Competition for General of the Army of Spain

[Togas]

Do not vote until the competition has concluded!

These are the candidates: Astrologix, PlagueRat, LzPrst

This is your task: Answer each question posed to you, roleplaying whenever possible. Assume for each question that you have FULL CONTROL over the entire nation of Spain. Once all three have posted his answer, a new question will be given. Once all of the questions have been answered, all of the people of Spain will voice their opinion on who has demonstrated the strongest ability to lead Spain's army.

Your first question:

Assuming Neu Dem does not build any further southern cities, you have 20 turns to amass an attack force. What do you build? Where do you station your units? How do you strike?

You may now begin answering this question.

--Togas

[GodKing]

My Lord Togas;

With your permission, may I ask a question once the applicants have answered your question?

- GK

[Togas]

GK, Certainly. Once you have finished your chamber pot duties and thoroughly cleaned yourself, you may appear at the competition grounds and submit a question.

--Togas

[GodKing]

Thank you my lord Togas. The new invention I spoke of earlier is almost complete - a system of heating water to be used for bathing in what I am calling a Shower - as it resembles a light spring shower of rain. With your permission, I will test this invention and submit my questions after I complete my Chamber Pot Duties.

- GK

[ThePlagueRat]

Hypothetical campaign:

OhmygodKing! Hot water right on the naked body?!
I use cold only. But then again, I got something strange living inside my ears nowadays. Well... I believe it's still better than the hot Olive oil which we use to punish our enemies with. We call it the "bath tub". Perhaps if you replace the boiling oil with warm water? Nah, I wouldn't dare to go in there anyhow.



Preface:
------------

Assuming Neu Dem does not build any further southern cities, you have 20 turns to amass an attack force. What do you build? Where do you station your units? How do you strike?

ooc: 1 turn= 1 month


One rainy day, in the year of great conspiracy 1475 BC, Col. Sanchez de Plãguatés was on a short leave from the GuObs. He sat in his Hacienda study, plotting. It was not the ordinary plotting against the other spanish clanleaders and officers. This time it was a plot against an entirely different civilization... The warmongering people he called Neu Devils. He loathed them nearly as much as The Watcher's goons, and now El Dictatore had given signals of offensive manuevers, so on this day Sanchez looked interested. At least it was something to follow up.
He wrote the initial sketches of the plot:
[edited]


Uno: Supply lineros
First of all I will order all of the Spanish workforce to connect our cities to Iron, first of all Madrid. Our capital will have completed barracks before the workers have finished, so it can produce well trained offensive units in Madrid. In fact, barracks must be established for training and reinforements in some of our northern cities. These barracks on the frontier there can have no longer completion time than 5 months, these cities must build about 2 units each in 15 months. Roughly estimated.


About that time, workers can start roading a supply line towards Marlowa (2 jungle tiles) under cover of constructing a friendly trade route. I would estimate somwhere below 10 months if four workers does the job. At least it can be done within the deadline. Technology costs will have to be lowered drastically, so we can have our coffers full of Pesetos, which is essential to upgrade all the warriors poor equipment and train them in the use of buckler and sword. We also need payments to our diplomat in ND. Hrmf, they are such bloodsuckers, so I dont know if we can afford it.




Dos: Diplomatico
We must calmly alert the Neu Demons that we are on a campaign northwards to fight GoW, and demand they stay away. So we will move along their border, or hide and deploy in the mountainous areas(right above the jungle) if this the diplomacy fails. How we will actually perform this diplomatic stunt, we can come back to... I don't know how they will react yet. We can say we gotta send some men to help Trip's refugees or something, so there are two possibilities: Either they sniff the poison, or they want to help us in any way. So I believe I choose to hide North of Madrid and then strike from the mountains. I'm not a diplomat you see. *Sanchez grabs his knife scratching his mustache with it*



Tres: Deploymentos
At this time, many young men will have been rallied in Madrid and other cities and they will have no scruples as to kill as many Neu Demons as they see. Most of them will be trained in the use of buckler and sword, but some will also be mounted.
Two battle groups are needed for the campaign, one big down south, and one just a little smaller up north. I will order 'no killing innocents' before they have arrived. (underneath where ND military is present now) They will be deployed NE and S of Neu Theben, in stack formation so they are not easily exposed.


They northmost group will station there only a short time before they backstab ND on the 'kill them all' order, which they know so well. I will call this stack 'Armada Peligroso', and it's a not a decoy altoghether, though we might think of it so cause it share that function too. It will not stray too far from the other group, so they can join later. If diplomacy works and ND sense no danger they will be deployed in the northern nomansland. This Armada is built up by some spearmen/swordsmen and also many horsemen, tailored to fight on open ground in nomansland and win+heal before entering enemy lands. They should be at least 6 units. (incl. 3 horsemen ) They will move tactical to take few hits. Taking high ground, horsemen to charge, etc. *Sanchez talks as if he had done it many times before, but he had not*


In the south where the other army group it stacked within Saragossa, it can now deploy surprisingly outside Marlowa 'cause of the road. I will call them 'Armada Conquista' They are mostly swordsmen and very skilled, but might also drag along some sort of rock-throwing equpment if we get the opportunity.
Go ask some wise guys how it can be made!
Well, at least 9 units (incl. 6 swordmen)
This stack will join the other forces near
(preferrably north of) Neu Theben.

The remaining composition is trivial, and altoghether we use approx. 15 units total, and that can be achieved in 20 months,
if we upgrade our 5 warriors and link the cities, and almost all cities contributes to the remaining 10 units. This is rough calculation. *Sanchez sits with some beans, counting them*



Quatro: Conquista
These men shall not kill for fun, but they shall kill for conquest. (and then they will have a little fun)
They are supposed to blitzkrieg their way up to Neu Theben and take it. We will have to pay the envoy into NeuTheben and/or Marlowa to see how many they are in there. The shiny contents of our coffers after the upgrades will decide if we can do that.

Ok, then Spain is at a new juncture, GoW might have been involved on their side or ours. If GoW join forces with our enemy, this war can be prolongued and we must completely disable Neu Devils. If GoW is on our side, Neu Delvis will humbly apologize for not being spanish and bow their necks before the andalusian axeman.

[astrologix]

Great Despot Togas,

Thanks to your great vision of the future, our people can aspire to eradicate the evil which camps in the north of our borders.

Our defense is consolidated gradually and our offensive force will be built soon.

I would not be a good adviser if I hid you that our army is still weak to envisage a massive attack in only 20 years.

We would need for that a few additional years (10-15) so that our forces grow and are involved as it is advisable for the objective to take the enemy capital.

But since such is your desire, and undoubtedly the will of all the Spanish people, we will prepare with the attack, with for objective, will take the town of Marlowa in 23 years (turns).

I based myself on the plan of our Master of slaves, whom I slightly modified in order to have a favorable situation in 20 years. I hope, Oh Great Leader, that you will trust me for the figures that I will provide you, which can of course be explained in detail.

In 20 years, our armed forces will be in the following way made up:

Garrisons:

Santiago: 3 regular spears
Saragossa: 3 regular spears and barracks built
Pamplona: 1 regular spear
Madrid: 1 regular spear and 1 vet spear and barracks built
Barcelona: 1 regular spears
City of iron: 1 regular spear

Attack force:

In the North-West of Saragossa, in our borders, we will have:

2 veterans spears
2 regular spears
2 Veteran Horsemen
4 Veterans Swordmen

These units will be invisible for the enemy, until one gives the order of attack. Our spy service will tell us how many defenders Marlowa has in.

Assuming that Marlowa isn't strongly defended, once the order given, the units will move towards the North-West, then the war will be declared.
2 years later the city will be ours : the spears will absorb the first enemy attack, then our swordmen will attack and take the city.

Thereafter we will reevaluate the situation, and if it is favorable for us, we will move our units on the peaks of the enemy mountains, in order to attack their capital.

I await your further instructions

Viva España!

Don Pelayo Astronicus

[LzPrst]

After a few months of healing the soldiers of the Feocalvos group, Capitan Nuñez decided to stay a while longer and recruit some of the indigenous natives from the vicinity and train them to swell the ranks.

On a bright sunny summer's day after the first training, a message was brought to the Capitan that a scout had spotted a group of horsemen approaching. The riders wore the bright blue colours of Spain's leader, Lord Togas.

An hour later a young man on horseback accompanied by several armed guards rode up to the center of camp and asked for Sir Nuñez.
"We have a message from Lord Togas, it is of such importance that no one must hear it, not even the guards that have escorted me. Is there anywhere we can talk?"
-Certainly. Skiff! Get a torch and a water hide.

Shortly after the Capitan led the messenger to a cave hidden by a great rock. He pushed aside the rock with some effort astounding the courier.
"That rock must weigh a hundred men! It's not possible for any man to move such stones!"
-Don't worry, it's not as heavy as it looks. -the Capitan replied with a smile.
He continued to lead him deeper and deeper down a path until they were standing in a great natural cavern so large that neither the top nor any of the walls were visible in the torch light.
-Speak. -came the command

"Lord Togas is contemplating an offensive, sir. Assuming Neu Dem does not build any further southern cities, you have 20 years to amass an attack force and a battle plan. "
-What!? In 20 years!? Remember, I have been absent from news of Spain's progress for several decades. I'm afraid I don't know how our situation is...
"I am here to tell you everything you need to know, sir."

And so they sat for hours discussing the happenings of Spain...

OOC I'm gonna need a little time to figure out exactly what we have and what we don't have. If you could post the city screens for last turn that would make things a little easier than scouring through the countless ancient threads. I'm gonna start, but as I probably cant get complete control today, if someone could be so kind OOC

[LzPrst]

OOC The information I need is:

I the exact number of spearmen, workers, warriors
II the garrisons of each city
III improvements completed in all cities
IV production of every city (shields pr turn)

as I dont have a netconnection at home, and cant play civ3 on the university's machines I have no way of checking out the save myself. could someone please help me

[GodKing]

Gentlemen, please excuse the bandages and the odor. Unfortunately, the new invention I had been working on was not perfected, and I am afraid the burns I receives are turning gangrenous. Our lord Togas has assured me however that the medicine men of our tribe are the best, and that the bandages may be taken off soon.

I seek to understand the following:

Why do you seek to lead our glorious armies?

Over the next 20 Galactic Cycles or so, each of you is to prepare an offensive and defensive approach to the heathen Neo Devils to the north. Which do you prefer to dealing with them, Offensive (going out and taking there villages for our own) or Defensive (letting them come to us and banging their heads on our fortresses)?

Our embassy has been opened with the barbarians, and we know they left their capitol relatively undefended – which means they probably have a rather large offensive force. How do you plan on countering it?

What will you do if the boot licking lackeys of the Neo Devils, GoW, decide to join in our holey crusade of eradication of the heathens?

What would your ultimate goals regarding the Neo Devils be? Do you seek assimilation or merely a large reduction in their ability to wage war?

Declarations of war – in this situation do you fear diplomatic repercussions (there are no AI players to worry about) if you attack without a declaration? What other differences would you make as there are no AI players?

I thank you my lord Togas for allowing me to ask these questions.

-GK

[ThePlagueRat]

Originally posted by GodKing: 1

Why do you seek to lead our glorious armies?

Good question. I feel that the army of Spain would benefit from my experience as an offensive commander. I think offense is the best defense, and that Spain will benefit from tearing off it's smily mask soon. We will of course keep the symbol as an ironic grin.

2

Which do you prefer to dealing with them, Offensive (going out and taking there villages for our own) or Defensive (letting them come to us and banging their heads on our fortresses)?

- Offensive mainly, but even better if if we can diplomatically
outmanouver them so that we have a 'casus belli'.
(A reason that others will respect, especially the GoW.)

3

Our embassy has been opened with the barbarians, and we know they left their capitol relatively undefended – which means they probably have a rather large offensive force. How do you plan on countering it?

- Since we don't know where we will meet their main force yet,
this is a rather difficult question. We will have to ask our military advisor (the helmet guy) how strong we are compared to them,
and make sure we are stronger, and have an overload of offensive units.

If we find out that Spain is weaker than ND, we should postpone this offensive. In 20 galactic cycles I think we can be stronger, though... (according to my plan above) And if we are, we can invade and go hunting for the heathen-warband, but I would prefer gathering clues of intelligence prior to attack.
So we need all the pesetas we can get.

4

What will you do if the boot licking lackeys of the Neo Devils, GoW, decide to join in our holey crusade of eradication of the heathens?

- It would be a benefit if they did join us.
'Cause if they did not, ND would seek them out and reward them for terrorizing Spain. I'm sure they would support someone who pays their bills.

5

What would your ultimate goals regarding the Neo Devils be? Do you seek assimilation or merely a large reduction in their ability to wage war?

- No comment.

6

Declarations of war – in this situation do you fear diplomatic repercussions (there are no AI players to worry about) if you attack without a declaration? What other differences would you make as there are no AI players?

- The diplomatic part can easily become the worst and most embarrasing. I think it will be unappropriate to attack without declaring war. We need an excuse to attack them, and I'm sure we can make one up. Such as ND having a ballista throwing spears 30m longer than other ballistas and they did not disarm it.


Even better, we can strive to involve GoW and convince them that they must attack ND within 20 Galactic cycles, and we will support them by pushing from south. Because we heard rumors ND was planning to backstab GoW.
What do you cavalieros thinks?

[ThePlagueRat]

Originally posted by LzPrst
If you could post the city screens for last turn that would make things a little easier than scouring through the countless ancient threads.

Yeah. Screenies!
It would also be a great idea to have some more info about profit maximum, production maximum of cities, and so on.

According to my plan, I used a rough average of 7 turns per offensive unit. (4 turns avg. in Madrid meaning 5 in 20 turns)
And assumed we could afford upgrade of 5 warriors, incl. bribes to GoW. Well, it's just a sketch. It can be made more accurate if the actual max-values are used.

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by ThePlagueRat



We need an excuse to attack them, and I'm sure we can make one up. Such as ND having a ballista throwing spears 30m longer than other ballistas and they did not disarm it.

[OliverFA]

Great Lord Togas:

I see GodKing's idea a very good one. Could I be the next to ask a question after the secon has been answered?

[Togas]

Originally posted by oliverfa
Great Lord Togas:

I see GodKing's idea a very good one. Could I be the next to ask a question after the secon has been answered?

OliverFA, as my Most Trusted Advisor, you may certainly ask the next question.

--Togas

[astrologix]

I am very surprised that Togas allowed you, the Pot Chamber Cleaner, to ask questions to your future General !
But it shows that undoubtely you were hidden us some of your best qualifications.

Since your questions are surprisingly interesting, I accede to enlighten your brain :

Originally posted by GodKing

Why do you seek to lead our glorious armies?

First, I am a patriot. Second, since generations, the Astronicus family has in his blood the military feeling and skills.
My father, Martin Astronicus IV, currently an old man, gave me the order to follow our Despot in all His Great Purposes.
Now, it's time to Spain to know what an Astronicus man can make for His Glory.

Over the next 20 Galactic Cycles or so, each of you is to prepare an offensive and defensive approach to the heathen Neo Devils to the north. Which do you prefer to dealing with them, Offensive (going out and taking there villages for our own) or Defensive (letting them come to us and banging their heads on our fortresses)?

Señor GodKing, you know as well as me that our nation is unable to deploy a powerfull attack at the moment. We must prepare for defense first, but be ready for a future attack against the ND capital within the next 40 years. While preparing this attack we need wait until 1000 BC to make our final decision. If ND attacks first, be sure that we will be ready to destroy them.

Our embassy has been opened with the barbarians, and we know they left their capitol relatively undefended – which means they probably have a rather large offensive force. How do you plan on countering it?

Our well defended cities don't fear a ND attack at the moment. If they attack in the next 20 years we'll have enough forces to reduce them to a mass of pudding.

What will you do if the boot licking lackeys of the Neo Devils, GoW, decide to join in our holey crusade of eradication of the heathens?

EDIT : Hard to say. We should be very careful with such an alliance. GoW could lie to us and search to ambush us and finally fight on the ND's side against us.

What would your ultimate goals regarding the Neo Devils be? Do you seek assimilation or merely a large reduction in their ability to wage war?

Well, it's hard to say now, but if we reduce the ND power after a first war, it could be useful to convert them into a vassal state and to have consequently a buffer land between GoW and us.

Declarations of war – in this situation do you fear diplomatic repercussions (there are no AI players to worry about) if you attack without a declaration? What other differences would you make as there are no AI players?

It is true that we can make sneack-attacks each other without an automatic loss of reputation. But I think that will be bad in the middle-long term, because the other nations could alliate against us until our total extermination. I would prefer to remain noble in all the circumstances, so all the nations would always trust us (until the ultimate sneack attack, hehehe )

And now, please, Señor GodKIng, return to your nauseabond duties, I am very tired