MTW: Viking Invasion – Grim Times in the North

[Anrhydeddu]

I had been eagerly anticipating getting this expansion pack to the great Medieval Total War game that I played most of last Fall. MTW:VI not only adds more features (pre-Battle System), factions (playable Hungarians, Sicilians and Aragonese) and units (like Boiling Oil and flaming Catapults, 40 new ones in all) to the original game, but adds a whole new campaign in the Dark Ages centered on the invasions of the Vikings out of Scandinavia. With this new campaign comes a new map showing 40 provinces – mostly in the British Isles and Ireland - and a new tech tree with buildings and units specific to this time period. There are eight factions to chose from in this campaign:

Saxons – in south-central Britain
Mercians – to the north of the Saxons in the center of Britain
Northumbrians – northernmost provinces in current England
Picts – in the Scottish Highlands
Scots – in the Scottish Lowlands and Northern Ireland
Welsh – two disjointed provinces in southwest Britain
Irish – covering the remaining of Ireland
Vikings – across the North Sea in Jutland and Hordaland

For this first campaign I choose The Saxons. The goal is domination involving not only capturing most (all?) of the provinces but defending against the Viking Invasion. As with my first MTW dynasty here, I will be giving periodic updates each covering a chunk of years.

[Anrhydeddu]

The Saxons in 793

As seen from the attached map, The Saxons hold four rich provinces in south-central Britain:

West Seaxe – the ‘capital’ province with a Fortified Village (level 3 ‘castle’), a Mead Hall (for the primary Saxon unit, the Fyrdmen – and the predecessor to a Royal Palace), a Basic Farm (level 3, generating 330 fl in income), a Catholic Chapel (+2 Morale to all units), a Muster (for training of Peasants), a Butts (for training of Archers) and a Blacksmith (for training of Spearmen).

Defnas – this westernmost of the Saxon provinces has a Forest Clearing (a simple farm generating 55 fl in income), but also a very rich Abbey (generating 208 fl in income).

Dornsaete and Sumorsaete – two simple but productive provinces each with a Basic Farm (generating 220 fl in income).

Militarily, we have King Behrtric I commanding a small but very powerful unit of Royal Bodyguards. In the Fortified Village as well as scattered throughout the other provinces are three units of Fyrdmen and a Peasant Unit. The Fyrdmen units are made up of free farmers in service of their King. They are the specialty units to the original Britons of the Saxons, Mercians and Northumbrians. They fights better than the Peasants but not to the ability of the professional military units. The King has two heirs in line, Prince Egbert (age 14) and Prince Behrtric (age 6).

The neighboring factions are not as rich but able to produce military units just as good as the Saxons. To the East of the Saxons are three Rebel Provinces in what will be known as London and Kent. These will be the first targets, hopefully beating the Mercians to them. But on the horizon are rumours of a band of fierce warriors coming from across the icy seas. The Northumbrians with their rich Abbey in Lindissi are getting worried…

[GoldenEagle]

Anrhydeddu, this comes at an ironic time, as I plan to start a MTW dynasty soon too.

Anyways, I will be following along.

[Anrhydeddu]

Here is the map of most of the British Isles in 793 A.D.

http://home.att.net/~ouray2/wsb/Saxons-793a.JPG

[Chief Rum]

Wow, wonderful, A. Since I haven't bought VI yet, I will be reading this with interest. BTW, bad news about my Poland dynasty. You can check there to get the details. I'm hoping to find a solution.

Chief Rum

[Anrhydeddu]

The Saxons: 793 – 799

If you look at the map, you will see four Rebel provinces to the West: Suth Seaxe, East Seaxe, Cantware and East Engle. Each of these are generating 400-500 fl, and Cantware already has a port. These are the provinces King Behrtric are casting his greedy eyes upon. The goal is to secure all of Southern Britain and using the great wealth this provides to build the armies necessary to defend and to attack. So right at the beginning, a military campaign was started.

With West Seaxe being the only province able to train anything, we start by generating Fyrdmen and then sending the existing Fyrdmen from Dornsaete and Sumorsaete into West Seaxe. In 794, the King took his Royal Bodyguards and four units of Fyrdmen into East Seaxe first, thus preempting any moves by the Mercians into Southeast Britain.

In 795, the 460 men army under the King successfully captured the province of East Seaxe when the Rebels retreated up to East Engle. East Seaxe, the site of the former Roman city of Londonium now in ruins is a rich province generating over 400 fl in income. The general of the newly built Fyrdmen from West Seaxe would be a good governor for East Seaxe with his 7/5/3/1/5 (Loyalty/Piety/Dread/Command/Acumen) ratings. Also in this year, the heir to the King matures – Prince Egbert with his 5/1/1/2/1 ratings. Income is now 1523 with 375 in expenses. The treasury, starting out at 6000, is now at 5202 fl.

Meanwhile, all of the original provinces have been working hard in building castles, or more accurately, their Dark Ages equivalent. Except for West Seaxe with its Fortified Village (level 3), none of the other provinces had any castles. The first to build is the Warrior Hold, then the Stockade before getting to the Fortified Village. It is at this latter level where units like the Horsemen and Archers can be built with Stables and Butts. With a Stockade and a Drinking Hall, Fyrdmen can be built, as well as a Spearmen with a Blacksmith.

In 796, the King went back to his Village in West Seaxe while his son, Prince Egbert, took over his army in East Seaxe. With three Fyrdmen units, he proceeded to Suth Seaxe. The following year, the Prince’s army of 426 men forced the Rebels into their Warrior Hold of Suth Seaxe and a four year siege has begun. The Prince will remain there for now.

798 brought a Catholic Bishop from the Abbey of the Northumbrians asking for an alliance. We reject the offer at this time.

In Suth Seaxe, the Prince did not handle the situation well enough and even though there was no chance of rebellion, the population did rise up against the invaders. With 700 Peasants and 300 Spearmen all in a bad mood, the prince handed the reins of the army over to a young general commanding a West Seaxe Horsemen unit. This general, called Wigferth was one of those rare breed with a talent for command (rating of 5!). Needing to abandon Suth Seaxe quickly, General Wigferth took his Horsemen and army of Fyrdmen to the rich province of Cantware where a small army of Rebels are defending.

Before we get to the military events of 799, the provinces of East Seaxe, Defnas, Dornsaete and Sumorsaete have completed their Fortified Villages and are now starting on some of the military buildings. Defnas, the westernmost province holding against the Welsh Cerniu, is know for its Horsemen. Sumorsaete has Iron Deposits and will be a good province for Armored Units. East Seaxe is known for its Spearmen and the capital province of West Seaxe is know for its powerful Saxon Huscarles. With the capabilities under the Great Builder that the King is now known as, a Royal Palace will be started, which will finally lead to production of Emissaries. With about 900-1000 fl profit each year, the treasury is sitting at a healthy 4364 fl.

In Cantware, General Wigferth with 53 Horsemen and 392 Fyrdmen easily caused the Rebels to retreat, joining the peasant revolt in Suth Seaxe. However, the first of the Vikings appeared in this coastal province at the time the General was securing this province. Immediately the battle was joined. Opposing the Saxons were 60 Viking Landsmen. The terrain was gently hilly with some patches of woods. Down the dirt trail to the right was a large Saxon farmhouse and up in a small hill to the left was small Christian Shrine. It was at the Shrine that we set up our forces, waiting for the Viking Landsmen to come out of the woods facing us. Only they did not move. The three units of Fyrdmen were sent to the edges of the woods, while the Horsemen was sent around the back. When the Fyrdmen got close enough to smell the Vikings, the Landsmen started leaving the woods before encountering the Saxons. Just as they exited the woods, the Saxon Horsemen came upon them and the slaughter was begun. Only it was the Horsemen being butchered by the Landsmen. In this failed melee, General Wigferth and his 5-star command lost his life in thinking he could attack the strong Viking warriors head on. They, however, were able to hold the Vikings long enough for the Fyrdmen to engage. The battle became a matter of attrition but with overwhelming numbers, the Saxons prevailed. All but 4 of the Vikings Landsmen were killed or captured while of the original 445 Saxons, 107 lost their lives.

Cantware brings in over 400 fl and with a Port, potential trade of its glasswares can be planned. This rich province is known for its Fyrdmen but apparently being an easy target for the Vikings, defenses will be the first priority. The Saxon Kingdom now generates over 2000 fl in income against 572 in expenses. The treasury is holding steady despite a full slate of building projects. Suth Saxon with its 1200+ Rebel army will be the thorn in the side of the Saxons. They likely will not choose to attack any of the Saxon provinces but will prevent any invaders for a long while. The last of the original Rebel provinces, East Engle is still in Rebel hands and an army, probably under the Prince again, will attempt to secure that rich province. The Mercians are showing no signs of aggression but after encountering only a small band of Vikings, grim times are ahead of us.

[Anrhydeddu]

The Saxons: 800 – 805

After the aborted invasion in Suth Seaxe and the tough fight with the Vikings in Cantware, the Saxons will be holding still for a bit to get loyalty up in the provinces. However, an aggressive building and training campaign will start immediately to build a large and diverse army to take on the 1200+ Rebel forces in Suth Seaxe.

By 801 A.D., the Saxons were finally able to build Fyrdmen, Spearmen and Horsemen in four different provinces. With most of the basic Level 2 units able to be produced, building projects in the four original provinces were starting to branch into more specialized buildings. West Seaxe, the capital, will be the center for strategic agents as well as Saxon Huscarles. Defnas will concentrate on the cavalry units. Sumorsaete with their Iron Deposits will produce powerful units with their planned Metalsmiths and Armourer. Dornsaete with no valorous units will ramp up its farm production. The plans for East Seaxe will initially start with Spearmen but there will only be so many that will be needed. Being a very valuable province, measures will be taken to ensure its defenses. Cantware produces valorous Fyrdmen which right now, are the primary infantry units of the Saxon army but also with an eye of using their Port to build ships, not so much for trade but for naval defenses.

In 802, we received news that our neighbors to the immediate North, the Mercians, are the strongest militarily. After a few of the military-related building projects are completed, Border Forts will then have to be the next priority. By 804, a new Prince taking his father’s name, Behrtric, had come of age and unlike his weak older brother, Prince Behrtric enjoys a high 4-star command rating. The army will be enjoined under him to go into Suth Seaxe. With the new provinces of East Seaxe and Cantware now able to produce military units, a large enough army can finally invade Suth Seaxe. Here is Prince Behrtric’s Army:
26 Royal Bodyguards
80 Archers
800 Fyrdmen
182 Horsemen
533 Spearmen

Facing this 1600+ force of the Saxons are 1200+ men under a weak general made up of mostly Peasants, Spearmen and Archers with a small force of Fyrdmen and Huscarles. The Battle of Suth Seaxe in 805 A.D. took place on a grassy landscape of gently rolling hills with a few patches of woods. The Rebels started out fairly close to the Saxons, each in long lines of primary foot soldiers. The Prince sent a couple of units of Fyrdmen and all of the Horsemen to both of the flanks. The remaining Spearmen and Fyrdmen were then set up to come at the center in waves. At the same time the Saxon Archers were within range, the Rebel Archers also started firing at will But it didn’t take long to have the first lines of the Saxons hitting the Rebels on the flanks and the center. With such large forces on both sides, the battle become a colossal mess of fighting men and dead bodies. But the Saxons easily prevailed with their larger and better forces attacking from all sides, with the Horsemen adding to the punch from the flanks and from behind. The results of the Battle of Suth Seaxe follows:
Saxons: 1618 men, 461 lost
Rebels: 1282 men, 1125 lost
Plundered: 931 fl.

Even though there are 154 Rebels holding in the Warrior Hold of Suth Seaxe, it will not last more than a year. The Prince’s army will remain mostly in place but some of the Spearmen and Fyrdmen will return to East Seaxe and Cantware to add to their defenses and ensure higher loyalty. Suth Seaxe is the next to last of the very rich Rebel provinces, with East Engle to the North being the last one. The Mercians, despite their powerful army (at the time but probably no longer) have not made any moves of aggression. East Engle will wait until a good time. Meanwhile, with enough income coming in, the Saxon Kingdom will concentrate on peaceful expansion, diplomacy and defense. The treasury is still around 3500-3600 as it had been for several years but with Suth Seaxe’s income next year, income will be well over 3200 fl against 1400 fl in expenses. The longer term goal may include either the two Welsh provinces or going right after the Mercians. A view of one of their provinces with a Saxon Princess shows income well over 600 fl. No wonder they had built a strong army to protect their rich domain. The Saxons will have to consider that.

[sachmo71]

Is this game RTS?

[Anrhydeddu]

It's the perfect hyrbid: the campaign map (as you see above) is turn-based but the battles are real-time.

[Anrhydeddu]

Sorry for the delay, I did not have much time to play with my wife out of town (re: kid-sitting) and getting caught up with the 1960s Cardinals OOTP5 dynasty. I will be playing this quite a bit this week.

[Lokugh]

Howdy. Just to give you some encouragement, I would be most appreciative to see this dynasty continue, if you get the time. I love this game and the dynasty is entertaining.

Lokugh

[Anrhydeddu]

Thank you, I knew that May and June would be busy times for me with my wife's vacation and then my upcoming one in June. I promise to play some in the next few days and continue this dynasty.

[daedalus]

Yay! Thanks for the dynasty. Hope an update comes up soon.

A couple of questions . . .

Why did Cantware not show the army figure with the flag in the map?

Is there any way to tell from the map that Cantware had the port or was that only from reports?

Will the ratings for Prince Egbert (Scott Adams would be proud!) and the generals change at all over time or is this what it will be?

How is the RTS engine? I only got tinker with the original's RTS section briefly and they seemed to have actually taken terrain and troop condition into account (yay!). How do you like it?

By the way, GoGamer has this expansion for $19.90 as a part of their 48-Hours Madness in case any of the other readers wants to jump in on this game.

[Anrhydeddu]

daed, thanks for the questions, I'll do my best to answer.

Why did Cantware not show the army figure with the flag in the map?

At the time screenshot was taken (at the beginning of the scenario), I had no bordering provinces to Cantware. Once I moved units into East Seaxe, I then could see that they had an army (which could have had moved there from East Seaxe or Suth Seaxe as well). And once I moved a Catholic Bishop in that province to "scout" and convert a few more pagans, I then could get the details of the army and any other buildings.

Is there any way to tell from the map that Cantware had the port or was that only from reports?

If they had one at the beginning (like the one you see on that island in the Irish Sea). I believe that the Rebel Governor of Cantware saw the value of establishing trade for their Pewter (not Glasswares) that they subsequently built a port. All it did was to save me the effort when I took over that province (hoping that didn't destroy it upon their retreat).

Will the ratings for Prince Egbert (Scott Adams would be proud!) and the generals change at all over time or is this what it will be?

This is one of the very cool things about this game in that Kings, Princes, Nobles and Generals can all acquire Vices and Virtues throughout their lifetime. Each one of the hundred+ vices and virtues comes with a (or several) ratings modifier of some sort. For example, when I had a General leave the battlefield by himself, he can be tagged as a Runner and incure a -30 morale differential. The one ratings of all to watch is Influence (for the King) and Loyalty (for everyone else). This can fluxuate quite a bit and cause some serious trouble in the land.

How is the RTS engine? I only got tinker with the original's RTS section briefly and they seemed to have actually taken terrain and troop condition into account (yay!). How do you like it?

I love it because it leaves the strategic thinking in turn-based but have the tactical thinking done in real-time. Specifically on your question, terrain, weather and other landforms (like wooded areas and rivers) are absolutely critical to the success and failure on the battlefield (as it had historically). Even a slight uphill climb can cause low morale troops to fight poorly and for higher morale units, it can cause a reduction in abilities due to fatique. The great thing about decent sized wooded areas are that a unit of 133 Fyrdmen can become hidden. Nothing like having a unit of wild men come out of the woods unsuspecting. Weather plays a key role in that missile units (like the Archers) shoot poorly in rainy weather. There are many factors affecting troop conditions but so far in this particularly dynasty (as oppose to my earlier MTW one), just getting a whiff of Viking invaders (even the basic Viking Landsmen) can cause some morale loss!

Even though I am having good success so far (The Saxons are fairly easy to play), my most valuable provinces are the coastal ones - prime targets for the Vikings when they get serious about raiding. I probably got to think of a way to use them for my advantage.

[tucker342]

wow, I didn't even know that Viking Invasion had come out. Is it worth it?

[Anrhydeddu]

Grim Times are indeed ahead. Stay tuned.

[Anrhydeddu]

The Saxons: 806 – 815

Where we had left off was the conquest of Suth Seaxe, one of the valuable coastal provinces in the hands of the Rebels. That leaves one remaining, East Engle and we will try to add that one soon. The overall strategy right now is to take a breather and increase (or at least to maintain) our high income. The Mercians to our immediate north do offer some enticing provinces but a few years back, they had been known for their strongest military. Besides, there are constant rumors of Vikings. Our revenues are about 2750 against expenses of about 1400, giving us a tidy profit of at least 1300. Next year, income from Suth Seaxe will be available and that will boost our profits even more.

In 807, the siege of Suth Seaxe was completed and with a fairly good governor there, we are able to gain another 530 in revenues. With no special resources or bonuses from this new province, we will probably use this as shipping center, providing boats for other provinces and for patrol. Meanwhile, we started a Trader building in Cantware to hopefully market their Pewter. Unlike the later years and eras, we don’t think trading will amount to much, with such limited number of provinces and the threats of the Vikings in the North Sea.

A long term diplomatic goal may include trying to ally with the Vikings, at least to get them from invading the Saxon lands. The trick will be to catch them to be able to negotiate with them. To this effect, our only Princess has made it the lands of the Picts, the northernmost provinces in the British Isles. They have managed to forge an alliance with the Vikings so perhaps being the friend of a friend will help.

Prince Behrtric’s army in Suth Seaxe have now been dispersed to East Seaxe and West Seaxe, as well as some forces remaining in Suth Seaxe. With the Mercians possibly posing a threat on our northern borders and relatively small forces in their provinces, perhaps we can strike at them. Despite the appearances of relatively smaller armies, the one in Middle Engle includes a 5-star general. But before any actions can be taken against them, we need to secure East Engle, as well as start building a more powerful army. With that, we decided to offer a bribe to the Rebel army in East Engle of 2416 florins. If successful, this will keep the Prince’s forces concentrated in West and East Seaxe. The following year, 808, we learned that the bribe was indeed successful and East Engle should be added the Saxon Kingdom the next year. Meanwhile, we are now able to start building the powerful Saxon Huscarles in West Seaxe. Our treasury is over 5000 fl on about 2000 in annual profit, which will be needed for the Saxon Huscarles are very expensive units to build and maintain (566 and 100 respectively). Suth Seaxe started its port and Defnas, with its superb Horsemen, started on a Horse Breeder to be able to produce even better Horsemen.

Bad news came in 809. News of a flood in Cantware proved devastating. Not only was income halved but the Abbey, which had been generating over 200 in annual income, was destroyed in flooding. This will have a long term effect on our revenues but for now, it is offset by the addition of East Engle and their 583 income (on Very High taxes). The only other news was a third heir, Prince Edmund, being of age. He basically has no value to speak of but another heir will be coming very soon.

With the loss of income in Cantware, this will likely speed up the urgency for the Mercians provinces. Middle Seaxe alone generates over 700 in income! Not only for their incomes but the fact that nearly all of the Mercians provinces are interior adds to their value. An army under Prince Behrtric of Fyrdmen, Huscarles and Horsemen will be amassed in West and East Seaxe to take on the Mercians. Added to that strategy will be the attempt to bribe one of the Mercians armies, but it will be a few years before this strategy will be put in place.

We hear from the Northumbrians in 810, offering an alliance which we rejected. Cantware’s loyalty is back up after the devastating flood and our income is holding steady at 3773 while our expenses are climbing with building of Huscarles and a few others units as well. Our treasury is holding around 4000 fl but our profits, now at 1700, will likely decrease about 200 each year. Incidentally, a Viking Longship has been spotted in the sea directly east of East Seaxe.

In 811, we have finally made full use of the Iron Deposits in Sumorseate and now can building Armored Fyrdmen with a Weapons bonus. This unit will be critical for the Prince’s army as anchors for the rank-and-file.

In the way North, we received word that our Princess, in trying to find the King of the Picts, was assassinated. It was not said but I thought I saw a Scottish unit nearby.

In the following year, 812, we have continued to be the richest faction with our 3700+ in income. However, the Mercians have finally noticed our buildup of Huscarles and Fyrdmen and have used their military might to beef up their armies bordering us. In Middle Seaxe and Middle Engle, two of the three provinces we had been targeting, now include armies of at least 800 men each (including one under the long-time 5-star general). An attempt at bribing one of the armies revealed an amount far, far greater than what our treasury holds. One of our responses will be to build a Spy to perhaps reduce one the army’s effectiveness but to continue to build high-valorous Huscarles and Fyrdmen.

And then they came without warning.

[Anrhydeddu]

The Vikings had been sitting off of the coast looking for a suitable target to raid. They found one in East Engle. While not a small defending force, it had the misfortune of being fairly weak. The Viking invasion under King Ragnar I, a 5-star general no less, brought with him a small but very powerful force of Viking Landsmen, Huscarles and Carls, totaling 201 men. The defending force in East Engle totaled 340 men under a 3-star general but consisted of a mix of Peasants, Fyrdmen, Spearmen and Archers (this was the army that was bribed and held there). In a terrain of gently rolling hills on a coastal plain, the defenders got routed rather quickly. Of the original 340, 270 were lost while only 28 of the 201 Vikings were killed. The result was the loss of about 430 fl in income while the garrison holds out against the invaders. Our Saxon emissary, after not attempting a bribe of the Mercians, will attempt to negotiate a cease fire with the Vikings. We are not sure what the invader’s plans are but we will find out soon. In other news for 813, the fourth Prince comes of age with better ratings. He will gather a supporting army in West Seaxe to help his older brother, Prince Behrtric go up against the Mercians, now numbering 1110 strong in Middle Seaxe alone.

Where the Vikings struck next in 814 was the neighboring coastal province of Cantware. A larger defending force of 448 men was there but under a 1-star general. With just 176 men under King Ragnar I, they were able to easily defeat 315 Fyrdmen and 133 Spearmen, despite setting up the defensive line behind a large farmstead in the woods. We lost 364 of the 448 while the Vikings lost about half of this army. They just came up a slight hill and entered the woods and trampled over the defenders like a scythe through wheat. Our income goes down another 350 fl while our treasury remains steady at about 4000 fl, with no substantial building projects underway. Meanwhile in East Engle, the Viking King left a small force under his son, Prince Ragnar, to siege the small fort there. They will hold out for at least two years.

In 815, a small group of rebels loyal to the Saxon King emerged in East Engle to lift the siege. With an attacking force of 137 against 144 Vikings, it proved, again, to be a complete mismatch. 96 Saxons were lost while the Vikings only lost 35 of the 144. In Cantware, the province is now back in Saxon hands after the Vikings, true to their nature, left it to move onto Suth Seaxe. With three Viking Longships off the southeast Saxon coast, the Vikings invaders are able to easily shift units around and to strike anywhere among five coastal provinces. East Engle is gaining more rebel supporters while East Seaxe holds a large Saxon army under Prince Behrtric.

The Vikings quickly left Cantware and moved into Suth Seaxe. There, a similar sized defensive force of Fyrdmen, Spearmen and Horsemen totaling 358 took on the 150 Vikings under King Ragnar. The terrain were nearly barren hills, all buried in deep snow! We find a clump trees on a rise to defend but while the battle was tougher for the Vikings, the outcome was the same as they quickly killed our general. 290 of the original 358 Saxons were killed while they lost about a third of their forces.

The Saxon forces under the two princes have been focusing on their buildups for the Mercians but will now have to come and beat the invaders back themselves. It is surprising as to how strong the Vikings were despite their smaller force. We have not heard from our emissary yet but with revenues of only 2650 against 2350 in expenses, we cannot afford to lose any of the coastal provinces as we have been doing in this latest Viking raid. Hopefully getting the Prince’s army into the coast will end of the invasion, for now.

[Calis]

Good read Anrh, got me into playing M:TW again this weekend, and I ended up buying the expansion yesterday!

Good luck against the Mercians! And always keep an eye on those Vikings, from what little I've played, man those guys have some killer units. The Berserkers and Groms are just nasty.

Looking forward to seeing more!

[Anrhydeddu]

The Saxons: 816 – 818

Well, things would get worse before they would get better.

The force that was moved into Suth Seaxe to hopefully attack the Vikings was Prince AEthelstan, the fourth Prince. He brought with him 840 Saxon Huscarles, Armoured Fyrdmen and a few other units including Horsemen. That should be enough to defeat the Viking invaders, assuming they don’t continue to unload any more from their Longships.

At the start of 816, King Ragnar I left Suth Seaxe before he was attacked and went back up to East Engle. The situation there was confusing. The Vikings had actually taken over the province but loyal rebels have been coming out of their manors in droves and have been battling the Vikings. However, when King Ragnar showed up again with 206 powerful men, we had no choice but to abandon the siege since we only had 274 loyal rebels at the time. When that decision was made, the countryside was rallied and 900 loyal rebels appeared, setting up a potential showdown with the Vikings, particularly when they unloaded 400 additional Vikings into this province in response to the rebel forces.

When the Viking King left Suth Seaxe, he left behind his son, Prince Ragnar, to defend. With Prince AEthelstan’s large forces moving in, Prince Ragnar retreated into Cantware unfortunately. In 815, we had got back Cantware as a Saxon province but now it was threatened again. Cantware only had 217 defenders and they would be no match for 154 Vikings under Prince Ragnar. We retreated to the Fort, with the hope to lift the siege very soon. The only good thing was that Suth Seaxe is now back with a new Governor installed.

The plan now is to split Prince AEthelstan’s forces into two; 430 would be moving into Cantware to drive out the invaders, while about 400 would be left in Suth Seaxe to defend. The bad thing about this is that there are Viking Longships in all of the seas around the Southeast and Southern coasts, as well as one in the Irish Sea. This is how they are able to quickly move (raid) from one province to another and to bring in more units. Just don’t know how to get rid of them. As we were focusing on the Mercians, we had allowed the Vikings to come in through the back door and admittedly, we responded slowly to that threat. The Mercians, likewise responded by using their military might to quickly expand their forces. Our first spy, trying to find a weakness in any of the Mercians forces, was killed by them.

In the year 817, the situation improved slightly. The large loyal rebel forces in East Engle forced the Vikings to retreat (hopefully back to their cesspool from whence they came). But it was not to be for King Ragnar quickly moved his force to the southern Saxon province of Dornsaete. But with only 452 Saxons defending, it would be no match for the 576 Vikings under the King. We retreated to the Fort but this large Viking force in Dornsaete, the other Saxon provinces of West Seaxe (the capital), Defnas and Sumorsaete are now threatened. This does not look good. Thankfully, the Vikings are here to raid instead of conquer. Even though we will likely get most, if not all, of the provinces under the Saxon banner again, it will come at a cost not to mention the slowdown of developments. With the addition of the new loyal rebel forces in East Engle, our revenues remain at around 3000 fl but our expenses jumped to over 3100 fl, thus incurring a loss.

The good news is that Prince AEthelstan’s combined forces of 600 Saxons in Cantware were able to dissuade the Vikings from re-taking that province. With only Dornsaete under siege from the Vikings, we are now able to shift units around to booster our defenses, esp. in newly threatened West Seaxe. The loyal rebel force sitting in East Engle was moved down to East Seaxe, leaving behind a token force. East Engle, after several Viking raids, is now a low income province not worth defending. With this force in East Seaxe, this will allow Prince Behrtric’s large force of 900 Saxons, who had been wanting to go after the Mercians, to relunctantly join in defending against the Vikings by moving to West Seaxe. On the southern coast, Prince AEthelstan’s force was split between Cantware and Suth Seaxe, as well as moving about 400 men into Dornsaete to help lift the siege there. With over 500 men (and perhaps more in the Viking Longships) under King Ragnar, they will like encounter decent defenses everywhere except East Engle (which they can have) and perhaps Defnas and Sumorsaete (no large forces can be moved there at this time even though more units are being built there). We will have to see where they will strike next.

In 818, King Ragnar finally blundered. He effectively abandoned Dornsaete and moved his greedy forces into West Seaxe, only to have heard word that Prince Behrtric, as well as the King, have their forces there in significant numbers. With Prince AEthelstan moving part of his forces into Dornsaete, this will trap King Ragnar and his men, if we can retake Dornsaete. The battle there between 566 Saxon Huscarles, Armored Fyrdmen and Horsemen against only 80 Viking Huscarles was very brutal despite the apparent lopsided numbers. In a landscape of hills and farmlands, the Viking Huscarles were set up a small hill. From three sides, the Fyrdmen approached with the Horsemen coming from behind. True to the ferocious reputation of the Vikings, these powerful Huscarles were able to annihilate nearly every single Saxon unit coming to attack them. Only when the last unit of Saxons, the Huscarles under the local general, got into the bloody mess, were the Vikings reduced down to basically nothing – but at a severe cost. Of the 566 original Saxons, only 53 survived (and only Huscarles). The news of this victory, the first on the battlefield against the Viking invaders, proved devastating to King Ragnar for his force of 582 men including 6 nobles, were denied ransom and therefore, they were eliminated as a fighting force. At the end of 818, the Vikings and their Longships have left the Saxon lands after inflicting great pain and loss on the kingdom. We never did hear back from our emissary but regardless, the Viking invaders will be back.

[Anrhydeddu]

To my readers, I will be taking a break due to a week long vacation coming up (and getting ready for it). When I return, I promise to continue this dynasty. Thanks for reading.

[daedalus]

Happy vacationing. :)

Given the kind of preparation you do for games, I shudder at the thought of your preparation for a vacation. And pity your family. :D

[Anrhydeddu]

daed, not really. In all of my years of traveling, all I do is to make sure I can get there (and back) and that I at least have an idea of where to sleep.

[daedalus]

That's just too weird given your usual style! :)

[Happy29]

I have my Holy Roman Empire (Germans) Dynasty. All they're good for is having those Chivalric and Teutonic Knights, and they're on horseback. How will they do against those lousy spearmen ?

[Lokugh]

Originally posted by Happy29
I have my Holy Roman Empire (Germans) Dynasty. All they're good for is having those Chivalric and Teutonic Knights, and they're on horseback. How will they do against those lousy spearmen ?

Surprisingly well. The high end knights can do some serious damage even against those "Defend well vs. cavalry" units. They are the horse equivalent of Swiss Armored Pikemen. Damn Swiss.

If you have not yet encountered the Swiss, let us just say, you'd best bring LOTS of soldiers to the party. I've had them beat me when I outnumbered them four to one.

Lokugh

[Happy29]

A few days back I had a battle with a bunch of pikemen and spearmen with my Chivalric Knights and worst of all... it was on a bridge. It took longer than 20 minutes to solve that bridge battle because they just kept reinforcing it with even peasants to delay my cavalry. After that, hunting down their general and taking hundreds of prisoners would prove to be simple.

[Anrhydeddu]

Here is the current map from the year of our Lord 818...

http://ouray2.home.att.net/wsb/mtw818.jpg

We have lost half of our forces during the grim years of the Viking invasion. We have enough to offer some defenses in each of the provinces plus a semblance of two good size armies. The target is still the Mercians provinces (shown in blue) but while we may have enough to attack a single province, we won't have enough to hold or to further proceed into other provinces. We, as The Saxons, will probably need to spend a little time to recuperate. With a treasury of 2000 fl, we don't have enough to agressively build-up, esp. since our balance sheet shows that we are barely breaking even. Three of our 500+ fl provinces have taken hard hits they will likely never to recover. Damn the Vikings, damn them to hell.

[Buzzbee]

Anrhydeddu - You're comments about MTW intrigued me about this game, as I think we have similar tastes in gaming. After reading this thread and seeing the screen shots, I decided to download the demo. You may or may not know the answer to my question, but I'll ask anyway. In the demo it takes you through a battle tutorial which teaches you the basics of the RTS aspect of the game. I suffered through this (I am WAY to analytical to really enjoy real time tactics and such) and was anxious to learn more about the strategy aspect of the game. However, there is no option other than the Battle Tutorial. I have successfully completed each of the "tasks" in the battle tutorial, but have no option to continue elsewhere.

My question: Is this all there is to the demo? I can't imagine they would only demo one side of the game. Yet I have no idea how to get to the campaign aspect of the game. Being familiar with the game, I thought you might have an idea, or some suggestions. Thanks for any feedback you can provide!

[Buzzbee]

Dola - By the way, hurry up and get back to this Dynasty!! You can't set the hook, reel us in, and then leave us on the deck of the boat to die!!

Gasp....gasp....hurry....gasp!