, for peace. Again it pained the Duke to part with this money, but he agreed to this, all the more so because Modena was the enemy alliance leader.

We were still technically at war against Albania, but realistically they were not a threat. Siena was looted, pillaged, and other unmentionable things, but still alive. Then the Pope declared war, in June 1435. As if that were not bad enough, their alliance included Venice. Our Duke reacted to this news with a string of eloquent but unprintable profanities that extended through the better part of an afternoon.

Our allies held faithful, honoring the call to fight for us -- all but Athens of course, as they had been annexed already. However, Tuscany had no army and their home province was under siege by Genoa and Modena. Naples, too, was under heavy pressure from the same two opponents. Helvetia could not reach our territory. So we were alone, fighting against both the Papal States and Venice.

The Duke ordered his army -- what was left of it -- to attack Rome, which was only weakly defended. Meanwhile, he took a loan from a sympathetic but foolish banker and hired a band of mercenaries since we had few surviving young men who could be drafted. Our army won a battle in Rome, and the Duke made an offer to the Pope: maybe this war wasn't such a good idea after all, and we could just call it off with no hard feelings. No deal. Our army held at Rome against three more attacks, but finally in September a larger enemy force defeated our army and we retreated to Siena, followed by the enemy army. Defending in our mountainous homeland, our army rallied and drove back the Papal invaders. Encouraged by this news, the Duke's bankers generously granted him another loan and another band of mercenaries was hired. Our reinforced army held through another attack at Siena and then went on the offensive against Rome again, just ahead of a large Venetian army which came to besiege Siena.

In February 1436 the Duke attempted to buy peace with Venice, but they rejected this offer. Two days later, however, good news arrived as the Ottoman Turks declared war on Albania, now allied to both Venice and the Papal States. This forced Venice to concentrate much of their forces against the Turks rather than us. Even better, the Turks landed a large army in Romagna (Papal territory) and began a siege there.

In May 1436 Tuscany fell to Genoa and was annexed. One more ally down.

But in August our army captured Rome. The Venetians, after urgent sessions in their cabinet, decided that it was more urgent to fight the Turks. They offered the Duke a white peace and he accepted this offer. We were at war with the Pope only, and our army moved into Marche to siege there.

By the beginning of 1437, our siege at Marche was progressing well. Meanwhile, the Turks had captured Romagna and now moved their army toward Marche. As our scouts observed this, the Duke frantically gave orders to our army: complete the siege before the Turks arrive! Do not let them steal the siege away! But our fears were groundless, as the Turks arrived with only a generic commander and agreed to our continued control of the siege. Soon our siege was completed, and the Pope offered Marche plus 176 ducats for peace. The Duke accepted with a smile, noting that this was the first friendly message he ever received in nearly 20 years from our neighbor in Rome.

With this news not just of survival but victory, against such long odds, Siena's financial markets were bullish. The result was an exceptional year and vastly improved balance sheets for the Duke.

Siena had peace at last, but not so our allies. Helvetia was not really involved, but Naples was getting the hammer and anvil treatment from Modena and Genoa. Fighting in the mountains of Apulia was difficult, but eventually the enemy forces overwhelmed Naples. Genoa took Apulia in 1439, and finally, in 1441 Naples conceded to Modena and became their vassals. The war was over.

OFFICIAL SCORECARD -- Tuscan alliance 1434-1441

Opposing alliances:

1. Ottoman + Ak Koyunlu

2. Modena + Genoa + Savoy

3. Albania

4. Papal States + Venice + Siebenburgen

No problem, Duke! We can handle them! Bring it on!

Results:

1. Duchy of Athens -- annexed by the Turks.

2. Tuscany -- vassalized by the Turks, then annexed by Genoa.

3. Naples -- lost Apulia to Genoa, then vassalized by Modena.

4. Helvetia -- no change

5. Siena -- gained Marche from Papal States.

I tell you, this alliance is rock solid! Nothing can stand against us!

By the way, why did I ever listen to Scott? Here I was, barely surviving, more dead than alive, when I could have been playing Venice!

Edit: I have let Scott take over some of my games, but only at the superpower late game stage. Not this one. And as for my general's tactics, not much choice with enemies in every direction. Thanks to all for your comments!

[stnylan]

But can you honestly claim that you are not having fun?

[ArmOrAttAk]

Well played. I thought after your first post this AAR was over. Those loans are going to be tough to pay back, who is your alliance leader now?