The Annals of the Tsar - A Napoleonic Europe AAR

[ernieschwitz]

"December 17th, 1801.

- Winter is a cold time. In Russia it seems even colder than in other countries. While I sit here at the fireplace, I get reports from the forces in Asia Minor, and their trouble moving because of the bad roads and weather. No snow there. The campaign season is over, for now, though there will still be some fighting.

- Philip Kotiliarevsky who gained his fame in Finland, has recommended to me that I appoint his nephew to become a general. The young man, who was named by his mother, is called Albert Kotiliarevsky. His mother was French. I appointed him to command a Malyy Korps that I have begun assembling in Moscow.

- Alexander, Tsar."

Turn 33 came with the following messages:

turn 33 start messages.jpg (26.57 KiB) Viewed 413 times

Not much to report. No resistance from the Ottomans, the Kalmar Union have their plate full with the Prussians, and I can see on the map the Nordic country just lost Copenhagen.

turn 33 levels.jpg (63.51 KiB) Viewed 413 times

Terenty Ushakov gained a level, and got the Forage card. All those Forage cards are nice on the Officers, but I would like to see some of the other cards too, so I could show them off.

I got to 78 Research Points, finally. So I researched Artillery II. Blast the enemy infantry away, is the theory.

turn 33 Researched.jpg (54.11 KiB) Viewed 413 times

At the end of turn I upgraded as many of those that I could.

[ernieschwitz]

turn 33 Turkey ALL Before.jpg (1.29 MiB) Viewed 412 times

Turkey, as it looked before my moves. Not much happening. There is a staff unit isolated from everywhere else to begin with. I decide to take that out, and have some combat elsewhere south of Angora too, as my forces there advance a little.

turn 33 Turkey WestCentral After.jpg (824.74 KiB) Viewed 412 times

Moving is tough. 2-3 hexes a unit. So not much to do, I fear. The next couple of turns may be boring, I think. I have begun withdrawing Nosititz forces from the fray, and prepare to move them to the Austrian border. They will also get some reinforcements while moving in that direction. Some of the units are down to 8 infantry, and 3 artillery. Barely functional.

turn 33 kills losses.jpg (10.12 KiB) Viewed 412 times

The kills and losses, presented here, as tradition, show how little is going on.

[ernieschwitz]

"January 6th, 1802.

- As I look out over the snow-clad landscape my mind wanders. How are the poorest people in my Empire doing. Is it true that the true nature of a country can be found by looking at its people, and its poor people at that. There are many who live as serfs, and are treated as little more than slaves. I decide to do something about this, this year.

- Snow has also reached the Southern parts of the Empire now. Except for Asia Minor, where the weather is bad. Roads are affected everywhere, and movement of troops, they tell me is slow. My generals tell me to be patient. I will try to be, but the days of a new major city being taken every month are definitively over, for now.

- Alexander, Tsar."

Turn 34 has begun, and like the Tsar is saying, nothing much is happening. Terenty Ushakov, or maybe I should call him Ushakov the elder, has given his troops some XP, which is great.

turn 34 start turn.jpg (35.54 KiB) Viewed 393 times

Of note this turn is that Imereti has (finally) gotten to a point where he has more staff points than his command requires. I will have to send some staff his way, and a unit of infantry.

turn 34 levels.jpg (65.93 KiB) Viewed 393 times

[ernieschwitz]

turn 34 Turkey all before.jpg (931.97 KiB) Viewed 392 times

Above is the map of the whole Turkish Area. The details I know are a bit small, but, you can, as I have said before right click on it, and get shown the whole picture, by choosing to see it in a new window. Purple striped units are Ushakov's (Terenty), the Yellow striped ones are Nostitiz's and the Brownish striped ones are the units of Kiselyov.

The map below shows what I did with my units. Mainly they moved some hexes forwards, killing what was in the way, if possible. I also withdrew a lot of Nostitiz's units, towards Constantinople. A few remain to watch the gap between Terenty Ushakov's Field Army (32 staff), and Kiselyov's Field Army (32 staff). Nostitiz has an Imperial Army (52 staff).

turn 34 Turkey all after.jpg (822.83 KiB) Viewed 392 times

Just to show how little is going on, here is the kills and losses, for the turn.

turn 34 kills losses.jpg (9.51 KiB) Viewed 392 times

[ernieschwitz]

"January 26th, 1802.

- I am growing tired of settling disputes that the nobles are unable to get satisfactory results from the courts. They say that the courts are unjust, that the law is too complex, that this noble or that noble bought off a legal representative. Corruption, in other words. So they come to me, and ask for decrees allowing for exceptions in their cases. So I have been ruminating that I might need to have someone overhaul the courts and laws. The whole method is ancient. But who would be a good candidate, that the nobility can accept?

- Alexander, Tsar."

Turn 35 already, who would have thought I would get this far into an AAR. To be honest I almost decided to stop when Constantinople fell. But I didn't and here we are.

turn 35 start messages.jpg (33.22 KiB) Viewed 381 times

Some good news this time around. Vuich has recovered, and is once again ready for service. I assign him a newly formed Malyy Korps in Kiev. My ambition is to have the entire front from Riga to Salonika covered by at least one infantry unit each. Every hex.

No officers leveling this time. So we jump straight into the map as it looked before I made my moves.

turn 35 turkey ALL before.jpg (919.18 KiB) Viewed 381 times

Mostly there is nothing here to worry about, mostly... because... there is this one thing

turn 35 crisis on the flank before.jpg (340.91 KiB) Viewed 381 times

East of Angora and South of Amasia, as seen on the map above, a unit, a full infantry division, has broken through, and could head for one of my HQs. That would be bad.

[ernieschwitz]

So... I have to do something about that. I swing Imereti's forces in that direction, and let some of the cavalry from Kiselyov's command help out. Unfortunately I am in no position to surround the unit, so I have to "just" push it back, and then form a line.

turn 35 turkey ALL after.jpg (927.7 KiB) Viewed 381 times

This is how everything looked after the moves were made. I did have combat a few other places, and I expect some officers will be leveling again, next turn. I am also moving closer and closer to Adalia. A small place, but everything counts. The more VPs for me = More PPs for me = less production for the Ottoman AI.

turn 35 crisis on the flank after.jpg (237.61 KiB) Viewed 381 times

As can see from the above, this is how the closeup of the flank now looks. The Orange striped Cavalry (Imereti's forces) has only 5 cavalry men in it, so it is too small to be considered for attacking.

This is a setting I made to make sure that surrounding a unit required more than just 1 cavalry subformation per unit. If I didn't make this limit you could make 5 cavalry units of 1 cavalry subformation each, and then surround the unit you were attacking, except for that one side, where you had your "Hammer". It seems strange that this soft "Anvil" of cavalry could then prevent a retreat, and that would lead to the entire unit surrendering, if it tried to retreat.

turn 35 kills losses.jpg (13.26 KiB) Viewed 381 times

As required: Above is the kills and losses table. Hopefully next turn I can report the fall of Adalia... or the turn after that. My forces are getting real close.

[ernieschwitz]

"February 15th, 1802.

- The court is a buzz since I announced opportunities of gaining new lands in the conquered Ottoman territories. Ordinarily I would let the regional structure and nobility of areas I add to the Empire become a self-governing entity, if they were loyal to me, and me alone. However the Ottoman nobility and structure of their country makes this a bit difficult. Their religion is so different. So from this day forth, I have decreed that Ottoman lands are open to the nobility. I have already granted some lands to my most successful Generals, and they seem very pleased with that.

- Speaking of Generals, Kiselyov has marched into Adalia. The conquest I was told was easy. A sudden shift in weather in the area has helped a lot with the speedy movement of forces. General Ushakov, the elder, helped with the flank. Speaking of flanks, General Imereti has been getting more competent as of recent. I have decided to upgrade his command.

- Alexander, Tsar."

The beginning of Turn 36 had some positive news. Vuich got better, and is ready for command once again. Just as I needed a general for a new command I was making.

turn 36 start turn.jpg (28.01 KiB) Viewed 370 times

There were also two officers that leveled. Kiselyov got better, and so did Imereti. The one of little fame, has become a sneaky good officer. He has +40% to combat, the highest of any of my officers, except for Nostitiz who is level 14, and has + 57%. Imereti is only level 5.

turn 36 levels.jpg (127.21 KiB) Viewed 370 times

I am proud of my officers. Does it tell? I'll be sad when one of them eventually dies. At least if it is one of the more accomplished ones.

I also survived a war weariness test. After the 20th + "when you went to war" turn they get repeated every 10 turns. And if you look at the test, you'll see a bug.

turn 36 war weariness.jpg (13.89 KiB) Viewed 370 times

The negative effects are actually positive. You subtract negative 5 from 60, and get 65. So my test would be easier to pass. However I rolled so low that I would pass anyway. I'll have to fix that bug in the next version of the scenario...

[ernieschwitz]

Now to the action.

But first a look at how the map in Turkey was, before the moves were made.

turn 36 Turkey ALL before.jpg (954.44 KiB) Viewed 369 times

The first thing you will notice is that the horrible weather is gone! Great time for campaigning. Excellent movement distances. I use that movement to, with Ushakov the elder's forces, sweep along the coastline, making sure no unit is hiding there.

turn 36 Turkey ALL after.jpg (615.92 KiB) Viewed 369 times

Then I decide that it is time to move Kiselyov into position to attack Adalia. The opposition turns out to be very light. Some staff and some levies. I guess I use a bit too many troops for the attack, and could have used them to advance further along the coast, but I was thinking more of the city than ahead.

Imereti's forces have been turning more and more East recently, and found themselves up against several infantry divisions. I took care of two of them, but there are still more. It will be interesting to see if the Ottoman AI tries to flank them, or goes to attack... or as he has done most of the game, pull back... and sneakily make threatening movements.

In any case here is the Kills and losses for the turn. I am happy with the numbers.

turn 36 killls losses.jpg (13.71 KiB) Viewed 369 times

[ernieschwitz]

"March 7th, 1802.

- I have been pondering a lot about who should be the new Minister of Justice. As I wandered through the Winter Palace, something sprang into my mind. A thought: Why not someone beloved by the everyman, and also admired by the nobility and one of their own. Who is beloved more than a poet? So I asked the famous poet Derzjazin, and he accepted. Now I have one worry less. A wise man like him, should be able to provide rules and laws that are just for all.

- Alexander, Tsar."

turn 37 start messages.jpg (32.73 KiB) Viewed 205 times

Not one shot fired by the Ottomans. I am disappointed, as always, when I see this. Am I really so great a player, that I can make perfect defensive positions that the AI has trouble with? I don't think I am. The good news this turn, was that the Propaganda Policy is finished. This means I can go back to cheaper troop cards, and better production rates.

We also had an officer leveling up.

turn 37 levels.jpg (63.55 KiB) Viewed 205 times

Imereti, of all my officers, has earned yet another level. This time he got a new feature. He now has two: Infantry man, and Motivator. The latter which I believed he earned this turn, will allow him to get more morale stats when leveling. Not the best of the stats to level. I prefer them in the order: Staff, Combat, Morale.

[ernieschwitz]

turn 37 Turkey all before.jpg (601.72 KiB) Viewed 200 times

This turns action happened in Turkey, just like last turn. Just because there is no combat, doesn't mean the AI isn't threatening some flank attacks and surrounding of its own. Not this turn, however the opposition is getting to be of higher quality. Those are infantry divisions, with artillery and mammeluks. Especially on the northern most position of my line there is reason to worry. He has assembled some strong forces there.

However, these are not the units I attack.

turn 37 Turkey all after.jpg (807.01 KiB) Viewed 200 times

Instead I attack the smaller units on their flanks, and hope to have enough APs to attack them afterwards, with the troops that have attacked. This plan didn't come to fruition. Yes, I did kill some troops, and the enemy forces retreated, but units that retreat can become bothersome again.

I pull back my northern line, and make sure there are no real holes in it. The cavalry from Branicki, the light blue stripe, are screening my reinforcements coming in from the north. This is a command that has been marching for some time now, from Stavropol down here. Sometimes at forced march. They are commanded by one of my Generals from the Finnish campaign: Chichagov.

Meanwhile, Ushakov (the elder) and his troops are moving towards the Austrian front area, or what will become that front. I used the forced march card on them. It allows them to move with +40 APs of the amount they would normally have. The cost is 0 PPs, but the readiness (-25%) and combat ability of them (-25%) suffer. This is so that it is not used in combat situations.

turn 37 kills losses.jpg (16.95 KiB) Viewed 200 times

Above you can see the kills and losses for the turn. It has become quite a ritual for me to present these as the last thing in my AAR updates. Perhaps it will change? Oh and the Ships of Line and Frigates I lost was because I attacked 10 Frigate IIs in the port of Stockholm. Needless to say, that was a bad idea. Lesson learned.

[ernieschwitz]

"March 27th, 1802.

- Derzjazin, the new Minister of Justice, is a bit coarse. He has begun looking at the laws, trying to make them just, but his language, and form, leave a lot to be wanting. He is also very much old fashioned. The new young nobles that want reforms are not happy. I get that the feeling is mutual. So much for being popular with everyone.

- The preparations for the Invasion of Austria are well under way. I expect as soon as General Terenty Ushakov arrives the front will be ready for the invasion to begin. Maybe 2 or 3 months from now. The Austrians are expanding by the day. They have recently entered Athens. I loathe that they have taken a city with so much culture. Then again, it is better that they have it than the Ottomans.

- Alexander, Tsar."

turn 38 start turn.jpg (31.67 KiB) Viewed 132 times

As I open the turn, I can see there has been some combat. Not a great success for the Ottomans I think. It is turn 38 now, and the Ottomans really don't pose a threat. I am considering withdrawing Yuri Kiselyov from Turkey. His forces are perhaps better used against the Austrians too...

turn 38 Turkey before.jpg (685.53 KiB) Viewed 132 times

There is still the matter of the big hex (the unit with a lot of strong Ottoman units) to do something about. Some of the attackers came from there, and my 12 Infantry (and 3 artillery) division was reduced to 9 infantry. The other attackers came from the south. I am not really happy with the AI using staff to attack, or outside of HQs, but I am unsure what I can do about it.

There is also an Ottoman infantry unit, lurking on the flank of Chichagov ...

turn 38 Turkey after.jpg (648.27 KiB) Viewed 132 times

I get a favorable attack on that infantry unit, on three sides. I push cavalry to surround it before, but, not enough APs. You probably heard that story before. Other than that, I attack along the line, down south, and kill some units, including an HQ. Always nice. Readiness drops for the units under it, that suddenly don't have an HQ. Kiselyov's troops participate in the attacks, and form a line to the west of the Ottomans. Perhaps withdrawing them is not something that will happen just yet.

[ernieschwitz]

There has been a lot of talk about the front against Austria. I thought that a look at it might be fun.

Here is the northern section of it. Not quite yet formed, and a lot of M.Korpus's (4 Infantry, 2 cavalry) HQs, but more are coming. So I am not that afraid of not being in strength there, yet. Also there are no real problems along this front, as the presence of Russian cities are a bit sparse, especially towards Ukraine. The marshes are pretty dense too.

turn 38 Austria North After.jpg (626.08 KiB) Viewed 131 times

The middle and southern section can be seen in this very long screenshot (taken with a panorama screenshot tool). The middle of it is going to be split between two important commands. Nostitiz will take up position opposite Kronstadt, with the objective of taking it. Philip Kotiliarevsky will be in the northern part able to swing north to Czernowitz.

turn 38 Austria centralsouth after.jpg (860.97 KiB) Viewed 131 times

Down south it will be Pogarelsky taking up the most Southern section, and Ushakov's forces, that are still to arrive, are crossing the Bosporus, at the time of writing. There will be various smaller M.Korpus's filling in the gaps between these 3 large forces (Pogarelsky, Ushakov and Nostitiz).

Ok, time for the last thing in this AAR for this turn: The Kills and losses.

turn 38 Kills Losses.jpg (14.26 KiB) Viewed 131 times

[cpdeyoung]

Those are very nice shots of the front and the labels are a fine idea. The panorama tool makes that tough shot so clean.

Austria is a tough target.