Imagi-Medieval Campaign Part 3: First Moves

After the previous selection of neutral areas (see part 2), some players were rather exercised by who chose what. Most vociferous being King Leopold of Austria (Ray).  He seemed frustrated by Trent being closed to him.  I don't know his strategy - nor would I divulge even if I did - but I think that he'd very much like to extract revenge!

Detail from Arrival of the English Ambassadors by Vittore Carpaccio

Whilst the orders for Turn One were being contemplated, many flowery worded missives were being sent back and forth to fish for information and secure alliances.  The players have certainly entered into character and communicate accordingly, forsooth!  

I must confess that with "emissaries" and "ambassadors" hurrying wither and thither, it was a little tricky to keep up with the various twists and turns.  I think that there may even be an alliance cemented through marriage (is this role-playing now going too far?), but I'm not sure.  

Detail from The Month of April: A Wedding Procession

With at least a couple turns before some of the players clash over areas, I'm guessing that everyone is playing it coy and sounding each other out until actions confirm suspicions.  One thing is certain, Ray has a duplicitous reputation that proceeds him from previous campaigns.  Will he be able to overcome this character handicap?  I suspect that Duke Frederich in Brandenburg (Jon) may apply some of his silver tongued skills to good effect... oh, who am I kidding, they are all as mad, bad and untrustworthy as each other!

With only unoccupied territories to conquer, our six rulers can divide their army strength (in points) to invade and capture some.  This is where I start to see some small differences in strategy.

To conquer an area the players must allocate a certain number of army points to invade.  If the ratio of army to area value is 4 to 1 in favour of the invader, then the area is automatically won.  The smaller the ratio the greater the risk of failure.  Each aspiring empire starts with 750 points to allocate to armies and/or comment to savings or the Pope.

In placing their orders, there are those that seek certainty and those that gamble on the odds.  Some you win some you lose.

Here is the map of Mittleuropa as it stands after Turn One.

The circled areas are the neutral principalities that no one can invade or move through for at least six turns.

The areas with coloured dots show ownership.

In the previous post, Norm placed his money on King Elrond of Franconia (Surjit).  It's early days, but who is making a good early impression with you?