Let's Play Medieval II Total War: Polska, Jesteś moim Powietrzem

[Solid Snake]

THE FAQ: If You're New to this Let's Play, Read this First! (http://forum.nuklearpower.com/showthread.php?p=1006369#post1006369)



TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prologue (http://forum.nuklearpower.com/showthread.php?p=1006756#post1006756)




http://www.terragame.com/cdgames/pc_strategy/medieval_ii_total_war/screen_1.jpg


Let's Play and Let's Write: Medieval II Total War



Medieval II: Total War is a hybrid turn-based and real-time strategy game that enables nerdy gamers like us to rule over kingdoms in the Middle Ages. In this Let's Play, I'll be assuming the role of a medieval King in the year 1080 AD. Like in most Let's Plays, you'll all vote on critical decisions that will influence the development of our fledging feudal society. We'll be playing through the Grand Campaign. Generally speaking, battles with obvious outcomes will be skipped over (and mentioned in passing in the narrative,) while closer or larger battles will be played through (and I'll ask for appropriate advice in leading our armies.)

A new twist that I'm incorporating is a brief narrative I'll write, in a chapter-by-chapter format, that will introduce active participants in the topic (as well as a few NPF icons and legends) as characters in the story. You could be a diplomat, a spy, an army commander, a naval commander, a princess, or even an opposing King.

When you vote, you can either vote in the best interests of advancing the Let's Play (choosing the best option for the kingdom) or you can vote from the perspective of advancing the best interests of your character. Sometimes -- assuming I do my job well -- these goals will contradict. The best path for our kingdom's development may involve your character sacrificing his (or her) liberty or life for the cause.

If the narrative idea proves unpopular or too time-consuming, I'll just scrap it and revert back to a more traditional Let's Play format. I consider this merely an experimental procedure in different formats a Let's Play can take.

For now, our first order of business is to decide which country we'll be leading. As there are a whopping seventeen choices, instead of forcing you all to select just one, you'll be able to rank your top three choices, first to last. Your first choice receives three points, your second choice receives two points, and your third choice receives a single point. In the end, whichever option has the most points is the country we'll assume control over.

England:

Recently conquered by Norman invaders, England in 1080 AD is economically stable and benefits from the support of the Pope. Though threats exist from perpetual enemy France to the south and the uncivilized Scots to the north, England has a relatively secure position on its isolated island and need not fear massive invading armies. However, England's separation from the European continent presents a logistical barrier against further expansion, and England is not in an ideal position to launch a successful crusade into the Holy Lands. Furthermore, the castle of Caen in Normandy is separated from most English possessions and is a likely target of frequent French incursions.

England benefits from extraordinary longbow archers and great late-period units. Its early-game infantry and cavalry lack somewhat in quality compared to its neighbors. The current King of England (whose rule we would be assuming) has a nasty reputation as a treacherous user of blackmail, spies, and assassins to achieve devious plots.

France:

Less a single cohesive kingdom and more a hodgepodge concoction of disparate feudal duchies and fiefdoms, France in 1080 AD is suffering from an extensive network of pilfering robber barons and a general lack of cohesiveness or security. France controls a large amount of territory, separated into northern (Angers / Paris / Rheims) and southern (Toulouse / Marseilles) regions. Compared to its neighbors, France is technologically advanced and militaristically powerful, but several French officers are actively disloyal to the cause.

The French benefit from some of the strongest late-period units in the game, including some of the game's best cavalry. Unfortunately, its early-period lineup is less lucrative. The present king of France is young, chivalrous and very likable...but also very naive, hopelessly idealistic and blind to the very real problems facing his kingdom.

The Holy Roman Empire:

Controlling a silver of territory in eastern Italy, as well as Bavaria, Austria, and much of Germany, the Holy Roman Empire has the largest starting position in the game, and controls the most towns and castles. However, its central location on the map leaves it surrounded by potential enemies. Furthermore, the Kaiser's recent rivalry with the Rome has undermined his standing with the Papacy. While the Reich musters a massive army, its army is spread too thin, as too much territory needs to be protected.

The Holy Roman Empire has strong early-period units, yet correspondingly lacks in late-period power. The current Emperor (or Kaiser) in the HRE is perhaps Europe's second best known personality (after only the Pope): he is extraordinarily ambitious, beloved by some yet hated by others, and notably despised by the Catholic establishment in Rome.

Spain:

Leon, Castile and Galicia only recently combined into a single independent Kingdom during the rule of the present King Alfonso. On the one hand, Spain's starting position is dire: the Muslim Moors control the southern half of the Iberian peninsula, while Portugal lingers in the west and a fiercely independent army led by the brilliant general El Cid holds Valencia to the east. On the other hand, Spain has the opportunity to expand into foreign territory without upsetting the Papacy, and a relatively clear path through Africa exists for Spanish Crusades to plow through.

The Spanish have an excellent navy and great light cavalry and light infantry units. Their armored units, however, leave something to be desired. The present king of Spain is a skilled military commander but a piss-poor bureaucrat and a terrible politician.

Venice:

The town of Venice benefits from the game's best defensive position. As a city surrounded by water, it's an exorbitantly tough city to conquer. More notably, however, in 1080 Venice's expansion into Illyria and Crete have left it the world's dominant mercantile power. With the game's best starting navy and an abundance of riches in its coffers, Venice has the opportunity to develop into an economic powerhouse. Yet its resource-rich territories are likely to be coveted by neighboring kingdoms, particularly the Holy Roman Empire (which surrounds Venice) and Hungary.

Venice benefits from the ability to produce some of its best units in cities (as opposed to castles,) which frees its economy considerably. It fields decent infantry but poor cavalry -- Venice does not have incredible 'homegrown' military units, and often must hire its armies as mercenaries. The current Doge (King) is an intelligent politician, but he's not an exceptional military leader.

Sicily:

Norman invaders (unrelated to those who recently sacked England) recently conquered Sicily, which had been ruled by Muslim Berbers, and are in the process of converting the island back to Christianity. These blonde, blue-eyed foreign invaders also succeeded in conquering much of southern Italy, with the Pope's blessing. As a newfound powerhouse in the central Mediterranean, Sicily's borders with Europe are adequately shielded by the presence of Rome, leaving it with the opportunity to expand southward into Africa or east into Greece.

The presence of Muslims in Sicily gives the Sicilians access to a hybrid lineup of both Christian and Islamic fighting units. The Normans have strong knights and the Muslims contribute strong archers and light cavalry. Notoriously lacking from the Sicilian ranks are halfway decent infantry units. The present king of Sicily is a fairly respectable commander with an otherwise bland and unmemorable personality.

Milan:

The Duke of Milan has perhaps the best starting position of all the Italian powers. The Alps create a natural barrier between Milan's territory and the lands of France and the Holy Roman Empire, but a few easily-defended mountain passes give Milan access to potentially move north into Europe. Milan's homeland does not quite benefit from Venice's inherent wealth and abundance, but the city of Milan is still relatively well-developed.

Milan benefits from access to technologically advanced units like crossbowmen, and Milan also possesses strong infantry militia forces. Milan does not, however, have cavalry that could remotely compete with HRE or France. Its Duke is a severe, unforgiving and unlikable personality, but his heir is an intellectual genius with incredible potential. Neither of them are particularly religious, however, which may present problems with the nearby Papacy.

Scotland:

Though small, poor and disadvantaged, the isolated Scottish highlanders are naturally gifted warriors with additional bonuses when fighting in wooded or snowy terrain. Only nearby England presents a short-term threat to the Scottish, but England has sizable military and economic advantages, which a savvy Scottish general must compensate for through superior strategy and deceit. Scotland's survival largely depends on sustaining excellent relations with the Papacy, as well as other nearby powers like France or Denmark.

The Scottish have access to strong spearmen and pike-wielding units, which compensates somewhat for an egregious lack of heavy cavalry. The present King of Scotland is a brilliant, noble, and beloved ruler, but he is growing older...and his heir is a bloodthirsty monster known to mindlessly slaughter his opponents.

The Byzantine Empire:

The last vestiges of the Roman Empire have defiantly grasped territory surrounding the western world's center of culture, commerce, and diplomacy: the city of Constantinople. The wealthy, technologically advanced city is greedily coveted by Muslims and Catholics alike. Yet, the Orthodox Christians who rule over Byzantium have the advantage of repelling foreign invasions behind Europe's largest and most daunting wall. The Byzantines, like Venice, have a strong defensive position and a notable mercantile presence, but fiscal issues require the Byzantines to expand in order to afford Constantinople's largess.

The Byzantines have access to a powerful early-period army, but maintaining their armies is an expensive affair. They'll often have to rely on superior quality to outmatch the far greater quantity of units foes like the Turks can throw at them. The current Emperor of Byzantium is, like most Byzantine Emperors, thoroughly mediocre and amenable to corruption.

Russia:

The Russians begin the game, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere. Their nearest competitors, the Polish, are several territories away from their isolated position. This presents the Cossacks the opportunity to unify the Steppes while facing minimal opposition. Unfortunately, Russia's starting position exposes it to a likely invasion from eastern hordes (whose names end with 'Khan') and Russia's Orthodox Christian faith makes it a potential target of every Catholic nation. Furthermore, Russia's land is difficult to develop economically in a sustainable manner. In order to afford its ambitions, Russia must take money through conquest.

Russia starts with poor early-period infantry and decent cavalry. Its cavalry ultimately substantially improve, but its infantry forces are always somewhat lacking. However, Russian infantry is also dirt-cheap, which enables the Russians to attempt to substantially outnumber its foes. The current Grand Duke of Novgorod is a bloodthirsty, crazed menace of a man, but he's also a decent military leader.

The Moors:

Originating as nomads from northwestern Africa, the Moors ultimately converted to Islam and became feared aggressors, invading and successfully conquering much of Spain. In fact, the towns of Cordoba and Grenada represent the richest lands in Iberia, and the Moors have the advantage of the best possible starting position among the Iberian contenders. Unfortunately, they'll need all the help they can get. The Moors' Muslim faith makes them a likely target for the Pope's Crusades, and a strong minority of peasants in their Iberian territories are Christians begging for the opportunity to rebel against their noblemen. A savvy diplomatic strategy is necessary for the Moors to maintain their dominant position in Iberia.

The Moors benefit from a phenomenal early-period army that gradually weakens in comparison to the European lineups by the end of the game. Unfortunately, its current Sultan is an old, ineffective and unpopular leader, presenting a further barrier to potential short-term expansion opportunities.

The Turks:

Recent invaders of Anatolia, the nomadic Turks have only recently decided to settle down after crushing the Byzantines at Manzikert. Though the Turks face strong potential opposition from the Egyptian Caliphate from the south, the weakening Byzantine holdings to the west provide opportunities for expansion. Diving too deep into Europe too soon would likely result in a crushing response from Catholic kingdoms, but a gradual, systemic approach could solidify a budding empire. The Turks also have the option to expand north into the Steppes, but they're eventually going to have to contest with eastern invaders to hold these territories.

In many ways, the Turks are the opposite of the Moors. Their early-period consists of exploiting weak, yet cheap, infantry and combining these with decent missile cavalry. Their units require exploiting 'hit and run' tactics. Eventually, the Turks get access to superior weaponry and can become a dominant military power. Their initial Sultan is young, intelligent, and strong-willed.

Egypt:

The strongest Muslim faction in Medieval 2, the Fatimid dynasty also has the advantage of advocating (comparative) religious tolerance. Shi'ites, Sunnis, Jews and Christians all work in higher-level government positions, and the Caliphate benefits from the diversity of its people. Egypt's wealth is virtually unparalleled, its cities are technologically advanced, and it is in an ideal position to grow in the early period, as it is surrounded by rebel territories and faces few nearby enemies. Unfortunately, Egypt's proximity to the Holy Lands makes it an inevitable target of Catholic crusades, and many opponents will be targeting the Egyptians throughout the game.

Egypt has strong Mamluk cavalry, but they lack heavy infantry. Egyptian units receive something of a bonus in desert combat situations comparable to the Scottish bonuses in woodlands and snow. (More accurately, they simply aren't penalized by the heat and sand, while every European faction's units suffer.) Subsequently, Egypt can defend its home territories quite well, but they face steeper challenges in conquering foreign lands. The present Sultan is an intellectual genius and a decent military leader.

Denmark:

A tiny faction consisting of only a single territory, Denmark faces great obstacles but also has incredible opportunities to potentially exploit. Its unique armies are heavily influenced by the nearby Vikings, and subsequently, Denmark relies disproportionately on axes and two-handed swords (compared to spears or other weapons.) Denmark starts the game with a decent starting army and faces two options: it can expand north into rebellious, tumultuous Scandinavia or attempt to establish holdings in the Baltics. Denmark's town is relatively underdeveloped and its economy lags throughout much of the early game, but its military units are stout and often fight until the bitter end.

Denmark's early-period units are almost uniformly stronger than its later-period options, which presents Denmark with something of an artificial time-limit: despite its difficulties in expanding quickly, it must expand sufficiently to take advantage of its military units before other nations 'catch up.' The present King of Denmark embodies this philosophy, as a 'risk-taking attacker' who throws himself into battle at a whim.

Portugal:

The Portuguese are in competition with the Scottish for possessing the weakest starting position in the game. In Portugal's case, their two starting territories are separated from each other by territory possessed by the Spanish and the Moors -- and neither faction is on particularly pleasant terms with Lisbon. Portugal is also the youngest of the kingdoms, just founded by King Henrique, who had to survive a betrayal from his own mother first. In a sense, games as Portugal often boil down to "surviving until the New World opens, then rushing into America and exploiting it to make tons of money." The alternative requires expert diplomacy to force the Moors and Spain into a devastating conflict, and reaping the rewards of their efforts.

The Portuguese, frankly, have crappy military units. Their Jinettes are presumably missile cavalry but their range sucks, and once they're close enough to fire, Knights can tear them to shreds. They supposedly have decent light infantry, but I find they're consistently outmatched by the Spanish or Moorish equivalents. Their one bright spot is their naval capabilities.

Poland:

The recently Christianized Poland earned credibility with the Papacy by siding with the Pope in a recent dispute between Rome and the Holy Roman Empire. Subsequently, Poland benefits from a respectably strong starting position, at least in terms of its diplomatic credibility. There are several rebellious territories nearby that can be conquered, the Holy Roman Empire (while possessing a far stronger military) is too far stretched in its commitments to present an immediate threat, and Poland begins in 1080 AD stronger and with greater opportunities than its southern neighbors, the Maygars. King Wladyslaw, the most chivalrous leader in Europe, is beloved.

Unfortunately, potential early-game successes can become late-game nightmares for Poland, as Russia and the Holy Roman Empire are likely to frequently collide with its smaller neighbor. Poland does, however, benefit from possessing some of the best cavalry units available. Its infantry is weaker, though, and in later periods the Holy Roman Empire gains access to several upgrades the Polish cannot benefit from.

Hungary:

The Maygars, representing the furthest fringe elements of Catholic expansion by 1080 AD, are burdened by a starting position that places them smack dab between Venice, the Holy Roman Empire, Poland, and the Byzantines. On the bright side, however, the Maygars' starting location enables them plenty of opportunities for diplomatic blindsiding, covert operations, and crazy battles. Assuming the Maygars ally with at least one of their neighbors, they can survive their early-game trials and gain access to heavily armored knights and superior Maygar bowmen. Furthermore, expansion north or south (against the Byzantines or Russia) comes with the blessings of the Pope.


All right, you're all free to vote now. (I only reserve the right to vote in order to break a tie, if absolutely necessary.)

[Kim]

I have one vote and that vote is for France.

[Azisien]

1. Holy Roman Empire (time to take it back!)
2. Denmark
3. Scotland (a drunken empire for all....YES)

[Ravashak]

1: Poland, did those guys ever do something historically?
2: England, all hail Britannia xP
3: Portugal, have fun being on the Iberian Peninsula with Spain and the Moors as big competition

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

1. Britain.
2. Holy Roman Empire.
3. Egypt.

[Wigmund]

1) Russia
2) Poland
3) Denmark

[Dauntasa]

1: VENICE: Because the Venetian Heavy Infantry are the most awesome unit in the game. Plus, they have Musketeers and some nice cannons, as well as Venetian Archers, who are also pretty awesome. Also, Monster Ribaults kick ass.
2: Turks: Because of their janissaries and the Monster Bombard, which is the biggest fucking cannon ever. It's so big that you only get two per unit instead of one, but it takes down any wall in basically one shot and can smash entire units by itself, so that doesn't matter so much.
3: Russia: 'Cause they've got some cool stuff and Cossacks are pretty good.

ADDITIONAL: There's already a Narrative Let's Play of MTW2 on Lparchive. They did Scotland and wrote a whole story about Scotland conquering the world as they played. It was pretty good. You should read it. It's called "A Scotsman in Egypt. (http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/Scotsman/)

[Solid Snake]

1: VENICE: Because the Venetian Heavy Infantry are the most awesome unit in the game.

They're not cavalry. They can't be the most awesome unit in the game by default.

Anyway I'm going to go on record and say I'm not going to write anything the caliber of "A Scotsman in Egypt." But I'll try for something entertaining, nonetheless.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

They're not elephants with cannons on their backs. They can't be the most awesome unit in the game by default.

Fixed that for you.

[Geminex]

1: England
2: Venice
3: France

And I'm totally calling dibs to be our supreme ruler's equivalent of a vizier. You know, most trusted advisor, most vital minister, betrays you at drop of a hat, has moustache.

[Azisien]

Fixed that for you.

My singular encounter with Medieval II Total War was a great one: I fended off an invading French army numbering about 10,000 with, if memory serves, 500 or so Elephants-With-Freaking-Cannons.

I was the victor, and I don't blame them for retreating at all either.

[Gregness]

God, no love for the byzantines? They're my favorite faction. This is entirely going by my experiences with them in medieval I, so I hope they haven't changed too much. Anyway, byzantium's got some great units that quite frankly are still good when everyone else was breaking out musketeers and shit. I mean, varangian guards are probably the best heavy infantry in the game and their trebizond archers also double as light infantry (won quite a few battles because of that actually). Their kataphracts were somewhat less impressive for me, but I tend not to use my cavalry for much more than killing archers and chasing routers so take that how you will.


Anyway:
1.Byzantines
2.Denmark
3.Spain

[Dauntasa]

They're not cavalry. They can't be the most awesome unit in the game by default.


You'd think so, but you'd be wrong. The whole Cav>Inf thing is mostly true, but you throw enough Venetian Heavy Infantry at something and it'll die, horses or no. They're basically like Dismounted Knights but cheaper, faster to produce, and with more armour. And they come in big groups. They're kinda late game though.

[Gregness]

...The whole Cav>Inf thing is mostly true...

and that is mostly false. The only reason Cav>Inf is if the infantry fail their morale and start to rout. Both historically, and in game if an infantry formation can keep it's morale together they win at least 75% of the time.

[Dauntasa]

and that is mostly false. The only reason Cav>Inf is if the infantry fail their morale and start to rout. Both historically, and in game if an infantry formation can keep it's morale together they win at least 75% of the time.

In game any Heavy Cavalry unit that hits an infantry unit from anywhere saps their morale, except spearmen. And if it's from behind you can kiss that infantry unit goodbye, even if they do have spears.

[Gregness]

Err, okay but if you hit a block of spearmen from behind with a group of infantry you can kiss them goodbye too so I'm not sure what you're getting at.

[Dauntasa]

Err, okay but if you hit a block of spearmen from behind with a group of infantry you can kiss them goodbye too so I'm not sure what you're getting at.

I'm saying that yes, if their morale stayed up they could win, but it doesn't stay up if they're being charged at by a whole bunch of cavalry.

[Gregness]

Is that really a case of Cav>Inf though or is that more of a your ass got outplayed?

[Solid Snake]

In Rome: Total Realism, I've consistently defeated thousands upon thousands of spearmen in defending Constantinople (or its Roman-era equivalent, I forgot what it was called) simply by flanking with a few kataphract units. Armenia kicks serious ass with that strategy, and the Macedonians fall by the tens of thousands. Since then, I consistently prefer factions with strong cavalry units. For that reason alone, I expect you all will choose an infantry-heavy kingdom for me to rule.

I'm keeping voting open approximately 24 more hours before I begin the first Chapter.

[Dauntasa]

Maybe, because there are so many kingdoms, you should have two rounds. Top 3 from this vote move on to round two, then the top kingdom from 2 is the one we play.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

1. England
2. Holy Roman Empire
3. Scotland

If England, every other country in the world can suck the longbow.
Also, Greg. You by your own admission have not played Medieval Total War II. So perhaps you should listen to those of us who have when we tell you tales of the Tanks of the Medieval world.

[Solid Snake]

Maybe, because there are so many kingdoms, you should have two rounds. Top 3 from this vote move on to round two, then the top kingdom from 2 is the one we play.

That sounds like a very good idea, but I suspect if I were to implement the change now and the leading faction after the first round lost in the second round of voting, supporters of the former faction would be upset with the rule change midstream.

I may, however, begin eliminating factions with zero votes, if only to ensure that new voters don't waste votes on factions with no realistic chance of being played.

[Gregness]

1. England
2. Holy Roman Empire
3. Scotland

If England, every other country in the world can suck the longbow.
Also, Greg. You by your own admission have not played Medieval Total War II. So perhaps you should listen to those of us who have when we tell you tales of the Tanks of the Medieval world.

Fair enough, but I played the hell out of medieval I. Did they really change it up that much?

[Sir Pinkleton]

1. France
2. Russia
3. Poland

[Solid Snake]

Fair enough, but I played the hell out of medieval I. Did they really change it up that much?

If I remember correctly (and it's been a long while since my days of playing Medieval I), yes, it has changed substantially. Though the changes were more pronounced between Medieval I and Rome than between Rome and Medieval II: in several respects, Medieval II plays like an RTW mod with prettier graphics.

As for cavalry, they really became bulwarks in my army around the RTW timeframe. I don't remember using advanced cavalry tactics with similar results in the original Medieval title. (In fact, in Medieval I, my usual tactics involved using tons of archers, they seemed more effective back then.)

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

No see you should just do what me and my friend do on Medievil I; build entire armies of cavalry, backed up by a reserve army of cavalry and half another reserve army of cavalry. Who needs tactics when you essentially have the entire force of the Rohirrim at your command?

We've had battles where we've had a normal army consisting of all the usual fluff of light and heavy infanrty, archers, etc, which has then been defeated by whoever, and the entire army has routed, only to be replaced by an entire army of cavalry. It then just comes down to an all map select all cavalry hoedown and watching them trounce the offenders. There's no better way to go from an "imminent defeat" to a "victory imminent" status than a massive cavalry charge.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

No see you should just do what me and my friend do on Medievil I; build entire armies of cavalry, backed up by a reserve army of cavalry and half another reserve army of cavalry. Who needs tactics when you essentially have the entire force of the Rohirrim at your command?

We've had battles where we've had a normal army consisting of all the usual fluff of light and heavy infanrty, archers, etc, which has then been defeated by whoever, and the entire army has routed, only to be replaced by an entire army of cavalry. It then just comes down to an all map select all cavalry hoedown and watching them trounce the offenders. There's no better way to go from an "imminent defeat" to a "victory imminent" status than a massive cavalry charge.

Not to mention that if you get an army filled exclusively with Commanders you have a self replenishing killing machine.

[Solid Snake]

I've eliminated every faction with three or fewer total weighed votes: they're no longer serious contenders for a playthrough. That leaves us with seven remaining possibilities.

Vote Count Update:

11 - England
7 - Holy Roman Empire
7 - France
6 - Russia
6 - Poland
5 - Venice
5 - Denmark

Eliminated:

3 - Byzantium
2 - The Turks
2 - Scotland
1 - Egypt
1 - Portugal
1 - Spain
0 - Sicily
0 - Milan
0 - The Moors
0 - Hungary

You're free to double check the results: I might have missed someone. Regardless, it's safe to say that factions like Hungary and The Moors are officially out of contention.

The way I'll handle the issue of those of you who 'wasted votes' on factions without a serious chance is something of a compromise: You can recast your votes if you'd like only corresponding with your votes for factions who've been eliminated. So if you ranked Byzantium #1 (someone did) you can now reallocate those three votes for your #1 slot to your new favorite candidate among the seven remaining options. If you ranked Denmark #2, though, you can't arbitrarily change your #2 vote to the HRE or France just because you don't like England or something (it just creates potential nightmares for me in terms of tabulating results.)

Just do me a favor if you change your votes: don't edit your original posts, make a new post that includes your original list and the alterations you'd like to make.

From here I don't anticipate any additional 'elimination rounds' for the factions: with only seven left a clear victor will hopefully emerge.

Man, what's up with all the love for Britain? ...Hey, if that's how y'all will vote, that's what I'll play. I just always felt they were an easy, vanilla faction. Then again, some of my favorite factions to play as (Sicily, Hungary, Byzantium, The Turks) have already been eliminated. There's only one faction left that'd make my Top 5 (I won't spoil who it is, as I don't want to influence the results any particular way.)

Clearly, I don't have good taste. =)

[Dauntasa]

With my No. 2, the Turks, eliminated, I recast my vote for Denmark.

[Ravashak]

Slap the single point I originally gave to Portugal on Russia.

That makes my list
1 Poland
2 England
3 Russia

[Vauron]

1. Venice
2. Poland
3. Denmark

Viva Italia! Try to form Italy several centuries early.

[The Argent Lord]

1. HRE
2. Venice
3. Poland

[Solid Snake]

Well, now it's just...even closer.

Last Update before Polls Close:

11 - England
10 - Holy Roman Empire
10 - Venice
9 - Poland
8 - Denmark
7 - France
7 - Russia

Polls close at 1:00am EST.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

With regards to the elimination of Scotland, the rest of the countries can suck it.

1. England.
2. Holy Roman Empire.
3. Suck it.

[Dauntasa]

Oh come on, not England. Most boring fucking country in the game.

[Solid Snake]

Your top two candidates are front-runners, so I refuse to feel bad for you, grth.
(My top two favorites received zero and three votes total, respectively.)

Which reminds me: once voting's over and one faction emerges victorious, I'll be sure to include my personal, highly subjective rankings for all the factions. (Fortunately, the one faction I actively dislike has also been eliminated.)

[Bob The Mercenary]

I'll go with Sicily.

Viva la Cosa Nostra!

[Dauntasa]

Sicily's out, isn't it? Vote Venice, it's the closest one left.

[Bob The Mercenary]

To Venice then!

Sorry, I was forced at gunpoint to post my vote. D:

[01d55]

Poland
Russia
France

[Kim]

SNAAAAAAAKE asked me to post my other votes so I guess Poland gets two and the Holy Roman Empire gets one.

[Gregness]

*snip*

Anyway:
1.Byzantines
2.Denmark
3.Spain

change:
1.Byzantines (i stick by my #1!)
2.HRE
3.Denmark

[Solid Snake]

Dobry wieczor, and dzieki for voting!

Gregness, your swap of the HRE into Denmark's position was invalid according to the rules I established. (Denmark had to keep the #2 position you previously assigned it.) Instead, I counted your HRE vote as a swap with Spain for the #3 position, netting HRE one vote. It didn't influence the outcome, at any rate.

Well, it's 1am EST, and Poland's won with 14 votes. Venice was in second place with 13 votes, the HRE came in third with 12 votes and England was stuck at #4 with 11. Assuming no voter fraud (seriously I hope you guys aren't using alts), there's your results.

Again, feel free to correct my math. I'm more or less ambivalent towards the finalists so I won't feel particularly offended if it turns out votes I didn't count result in a Venice, HRE or England victory.

(All my efforts to encourage Noncon and Bob the Mercenary to vote actually didn't influence the results. Not including their apparently gunpoint-induced votes, Poland would have apparently won 12 to England and the HRE's 11.)

Poland will be...interesting. I've never actually finished a game with them, and I know next to nothing about the country's culture or its history, so I'll have to do my research. They have a respectable starting position and good Slavic units, though. And, rewriting history with a smaller power may be fun -- I was worried that an England or an HRE Let's Play could become boring due to their relatively strong starting positions.

Looking back at your voting habits, Poland has another advantage in that it seems to have broad support as a wide majority's second or third favorite choice. It received several #2 and #3 votes. Hopefully, this means less of you will feel disappointed in the results.

Tomorrow I'm going to start the process of assigning roles and writing the first chapter. For now, let me know if you'd be interested in being included as a character in the storyline.

It may be important to specify exactly what this entails. So, here's a synopsis on your characters in this Let's Play:

A fictionalized version of you isn't really you, and I'll treat your character as an independent being who may merely share a couple generic personality traits with you. I'm likely to flesh out the character in a manner that gives him (or her) vices and virtues that don't exactly match your real-life (or even your online) persona. Medieval 2 is also likely to assign your characters arbitrary traits -- positive and negative -- that will influence the narrative. And Medieval 2 is a gruesome game -- filled with violence, covert operations, mayhem, and deceit. The characters will represent the spirit of the game. I won't indulge in blanketed criticism or violate the rules of the board -- there won't be any blanketed insults or deliberate flamebait, I'm not that kind of a writer -- but your character may kill or be killed, and be loved or hated by the people. In fact, decisions made by voters are likely to condemn some to death and others to become virulent tyrants.

That's why I've been pestering a few friends as to whether they'd like to be included before including them -- given the subject matter and the inherent nature of utilizing elements of your NPF personas as characters, it'd be unwise to include individuals without their explicit permission. You have to know what you're getting yourself into, and in this case, your character is a pawn in a story.

I promise to keep things within the realm of PG-13, and generally speaking, as an aspiring novelist I prefer to imply as opposed to present excruciatingly graphic details of beheadings or bedtime misadventures. For that matter, while racism and sexism and homophobia other similar issues were 'big deals' in the real Middle Ages, my version of our Kingdom will be a relatively tolerant place -- where women serve in the armed forces and openly gay individuals can live in peace and where racial minorities are not persecuted. (I wouldn't be particularly interested in ruling an intolerant dictatorship, at any rate...historical accuracy can be damned in that respect.)

Religion is a touchier subject, given the natural emphasis Medieval 2 places on it. I'll choose to navigate around it by simply treating the Catholic Papacy as less a religious institution and more a political one -- and I'll look at the Papacy's effects on our Kingdom less from a perspective of enforcing narrow spiritual belief and more from the perspective of enforcing an ideology as a bureaucratic nation-state. Cardinals and Priests are essential players in MTW2, and we'll be building plenty of churches, but their 'holy work' won't be a focal point of the LP -- for better or for worse, I'm more interested in writing about armies, construction priorities, legal disputes, and matters of royal succession.

But if you have a soft skin -- if, say, the implication that a character named after you was just brutally stabbed by an assassin is something you'd take personally, or the implicit assumption that your character is going to be reinterpreted as a Catholic Slav is something that causes inherent offense -- then it's best not to volunteer yourself. (You're also free to set arbitrary limits as to how I can and cannot write your character -- for example, you can dictate to me that your character cannot fall in love with another forumite or kill another character or do X or Y, and I'll take that into consideration when assigning your character a role in the story. If murder makes your skin crawl, for example, I won't assign you to be an assassin or a military commander.)

I imagine a Mod will take a look at this and tell me what he thinks. (You're also free to tell me what you think, of course.) If this approach is not sufficient, then I don't think an actual novel-style narrative will work. I'd probably kill the idea of a narrative entirely and just transcribe the Let's Play in the traditional 'Should we do X or Y?' method.

The TL;DR version: It's just fiction, it isn't real, and I barely even know most of you so my portrayals of you would not intentionally criticize you. Using your namesakes is a plot device to invest you all to characters in the storyline and make the Let's Play (should I succeed) fun to write and fun to read. If this doesn't sound appealing to you, you can still participate in the Let's Play without 'owning' a character. If you do volunteer your name, just don't be angry with me if Medieval 2 assigns your character traits like "drunkard" or "bloodthirsty" or "promiscuous." Hopefully, we can all laugh about it and not take it too seriously.

[Dauntasa]

I'll take a character.

[Gregness]

Sign me up!

[Geminex]

And I'm totally calling dibs to be our supreme ruler's equivalent of a vizier. You know, most trusted advisor, most vital minister, betrays you at drop of a hat, has moustache.

That still stands. If we can pick what role we want (and I'm pretty sure you said we could), I'm totally going for the guy who's either going to try to advance your efforts as much as possible, or for the guy who'll use your trust to screw you over. Is it allowed to collaborate with others? Like, another user gets the ruler of russia as their character, could they PM me and ask me to advise you to launch some attack that they're really well prepared for?

Also, I have a fairly tough skin... If I were to get stabbed by an assassin I'd probably see it as a compliment.

Also also, you said you'd need to do research on Poland's culture to properly play them. Does a nation's culture in-game affect gameplay?

[01d55]

I've never been especially impressed by connections between fictional and real violence - least of all by arguments that the former leads to the latter.

Feel free to assign me to the most awful personality that the game hands you.

[Solid Snake]

That still stands. If we can pick what role we want (and I'm pretty sure you said we could), I'm totally going for the guy who's either going to try to advance your efforts as much as possible, or for the guy who'll use your trust to screw you over. Is it allowed to collaborate with others? Like, another user gets the ruler of russia as their character, could they PM me and ask me to advise you to launch some attack that they're really well prepared for?

I could assign you such a role, though there's no real equivalent in Medieval 2 (so you wouldn't actually appear as an avatar in game, and you'd just essentially be an off-screen character who appears in the chapters.)

The real problem with coordinating with foreign rulers is that those aforementioned rulers would have absolutely no control over the computer AI, which would actually control the behavior of their nations. Personally, I really only planned to ensure one or two of our most dastardly foreign rivals were eventually "led" by NPF characters and it'd be more an in-house joke (fighting against Mod characters or against egregious NPF personalities like Fifthfiend, for example) than anything else. The impact would be more on the storyline, and less on the actual gameplay.

The extent of what you could accomplish is simply giving me bad advice, and deceiving other voters into believing your advice is still worth following. (Alternatively, all the voters could just deliberately sabotage the LP, but that'd just suck.) Just because you've given me bad advice, though, doesn't necessarily mean the AI will take advantage of my errors.

And frankly, if you do intend to betray Poland? Announcing your intent to do so before the LP even started probably wasn't the smartest move. Who's going to follow your advice now? =P

Also also, you said you'd need to do research on Poland's culture to properly play them. Does a nation's culture in-game affect gameplay?

It will have a far greater impact on the chapters I write than the gameplay mechanics, although the Polish do have access to Slav units that play substantially different than their western European or Muslim counterparts. For example, instead of using lances, standard early-period Slavic knights throw spears while reading in circles at an established distance from the enemy, then close in with swords. My understanding is that these units are a bit faster, but not as well armored as their western counterparts, and they do have a ranged attack.

[Dauntasa]

I could assign you such a role, though there's no real equivalent in Medieval 2 (so you wouldn't actually appear as an avatar in game, and you'd just essentially be an off-screen character who appears in the chapters.)

The real problem with coordinating with foreign rulers is that those aforementioned rulers would have absolutely no control over the computer AI, which would actually control the behavior of their nations. Personally, I really only planned to ensure one or two of our most dastardly foreign rivals were eventually "led" by NPF characters and it'd be more an in-house joke (fighting against Mod characters or against egregious NPF personalities like Fifthfiend, for example) than anything else. The impact would be more on the storyline, and less on the actual gameplay.

You could give him a family member or General with low loyalty, chivalry and piety. Or possibly a Diplomat.

Also, for my character, I want Poland's first Man of the Hour. Yeah, I know that they're kinda rare but I'm fine with not having a character until one comes along.

[Geminex]

Oh come on. I'm treacherous, but I'll always act in my own best interests. If I can't benefit from other ruler's victories I guess I'll have to facilitate your success. And besides, even if I were intending to betray you, it'd be a risk worth taking. My advice isn't all that bad. Just ask Africa's western coastline. (Though admittedly, that was more of a collective idea.)
Besides, I think quite a chunk of my ancestry's polish. My last name is anyway. Let us lead the motherland of my great-great-great-great-great grandfather to victory!

We may not be too strong... or all that big. But eventually we'll bring all the big countries down. There'll be opporunities. They'll get careless. They'll make mistakes. They'll...

*puts on sunglasses*

Forget about poland.

[Gregness]

Also, is difficulty going to be a factor here? I'd kind of like to see the lp go on expert (or equivalent) just to play up our underdog status.

[Ravashak]

Sign me up for being a spy. I prefer to be killed in quite horrible ways, that's just another way for others to show how popular i am xP

[Wigmund]

I'm fine with having a bloodthirsty commander named after me. Teach the world that Poland is someone to be feared as we march into the Holy Roman Empire (Germany).

[The Argent Lord]

I'm in. Given my username, I should probably be a noble of some sort.

[Solid Snake]

I'll be creating a new topic shortly that will start with a FAQ and then progress to the story's Prologue. This topic will eventually fade into obscurity. In the interim, you can continue signing up for roles here if you'd like a part, though I think I have enough candidates for roles to fill out a roster for the foreseeable future. A couple exceptions: we could use new characters for Priests and Merchants. Also, if you're female and you don't particularly mind playing the role of Queen, feel free to volunteer (despite receiving permission to include several feminine personalities here at NPF, I feel somewhat uncomfortable arbitrarily assigning my character a wife. Ultimately, I may choose simply to write the Queen as an unrelated personality or keep the spotlight off her entirely.)

[Solid Snake]

http://www.heraldica.org/topics/pictures/poland.jpg


Polska, Jesteś moim Powietrzem
A History of Poland, by Solid Snake


Frequently Asked Questions

IN GENERAL:

What is Polska, Jesteś moim Powietrzem?

This project is essentially a Let's Play presented in the form of a novel. Each snippet of gameplay is presented in a chapter-by-chapter form. There is a certain degree of interactivity in this project, as at the end of every chapter, readers have the opportunity to vote for several different options that ultimately influence the storyline.

How long will Polska be?

The length of the project will depend on the choices you make: a series of horrible choices may lead this to be a very short Let's Play, while effective strategies will stretch the length. I intend to write Polska until a bitter or glorious end, but I may write a final chapter and end the story prematurely if defeat or victory is imminent, or if interest in the project dissipates.

What is Medieval II: Total War?

Medieval II: Total War is the computer game that this Let's Play is based upon: a majority of the images utilized in chapters will be screenshots depicting our progression through the game. Medieval II is a hybrid turn-based and real-time strategy game that follows the growth of nation-states in the Middle Ages. The turn-based campaign elements work something like Civilization, providing a strategic map upon which cities and castles are developed and units are moved like chess pieces. When a battle is initiated on the turn-based campaign map, you enter a real-time battleground where you can issue orders to military units directly.

Why are we playing as Poland? Why not Britain, France, Egypt, or any other faction?

Check out this topic: http://forum.nuklearpower.com/showthread.php?t=36986

Participating voters made the decision: Poland received the most votes.

How frequently will this be updated?

I'm aiming for at least once-a-week updates but there will be weeks (such as finals week) where I do not meet that quota. In general, this will be a relatively slow-to-update Let's Play compared to others, due in large part to the narrative I'm writing. Hopefully, the quality of the updates will justify the lack of quantity.

Why write a FAQ?

I'm just trying to preemptively address the questions I expect most of you will be asking as this Let's Play progresses.

THE NARRATIVE:

Why do all the characters have such ridiculous names?

Hey, don't ask me: Ask your fellow Nuklear Power Forum members! The names used in Polska all stem from usernames of friends here.

But the characters have different names in Medieval II! For example, your screencaps show the name of the King of Poland is 'Wladyslaw', not 'Solid Snake.'

Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to change the names of characters as they appear in Medieval II. So, the narrative will seem to disagree with the screenshots I've provided. I'll generally annotate the screenshots with the correct names of the characters, and hopefully, it will eventually become second nature to frequent readers.

What's up with the occasional, yet inconsistent, use of Polish phrases?

I occasionally include a few common Polish phrases in order to subtly remind the reader that the characters in this story are, in fact, speaking Polish. (Most of their conversations are just translated into English for the benefit of the audience.)

You write CelesJessa's character as a woman, so why does she show up as a man in screenshots?

Because Medieval II: Total War is sexist.
Well, actually, it's because Medieval II is more historically accurate than this Let's Play. In Medieval II, the only female characters that play active roles in the storyline are Princesses, who usually are quickly married off before they can actually accomplish anything.

There's really no fun in only writing female characters as stereotypical Princesses (whose sole purpose in Medieval II seems to be to flirt with men and be rated on their looks.) I'll certainly include at least one female character as a Princess at some point in the narrative, but the majority of the female characters in this story will play the roles of military commanders, spies, assassins and explorers: all roles assigned only to men in Medieval II's coding.

The simple solution requires you to use your imagination. The avatars will still appear male, but I'll be writing the characters as women (and I may include outside images of Slavic women in medieval costume to give you a better conceptualization of what they'd look like, if I'm fortunate enough to find any.)

What's up with all strange personality traits? Why did you choose to make my namesake character a drunkard, sexually promiscuous, or dimwitted?

While I try to incorporate some personality elements of the Nuklear Power personalities who populate this story's chapters, ultimately, Medieval II's coding also plays a strong role in assigning character traits. Medieval II uses complex algorithms (I do not fully understand them) to assign characters positive or negative personality traits in the game. I'll try not to portray the negative ones too graphically, but the garnered (and sometimes, randomly assigned) vices and virtues of the characters are an essential element of the story.

For further information check out a previous writeup I concocted:
http://forum.nuklearpower.com/showpost.php?p=1006196&postcount=43

Ooh! I want to join in the fun! Can you assign me a character?

Yes, but for reasons articulated in the above post, you'll need to give me explicit permission prior to doing so.

You're free to establish preferences as to what kind of character you'd like me to introduce your namesake as. However, once I include your character in the storyline, only a premature death will write him or her out, and character traits that develop are at least partially out of my hands. (That's equally true for me, though...an iteration of 'Solid Snake' may develop traits like 'prefers men' or 'gluttonous' or 'bloodthirsty,' and I'll be bound to write this fictionalized variation of 'myself' in that fashion.)

Why hasn't my character been introduced yet?

New characters will be introduced only as quickly as our Let's Play justifies their existence. I imagine a dozen Chapters into this storyline, more than half its characters will still not have been introduced. It's just the nature of the beast, I suppose. Please be patient!

Why is there a Solid Snake and a Solid Snake II? Will there eventually be a Solid Snake IV?

Time passes by fairly quickly in a Medieval II game, and as generations come and pass, older characters die off and younger ones replace them. Unfortunately, there really aren't enough unique NPF personalities to draw upon for characters.

My solution to this conundrum is to ensure that the firstborn son (or daughter, for our female characters) of the father or mother inherits their name. There's a slightly different process to ensure this effect with military and non-military units (diplomats may be replaced by their 'children' once they die, the programming is more stringent as to whether military officers have children.)

The end effect preserves a sense of mortality, as if your firstborn heir dies, your influence on the storyline dies with it. For example, Solid Snake II dies without leaving an heir, and another family member inherits the throne, a Solid Snake will no longer rule as King of the Poles. Alternatively, let's say Solid Snake II has multiple sons. His firstborn son would be Solid Snake III, and continue my namesake. His secondborn son, who may inherit the throne if Solid Snake III dies prematurely, would actually be a different NPF personality -- Mirai Gen, for example.

This is one of the more confusing aspects of the narrative, but also one of the more potentially intriguing elements as it adds further intrigue to know that voters may have ulterior motives. If Solid Snake III is a dreadful ruler, assigned terrible personality traits by Medieval II's coding, Mirai Gen may attempt to convince voters to send Solid Snake III on a suicide mission...and Mirai Gen would inherit the throne and his own namesakes would rule over Poland.

(At any point in time, you can request to effectively stop the progression of your bloodline. If Dauntasa, for example, wants Dauntasa II to be the last character to share his namesake, he can simply message me the request and -- instead of killing his character outright -- I'd simply name his firstborn son after someone else.)

If all the Solid Snakes die out and another character inherits the throne, will you keep writing or end the story there?

I'd continue writing the story until Poland wins (or loses.)
There would just be no more Solid Snakes running amok.

Why are your chapters so long? Don't you have a life?

Not really. =)
Writing is perhaps the most effective way for me to relax. For one reason or another, it calms me. Given my current circumstances, I could use the zen moments.

Can I constructively critique your chapters?

Of course! Just try not to be too hard on me. I know I'm not talented.

You've written some blatantly false misrepresentations of medieval Poland!

That's fine...historical accuracy isn't really what I'm aiming for, and I'll gladly sacrifice historical accuracy for the sake of this fiction. You're free to correct my misunderstandings when they arise, but as the goal of this work isn't to present Polish cultural or political norms flawlessly, I won't be terribly concerned with my mistakes.

I disagree with a major plot twist you've incorporated or the direction you've taken a particular character! This is terrible!

It may be Medieval II's fault (if the game assigned nasty traits to a character), or it may be the voters' faults (if the voters made a series of poor decisions), or it may be my own fault (if I used my own discretion as a writer to make a controversial decision.) Regardless: I'm actually excited about the controversy.
I think it's more interesting when things don't go quite as planned, and heroes become villains, or an otherwise likable character suddenly develops a terrifying habit, or your favorite character is suddenly inexplicably murdered.

I dislike the way you write your chapters, but I still want to participate in voting and contribute to gameplay decisions.

You're under no obligation to read my chapters. At the end of each chapter, I'll include a one-paragraph long TL;DR summation of events. You can just read that, and that'll give you enough vital information to cast a vote.

Of course I'd really appreciate it if you at least tried to read my incoherent ramblings, but you are under no obligation to indulge me.

VOTING AND OTHER GAMEPLAY CONSIDERATIONS:

How do we vote?

At the end of every chapter, I'll designate a few choices we need to make, and I'll present you with several different options to choose between.

I've made an incredible several-paragraph long argument, but the majority of voters have disregarded it. Shouldn't you choose quality over quantity and go with my superior reasoning?

Nope! This is a purely majoritarian process. You're free to include long-winded justifications for your votes, as these may help persuade other voters (or establish yourself as an intelligent voter worth listening to.) But the quality of your argument cannot trump the will of the people.

Do you vote?

No: I'll only break ties, if necessary.

What if I just make completely random, foolhardy decisions in a deliberate attempt to mess up the Let's Play?

I won't stop you, unless you're blatantly trolling other voters or deliberately insulting me or others with degrading comments. If you do cross the line repeatedly, I may eventually strip you of your 'right to vote.' (In which case, your vote simply wouldn't be counted.) However, to earn such a demerit you'd have to make such an ass out of yourself that Moderators were called onto the scene to clean up your mess.

Can I change my vote if I disagree with the option I've selected?

Yes, from here on out, you may change your votes. (This will encourage even later voters to include justifications for their choices, in hopes of swaying those who have already participated. The more passionate debate I can encourage, the better.)

However, I do request that you not edit your preexisting votes. Instead, post a new reply that copies your prior text and indicates the changes you'd like to make.

Why do you artificially restrict our voting choices?

I'll frequently offer at least one or two terrible, borderline-suicidal options (if only to allow the more sinister among you to deliberately sabotage a character you hate), and I'll also occasionally offer deceptive options that seem pragmatic but would actually lead to defeat.

Generally, however, offering you an unlimited number of potential options only makes voting exorbitantly difficult, as you're all likely to come up with an infinite number of varying strategies. It's easier on me to simply guide you to something like five possible buildings to construct or four possible objectives to attempt to conquer. This also enables me to better prepare different possibilities for future chapters ahead of time.

Occasionally you'll ask voters to determine what a character, like NonCon, chooses to do. Why not only leave that personal decision up to the individual Nuklear Power personality? It's strange to have everyone making decisions on a single character's behalf, particularly if NonCon disagrees with the decision we made for 'him.' Right?

Remember: these characters are merely fictionalized, independent representations of Nuklear Power personalities. I've included these characters in hopes that their narratives will invest many of you into the storyline, and because frankly, including NPF friends makes the story more fun to write. But the choices NonCon the character makes in this Lets Play have no direct correlation to NonCon himself. NonCon may be rooting for his own survival, but voters may determine it's best if NonCon sacrifice himself to protect Polish interests.

Nonetheless, if you make an exceptionally charismatic argument, you may convince other voters to choose options that benefit your character. I certainly hope at least a few of you consider this.

You're a terrible military commander! I could play Medieval II far better than you!

That's entirely possible. Still, I'll be offering you all the opportunity to vote on tactical deployments for our troops and decisions made in the middle of combat. So, it won't be all my fault if we lose a battle. =)

What difficulty level are we playing Medieval 2 on?

Normal.
I'm not quite interested in micromanaging battles enough to play on a harder difficulty level.

Should I participate, even if I know next to nothing about Medieval 2?

I hope you do! You can listen to the arguments of more experienced Medieval 2 players or simply make your own judgment calls. Intimate knowledge of Total War strategies is certainly not necessary to participate, though such knowledge can certainly be beneficial.

You're a crazy man, Solid Snake.

Yup!
But in all sincerity, I hope you enjoy the story.



(And remember, if you're a fan of the project, the best way to ensure I continue updating frequently is to compliment my work, as corny as that sounds. Like any other person, I'm a greedy fucker in need of occasional validation whenever I waste my time.)

[Azisien]

Whose a good boy?! *biscuit*

[Magic_Marker]

Why is there no Magic_Marker character.

*sniff*

Please change that. Puh-leeaeeese?

[Sage Harpuia]

Interesting, always wanted to see a LP of this kind of game.. I'm in if there's any roles left unfulfilled.

[Sifright]

I'd love to be included as a character. ^^ This looks like it could be amazing!

[Dauntasa]

Actually, you can change names. You just have to screw around with a file somewhere. You don't need a hex editor, just Wordpad. I forget exactly what it's called, something like "Names". Anyway, it'll have a big list of names in there somewhere. Change one, and anyone who was supposed to have that name ends up with a new name. i.e. Change Paul to Jim, and all Pauls are now Jims. Seeing as Polish names are all different from any other country's names, I think you'll be able to work something out with that.

EDIT: Also, there is a "Secretly a Woman" trait. So if you want to write a General or something as female, you can just give them that.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

I wish to stake a claim as a commander, if there are still slots open.

If you're interested in setting up a personality or somesuch with it, I normally go with a Cavalry and Archer heavy formation. Featuring bold rushes out into the enemies weakest point on their line with the commander at the head of the charge whenever feasible.

Yes, I do tend to lose a lot of commanders that way.
But that's how I roll.

[CABAL49]

I want to be included as a character. But ONLY if I am the most negative character.

[Solid Snake]

Change one, and anyone who was supposed to have that name ends up with a new name.

I understand it can be done, but I'd rather not mess with those files. I'd hate to lose the original Polish names of characters for subsequent playthroughs.

EDIT: Also, there is a "Secretly a Woman" trait. So if you want to write a General or something as female, you can just give them that.

The only problem with using something like an editor to modify traits is, if I were to start going down that path, what's to stop me from just modifying the traits of characters at whims to fit my narrative? I'd prefer not to give myself that kind of power because it's sorely tempting to essentially just force Medieval II to serve the narrative, stripping the game's wonky AI of its impact.

Nah, I think I'd prefer just encouraging loyal readers to use their imaginations to connect the dots and make the proper inferences on their own.

[PyrosNine]

Pyros is capable of being whatever. Pożar is polish for fire, if an online translator is correct. As long as we can conquer Finland.

[Solid Snake]

If a Mod happens to read this: I understand the logic behind merging the topics, but if you'd like the topics merged to reduce clutter, is there any chance you could just remove the first fifty-five posts and have this topic start with Post #56?

Starting the topic with a comprehensive FAQ that could be easily accessible for newcomers to the project was the primary reason why I initiated a new thread as opposed to adding to the old one, which I originally intended to lock.

Just a thought?

EDIT: Thanks: that'll work.

[synkr0nized]

What I wanted was to be able to create a new initial post that linked to both, but sadly that is not possible. So I tossed a link to the FAQ post at the start so that new readers can still see the process that led up to the gameplay as well as easily get to your FAQ at their discretion. You of course can further edit this however you'd like.**

** such as for below; that's not a bad idea, either (in fact I encourage most LPs to have a table of contents as you are writing it; many readers may not care at all for the user comments between content posts). You could always push the long voting information aspect of the post into a swap tag or another post if you wanted.

[Solid Snake]

Come to think of it, I can probably just edit the very first post here to include links that redirect to all the Chapters as I write them, effectively creating a Table of Contents, right? That'd probably be an even more pragmatic way to deal with things.

Thanks again.

[Sir Pinkleton]

As long as we're still accepting meat-shields, I offer my sword into the fray.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Meh, sure why not, I'll offer my services as a commander. As long as I get a massive and important army at the forefront of our unending quest for conquest.

I'm more of a city sieger myself, if you want tactics information for characters. Battles on open planes or in forests or wherever could go either way whenever I fight them, but rarely does a city escape my grasp.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Meh, sure why not, I'll offer my services as a commander. As long as I get a massive and important army at the forefront of our unending quest for conquest.

I'm more of a city sieger myself, if you want tactics information for characters. Battles on open planes or in forests or wherever could go either way whenever I fight them, but rarely does a city escape my grasp.

I'm actually quite the reverse.

Open fields are practically a slaughterhouse for me, but Sieges have a tendency to somehow go horrifically wrong.

Most likely because a siege offers certain tactical additions such as choke points and walls that I simply refuse to acknowledge as significant until about half of my army is already dead.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Yeah, on open fields I can never find the tactical advantage, at least if I'm outnumbered or facing superior enemies (or just don't have enough cavalry).

But cities, not a problem. Javelins and arrows and ballistas to whittle down or destroy entire units, smash open a couple of entraces and as one force deals with any soldiers as the move in, the other force can come from behind and crush them. On larger walled cities the same applies, just replace "smash open entrance" with "place a couple of seige towers to surround enemy units".

My greatest victory came on R:TW, against Pontus as the Brutii, I incorportated a reinforcement force approaching from another side of the map and under cover of sandstorm broke another hole in their wall while their entire army was dealing with my main force. By the time they realised I'd broken in from behind it was too late and their entire army retreated to the centre of the city for a last stand. I surrounded them from all sides and killed everyone. They had started with over 2 and a half times as many troops as me, and I'd never faced their deadly chariots before (which had succesfully destroyed 2 units of heavy infantry earlier on). All in all out of about 1800 Pontus, 2 survived; a single chariot carrying 2 soldiers that had fled after the earlier engagement.

It was my finest hour.

[CelesJessa]

Nah, I think I'd prefer just encouraging loyal readers to use their imaginations to connect the dots and make the proper inferences on their own.

Can I either be a ridiculously effeminate man or ridiculously manly man? (I have no idea how this game works as far as character creation/selection)

Anyway, I'll do whatever you see fit for me to do! If it was my choice I'd pick something like a General... or maybe something sneakier.

[Nique]

Can I either be a ridiculously effeminate man or ridiculously manly man? (I have no idea how this game works as far as character creation/selection)

BOTH?

I will be whatever.

[Solid Snake]

Can I either be a ridiculously effeminate man or ridiculously manly man? (I have no idea how this game works as far as character creation/selection)

Anyway, I'll do whatever you see fit for me to do! If it was my choice I'd pick something like a General... or maybe something sneakier.

I already started writing you as a woman in the first Chapter, unfortunately. Sorry. =/
But if it's any consolation prize your woman is very masculine or 'tomboyish', is an army leader, and is represented as a male avatar in-game.

[CelesJessa]

I already started writing you as a woman in the first Chapter, unfortunately. Sorry. =/
But if it's any consolation prize your woman is very masculine or 'tomboyish', is an army leader, and is represented as a male avatar in-game.

Haha no I meant, my avatar for the screenshots, not how you wrote me. XD

But anything's fine. I was just trying to be amusing.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

My greatest victory came on R:TW, against Pontus as the Brutii, I incorportated a reinforcement force approaching from another side of the map and under cover of sandstorm broke another hole in their wall while their entire army was dealing with my main force. By the time they realised I'd broken in from behind it was too late and their entire army retreated to the centre of the city for a last stand. I surrounded them from all sides and killed everyone. They had started with over 2 and a half times as many troops as me, and I'd never faced their deadly chariots before (which had succesfully destroyed 2 units of heavy infantry earlier on). All in all out of about 1800 Pontus, 2 survived; a single chariot carrying 2 soldiers that had fled after the earlier engagement.

It was my finest hour.


Ah, I tried typing mine out but it got lost somehow...
It basically amounted to me holding off the HRE with my Faction Leader and a force of freshly trained units on a Bridge while my main armies were subjugating Southern France.

On the topic of the game itself, does anyone else have a favorite song from the Soundtrack?

My three favorites are;
Death Lullaby http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIApGqrrxeE

Lifted to the Hotplate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6kul5A09T8

And We are all one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEB_eKpCNUs

[Magic_Marker]

I was just trying to be amusing.

TRY HARDER!

[Solid Snake]

PROLOGUE


http://motherearthbeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/carpathian-mountains_and_meadow.jpg


Summer, 1058 AD

“Your Polska is so beautiful,” she said, her voice barely rising above a whisper, awed by the magnitude of the land that Światowid eternally blessed. It was summer, and the Carpathian mountains pulsated with an untamable energy. The flowers that surrounded Zaria’s bare feet had blossomed, awoken by a muse at a predestined time, illuminating the hillsides with an abundance of exotic colors. As she dug her toes deep into the damp soil beneath her, she could feel the presence of the old Gods, the Slavic ancestors that predated Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, the feral and mystifying creatures that still ruled in her dreams. Above her, a single eagle flew overhead, surveying the majesty of Weles’ creation. She could hear only the sounds of her own breaths and the soothing chirps of feathered friends. As the radiant affection of Dadźbóg effortlessly lit each contour of her face, and as the winds of the dogoda comforted and caressed her tired body, she felt a fleeting moment of celestial bliss. The magnificence of nature and the sheer breadth of a world she barely knew nearly led her to succumb to tears. The crushing weight of reality would have to wait, yet her fears would soon come and submerge her again. A dark cloud always seemed to drift ominously from the horizon. She could not escape her true identity, but she could deceive her susceptible mind into believing she were a deity, just this once. For one ephemeral instant, this was her Polska, too.

Her Prince was too busy staring at the other beauty before him to notice the vista of the countryside of Nowy Sącz, territory his father conceitedly claimed to possess. He had traveled here many times before, and stayed in Castle Sącz during long holidays and other festive occasions. To him, the beauty of Carpathia had been sucked dry by an intensifying familiarity with the place. He and his best friends, NonCon and Mirai Gen, traversed the mountain paths in search of adventure in their younger years, seeking dragons and psotniks and wilas. He remembered those days fondly, his nostalgic memories unblemished by the inexorable passing of time. As a boy, he and his friends were carefree and eager to explore every crevice of the land he knew he would one day inherit. NonCon, the son of a diplomat who served his father, was cautious and tactful, while Mirai Gen, the son of a renowned General, was fearless and defiant. Together the three re-imagined themselves as Slavic warriors, wielded sticks as swords, and fought imaginary battles.

Despite their best efforts, he and his childhood friends never did find dragons to slay or psotniks to chase. But he had finally found his wila.

He loved her with a fanatical zeal that far surpassed his love for Polska. As a mere teenager, his kingdom felt more like a burden than a gift. He desperately yearned to be free from the chains that bound him to a lifetime of service, a lifetime of dreaded responsibilities. Perhaps, as his father had chastised him, he was simply unaware of how blessed he was, how fortunate to be the son of a King compared to the sons of peasants. In his skewed view, however, Zaria represented everything he yearned for and everything he could never have. She knew nothing of the dark halls of the abbeys that had tormented his passing hours, where he was forced to study languages and mathematics, history and geography, poetry and warfare. She seemed to only intuitively understand the mountains and the open fields, the sun and the moon, the ceaseless cycle of seasons and the endless passage of time.

If his father knew of the nature of his affair, he would have been punished. He was fortunate that NonCon and Mirai Gen, despite their flaws, were both particularly gifted at keeping the Prince’s secrets.

Neither Solid Snake nor Zaria truly knew each other.

Yet they were both madly in love.

“All of this is nothing compared to you, Mój kwiatuszku.”

“You flatter me,” she replied, delicately brushing aside a lengthy strand of golden hair. She never felt comfortable with his effusive compliments. Sometimes, she felt they were too poetic, too versed in their construction, and too forced. She preferred his more spontaneous moments, his occasional inarticulate bursts of unsuppressed joy.

“I only speak the truth, beloved. I would trade every last morsel of these mountains, every last strand of grass, and every last fertile seed to spend a lifetime alongside you.”

“And you would die a disappointed man,” said Zaria, unmoved by her suitor’s affectations. “For I will eventually grow old and ugly, while your Polska will remain unblemished.”

“You underestimate the depths of my love,” said her foolish prince, as he stretched a hand out to her.

“You underestimate your own thirst for power,” she said with a discontented sigh. Yet her actions betrayed her words, as she clasped his hand with hers, and drew him closer to her.

“I thirst only for a woman who cannot be conquered,” Snake quipped, staring into her entrancing cerulean eyes.

They embraced for a lengthy interval before she withdrew from him, her curiosity overcoming her passion. “So, my Prince. Why take me here? Why engage in such brazen acts of secrecy, and why risk the integrity and the livelihood of your friends, simply to bring me to a field?”

NonCon and Mirai Gen had reported to King Naked Snake that they were traveling with his son to reclaim the days of their youth one last time before the Prince’s graduation. Instead, NonCon remained in the comfort of Castle Sącz, while Mirai Gen had orchestrated a mischievous plot to deliver Zaria from her village. Snake knew he would have to repay Mirai’s valiant efforts, as he suspected that Zaria’s parents (neither of whom knew of their daughter’s flirtations with a Prince) would not be pleased with the faux kidnapping. Mirai had told Snake that it was only with the unexpected assistance of Zaria’s younger sister, a rambunctious girl named CelesJessa, that he managed to succeed in his endeavor. Apparently, CelesJessa pretended to have fallen ill with a disease caused by foreign devils, granting Zaria an opportunity to escape her father’s constant watch.

Zaria and Snake had met by mere chance in that hamlet two years ago, when he had been studying the rituals combat under the tutelage of a mentor who dallied excessively in the promiscuous comforts offered at rural inns. Snake was left to wait outside the inn, where he had been protected by a dimwitted bodyguard, and he saw her making her way to the local market. They locked eyes, and he felt compelled to introduce himself. Now, he could not imagine a life without her.

“…A-Are you upset? I thought you would appreciate the opportunity to spend time with me. This may be the last…” Snake stuttered, caught off guard by her questions.

“Upset is not the right word,” interrupted Zaria. “But I fear I cannot give you what you seek. You know I can’t risk having a child, not before…”

“No, no!” Snake bristled at the mere thought of her accusation. “That’s not why you’re here. I’m sorry. I should have…”

“Then, why?” said Zaria, her expression flaring with a surprising degree of hostility. “Why do you torture me like this, Snake? Why do you taunt me with thoughts of eternal affection? We both know that this relationship is impossible.”

Snake winced, taken aback by her claims. “Don’t speak such nonsense. We are in love. We will be together. My father will understand…eventually.”

“No, he won’t. And even if your father accepted me, you’d be deluding yourself to believe that you would settle for me. You would never marry anyone but a princess with royal blood.”

Solid Snake clenched his teeth together and scowled. “You assume too much. I would never do such a thing. I’m not like my father.” Naked Snake was notorious for having slept with multitudes of common mistresses, even after he married Snake’s mother, Princess Evangeline of England.

“…Perhaps. But you are an honorable man, and you will not besmirch the name of your kingdom by betraying its customs.”

Snake paused for a moment to compose his thoughts, letting a long, awkward silence interrupt what was supposed to be a pleasant outing. “…Listen, my stubborn little wila. I brought you here so we could make a special promise.”

“…A promise?” Zaria’s eyes perked up, lit aflame with wonder. She grasped for another strand of her blonde hair, twirling it around a stray finger in anticipation. “Wh-what kind of a promise?”

Like many other men before him, Snake missed the subtext underlying her sudden jolt of excitement. “Just a promise I’ve made before, at this very spot, with my two best friends. I don’t know…maybe I’m just being silly.”

The flame that lingered in the pupils of her eyes was now cruelly extinguished, and Zaria looked down, somewhat embarrassed. “What exactly did you promise them?”

“The last time Mirai and NonCon and I were together here, we promised each other that we would stay friends forever.”

“So, is that all you want from me? My friendship?”

“N-no. No, not at all,” Snake muttered. “I just meant…well, we were young. But, the memory…it meant a lot to me, and…well, it was more than just friendship. This sounds ridiculous, in retrospect. I probably shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Zaria briefly considered the thought that her Prince may have just been fumbling for an excuse to justify having come here with her for reasons aligned with her prior suspicions. She trusted him just enough to cast such reservations aside. “Do enlighten me.”

“Well…we all swore an oath. To return here one day, after our life’s work was accomplished. Once I had fulfilled my destiny as Polska’s King, and once Mirai had succeeded in following his dreams to explore the ends of the Earth, and once NonCon had become a Diplomat and once he served in the courts of Paris. We would all come back here, to this very spot, and we would live our final years here, and we would eventually be buried here, and…”

“By the Gods. You’re such a hopeless idealist. You've missed your true calling as a romantic poet,” said Zaria.

“Isn’t that what you love most about me?” asked Snake.

It wasn’t, but Zaria didn’t mind assuaging Snake’s harmless assumptions. “…All right. So you want me to swear that once I’m an elderly woman, after we’ve married other people and gone about our lives, we’ll return to Castle Sącz and swap stories before we die. Are you sure you’re not breaking our relationship off, my Prince? Because that’s what it sounds like.”

“Never!” Snake exclaimed. “You’ve just always criticized me for seeming aloof and withdrawn. You’ve accused me of not sharing enough of myself with you. So, there you go. I’ve let you share my favorite memory. Once Polska is safe and its people are reunited, once my duties and obligations to my kingdom are complete, we’ll all be together here. We’ll hunt dragons and chase after psotniks, and we’ll get fat off kielbasa and have no obligations. We’ll be free. That’s what I pledged to NonCon and Mirai. It’s what I pledge to you.”

“Oh, Snake. You’re an idiot,” said Zaria. But she loved that about him, much more than his intelligence or his chivalrous nature or his verbose poetry or his staunch loyalty. With a smile forming on the edges of her lips, Zaria approached her love, and they kissed passionately, with only the Carpathians and an ambivalent eagle witnessing their perfect moments together.

It was the last time Solid Snake ever laid eyes upon his wila.

Zaria would fade into oblivion, dying due to complications after giving birth less than a decade after she and Snake made their promise. Her husband would marry another woman, her child would worship another mother, and her family would neglect to even mark her tombstone. Her life’s story would be quickly forgotten, lost forever into the abyss that time shapes and binds. Only the most dedicated of Polish historians would even dedicate a single footnote to her mere existence. The more intimate details of her life, her dreams and her aspirations and her longings, would vanish along with her final breaths. Her covert affair with a Prince would be known only among the likes of Weles or God.

The other three friends were not as fortunate. The history of the Polish Empire began with their youthful promise in the verdant meadows of Nowy Sącz. It would end centuries later, in another meadow, stained with the crimson tint of blood.

[Geminex]

I like this. I struggled to get into the right mindset at first (I wanted slaughter, dammit! War! Not flowery fields and romance), but by the time the dialogue started I was pretty much immersed. I like the descriptive writing, the depiction of each character's emotion, and the shift from romantic, if troubled to pragmatic and sober in the last paragraph. The foreshadowing has quite a lot of effect... Though considering that you're basing the story on the LP (or so I thought) I'm not quite sure how you can plan out its ending. Still, really nice bit of writing, wonderfully immersive, very nicely mood-setting. If it were now followed by a chapter depicting the horrors of politics, power struggles and war it'd set the stage very nicely.

Also, when we're debating what to do next and justifying our votes, do we post in-character?

[Solid Snake]

I like this.

Thanks! I'm glad someone does, at least.

Though considering that you're basing the story on the LP (or so I thought) I'm not quite sure how you can plan out its ending.

In terms of the main storyline, nothing's been planned and everything's up in the air, but I have one of two potential epilogues in mind (one if Poland 'wins' and the other if it 'loses.') I suppose that much is set in stone, which makes the foreshadowing a little easier to handle.

Also, when we're debating what to do next and justifying our votes, do we post in-character?

You may, but you don't have to. (Given that many characters will only be gradually introduced as chapters permit them to appear, many of you will have to wait a while until you could post IC.) Of course, there's no obligation to "have a character" involved in the storyline if you'd like to vote.

...I have a lovely legal presentation (on the merits of an arbitration clause) to make bright and early tomorrow morning so I don't think I can guarantee Chapter One tonight, but it is coming soon.

[Ravashak]

Interested to see how you're going to develop this further, and how the game-elements will play into it. I absolutely love the 2nd to last paragraph, but then, I'm a sucker for tragic endings xP

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Looking forward to the next chapter. Or...The first chapter...Does a prologue count as a chapter?

Whatever. Chapter or not it was good.

[CABAL49]

(And remember, if you're a fan of the project, the best way to ensure I continue updating frequently is to compliment my work, as corny as that sounds. Like any other person, I'm a greedy fucker in need of occasional validation whenever I waste my time.)

I am not great at giving compliments, so I'll just quote this and pretend it's one.

[Sir Pinkleton]

Yunno, I was kinda off-put by the verbose, game-lacking prologue on first glance, but it's really well written. I feel like now I actually care a little more about what Mirai and Noncon do, and am eager to see how I and others are incorporated.

Also, Naked Snake? o.0

[PyrosNine]

Big boss would have been better! Everyone knows the relationship by now!

But uh...less romance and more killin'. Burn, Rape, and Pillage in that order!

Supreme Hired Blade/Sellsword/Cutthroat/Mercenary/Whatever Pyros demands it!

[Solid Snake]

Despite the lag, I have not in fact forgotten about this project, nor do I have any intent on quitting it. This is, in fact, probably going to be comparable to the standard lag time you can anticipate before updates. My schedule this semester is jam-packed Mondays through Thursdays, but I get three days off -- and it's sometime during the three day weekend that I'd actually expect an update. As a result of the hectic law school schedule, however, I hope you'll understand that this storyline will plod along slowly. Hopefully, the quality of the updates will help compensate for the lack of quantity.

[Sir Pinkleton]

Take your time. this is the internet: there are other ways we can keep ourselves entertained, I'm sure.