The ITALIAN WARS

A Civ2 scenario by Phenix Earl Benton II
a.k.a. Exile

Without knowing it, Charles VIII of France initiated a new period in warfare, the Age of the Gun. Several historical elements came together and advanced gunpowder-projectile weaponry in a direction that rapidly pushed all other arms aside. Contamine, in his War in the Middle Ages, states that the feudal ideal of raising armies had transformed over the course of the late middle ages into money payments substituting for the feudal commitment of soldiers. At the same time, several regional states were consolidating into large nation states, providing them with increased budgets and military responsibilities. While Spain, France, and England consolidated, Italy remained politically fragmented. For more than a century, Italian intramural warfare had become largely ceremonial, conducting battles incurring less than 20 total casualties. In such an environment, mercenary soldiers, working as capitalist entrepreneurs (they were called "companies"), quickly proliferated. Mercenaries of the middle ages, especially Italians, tended to specialize in missle weapons. From Crecy forward Italian crossbowmen appear regularly on European battlefields. In the early 1490s, the Sforza Duke of Milan, feeling himself threatened within the realm of Italian power politics, managed to bring the King of France, Charles VIII, into the conflicts in Italy. Charles was not part of, nor did he know the ceremonial "rules" that the Italians had devised for their warfare, so battles would become far more sanguinary in the future, and far more decisive and acrimonious. Most importantly, Charles entered Italy with an artillery train, the first in history. 

All these elements came together in the summer of 1494. The crusades were over (though the pretense continued in the contemporary diplomatic world.) Large nation states were now vying for power, and capable of marshalling potentially enormous military strength. While national troops had not yet become fashionable (though Machiavelli certainly suggested it), many mercenaries were available, and the nation states had the money to employ them. The costs of gunpowder, supplies, bronze (the cannons of the era were all bronze--it was found more durable and easier to use), and the technicians to employ these things meant that the nation states would soon monopolize war, and moreover, capitalist economic instruments were available to generate the funds needed by the participants and provide economic structure to the system. Warfare within Italy, and Europe in general, was endemic. There were many sovereign states, all seeking advantage over their competitors. Into this mix came firearms. Work in early firearms tended to deliver huge rewards in terms of increased efficiency and decreased expense. Mercenaries were ready to embrace new missle weapons, especially weapons for which there was no defense. No armor could stop a bullet at close or medium range. And O'Connell, in Of Arms and Men, mentions the "infernal" element--the loud concussive blast accompanied by smoke that occurs whenever an early firearm or cannon is discharged. Morale has always been the chancy aspect of armies, and thunderously loud weapons, against which there is no protection, certainly had an effect on opposing armies' morale. Battles had always been chaotic affairs by their very nature, but now they would be covered by a canopy of smoke. 

The age of gunpowder warfare began in those years. The old rules were simply disregarded. These were new weapons, and their effect was unknown prior to their use on the battlefield. At Novara, in 1513, cannon fire killed 700 men in 3 minutes. At La Biocca, 3000 out of 8000 Swiss mercenaries were killed in a single charge. Oman states that the battle at Ravenna was the first ever decided by an artillery barrage. Infantry became cannon fodder, as did their leaders. At Pavia in 1525, Francis I had his horse shot out from under him leading charge after charge and was captured by his enemies. At Ravenna, 11 of 12 Spanish colonels, and virtually all the German commanders on the opposing side were killed in battle. At Marignano and La Biocca, the Swiss leadership was wiped out. As firearms changed the battlefield, so cannons alone changed siege warfare. The Neapolitan border castle of Monte San Giovanni, famous for having withstood a siege of 7 years, fell in 8 hours of bombardment to Charles' cannons, and caused the Papal and Florentine factions to give way immediately. In response to these new weapons, men of genius stepped forward and devised solutions. Eventually, the Trace Italienne, a new method of fortification, would be developed, incorporating minimization of targets, extensive use of ditches and supporting fields of fire, and the creation of the glacis, a zone of cleared ground around a fortress free of cover for assaulting troops. 

This time of deadly, yet dynamic change saw men like Leonardo da Vinci emerge, clearly a man of great insight and imagination, yet caught up in the military fashion of his day. His missives to potential employers include prominently his abilties to design and manufacture sophisticated weapons of war. Clearly what had gripped a generation of European men was a fashion for soldiery, predictable in a culture largely geared for, and based upon virtually continuous warfare. Toward the end of the High Medieval era, the slackening of the plague and the population boom brought about by environmental warming created demographic growth. Assailed by the Ottoman Empire and its allies, a fashion of martial heroism was created and/or encouraged throughout Europe with its own literature and music. For the next half century, this generation would discover the realities of warfare on the bloody battlefields of Italy. Disillusioned, the response of these men is typified by Cervantes' Don Quixote, and its now-universal icon of the soldier flailing at windmills. The battlefields of Italy saw the martial/heroic ideals mooted by technological change. The effect and lethality of firearms had dispelled all illusions of glory and heroism. Much more importantly, for the first time in history, the weapons themselves had had proufound effect on not simply the nature and outcome of warfare, but had forced an intellectual response to the CHANGE. In my view, this is what, in terms of warfare, marks the boundary line between the modern and pre-modern periods. From this point on, warfare would be a continuing interchange between the human culture of warfare and the nature and lethality of the weapons with which war is fought. 

The turns in the scenario are 3 month seasons, 4 per game year; 1494-1544. Historically, Charles marched into Naples in about 4 or 5 turns. I've simulated this by 1.) placing some roads in convenient locations, and 2.) giving the French the Nuclear Fission tech on turn 1. The trick here is that if a civ is the sole holder of this tech, it gains a very, very strong diplomatic "edge." This seems to be hard-wired into the game. With this setup then, the French CAN simulate the rapid march into Naples. Some aggressive diplomacy will create alliances quickly, and these will allow the French player to pass through these territories. The game itself is about the balance of power in Italy during these years, and the selection of players makes that clear. The Hungarians were created more to take up space on the eastern edge of the map, preventing the AIs from wasting effort in that direction, and to provide cities for trade outside Italy. The Berber and Turkish cities also make good trade cities. A few special units appear in the scenario; Gonsalvo de Cordoba, the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and Francis I. The available-to-build improvements and wonders are generally MUCH less expensive than normal, to facilitate their construction. The exceptions are the production improvements, which are extremely expensive.

NOTES;

I. TECHNOLOGY

The technology in this scenario isn't so important for 2 reasons: 1.) scenario length--only 200 turns 2.) the fact that the scenario focuses on warfare. The turns are seasonal, and the multiplier is 4:1. Scholars are inexpensive, trade units are too, there are several tech wonders, tech trading can occur, and spying will be part of the game. The idea, obviously, is to reach techs that permit building better troops; Arquebusiers and the various pikemen and artillery units. Construction is (Bridge Building) and is the basic tech for most improvements, as well as building bridges. Fortification Building is (Construction) and must be researched--truly effective fortifications against cannonfire were yet to be designed prior to the start of this scenario. Colusseums are (Cathedrals) and Catholicism is (Electronics). Humanism is (Philosophy) and will reward the first civ to acquire it with a free tech. Naval Architecture is (Nuclear Power) and gives an extra movement point to naval units, as well being the base tech for pinnacle naval units.

II. UNITS

The intent of this scenario is to simulate the changing military dynamic that characterized the Italian wars. When the period began, Italian infantry was largely mercenary, grouped in small armies, and led by condotierri, contractor-generals who fought "scientific" battles, campaigns, and even entire "wars" of manuever. The contractors advertised by presenting an ethic of minimal causualties, yet the most skilled used a strategic style that stressed successful accomplishment of goals, with deemphasis on actual fighting and killing. The French artillery and their Swiss mercenaries mooted the Italian culture of the condotierri and the "scientific" warfare. The Swiss had a reputation for being exceptionally tough and unbreakable soldiers, demanding high pay, but earning it in a series of bloody battles of the period. The Swiss success with the pike phalanx led the German landscheckts, and Gonsalvo de Cordoba's Spanish pikemen to imitate them. Firearms soon obsoleted crossbows. The range of artillery almost seems too vast to categorize into groups, but others before me (Renaissance of Infantry, SPI) have grouped them into battlefield light and heavy, and this scenario follows that lead. There is heavy and light cavalry, the former the remnant of medieval chivalry, the latter the result of a Spanish revival of fabian tactics. The ships from the period are represented by the armed merchant as transport vessels, and the Warship as the buildable fighting vessel. The barbarians can build the Barbary Pirate and the Turkish Warship. Like the barbarian land units, none can be built by players. All the players have the Spy unit, delivered via event, and the Medici is slightly better than the others. There will be several "personalities" units within the game. Discover them in the game. With the exception of the units available at start, most of the units will be much more expensive to build. Rush-building neatly simulates the mercenary situation. There is also the Timber trade unit. This cannot be built, but can be traded. The intention for this unit is that it is event generated randomly for the civs that have this benefit, and these units should be disbanded in the port cities where very expensive shipping is being built. The pinnacle naval units are the Galleon and Fluyte, the 1st the ultimate warship, the 2nd the best transport. The Galleon can also carry air units, and the Bombardment unit, available with Siege Warfare, can be carried and used. The Bombardment is a movement 1 air unit, destroyed after attacking. This is the only way that a naval bombardment can occur. Once the Trace Italienne tech is discovered, the Ballistic Fortress unit is available to build. This unit is a fortress unit with no movement--it stays in the city where built, and is very difficult to destroy.  

III. GOVERNMENTS

No government switching, and no governments within the scenario tech tree. Despite the fast pace of military change, the renaissance style of government persisted. The French are in a modified Fundamentalism, with 3 units of no support. The French are ahead of everyone else in artillery and production techs, and this simulates the fact that the scenario map only includes a small portion of a much larger nation state at the command of an absolutist monarch. Venice is in modified Communism, with an enhanced distance-to-palace that creates some corruption and the Venetian spies are slightly better than others because of this. The other players are in Monarchy, renamed the Dukedom.   

IV. WONDERS

Here is a list describing the Wonders in the scenario. "Start" indicates that the wonder is placed at the start of the scenario and location. Only one of these goes obsolete during the game. The two wonders that can be built during the game have lower production costs than the default. The Council of Ten wonder is obsolete at the start of the scenario.

Genoa .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . Colossus  .  .  .  .  .  . Genoa, start
Pisa .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . Lighthouse .  .  .  .  .  . Pisa, start
Belgrade .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . King Richard .  .  .  .  . Belgrade, start
Venetian Renaissance .  .  .  . Copernicus .  .  .  .  .  . Venice, start
Florentine Renaissance .  .  .  Issac Newton .  .  .  .  . Florence, start
Spanish Alliance .  .  .  .  .  .  Adam Smith .  .  .  .  .  Naples, start
Council of Ten .  .  .  .  .  .  . Womens Suffrage .  .  . Venice, start (obs.)
Budapest .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  Shakespeare .  .  .  .  .  Budapest
Venetian Navy .  .  .  .  .  .  . Magellan .  .  .  .  .  .  . Venice 
Sistene Chapel .  .  .  .  .  .  . JS Bach .  .  .  .  .  .  . available (-)
Medici Spy Network .  .  .  .  Marco Polo .  .  .  .  .  . Florence

V. IMPROVEMENTS

Most things have been renamed. Here is a list. The 1st column is the new name for the improvement, the 2nd column is the default name for the improvement, and the 3rd column is the prerequisite tech to build the improvement. A "+" sign at the end of the 3rd column indicates that the improvement is now more expensive to build or to maintain or both. A "-" sign indicates that the improvement is now cheaper to build or maintain or both. Consult the pedia for details.

Palace .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . Palace .   .   .   .   .   .  . Palace -
Granary .   .   .   .   .   .   .   Granary .   .   .   .   .   . Construction -
Church .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .Temple .   .   .   .   .   .  Rural Clergy -
Market .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . Marketplace .   .   .   .   Construction -
Scholars .   .   .   .   .   .   .  Library .   .   .   .   .   .  Literacy -
Magistrate .   .   .   .   .   .   Courthouse .   .   .   .   . Legalism -
City Walls .   .   .   .   .   .    City Walls .   .   .   .   .  Construction
Water Supply .   .   .   .   .   Aquaduct .   .   .   .   .   Construction -
Bank .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   Bank .   .   .   .   .   .   . Banking -
Banking House .   .   .   .   . Stock Market .   .   .   .  Banking Houses -
Cathedral .   .   .   .   .   .    Colluseum .   .   .   .   .  Construction
Iron Foundry .   .   .   .   .   Factory .   .   .   .   .   .   Foundries +
Cannon Factory .   .   .   .    Manufacturing Plant .   . Cannon Milling +
Water Mills .   .   .   .   .   .  Hydro Plant .   .   .   .   . Construction +
Sewer System .   .   .   .   .  Sewer System .   .   .   . Engineering
Toll Roads .   .   .   .   .   .   Superhighways .   .   .   Toll Roads -
Fish Market .   .   .   .   .   .  Harbor .   .   .   .   .   .   Trade -
Venetian Adriatic Empire .   .Offshore Platform .   .   .None*
Provveditori .   .   .   .   .   . Supermarket .   .   .   .  None**
University .   .   .   .   .   .   .University .   .   .   .   .  Cultural Literacy
(Excessive Taxes) .   .   .   . (Capitalization) .   .   .  Nil

*   Only 1, in Venice at start.
** Only 1, in Venice at start, simulates the very forward Terra Firma policy of         the later Duchy.

VI. VICTORY

Victory is achieved by controlling the most cities in Italy at the end of the scenario. Only cities existing at the start of the scenario are included in the counting. No cities east of Aquileia, no French, Hungarian, or Saracen cities will be included. Sicily, La Palma, Corsica, and Sardinia count.

VII. HOUSE RULES

Do not bribe Barbarians/Saracens. 

VIII. PBEM

This scenario is only 200 turns, has a number a small civs, and a very limited tech tree. As such, it's a good candidate for pbem. No civ has much of a real advantage except the French at start, and spies will quickly reduce the tech gap though not the size and resource base of this civ. The Medici civ is the smallest, but its spies are far more versatile than the other civs' spies. The Hungarian civ should not be human controlled, as it will be struck hard by the Suleyman unit, which is virtually unbeatable, and will collapse accordingly. Both the Hungarian civ and the Sultan have been created primarily for historical flavor, and to provide markets for trade, not to interfere in Italian politics. Historically, all the players in the game formed shifting alliances intended to 1.) throw the French out of Italy and 2.) prevent any single Italian regional power from acquiring hegemony over the others. In a pbem, the house rule stands; no bribing Saracens, and the Victory Conditions do not change.

IX. CREDITS 

I have borrowed icons, units, terrains, and ideas from all over the Civ2 world. I have been fortunate enough to have Gareth Burch's outstanding unit graphix and Sarstock's beautiful flags.
Here is a list of the scenarios from which I borrowed;
Masis Panos; His series of late Roman Empire games.
Bernd Brosing; Cross & Crescent and Imperium Romanum.
Paul Mutica; Meditera and Inomine. 
Gareth Burch; for incomparable units in general, but also from Hannibal's War.
Erwan; for having a number of very good spy units.
Pericles Dervisis; the co-designer of Hannibal's War.
John Ellis; Hellas, the Colonies series of games, Seize the Crown.
Henrik Lohmander; Carolus
Vegard Bjorketun; Casus Belli
Carl Fritz; Struggle for Empire and Pitt's War at Sea
There are various graphix, modified and unmodified, of FavoredFlight, Gareth, Erwan, Eivind, Curt, RoN, Henrik, and ideas and graphix from Carl, Brian, Bernd and Paul. 
If I missed anyone, contact me and I'll change it credit you.