The (Holy Roman) Empire (Maybe) Strikes Back

[bipolarbear]

My internet has been down (damn !#$@! provider). Anyway, yes I am still very interested in this and glad to see how far things are progressing.


P.S. The map looks very cool. I mean yeah it's not perfect but the border thing isn't that big of a deal.

[Cyclotron]

Well, I'm still working on the new map. I recommend that anyone who wants to play go ahead and post - I need your castle placements to complete the map anyway.

[appleciders]

I'm still quite interested- have been on vacation for a week and a half. Looks great! I'll ponder my new castles and post again soon.

[Micha]

Hoho, I´m of course still interested! I have a new job starting tomorrow, so I´ll have to postpone any detailed postings until I know what level of involvement they expect from me

Great map, I admire your diligence...

[Cyclotron]

Speaking of maps, here's a preview of the Balkans, which has undergone a massive overhaul - no more giant Croatian state just because I couldn't be bothered to sort out all those proto-Serbian principalities. Some new rivers, too, one of which extends into German territory. The Byzantines have a few scraps left on the coast, bringing the Empire far closer to Germany than it's ever been before. And what is Pagania? It's the land of the Pagans, of course. I wonder which religion they follow?

[foolish_icarus]

Perhaps generals should also have some kind of skill or survival rating or something similar to represent a purely personal ability to stay alive (and deal death) in combat. Admittedly most of the reason I want to have some knowledge of this is in the event the Duke has to himself kill one of his generals...you might even know which one I'm talking about

[Cyclotron]

Well in combat, you're looking at the Bravery skill, which is inversely proportional to a general's survivability. Brave generals lead from the front and inspire the men, but they also have a tendency to get killed - if they didn't take risks, they wouldn't be brave. Aggression might also make them more likely to be in dangerous situations.

I think a personal "skill" or combat rating would be interesting, but ultimately not very useful; one man doesn't make an impact on the battlefield just through martial prowess, and one's skill in combat won't really help in many dangerous situations - all the skill in the world won't keep you from getting "Godwinsoned," for instance. It's mostly just luck.

[foolish_icarus]

I suppose I can just ask on a case by case basis. If I were to want von Mellrichstadt, in a purely hypothetical scenario, cruelly slain for his crimes against God and my personal sensibilities, might I expect to simply have Eberhard take out his sword and begin hacking at him somewhere between the second and third course, or have him poisoned somewhere between the second and third course with about a half-dozen crossbowmen and a half-dozen axemen waiting in the wings just to be sure?

[Cyclotron]

Well, he'd be unarmed at the Duke's table, so it would hardly be a fair fight if the Duke (or anybody else) had a sword handy. Like most nobles his age, von Mellrichstadt is a capable and trained warrior, but he still bleeds like everybody else (and the Duke is no slouch either). It's possible but very unlikely that he could turn the tables on an armed man who took him by surprise. Certainly von Mellrichstadt isn't expecting his liege lord to start stabbing him during supper.

The hard part isn't killing him. That can be easily done. The hard part is dealing with the consequences of killing him.