The Abbasid Caliphate - An AAR Guide

100 turns of game play, from the beta testing for Field of Glory: Kingdoms

Discussion thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1985050/discussions/0/4362374548289316889/

Introduction

Hi, I'm Grognerd, one of the beta testers for Field of Glory: Kingdoms. Recently I completed 100 turns of an AAR of a recent early version of the game, and had posted it in the private Slitherine beta tester forums, as part of the whole testing process. Well, Slitherine thought it would be a good idea for me to share the AAR with a larger audience ... so here it is!

I am going to release this AAR in episodes, of 5 turns each, every other day or so. The AAR is exactly 100 turns long (50 years of game play), so that will make for 20 episodes. Comments here are turned off, as the plan is to have a comment thread (or threads?) in the main Comment section of this Community, for greater visibility. So if you have any questions or comments on this AAR, that would be the place to go!

Keep in mind this game play is from a beta copy (albeit a very recent one), so expect changes upon full release! Some changes were indeed inspired by this AAR, and those and other interesting side notes will be written in brackets, [like such].

Lastly, here is a screenshot of the general area of operations for this AAR, with the region names filter turned on. So a nice handy reference you can use when trying to follow the action! The frequently-mentioned Iraq province is made up of the light brown regions north of and including Baghdad, and the Sawad province is to the south of that, in bright pink, extending down to Basra on the coast.



Enjoy!

Episode 1, 1054 AD: Opening Moves

This is another go at an Abbasids run, with a recent beta build (I had unsuccessfully tried the Abbasids in a previous test AAR, and things did not go well). So, let’s see if I can survive past 10 turns this time! I will also post news about what the rest of the world is up to, every 5 years.

The Abbasids are considered a difficult start, in that they are a 1-region minor power, a puppet vassal to a larger power (the Buyids) who are at war with a much larger and more formidable power (the Seljuqs) who would love to eat us both for dinner. One good thing we have is that our government level is relatively high, Caliphate, meaning we can add regions and grow without too much penalty to our National Authority (Auth).

As with the last run, my starting 53 y/o Caliph is quite good at 5-4-2 (Admin-Military-Piety ratings) plus two good traits, Assimiler and Lay. He has two sons waiting in the wings who are not bad either, a 28 y/o 4-4-2 and a 16 y/o 5-1-3. I also have a 19 y/o wife and two 16 y/o concubines, so we should see some more little caliphs and caliphas running around the palace here soon ...



The diplomatic situation is as follows: I am vassals to the Buyids who are at war with the Seljuqs. And we have a Submit to Enemy RGD (Regional Decision) in hand to save ourselves from annihilation at the proper moment (hopefully). The RGD, if successful, will end a war we are in, at the cost of becoming the opponent faction’s vassal. It will also cost a large amount of National Authority as well, likely sending us into negative territory. But it beats getting conquered and losing the game, which is what happened in the last run.

Turn 1: Baghdad is only Pop 6 with no Agri, Infra or Comm buildings, so we have a way to go here, development-wise.

[Note: the Baghdad region is getting additional starting population for the release version.]

I think I'll starve myself to rush out a Cattle Ranch in 6 turns:



Unlike last run, I won’t disband any of my starting levies. I might need them, and Equipment, being a local resource, does not rebate. My Equipment income right now is only +2!

[Rebating is a new mechanic, designed to encourage the disbanding of feudal levies to save on maintenance costs when not at war. If a levy unit is disbanded, the initial global build costs (Money, Manpower, and Metal) are refunded and added back to the respective resource pools.]

Turn 2: Oh, that's interesting, the Buyids other vassal, the Mazyadids, just broke their vassalage. They are still at war with the Seljuqs and all their vassals, however. This is something I might need to do if my Submit to Enemy fails. The Seljuqs have two large armies, but both are striking in the east, one laying siege to the Buyid capital at Shiraz. So, no current military threats are nearby for me. I put my Loyalty 100 son Nasir in charge of the army, a 2-1 (Offense-Defence stats for generals) with Determined.



Turn 3: My Caliph's health declines to average. The Seljuqs take Shiraz, the Buyid capital, and sack it. As such, the Seljuq armies have disappeared into the fog of war, but there are still their many vassal armies, of the Uqaylids, Marwanids, Rawadids etc.. to worry about ...

Turn 4: The Buyid city of Sus, 2 regions away, falls to a massive 22-unit Seljuq army. In more hopeful news, I am finally at 0 Auth, having climbed up from -10. That still puts me in the bottom tier, but not for too much longer at this rate. I am gaining a healthy +3 Auth a turn, thanks only having one region and being a Caliphate with a cap of 80. That does have its advantages. No negative tokens yet.

Turn 5: Got my first negative token. The big 22-unit Seljuq army lays siege to the Buyid city of Sharaban, right next door. So, guess it is time to Submit! We'll see how it goes this time around (in my previous Abbasid run, the RGD play was unsuccessful). I also get a Peasants to Freeman RGD, but opt not to play it, as this would render my Draft Levies RGD unplayable (that requires a region with 3 Peasants).

Episode 2, 1056 AD: Switching Sides

1056 AD ... News from around the world ...

- Byzantium finds itself at war with the Seljuqs and their vassals, the Fatimids and their vassals, and the Pechenegs. So, 14 countries in total. Only the Pechenegs have actually invaded, however, taking Nicopolis;
- France is relatively quiet, a Norman-Picardy war being the biggest disturbance;
- The British Isles are completely quiet;
- In Spain, Castile, Navarre, Catalonia and Aragon are at war with Zaragosa, and Tarragona has been taken;
- The HRE is at war with Mainz, Gothie and Venice, but no territory has changed hands as yet;
- The Almoravids are making inroads against the heretical Barghawata.

Turn 6: The Submit works! The Seljuqs have now been, um, appointed the strong right hand of the Caliph, and entrusted with the safety and security of the of the one and true Islamic Caliphate. My Auth takes a huge hit however, and I tumble back down to -16. Surprisingly I am not last, BYZ has that honor at -18 Auth. Now, since an overlord pretty much controls the foreign policy of a vassal, I can't declare was right now ... but it is conceivable that I may get called into war against Seljuq enemies, such as my former masters, the Buyids. To prep for that, I pop my Recruit Locals, Recruit Non-Standard, and Draft Levies ... I also have a Mercenary Company RGD, but I think that may be a bit much for now.

[The Mercenary Company RGD, while not too costly to play initially, summons a small army of mercenary units that will bankrupt all but the most affluent nations, via their extremely high Money maintenance per turn. And trying to disband them after you no longer need/can afford them might well lead to other problems ...]

Turn 7: My new recruits come in and raise my army to 19 units or somewhat random quality, totaling 107 Power. And sure enough, I get called into war vs the Buyids, Mazyadids, and Byzantines. The two former factions are in disarray, so I am in prime position to vulch some adjacent Iraqi regions off them, before the other Seljuq factions grab them.

Also, my Cattle Ranch completes, next up is ... well, it looks like I lost a Pop, and I'm down to 5. I had forgotten that the Draft Levies RGD will sometimes consume a Pop! This means I have to put my Cleric into Infra to be able to both feed and build this turn. So, next up is a ... oh gosh this is a toughie ... I think I have to Edict the best and cheapest food production I can possibly get, which is Legumes (which my Hamlet also desires) ... wow, I need that Pop back! But the best I can do now is Pop growth in 19 turns, Legumes in 22.



Turn 8: I invade the Mazy region of Karbala this turn. My strategy now is to try to seize enough regions of the Iraq province to form it. A Mazy army and garrison of roughly equal Power lines up to oppose me, but the day is ours:



And oh wow, look what the Caliph's son Nasir managed to do! Not only did he win the battle, but he sent home so many slaves that a Slave Workforce was created in Baghdad. What a stroke of luck:



This structure just single-handedly saved my economy. It used my last slot but at 12 Food, 15 Infra and 5 Money that's OK by me ... Pop growth is now scheduled for 4 turns from now! I also play Attract Migrants in Baghdad, as 2 recently Seljuq-conquered adjacent regions seem like good candidates to snag a Pop or two from.

[The Attract Migrants RGD will 'steal' Pops away from all adjacent regions, provided the recipient region is in good economic shape, and the adjacent region(s) have low Loyalty.]

[Note: Slave Workforce has been changed for the release version, in that they will only generate when the battle is versus a completely different religion, for example, Muslim versus pagan. And not when it is simply a variation, such as the Muslim Sunni versus Muslim Shia fight here.]

Turn 9: I don't seem to have Attracted any Migrants sadly, and my siege of Karbala continues. Replacing battle losses in my battered army caused a Manpower shortage this turn however (thus I think it is temporary). The garrison of Karbala took some starvation hits so I think I will Motivate Troops then assault ... I also play Develop Region in Baghdad and sell a couple unneeded RGDs for more Manpower.

[Yes, unwanted RGDs in hand can simply be sold now, for a decent amount of resources, which vary depending on the RGD!]

Turn 10: The garrison of Karbala surrenders without a fight, and the Caliphate doubles in size! If I can grab Heet and Kufa, Mazy will be 100% absorbed and my conquests will be permanent, so that is the new current plan ... then I'll see how many Buyid regions I can vulch ... the Seljuqs made such a wise choice inviting me into their family!

Episode 3, 1058 AD: Rapid Expansion

1058 AD ... News from around the world ...

- The Fatimids take Laodicee and Alexandretta from the Byzantine Empire, and Antioch is cut off;
- Apulia & Calabria (the Normans of south Italy) lays siege to Salerno;
- The Rus state of Novgorod pushes west into Estonia;
- The Principality of Halych and Hungary have conquered most of Moldavia from the Pechenegs;
- Aragon takes Huesca from beleaguered Zaragosa;
- The Taifa of Valencia finds itself at war vs fellow Taifas Almeria and Tortosa;
- A large scale revolt by Imamite heretics breaks out in several Tuareg regions.


Turn 11: The Seljuqs are rapidly devouring regions in the area, so I'm not going to waste time on long sieges anymore. I'm just going to directly assault the Mazy and Buyid palisades in the vicinity, though it is a bit riskier. Thus the Mazy capital of Heet falls by storm this turn, no losses sustained (71 Money looted). I also get a claim on Hilah to the south, a Buyid city occupied by the Mazy. So that's certainly a tempting target! Our Pop grows in Baghdad (yay), which opens up a slot, so work begins on a Farm. My main army targets the next enemy city in reach, Kufa.



Turn 12: Kufa proved to be a tough nut to crack. But we did it, although It too two rounds and a couple unit losses to take the city by storm. It was the last fully-owned Mazyadid region, so they are officially no more, and my conquests from them are secured. The Caliphate has quadrupled in size and comprises Baghdad, Heet, Karbala and Kufa. Annoyingly, all these new regions are saddled with a Minor Fiefdom, so they are not amazingly productive right now. Karbala is also in Unrest, so I detach a cavalry unit under the command of my Loyalty 100 uncle to Restore Order there. Next, we move on our claimed region of Hilah. I can probably conquer all of Sawad province to the south, except perhaps the new Buyid capital at Basra which has a beefy capital garrison of 19 units.

[The Minor Fiefdom, and its western counterpart, the Baronial Vassal, are special Structures that add a level one wall and some quality garrison units to region. But they do consume much of the regions resources in exchange. They cannot be dismantled normally, but can be removed by RGD play or special event. Thus they are a bit like Impediments in Empires, although in fairness they are not entirely bad.]



Turn 13: With the capture of our claimed region of Hilah, our Auth soars and we finally climb into the middle tier! A new character also joins our court this turn, Wahib (Clergyman, 4-3-2, Pillager). We also get a claim on the BYZ city of Aghtamar, way up north (that will have to wait). Next target region to vulch from the rapidly collapsing Buyids: Al Qadisiyyah.

Turn 14: Al Quesadilla (as I like to call it now) falls by storm, but Kufa naughtily rebels and is taken over by Arab Rebels. I need to turn north and stomp them immediately, lest the Mazyadids re-emerge there. Uncle Mansur manages to Restore Order in Karbala, just in time to be sent north into Heet to do the same. The Farm completes in Baghdad, using the last slot (growth projected in 2 turns). I'd like to start building stuff in my newly acquired regions, but low Loyalty, Minor Fiefdoms and Unrest are giving me only negative Infra numbers to work with for now.

Turn 15: A bad turn. Just as we retake Kufa, Arab revolts break out in Heet and Hilah. The Heet revolt ends in a draw with both the rebel army and my uncle’s one-unit army destroyed. And Hilah was my claim, so its loss plunges my back into the bottom tier. I'll have to split my army to retake both. I also get a Remove Civilized RGD, which I boost in probability and play on Karbala to remove the Minor Fiefdom there. Time to rid ourselves of these obnoxious Minor Fiefdoms! As for the Buyids, their eastern regions are now all occupied, so they will be dead once their last remaining western regions around Basra are taken.

[A new feature in Kingdoms is the ability to raise or lower the probability of drawing particular RGDs to some degree, out of the pool of over 50.]

Episode 4, 1061 AD: Consolidating Gains

1061 AD ... News from around the world ...

- The Fatimids take Antioch and push north into Byzantine Cilicia;
- A Byzantine army seems to have invaded Filastin province somehow, taking Baalbek and setting up Greek Independents in Acre;
- Latin Independents in Lecce revolt against the Normans of Apulia & Calabria;
- The Almoravids complete their conquest of the heretical Barghawata;
- The Taifa of Albarracin somehow manage to push north into Castilian lands, taking Tudela and Gormaz;
- The Normans of Normandy attack France, and take Chartres;
- The Anglo-Saxons under Edward the Confessor continue their long and peaceful reign in Britain;
- The Archbishop of Mainz takes Frankfort from the Holy Roman Empire;
- The Pechenegs continue to lose lands, with western Wallachia falling to the Hungarians.


Turn 16: We retake Heet from the rebels and manage to get Hilah back with the aid of a wandering Baduspanid army (the Badus are Seljuq vassals with land just south of the Caspian Sea). Wasit falls to the Seljuqs in the meantime, so the only uncaptured Buyid regions are Basra and Ahwaz. The land rush may be over ... just as well perhaps, the past couple turns may be an indication that I am overextending myself. We are also back out of the bottom tier. A new Sunni Pop is born in Baghdad, with the new slot we begin a Commoner Cemetery, which gives us needed Heath and Piety. And in a slightly underhanded play, I play an Instill Revolt RGD on the Seljuq-occupied Buyid region of Samarra, just north of Baghdad. The hope is that it will revolt, and our army will then swoop in and take the region from those bad bad rebels!

Turn 17: We get another claim on BYZ territory in faraway Armenia, this one in Van. Our newly acquired regions are finally settling down, and we can start on the following builds: Beekeepers in Heet and Kufa, Hemp Field in Karbala, Iqta Land Grant in Hilah, and a Professional Mourner in Al Quesadilla. And we put on our shocked and horrified faces as Samarra suddenly experiences Widespread Dissonance and a Revolt Risk of 12%.



Turn 18: Huge diplomatic news! The Buyids make peace with the Seljuqs by agreeing to become vassals (possibly using the same RGD we did). This generously gives them back their Seljuq held land, but not the lands held by me (and other Seljuq vassals) which remain cross-hatched:



The Sawad province forms for me however, so I put Uncle Rajab in charge as Peer. He's a 4-0-4 Administrator, with only a 30 Loyalty, but I'm willing to chance it for that sweet +1 building slot throughout the province that the Administrator perk gives. An epidemic breaks out in Kufa but is prevented in Hilah. Unrest breaks out in Heet, so I move my main army there just in case ...

Turn 19: "Buyids are expressing their discontent about your ownership of Hilah, a region rightfully owned by them, in no uncertain terms." So, they want me to just give it back? The transaction screen won’t let me (relations -14, and I think I need +25 for region transfer deals).

[Note: This has been changed for the release version, allowing regions to be ceded even when at low relations. Not that I would have even done so in this case ...]

Meanwhile, they have an annoying claim on Baghdad. The plague in Kufa is vanquished. I play a Restore Order RGD in Heet. The Commoner Cemetery completes in Baghdad, with one turn to go for more Pop growth and hence another slot.

Turn 20: With a new Pop slot in Baghdad, we begin a Beekeeper. We Abbasids, as leal vassals of the Seljuq Sultanate, are still at war with the Byzantines and their vassals, Vanand and Syanuk. Perhaps I should send my army north to participate? My new regions are almost but not quite pacified.

Episode 5, 1063 AD: New Opportunities

1063 AD ... News from around the world ...

- Byzantines and Fatimid have fought each other to a standstill, with the front line unchanged;
- Greek Independents have somehow established themselves in Masyaf, Baalbek, and Acre;
- A rebel Byzantine Despotate emerges in Didymoteicho, taking a couple nearby regions;
- Greek Independents also declare independence from the Empire in Bari, on the heel of Italy;
- The Oghuz Turks wipe out most of the Kipchaks east of the Volga;
- The HRE and remaining vassals find themselves at war with Croatia, Franche-Comte, Jura, Arles, Pavia, Gothie and Bourgogne;
- The HRE did make peace with Venice, however, and re-vassalized Mainz;
- In the Franco-Norman War, France regains Chartres, loses Vendome, while French vassal Champagne takes the Vexin;
- Sweden attacks Norway, taking Heldmark, Dalaberg, and Nordmark;
- The entire British Isles remain blissfully at peace.


Turn 21: The Buyids insult me. Too bad we are both Seljuq vassals, otherwise I'd teach 'em a lesson. I play Absorb Minor on Hafar Al Batin, an adjacent desert region in Nadj province with nothing in it except 7 Bedouin Pops. But at least they are Sunni. Perhaps I can develop it?

Turn 22: The Buyids insult me again. Hafar Al Batin is absorbed, and I begin a Poultry Farm there. Al Quesadilla goes into Unrest, so I send an army to keep watch. Oooh but look at this ... the Buyids break their vassalage! The Seljuqs are not pleased at this treachery and declare war. We are NOT officially at war with them yet ... but I will prep for that! 4 Mercenary Merc Bowmen are ordered in Sawad, and I shift my noble in Baghdad to Military, to get a Mamluk Cav in 2 turns. Those juicy pink Buyid regions are back on the menu! I just need get into war versus them somehow ...



Turn 23: A Professional Mourner completes in Al Quesadilla, next up a Butchery. I Deploy Spy Network in Basra (the Buyid capital). Oh wait ... I just realized I CAN declare war on the Buyids, it will just costs me a ton of Auth. In fact it looks like most of the other Seljuq vassals have already done so, or were called in by the Seljuqs ... but if so why did they not call me? I feel excluded!





Turn 24: I pay the huge Auth cost to DOW the Buyids, so I tumble once again down to the lower tier. I had to do it ... can't miss out on the Buyid Land Grab, Round Two! I get a claim on Manbij (another BYZ city). I wish I could peace the Byzantines, so these random claims would land closer to home. Heet and Hilah go into Unrest (not great timing). I have my army combined in Baghdad, power 93 and 11 good units ... enough to storm militia palisades methinks. So, first target will be the Buyid city of Anbar to the north. My aim here is to take the cities in Iraq, and hopefully be able to form the Iraq province.

[As players of Empires will recall, managing regions in a province has several advantages.]

I play a Recruit Non-Standard in Hilah. I do still have a Mercenary Company RGD for emergencies. Baghdad begins work on a Zagat Collector, Kufa a Poultry Farm.

Turn 25: I take Anbar without casualty. Next up Samarra ... this should give me the needed 5 of 8 regions of Iraq. The Buyids take my desert region of Hafar Al Batin, using a single Dailami mercenary unit my garrison peasants could not handle. In other interesting regional news ... the Fatimids DOW the Seljuqs! So my notifications are flooded with the various Fatimid and Seljuq vassals going to war against each other (including me ... this DOW was automatic on my part, unlike the case with the Buyids above). Anbar has its own Slave Workforce, so despite the recent conquest it can actually build something ... so work starts on a Clay Pit there.

Episode 6, 1066 AD: Waging War

1066 AD ... News from around the world ...

- The Byzantines and Fatimids made peace, freeing the Fatimid armies to turn east towards the Seljuqs;
- Byzantium also signs a Cooperation treaty with the Buyids (!);
- The once great Khazars are making a comeback, reclaiming regions in the Caucasus at the expense of the Alans;
- The Muslim world is shocked by the assassination of Al-Mansur Nasir, ruler of the Jarrahids, vassals to the Fatimids in the area around Filistin. Even more shocking, all evidence point to the Fatimids as being the culprit! What effect will this internal discord have on the just declared Seljuq war???
- The tiny Taifa of Albarrcin seems to have gained an advantage over the Christians of Spain somehow, and now occupies Tudela, Gormaz and Coria in Castile;
- Venice declares war on the HRE, and most of the imperial vassals rally to support their emperor;
- Among those HRE vassals answering the call to war above is Bauernrepublik, a newly emerged peasant republic spanning five regions in Franconia, with its capital at Kassal.
- The Principality of Capua seizes Palermo in Sicily.


Turn 26: I completely run out of Manpower (a very common early game problem) so I immediately disband the new army of Non-Standards I just raised via RGD. A pity as they are fine forces (3 Muslim Spear and 2 Muslim XBow) but I need the Manpower more. This zooms my global Manpower pool to 108, and gives me a fair amount of Money and Metal as well.

[The new rebate system, mentioned in Turn 1 Episode 1 above, also works on troops generated by RGDs, and the benefits in rebates will often exceed the resource cost to play the RGD. So this is an "off-label" use of such RGDs that can come in handy, if you are low in resources and running a deficit due to maintenance costs.]

I deploy another Spy Network in my own capital, to protect the Caliph from assassination plays and the like (don't want to end up like the Jarrahids!) and I play Peasants to Freemen there as well. Samarra falls to an Assault and the ungarrisoned desert region of Zubala in liberated from the Buyids as well.

Turn 27: I remain in the bottom tier, but thus far have been lucky, with only one negative token so far. Hafar Al Batin is retaken by a single light cavalry unit. Samarra goes into Unrest. I order an assault on Wasit for next turn, and I look covetously on the Buyid capital of Basra just beyond. The Seljuqs take nearby Ahwaz, so hopefully the Buyids will be knocked out completely this time. I make a Show of Authority in Kufa, they are behind a bit in Stewardship.

[The Show of Authority RGD grants a one-time boost to a region's stored Stewardship points.]

I play a Reinforce March RGD in Baghdad. I am hoping to generate a Peasant Levy, that I can then disband for Manpower.

[Reinforce March RGD boosts a region's fortifications, as well as possibly raising a Peasant Levy.]



Turn 28: A Buyid army of 8 units lays siege to Al Quesadilla, but I take nearby Wasit from them by assault. Basra now remains the only unbesieged Buyid city. A new Pop in Baghdad means a new slot, so I begin work on my favorite structure, the Peasants Roundup!

[The Peasants Roundup, in addition to allowing the recruitment of Peasant Levies, is a zero-slot building with a 3 Manpower income. As mentioned above, Manpower is a scarce resource in the early game, so the latter aspect vastly outweighs the former.]

Speaking of Peasants, my RGD last turn generates two levies of them in Baghdad which I immediately disband. This gives me enough stored Manpower to comfortably wage war for several turns. I plot to invade Basra, but not assault it (it outnumbers me with a capital garrison of 14 units). The Buyid ruler is seen leading a small army there as well.

[Placing your monarch at the head of an army can be beneficial, in that all Auth gains or losses as a result of battle are doubled. The downside is a slight degradation of the monarch's governing stats while he is out leading the troops, not to mention the usual hazards of battle.]

Turn 29: An epidemic breaks out in Kufa, but is prevented by health measures in Hilah. The small Buyid army in Al Quesadilla moves to Hilah (ambushing detachments of single units I had en route to my main army along the way). But it is out of supply and down to 7 units, so I foresee starvation for them in the future (Hilah is out of Food). Meanwhile, my main army puts Basra under siege (+8). The Kakuyids are making grumbling noises about me holding their former region of Zubala (taken from the Buyids a couple turns ago) but as our relations are only at 0 there is not much I can do about the situation, even if I wanted to (which I don't).

[See the note above, Turn 19 Episode 4, about ceding regions to other factions.]

Turn 30: The Buyid army rattling around my rear area assaults Hilah, and manages to overcome the weak-ish garrison there. Of course that is a claimed region, so my Auth level takes another tumble. That annoying army melts away to just one unit after the conquest, however, from starvation I presume. The siege of Basra continues, but the garrison is out of food so wont last much longer, I predict. They still hold on to Bushehr in the east. I am toying with the idea of using my Mercenary Company RGD, to march on Bushehr to finish them off myself, before they have a chance to once again submit to the Seljuqs ...

Episode 7, 1068 AD: Hiring Mercenaries

1068 AD ... News from around the world ...

- The Byzantines lose some ground to the Seljuqs in the east, with Kars, Oltisi and Paypert falling;
- The Pechenegs have been annihilated, their territory divided between Hungary and Halych;
- Apulia & Calabria and the Duchy of Spoleto go to war, and a couple coastal regions change hands between them;
- Venice makes early gains in Italy in its war on the HRE, taking nearby Padua and Aquileia;
- Picardy declares war on France, while still at war with the Normans;
- Normandy takes Orleans from France;
- Castilla recovers the regions lost to the Albarracinense;
- The Almoravids declare war on the heretical Muslims of Maghrawa, taking the city of Tadia.


Turn 31: I feel overstretched right now in my war with the Buyids, taking one region then losing another, either through enemy action or revolt. So I decide to summon a Mercenary Company in Baghdad. This RGD has a notorious reputation amongst the beta team, as a sure fire way to bankrupt your nation and send your campaign into a death spiral. I have a substantial 880 Money in the treasury, so I am hopeful this will hold out long enough to deliver the knock out blow to the Buyids. So I play the RGD and ... the merc company that appears consists of 4 western Knights & Sergeants, and 6 Javelinmen. And my per turn Money deficit soars to -327. Yeah, this could get ugly! These mercs are immediately ordered to retake Hilah. A Clay Pit is dug in Anbar, so next up is a Musalla for the Piety and conversion bonus. A Hemp Field is now grown in Karbala, so I decide to follow that up with a Legumes Farm. I also play a Peasants to Freeman RGD in Baghdad. The Peasants Roundup completes there as well, so next up is a Clay Pit. At the siege of Basra, the Buyid garrison there suffered many hits from both siege action and starvation, plus a breach was made ... so next turn, in we go!

Turn 32: Basra surrenders, and Hilah was easily retaken. And in a stroke of good fortune, the last Buyid region of Bushehr rebels, and is taken over by Indo-Iranian Independents! That means the war is over, Allah be praised. Plundering the royal treasury at Basra brought in 105 Money, and wealthy citizens there immediately donated 50 Money to me as well. So I guess the Buyids were not popular. With the complete conquest, all the occupied Buyid regions are formally absorbed, and the Iraq province gets formed. A noble with 90 loyalty is appointed as Peer: Kalaf, a 4-5-3 Strategist. Basra begins to build a Farm. My new regions' loyalties are very low, so it looks like I am going to settle down and consolidate for a few turns, as uprisings and revolts are likely for some time. I disband my ridiculously expensive but useful Mercenary Company, except for one unit of Knights & Sergeants, which I will try to keep on as a novelty if I can afford it. Sort of a Caliphal version of the Varangian Guard, if you will. I play an Ordinate Priest RGD in newly absorbed Anbar because it lacks a cleric population.

[Its worth noting here that Bushehr is located some distance away in southern Iran, so but for that rebellion it would have taken me some time to get there. Also, there was a good chance of Bandits being spawned in the region where my mercenaries were disbanded, but fortune favored me there as well, and that did not happen.]



Turn 33: It looks like I now have a positive income of about 50 Money a turn now after mercenary disbandment, so I guess I'll keep my pet Knights. :) A Shepherd House completes in Zubala, next up a Beekeeper. Heet completes its own Beekeeper, then starts to build a Rat Catcher. Anbar finishes a Musalla, next up a Herbalist. Samarra completes a Musalla as well, then begins work on a Tannery. Unrest seems to come and go across my realm, right now it exists in Heet, Samarra and Basra. Most other regions are suffering from Forced Assimilation and/or Under Pacification modifiers. I have my army dispersed around to deal with local troubles.

Turn 34: A quiet turn. The main goals now are to pacify my current regions (especially in Sawad province, where production is very low) and to climb out of the Auth cellar. These two goals go hand in hand, as all the grumbly, surly, unhappy regions are having a large negative modifier on my per turn Auth gain (-1.6).

Turn 35: I get a negative token, my second one. Zubela and Al Quesadilla go into Unrest (that makes 5 regions now). The Seljuqs offer a trade deal of 100 Metal for 4 Muslim Mass Bowmen. But I have plenty of Metal, so no thanks! The Kingdom of Georgia declares war on the Seljuqs in support of their ally, the Byzantines. As a Seljuq vassal I get immediately called in, but they are too far away to really worry about. A Farm completes in Wasit, next up a Herbalist. A Poultry Farm completes in Kufa, next up a Shepherd House.

Episode 8, 1071 AD: Gaining Authority

[New: I realized this AAR might be hard to follow without knowledge of the game map, so I added a screenshot of the general area of operations to the Introduction section of this guide. It includes the region names for each regions, so I hope this helps!]

1071 AD ... News from around the world ..

- Yaroslav the Wise of Kievan Rus' raises his state to an Ascending Principality;
- Hungary, fresh from victory over the Pechenegs, now invades Croatia, taking Casma and Vukuvo, and sieges Zagreb;
- The triangular war between Picardy, Normandy and France appears stalemated;
- The flames of war at last reach the British Isles, as Norway declares war on Scotland;
- In spite of (or perhaps because of) the new Scottish War, overseas Norse Independents break away from Norway in the Hebrides, Ross, and Orkney;
- Catalonia makes peace with the Taifa of Zaragoza, returning occupied Tarragona to Zaragoza.


Turn 36: The Numayrids (a nearby Fatimid vassal) challenges our Authority with a claim on Baghdad. An epidemic which was contained in Qatif, a Qarmatian region to the south of us, spreads like wildfire on our side of the border in Basra. We gain a claim of the BYZ city of Amida. Samarra and Basra are under siege by Arab Rebels, but we plan to disperse them next turn with our more numerous garrison troops. Unrest is quelled in Al Quesadilla. We build two Mamluk Cavalry in Baghdad, and disband two levy Raw Militia. The goal here is to make my my "free" unit allowance support higher quality units. The Seljuqs take Mardin from the Fatimids.

Turn 37: The "Qarmatian Flu" is contained in Wasit. Religious Trouble pops up in Karbala. A Peasant in Anbar converts from Shia to Sunni. An Iqta Land Grant finishes in Hilah, next up is a Hamlet. Baghdad completes a Clay Pit, and immediately an opportunity to build a Brickworks arises.

[Tiles & Bricks, which are a product of the Brickworks, will be a very much in demand Trade Good later down the line. They are needed by the Medieval Town and Medieval City structures, which we will want to build eventually for their huge Manpower outputs. As a result I value Clay Pits a lot when they pop up early in the build options, because they lead to the Brickworks, and I know by mid game I'm going to need a lot of Tiles & Bricks. The early game Manpower problem most factions must deal with can be solved, but it does take a dedicated build strategy.]

The Jarrahids, victims of that Fatimid murder plot mentioned earlier in the "news," ended their vassalage with the Fatimids, which of course is not a huge surprise. In reward for his services to date, I play the Gift to Peer RGD on the Caliph's uncle, serving as the governor of Sawad.

Turn 38: Uncle Rajab loved his gifts, and his Loyalty soars from 30 to 50. The epidemic in Basra is vanquished by our physicians. We gain another far flung claim in Byzantine territory, this one on Meiafarakin. Heet is no longer in Unrest. I gain much coveted (and boosted) Remove Civilized RGD, and immediately use it to remove the Minor Fiefdom in Al Quesadilla. I also play a Recruit Non-Standard RGD, to fish for some more good retainer troops for my standing army.

Turn 39: The Almoravids declare a Jihad against Castile. I think I will try to join for the Auth boost. The Recruit Non-Standard does not yield any good standing army units (SAUs), so I just disband them. A Rat Catcher is hired in Heet, next up is a Pilgrim's Refuge for the conversion bonus. Anbar build a Herbalist, with one turn until a Pop growth allows another building. I also decide to Ennoble a Petty Landowner via RGD in Baghdad.

Turn 40: My rising public approval rating has led to my per turn Auth gains becoming more pronounced (+3 or so now), and so finally, once, again, we claw our way back out of the Auth cellar!



Anbar starts work on a Trench and Stakes (a zero slot structure, desirable right now due to only one slot remaining). A Legumes Farm completes in Karbala, next up there is a Cattle Ranch. 20 years have gone by ... and from a single region, we now control most of the Euphrates valley. Hmmm. Perhaps the time is ripe to reconsider our vassal relationship with the Seljuqs ...

Episode 9, 1073 AD: Declaring Independence

1073 AD ... News from around the world ...

- The Jihad vs Castile is joined so far by the Almoravids, Assassins, Banu Sulaym and the Seljuqs;
- Zaragoza falls to a joint army from the Taifa of Albarracin and Kingdom of Aragon, with Albarracin taking control;
- Normandy gets the upper hand in the 3-way Franco-Norman-Picardy war, taking a total of 6 regions from their combined enemies;
- A Cuman army has won a great field battle in front of the walls of Kiev, and now has the Rus' capital under siege;
- Apulia & Calabria takes Chieti from Spoleto;
- The Authority of the HRE is eroding due to "incessant diplomatic endeavors;"
- The Almoravids win a great battle vs the Maghrawa, and take Taza and Melilla, finally giving them access to the Mediterranean.


Turn 41: I have a clever plan! I contact the Banu Sulaym, current Muslim Champion of the Faith, and officially join the Jihad.

[To join a Jihad, you need to send a diplomatic request to the Muslim faction with the Champion of the Faith title, which in this case happened to be the Banu Sulaym. Joining a Crusade as a Christian faction works the same way, but the request goes to the Pope instead.]

Not only do I soar up the Auth chart with a +4 gain, but now the Seljuqs and I are co-mujaheddin. Meaning, we have have free passage over each other, AND can't go to war with each other. A prime time to break vassalage! In other news, Basra and Hilah are the final regions to become fully pacified, so other than some lingering Unrest in Zubala my Pops are all Loyal now; even Zubala is above 49. A Tannery completes in Samarra, next up a Hemp Field. I also play Send Councilor RGD on Uncle Rajab in Sawad, and try to Attract Migrants in Baghdad.



Turn 42: I break my vassalage with the Seljuqs. It is great to have my own color of green, for the first time this game! The councilor sent to Uncle Rajab worked wonders, raising his Admin by 1 to 5, and his Loyalty from 50 to 75. The Mirdasids (Fatimid vassals) get called into war vs me. My plan is to end the nonstop wars than we have been in vs the non-adjacent Byzantines and Fatimids, and clear my Medium War Weariness (-20% Commerce, -5 region Loyalty). I am not yet at war with Jihad target, Castilla, in far away Spain. That has to be done manually I guess. A Herbalist in Hafar Al Batin is established, next up a Closed Settlement. The place has no walls yet, so I better start building some.

[The Closed Settlement is a temporary zero-slot structure, the main purpose of which is to begin the process of acquiring fortification points in a region. Once fortification points reach three, then a level 1 wall structure is eligible be built.]



Turn 43: This is big news, we just passed the Byzantines in Legacy and are now in 2nd place. The Jarrahids offer me peace ... frankly I had forgotten that we were at war (they used to be Fatimid vassals, but now we are both indys). I graciously accept the 50 Metal and 300 Money they offer! Syunik (former Byz vassal) also sends a peace delegation, but wants 100 Concessions from me. Hmm ... I'm in no rush, I will hold out for better terms. The Seljuqs send me a "Stingy" offer, wanting 4 Massed Bowmen for ... nada. They may not be able to declare war on me, thanks to the Jihad, but they can still bully me a little I guess. Trench & Stakes finishes up in Anbar, next up a Commoner Cemetery to help speed along those conversions.

[Concessions are a new diplomatic peace term in Kingdoms, basically they transfer Legacy points (aka victory points) between parties.]

Turn 44: A new son is born, Qasim, a 4-4-2. My 70 y/o Caliph has still got it! Wagons of gold from the Jarrahids are wheeled into Baghdad, as the peace treaty goes into effect. An epidemic strikes Kufa but is prevented in Hilah. The Fatimids reject a lowball peace offer but I'll just try again. And the Byzantines ... roll in with a huge army and besieges Baghdad! Ooops. It seems they had an army out in the fog of war close enough to strike, and just rolled in through Seljuq territory. Their army is pretty scary, but with no adjacent friendly regions, totally out of supply. And Baghdad has plenty of food stored up. Combat Power between my garrison and his army is nearly even (197 to 198). Let's see what they do ... I put an unused 0-2 uncle in charge of the garrison. Heet builds a Pilgrim's Refuge, next up a Craftsman Borough.



Turn 45: The BYZ army hightails it back north through Anbar, and out of Abbasid territory. Probably to where it can actually draw supplies. Its a good thing I had half my standing army stationed in Baghdad at the time (the other half is at Basra). We also finally crack into the TOP TIER of Auth! Now to get rid of those negative tokens, and get 5 positive ones, as that will remove the "Unstable" adjective from my Caliphate. Georgia accepts a no terms peace offer from me. A Beekeper completes in Zubala, next I Edict up a Discreet Hamlet (I need walls there too).

[A Discreet Hamlet in another option for beginning the fortification of a region from scratch.]

A new Brickworks in Baghdad takes my last slot, with 4 turns to the next Pop growth (the brief siege seems to have upset my build/growth schedule). The Basra army plots a move to Baghdad, as we have to be ready for any new BYZ incursions. I sent a 7% peace off to them last turn (which unfortunately I cannot sweeten, as I am technically "winning" in warscore). I can do a Forfeit Claim RGD on the BYZ city of Aghtamar however, and this should boost my future peace odds. Also ... I DO have another Mercenary Company RGD in hand, so if they keep making these surprise visits to Baghdad ... I am prepared to sacrifice the lives of every recently hired sellsword to shoo them out!

Episode 10, 1076 AD: Diplomatic Overtures

1076 AD ... News from around the world ...

- The Taifa of Albarracin continues to punch above its weight, taking the taking the town of Alava away from the Navarrese;
- The Normans take Paris, demoting Louis the Fat to merely the "Petty King of Paris." Paris is under siege, however, so there is apparently an effort by someone to retake it;
- The Normans also win a big battle in Brittany, and lay siege to Rennes;
- Anglo-Saxon England has invaded Wales (actually this happened 9 turns ago but I am just noticing it now). Deheubarth in South Wales has been annexed, and now only Gwynedd holds the flame of Welsh independence. A rebellion in Morgannwg has established some Welsh independents there, however, so Edward the Confessor's conquests in the south are not entirely secure;
- The Mormaer of Strathclyde joins forces with the Norse (Norway and vassal Sunderland), and lays siege to Lothian.
- "Having disposed of Carlo, Orlando has taken up the mantle of leadership in Ferrara." This was a coup in an Italian city state, and Orlando is a Weak Heir, resulting in moderate Auth and Legacy loss.
- Another big war I overlooked until now: Raging for 8 turns so far, Hungary finds itself at war with every single Rus' principality on the map, from Kiev on down. Forces from Halych have seized several Hungarian regions in Wallachia and Transylvania, and made an unsuccessful thrust at Arad in Eastern Hungary;
- It seems the Pechenegs have re-emerged in the Stepovyna province.
- The HRE is focusing the bulk of its military might against Croatia, taking Zagreb, Sisak and Bihac.

Turn 46: The Fatimids send their own peace offer: They want 10 Metal from me. Their terms are acceptable. Syunik repeats its earlier peace off for 100 Concessions, which I'm not keen to do, given that I am in a race to catch the HRE in Legacy and become #1. So I counter-offer with NO Concessions but rather 9 Metal, which yields a 38% chance. I give birth to a new son (Sulayman, 0-4-2). BYZ rejected my 7% peace offer. I get a new claim on BYZ territory, the city of Mous, which is unfortunate as I had just Relinquished Claim last turn on another BYZ region in order to help peace talks. I need to have a stern talk with the Minister of Claims about this. Anyways, a new offer to BYZ at 9% is dispatched by emissary to Constantinople. The latter-day Romans also took over the Seljuq region of Sinjar during their retreat from Baghdad last turn, giving us a shared border for the first time this game. Hmm, the Caliphal Army may need to pay Sinjar a visit soon. A Closed Settlement is completed in Hafar Al Batin, next up is a Potters Workshop. I play a Develop Region in Hilah.



Turn 47: Peace with the Fatimids is official, although relations took a hit as the deal was widely regarded as "extortion" on our part. We finally get around to an automated DOW on Jihad target Castilla. The Peer governing Iraq has gone Corrupt. The locals in Baghdad began building a Reinforced Wooden Gate on their own initiative, which was nice as I did not have an open construction slot. My armies consolidate in Baghdad, so now 13 units with a Power of 213 is ready to strike back at Byzantium. My goal here, really, is to nudge them towards accepting a white peace, not conquest. A new Hemp Field is grown in Samarra, using the last slot. A lucrative Butchery is opened in Al Quesadilla, and a Beekeeper is planned next (we need more Health there). Lastly, I Deploy Spy Network in Constantinople; it is probably worth 2 Auth to help keep tabs on what those sneaky Greeks are up to ...

Turn 48: The Caliphal Army surges across the frontier into Byzantine-held Sinjar, and ... a Seljuq light cavalry unit moving there too was juuuust a tad faster, and managed to retake the ungarrisoned region and reclaim it for the Seljuq Sultanate. Well, OK, I am actually fine with this. Because our scouts report, in the next door region of Jazirat, a MASSIVE imperial army of 47 units with a combined Power of 384. Yeah ... perhaps it is best to just let the Seljuqs deal with this! I order my army to discreetly march back to Baghdad. A new Despotate raises it's banners in the formerly BYZ stronghold of Antioch, so perhaps that will help tempt the doom stack away. Meanwhile, the BYZ reject our latest 9% peace offer, so I send them a brand new one at ... oooh it's up to 20% now! Syunik rejected our counter-offer so I send a new one with some token Metal at 37%. A Commoner Cemetery completes in Anbar. A Hamlet finishes up in Hilah, next up a Commoner Cemetery for Health and Piety, both needed commodities there.



Turn 49: A very quiet turn. Single Pops in Baghdad and Al Quesadilla convert from Shia to Sunni. A Cattle Ranch is built in Karbala, and a Qasaba is begun. Anbar get a new Pop, and a Rat Catcher is ordered up. I use a Spy on Nobility in Baghdad. You know, I wish I could draw more Remove Civilized RGDs, as I would really like to remove all these Minor Fiefdoms I inherited during my conquests. They are a significant drag on my economic growth, and their advantages don't quite outweigh this. They are already double buffed in odds. So ... lets double nerf all the 50+ other RGDs! And see to what degree this helps speed things along:

[Experimenting here with the new RGD odds manipulation feature: With close to 60 RGDs in the game, the odds of a particular one being drawn at the start of a turn are about 1-2% each (except for some extra rare ones, the odds of each do vary a bit). So, even if you quadrupled the chances, which you can do by double boosting the RGD odds, overall chances of a draw would only go to 4% or so (the math here is actually a bit more complicated, but you get the idea). However ... lets say you double boosted the odds of the RGD, AND double reduced all 50+ other RGDs odds (so, quartered chances for each), the cumulative effect should give a very large chance now of getting that Removed Civilized RGD that we want. At least I think so ... but how large a new chance, in actuality? I wasn't sure, hence this experiment. Plus I'm too lazy to figure out the actual math. Anyways, in the screenshot below you can see the UI for this, bright green is double boosted, dark grey is double reduced.]



Turn 50: Another son is born, Badran (3-1-5). Syunik agrees to peace. The Byzantines reject at 20% however. So off goes a new offer at ... ew, went down to 4% for some reason. Oh well, we'll keep at it! We draw Forage the Land as our new RGD (drat). The Peer of the Realm in Iraq stops being Corrupt. A Shepherd House is built in Kufa so next up is an Iqta Land Grant I think. At 31 turns it will take forever to build (as does everything in Sawad because of all the Minor Fiefdoms) but it will synergize well with all the other Ag buildings there when eventually completed. Baghdad gains a Pop which allows space for a Traders Borough to begin (a juicy structure made even juicier by having the bonus good Bricks & Tile already in place there). Lastly, recent increases to my Manpower income would seem to allow the retention of another good SAU, so a new Mamluk Cav is recruited in Baghdad.

Episode 11, 1078 AD: Negotiating Peace

1078 AD ... News from around the world ...

- Turmoil in Constantinople! Alexios 'Stavroforos' ousts emperor Constantine 'Monomachos' in a coup, ascending the throne as a Weak Heir and reducing the Dynasty Age to 0. BYZ Legacy income drops to zero as well.
- A new emerging dynasty, the Sallarids, leads a revolt against the Baduspanids in Alamut, and has the city under siege.
- The Seljuqs, who are overlords to the Baduspanids, immediately declare war upon the upstart Sallarids;
- The Fatimids finally declare war on their breakaway vassal, the Jarrahids;
- The Hungarians stage a massive counterattack on the Rus' principalities (mostly Halych), driving them out of Wallachia and Transylvania, and pushing into Moldavia;
- A new monarch reigns in the Petty Kingdom of "Paris": King Mathieu, age 26, 1-0-4 and widely regarded as a Bad Administrator and a Bad Diplomat. He rules over the remaining Capetian lands in Flanders and Anjou, 4 scattered regions with its capital at Bourges. War score vs Normandy is at -170. Blois and Champagne remain as vassals (for now);
- Anjou finds itself in a war vs Berry and Aquitaine, losing a big field battle outside the walls of Angers, now under siege;
- Anglo-Saxon England also finds itself under new management: King Harold Godwinson, 42, 3-0-2 and a Good Diplomat to boot.
- Disaster for the English in Wales: Deheubarth revolted and was taken over by Anglo-Saxon Independents. And Gwynedd went on the offensive, taking Powys and Cheshire! England appears to have lost at least 2 Knights & Sergeants units in recent battles vs the Welsh.
- Thuringia is fighting to break away from the HRE, and has taken lands belonging to Lausitz;
- In Italy, Pisa defeats an invading army from Genoa.

Turn 51: We finally remove a negative token! The Health of the Caliph declines to Poor (he is 78). The Byzantines retake Sinjar with a large army (28 units, 276 Power), en route to my region of Anbar which is now under siege (at +50). My army at Baghdad is 14 units at 241 Power, so to deal with this recurring BYZ threat I am going to hire additional forces. Whether I can afford them is something I will worry about later. The main deficiency, IMO, is archers to backline my front line units for the support bonus. Fortunately Sawad province offers Iraqi Mercenary Bowmen, and they have the gold standard of 9 ranged attack. This gives them the full support value of +3, so I order up 6 of them. Those plus a levy Raw Spearmen and 2 Turcoman Cav in Baghdad to give me 8 heavy front liners should give me a fighting chance over that BYZ army in Open terrain. I note that his army lacks any Light Cav for the flanks (such as those Turcomans I just bought):



Turn 52: Anbar surrenders, and after also defeating a small Seljuq army that moved in there, the BYZ army retreats northward. Food supply played a role in this decision, I'm guessing. The BYZ also reject my latest 4% peace offer. The new peace chance is 0%, however ... the loss of Anbar flips the war score to Byzantium winning (by +3). This gives me the ability offer things to boost the odds, rather than merely pressing demands. Things such as relinquishing my claims I never wanted, sending units (Auth cost for this halved due to peace negotiations), and disbanding part of my army I can't afford to keep anyways. Through such means I manage to put together a package at 92%:



In other news, I draw a much-coveted Removed Civilized RGD (my extreme buff/nerf strategy worked! See Turn 49). The Sallarids (mentioned in the News above) took the Baduspanid capital of Alamut, but the Badus live on in Kirkuk, a region next door to me they took from the Buyids years ago. Jihad target Castilla proposes peace, offering me 100 Concessions and 50 Metal. I feel I should say no, as this would cause me to leave the Jihad? Something I do not want as that would permit the Seljuqs to attack me. I play my precious Remove Civilized in Kufa. A Discreet Hamlet is founded in the desert sands of Zubala, next up there is an Iqta Land Grant.

Turn 53: I lose my last negative token, yay! Military Reform for Archer units pops up, but my treasury is practically empty now due to army maintenance ... so not sure if I can spare the 145 Money this turn? I have 6 Money right now and my per turn deficit is -116. So, I sell a bunch of RGDs (including Mercenary Army for 110) to keep me afloat for another turn, and to be able to afford some newfangled Bodkin Arrowheads. Meanwhile, not only did the Minor Fiefdom in Kufa get removed, but one in Basra as well, due to an event triggered by my high Local Authority there. And I draw another Remove Civilized this turn too, woohoo ... I immediately play it in Wasit. My Caliph's health degrades to Very Poor. Anbar was retaken by my now very decent army, 23 units with 308 Power. Probably enough to take on that BYZ army if it were still here. I am blocked from proceeding further northwards into BYZ territory, however, because Sinjar has been taken over by Kerman, a Seljuq vassal I do not have passage rights with. A Commoner Cemetery is dug in Hilah, next we plant some Legumes to feed all my Hamlets nearby.

Turn 54: The Byzantines agreed to peace! The 25% disarmament clause (which I have never used before) randomly removed 5 of my 23 units, reducing me in total army Power from 308 to 257. I am now going to disband my remaining 5 Iraqi Mercenary Bowmen, change my cash flow around, and rebuild my treasury. The new RGD draw this turn is Form Vassal (oh well). A Qasaba is built in Karbala, which also yields me 50 Stewardship there from the now-confident and well-protected local sheikh. Next up there is a Soap Workshop for the Money. A Rat Catcher is hired in Anbar, next up will be Wood Cutting, for Wood is quite scarce in these parts. Some consolidation plays by my neighbors: The Seljuqs play Absorb Vassal on the Bavanids, the Fatimids on the Hejaz.

Turn 55: The Byzantines take Mosul, capital of the Artuqids. Perhaps I should have stayed in war with them? OTOH, I'm not sure I could have afforded to do so. I need to develop more Commerce structures, becomes more financially stable. After mercenary disbandments, my income per turn soars to a healthy +121. The old Buyid palace in Basra is demolished for 25 Infra by the locals. It looks like I can support more SAUs now with the added income, so I recruit 2 new Mamluk Cav.

Episode 12, 1081 AD: Spanish Gold

1081 AD ... News from around the world ...

- The Hungarians successful counter-attack against the Rus' states continues. Halych is down to just 3 remaining regions, and all the other principalities except for Novgorod, Polotsk, Murom and Kiev have withdrawn from the conflict;
- Poland's long war against the Prussians enters its 28th year, with only Warmia and Natgalia remaining unconquered;
- King Mathieu of Paris (formerly France) has somehow managed to recapture Paris from the Normans, at least for the time being;
- The Normans, meanwhile, have occupied all of Picardy save for the region around Artois, but has made no progress vs Bretagne, with Rennes still holding out under siege;
- Forces led by the Earl of Northumbria push the Welsh out of Cheshire, and recapture Powys for the English side;
- The HRE conquest of Croatia is nearly complete, only Zadar and Travnik still manage to hold out;
- The Marcher uprising in in north Germany rages on, with Brandenburg now joining Thuringia in defiance of the Emperor;
- Venice captures Brixen from the March of Verona, the latter now led by the 5 y/o Marquis Cesare.
- Unable to decide on a successor to the Chair of Saint Peter, an Interregnum Conclave now governs in the Papal States.


Turn 56: I get a new claim, this one actually nearby, Ukhaider, held by Kerman (Seljuq vassals). I should probably prepare for the time when the current Jihad gets cancelled, and Seljuqs are able to DOW me. Although it is worth noting that being in the same Jihad has done much to bring our two nations closer together (relations are at 43 and Cordial with the Seljuqs). An Herbalist sets up shop in Wasit, and I decide to Edict up a Protected Settlement there (with the removal of the Minor Fiefdom, the region now lacks walls). A Farm completes in Basra, next up is a Commoner Cemetery. I play Peasants to Freemen in Baghdad. I also begin hurling bi-annual insults at the Byzantine Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Pope (or rather Conclave), to test out the new Diplomatic Frenzy mechanics.

[See the main discussion thread for more information on those Diplomatic Frenzy penalties, for over-spamming diplomatic offers. I actually did not manage to hit the limit in this play through, as you have to be very spammy to hit it.]

Turn 57: The health of the Caliph degrades to Very Bad (I am 81). The Peer in Iraq has gone Corrupt again. A Beekeeper is built in Al Quesadilla, next up is a Protected Settlement (again, I now need walls).

[All this production diverted to building fortifications from scratch is the price I must pay for dismantling those Minor Fiefdoms, which despite their disadvantages, did at least come with their own level 1 walls and healthy garrisons.]

Turn 58: Insulting the Holy Roman Emperor leads to me getting a claim on Goslar. The Seljuqs manage to retake nearby Mosul from the Byzantines. A Craftsman Borough is laid out in Heet, taking up the last slot there for a while. I play a Peasants to Freemen there. I start to think about insulting the Qarmatians to the south, as they are a potential area of expansion for me that I could probably take on, but then I realize they are in the Jihad too, and thus we are legally banned from warring on each other. So that wont quite work!

Turn 59: Castilla sends me another peace offer, 100 Concessions and 400 Gold. Boy I am REALLY tempted on this one. Which makes me wonder, will taking these goodies necessarily remove me from the Jihad? I'm actually not sure ... I think I will agree to this generous peace, as an experiment! Even if the Jihad dumps me over this, relations with the Seljuqs are actually now Amiable. So perhaps I need not worry here? I send the Seljuqs a 43% Cooperation proposal, just as the tool-tip suggests. A Wood Cutting finishes in Anbar, next up Regional Roads.



Turn 60: Peace deal has been inked with Castilla, all that gold wheeled in to the treasury ... and Islamic scholars agree, we are STILL in the Jihad! Insulting the Interregnum Conclave gives me a claim on Rome (now THAT would be a Jihad!). The governor of Iraq once again straightens up his act, and stops being Corrupt. A Traders Borough is built in Baghdad, using the last slot for now (4 turns until growth). Our income is now up to +130 a turn, and that plus the Spanish gold puts my treasury back over 1000 Money.

[It is worth noting that I will likely be called back into war versus Castilla by the Jihad automatically, once the 10 turn (5 year) minimum peace term is expired. So, perhaps "truce" is a better term for this arrangement, rather than "peace deal."]

Episode 13, 1084 AD: Peace Dividends

1086 AD ... News from around the world ...

- The Sultan of Kerman declares his Seljuq overlord to be "a feeble puppet in the hands of his courtiers." Is this insult the start of a bid for independence? Some Kerman lands do adjoin mine, to the west;
- The Byzantines develop lateen sails for their ships;
- The Papal States absorb vassal Ancona;
- The Normans retake Paris;
- Venice has conquered all of the March of Verona except for the city of Verona, which it has under siege;
- The Scots gain the upper hand in their war with Norway, taking Ross and putting Wick in Sudrland under siege;
- Norse Independents break away from Norway in the Hebrides and Orkney;
- The Taifa of Zaragoza is gone, conquered by Navarra, whose border now also extends westwards to Vizcaya and Najera.
- The Fatimids completely conquer their erstwhile vassals, the Jarrahids.
- Peace is signed between Hungary and Halych, with Halych regaining their lost Galician and Moldavian regions.


Turn 61: Now completely at peace, we lose all our War Weariness maluses. And the Jihad preventing DOWs gives us very stable borders for the time being, so this is an excellent time to focus on internal growth. The Seljuqs agree to Cooperation, so relations should continue to improve! I get another Remove Civilized, which I play in Heet. The Fatimids declare war on the Qarmatians, my fellow Jihadis to the south.

Turn 62: The current score has me in 2nd place, but well behind the HRE who is easily outpacing me (and everyone else, with the Legacy income of +132. I am only +34, and the Fatimids will eventually overtake me at +111). I get ANOTHER Remove Civilized, which I play in Anbar. Just one Minor Fiefdom remains, in Samarra. The Peer in Basra goes corrupt, but it's not a huge concern as Money continues to roll into treasury from my peacetime economy. An Occultist sets up shop in Anbar, but I have a Remove Hostiles ready to go. Pop growth in Samarra frees up a slot, so in goes a Peasants' Roundup. A Closed Settlement is Edicted in Heet. A Soap Workshop finishes in Karbala, next up a Professional Mourner. The Commoner Cemetery finishes in Basra, and a very profitable Fruits Shop is begun. The Byzantines have taken Tikrit on my border to the north, so I move my army to Anbar to monitor the situation. I also Deploy Spy Network in Cairo, to keep watch on the Fatimids.



Turn 63: In other news from around the world, the Norman Invasion of England is underway, this according to a big popup screen I just got. I get another Removed Civilized, which is the last one I will need for a while ... time to change my priorities! So that of course is played in Samarra, and I just set all the RGD odds back to normal. The BYZ army in Tikrit is only 4 units strong. I Spy on Nobility in Baghdad. A Closed Settlement in Heet is followed up with some Trench & Stakes.

[A change has recently been made to the changing of RGD odds for the release version, in that doing so is no completely longer free. There is now a minimum 25 Money cost to do so, or 1% of your current Treasury]



Turn 64: I feel a bit unlucky with the tokens, as my odds say 25% but I have not gained one in a while. The Seljuqs make me a trade offer, 700 Money and 100 Metal for 4 of my Bowmen, and the Basra and Wasit regions. Sorry, but no. I play Peasants to Freemen in Baghdad. A new Professional Mourner begins to wail hysterically in Karbala, next up is a is a Bakery, which IMO is one of the best early game structures you can build (7 Food + 10 Money with Flax as a Bonus good nearby).

Turn 65: Trench & Stakes are dug and planted in Heet, and a Timber Wall is Edicted to get the fort level there to 3. A new Pop in Baghdad allows the commencement of an Iqta Land Grant, which should yield me an impressive 22 Food a turn when completed in about 8 turns. A Legumes Farm in Hilah is planted, next up some Exchange Tents to benefit from the Exotic Fruits in the region. A Protected Settlement is established in Wasit, so a Timber Wall is Edicted up next to get that fort level up to 3.

[The Iqta Land Grant is one of those gatekeeper structures, that will not only unlock the upper half of a building tier, but will also have their output increased based on the number of other structures in the region of the same category (in this case, Agriculture). The Christian equivalent at Tier 1 is the Manorial Demesne.]

Episode 14, 1086 AD: Dynastic Succession

1086 AD ... News from around the world ...

- Despite invasion talk and rumors of forces gathering in Cotentin, Normandy remains at peace with England;
- In fact, this seems like a bad time for Norman overseas adventure, having recently lost Alencon and Chartres to Paris, and Valois and Senlis to Latin Independents;
- England is victorious in a big battle vs Gwynedd in Perfeddwlad;
- Scotland takes Sunderland from the Norse;
- Henry the Black, Holy Roman Emperor, died in his bed. His successor, Frederick 'Barbarossa,' is considered to be a Strong Heir, and indeed, his first order of business is to declare war on Milano;
- Peace is made between the HRE and Venice, allowing the latter to consolidate their mainland gains in Verona province;
- The Byzantines manage to crush the upstart Despotate around Antioch.


Turn 66: The Seljuqs makes another offer to buy Wasit and Basra that I decline. I do wonder though, if it might be possible now for me to make some offers in his regions? A Protected Settlement in built in Al Quesadilla, a Timber Wall is Edicted up next. A Potter opens his Workshop in Hafar Al Batin, next up is a Trench & Stakes.

Turn 67: Still no positive tokens at 25% a turn. I really wish I could get to five and remove the "Unstable" label from my Caliphate. The Peasants Roundup in Samarra is finished, a Clay Pit is next. A draw an Ennoble Petty Landowner, but I'm not sure I want to take a Pop out of the workforce anywhere right now. I have over 2000 Money in my treasury currently.

[The Ennoble Petty Landowner RGD will promote a single Freeman population to a Noble Population]

Turn 68: The Caliph Al-Qaim passed away serenely in his chambers, and his son Al-Muqtafi (4-4-2, Poor Military), a Strong Heir, takes the reigns of power. He seems to have come with considerable personal wealth as well, as my treasury just zoomed to over 3500 Money! Auth remains the same. The new Caliph is 61 y/o with 3 sons, 1 daughter, 1 41 y/o wife, and 3 concubines who range in age from 16 to 29. The eldest son is 32 y/o. 3-5-3 and Messy, so the dynasty seems to be in fairly good shape for now. Money income remains at about +200/turn:

[All characters have their own levels of personal wealth, represented in a number of coin icons on their portrait when viewed through the "Treasure" filter on the courtiers screen. A character will bring such wealth with him when he ascends to a throne, adding it to the national Treasury upon his ascension.]






Another Seljuq land offer is rejected, for 4 regions this time. An epidemic is prevented in Kufa, but breaks out in Hilah. The governorship of Sawad is now vacant, so I put in uncle Khutlukh, loyalty 100 and a 4-2-4 Militarist in charge. A Timber Wall is erected in Heet, giving us fort level 3, so a Fortified Village is Edicted up next at a cost of 1 Auth. I recruit a couple new Raw Spearmen for the army, since we are so flush in resources right now. We do have a Spearmaker somewhere, so perhaps we can get an upgrade on them too.

Turn 69: We finally get a positive token! The epidemic in Hilah is vanquished. The new Caliph's health degrades to Very Poor. Well, at 61 he is no spring chicken, admittedly. The two new Raw Spearmen appear, and the Hastily Levied penalty is immediately removed. I make an offer to the Seljuqs to by nearby Sharaban region, for 96 Men, 7 Metal, and 620 Money, odds are 35%. The governor of Iraq stops being corrupt. I begin to wonder if it might be worth having him brought to an Embezzlement Trial; his stats and loyalty are pretty good, but he can be replaced. Checking his Wealth level, he only has one coin on him, hmmm ... so probably not worth it. I guess he spends his cash as soon as he steals it:




Turn 70: Another token! Now at 2 ... It looks like my dry spell finally is over. The peace treaty with Castilla ends so I may get called back into Jihad-y war with them soon. I may need some kind of war presently, as my treasury is close to 3800 now and I can only store 5600. An Iqta completes in Kufa, next up a Discreet Hamlet. Timber Walls finishing up in Al Quesadilla and Wasit allows Qasabas in both regions to begin. I play Peasants to Freemen in Anbar, which surprisingly doesn't have any Freemen yet.

Episode 15, 1088 AD: Land Purchases

1088 AD ... News from around the world ...

- Duke Aubrey of Normandy, in the 13th year of his reign, occupier of Paris and many other regions, hereby proclaims that henceforth his realm shall be known to all as ... the Duchy of FRANCE!
- France (formerly Normandy) finally prevails in the siege of Rennes, and overruns all of Bretagne save for Nantes;
- England's vassal, the Earl of Mercia, takes Perfeddwlad from Gwynedd, while the Earl of Northumbria now has Gwynedd itself under siege;
- In Italy, Genoa defeats Milan in a field battle outside the walls of Pavia, while Milan prosecutes a siege against the Imperial city of Piacenza;
- Habamus Papam! Victor III, a Weak Heir, is elected after the Interregnum Conclave wanders into the wilderness and gets lost. The Papacy suffers a substantial Auth loss in the changeover (-58).
- The new Pope inherits wars vs Tuscany, Florence and Venice.
- Lucca, also at war with Tuscany, tries to storm the walls of Volterra, but is hurled back.
- A new Despotate rebels against the Byzantines, this one centered on Adrianopolis in Thrace, right next door to Constantinople. A BYZ army in Sozopolis has also rebelled, possibly joining forces with the new Despot as well?
- Another BYZ army rebels in Arsamosaton in the far east of the Empire, adding 3 more regions to the same Despotate mentioned above;
- Georgia cedes (sells?) the city of Tbilisi to the Byzantines.



[Certain historical realms, such as France, can be formed by certain factions holding a certain city (such as, in this case, Paris) and possessing a set number of other regions as well. This new realm essentially replaces your original faction name. Some realms exist at the start of a scenario, such as France here, which was originally held by a different faction (Paris). Others are not on map at start, but can be formed in the course of game play. Sicily, for example, or Al-Andalus in Spain. These realms are formed at the same government level (ie, Duchy, Kingdom) that your original faction possessed.]


Turn 71: No new token this turn, boo. The Seljuqs reject my land deal. I make a new offer on Tikrit at 68%. Regional Roads are laid out in Anbar, next up a Brickworks. An Iqta is finally finished in the desert region of Zubala, and a Timber Keep is ordered up next. I Prospect for Resources in Kufa. I get a claim on the BYZ city of Van ... I toy with the idea of DOWing BYZ, now that they have what looks like major internal problems right now, but I can't really reach their territory. The Seljuq vassals are not part of the Jihad, and hence I don't have passage rights over them to reach Byzantine territories.

Turn 72: Heet is now a Fortified Village, so work now begins on a Fruits Shop, which is very lucrative with both Honey and Exotic Fruits nearby. The Prospecting RGD finds more Exotic Fruit in Kufa. And a Fruit Shop completes in Basra, next up a Pilgrim's Refuge. A very fruity turn! I also play an Attract Migrants in Heet.

Turn 73: We gain a 3rd token! But alas, the new Caliph Al-Muqtafi was struck down by a feral beast during a hunt, and has been succeeded by his son and Strong Heir, Ahmad al-Mustansir (formerly Jazziyyah). We took a look at him earlier: 3-5-3, but with new Ruler traits of Good Administrator and Good Diplomat. Oooh! Lets hope for a long reign! His eldest son is 11, and a bit worrisome at 0-2-5. No current wife or concubine, so a Royal Marriage might be in the works? The Seljuqs agreed to our land deal, so now Tikrit is ours. And the Attract Migrants in Heet was hugely successful, poaching freeman Pops from Ukhaider and Sinjar. I begin a Craftsman Borough in Tikrit. A Clay Pit is dug in Samarra, a Wise Woman is up next. A Bakery in Karbala finishes, next up a Bowyer (this will allow me to levy Muslim Massed Bowmen, rather that only be able to hire them as mercenaries from Sawad). The Iqta is built in Baghdad, giving the region a max food production now of 72! Exchange Tents are pitched in Hilah, a Hemp Field is planted next. A new Peer is needed in Sawad, and so an old courtier, Yaruq, is placed in charge: Loyalty 72 and a 3-5-4 Flanker.



Turn 74: A new Pop is born in Baghdad, so a Butchery is begun. Trench & Stakes are done in Hafar Al Batin, next up a Shepherd House. I play a Convert to New Faith in Basra, to convert a Shia Pop to Sunni.

Turn 75: A Discreet Hamlet has been subtly built in Kufa, next up is a Kennel. A Peasants to Freemen is played in Anbar. An offer is made for the Seljuq region of Sharaban again (64%).

Episode 16, 1091 AD: Alliance Entanglements

1091 AD ... News from around the world ...

- A new state, Sigilmasa, splinters off from the Almoravids and takes 4 regions in Adrar and Draa provinces;
- The Duchy of France and the Petty Kingdom of Paris continue to struggle in northern France, with pitched battles and regions changing hands frequently;
- Hungary is now at war with the HRE, and has invaded Moravia;
- Byzantium took Sozopolis away from the upstart Despotate of Paphlagonia, relieving the pressure on Constantinople a bit;
- Various army reforms are beginning to pop up across Europe;
- The Seljuqs and Byzantines agree to peace!


Turn 76: I think I am going to go to war versus the Fatimids. We now share a border in the desert (they just took the Fayd region, next to my Zubala and Hafar), and they are NOT in the Jihad, AND they seem to be in a losing war against the Qarmatians. My treasury is ready (3213 Money, +72/turn) and I have two Sneak Attacks in hand. Plus ... there can be only one Caliphate ... me! So, I reposition my army, and do some mercenary recruiting in Sawad (Muslim Massed Bowmen) ... and then a sandstorm hits both Zubala and Hafar regions, blocking my repositions! The Fatimid War will have to wait an extra turn before getting underway. In other news, Qasabas complete in Wasit and Al Quesadilla, netting me 50 Stewardship in both regions as well. Al-Q Edicts out a Pilgrim's Refuge for the needed Piety and Conversion bonus, while Wasit begins a Cattle Ranch. A Brickworks completes in Anbar, and a Logging Camp upgrade to my Wood Cutting is selected next (Wood is a real rarity in this area, so going from Wood x 1 to Wood x 2 is nice). A Wise Woman opens up her Hut in Samarra, but Health in the region is still a bit dodgy, so a Well is next. A Pilgrim's Refuge is established in Basra, and then I Edict an Anchorage to follow that up ... the plan is to expand it with a Build Harbor RGD once complete. Basra is my only access to the sea right now.

Turn 77: We get a 4th token!!!! The Seljuqs agree to my land offer for Sharaban! The new region is going to need some work, however. It has no slots left, a Mining Exploitation with no mines to exploit, and no cleric Pop anywhere to be found, or Piety buildings. So the place is a hotbed for heresy. A Bowyer sets up show in Karbala, and immediately a crossbowman and a remote mercenary bowmen get buffed. A Fruit Shop in Heet finishes, next up a Modest Bimaristan for the needed Health. And Zubala is still a Scorched Desert! I begin to see why not much seemed to be happening in the Fatimid-Qarmatian War for a while. I sell a few unlikely RGDs (my hand was getting full).

Turn 78: Still at 4 tokens. The Seljuqs ask for an Alliance ... hmm. In the past I have not been a fan of Alliance entanglements, but there are new settings giving one more options ... perhaps I should try them out. Anbar generates a heretic (boo!). A Timber Keep finishes up in dust-covered Zubala, granting me a 25 Stew there boost as well. A Qasaba is next. The sandstorms in the region finally end, so I plot various armies to converge on it. Karbala and Sharaban get new Pops, so a zero-slot Peasants Roundup is next in the former, and an Iqta in the latter.

[You can now toggle your Foreign Policy settings, which determines how you wish to react when an ally goes to war. See next turn for an example of this ...]

Turn 79: Still at 4 tokens. I get a popup telling me the Crusaders are embarking. Both Zubala and Fayd get sandstormed! Grrrr. I think I will cancel the Fatimid War, these Desert regions are just too sandy. So, I discharge my mercenary Bowmen. Thus I think I WILL agree to the Seljuq alliance. I need some kind of outlet for my warlike aggressions, and the Seljuqs are at war with Syunik (and the Jihad in Spain of course). I set my Foreign Policy to HELP IF AMIABLE (50) (which we are, relations are at 67). Also, I can also only get called in if the Seljuqs are the ones attacked. The Anchorage is dredged in Basra, so next up is Trench & Stakes (the Build Harbor is played there as well). A Butchery in done in Baghdad. A Hemp Field is planted in Hilah, a Traders Borough is next. Peasants to Freeman is played in Karbala.



Turn 80: Still at 4 tokens. The HRE is running away with the game right now, they could win by triple VP at this rate? And the Fatimids seem to be getting ready to pass me. The Byzantines trash talk me for allying with the Seljuqs. I get called into war versus both Leon, and Syunik. OK, the good news is, I CAN now enter Seljuq vassals (unlike the Jihad) so I CAN get to Syunik. My main army can get to that front in 4 turns, in Rawadid territory. Bandits from the disbanded mercenaries appear in dust-wracked Zubala (which is experiencing YET ANOTHER sandstorm) but local troops destroy their Lair immediately. The Seljuqs absorb vassal Kakyudids. A Craftsman Borough in Tikrit is laid out, next up will be Exchange Tents (all the natural Exotic Fruits around make these a pretty good deal). Samarra digs a Well, next we upgrade our Musalla there to a Small Mosque. Baghdad gets a new Pop, so can now build a Bakery. I recruit 2 Muslim Massed Bowman levies in Baghdad (thanks tot he new Bowyer in Karbala), and 4 more mercenary MMBs in Sawad. I think I can afford this. These should give my frontline spear and mamluk cav the support they need to prevail in the melee phase.

Episode 17, 1093 AD: Embezzlement Trial

1093 AD ... News from around the world ...

- Jihad target King Sancho "the Desired" of Castile has been excommunicated by the Pope. He is 11 years old;
- Gothie and Provence are at war in southern France;
- The Count of Blois has retaken Paris on behalf of his overlord, the King of Paris. Thus the "Duchy of France" is once again the Duchy of Normandy;
- Scotland invades England! They have actually been at war for 4 years but I am just noticing it now. Dunbar, Cumberland, Lancashire and Derby have fallen to the Scots.
- Oslo has fallen to a vassal of Sweden, transforming Norway into the "Petty Kingdom of Viken;"
- "Viken" and Scotland sign a peace treaty. Their only remaining holdings beyond the North Sea are the Shetland Islands;
- The rebel Despotate in Thrace has been reduced by the Byzantines to just Adrianople;
- Poland invaded Hungary, another war I'm just noticing, which began 4 years ago. Two regions of Slovakia have been taken.


Turn 81: Still at 4 tokens. Castilla sends a peace offer for this new war ... hmm, 11 y/o excommunicate Sancho is offering me 100 Concessions. Sure why not! I need the VPs if I am to catch the HRE. My Peer in Sawad goes corrupt ... Embezzlement Trial? He does have 3 coins of wealth on him, and he's 64, in Poor Health. Sure! Let's try it, and make an example of him! Although ... I'm not sure if the fact he is currently Corrupt matters for this RGD? Anbar upgrades to a Logging Camp, next up a Professional Mourner; Peasants Roundup is done in Karbala, next up a Musalla; Pilgrim's Refuge in Al Quesadilla is built, a Commoner Cemetery is begun; Trench & Stakes in Basra is followed up by a Timber Wall. As you can see, my economy is fairly booming right now, with all these construction projects rapidly completing.

[Note: Around this point in the beta testing, it was noticed that Spanish factions tended to get excommunicated a lot. The problem was, these factions were often times taking over regions with significant Muslim populations, which in turn led to a drop in per-region Piety output, which in turn made the Pope upset, which in turn caused an inordinate amount of Reconquista excommunications. This unintended sequence of events has been fixed for the release version!]

[Note: As to the question of whether Corrupt status matters for Embezzlement prosecution, the official answer from Pocus is: "Only indirectly: corrupt > embezzle more money > more money = easier trial."]



Turn 82: Still at 4 tokens. Seljuqs propose a deal to buy three regions, I politely decline. Peace is made with Castile (again). And Governor Yaruq is convicted! He is removed as Peer ... but interestingly, I have a new Yaruq in my court. Looks like he has good stats (but not quite the same good stats), same portrait, is 20 y/o, in Excellent Health, and of undetermined Loyalty. A son perhaps? If that is the case, I am a bit distrustful of him at the moment! So in goes Fadl, a 4-0-3 noble with a known 65 Loyalty. BTW, our treasury went from 1767 to 2242, so about 300-400 Money was confiscated, probably? I play a Spy on Nobility in Baghdad. A Kennel completes in Kufa, next up a Herbalist for needed Health. The Modest Bimaristan is now tending to lepers in Heet, next up there is a Local Market. Lastly, I send the new Peer of Sawad a Gift.

[Note: For the release version, the notification of the results of an Embezzlement Trial will now spell out the exact amount of wealth taken from a convicted Peer.]



Turn 83: A token, our FIFTH! So we drop to 0 tokens, and reform to a STABLE Caliphate! The Gift raised Governor Fadl's Loyalty to 77. Uncle Nasir gathers the Caliphal Army together in Hamedan, which at Power 326 is the largest force we've managed to assemble. The Syuniki capital is 2 turns away ... A Professional Mourner now mourns in Anbar, next up a Craftsman Bourough (a good fit as there are 5 Infra buildings there already). A Musalla is done in Karbala. And a Shepherd House in Hafar is built, next a Well is dug. Zubala is now fortified with a Qasaba, a Bakery is next.



Turn 84: We gain a token! Ascending Caliphate here we come. Exchange Tents are pitched in Tikrit, Peasants Roundup is next; a Pilgrim's Refuge is started in Karbala; An Iqta is established in Sharaban, a badly needed Musalla is next; A new Cattle Ranch is mooing in Wasit, and a Musalla is began there as well. I have been building a lot of religious structures, if you've noticed, and that is because I sill have many unenthusiastic Shia cleric Pops who are not outputting the Piety I need to combat Heresy. I also play Reinforce a March in Hafar, and I Send a Councilor to check in with my new-ish governor in Sawad.

Turn 85: My army arrives outside the level 3 walls of the Syuniki capital of Kapan, siege value is +16. The Fatimids pass me in Legacy, officially dropping me to 3rd place. I get a new 25 y/o wife! Governor Fadl's Loyalty improves to 96, and stats bump up a bit to 4-1-3, after the visit of the royal councilor. Hafar gets a Qasaba built, thanks to last turn's RGD! The Local Market in Heet finishes, next up there is Zagat Collector; a Commoner Cemetery is complete in Al Quesadilla, next up will be a yummy Fruit Shop; a Timber Wall goes up in Basra, a Musalla is next.

Episode 18, 1096 AD: Distant Conquests

1096 AD ... News from around the world ...

- The Byzantines wipe out the Despotate of Paphlagonia;
- The Banu Hilal seem to have the upper hand in a war versus the Zirids, taking most of Ifriqiya;
- The Almoravids make peace with Castile. I'm not sure the Jihad has much life left in it now;
- Normandy makes peace with Bretagne, restoring to it all their occupied regions;
- England absorbs vassal East Anglia;
- What's left of Croatia swears fealty to Hungary, both are still at war with the HRE;
- Castilla is now ruled by Fernando "the Slimy" who is perhaps the younger brother of the previous child king (he is 10 y/o). He seems to have inherited the Excommunicated status as well.


Turn 86: Syunik proposes peace, offering 50 Concessions. Not good enough! The siege of Kapan inflicted many hits on the defenders, so it is up to +27 now. I will order an assault. Peasants Roundup is done in Tikrit, a Wheelmaker will all the bonuses met is next; a Musalla in Sharaban completes, next up will be a Professional Mourner. I sure would love an Ordinate Priest RGD for the cleric-less region, but I do at least have a Covert to New Faith handy, and play it there

Turn 87: We get a second token! The Syunik capital of Kapan is taken by storm. The Jihad formally ends, and is declared a success based on taking holy sites and weakening Castilla, but to be honest, I don't recall a single Jihadi ever setting foot in Spain. But we did extract wealth from Castilla by treaty, so there's that I suppose. I reject another Seljuq land deal. Kapan actually has a Brass Smelter in the region, which is expensively useless right now as there is no Copper around to supply it, and no market for the Brass it produces. So, I disband it and begin work on a Professional Mourner. The army now advances into unwalled Asturab to complete the conquest. A Small Mosque completes in Samarra, a Fortified Village is next. A Thieves Gang forms in Basra! Fortunately I have a Remove Hostiles ready to go.

[If your Money income exceeds your Stewardship income by a sufficient degree, an organized crime problem may develop in a region. It can even get worse if left unchecked, morphing from a simple Thieves Gang, to a Thieves Hideout, to a Thieves Guild, then finally to an Underground Network. These impediments can be removed via certain buildings and/or RDGs.]



Turn 88: We get a third token! The Thieves Gang is neutralized in Basra. The Shaddadids, who are our new neighbors now that we hold land in the Caucasus, offer to form an Alliance; they are at war with the Byzantines and Georgia. Hmmm, I think I will ally, to raise relations with an eye to vassalizing it down the road. I'm pretty sure the Seljuqs, my other ally, will be at war with BYZ again soon enough (the Emperor just called the Sultan a baseborn bastard, in fact). The battle for Asturab was tougher than I thought, due to it being a lowland and they having some Dailami Foot medium infantry, but we prevailed due to a charge by our Christian Knights & Sergeants mercenaries on the left flank. So, Syunik is absorbed by 100% conquest. Asturab is 100% Sunni, so it welcomes us with open arms (not the case with Orthodox Kapan to the west). Back in Iraq, Zagat Collectors begin collecting in Heet; Baghdad begins a Regional Roads; A Musalla completes in Wasit, next up a Craftsman Borough. Sharaban employs a Professional Mourner, a Traders Borough is next. I Spy on Nobility again in Baghdad.



Turn 89: I get a fourth token! We ally with the Shaddadids, and the Georgians tell us we are making a mistake. Well, perhaps. We will see! I set the Alliance on support if Cordial (which we are). I plot my army to advance from Kapan to adjacent Khoy, a region held by Iranian Independents, although the people there are Kurdish and Sunni. Asturab goes into unrest, which is annoying, as I have to send a light cav unit back there from my main army, to play a Restore Order on the place. A Craftsman's Borough finishes up in Anbar, next is a Beekeeper for the Health benefits; The Fortified Village is done in Samarra, a Professional Mourner is next. I am seeing the virtues of these Mourners, as they provide a good chunk of Piety at zero slot cost. Basra completres a Musalla, next up is a Herbalist; an Herbalist is finished in Kufa, next up a Pilgrim's Refuge.

Turn 90: I reject another Seljuq offer to purchase my regions. Sharaban spontaneously created a cleric Pop, yay! My 2-1 main army general died of old age, but not before winning a field battle under the walls of Khoy. A +9 siege remains, and we order an assault. Asturab is no longer in Unrest, which is good because I forgot to move the light cav unit there. I appoint my 16 y/o son Khutlukh as new commander of the Caliphal main army (1-1, 100 Loyalty, Admired). A Wheelmaker opens for business in Tikrit, a Hamlet is next. A Traders Bourough starts trading in Hilah, a Fruit Shop is next. I play Reinforce a March in Basra, this should build me a level 1 wall of some sort there.



[Next episode in this AAR is due out in a couple days, Thu 5/23!]

Discussion thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1985050/discussions/0/4362374548289316889/