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Wiz
May 16, 2004

Nap Ghost


Oh look, it's another Wiz Paradox LP
Yes, yes it is. After the end of Crete, I thought about branching out into other types of games, but given that the other Paradox LPs seem to have died off, I might as well stick with what I know and enjoy.

Is this going to be another Crete thread with 850 pages of goons bickering?
No, I'm styling this thread after my Hohenzollern thread which means audience participation only as an occasional vote, no Senates or legislative sessions. The focus of this thread will be the narrative, not the audience.

So what's new about this one?
Well, I think we've seen every possible combination of 'Catholic empire conquers the world' so this time I will be playing as a Muslim power, specifically as the Sultanate of Azerbaijan. As with the Hohenzollern LP, I will be placing heavy restrictions on myself, including playing with the Semisalic Gavelkind law in CK (meaning my empire will be split up between a host of heirs whenever my rulers die) and severe badboy restrictions in EU3. The aim of this LP is to be told from the perspective of a backwater Muslim power, dealing with the challenges of western domination and imperialism that are inherent in Paradox games, so don't expect Azerbaijan to be at the top of research or be colonize America unless the development of the game world somehow makes it sensible for us to be so.

Which games are you going to play?
Crusader Kings 1187-1400, Europa Universalis III 1400-1836, Victoria 2 1836-1920 and Darkest Hour 1920-?.

Are you going to mod this up and release the scenarios?
You bet. I will release the various scenarios as I finish their associated games.

I have no idea what these Paradox games are
Take a look at this thread. I'm not going to get into game mechanics during the LP, but will try to write the narrative in such a way that you can follow it without actually knowing anything about the games. I will also try to answer any game mechanics questions asked in the thread. Finally, feel free to look me up on skype (m.anward) and ask to join the WizLP chat group if you want to talk about Azerbaijans.





Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter 2: The Third Crusade
Chapter 3: Man of Peace
Chapter 4: Inheritor
Chapter 5: Jihad
Chapter 6: Conqueror
Chapter 7: The Scourge
Chapter 8: Exile
Chapter 9: Land of the Nile
Chapter 10: Swarm of Locusts
Chapter 11: The Brave Die Young
Chapter 12: Homecoming
Chapter 13: Respite
Chapter 14: Peace and Prosperity
Chapter 15: Death Marches On
Chapter 16: Weight of the World
Chapter 17: Recovery
Chapter 18: The Return to Derbent
Chapter 19: The Last Ildeguzid
Chapter 20: Epilogue



Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter 2: House of Najjar
Chapter 3: Border Wars
Chapter 4: Instability
Chapter 5: Reformer
Chapter 6: The World of 1450
Chapter 7: Religious Differences
Chapter 8: Vicious Cycle
Chapter 9: Nation Building
Chapter 10: New Ideas
Chapter 11: The Conquest of Astrakhan
Chapter 12: The World of 1500
Chapter 13: Religious Divisions
Chapter 14: Namesake
Chapter 15: A Few Good Years
Chapter 16: Birth of Nations
Chapter 17: Suzerain
Chapter 18: The World of 1550
Chapter 19: The Crimean War
Chapter 20: Leadership
Chapter 21: Realignment
Chapter 22: Plague
Chapter 23: Yesterday's Allies
Chapter 24: The World of 1600
Chapter 25: Great Wars
Chapter 26: New Order
Chapter 27: Caution
Chapter 28: Tears and Ashes
Chapter 29: Victory in Defeat
Chapter 30: The World of 1650
Chapter 31: Border Clash
Chapter 32: Enlightenment
Chapter 33: Reformer
Chapter 34: Builder
Chapter 35: The Brothers Daei
Chapter 36: The World of 1700
Chapter 37: Blind Ambition
Chapter 38: Will of Allah
Chapter 39: Despot
Chapter 40: Father's Son
Chapter 41: The World of 1750
Chapter 42: Plutocracy
Chapter 43: The Sword and the Pen
Chapter 44: Revolution
Chapter 45: Liberalism
Chapter 46: The World of 1800
Chapter 47: Passing the Torch
Chapter 48: The Last Armenian War
Chapter 49: Before the Storm
Chapter 50: Epilogue



Chapter 1: March to the Sound of Guns
Chapter 2: Lessons Learned
Chapter 3: Reversals
Chapter 4: Republic
Chapter 5: Escalation
Chapter 6: Stalemate
Chapter 7: The Peace of Pressburg



Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter 2: The Consul
Chapter 3: Italian Ambitions
Chapter 4: Balkan Politics
Chapter 5: The World of 1850
Chapter 6: Crisis
Chapter 7: Rising Star
Chapter 8: The Continuation of Diplomacy
Chapter 9: Progress
Chapter 10: The World of 1880
Chapter 11: Great Power
Chapter 12: The Great War
Chapter 13: Aftermath
Chapter 14: The World of 1900
Chapter 15: A New Century
Chapter 16: Red Wave
Chapter 17: Black Wave
Chapter 18: Epilogue



Interesting Dynasties in 1250
The Brethren
What if Wiz was just playing to win? (Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3) (Chapter 4) (Chapter 5)
Azeri WOLFE
Tolerance Wolfe! (By Kersch)
Their Finest Azeri (Chapter 1)
Their Finest Azeri (Chapter 2)
Their Finest Azeri (Chapter 3)
Their Finest Azeri (Finale)

Political Cartoons by Thanqol








The Death of Charles Sumner by Thanqol




Sultans of Azerbaijan (made by DarkCrawler - amazing summary of the rulers thus far)
Tsars of Russia (DarkCrawler being awesome again)
The Sultans of Azerbaijan 2nd Edition (Part 1)



Download EU3+ 1.06
Download AzeriV2 1.02

Wiz fucked around with this message at 00:35 on Jan 14, 2014

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sniper4625
Sep 26, 2009

Loyal to the hEnd
Finally! I like the banners.

Wiz
May 16, 2004

Nap Ghost
Nothing to see here.

Wiz fucked around with this message at 12:36 on Aug 5, 2011

Frionnel
May 7, 2010

Friends are what make testing worth it.
Let not the failures of Crete and Suabia affect your morales, people of SA. For Azerbaijan is the light that brings hope to Eurabia!

Gorgo Primus
Mar 29, 2009

We shall forge the most progressive republic ever known to man!
Shia all the way!

Frionnel
May 7, 2010

Friends are what make testing worth it.

Gorgo Primus posted:

Shia all the way!

Suffi. :colbert:

Gorgo Primus
Mar 29, 2009

We shall forge the most progressive republic ever known to man!
Shafufi?

Frionnel
May 7, 2010

Friends are what make testing worth it.

Gorgo Primus posted:

Shafufi?

Shuffia is a much better name.

Lawman 0
Aug 17, 2010

I think I just came a little when I saw the thread title and OP.
I'm so loving down for this wiz. :munch:

Zeroisanumber
Oct 23, 2010

Nap Ghost
Looking forward to reading it, Wiz.

And good call on reducing audience participation. Reading the Crete LP was fun, but the continual, sophistical, circular arguments in the Senate must've been a lot more fun to participate in than they were to read.

Lustful Man Hugs
Jul 18, 2010

Any specific reason for the lack of HoI? I'm not a super-expert on this series, so I wouldn't know of any reason to exclude it. Either way, I am way the gently caress looking forward to this.

Wiz
May 16, 2004

Nap Ghost

ChaosSamusX posted:

Any specific reason for the lack of HoI? I'm not a super-expert on this series, so I wouldn't know of any reason to exclude it. Either way, I am way the gently caress looking forward to this.

Mainly the insane conversion time. During the Hohenzollern LP it took me something like 4x as long to convert vicky to HOI as all the other conversions combined, and that was with an incomplete conversion. Not really feeling up for doing it again, though I might feel differently when the end of vicky rolls around.

Lustful Man Hugs
Jul 18, 2010

Wiz posted:

Mainly the insane conversion time. During the Hohenzollern LP it took me something like 4x as long to convert vicky to HOI as all the other conversions combined, and that was with an incomplete conversion. Not really feeling up for doing it again, though I might feel differently when the end of vicky rolls around.

Ah, that makes enough sense. What exactly does the conversion process entail? How much of it is automatic, and how much of it has to be done manually?

Wiz
May 16, 2004

Nap Ghost

ChaosSamusX posted:

Ah, that makes enough sense. What exactly does the conversion process entail? How much of it is automatic, and how much of it has to be done manually?

There are converters, but I find that they usually make a mess of things so I always do it by hand.

Jimmy4400nav
Apr 1, 2011

Ambassador to Moonlandia
Yessssss, another Wiz Paradox LP! I read the Germany one in the archive before I joined SA, and I. Joined Crete right when it was wraping up. Now I can be on the ground floor of the brand new journey into alternate history :neckbeard:

Hafl
Mar 17, 2009

Why yes, I am a crazy cat lady.
Yay, a new Paradox LP I can follow after getting burned out on the Crete one.

Tomn
Aug 23, 2007

And the angel said unto him
"Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself."
But lo he could not. For the angel was hitting him with his own hands
Well, this should be relaxing. Time to sit back and watch instead of jumping up and yelling at everything.

The Lord of Hats
Aug 22, 2010

Hello, yes! Is being very good day for posting, no?
Oh man, this is gonna be awesome. I loved the previous LPs, and I'll be able to participate in this one.

Wiz
May 16, 2004

Nap Ghost

Tomn posted:

Well, this should be relaxing. Time to sit back and watch instead of jumping up and yelling at everything.

Ooh, I actually already appointed you as the thread's Muezzin. Sorry about that.

Frionnel
May 7, 2010

Friends are what make testing worth it.
So i take it that Sniper is the Vizier or something?

Zeroisanumber
Oct 23, 2010

Nap Ghost

Frionnel posted:

So i take it that Sniper is the Vizier or something?

Captain of the eunuchs who guard the Royal Harem.

Tomn
Aug 23, 2007

And the angel said unto him
"Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself."
But lo he could not. For the angel was hitting him with his own hands

Wiz posted:

Ooh, I actually already appointed you as the thread's Muezzin. Sorry about that.

Oh, well, um, er, I'm a bit out of practice, so, uh...lesse, how do you do this....

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant...

Frionnel
May 7, 2010

Friends are what make testing worth it.

Zeroisanumber posted:

Captain of the eunuchs who guard the Royal Harem.

Perfect.

theblastizard
Nov 5, 2009
Are you going to be using Divine Wind once EU3 hits?

meatbag
Apr 2, 2007
Clapping Larry
Another Wiz LP! :neckbeard:

I can't wait to see our empire break up every singe time our king dies. Which character do you continue to play as? The first in line?

sum
Nov 15, 2010

:toot:

Can't wait to see you get in to pointless wars with Georgia and Persia over worthless tracts of land.

Jimmy4400nav
Apr 1, 2011

Ambassador to Moonlandia
In Crusader Kings, how does Switzerland play? Are the Cantons under the control of other factions? I'm curious because I'm playing Divine Wind with Switzerland right now and I wanted to know how they play in the previous game.

Takanago
Jun 2, 2007

You'll see...
It is nice to get a new, fresh start. Let's see the glorious rise and hilarious misstep of our country.

sniper4625
Sep 26, 2009

Loyal to the hEnd

Frionnel posted:

So i take it that Sniper is the Vizier or something?

Unlimitttted. POOOOOWER!

theblastizard
Nov 5, 2009

i poo poo trains posted:

:toot:

Can't wait to see you get in to pointless wars with Georgia and Persia over worthless tracts of land.

And the inevitable Mongol rear end whuppin.

Frionnel
May 7, 2010

Friends are what make testing worth it.
And Pytheid appearing from another dimesnion to leade Azerbaijan as Al-Pyte'id the Greater.

VVV Just wait until Vicky.

Frionnel fucked around with this message at 22:47 on Aug 4, 2011

Leperflesh
May 17, 2007

Hooray! We get to vote to cause our caliphate (or whatever) to go down in ruin and ignominy!

And no arguments about democracy! Even better!

Flavius Aetass
Mar 30, 2011
I have to admit I don't know a lot about this country's history. At this time there might be people still alive whose grandparents told them about the way it was before the Turks came? What's the dealio in 1187?

Wiz
May 16, 2004

Nap Ghost


Chapter 1: Prologue (1187 - 1190)

Welcome to Azerbaijan! Situated on the Caspian sea in the Caucasus region, it has a long and colorful history of different peoples and religions, having been a part of at varying times the Scythian conquests, various Persian dynasties, the Seleucid Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate and finally the USSR before achieving independence in 1991.

In 1187 however, Azerbaijan is under the rulership of the Ildeguzid dynasty. The dynasty was founded by Shams ad-Dīn Eldegüz, a slave of the Turkish Seljuk Empire who was appointed ruler of Azerbaijan in 1137. When the Seljuk Empire collapsed, the Ildeguzids continued to rule over Azerbaijan until its conquest by the Shah of Khwarizm in 1225. Little is known of the Ildeguzid dynasty, though they are said to have been great sponsors of art and poetry.

Our territory consists of seven Beyliks (Counties), each ruled by a vassal Bey, with the exception of Tabriz which is a vassal Emirate of ours who have their own vassal in the Beylik of Gilan. Though we can demand scutage (a percent of tax income) and military service from our vassals, in all other respects they effectively rule themselves, and only the Beylik of Azerbaijan is under our direct control.


Our immediate neighbours in the middle east is a mix of Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim states. The Fatimid and Byzantine empires are the great powers of the middle east, with Khwarizm being the regional great power around the Caspian.


To the north, Russia is divided into a dozen squabbling principalties, surrounded by pagan tribes and the great pagan Cuman empire. The Kingdoms of Hungary and Poland guard the entrance to Europe.


To our west, the Almohad Caliphate controls much of Iberia and North Africa, engaged in a struggle for its very existance against the Catholic reconquista. Italy is divided into two kingdoms, the northern Kingdom of Italy ruled by the heir to the Holy Roman Empire, and the southern Kingdom of Naples-Sicily ruled by Norman kings from northern france.


The Holy Roman Empire, or Kingdom of Germany as it's more derisively known, dominates Europe. In the far northwest, France and England are engaged in struggles over the control of Normandy, Brittanny and Aquitania. (Yes, I know England is supposed to hold more land historically but I find that this always dooms France to nonexistance, so I'm taking a few liberties with the scenario for gameplay balance).


Our ruler is Qizil-Arslan Uthman, the second of the Ildeguzid rulers. A man of modest talent, his only noteworthy trait is a penchant for intrigue. As most turks, he adheres to the Sunni school of Islam.


Our most important vassal is the Emir of Tabriz, who controls the two richest Beyliks in Azerbaijan, and who would make a powerful challenger to our ruler if we antagonize him.


The neighbour that gives us the most immediate concern is Khwarizm and its warlike Shah, who controls the vast and rich lands of Persia.


After a long period of squabbling Emirs fighting each other, Syria and Egypt have been unified under Salah ad-Din, who has sworn to retake Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock from the Crusaders.


Though but a shadow of its former self, the Byzantine Empire is still wealthy and powerful, but the glory days of its Angelos dynasty are long over. Historically, they oversaw (and were partly responsible for) the sack of Constantinople during the fourth crusade. The current Emperor is a weak and lazy man, more interested in praying to God than running his empire.


The King of the Cumans rules vast lands to the north, threatening Christian and Muslim rulers alike with his innumerable hordes of pagan horsemen.


Our most immediate rival is Georgia, of roughly equal size and wealth to Azerbaijan, currently ruled by a highly skilled young queen.


Another of our close rivals, the Alans hold a wealthy principality squeezed between Georgia and the Cumans,


The Seljuks still control a small fraction of their empire in the Sultanate of Rum, and other splinter states of roughly equal power to us include the Sultan of Kirkuk and the Sultan of Erzerum.




The Abbasid dynasty of Baghdad, still insisting on being called the rightful Caliphs, have regained some of their power after being turned into a vassal state by the Seljuks. Though far from a great power, they are at least a rival and threat to Khwarizm.


The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, established after the brutal conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, has fallen on hard times after the death of its leper king, Baldwin IV. It is now completely enveloped by Saladin, its only allies being the weak principality of Antioch.


Far away in Iberia, Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mumin rules the apex power of Islam, the Almohad Caliphate. A ruler of modest talents, he is nonetheless known to the planning a great push north to retake lands lost to the spanish crusaders.


In Europe, Friedrich Barbarossa rules as Holy Roman Emperor despite advancing age. The Pope is trying to convince Barbarossa to turn his armies either towards the Almohads or the Fatimids, but whether the German Emperor will listen is yet to be seen.


Azerbaijan is ruled according to traditional Turkish customs and Sharia law. Upon the death of a ruler, the Semisalic Gavelkind law means that the ruler's titles are split between the ruler's male descendants, including those tracing their inheritance through the female lineage.


The treasury and the court. (Note that because I am playing a Muslim country, which you're not actually supposed to do in Crusader Kings, I have to deal with various inconveniences such as not being able to appoint a Diocese Bishop. It also means some things won't make perfect sense, like only being able to have one wife, women in court positions etc, but just roll with it.)


Finally, the province of Azerbaijan itself. A fairly rich province, though by no means the richest in the Sultanate, famous mainly for its great mosque.


An envoy from the Shah of Khwarizm arrives at court, offering an alliance between Khwarizm and Azerbaijan. Eager to have the mighty neighbour as friends, Qizil readily agrees.


He next sets about finding a wife to sire sons and secure the future of the dynasty. He ends up choosing a young woman from an influenctial family in Tabriz, known for her good hand with finances.



The marriage quickly bears fruit and a son and heir, whom Qizil names Murad. The son is followed by a daughter named Zehra.



Qizil turns his attention to the development of his territory, creating a court of justice to administer sharia law and a a training-grounds to help raise troops faster in the event of war.


He also finds himself more and more drawn to his young wife, but when she suggests that he should take no other wives than her, he rebuffs her, saying that he needs to sire many sons to secure the future of the dynasty. This does not endear him to Ayse, and soon he has a bitter rival in his own wife and steward.


Qizil's vassals also start making noise, with the Bey of Suenik having the audacity to demand changes to Azerbaijan's succession law, a demand that is forcefully rejected.


As the year turns to 1190, Caliph Abu has made reality of his plans, invading the Kingdom of Castille and conquering much land, but falling in battle outside Toledo.


An infant now rules as Caliph, and the future of the Almohad Caliphate remains as uncertain as ever.

Wiz fucked around with this message at 17:15 on Oct 3, 2011

Robert Deadford
Mar 1, 2008
Ultra Carp
/\/\/\ That's what I get for not hitting preview after composing.

I'm wondering if Wiz has read Kim Stanley Robinson's Years of Rice and Salt, and if so has it affected his narrative plans? It's a fairly chunky novel about an alternate history of the world after the Black Death wipes Christianity out.

Anyway, this LP will be good.

RabidWeasel
Aug 4, 2007

Cultures thrive on their myths and legends...and snuggles!
Wow, I totally forgot that this was going to be a thing and I was sad that the Suebi got annexed because it meant no more Wiz LP for a while; but I suppose it's actually been quite some time since Crete finished so hooray! V:v:V

Frionnel
May 7, 2010

Friends are what make testing worth it.
Oh well. That will be a quick Reconquista.

sum
Nov 15, 2010

I hate to complain this early in the LP, but would you consider using PNGs instead of JPGs? CK has a lot of small text and all these artifacts are getting in the way of readability.

Wiz
May 16, 2004

Nap Ghost

i poo poo trains posted:

I hate to complain this early in the LP, but would you consider using PNGs instead of JPGs? CK has a lot of small text and all these artifacts are getting in the way of readability.

Will switch to PNGs until end of CK, updates just tend to get kind of huge.

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Brutus Salad
Nov 8, 2009

Best buddies forever! :3:
Alas poor Morocco, we hardly knew ye.

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