HRE NES

[Cyclotron]

I have updated the map. The changes are quite minor:

- The border between the Byzantine Empire and Bulgaria has been readjusted
- Croatia has annexed Dubrovnik and surrounding territories, which were vassals anyway
- The Fatimids have plowed into the Idrisid Maghreb

It's a nice day and I'm going out now. I will see if I can finish the edits tonight.

[Cyclotron]

Duke Erchanger of Swabia to King Conrad

My Lord,
I fully intend to honor my brother's commitment to the war effort against the Magyars. I am proceeding with his original plan; my men are now preparing to move out, and will arrive at Linz this year to accompany our united forces.

[Cyclotron]

I have finished the new stats, but not posted them yet, as I have not yet rolled up the new generals. I have rolled up three generals for each of the two players who requested them (Saxony and Bavaria). Those that gave criteria for general selection may have some weeded out - asking for one that is "very competent, but loyal enough" will result in the obviously poor commanders being removed from the three choices, but loyalty is harder to show and likely that won't exclude any.

It takes some small amount of imagination to come up with unique names and stories for these guys, something which I don't have at 2 AM, so I'll finish and update the stats tomorrow. Once the front page is updated, I will be open to recieving orders for Year 912, as well as further diplomacy.

[Cyclotron]

Saxony and Bavaria: Here are the generals you may choose from. You may pick only one. If there are generals in this list that you do not wish to pick, but would perhaps like to pick later, tell me and they will come up for promotion again the next time you choose generals.

Bavaria

Wildgraf Waldhar von Brenner
This man is admittedly quite brilliant, excelling in both tactics and strategy, as well as the mathematical pursuits, but almost unbearably arrogant about his abilities. The result is someone who, while noted as brave, confident, and prudent on the field, is universally despised. He seems suitably loyal; no stories of great loyalty or disloyalty stand out.

Landgraf Fridebert von Meran
This man not only would kill for his Duke; he has killed for his Duke. His personal loyalty to his lord is beyond question, having been proven many times in both peace and war. While not noted as an outstanding soldier, and somewhat poor in his mathematical studies, he is a popular and charismatic leader who inspires his troops with speeches on loyalty and self-sacrifice.

Vizegraf Gunnulf von Villach
There are few that approach this man’s mastery of war. While he is neither well educated nor literate (though, to be fair, neither are most nobles), he has an uncanny instinct for tactics that seems to always come through. When the field is equal, he invariably crushes the enemy through superior cunning. He is reasonably well liked, though his peers wonder if he is a bit too cautious – for him, discretion is often the better part of valor. Little is known of his loyalty, but there are no rumors of any disloyalty on his part.

Saxony

Burggraf Eckard von Weimar
Though few would say so to his face, most men when asked use the word “dumm” to refer to this man, and they use it quite liberally. He is truly no intellectual giant, and his density is legendary throughout the land. Nevertheless, he is an earnest and well-meaning man who is on excellent terms with nearly everyone; he is admired greatly by his men. He appears sufficiently loyal.

Landgraf Theodoric von Norden
This man is actually a Frieslander from Norden who swore fealty to the Duke during the recent Viking raids, convinced that the Duke of Saxony was the only one who could eventually save Friesland from the Norsemen. He is envied as a soldier and commander, having exhibited supreme mastery on the field several times. It is indisputable that his prowess, coupled with the fervent zeal he inspires in his men, has turned defeat into victory on the field of war. Unfortunately, he does not often display this talent – he is a conservative’s conservative, and always extremely reluctant to assault the enemy or take any kind of risk whatsoever. While he bravely leads his men from the front, some wonder whether he cares too much about them to be a truly effective commander.

Vizegraf Widukind von Hildesheim
A wealthy noble who is known as a competent and respected commander, this man is otherwise fairly nondescript, appearing to be as appropriately loyal and as popular among his men as should be expected from a veteran commander. Perhaps his only obvious fault is his complete and total lack of any mathematical or engineering skills whatsoever.

PS Stat blocks have been updated. I'm going over them again to check for errors; tell me if you happen to see any. I am now accepting orders for year 912. As requested, I've also added the trade goods to the stat blocks.

[appleciders]

Good update! Well, good inasmuch as I'm in some trouble. Well, damage control time...

Arnulf to Conrad:
I regret to admit defeat in this instance; I agree that I must return this land to the Church. Besides being the rightous and pious thing to do, I cannot in good faith risk my men's souls. After I make some estimates as to the amount of a loan I will need, I will take up your generous offer.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Archbishop of Salzburg
Placing my men under interdict in time of war is not an option for me. Your land will be returned. In retribution for my actions, I dedicate the freeing of Vienna to Christ, and will ensure that the Church recieves a sizeable share of the lands taken. I ask you to reconsider your stance regarding Luitpold von Frelsing- the man is a criminal, and without your assistance I cannot bring him to justice.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Duke Erchanger of Swabia
I deeply appreciate your support in this time of crisis.

RE Generals: Actually, all three of those generals look pretty good. If I understood the update, I understand that I cannot replace anyone this turn, but I would like all three of these generals to remain available.

RE Mines: Grrr... Alright, ask my foremen how much more money is needed to complete the iron mines.

RE Errors: Swabia is listed as trading 400 iron to Swabia.

[Cyclotron]

Archbishop Pilgrim I of Salzburg to Arnulf of Bavaria
I am gladdened by your decision to cease your sinful and errant ways. I think you will find the clergy much more receptive to your attempts to charge von Frelsing with the murder he has been accused of. I shall not interfere with your affairs so long as you remain on the side of Christ.


Appleciders:
There is no upper limit to the amount of generals that you can have, only a limit to the amount you can gain per turn (one). So yes, you can promote one this turn. Luitpold has been stripped of his generalship; you don't need anybody's permission to do that. He retains his title as Graf for now, but that's all. Actually, these generals are all pretty good - good rolls all around for both of you.

As for mines, your foremen report that another 200 should be sufficient.

RE Errors: Swabia is listed as trading 400 iron to Swabia.

I'm on it.

[appleciders]

Oh, and Swabia should (if I understand your system, and I may not) have a note that they are recieving tin from me.

Appoint Vizegraf Gunnulf von Villach in Luitpold's place.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Archbishop of Salzburg
My thanks for your help with the clergy. I hope that their support will help with the lawlessness becoming rampant in my duchy.

[foolish_icarus]

would it be usual to put a general in charge of my mobilized knights and sargeants, or is there some other mechanism for their command?

[Cyclotron]

It isn't necessary to have a general with each group, or even with every army. Armies that expect to see combat should have a general, and one general is sufficient for the whole army. City garrisons generally don't need one unless the city is in danger of attack, and border fortifications can be manned by soldiers without a general if their purpose is just to discourage raids.

Thus, there is no need to have a general with your knights and sergeants, though there should be a general in command of the larger army that they are a part of.

You may want to send more generals, in case their abilities complement each other. For example, it might be useful to have a general who has good ingenuity (siege warfare) to accompany one with high competence and charisma (a good commander). Or, you might send a mediocre but conservative general to moderate the temper of your very smart but too-agressive general.

[Cyclotron]

Since there seems to be some question of timing as to the upcoming offensive against the Magyars, I'd like to help out a bit. This is one possibility:

Turn 911 (Just happened)
Knights and Sergeants called up, new troops ordered.

Turn 912
Knights and sergeants will be ready to move this turn. All 3 allied Duchies could attack this turn. The new levies ordered last turn wouldn't be ready yet.

Turn 913
By this time the new levies called up would be ready, and an attack could be made this turn.

The basic decision that needs to be made is whether to wait for the new soldiers to be ready or not. More soldiers would help the effort, but if the objective is to save Bohemia (which it may not be) that extra year might be too late. It also might be critical to get things done faster for the sake of economic reasons, as the Magyars continue to bleed you white.

appleciders has more detailed information about the Magyars than the rest of you, because he did some espionage last turn, and that information might help you come to a conclusion as to whether you could potentially beat the immediate Magyar presence near Vienna before the new levies are ready.

At any rate, I'm ready for new orders.

[appleciders]

So I can although I must pick one general to be in charge of an army, I can assign other generals to accompany the army and complement the other general's skills. Mathematical skills directly affect skill at siege warfare, yes?

As to the Magyars- much of their army is besieging Prague. We can at least make a move towards Vienna, and maybe even take it this turn.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
So I can although I must pick one general to be in charge of an army, I can assign other generals to accompany the army and complement the other general's skills. Mathematical skills directly affect skill at siege warfare, yes?

Yes, when I talk about mathematics, it translates to skill in siege warfare.

As to the Magyars- much of their army is besieging Prague. We can at least make a move towards Vienna, and maybe even take it this turn.

Since you're the one in command, it's your decision. Unless you are met with unexpected delays, an army setting out from Bavaria should easily reach Vienna this turn.

[appleciders]

I include Magyar armies as "delays". The main point of our armies is to draw the Magyar fire away from our duchies. If it takes two turns to reach Vienna, so be it- rushing after cavalry archers never turns out well. Unless my King has other opinions, I'll play it safe.

[foolish_icarus]

What is your "safe" plan and what is your "less safe" plan?

[appleciders]

The difference lies in tactics- I'm not in favor of pursueing retreating Magyar armies, since feigned retreats make it extremely difficult to pin them down, and simply make our men tired, until the Magyars finally defeat us. If we don't follow their retreats but rather regroup and force them to bring the battle to us, we may not win a big spectactular victory, but we will prevent a massive rout of our armies.