Crypto Kingdom - 1991 Retro Virtual World(City)

[noms]

Three SPEcialists (SPE-1) were also brought along with 4 Good Horses (H3) to serve as diplomats as well as scouts. The Captain of The Marquess's company had discovered the Fire Borough, but there were still the Air, Water, and Earth Boroughs that they had heard about, but never seen. The specialists were ordered to each take a good horse and travel until they found their respective areas, and then make contact with anyone they came across, spreading the word of the Marquess.  Green Herbs (CAN) and French Wine (W1620) were sent along with them to help them smooth over any problems they may encounter.

Last year, in the late summer, The Marquess had sent three specialists out to look for the boroughs. It was a risk sending them out in the winter, but the information that could be provided was worth the risk.  The Air and Earth Boroughs had been sent 2 specialists, but neither of those had returned.

As the Marquess was drinking some W1620 and sitting in his battle planning tent, he heard the clip-clop of horse hooves. 10 seconds later, one of his Specialists burst through the door.

I've found it! he exclaimed excitedly.  I found the Water Borough!   Noms was hoping for some news, as his bottle was getting empty and he had not much to do this night.  After talking with the specialist, it was determined that that part of the County was not made of water, but filled with underwater springs. The specialist had spoken to a few of the locals, and while it was not clear that the water was special in any way, the seemed to regard it as if it were magical.  



This news made The Marquess immediately think of Zenon and his experiments with the 'Silver Water' Medinical Vodka.  Perhaps this water could be one of the missing ingredients in a potent magical blend?  Or, perhaps the MUS that The Marquess had consumed earlier that night was making him make connections that were not there. At any rate, it might be worth sending someone more scientific to the water area to take some samples. At the very least, a clean, clear water source was found that could prove very useful for the county.

[rpietila]

Report from a CAPT of New Liberty troops and his audience with the King


A rugged man on horseback is coming from the north entrance to B.2. Since this is so unusual this time of the year with thick snow covering the vestiges of the road, the King goes outside the House of Magnificence to see what this is about. The man's uniform has almost turned to rags. The horse is ready for dismissal from service. He exclaims:

- Your Majesty (bows) what an honor to see You, and luck as well! I have very important information regarding the situation in the Duke of New Liberty Company!

* Speak, officer.

- CAPT N.N. from The Duke of New Liberty Company, in your service Sir!

As you know, Sir, the Company has a MAJ as CO and as FO as well. In absence of clear orders from His Highness, these two have developed a quarrelous relationship, which has slowed our progress very much. You probably have heard about our encounter with the Swedish troops. The CO was in favor of negotiations but the FO argued and said that our position would have allowed a tactical victory. After it was decided that we move to the north, the problem continued. At the coming of winter, we had advanced the coastline to a tall, old monolith, which the peasants explained is the cornerstone of 3 counties - Tavastia, Petrichor and New Liberty. It is located where the River flows to the lake the Swedes call "Östersjön". It was there that we met Swedes the first time after the initial encounter.

They were preparing to build a town there, even I could see that. I would think they have 40*PRE and the annual gain is 10*PRE. A force at max half of us was guarding the operations. Again there was a quarrel among the leading officers, with even CAPTs (we have 6) taking sides. The command in the end was to retreat to a vicinity of the operations to the south, and establish a winter camp there. Not even a messenger was ordered to be sent!

Tired of this inaction, we CAPTs decided to send an express messenger directly to Your Majesty. I am now here, after a less than 3 weeks journey - but what a journey it has been... 2 horses have died on duty, and after the second one, I needed to travel 3 days on foot in a blizzard. I thought I would die, but then saw lights of a wooden hut in front of me. Unfortunately, which I still regret, the encounter ended in the death of the son of the house, before I could get their horse...

* Captain, What is the reason you took on this express journey?

- Sir, in between the junior officers, we decided that this information of the Swedes' preparations needed to reach your ear most quickly, and the CO and FO could only decide on the location of the winter camp.

* So you did not have the permission from your superiors, let alone a command?

- No, Sir.

* Did you leave your unit without checking out in accordance of the Company Regulations?

- ...

- Yes, Sir. In wartime, an officer is foremost bound to his oath to His Majesty The King - long live the King! - and must do what is needed for the Kingdom, even if it constitutes an implicit disobeyance of the orders of the immediate superiors.

* (nods)

* Captain, your referral to "wartime": what is the power WE are at war with, and when did you learn of such a war taking place?

- Sir, the Swedes are our enemies, they war against the Church and defame the Holy Relics. The inaction of our CO has twice robbed a victory from our hands!!

* What happened with the horses?

- Sir, we had bought some horses from the locals and the Swedes for general purposes. I left with my own horse and a select CPL came with me on a H2 we had taken from the stables. After a few days, the weather got so rough and we did not know the way, so the CPL asked we divide the meat and take different routes so that at least one can get to CryptoTown. I have not seen him since.

I needed to seek shelter for a few days. When the weather cleared, the horse was in such bad condition due to lack of food that I rode him to death and pressed another one from the locals. This horse did not last much longer so I again ended in a blizzard. When I was afraid of my life, I ended up in a house where they did not speak the language. I stayed for 2 days to get my strength back. When I was ready to continue, they only had one horse. I offered 10 SCI to get it but they did not appreciate the offer. With no other way to move on, I drew my sword, and the son of the house took a club. I slashed him with 2 blows, after which I got the horse.

* Did you kill a man?

- I am sorry, Sir, it did happen. The old man gave the horse only after it was clear the son was dead.

* In what county did this happen?

- Sir, I believe it was still in New Liberty, but not far from the Old Duchy border, judging from the time it took to get here.

* Officer, you are under arrest for 2nd degree murder. Your case will be heard once the jurisdiction is determined. Please surrender your sword to SGT N.N. from the Royal Cannon Company. He will take you to the Dungeon of the Keep and arrange your family an opportunity to meet you. Dismissed.

[MoneroMooo]

The map is updated with the latest info about the manors near Cryptotown, more info from New Liberty and Ramsey, and the location of Petrichor.

http://imgur.com/LaEka8A

[rpietila]

Meanwhile, the officers of the Royal 1&2&Cannon Comp. inspected the Church forces in the d'Armagnac Military haw. The ~100 BV are now strengthening the CryptoTown defence "against protestant enemies". The incident would not even be worth mentioning, were it not the first time ever that the King's officers inspect the Church forces in Church lands.

Being winter, the nobles did not have much to do except to convene in Noble Palace in front of strong or even burning drinks. The case of CAPT was discussed, which lead the King to order a Squad sent to bring the father of the killed man to testify in the court. The CAPT was kept in the Dungeon of the Keep (bottom level in the central castle of the Citadel) until it was realised it is an inhuman place to spend a longer time. He now has a room in a higher level, yet still without window.

[rpietila]

225th Jubilee Raffle - Great Prizes!

See link for more information.

Seven halvings are done, so only about 1:128 of the original number of tickets remains! Last halving was unreported because no prizes were given; this time 1,484 FOIE found a new owner and 118 predominantly PC (because corporations were exempt in the initial distribution) are still in the game as prizes get more and more interesting!!

The next prize, most likely distributed in May, is the Jade (JAD). If we think of similar items, Amber (AMBNP) is twice as plentiful, and more is being produced. Jade comes from further away and is limited to this batch. Amber last price is 0.3 mil. Venetian mirrors (MIR) are as rare as Jade, admittedly more useful of course, but the new imports would cost in the range of 3-4 mil if they even were possible.

In July, probably, the dividend will be W1603A "Spring Wine" believed to have been made in Forte Spagnolo vineyards in pre-earthquake times. Even now, full 15 years after its peak, it has degraded to 17.5 points only, and has been the best rated wine continuously since 1603 when it was found. A huge cache of 500 bottles (out of only 3,806 existing) is now released from King's cellars.


Prizes Awarded

47,671 * CAN given!
23,707 * BEER given!
1,484 * FOIE given to 118 players!


Prizes Remaining

1,484 tickets (RAF-1) remaining; halving every month (realday)

- - -
1,000 * JAD (1 kilo of unworked Jade, special gift from Ming merchants)
500 * W1603A (pre-Plague wine, the historical Spring Wine)
200 * MIN-5 (Most Elaborate Ming China Plate 16cm)
100 * CS1625E (special edition 5 CKS only 100 minted)
50 * CLXII (since there are no restaurants qualified to participate in the auction, it will be raffled instead)
25 * WOS-E1 (Green Suit, gift of HH The Mayor)
20 * MIR (Venetian Mirror 1 sqm, gift of HH The Duke of New Liberty)
15 <- when this number of tickets is reached, the subsequent SPOILs are 25% only to increase excitement!
- - -
10 * Baronet of CK (lowest numbers available starting from highest ranking winner, incl promotion to L12 if applicable)
1 * Third Prize: 1-SE-V76 Korean Restaurant (1518) (to the 3rd last ticket; gift of Prince of Soul)
1 * Second Prize: TRC4-19 Most Elab 4-Horse Carriage (to the 2nd last ticket; gift of M of White Cross)
1 * Grand Prize: Any Real Estate up to the value of 500,000,000 m (in the whole game, you pick, King pays   )

Total Value of Prizes: 3,550,000,000 m !
(Nominal value of ticket: 2,392,000 m)

It is possible to give prizes to the auction. Unique prizes will be listed as 4th, 5th etc. prizes, and will always be awarded. Fungible prizes you need to give the maximum amount to the King, and they will be dividended when the number of tickets reaches or goes below the amount, the King doing what he wishes with the difference.

JAD is a new creation, the rest of the items are King's donations unless indicated. King seeks to dump his remaining tickets to the market after the JAD is raffled, because there is little point in winning back items of one's own. Approximately 100 tickets will come for sale after the next halving.

[rpietila]

King's Army Report mid-March 1623

The payroll of the Army has increased much but BV less so (580->680 in a year). The King has equally little officers and NCO in every category, so the marginal benefit of adding PTE is - marginal. The motivation for adding them has been to prepare for the "3x" promotion round where PTE's have a chance to promote to significantly more valuable CPL's.

Royal Cannon Regiment
This now has 5 cannons and acts as the 24/7 guards regiment in the Citadel (186 BV). Newest doctrine is that this unit will not move anywhere in any case, attack or defence. All training is concentrated in fighting inside the citadel and in the streets of the Old Town.

Royal 1st Regiment
The regiment has one more section (5) and 210 BV. It is the most powerful infantry unit in the Kingdom and moves on foot. Officially garrisoned in the Citadel, in practice around the town as Citadel lacks space.

Royal 2nd Company - Mobile RRF
This company has 84 BV and is being equipped with horses for mobility. Untrained horses cannot survive battle so this is not a real cavalry unit yet. A suitable garrison was found in the 3-C, "Army Barracks", but this is speculated to be the first unit to be sent to battle in other counties if need be.

Training Detachment #1
A small unit deployed in Aaspere to guard the eastern entrance to the town.

Training Detachment #2
A small unit deployed in Essu to guard the southern entrance to the town.

Training Detachment #3 - Horse
Currently in CryptoTown, this small 1-section unit is designed to be the mobile scouting and special operations force.

Royal Palace Guard
Demonstrating the futility of adding untrained troops to small elite units, the 50% increase in number of sections lead to exactly 4% improvement in BV. The increased manpower is still very useful in the duties particular to this unit.

[CK_Zephyrus]

We will organise the troops during the spring months and find positions for them in the town and the surrounding areas, so that the deployment corresponds to the larger plans of having the main Royal forces ready to be sent wherever they are needed.

We trust that this letter is responded to promptly. (however please do not do it after GM has sent a futher message with some clarification)

Your Majesty,

The Church's army is now accounted for, as requested.
The seat of the force remains in the Armagnac haw, as per direct orders from His Grace the Bishop, to protect the holy relics stored within. Any attack on Cryptotown from our Protestant enemies will be met by the full force of the Church's troops, supplementing your Majesty's forces. May our alliance prove strong and bring victory to your most Catholic Majesty, and to Gold the Almighty.

[rpietila]

Your Majesty,

The Church's army is now accounted for, as requested.
The seat of the force remains in the Armagnac haw, as per direct orders from His Grace the Bishop, to protect the holy relics stored within. Any attack on Cryptotown from our Protestant enemies will be met by the full force of the Church's troops, supplementing your Majesty's forces. May our alliance prove strong and bring victory to your most Catholic Majesty, and to Gold the Almighty.

Thank you.

Now, ever since San Pietro was constructed in 5-C, the Holy Relics have been stored in the crypt there. Removing them from their position would surely cause more uproar than just increasing the guards a little. Surely you agree that at least one of the companies should take garrison there? HE The Prince of Soul is kindly providing detached housing for officers in the borough, and same for men (12 sqm each).

[rpietila]

Lord James Daniel of Aaspere Organizes his Manor

After a few months of no public statements, Lord James Daniel still does not issue a public statement, but word of his actions nevertheless makes itself heard in the taverns...

1. James Daniel has bought a H7 Very Good Horse.
2. He is rumored of possessing a Pistol as well (a weapon of contemporary shock cavalry tactics).
3. He has designated/pressed 7 horses from the Manor/peasants at no cost or compensation for anyone (+4*H1, 3*H2).
4. 7 peasants have been pressed to the military (+7*PTE) using only 1.0 mil contract bonus (GIVE M 7mil LABOR) (minimum is 3.0 mil incl weapons).
5. The Detachment of Sir Heimo (stationed in Aaspere) has reportedly been a pacifying factor.
6. Stashes of wine and beer are being collected.
7. The peasants in the area are reported to be in shock. Anything like this has never happened in Aaspere.

If it is in your intention to speed up the development, you have 2 options:

- If there is no realistic way for anyone to oppose, report what you do. GM will keep the "attitude roll" to himself.

- If the success of your action depends on the response (eg. "give me your sword" can end up in many ways), just state your resources and intention, and GM will tell the outcome.

[MoneroMooo]

On a clear, chilly morning, two horsemen left the town southwards.
With them, precious IC gathered from several nobles and other parties, for the purposes of hiring musketeer mercenaries in or near the County of Plath. Being already february, the small troop was later than some would have wished, but many thought that there was not yet imminent danger facing the Kingdom, and this small delay was acceptable.

[CK_Zephyrus]

Now, ever since San Pietro was constructed in 5-C, the Holy Relics have been stored in the crypt there. Removing them from their position would surely cause more uproar than just increasing the guards a little. Surely you agree that at least one of the companies should take garrison there? HE The Prince of Soul is kindly providing detached housing for officers in the borough, and same for men (12 sqm each).

Unfortunately, the San Pietro cathedral is not suitable for defensive purposes, as it is built in a magnificent style to honor the glory of God, rather then with an aim of withstanding assault from determined forces. On the contrary, the Armagnac haw holds military buildings, and is well suited for this very purpose. It would be remiss of the Church to fail to protect its most treasured symbols when Protestant threats grow. Uproar would surely follow a failure to protect them from harm.

Needless to say, if the unthinkable happened and Cryptotown were to be overrun by Protestant forces, the cathedral would likely be one of their first targets. The Church will thus take steps to protect the Holy Relics. An escort will be sent very soon to San Pietro to bring the Holy Relics back to the safety of their original resting place, the Armagnac haw, where the Knights of the Temple will keep them safe.

It is the Church's fervent hope that the Protestant threat will be eliminated soon, and that the Relics may again be held in the cathedral once this is achieved.

[rpietila]

Tidings from Tavastia

Before winter, Zechariah swore to raise a new army, to personally find out what happened to the troops who were sent to The Marquessate of Tavastia in the north already in summer 1621 (1.5 years before). Nothing at all had been heard of them.

The cost considerations and soon after the total inavailability of (any Army-NPC except) soldiers prevented this from happening. It was therefore more than a welcome thing to have a messenger come. Skipping his miraculous stories of being alive, the nuggets of information are:
- Tavastia is to the north of Stonehaven and south from North Face.
- It is poorer than Stonehaven and richer than North Face in nature and society.
- No towns exist in the region, but the Swedes who recently conquered it, spend enormous resources as we speak to populate it, even with 2 towns, which are to be named Paldiski and Sankt Gustaf-Adolfsburg when ready. About 5 more years will be required at this pace. Once a Town is inaugurated, the international conventions guarantee the urban land ownership, solidifying the Swedish claims in the areas as well.
- Both town building sites are garrisoned with regulars, there are rumors of "loose units" as well but no sightings.
- The area can only be reached for troop transports from Stockholm in summer (overseas). May is the earliest such month and November latest.
- The Swedes suppress the area, pressing both men and horses to their light cavalry. These HAK units cost only 1.05 mil/year and include horse. They pack 2 FP and promote to CAPT (small chance). This should be researched immediately.
- These also often resort to dry bread in the winter because the VEG spoils and MEAT is expensive. More research on this would perhaps grant us a new FOOD resource!

New NPC in the Army

Express messengers were sent to the south just a week ago, with a hefty sum of 2,700 IC. Because of being express, no guards could be sent with them. The orders included to report to the Royal Training Dtmt in Essu and Saddam's HQ in Ramsey. From there onwards, they are on their own.

The NPC they might manage to recruit are:

MSGM - N7 - 5FP - 3.5 mil salary - Mercenary Musketeer Master Sergeant
SGTM - N6 - 4FP - 2.8 mil salary - Mercenary Musketeer Sergeant
CPLM - N5 - 3FP - 2.1 mil salary - Mercenary Musketeer Corporal
PTEM - N3 - 2FP - 1.4 mil salary - Mercenary Musketeer

Musketeers have a greater fighting power than equivalent sword soldiers. The double salary is because they are are mercenaries. When Muskets are gained for our regular units, no extra salary will need to be paid. It is yet unknown how many if any xxxM NPC are able to be gained by the recruitment expedition. Depending on whether the war in the south is active or not, more mercenaries might be able to be gained. The only likely direction where they can be recruited for service is the south extent of the Kingdom and beyond. Given the current political situation, it will be much easier to gain Catholic-leaning mercenaries than Protestant-leaning, but they generally fight for money, although intrigue and back-stabbing are not unheard-of.

HAK - N2 - 2FP - 1.05 mil salary - Hakkapeliitta Light Cavalry

These can be gained (at least) from Tavastia. SCI project is needed before unlocking efficient cavalry tactics (including even these entry-level ones).

CANN - K8 - 8FP - no salary - Cannon

The drills have shown that the initial FP of a CANN is overestimated and is revised to 8 (closed formation field battle). After committing the Phaeton factory to production, the RWWC cannon output was raised from 8 to 14 units per year. These will be put for sale immediately as they become ready, meaning that 1 comes to market every month all year round, and 1 goes to King at the same price. New listings to the market will be 1 price point lower than the previous (price points 50 - 40 - 32 - 28 - 24 - 20).

Training bonus (command) will be possible for Units that have been a long time in service. This complements Battle Aquila bonus, so is less likely to be gained by troops having an Aquila already. GM grants this.

Organisation bonus (command) will be possible after researching military sciences, eg. Combined Arms. This refers to Gustaf Adolf ideas of having a Regiment of 4 sections: Musketeers, Light Infantry, Hakkapeliittas, and Artillery.

Mobility is a new concept, basically the ratio of horses to (NPC+CANN). If all troops are supplied with horses (Hx items), the mobility can reach 100% allowing the whole unit to travel on horseback for much greater speed of movement (no CANN in this case of course). If horses are H2 or better, they can be used in battle as well, and H4 and better horses give a flat +1FP per horse "makeshift cavalry" bonus. These may be increased by SCI research and training.

Organizing of the SCI research in the Kingdom

We, etc., have appointed HH The Mayor, etc., to coordinate all scientific research in the Kingdom so that not even a piece of bread will be researched without his prior approval. He will in turn coordinate with the GM concerning the technicalities. All gameplay related to research is to be happen with him as the coordinator and the King will make his wishes known with the same terms as anyone else.

[djjacket]

Organizing of the SCI research in the Kingdom

We, etc., have appointed HH The Mayor, etc., to coordinate all scientific research in the Kingdom so that not even a piece of bread will be researched without his prior approval. He will in turn coordinate with the GM concerning the technicalities. All gameplay related to research is to be happen with him as the coordinator and the King will make his wishes known with the same terms as anyone else.

SCI points are the currency of the Science subgame. The subgame causes new scientific advances to be known to the researchers. These might for instance be:
- New production technologies.
- New farming, food-storage, cooking, etc methods.
- New infrastructure technologies.
- New inventions in whatever area.

Please send any messages/messengers here, at the town meeting place (IRC), or to me directly if you have "heard" any scientific advances that you would like the to propose research.  

Below is a list of example projects that have been shown to be possible from current discoveries and information available in the world.  On an annual basis the involved and interested parties will make decisions on which will benefit the Kingdom and propose a feasibility study to learn the effort required to make that particular advance possible.

Here is a list of the previously announce possible advances:

Scientific advances possible and their benefits

10,000 SCI  -  Heavy (24-pound) Cannon (almost immobile) manufacturing and proper usage
~30,000 SCI  -  Borough-22 incl eg. continuous urban planning
~10,000 SCI  -  Cho-ko-nu an easy to manufacture and use weapon with higher rate of fire than muskets (req. expedition to get plans)
10,000 SCI  -  Printing press installation and training (incl machinery)
20,000 SCI  -  Muskets manufacturing without helps
~20,000 SCI  -  Seafaring 1: coastal and auxiliary navy and basic seaman training
~20,000 SCI  -  Seafaring 2: wooden ships with cannon, control of Östersjön
~20,000 SCI  -  Seafaring 3: blue seas navy (in theory at least)

[Red Erin]

Congratulations. Number of applications corresponded to number of awards

Yes, that's exactly what I was angling for, but given the list of criteria, realistically, I didn't think I was going to be selected

- If there is no realistic way for anyone to oppose, report what you do. GM will keep the "attitude roll" to himself.

It's looking like it's an interesting time to get there though. From what gather, the main way to Pada is through Aaspere, and there seems to be some funny business starting over there. Pada isn't where I come from, so I don't know the place. I'll leave east towards Aaspere, then leave south a bit before the crossroads, in case it's guarded. Good thing about being small and agile. You don't get the strength, but you can move more easily in the forest. I'll get back on the track as soon as prudent, then to Pada. I'll stay there, it's a manor, I assume there'll be a place for me to stay at night. I'm the lady of Pada now after all, aren't I ?

So I'm going to greet the peasants in the estate, and let them know what's going on up north, though I'm sure they'll have heard about it already, possibly even have friends and family met it first hand. They'll be busy working in the fields, but I'll tell them it may be time to sleep with their scythes near theit beds, you know what I mean. Working people being pressed into the army, and we poor souls are just south of them, so next thing you know they need more people, right ? Peasants need the land, so will need to stick together. I'm sure that, given half a chance, the poor lads from Aaspere will be happy to desert, if it comes to that. If not, well, let's worry about this when we have to.

In the meantime, we still need to keep the manor running. We'll need income if we are to hire real soldiers to keep watch over it all, and I have to say I gave my last monerito to get there, so it'll be a little while before we can get a new hire. And if there's any in the Pada farmers that want to start training in using their tools in a more martial way, well, now is the time. I know I'll be keeping a sickle with me. A young lass can't be too careful.

So, in a word, I get to Pada, sample the mood, tell the people there what I know, learn from them what they know, as they're closer to Aaspere, and we start working, while keeping a careful eye to the north. I hope I'll learn a bit more soon about what's going on, and how people in Aaspere and around are reacting.


Ah - and I'll be looking at a better/safer/quicker way to travel between the old town and Pada. I heard there's a way through the growth that can't be used by horses and the like, but, young and agile, right ? If things really start to get hairy and we get hassled - or worse - by the lord of Aaspere, we'll look at good places where we can ambush. We may not be fighters, but we know the land. Well, not me yet, but I soon will.

[rpietila]

On a clear, chilly morning, two horsemen left the town southwards.
With them, precious IC gathered from several nobles and other parties, for the purposes of hiring musketeer mercenaries in or near the County of Plath. Being already february, the small troop was later than some would have wished, but many thought that there was not yet imminent danger facing the Kingdom, and this small delay was acceptable.

Happy tidings!

The younger of the horsemen comes back in the last days of March, as sun is already shining brighter on the snow that is considering whether to begin to melt. He goes to the Noble Palace to announce that the Mercenary expedition has been wildly successful, with the following results:

- A deal was arranged with seasoned veterans for the whole sum. The contract fee 2,700 IC was enough to secure until end of 1626 (almost 4 years). Normal salary needs to be paid in addition of course, in the end of this, next and the year following (3 years).
- We will get already graded troops as follows:
3*MSGM
6*SGTM
6*CPLM
20*PTEM
- The troops will arrive around mid-next month, having not excess haste, so that they are battle-ready practically when they arrive and get distributed to the units.
- BUT-7 N.N. (the other horseman) is with the new troops guiding them in their way.
- The contributors to the "pot" will have to decide between themselves how to divide the troops or whether to sell them and divide the money:
Which is updated here as decisions are made, proposal

Crichton/130 1000   MSGM, 2*SGTM, 2*CPLM, 8*PTEM
Zechariah/36 600    MSGM, SGTM, CPLM, 4*PTEM
OldDuchy/48 500     3*SGTM, 3*PTEM
noms/94 400            MSGM, CPLM, 3*PTEM
kronicblazer/46 100  CPLM, PTEM
Angus/91 100           CPLM, PTEM

[CK_Zephyrus]

My fellow congregationists,

It seems that invaders from Sweden have invaded our northlands.

As reported by a mounted messenger earlier this week, military forces under the command of Gustaf Adolf of Sweden have entered North Face, Tavastia, and New Liberty, and started building garrisons. In your own land. They have been taking advantage of our complacence, and are now fortifying their towns in order to give them a base of operations nearer Cryptotown. Thankfully, the companies recently deployed to the corners of the kingdom have unmasked the invaders' scheme before they closed in on us.

Crypto Kingdom's own military forces have historically been limited. The Church and His Grace the Bishop have long been maintaining a detachment of the Knights Templars on the Armagnac haw to guard against such a treacherous attack. However, our foe Gustaf Adolf's military might is renowned, and now that he is turning his attention to us, we need to gather strength before it is too late. His plan of taking the north of the kingdom by surprise is now found, so he will surely switch to a swift conquest by force before we can prepare.

But we have a way out. We can withstand the coming onslaught if we ally ourselves with the Holy Roman Empire, who fights the protestant threat too. It is not too late to seek protection in a treaty with the catholic forces in the south. We must seek alliance with the Holy Roman Empire before we are destroyed by the advancing forces of Protestant Sweden.

[rpietila]

The Royal CryptoArmy campaign of the Great River March 22, 1623 - present

Even the Bible refers to spring as the "time when kings go to war". Now many things have transpired at the same time:
- An officer deserted the NL camp and risked his life (and took another's   ) to tell that the military situation there is advantageous.
- Tavastia messenger reported that the Great River area, reasonably close to CryptoTown and dividing our Kingdom in two - is of great interest to the Swedes with extensive PRE going on, but sparsely guarded by actual military.
- The messenger of the "mercenary expedition" arrived surprisingly early, telling that a force which, when distributed to our companies, adds ~200 BV to their value, has been contracted and arrives next month.

The King walks to and fro in the cold halls of the Royal Palace. Operational plans are forming in his mind, it seems that crushing action, without delay, would be feasible and lead to a decisive victory. The enemy may have as little as 2 companies in the whole area, and our forces that could be immediately called to action are the horseback troops from CryptoTown:
Royal 2nd Company - Mobile RRF (84 BV)
Training Detachment #3 - Horse (33 BV)
and the forces already stationed in the campaign area:
Duke of NL Regiment (170 BV)
Stonehaven Detachment (41 BV)

After a longer travel-time, the main punisher of the RCA will be deployed to the scene:
Royal 1st Regiment (200 BV) - perhaps topped with mercenaries
And when messengers are sent to the north, some part of the garrisons of the preparations in Tavastia and North Face (grand total 180 BV) can join as well.

We know that there was a Regiment deployed in NL, to the west of CryptoTown (180 BV) but that is to the south and may have left before the ice prohibited troop movements by sea. It is any way not large enough to invade CryptoTown and not close enough to help the enemies near the Great River until it is too late.

The intelligence of the forces in the "3-stone" (mouth of the Great River) points to about 70 BV, which the combined Duke of NL Regiment + Training Detachment (total 200 BV) should be able to overwhelm and hopefully disarm without bloodshed.

Somewhat upstream the river is "Stonehaven", our tentative preparation site. When the RRF arrives there, 135 BV in the area should be enough to block the enemy in the east from escaping. These will initially assume defensive position, and wait for the report of victory in the west (3-stone). Then as intelligence is gathered about the enemy forces in the east, they will be disarmed as well because of strength in numbers. To ensure victory, the Royal 1st Regiment and the North forces will be centered in the area as well, although the delay may be long. The objective of the campaign is clear: To deny the use of Great River to the Swedes and establish it for us.

When the plan is good, it is not difficult to justify it. The House of Vasa is founded in 1523, so naturally all prior Swedish claims to the counties are nullified. Our claim to North Face is from 1514 and Tavastia is 1520. New Liberty has been ours since the most ancient times and the enemy has never even claimed Stonehaven, yet invades and occupies it!! Since the Kingdom of Sweden has invaded our lands, their military forces will be given chance to be interred and returned to Sweden. Civilians will be given employment at equal conditions as before. Any compensation of the PRE points they have invested to the sites, will be a subject of negotiation.

The forces will seek peaceful resolution. They are authorised to attack only when they are numerically clearly superior, in which case the enemy CO should reasonably have surrendered anyway, so all bloodshed is on him.

Lifting the pen from the paper, the King is satisfied. "When it is time to act, hesitation is your enemy" he quotes Sun Tzu ad libitum. He writes the authorization to release CAPT N.N. from the Citadel, promote him MAJ, release him from service in the Duke of NL Regiment and commission him to be the CO of the Training Dtmt #3. "The officer was right - we were at war, so the manslaughter will be heard in a court-martial, which will probably consider the circumstances in a whole different way than the Hall of Justice hearing would have done." The justification for the action does not relieve the sadness from King's heart, though. The BUT-9 had just announced that the old peasant was safely escorted to the town and the case was waiting for King's orders. Clearly a time for a CIG and some LAG to relieve the nerves..

The PC may join the Campaign personally if they so feel. Nobody is forced. The RRF is tasked to start going asap and not in formation, and assemble in Stonehaven. If they can't muster enough horses in the town, they are to go to Kunda and press horses there against full pay (2.0 mil for H1, 5.0 mil for H2 if available). The PC must bring their own horses, swords and gear. Participation in the Campaign needs to be recorded in the /Affiliation in the GoogleDB.

And finally: "Let it be circulated among nobles that, this war is NOT a crusade. We do not seek to increase the tensions between our fellow Christians who might think differently in details. There is also no enmity between anyone here. It just happens that HKM Gustaf Adolf is claiming half of the lands of our fathers, which is something that will never be tolerated if the odds seem as good as they are."

[Syksy]

But we have a way out. We can withstand the coming onslaught if we ally ourselves with the Holy Roman Empire, who fights the protestant threat too. It is not too late to seek protection in a treaty with the catholic forces in the south. We must seek alliance with the Holy Roman Empire before we are destroyed by the advancing forces of Protestant Sweden.

I for one support seeking alliance with the Imperial Alliance, albeit conditionally.

Even if the Keizer of Austria is a sovereign Catholic ruler who I believe holds control over the Princes of Germania (who are semi-autonomous and quarrel among each other time to time), there are a number of Princes among the Empire that are reformists and protestants, and even joining as brothers-in-arms with the Imperial Alliance would not strictly bind us to any branch or rule. It is important however to emphasize that we only seek to forge an alliance against a common enemy - Princes of Bohemia and Bavaria are rather close to our border, and if we show too much of interest in joining hands with them, Keizer might start pressuring us to actually join the Imperial Alliance itself and put us under his thumb. We do uphold good diplomatic relations to them, as displayed by the amount of trade with them.

If my intelligence is correct, IA borders that of Denmark, and forging an alliance with them might scare Gustaf Adolf into believing Western parts of his kingdom are suddenly under threat, behind the Östersjön. No king wants a war with two fronts.

I'm sure Ferdinand II is a man of reason, and we could start negotiations.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_II,_Holy_Roman_Emperor

Just look at the man's self-proclaimed title!
Ferdinand II, by the grace of God elected Holy Roman Emperor, forever August, King in Germany, King of Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Rama, Serbia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Cumania, Bulgaria, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Brabant, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, Margrave of Moravia, Duke of Luxemburg, of the Higher and Lower Silesia, of Württemberg and Teck, Prince of Swabia, Count of Habsburg, Tyrol, Kyburg and Goritia, Marquess of the Holy Roman Empire, Burgovia, the Higher and Lower Lusace, Lord of the Marquisate of Slavonia, of Port Naon and Salines, etc. etc...

[rpietila]

SCI points are the currency of the Science subgame. The subgame causes new scientific advances to be known to the researchers. These might for instance be:
- New production technologies.
- New farming, food-storage, cooking, etc methods.
- New infrastructure technologies.
- New inventions in whatever area.

Please send any messages/messengers here, at the town meeting place (IRC), or to me directly if you have "heard" any scientific advances that you would like the to propose research.  

From the Tavastia reports and elsewhere I gather:

- Cavalry tactics incl use of HAK units, would upgrade our base fighting strength to 2 for cheap units that we can press from Tavastia, especially after our victory, plus allow further advances.
- Combined arms gives +20 to Command (at least with GA) - this would increase the BV of (for instance) the Duke of NL Company by 25! And enable the companies without aquila to gain advantage.
- I am personally interested in this "crisp bread", it cannot be difficult to research and even if it were both more expensive and less healthy than VEG - hell - look at the market there is no VEG there, bread could be stored like meat!
- Road building. Our current method is very expensive, better suited for cobbled streets. At least a highway connecting Plath to Ultima Thule with frequent places where two carriages can pass, I want to leave to my successor!
- Astronomy was mentioned, and the Telescope that someone had heard was under development in foreign lands some years ago.
- Anything that aids in health really.
- Medium 6-pounder cannon. Although personally I don't see a niche for it..

[rpietila]

225th Jubilee Raffle - Great Prizes!

See link for more information.

Eight halvings are done, so only about 1:256 of the original number of tickets remains! The coveted JADe was raffled to 90 characters, giving it a very wide ownership, and an interesting price development to come.


Prizes Awarded

47,671 * CAN given!
23,707 * BEER given!
1,484 * FOIE given to 118 chars!
735 * JAD given to 90 chars!


Prizes Remaining

735 tickets (RAF-1) remaining; halving every month (realday)

- - -
500 * W1603A (pre-Plague wine, the historical Spring Wine)
200 * MIN-5 (Most Elaborate Ming China Plate 16cm)
100 * CS1625E (special edition 5 CKS only 100 minted)
50 * CLXII (since there are no restaurants qualified to participate in the auction, it will be raffled instead)
25 * WOS-E1 (Green Suit, gift of HH The Mayor)
20 * MIR (Venetian Mirror 1 sqm, gift of HH The Duke of New Liberty)
15 <- when this number of tickets is reached, the subsequent SPOILs are 25% only to increase excitement!
- - -
10 * Baronet of CK (lowest numbers available starting from highest ranking winner, incl promotion to L12 if applicable)
1 * Fourth Prize: Any Real Estate up to the value of 100,000,000 m (to the 4th last ticket; gift of HRH Zechariah)
1 * Third Prize: 1-SE-V76 Korean Restaurant (1518) (to the 3rd last ticket; gift of Prince of Soul)
1 * Second Prize: TRC4-19 Most Elab 4-Horse Carriage (to the 2nd last ticket; gift of M of White Cross)
1 * Grand Prize: Any Real Estate up to the value of 500,000,000 m (in the whole game, you pick, King pays   )

Total Value of Prizes: 2,650,000,000 m !
(Nominal value of ticket: 3,620,000 m)

It is possible to give prizes to the auction. Unique prizes will be listed as 4th, 5th etc. prizes, and will always be awarded. Fungible prizes you need to give the maximum amount to the King, and they will be dividended when the number of tickets reaches or goes below the amount, the King doing what he wishes with the difference.

As JAD is now raffled, The King has listed 125*RAF-1 for sale, intending to sell them today. Prices will be dynamic


Practical note on the 1st and 4th prizes. The winner gets to pick his real estate from a list of listed properties costing (at max) 500 mil. To qualify for the listing, the seller must register the property latest on the day when # of tickets goes to 15 or below. It must be listed and buyable by others as well. When the winner is known, he will be notified and the King will buy the prize selected and gift it to the winner. Do not forsake this opportunity to advertise that you have RE for sale!!