The great war occuring in Europe is only getting bigger, with France getting relief with Poland's war against the Holy Roman Empire from the east.

While my allies are preoccupied with their other enemies, I must put an end to the threat that is Venice so I can relieve them of their burden as well.

However, it is easier said than done.

Meanwhile Alberto continues his legacy of conquests and victories over the heathens.

This must be bad news for England, who is fighting the French as well. It is also dissapointing that Portugal declared a ceasefire with the Moors. Hopefully Spain will continue on their war efforts. The alliance with Denmark and Poland only makes me worried that the English or German are at risk for having yet another party go to war with them.

Decision 2

I have finally gathered and assembled my troops to the gates of Venice. However, due to our financial problems we were only able to get one Balista to serve as artillery. While that may be enough to break the gate, it is not enough to break the walls, so we will only have 1 point of entry.

Because my soldiers are on a bridge, they'll be able to fight a bridge battle with the 2 Venetian forces, which I am confident they can win as opposed to the siege.

However, given the history of the Pope and his demands of ceasing hosility, it will not be strange if in the next turn, or at least the 7 turns, the Pope will demand an ceasefire from me.

I am in financial problems, being unable to support my city's developments, and limited to the ammount of troops I can recruit.

Venice will surely give me a large cash injection with its sacking, and ensure me a healthy income.

Choice A: Attack Venice now, and take the city, avoiding having to fight a 2:1 battle later. But at the risk of a severe defeat.

Choice B: Continue the siege, with the anticipation that Venice's second army will come to attack the rear, allowing a bridge battle where we are on the advantage of being on the defensive. Risk having the Pope order an cease to the hostility, forcing me to withdraw my troops for a good number of years.

I say attack, but sacking Venice may be going too far. The cost of replacing the existing buildings could be a bigger financial burden than you are facing now. By the way, what's your spy network like? Do you have missionaries converting the peoples of the lands you're invading around the Holy Land?  Get some really beligerent cardinals out there so when this pope kicks it on upstairs the next one could be Sicilian.  That should help with the nasty habit this one has of calling of your wars with your fellow Catholics.

From my knowledge sacking only damages, rather than destroy existing buildings, while EXTERMINATING a settlement's population does carry a risk of actual destruction of buildings... I'm not really sure, but anyway because I rushed my campaign more than I usually do (does anyone want to read me saying, "So I'm sitting here, developing some economic buildings"?)

Because of that I've kinda screwed over my economy. I need to Sack in order to get an injection of cash, which I can then invest for future income.

I can care less if a few buildings get destroyed, I don't need the Blacksmith, Drill square, etc in Venice, but only economic buildings.

And since I have no money I can't train spies >.<

I'll be trying to get cardinals by raising Priests in Egypt.

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We have come too far already. Viaro has already laid siege to the settlement, and to simply continue the siege will result in him being surrounded on the bridge. I will crush Venice here and now, and I shall make them pay penance!

I could only wait but in my throne room, and pray that Viaro emerges victorious.

And in one battle, my entire momentum comes to an abrupt halt.

I have never felt any more humiliation as the Doge of Venice triumphantly announces that he will release the prisoners of the belligerent nation of Sicily. Anyone could see that man simply used the lives of those men as politcal tools.

However, that politcal act caught the Pope's eye, and I have been ordered by the Pope to halt.

And now I have been upseated by the Holy Roman Empire as the strongest nation. I've trully made a blunder, and am now in a free fall.

Why the demoralized men return back to the castle in order to recover, the only solace I could take was in Alberto's success in his conquest against Egypt.

Alberto will be a key component in my nation's recovery. We are in an economic depression, and war has proven over and over to be able to fill the treasury of a nation (provided you're on the winning side of course).

why are you doing this? you made me want to play Total War... but I will resist as I'm playing Europa Universalis III right now, and there are other games I HAVE to play too :P

it's funny too because in my current game I'm playing as Genoa, Venice is a bitch :P I'm at ~1480's and they got in a war against everyone, including their old allies, Ferrara, that raped them. I managed to grab a Core province from them, and right now only Sicily is fighting against them... they only have the Venice province itself left haha

but France is blobbing, vassalized Milan already and things doesn't look pretty for me.

keep on going!

Sorry, I'm starting to prepare for college now, and I'm also going to prepare for my new computer. I don't know how many of you've been reading or enjoying this, but if there are any, sorry O.o, I might be suspending this indefinetly. And I definetly won't have as much free time I did during the summer once I get to college T.T I fucking hate my dad for making me take summer college courses.

If I do manage to start this campaign up again, or I end up making a new campaign, I'll definetly try this type of thread again, hopefully after reading some other AAR's. But for now, I'm going to have to end this story anti-climaticly =(

Edit: Please, if any of you are able to do this sort of thing, please post your own AAR's! People have been complaining about the lack of unique content on this site, and with the console forums constantly bickering, you guys can bring some attention back to RTSs and their only true home, the PC.