Lorraine Cooperative Game Thread

[Velociryx]

And finally, we can do this one of two ways....we can formalize "Cabinet Positions" for Lorraine (ie - Rav is our Minister of the Economy, pg is Strategic Command, etc)...or we can just leave it open ended and non-structured.

If we DO want some structure, then here are the posts we'll need:

Minister of Development
Decides on what slider moves to make, selects and sets research allocations, decides on what CoT's to develop market presence in, when and where to make provincial appointments, and determines when and where to construct manufactories.

Minister of the Army
Sets troop levels and placements, determines when we go to full alert or stand-down status, formulates battle strategy in times of war, and makes troop or mercenary requsitions for us.

Minister of the Navy
Per above, 'cept relating to our (nonexistent, at this point) fleets.

Chief Diplomat
Decides what to do with our diplomatic corps....where to send, what to send....sets diplomatic priorities and in times of war, determines whether we honor alliance obligations

Minister of Colonial Development
Decides how to use our colonists and missionaries, is also in command of any explorers and/or conquistadors that may come our way (these being independent of the "regular" army or navy)

And I will be....the arbiter....as you guys fight over resources, it'll fall to me to try and meet all your various demands to the best of my abilities....

Thoughts? Positions are entirely voluntary at this point....if multiple people want the same post, then a "council" is formed for that position instead, and I'll pick up the slack and take on any responsibilities NOT volunteered for.

-=Vel=-

[Velociryx]

Our story continues

Duke Charles the Second, of Lothrengen sat contemplating in his secret meeting room....brow furrowed in thought.

A soft knock at the door interrupting his long thoughts.

"Come." He said with authority.

The door opened and his advisor stepped into the room, shut and locked the door behind him. "You sent for me, My Lord Duke?"

"Yes, I...."

"It's about the letter, isn't it?" The Royal Advisor asked, already knowing the answer to the question.

"Indeed it is....Six years ago, when I penned those words to the Dauphin of France, his vision of what could be was so bold, so vivid...." His voice fell away in bitter disappointment.

"And now?" The Vizer prompted.

"And now....the bold vision is lost...France is mired in politics and trickery....her Kings only wish to increase their lands....the dream of France is dead."

"A sad day." The Vizer murmured.

"But....what if another dream arose to take its place? What if the dream of France alone is too small? Could that dream's death be destiny of a different sort calling?"

"And what does my Lord Duke have in his mind for the future?"

"Charlemagne....a re-awakening of the empire of Gaul and the Germanys."

"The dream of France alone is indeed too small if those are your ambitions."

"They are not....were not...I know not from whence they came to be exact....but I do know that we have it in us....that, having tasted our first victories on the field of battle, this dream....a greater dream than the short-sighted "King of France" could ever fathom, burns hotly in my blood...I would see it to fruition."

"Save that you know you will not....that dream, if it is to be realized, will take generations."

"Yes...but my children, and their children, and theirs after them can finish what we began here against England and Burgundy, and in that manner, I can see the dream through."

"And you would do this? You would sacrifice yourself and your life to something greater, knowing full well that you will die before it is done."

The Duke looked at his most trusted Vizer with eyes ablaze. "Yes." He said simply...almost in defiance of heaven itself. "Yes I would."

"Then you are indeed....the one." The Vizer told him and walked silently from the room.

-=Vel=-

[Velociryx]

Ran the game up to the new year to give us some sense of what kind of money we have to work with, and in the meantime, adopted a holding pattern and did only a couple of things mentioned previously:

* RM to Castile (+59) (allied to vassal Portugal)
* RM to Aragon (+59) (allied to Albania, Naples, and Ragusa)

We have 4 pts of War Exhaustion (should be gone late this year)

Production Effie = 13%
Trade Effie = 31%

Unit Costs:
Warships 59d
Galleys 10d

1k Infantry 6d
1k Cavalry 15d

Exact Disposition of our forces:

Poitou Garrison: 4000 Infantry, 1000 Cavalry

Artois Regiment: 7498 Infantry, 2000 Cavalry

Merchant Costs and CoT values:
Flandres: 3d, 131
Ile de France: 2d, 155
Micklenburg: 5d, 127
Astrankhan: 6d, 88
Novgorod: 6d, 141
Alexandria: 12d, 251
Venice: 6d, 195
Liguria: 6d, 161
Tago: 6d, 124
Kurland: 6d, 76

Treasury is 50d at present with 8.4--> 9d per year in expenses, for a net gain of 50-2, 48-9 = 39d. That's what we have to spend this year....39d....thoughts on how best to use those funds?

[Velociryx]

Other details:

Since we have war exhaustion, I diverted some of our research efforts away from Infrastructure and into stability to offset the hit (4d per month), and will ease this down as WE goes away, unless the council would like me to do otherwise.

As you can see, we have 5 diplomats to play with right now, and 6 merchants, so we have the raw materials to play with, and at least some resources to work with.

Gentlemen, Lorraine awaits your orders....

-=Vel=-

EDIT: Oh, and we've alredy climbed 5 spots, and are now the 21st largest economy on the planet....

[ravagon]

Giving me the keys to the treasury??

You might as well flush it down the ... , erm , store it in the chamber pot for safe keeping.

Re: Comissioning of a Navy - I doubt that it'd be of too much use right now. You certainly couldn't take on the RN for the forseeable future without an immense effort.
Running blockades of isolated provinces with a few loaded galleys seems pretty risky to me. Better to let a province fall and have one of the French leaders take it back for you?

If your french "allies" try and dominate in the north you might be better off trying for some of the English holdings in southern France perhaps?
That and ruthlessly target any of the other French minors that fail to come on board.

It'd be nice if somebody else were to take Holland away before the upcoming bout as then you'd be able to annex Burgundy completely - but if wishes were horses ... ... well I guess you'd probably have a lot more cav.

[Edit: If I read correctly you have until June 1430 before the 5 year truce is up?
Might be better to build your treasury up for now for a big recruitment drive in 1429. That way your manpower will be replenished and your armies over-built by the time war comes so you might not need those very expensive mercs ... ]

[Velociryx]

Indeed yes, good Sir! Any post you wish for is yours to command! What position on Lorraine's cabinet interests you the most? (and by your earlier response, I'm guessing that it won't be the Lord Admiral of our non-existent fleets! )

Total agreement re: Holland....be nice if we could somehow get Burgundy into a disaster of a war....the only nation that could do it realistically though, would be France...

So....perhaps charge of our military for you then? Or, since it seems to be just you and me, you take the whole hog till someone else come along?

-=Vel=-

[Velociryx]

Quite true, re: the truce timetable, btw....we've got some time, and I believe that next year will see more than a 48d boost to treasury....hope so anyway...that gives us scant materials to work with....

In the meantime, what say you to the notion of some Merchant attempts, perhaps....and possibly a letter to Brabant (not crucial, I would not think, but at 8d, it might be money well spent to boost relations a tad)

-=Vel=-

[ravagon]

Actually the post of port-Admiral suits me rather well right now. Can't really make too much of a mess with that one.

Merchants I have absolutely no idea about I'm afraid as I generally go for Tago and wait for a trade advantage before targetting Liguria/Venice. Aiming for high-grain CoT's though sounds like a good idea ...

Btw is that an Austrian force in Pfalz?

Wolves at the door ...

[Velociryx]

It is indeed the Austrians giving battle to a variety of German minors! I'm watching that with interest to see if there are any annexations afoot! If so....perhaps an opportunity to expand into Germany will present itself, tho I have my doubts that I can tangle with the Austrian alliance by myself, so France will no doubt have to be called in to assist, which might wind up strengthening them....

As to the cabinet positions, whichever you'd like, good sir! They're all wide open at this time! (oh, and I just updated the Scotland thread too....seems your little prediction about England has come to pass!)

-=Vel=-

[Velociryx]

So....if I'm reading you right then, you're all for a general holding pattern for the moment, to wait for the manpower spike, then a military buildup....no preference on merchants (in which case, my inclination is to send them to Flandres, as that is our cheapest market to buy into), and nix to the navy at this time.

That leaves diplomacy and research.

The Iberians have been married into....anybody else on the "hit list" or no real preferences?

As to research....satisfied with our current Infrastructure focus with slight spending on Stab till WE goes away?

-=Vel=-

EDIT: If the above is acceptable, then I shall press on to the end of the year and see what January of the following brings for us....

[ravagon]

*crosses fingers*for Scotland.

I found out the hard way the consequences of too many RM's last night when my supposed (hah!) allies DoW'd 2 nations with whom I had them. Not nice.

Might be better to use them for insults/guarantees (if there's anybody you want to target), or just let them build up in case you need them. (Wouldn't want France to drag you into a fight with Denmark just when you're getting ready for Burgundy ).

Infrastructure/stability sounds good.


That'll be all from me for a couple days.

[Nikolai]

Interesting. I'll follow this.
I'm thinking that it might be good to take Luxemburg to make a connection between your capital and the rich rest of your possesions? Then you won't be dependant of other countries to pass, and you will get more money, as IIRC, you loose some to penalties withjout a connection.

BTW, what difficulity settings and which patch do you play with?

[Velociryx]

Hey guys! Will do then....run the game up to the new year and see what sorts of things are in store for us.

As to settings, 1.07, Hard difficulty, Normal AI aggressiveness....I love playing at impossible level, but thought that might be a bit daunting, on top of what I'm trying to do with these threads...

As to Lux....we could easily beat and absorb them, there is no doubt...the only proble I have with that is the fact that our relations with the other German Minors aren't strong enough to withstand that strain at this time....we eat Lux, we fight LOTS of German minors because of it....very risky.... Of course, to that end, we can ply some more RM's and do what we can to improve relations with them (the minors) so that eating Lux becomes a survivable proposition.....that's expensive, on account of how many minors there are, but I will play in that direction for this year (combining yours and Rav's sugesstions), and see where that leaves us at the dawning of the new year...

-=Vel=-

[Velociryx]

Strange Tidings for the French Alliance

Duke Charles II, of Lothrengen read the latest reports about the state of the alliance with a mixture of concern and delight and then, met the gaze of his Chief Advisor. "What do you make of it?"

The Advisor smiled. "Orleanais is a proud, free land, My Lord Duke, and it would seem that they share your feelings about the French King....their decision to cancel their vassalage and go their own way....following their own dream and vision for France is a bold step, no doubt, but I fear that they alone simply are not strong enough to stand against the might of France and her allies."

"How I wish that the Duke had come to me....it seems we have some common ground....if he had then perhaps there would have been time to bind them more closely to our banner...as it stands now, with such a bold proclamation....much as it pains me to admit it, there's not much we can do in the way of assistance....he acted too swiftly, and without the benefit of proper thought."

"Indeed."

The Duke blew out a breath and looked heavenward. "If war comes then, we shall have no choice but to support it...this path, I do not take with relish, because it only serves to strengthen France and their sadly warped version of the dream of what could be....nonetheless, even though I feel a deep and growing disagreement with the French King, there is little to be done, save for support our allies. We are not yet strong enough to stand apart."

"No...supporting Orleanais, or indeed, doing any less than pledging full support for the French cause would be tantamount to disaster for us, sadly."

The Duke considered that for a moment, and then got a wily glint in his eye. "Yes....and we could play to that....what if we made it exceedingly unhealthy for any of France's allies to balk at this war?"

"Become the enforcer of the French alliance?"

"Exactly that...if any of her vassals do not pledge their full support, then we have right of war with them, and I say we use it! We could pounce upon any who would dare defy the wishes of France....on the surface of it, this would make us appear rabidly loyal to the French King, which is exactly what he wants and expects from his allies, and in the same breath, we can strip away land and holdings from those nettlesome sattellites, which would lessen French acquisitions in later days."

"A bold plan, my Lord Duke, but if war comes before the dawning of the new year, know that it will stress the nation...we lack the means to prosecute such a war, having spent the bulk of our national treasury in attempts to gain market share in Flandres."

"And what of that plan?"

"One Merchant has succeed, though we have had four try this year."

"One of four....that is....disappointing."

"Yes, but remember, this is the first time we have ever attempted to develop a regional trade network that went beyond simple barter....it will take time to sort out the details and gain proficiency against those who have been doing it a far longer time than we."

"'Tis true." The Duke replied. "Nonetheless, I wish that our finances were in better condition for this....I know we have gained the confidence of the moneylenders, but am loathe to make use of their coin....we may need it for a more pressing fight down the line, what with the new strength that England's alliance finds itself with."

"Indeed, Navarra and the far-off Golden Horde are not much threat to us and ours, but the Duke of Geldre has nearly forty thousand swords at his disposal, and that is a dark tiding indeed, as Zeeland stands unguarded before them."

"Too well, do I know this....perhaps I have a fair cousin we could gift to the Duke of Geldre in marriage....if doing so would still his hand against us, it would be a worthy cause."

"An arranged marriage alone might not be sufficient, but I daresay a good start."

"Very well, then let us make it....we shall add to those efforts later, but for the time being, it is all we can afford to do."

"What of the matter of unruly Baden, my Lord?"

The Duke shook his head. "That matter is out of our hands for the time being...I dislike having such an aggressive, hostile neighbor, but what can we do? For the time being at least, our Germanic bretheren are taking them to task for their appetites, and for now, I say we simply watch these comings and goings to see what their outcome is....if the alliance of Saxony is victorious, then we do not have a problem in the least....if not...time will tell, no?"

"Time will tell."

OoO

February
2 Merchants sent to Flandres (6d)

March
Letter to the Duke of Brabant (8d) relations climb from +18 to +27

One (1) of our merchants succeeds

April
2 more merchants sent to Flandres (6d)

Baden annexes Helvetia, sparking a war between Baden, Austria, and Mantua vs. Mainz, Wurzburg, Hessen, Saxony, and Wurtemburg - Relations with Baden drop staggeringly to -166

May
Neither of our merchants succeed in establishing themselves

June
National stability is restored - all efforts are once more plied into improving national infrastructure.

July
Royal Marriage arranged with Geldre (rel to +48)

August 24th
Provence declares a war against breakaway Orleanais, and calls the French alliance to stand against them. All do, save for The House of Burbon, and Lorraine finds herself unprepared for when opportunity knocks....

Gentleman, the state of Lorraine is thus:

We have 16d remaining in our treasury this year, full stability, no revolts....Our economy has improved to 14.8 per month (12.3 from taxation, 2.3 from goods production, and 0.2 from trade surplusses), and we have an opportunity and right of war against The House of Burbon.

Burbonais consists of two provinces, each bordering our estates is Poitou.

Berri, the capitol province of the Burbons, currently plays home to the bulk of their army (11,878 troops)

Limousin, their only other holding, hosts 2970 troops.

We do not know how many of these are Infantry and how many are Horse troops....what we do know is that the Poitou garrison stands ready (4000/1000), and that when taken with our Artois Regiment, we have more men under arms than our potential adversaries--although admittedly, it will take us some months to get the bulk of our forces into position.

Thus, we have a quandry. An opportunity, there is no doubt, but a difficult decision to make.

Should we let the House of Burbon get away with their slight against the French alliance, or should we punish them most severely?

What is at stake here is chiefly two things. First, if we make this fight and carry the day, then we take a province for ourselves that the French would have no doubt acquired instead, and second, the prize for winning this fight is Limousin....a grain province. By itself, this will increase the number of troops we can maintain afield, as we do not yet have a native source for grains.

The downside is that until the new year (unless we take a loan), our ability to wage this war against the Burbons will be sorely limited. The men of the Poitou regiment are stout of heart, but are sadly outnumbered in this fight, and would remain so till late-year, when we could reinforce them from the Artois regiment.

This war could either be an enormous setback for us, or a significant step forward....what say you?

-=Vel=-

[Velociryx]

OOC Note: Unless someone stops me by saying something to the contrary, I shall play ahead and make war on the House of Burbon, basing that decision on Rav's earlier comment re: "ruthlessly targeting" French satellites that don't tow the line....God Save Lorraine!