HRE NES

[Cyclotron]

Whoo, stat blocks updated. I still need to roll up new generals and send Micha a PM.

[Cyclotron]

Apolyton has eaten my PM to Micha.

I shall give up for the night and try again some other time.

[appleciders]

Most of my forces now have no listed location. I mean, I know they're in Vienna, but the stats could reflect that. My chivalry are also still listed as being in Eppenstein and Linz- is that correct? Did I forget to take them along? Oh, and Luitpold is still listed as being the leader of one of my armies. Good update, though.

You can add Bipolarbear in as the Duke of Swabia, too.

Another detail I noticed in rereading your post in this thread detailing weapon and armor types; we can produce maces, but maces were never detailed in the HRE NES development thread- what is their particular benefit?

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to King Conrad I of Germany
Between the annexing of Vienna and the threats directed at me by the Magyars, I believe the time has come to consider how best to repel the assault. No place in my realm has truly sufficient walls, so a carefully arranged open-field battle, with our forces holding the high ground, might minimize our losses.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Duke Tomislav of Dalmatia
It has come to my attention that we now share a border. Might I be able to interest you in an exchange of goods? I confess I know neither what you have an excess of nor what your needs are, but if you should require tin, iron, or silver, we may be able to work out a deal.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
Most of my forces now have no listed location. I mean, I know they're in Vienna, but the stats could reflect that. My chivalry are also still listed as being in Eppenstein and Linz- is that correct? Did I forget to take them along? Oh, and Luitpold is still listed as being the leader of one of my armies. Good update, though.

You can add Bipolarbear in as the Duke of Swabia, too.

Another detail I noticed in rereading your post in this thread detailing weapon and armor types; we can produce maces, but maces were never detailed in the HRE NES development thread- what is their particular benefit?

I'll look over the update to correct troop locations - I gave that only a cursory glance yesterday. Most likely all incongruencies in the stat blocks are my problems, not yours, and they'll be corrected soon.

I thought I had talked about maces, but maybe not. Maces are the far end of the continuum in one-handed melee weapons; they are specialized for fighting armored units. Swords are excellent weapons but fail against heavier armor, axes are fair all around (but without quite the same punch against lighter units as swords), and maces are really quite poor generally but can overcome heavy armor readily. Heavy macemen, for example, would be ideal counters to other heavy infantry, and would be still decent against knights (though polearms really are better vs. knights, as they get an anti-horse bonus too). Another note is that with a mace (unlike a polearm) you get to keep the shield, making macemen superb at fighting an enemy with plenty of heavy armor and archers. They are probably better used against armor-heavy feudal forces than less armored Slavs or Magyars.

Duke Tomislav of Dalmatia to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
In the interest of maintaining our present neutrality in your war against the Magyars, I must respectfully decline your offer of trade. Our merchants would certainly rather seek profit with the Venetians and the Greeks than travel overland through Magyar-infested wilderness.

Despiet this, the Croatian people wish to maintain amicable relations with the good Christian people of Bavaria, and I assure you that we will respect the border between our lands.

[Micha]

Oh please, Lord Cyclotron, I need the PM to give orders for next turn!

[appleciders]

Indeed, even axes seem like overkill for the Magyars, who seem to spurn both armor and walking. Good to know, though, for future reference. I think I'll use this opportunity to point out that I'm currently getting paid $7.50 an hour to post this. Yay!

[Cyclotron]

God. DAMN. It. It ate another PM. Well, I did finally get them sent, so there.

The Magyars do have heavy cavalry, with heavy armor. Polearms might seem like the natural answer to a mixture of heavy and light cavalry, but going sans shield against Magyar horse archers might be unwise. At least spears and axes let you keep a shield. That said, it is true that the majority of their forces are more lightly armored.

[appleciders]

Yeah, so spearmen are just going to be what I need to defeat the Magyars. I do think I remember hearing that I could equip soldiers with a polearm and a spear-and-shield combo, and that they could switch between the two- any disadvantage to this, besides being expensive?

[foolish_icarus]

Where do I find my new generals?

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Emperor Berengar of Friuli
In this time of worldly expansion, the exhange of goods and culture is of great interest to me. Might I be able to interest you in an exchange of goods? I confess I know neither what you have an excess of nor what your needs are, but if you should require tin, iron, or silver, we may be able to work out a deal.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by appleciders
Yeah, so spearmen are just going to be what I need to defeat the Magyars. I do think I remember hearing that I could equip soldiers with a polearm and a spear-and-shield combo, and that they could switch between the two- any disadvantage to this, besides being expensive?

Your men will switch automatically based on the combo that is most advantageous to them at present. Doing a polearm/spear/shield combo would mean that they could advance under fire and fight with the spear when being fired upon, but when in melee with no danger of arrows could switch to a polearm. No, there's no real disadvantage, besides being expensive (and increasing the loot for your foes if they win).

Where do I find my new generals?

Deep within the astral ether, where they wait until I get the moxy to roll them up. I'll take care of it presently.

Emperor Berengar of Friuli, King of Italy, to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
His Imperial Majesty would consider trading for Bavarian silver and iron, if offered in quantities sufficient for his awesome Empire. The Kingdom of Italy possesses wine, olive oil, copper, and cloth to trade. We may also be able to arrange for more distant goods procured by our Genoese and Pisan merchants, such as glassware, honey, leather, and grain.

[Cyclotron]

Ask and ye shall receive

Franconia

Vizegraf Waldibert von Speyer
The very picture of chivalry and gallantry, this young noble seems to believe that there is no obstacle that perseverance cannot overcome. This is most fortunate, as his unimpressive intellect by itself would surely not overcome much. He is incredibly popular among his vassals and men, and is fearlessly brave, to the point of being downright reckless. He is usually too busy pursuing knightly ideals to bother with un-chivalrous things like treason, and so seems reasonably loyal.

Bishop Roricus von Worms
This man is a clergyman noble, a bishop in the service of the king. He is a trusted ally of the Conradine ducal house, and believes firmly in the German King and his righteous cause. Though not noted as an excellent commander or great leader, he is undoubtedly loyal and notably brave on the field of battle. His tactical skills are wanting, but thanks to his priestly studies he is literate and has a respectable knowledge of siege warfare.

Landgraf Abelard von Bernfeld
A friend of the King’s father, this older noble has distinguished himself on the field of battle time and again. Though age has taught him to be cautious and prudent, when the time comes to fight he is both masterful and brave. He is reasonably popular among his vassals, many of whom have served under him for a long time. He is considered a good and loyal subject, but is of a bygone age – youths of his day saw no need for either letters or mathematics, and his knowledge of construction and siege warfare is nil.

[Cyclotron]

By far the most confusing thing for me in this NES has been sorting out appleciders's troop placement. This is what I have right now, after reviewing all his orders:

Standing Army in Bavaria:
Nobody much

Standing Army in Carinthia:
Eppenstein Levy (Vizegraf Gunnulf von Villach): Nobody here but us chickens
Army of Vienna (Duke Arnulf, King Conrad, Burggraf Otto von Nordgau, Freiherr Visloff der Kroat): 355 Knights, 660 Sergeants, 1000 Medium Spearmen, 400 Light Archers
Magyar Border Guard: (Vizegraf Magenhard von Linz) 200 Medium Spearmen (spear, shield, light), 400 Light Archers (bow, cloth), 300 Angonmen (javelin, spear, shield, cloth), 700 Light Spearmen (spear, shield), 200 Medium Swordsmen (sword, shield, light), 200 New Recruits (in training)

For purposes of my sanity, I consolidated everyone into an Army of Vienna. You wanted Vizegraf Gunnulf von Villach to be with the Eppenstein Levy, but they no longer exist, so please decide on a new place for him (I assume with the Army of Vienna).

If this is totally wrong, go ahead and tell me where to correct.

[appleciders]

Believe me, my own troop orders have confused me too. Check back to post #161- I've been updating that post with my orders, and it contains the reorganization orders. Much, much, much simpler.