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Fri Aug 19, 2016 7:43 pm

OK, brother - here you go -[ATTACH]39669[/ATTACH]

By the way that 'Verden Militia' event is driving me crazy! It fires almost every other turn. It's like the zombie apocalypse, only with peasants from Verden - there's no stopping them! But thank you for all of your work on this fine game!
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Fri Aug 19, 2016 8:24 pm

I thought that zombies were an essential part of Christian theology... But then Verden Militia zombies are probably apocalyptic enough so no doubt your Papist concerns regarding revolting peasant zombies are justified. I think I will miss this thread when it's done; it has been such a grand read and something to look forward to.

-C

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Fri Aug 19, 2016 8:33 pm

Your kindness almost excuses your heresy, good master Random. I so appreciate your readership and your comments. And it is sad to be coming to the end of the war. It was a lot of fun to write it, especially while the AI was putting up a decent fight. I don't think any other AGEOD game is so amenable to the AAR writer - what with so few armies, maybe a couple of major battles in an entire campaign season, simple production and diplomacy, etc. AJE or BOA2 may be similar, but goodness writing a TEAW AAR would be a full-time job! Anyway, have to think on the issue once the heretics are crushed...ah, well, once a 'peace with honor' is achieved! Thanks again for sticking with me!
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Fri Aug 19, 2016 9:17 pm

May 1647

Saxe-Weimar moves on the Spanish at Julich and is handily repulsed:

maybattle.jpg


The heretics showed great courage, their soldiers were experienced and their leaders good but there were just too many dug-in Spaniards to be overcome. Saxe-Weimar retreats to Koln and the Spanish (Now under the command of Francisco de Melo - they must be taking turns...) prepare to assault Julich.

Gustavus moves on Worms as expected, and La Valette chooses the safer course and attacks at Breisach.

May1647.jpg


Sensing an opportunity at Koln, the Catholics decide to gamble once more on the Spanish. Replacements are purchased for Spanish units (more than 60 gold!) and the Cardinal-Infante's army is prepared for action. Wallenstein will keep on eye on Gustavus and Bucquoy on La Valette, but if the Catholics can recapture Koln it may force the heretics to the peace table. Enough is enough already!
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Fri Aug 19, 2016 10:30 pm

August 1647

Worms quickly falls to Gustavus, but Breisach is holding out against La Valette (although there are indications that the garrison is starving). Julich fell to De Melo and he is preparing his army to attack Koln. But reports of the Spanish moving north have reached Gustavus ears and they are troubling.

August1647.jpg


The Protestant problem is a simple one: they have three armies and the Catholics have four, all of which are roughly similar in size. Given the strategic situation - the front line being the Rhine River - the Catholics have the opportunity to mass two of their armies against one of the heretics. If Gustavus moves north then Mainz and Worms will be exposed, but if he doesn't then Saxe-Weimar becomes a Papist sandwich: two Catholic armies with a heretic one squeezed in between them. If Breisach had fallen sooner then he could risk it - La Valette could cover the line of the Rhine by himself. But if Koln falls Gustavus will be at the mercy of the French king, actually Cardinal Mazarin, for support. And the good Cardinal has not been returning his letters as of late. Decisions, decisions...

But all is not well on the Catholic side either. The Spanish soldiers were not at all happy when they were ordered north yet again. The old piqueros grumbled about returning to the ciudad de la muerte where so many of their comrades perished just last year. And all the changes in leadership had also unsettled them. The army had seen great success under Feria's command and the soldiers knew and trusted him. These other fellows were all Bellas palabras y ropa fina pero sin espada! (Fine words, fine clothes but no sword!). Soldiers are very much creatures of habit and changes are not welcomed, and all around them the world was changing. But though they grumbled and complained they still marched, the fabled Cruz de Borgoña (Cross of Burgundy) flying above their ranks, north to Koln and destiny.

soldados.jpg
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Fri Aug 19, 2016 11:03 pm

November 1647

Well, destiny arrives but it is not what anyone had anticipated. Early autumn rains in most of the Rhineland put an end to the Spanish march on Koln. De Guzman's bad luck continues and he is forced to turn back as the roads turn to soup when the heavens unload upon the unfortunate Spaniards. The soldiers suffer terribly in the retreat and they are positively mutinous by the time they reach Frankfurt. They refuse to serve under De Guzman and demand that Feria be reinstated. A dilettante general can be forgiven many faults but not bad luck and De Guzman and the Cardinal-Infante have had nothing but bad luck so far. Those two have no choice but to agree to resign command and return to Spain. Feria calms the men down as best he can but it will be a long, angry winter for the Spanish army on the Rhine.

The second surprise is that Gustavus decided to move north to Koln. When the king arrives to reports of De Guzman's retreat, he and Saxe-Weimar decide to take advantage of the clear skies in the area (It was clear in Julich, Aachen, Koln and the province in between them - everywhere else was mud!) and they strike at Aachen and Julich. In hindsight, both armies probably should have gone to Julich:

novemberbattle.jpg


Once again the Spanish numbers and entrenchments prove disastrous to the heretics. Gustavus is badly defeated and must retreat to Koln. But will Saxe-Weimar follow up with an attack? The Spanish regroup and await the next heretic move.

Finally, the fortress at Breisach is completely breached and La Valette makes quick work of the garrison.
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Fri Aug 19, 2016 11:41 pm

December 1647

One more battle to finish up the 1647 campaign and yet again De Melo defeats the heretics:

decemberbattle.jpg


Saxe-Weimar's fresh troops are unable to breach the chevaux-de-frise and gabions of the Spanish, and die in their thousands before they quit the field. As their mighty empire crumbles on all fronts it is only the army of Francisco de Melo that gives some degree of hope to the Spanish. Ironic that he was actually born in Portugal, but a wise king employs his servants based on their capabilities first, and their nationality second. Why even Cardinal Mazarin, de-facto king of France is an Italian!

In any event, the shortened campaign of 1647 is at an end. Late spring and early autumn rains left only five months of good weather for war, and the only major change was the capture of Breisach by the French. But what remains the same is 200,000 soldiers along with an even greater number of camp followers, that need to be fed, clothed and housed in the great cities along the Rhine. But the cities can no longer support this voracious horde and foraging/raiding parties are sent far and wide on both sides of the Rhine. The peasants' suffering is beyond imaging...

"Everywhere there is envy, hatred and greed: that's what the war has taught us...we live like animals, eating bark and grass. No one could have imagined that anything like this would happen to us. Many people say that there is no God..." Written in a family Bible in the village of Gerstten, Swabia in January 1647.

pillaging.jpg

A German village being pillaged by soldiers.
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Sun Aug 21, 2016 2:44 am

January-April 1648

After another quiet winter the 1648 campaign season opens with the situation as follows:

April1648.jpg


Feria, reinstated to command of the largest Spanish army, is at Frankfurt. De Melo (incorrectly labelled 'Tomasso' on the map) is at Julich. Wallenstein is at Heidelberg and Bucquoy at Philipsburg. The Catholics have 77 gold and all their armies are at full strength. Since all the nations involved are moving towards ending the war through negotiations - delegates are gathering even now at Munster and Osnabruck - the Catholics decide to roll the dice one more time and attack in hopes of improving their negotiating position. Feria and Wallenstein will cross the Rhine to attack Mainz and Worms, with Bucquoy and De Melo standing by to support or to take advantage of any other opportunities.

The Protestants have 160 gold and their armies are also at full strength. Gustavus pestered the French all winter to be ready to launch an attack into the Palatinate in the spring but so far the French have been non-committal. Mazarin feels he has an excellent claim on Nancy, Strasbourg, Breisach and possibly Trier, but shedding more French blood to defend Swedish gains is much less appealing. For now, all Gustavus can do is watch the Rhine and wait and see what spring brings to the field of battle.

rollcall.jpg

Once more the beat of the drum, once more the roll is called and once more the lads prepare for war...
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July 1648

Feria moved on Worms and Wallenstein invested Mainz. Responding to the threat Gustavus moved to attack at Worms. He sent messengers bearing desperate pleas to La Valette to join him. Would the French respond or would they remain in Strasbourg? (I flipped a coin to see if the French would support Gustavus. Heads they attack, tails they stay put. And the outcome was...)

July battle.jpg


La Valette, disregarding Mazarin's orders to remain at Strasbourg, joins his ally of many years at Worms to defeat Feria. The Spanish gave as good as they got and retreated in good order to Mainz. And now the situation is as follows:

July1648.jpg


Gustavus plans to continue the attack at Mainz to drive the Papists into the Rhine once and for all - would La Valette come with him? The French general chewed his mustache, shrugged his shoulders and said he would have to think about it... Meanwhile, Wallenstein and Feria prepare their defenses at Mainz, and Bucquoy, hearing that Strasbourg is now uncovered, moves on that key city. The war is not yet over, lads!
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August 1648

La Valette agrees to attack at Mainz in concert with the Swedish king (Heads again!). The battle, one of the largest of the entire war involving over 120,000 soldiers, is bloody and hard fought. Feria takes command of the combined Catholic armies and mounts a spirited defense. It is the elderly general's finest hour. The piqueros wept with pride to see their old, fat general riding up and down the battle lines giving orders and encouragement, cursing a blue streak at friend and foe alike. He had three horses shot out from under him that day but he never wavered, never faltered. And his soldados didn't either:

August battle.jpg


The French and Swedish retreat to Worms in some disarray. The Swedes are particularly hard hit. Gustavus realizes that the war is over for him and his men and he retreats back to Koblenz. La Valette has a different problem. Bucquoy is besieging Strasbourg and La Valette needs at least a month to regroup and refit. Hopefully the city will hold out until then.

Feria.jpg

Gomez Suarez de Figueroa, 3rd Duke of Feria, one of the Great Captains of Spain.
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Sun Aug 21, 2016 5:36 am

September-October 1648

Mainz falls to Wallenstein in September. Feria and his army rest and regroup at Frankfurt. In October La Valette moves south to relieve Strasbourg. The French suffer heavy losses, but sheer numbers push the Imperialists away from the city and, surprisingly, into the hills west of Strasbourg:

October battle.jpg


Bucquoy will have to make a hasty march north to Mainz, but the French have no appetite to pursue. Strasbourg, in the last battle of the war, is saved and La Valette now has bigger problems than a defeated enemy army. Cardinal Mazarin is coming for a personal meeting with the general. It will not be a pleasant interview.
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Tue Aug 23, 2016 2:47 am

November 1648 - The Interview at Strasbourg

Louis de Nogaret de La Valette, Lieutenant-General of the armies of France and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church appeared before Cardinal Mazarin in the great hall of the rectory of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg. La Valette was the third son of Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette who was a staunch Catholic, a soldier and very much an influential man in French royal politics for many years.

la valette.jpg

Louis de Nogaret de La Valette

Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino (aka Jules Raymond Mazarin), Cardinal-Duke of Rethel, Mayenne and Nevers, entered French service in 1631 as an assistant to Cardinal Richelieu. When the 'Grey Eminence' died in 1642, Mazarin took his place as first minister, essentially ruling France as co-regent with the Queen Mother, Anne of Austria, her son Louis (the future Louis XIV) being only five years old at the time.

mazarin.jpg

Cardinal Mazarin

Mazarin was known as a more amiable, less vindictive version of his mentor, but he worked no less diligently for the interests of France. And, more importantly, he was a man who was used to having his orders followed.

La Valette and his other generals had scarcely entered the hall when Mazarin walked rapidly towards them, talking and gesturing as he came.

"Can you tell me, my dear general, why you attacked at Worms and again at Mainz when I specifically forbade you to do so? You have cost France the lives of many soldiers! And good soldiers do not come cheap these days, La Valette!"

"Minister, it was good of you to come all the way from Paris to visit the armies of France and her loyal generals," said La Valette as he and his generals bowed in unison. "We greet you here in the King of France's newest city, Strasbourg, captured by those same armies and those same loyal generals."

"And that is all well and good since it was done in accordance with your instructions!" responded Mazarin.

"And perhaps you traveled through the cities of Nancy, Breisach and Trier to reach us, Minister?"

Mazarin paused and smiled, slightly. "No, I did not have time to visit those cities, scenes of your earlier victories, general." He turned and paced towards the great windows of the hall, where the late-autumn sunlight streamed through onto the flagstone floors. "But all of those victories could have been lost if your army had been destroyed at Worms or Mainz! The dictates of politics must direct the actions of a nation at war towards achievable goals, La Valette, and there was little to be achieved for France at Worms and Mainz. Those are Swedish-held cities, so let the Swedes look to their defense!"

"A nation is more than its politics, Minister, and an army is not simply a tool to be employed for political ends. Politics has its dictates, yes, but so, too, does an army. A nation's army is only as great and as powerful as its history, its victories and most of all, its honor. We have fought honorably besides the Swedes for over a decade now, and they have been faithful allies and brave soldiers, chief among them the Swedish King. I know that this war is coming to a close and that France, by the grace of God and by the valor of its soldiers, has made great gains. But a thousand cities such as Strasbourg would not make up for the loss of honor that the armies of France would have suffered if we had not answered the call of our allies for assistance, assistance that it was in our power to give. Even now, especially now, at the end, after years of toil, suffering and combat, we, as soldiers of France, had to answer that call. The soldiers that I have led for all these years and the generals arrayed behind me who have served so faithfully with me, deserved to have their honor maintained. So that is why we fought with the Swedes, our allies, at Worms in victory, and then again at Mainz, in defeat. We fought for the honor of this army, and the honor of France." La Valette drew his sword and, bowing, offered it to the Cardinal. "I am ready to lay down this command, Minister, for in this matter as in all else, I have served you, this army and France, faithfully."

There was silence in the hall for a moment. Tears streamed down more than one eye of those gathered there. But not Mazarin's. He was a bit of a cold fish, the cardinal was. Still, the Minister knew a good speech when he heard one, and a good man when he found one. He sighed, threw up his hands and spoke: "Well this honor of yours is quite expensive, La Valette, but I suppose you have earned it. Oh, and put your sword away - you generals are so dramatic!"

"Thank you, Minister," replied La Valette, sheathing his sword.

"And bring a good bottle of wine tonight when you come dine with me, better bring more than one, eh? Now, if you will excuse me the leading citizens are asking for an audience to complain about pillaging soldiers in the area. They wouldn't be any of yours, would they, La Valette?"

"It must be the Spanish again, Minister. They send foraging parties over the Rhine most every night."

"Hmm, yes, well, perhaps you should look into putting a stop to it, won't you?"

"Of course, Minister."

And so the interview ended not at all how it might have. La Valette continued to serve France faithfully until his death, his name largely forgotten, an obscure footnote to history. But one man who had witnessed that interview, a man who remembered what La Valette had said and sought to serve faithfully and honorably is not forgotten. Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, known as 'The Great Turenne' and one of the six 'Marshal Generals of France' was one of La Valette's subordinates during the long campaign along the Rhine. Turenne was one of the finest generals France ever produced, a man who was loved by his soldiers and respected by his foes, who fought with distinction, genius and above all honor for almost forty years. And as fate would have it the great general died in battle, in the service of France, just across the river from Strasbourg on the banks of Salzbach stream in July of 1675. The opposing general at that battle, when told of Turenne's death, reportedly said, "Today died a man who did honor to Man." The same could have been about Louis de Nogaret de La Valette.

Turenne.jpg

Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne

Veritatem gladio,
scutum honorem.

(Truth is my sword, honor my shield.)

(This is a fictional vignette, based upon historical characters and the events of my TYW campaign game...in case anyone needed to be reminded!)
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December 1648 - The End!

Behold, the fabled victory screen!

End Screen.jpg


Bit of an anti-climax! After all that work and bloodshed I only achieved a minor victory! Hmph!

The final position of the armies:

December 1648.jpg


The only change in 1648 was the recapture of Mainz by Wallenstein. The Protestants are a bit battered by the last round of battles, but since the war is over they can all rest easy now.

THOUGHTS ON THE OUTCOME OF THE WAR: Comparing this fictional outcome with the historical results of the war with some thoughts on the future of Europe in this alternate universe.

HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE: The empire finishes in better shape than historically. Bohemia is completely secure and no Imperial lands have been ravaged by marauding troops. But with the German business settled the Emperor will probably turn his sights on pacifying Hungary and chastising the infidel Turks.

BAVARIA: The Archduchy finishes in better shape than historically. The Archduke has secured the Electoral title along with some significant territorial gains in the Palatinate. His lands have been largely spared the ravages of war. He now sees himself as the protector of Germany south of the Main River. That may be a problem since his new next door neighbor is a victorious and powerful France. Since the HRE is focusing on the east now, Bavaria may well seek to ally with Saxony, Brandenburg, whatever minor German states are left and possibly even Sweden to combat an aggressive France.

SPAIN: The Spanish finish just about historically. Their army is ravaged and they have lost the entire Spanish Road. Their lands in the low countries are now cut off from Spain and will wither on the vine of history. With the off-map catastrophes in Catalonia, the overseas holdings, along with a looming bankruptcy, plague and a diminishing royal house, Spain is headed for big trouble and rapid decline.

SWEDEN: The Swedes finish just about historically. Although their armies were not as successful (not penetrating into Bohemia and Bavaria) their king did survive and they have a strong position in northern Germany. They may well rearrange the north German states to suit their economic and political needs, seeing themselves as the protectors of Germany north of the Main River. But Sweden has many potential foes: Poland, Denmark, Russia, maybe the Dutch if they get involved in an economic conflict, maybe France if they get aggressive across the Rhine. And Sweden's biggest problem remains the same: not enough Swedes to go around, forcing the use of mercenaries and foreign troops to fill out the army! But perhaps adroit diplomacy coupled with the deft use of military force can keep the new Swedish empire thriving.

FRANCE: France finishes perhaps a bit ahead historically. They have captured Nancy, Trier, Breisach and Strasbourg and would probably keep all but Trier (since it is the city of an Elector after all). Additionally, the Spanish have been crippled. The isolated Spanish Low Countries are ripe for conquest if the French can stay out of another German war, focus their efforts and make a reasonable accommodation with the Dutch.

GERMAN PROTESTANTS: Protected in their religion but subject now to the Swedes, the north German Protestants have exchanged one master for another. As for those of the Palatinate they are completely lost, in the power of the Archduke-Elector of Bavaria who reinstates Catholic power, at least to the extent that it serves his interests. But the looming threat of France may force a more conciliatory policy on the Archduke as he seeks to present a united German front against French expansionism.

DENMARK: Denmark finishes in an historical position. Beaten in battle, bankrupted by the cost of the war and now eclipsed by Sweden, the Danish are in a precarious position. Perhaps an alliance with the Dutch or the French would be useful? Either way, Denmark has fallen to the second tier of European powers.

GERMANY AS A WHOLE: I don't see anything that would deter the development of Germany as a united, independent nation somewhere down the road. The Austrians are looking east and south, the Swedes are foreigners bound to become increasingly oppressive to the north Germans, and French aggression will tend to unite the disparate states of Germany. One possible change is that perhaps a more powerful Bavaria, and not Brandenburg/Prussia might be the state to unite Germany, but who knows? Resentment against Bavaria for seizing the Electoral title along with much territory in the Palatinate might work against her.

And so, there it is. An end to the war after 30 years of conflict. As one German Poet wrote:

'Something you never believed in
has come to pass. What?
Will the camel pass through the Needle's Eye
Now that peace has returned to Germany?


Good Lord, let it be so! 'Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis." (And on earth, peace to men of good will. Luke 2:14)

allegory.jpg

Allegory on the Blessings of Peace, Peter Paul Reubens, 1630
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Tue Aug 23, 2016 9:13 pm

Thank you for this AAR, it's been a blast following the fictionalized conflict while recalling the horrors of the real one. Sincere Good Luck with your future operations, we won't hold your criminal Papist beliefs against you any longer.

Best Regards,

-C

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Tue Aug 23, 2016 10:36 pm

Thank you, good Master Random, for your faithful readership and noble opposition - iron sharpens iron, so the Good Book says. This AAR was a labor of love which I am sad to lay aside, but all things on this side of the Great River must end, and so it is. Perhaps we will meet again someday on the champ de bataille, whether as friends or foes, either one would be an honor!
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Tue Aug 23, 2016 10:48 pm

Final Thoughts on 'Thirty Years' War' the game

1. Verden militia event firing multiple times - I could have made a 2000 CP army of Verden militia if I had saved them all!

2. Saxony and Brandenburg never entered the war, even though they were at 100% Protestant support for 15 years or more. The Saxon Army is not very large but opening up the terrain of Saxony would have given the Swedes more strategic options in invading southern Germany and Bohemia.

3. The Catholics pretty much survived on the 'Requisition' and 'Contribution' RDC's for the last 10 years of the war. The cards seemed to have no affect on the provincial loyalty, development status or making the province pillaged.

4. 'Troops to Poland' event took double the normal amount of troops (two full stacks).

5. When Denmark left the war the Copenhagen garrison unit was teleported to the province northwest of Kiel, still locked in place, and remained there for the rest of the war.

6. A minor point but seniority of generals gets confused. Towards the end of the game Spain had two 3-star generals with seniority of 1, and an additionally two 3-star generals with seniority of 2. It led to repeated command confusion, but maybe that is what it is supposed to do.

7. The Spanish unit at Besancon (colonel, 2 or 3 regiments, a supply unit, I think) could not enter the city and could not leave the province for the entire game, even though it was not locked in place.

8. Numerous generals continue on in the game past their historical date of death, and the rate that leaders are killed in combat is too low. The following is a cursory examination of the historical death date and cause for some important leaders in TYW: Bucquoy KIA 1621; Tilly WIA and died later 1632; Gustavus KIA 1632; La Valette natural causes 1639; Christian of Anhalt, natural causes 1630; Matthias Thurn natural causes 1640; Mansfeld natural causes 1626; Saxe-Weimar natural causes 1639; Christian of Brunswick natural causes 1626; Pappenheim KIA 1632; Mercy KIA 1645; Feria natural causes 1634; Cardinal-Infante natural causes 1641; Wallenstein assassinated 1634; Gallas natural causes 1647. What this means is that you are left with a stack of leaders that are never used in action as the original leaders never die or are killed in battle.

Thanks to Leibstandarte for sticking with TYW and I look forward to another patch sometime in the future!
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Wed Aug 24, 2016 11:16 pm

Congratulations, Ripster, for this wonderful AAR! You have defended the Holy Mother Church and Faith with great honour against the heretics and they survived only because they received help of those treacherous French.

Anyhow, it has been a joy to follow your adventures, I hope this is not the last of your AARs.

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Thu Aug 25, 2016 12:14 am

Thank you so much, Count Tilly, for your faithful readership and kind comments. Holy Mother Church didn't do too badly at the end of the war, even though those false shepherds, Popes Urban VIII and Innocent X, abandoned the fight when we needed them most! Ah well, the Lord works in mysterious ways...

In any event I will be looking for another AGEOD game to write an AAR for. I am doing OK at AJE, and am also looking at RUS, although the AI is still beating me so I must be doing something wrong there! See you again soon, Good Lord Willing!
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Thu Aug 25, 2016 6:46 am

Ripster8 wrote:Final Thoughts on 'Thirty Years' War' the game

1. Verden militia event firing multiple times - I could have made a 2000 CP army of Verden militia if I had saved them all!

2. Saxony and Brandenburg never entered the war, even though they were at 100% Protestant support for 15 years or more. The Saxon Army is not very large but opening up the terrain of Saxony would have given the Swedes more strategic options in invading southern Germany and Bohemia.

3. The Catholics pretty much survived on the 'Requisition' and 'Contribution' RDC's for the last 10 years of the war. The cards seemed to have no affect on the provincial loyalty, development status or making the province pillaged.

4. 'Troops to Poland' event took double the normal amount of troops (two full stacks).

5. When Denmark left the war the Copenhagen garrison unit was teleported to the province northwest of Kiel, still locked in place, and remained there for the rest of the war.

6. A minor point but seniority of generals gets confused. Towards the end of the game Spain had two 3-star generals with seniority of 1, and an additionally two 3-star generals with seniority of 2. It led to repeated command confusion, but maybe that is what it is supposed to do.

7. The Spanish unit at Besancon (colonel, 2 or 3 regiments, a supply unit, I think) could not enter the city and could not leave the province for the entire game, even though it was not locked in place.

8. Numerous generals continue on in the game past their historical date of death, and the rate that leaders are killed in combat is too low. The following is a cursory examination of the historical death date and cause for some important leaders in TYW: Bucquoy KIA 1621; Tilly WIA and died later 1632; Gustavus KIA 1632; La Valette natural causes 1639; Christian of Anhalt, natural causes 1630; Matthias Thurn natural causes 1640; Mansfeld natural causes 1626; Saxe-Weimar natural causes 1639; Christian of Brunswick natural causes 1626; Pappenheim KIA 1632; Mercy KIA 1645; Feria natural causes 1634; Cardinal-Infante natural causes 1641; Wallenstein assassinated 1634; Gallas natural causes 1647. What this means is that you are left with a stack of leaders that are never used in action as the original leaders never die or are killed in battle.

Thanks to Leibstandarte for sticking with TYW and I look forward to another patch sometime in the future!


Many thanks Ripster for this great AAR and for this points regarding issues to fix, or task to improve the game.
I was already concerned regarding the few numbers for leaders killed in action. Its surprising what you say about Saxony but maybe has an explanation, i have to check it.
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Bruit Bleu
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Fri Aug 26, 2016 6:51 pm

Thanks Ripster for the game and the AAR ! A very enjoyable text to read.
Congratulations also for your tenacity to go on when all was over and give a second start to the game, it's always nice to see such a story come to its conclusion !
TYW Baroque music mod

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Ripster8
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Fri Aug 26, 2016 9:46 pm

You are very welcome, Monsieur Bruit Bleu, and thank you for reading and for your excellent music mod! It really adds a lot to the game experience. I was determined to fight the war all the way to its end, having read many AAR's that did not finish for one reason or another. Fortunately the game provided an interesting second half, if you will. I was surprised by the strength of the Swedes - of course that was mainly driven by a flood of French money! In any case, thanks again!
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Florent
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Sat Aug 27, 2016 7:55 am

Did you get Turenne or Condé as french leaders in your game ?

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Ripster8
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Sat Aug 27, 2016 10:32 pm

Florent, thank you for your comment and for reading this AAR. In TYW Turenne is a one-star general (group commander) with good stats 4-4-4, and Condé is a 3-star general (army commander), don't remember what his stats were. The French have 5 or six 3-star generals available as I recall. I grouped the French forces into one large army under La Valette, who was the most senior 3-star general, and it fought mainly along the Rhine to support the Swedish offensives there.
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Florent
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Sun Aug 28, 2016 9:17 am

Thanks Ripsters8. Unfortunately there is still the polish problem not corrected :mad: Historically because of the war in Germany (primay theater) only a few rgts were send in Poland (Prussia) to fight at Hönigfelde : 4 cuirassiers, Alt-Sachsen, Arnim, Sparr, Neu-Sachsen and 1 Arquebusier, Schlick under commander Arnim send by Wallenstein.

In the game this is the equivalent of 2 or 3 armies that are condamned to die miserably by lack of food in poland first and then in isolated territory after transfer... :non:

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Ripster8
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Sun Aug 28, 2016 10:24 pm

Indeed. Leibstandarte had a hotfix for the 'Polish Problem' but I still don't think it addresses the issue, particularly when the forces return and are sent to northern Bohemia right before winter! I have lost several armies in the mountains north of Prague - a sad fate for our brave digital soldiers!
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Florent
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Mon Aug 29, 2016 6:49 am

Yesterday with the patch i had only Wallesnstein army and he was back in Bohemia i had him marching on Görlitz where i had a depot but the game crashed thus i will restert the game. Saxony having entered war i will target it possibly.
Nevertheless the efforts in north germany are wasted and it will be too long to go back there rapidly.

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Ripster8
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Mon Aug 29, 2016 7:49 am

Indeed. As you saw in my game once the Swedes entered the war and got themselves organized there was no stopping them - northern Germany was lost! But once the extra French subsidies ended the struggle became much more equal, especially as the Swedes got farther away from Hamburg (where new Protestant supply wagons were built). And the supply gap from Kassel to Frankfurt is huge - very difficult to keep a large army supplied! Good luck with your game and continue to chastise the heretics!
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Leibst
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Tue Aug 30, 2016 11:58 am

Be patient Florent, i will change that Polish event, i just need time to cover all the fronts. :dada:
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Florent
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Tue Aug 30, 2016 4:25 pm

Another improvement is to add defensive tactics in the battles. They are all set-piece battles like the Antiquity but how my 860 power men can have a chance against a 2000 or 1600... and i have to atttack ??? There is only one defensive plan with a checkerboard deployment.

But battles like Lützen, Nördlingen or Allerheim were all defensive for some leaders using sunken roads, trenches, walls or house.
In the game this is impossible...for now. :)

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