INFORMATION REGARDING TOTAL WAR V2
ON THE SUBJECT OF THE SETTING
Total War v2 will begin in ~1190 CE in the midst of the Third Crusade. Popular figures like Saladin of the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt and King Richard the Lionhearted of England made their names during this war. I'm going to retroactively change the nation trait sheets I made to reflect their allegiances during the Crusade, so watch out for that.
ON THE SUBJECT OF CRUSADES
A Crusade may only be called by the Pope, whose seat is in Rome in the Papal States. A nation with high Papal Favor may request a Crusade be called against an Islamic nation, however, at any time. Whether he agrees or not is up to him.
When a Crusade is called against a nation, all of Christendom is called to arms (Catholic and Orthodox): either you join the Holy War and gain Papal Favor, temporary bonuses to troop attack, wealth, and military size, or you refuse and lose a large amount of Papal Favor.
The Pope will usually declare an ultimate goal for a Crusade (more than likely to secure Jerusalem). Completing this goal will immediately end the Crusade and give all participants a short boost to trade income. The Pope may also prematurely end a Crusade if it isn't doing particularly well, in which case he will attempt to negotiate peace with the heathen Muslims.
As of the Third Crusade, the Crusaders have won once (First) and the Mujahideen have one once (Second). The outcome of the Third Crusade sets the stage for much of the strife in medieval Europe until the end of feudalism, so it's key that at least a white peace is settled.
ON THE SUBJECT OF JIHADS
Unlike Crusades, Jihads are not called by a Pope, but a Caliph--and Muslims have two. The Sunni Moors have their own Caliph and the Shia Ayyubid Egyptians have their own. Also unlike Crusades, two Jihads can be underway at any time as opposed to the single Crusade. When a Caliph calls a Jihad against Christendom, he may assign his own goal. A Caliph may also end a Jihad whenever he pleases.
The catch to having two Caliphs and two possible Jihads at any given time is that the two Caliphates cannot join each others' Jihads--only lesser Muslim nations. Lesser Muslim nations may join both or just one or neither as they please. Shalom.
Mujahideen (those who participate in Jihad) receive the same bonuses as Crusaders do. Note that the Seljuk Turks are the only nation capable of being part of three Jihads: one called by the Ayyubids, one called by the Moors, and one called by themselves known as a Local Jihad. Only the Seljuk Turks may participate in a Local Jihad, and a Local Jihad may only be called against a single Christian nation rather than the entirety of Christendom.
ON THE SUBJECT OF PAPAL AUTHORITY
The Pope is a very powerful man. He may choose to Excommunicate nations he deems heretical, barring the affected from having trade agreements, alliances, or any other form of good conscience bestowed upon them by fellow Christians. Due to the East-West Schism, nations that follow Eastern Orthodoxy do not answer to the Pope, and as such are not required to join Crusades or pay attention to Papal Favor. Attempting to repair relations with the Catholic world, however, may bring peace to the Church and do what no Crusade could: reunite Christendom.
While on the subject of Crusades, Crusades may be called for as long as the Pope has authority. Meaning, the Pope may call Crusades for as long as Catholic nations answer his calls and respect him. When situations like the Protestant Reformation zip around Europe, his authority will be danger. Whether players allow Crusades in future eras is entirely up to the way the cards fall.
ON THE SUBJECT OF FUTURE ERAS
This roleplay will run until one of two things happens: one nation unifies the world either through total conquest and friendship or we reach the true Future Era. Advancing to a new era will be monitored by me for whenever I think it's appropriate. Please be mindful of the technology of the era and act appropriately. If I have to make technology trees or some kind of technology guidebook to help unsure players out, I'm more than happy to do it.
ON THE SUBJECT OF FORMABLE NATIONS
There will be several formable nations throughout Total War v2. One example is the Ottoman Empire, which may be formed by the Seljuk Turks if they own Constantinople or the Byzantines are routed from Anatolia. When a new nation is formed, they acquire new traits and enter a brief golden age. Different nations have different ways to be formed, and some nations have several nations able to form them, such as how Kievan Rus' or Novgorod can form Russia. I'll most likely compile a small list of formable nations sometime in the near future.
ON THE SUBJECT OF LONG POSTS
Sorry about this one, guys. I mostly wrote this for myself so I know how I want things to function and can edit it as I think it needs to be. If things seem really complex or overtly verbose, don't worry. I'm still in the process of snipping the bits I don't want in the name of simplification, so just hold tight. Also,
I don't expect you guys to read this entire thing yourselves because I'll probably end up condensing it into one or two paragraphs in the OP for Total War v2. As always, I'm open to suggestions about the roleplay, so just post if you have any.
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