Dark Ages NES

[appleciders]

In 732 AD, Muslim forces had conquered all of Spain, and were threatening Paris. Charles Martel, King of the Franks, gathered his army and went to make a last-ditch effort to halt the advance of the well-trained and battle-hardened Muslim cavalry sweeping in from the south. The night before the battle, he makes a crucial decision- to order his heavily armed and armored knights to dismount and take up spears and shields, like the Greek Hoplites of old. Fighting on foot was seen as a great dishonor by the nobility that formed most of his cavalry, but they honored their king's seemingly crazy request and joined the ranks of the common soldiers. This tiny decision may have easily turned the tide of the battle for Charles Martel. But what if he had granted his nobles' requests to remain mounted? What if he had lost the battle? How might history have been different?

Scenario:
-Muslims win Battle of Tours, leaving only broken and scattered resistance between themselves and the heart of France.

-Abd er Rahman, the Muslim commander, sets himself up as the Caliph of the West, claiming all land from Egypt to Iberia.

-The Caliph in Ctesiphon, the current Muslim leader, declares Abd er Rahman an outlaw and marches against him

-Several years of bloody conflict lead to a tenuous treaty with Abd er Rahman in control of the Muslim world west of Carthage, and the Caliph in control of all lands to the east.

-King Liutpert of Italy unifies Italy, claiming to be a descendant of Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor. He declares the New Roman Empire, and begins to take control of the Church.

-Several Mediterranean islands rebel against Constantinople, using the chaos in the Muslim world as a cover.

-The Byzantine Empire spends most of its time fighting barbarian incursions on their borders.

-The Bulgarians, Avars, Bavarians, and Franks build their forces, attacking the more civilized nations to their south.

Map: http://apolyton.net/upload/view.php?...6_DANES755.PNG

[appleciders]

Player Stats (755 A.D.)

Byzantine Empire
: Domestic Status :
Economic Base: Moderate
Economic Strength: Moderate
Dissent: Low
Secret Police: Average
Military Training: Excellent
: Armies :
}"Illyrian Army"- Tirkan - 1,000 Cataphracts, 500 Heavy Infantry, 200 Light Cavalry, 500 Archers, SE
}"Dodona Defense Force"- South of Dodona - 1200 Heavy Infantry, 500 Archers
}"Heel Army"- South-Eastern Italy - 1,000 Light Infantry
}"Toe Army" - Catanzaro - 2,000 Light Infantry, 800 Cataphracts
}"Peloponnesian Army"- Sparta- 1,000 Light Infantry, 600 Archers
}"Army of Crete"- Crete - 1,000 Archers
}"Army of Adrianople"- 1,000 Light Cavalry, 800 Heavy Infantry, SE
}"Army of Smyrna"- Smyrna - 1,000 Light Cavalry
}"Army of Cyprus"- Ledra - 1,200 Archers, 5,00 Heavy Infantry
}"Army of Galita"- Galita - 500 Heavy Infantry, 200 Light Cavalry
}"Army of Ordu"- Ordu - 1,300 Cataphracts, 1,300 Heavy Infantry, 300 Light Infantry, 900 Archers, SE
}"New Recruits"- Ancyra - 1,500 Cataphracts, 1,000 Heavy Infantry, 500 Archers
: Navies :
}"Adriatic Fleet"- Tirkan - 45 Ships
}"Italian Fleet"- Cantazaro - 30 Ships
}"Aegean Fleet"- South of Sparta - 35 Ships
}"Western Fleet"- South of Gortyn" - 19 Ships
}"Crimean Fleet"- Crimea - 10 Ships
Special: Byzantine ships can use Greek Fire, and are therefore somewhat stronger than other ships. Can build Cataphracts.


New Roman Empire
: Domestic Status :
Economic Base: Modest
Econonmic Strength: Good
Dissent: High
Secret Police: Average
Military Training: Average
: Armies :
}"Milanese Army"- Milan - 1,500 Legionaires, 800 Light Cavalry, 1,000 Archers, SE
}"Venetian Army"- Venice - 600 Legionaires, 1,200 Light Cavalry, 600 Light Infantry, 600 Archers
}"Army of Florence"- Florence - 1,000 Legionaires
}"Bari Defense Force"- Rome - 1,000 Heavy Infantry, 500 Archers
}"New Recruits"- Rome - 500 Legionaires, 1,000 Light Cavalry, 1,000 Archers
: Navies :
}"Venetian Fleet": 50 Ships
}"Roman Fleet": 45 Ships
Special: The Emperor's limited control of the Papacy gives him extra leverage with Christian and especially Catholic populations. Can build Legionaires.


Caliphate of Iberia
: Domestic Status :
Economic Base: Modest
Economic Strength: Moderate
Dissent: Low
Secret Police: Average
Military Training: Average
: Armies :
}"Army of Tours"- Besieged in Tours - 400 Heavy Infantry, 1,000 Light Cavalry, 300 Cavalry Archers, 500 Light Infantry, 300 Archers
}"Bavarian Border Patrol"- Iberian-Bavarian Border - 400 Heavy Infantry, 300 Light Cavalry, 450 Cavalry Archers, 500 Archers, SE
}"Iberian Guard"- Toletum - 1,500 Light Cavalry
}"Army of Carthage"- Carthage - 1,000 Heavy Infantry, 1,000 Light Infantry, 500 Cavalry Archers, SE
}"Army of the Loire"- Burdigala - 1,500 Heavy Infantry, 1,000 Light Cavalry, 800 Cavalry Archers
: Navies :
}"Fleet of Gibraltar"- Gades - 35 Ships
}"Fleet of Barcelona"- Barcelona - 18 Ships
Special: Good training and well-bred Andalusian horses make Iberian cavalry units especially effective. An excellent unversity system assists any scientific or mathematical undertaking in Iberia. Can build Cavalry Archers.

Caliphate of Arabia
: Domestic Status :
Economic Base: Large
Economic Strength: Moderate
Dissent: Low
Secret Police: Average
Military Training: Average
: Armies :
}"Army of the West"- South of Carthage - 1,000 War Camels, 1,000 Heavy Infantry, 500 Archers, SE
}"Cyrenaican Army"- Cyrene - 500 War Camels, 400 Heavy Infantry, 1,000 Light Infantry
}"Egyptian Army"- Alexandria - 1,000 Heavy Infantry
}"Army of Upper Egypt"- Southern Egypt - 1,000 Light Infantry, 500 Archers, SE
}"Meccan Honor Guard"- Mecca - 500 Heavy Infantry
}"Army of Jerusalem"- East of Ordu - 1,000 Heavy Infantry, 1,600 War Camels, 1,000 Archers
}"Invading Force"- Kayseri - 2,000 Heavy Infantry, 800 Light Infantry, 1,200 Archers, 200 War Camels, SE
}"Ctesiphon Guard"- Ctersiphon - 1,500 Light Cavalry
}"New Recruits"- Trabzon - 1,000 War Camels, 500 Light Infantry
}"University Guard"- Carthage - 100 Heavy Infantry
}"Recruiting Group"- Traveling around Empire - 500 War Camels
: Navies :
}"Arabian Navy"- Cyrene - 41 Ships
}"Alexandrian Guard"- Alexandria - 12 Ships
Special: Control of Mecca improves this government's standing in the eyes of Muslims. Can build War Camels.


Kingdom of Bavaria
Economic Base: Modest
Economic Strength: Moderate
Dissent: Low
Secret Police: Average
Military Training: Average
: Armies :
}"Army of Lyon"- Besieging Tours - 1,600 Heavy Infantry, 1,200 Light Infantry, 450 Huskarls, 800 Light Cavalry, 1,400 Archers, SE
}"Army of Vienna"- Vienna - 1,000 Heavy Infantry, 500 Archers
}"Northern Recruits"- Besieging Tours - 600 Light Infantry, 700 Light Cavalry, 300 Huskarls
}"New Recruits"- Vienna - 1,000 Light Cavalry
Special: Bavarians, descended from Goths, are particularly good at pillaging and looting. Can build Huskarls.


Union of Mediterranean Kingdoms
Economic Base: Modest
Economic Strength: Strong
Dissent: Some
Secret Police: Average
Military Training: Average
: Armies :
}"Corsican Army"- Corsica - 1,000 Light Infantry, 1,000 Archers
}"Sardinian Army"- Sardinia - 800 Light Infantry, 500 Archers
}"Sicilian Army"- Sicily - 800 Heavy Infantry, 500 Light Cavalry, 1,000 Archers
: Navies:
}"Balearic Fleet"- Palma - 33 Ships
}"Corsican Fleet"- Ajax - 35 Ships
}"Sicilian Fleet" - Syracuse - 35 Ships
Special: With their crossroads location, the UMK recieves a bonus to all information gathering activities and their trade ships carry more cargo.


Frankish Kingdom:
Economic Base: Small
Economic Strength: Modest
Dissent: Low
Secret Police: Average
Military Training: Average
: Armies :
}"Frankish Reserve Army"- West of Argentorate - 500 Light Infantry, 500 Light Cavalry, 400 Archers, 300 Huskarls
}"Parisian Defense Force"- South of Paris - 500 Light Infantry, 400 Archers
Special: None.

Saxon-Thuringian Union:
Economic Base: Small
Economic Strength: Moderate
Dissent: Very Low
Secret Police: Average
Military Training: Good
: Armies :
}"Army of the North"- North of Cologne - 1,500 Light Infantry, 1,000 Huskarls, 500 Archers
}"Army of the South"- South of Cologne - 1,000 Heavy Infantry, 1,000 Archers
}"Army of the East"- South of Hamburg - 1,000 Light Infantry, 1,000 Light Cavalry
: Navies :
}"North Sea Fleet"- North Sea - 25 Ships
Special: Saxon warriors live their whole lives in forests, and are especially adept at woodcraft, making them especially effective in wooded areas. Can build Huskarls.



: Other Armies :
}"Morrocan Nomads"- South of Gibraltar - 1,000 Light Cavalry
}"Libyan Nomads"- South of Carthage - 1,000 Light Cavalry, 500 War Camels
}"Army of Berenike"- Berenike - 1,000 Light Infantry, 200 Heavy Infantry, 500 Archers, SE
}"Khazars"- North of Trabzon - 1,500 Light Infantry, 1,000 Light Cavalry
}"Crimean Goths" - North of Galita - 1,000 Light Infantry
}"Army of Edessa" - Edessa - 1,000 Heavy Infantry, 500 Cataphracts, SE
}"Serbian Rebels"- East of Tirkan - 1,000 Heavy Infantry, 1,000 Light Cavalry
}"Avars"- East of Vienna - 1,500 Light Infantry, 1,000 Light Cavalry, 500 Archers, SE
}"Bari Rebels"- Bari - 1,000 Light Infantry

Some Notes On Military Units:
With no numerical economy, you cannot simply purchase military units. You can have recruitment drives, organize parades through the streets, train and fight gladiators to glorify the military, or any number of things to increase the numbers of fresh recruits. Should you wish to train a specific type of units more than others, you should tailor your orders to encourage enlistment in the specific division of the army. For the navy, you must give orders to construct (or, in a pinch, conscript civilian) ships.

A Walled City is much harder to seize by force, as enemies cannot move directly into the city. This allows an overwhelmed force to take refuge in the city and await reinforcements. SE, or Seige Equiptment, allows an army to take a walled city more easily. An army either has SE or it does not, there are no varying degrees of any kind. SE can be either captured or constructed. A walled city is represented by a city icon on the map with a spire; an unwalled city is represented by a symbol like four huts clustered together. Note that this symbol only indicates whether the city is walled or not, and has no bearing on population or importance.

Should you want to create a new type of military unit, just place that in your orders and continue to devote resources to it. After a few turns, it or something like it may come into existence. (If you give me a cite, your chances skyrocket.)


Light Infantry: Inexpensive
Poorly trained and armed, Light Infantry serve mostly in a skirmish role; throwing small projectiles and generally avoiding combat. Mainly used to cheaply bolster an army's size. Conscription tends to generate these more than other soldiers.

Heavy Infantry: Moderate
Well armed and armored, these infantry use spears and shields to defend themselves. They are extremely effective against cavalry, but weak against archers and are most effective on even, level ground.

Light Cavalry: Moderate
Lightly armored, these well-trained cavlarymen use swords and spears. They are most effective in a charge against unarmored foot soldiers, like light infantry or archers. They are quite ineffective against heavy infantry and camels, and are less effective in confined spaces, like city streets, forests, or uneven terrain. They can also act as scouts.

Archers: Inexpensive/Moderate
Archers are equipped with light armor and a bow, essentially making them defenseless at hand-to-hand combat. They are strongest on high ground, and are invaluable during the seige of a city, where they can fire from the city walls to keep enemies under cover.

Cataphracts: Expensive
Cataphracts are elite cavalrymen recruited from the best horsemen available. Their heavy armor makes them excellent in a charge, and they also possess a limited ability to fire arrows at range, allowing them to disrupt enemy ranks before a charge. Best used in open territory, weakest in confined spaces.

Legionaires: Expensive
A throwback to the Roman Legions of old, these soldiers are armed with the best equiptment available- primarily swords, throwing spears, and shields. They are extremely effective in hand-to-hand combat.

Cavalry Archers: Moderate
Essentially Light Cavalry equipped with a bow instead of a spear, these highly mobie archers can make good use of their speed by firing as they retreat, keeping the enemy within range but safe from retaliation. In a walled city, they can dismount and serve as Archers

War Camels: Moderate/Expensive
War Camels are camel riders equipped with a sword and shield. They are especially effective against cavalry units, as their scent tends to panic horses. They are relatively ineffective against armored infantry, but are fast and can serve as scouts. They also suffer no penalty from traveling through a desert, due to their low need for water.

Huskarls: Inexpensive/Moderate
Huskarls are well-trained and lightly armored warriors. Their lifetimes of semi-nomadic life have provided them with excellent stealth and concealment skills, allowing them to set ambushes with particular effectiveness. They are also very mobile and extremely effective against lightly armored troops.

[appleciders]

This NES is now officially open!

[foolish_icarus]

I like this very much

but the Arab Caliphate's navy list is missing

[Tassadar500]

Is it still possible for me to join?

[appleciders]

The more the merrier! Who would you like?

[Tassadar500]

The Caliphate of Arabia, please.

[appleciders]

It's yours. Next?

[laurentius]

Moshi moshi!

I would love to play a roman politician a little longer so I'd like to play the New Roman Empire. Roma Victrix!

[appleciders]

Have to say, I saw that coming... I kind of tailored them towards you. Next?

[Gamecube64]

Bavaria?

German Uber Allies!

[appleciders]

Are you requesting them?

[Gamecube64]

Yes I am.

[appleciders]

Ok. Next?

[laurentius]

Originally posted by appleciders
Have to say, I saw that coming... I kind of tailored them towards you. Next?

thanks!