Summer - 1459

Summer- 1459 - Coughs and Sneezes


So it was on the afternoon of an enjoyable Sunday I sat down to meet the new Austrian general on the field of battle, he was motivated and up for getting the game going, which is a first - most other generals are either sombre or unwilling to fight. Just as the table sides were being generated I was met with the amusing question of "Do we really have to fight this?" "Yes, unless you want to retreat to your walls and grant me victory", having decided to waiver any peace terms in the previous turn I wasn't going to halt my advance now. He didn't want a practice game as per his previous form - and like clockwork his forces were ground into the dust with a result of 5-2 in my favour, his forces fled the field and holed up in the city of Austria. Elsewhere the other battle was fought, Venetian and Turk armies met - and produced one of the most extraordinary results I have ever witnessed in the DBA system, the game ended in a Turkish victory with a score of 8-5, the bloodbath only ending when a flying column of Turkish light horse butchered the Venetian camp followers and burnt the tents to the ground. The Venetian fleet retreated to the port of Ragusa and set to baring the gates.


Orders were handed in, I talked with Austria who was in a rush to leave as he had to catch a train home - this was beneficial to me as I convinced him to sue for peace, my terms being his disbandment in Genoa and reparations of 2 ducats for his cruel invasion of Milanese territory. I personally advised him on what his next move should be, whilst also arranging for our peace to seem unclear, by feinting an assault on the Austrian garrison.


Then Plague hit - wiping 6 forces off the map, more importantly it hit Austria, killing both my force and his garrison, Savoy, killing my advance to reclaim Genoa and finally Bologna killing off a Papal assault to take Modena from my control. Elsewhere I captured Austria with a follow up force and also reclaimed Pavia from Austrian control. The Papals set to siege Lucca, with the Turks also sieging Ragusa and having an army transported by the Neapolitan's fleet into Dalmatia. The Austrian army in Hungary moved south as per instruction and elsewhere Venice captured Croatia and also moved its armies north towards my border - I can only assume what that means but if it comes to war I feel that I will definitely have the stronger hand - Venice most likely having been convinced by my good ol' friend the Papal States who have become my main rival in recent turns. Elsewhere around the map most other armies stood still.


As always the recoloured map is below, an interesting observation is that I am yet to spill Italian blood on the field of battle, having fought Swiss, French and Austrian forces only - everyone else's aim may be to unite Italy, Milan has bigger dreams, I'll unite the whole of Europe!