Defying Destiny Dev Diary #5: Morocco & Tunis + New Add-on
First of all: follow us on Gamefound
https://gamefound.com/en/projects/aegir-games/europa-universalis-tpop-reprint-and-expansion
The magic will happen there very soon!
Pre-Launch Reservations End on Monday 17th
You are still just about in time to get the Flavor Pack 1: Britannia for free if you sign up for the Pre-Launch Reservation
Reservation on our website by Monday 17 June (the day before the Launch!).
This is how it works:
- Go to our website and click Add to Cart on the Defying Destiny Pre-Launch Reservation product
- Use the same email as you use on Gamefound
- When the Defying Destiny Campaign launches, you will have €5 in credit and Flavor Pack 1: Britannia available as a free reward
- We'll ship it with your pledge once the shipping commences.
- It helps us with manufacturing budgets! Thank you!
"What's a Flavor Pack 1: Britannia?" You may ask.
Good question, like all the questions you ask. It is 9 quirky alternative Events, some for England and some Generic Events for the British Isles as a whole. Should you wish to play as any of Laighin, Ulaidh, or Mhumhain, you can now appoint Aodh Ó Néill as your Ruler – may he never be forced out of Ireland ever again!
Can I get it after?
Short answer: Sure!
Long answer: We are going to make it available in the pledge manager for €5. We already have 1500 printed units, of which around 500, so far, are tied down to reservations, and it is going to be available until those units are sold out. But fret not! We will print more with enough people wanting them.
Defying Destiny Dev Diary #5:
Morocco & Tunis + New Add-on
by Joeri Lefevre, everyone check his other work
Morocco
We are once more back in the Western Mediterranean, but this time looking at it from a North African perspective. Morocco joins the fray as a new Muslim Realm to play with, with a small number of Provinces, but with access to the most precious commodity … Gold!
In 1444, Morocco starts the game ruled by the Marinid dynasty, who finds themselves in decline. The defeat at the hands of the Portuguese early in the century saw the loss of Ceuta, and the power of the Sultans had been diminished by the interference of the Wattasid viziers.
In a last desperate attempt, the Marinids wiped out almost the entire Wattasid clan, but following the 1465 Moroccan Revolution that took place in Fez and ended in the death of the last Marinid ruler, the Wattasids took over the control of Morocco in 1472. However, the chaos caused by that revolution led to the weakening of the Realm, and allowed foreign powers, like Portugal, to take advantage by capturing some of their coastal cities.
The Wattasid also had to deal with the fall of Granada and the subsequent expulsion of the Jews and Muslims from Iberia. The majority of the Moorish Refugees, first approached the rulers of Morocco, due to their close proximity. It will be up to you if you only allow a select group of people to reach your Realm, or if you open your Realm to everyone coming from Al-Andalus.
But the reign of the Wattasids wasn’t meant to last forever. With the Saadi dynasty defeating the Wattasids at the Battle of Tadla, a new and potent line of rulers came into power in Morocco in 1554, moving the seat of power to Marrakesh, as reflected in the Event, Stirrings in the South.
Morocco also had moments of grandeur. Tempted by the legendary Gold of Mansa Musa, Sultan Ahmad Al-Mansur ordered an expedition South against the Songai Empire, reaching the Niger Valley and conquering Gao, the Empire's Capital. This invasion secured the control of the Trans-Saharan trade for the centuries to come.
In the 17th century, after the decline of the Saadi dynasty, the Alawi dynasty came to power in Morocco (and they are still the current monarchs of modern Morocco), consolidating the power of Morocco and unifying the realm. Thanks to that, they managed to recover territories long held in the hands of Portugal and Spain, like Tangiers.
The Moroccan missions will focus both on the history that we just discussed, like having them expand southwards to take over the Gold Provinces in West Africa, or the recovery of the Moroccan Towns under Portuguese Control; but also will see them try to gain a foothold on the Iberian peninsula to dominate Al-Andalus, just like the Almoravids and the Almohads before them.
Tunis
And now we turn our attention a bit to the East to find Tunis, a Realm with strong connections to the Mediterranean Sea and Piracy.
In 1444, Tunis is ruled by Abu Uthman, who would lead Tunis for most of the 15th century, in a period of prosperity for the Realm. This period of Ifriqiyan Splendour will allow Tunis to use this prosperity to either use this to improve the Realm’s situation, gaining Influence across the Mediterranean, develop their Provinces and Trade opportunities; or instead focus on a military build-up against its smaller neighbors.
But, unfortunately, such periods of prosperity don’t last forever. The opportunities in Tunis attracted the attention of The Barbarossa Brothers, who set up a base in Tunis to launch their raids against the Christians. You will be able to instead reject giving those concessions to them, but that will be costly.
The 16th century saw Tunis Caught Between Giants, with Spain and the Ottoman Empire fighting for control of the Central Mediterranean. Tunis struggled to remain independent in the conflict due to their strategic location, and the fact that the Ottoman pirates (such as the Barbarossa Brothers) were setting up bases of operation on the Tunisian coastline.
After some years as Spanish vassals and back-and-forth, Tunis finally fell into the Ottoman sphere of Influence, with Ottoman military leaders taking over as de facto rulers of Tunis, replacing the Hafsid dynasty. Uthman Dey tried to lay the Foundations of a New Era for Tunis, where Tunis became a base of operations for both corsairs and the Ottoman fleet. They also benefitted from the expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain in 1609 (the descendants of the Muslim population in Spain), which forced many people to emigrate from Iberia to Muslim countries, with the majority of them making the Barbary Coast their new home.
From this moment on, Tunis remained as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire for the rest of the time period covered in Europa Universalis: the Price of Power.
The Tunisian Missions will highlight the seafaring spirit of Tunis, focusing on building a Raiding Fleet that can be used to Disrupt Trade, in order to secure the Mediterranean Shores, with the ultimate goal of reviving their Carthaginian Legacy.
New Add-on: Full Extra Player Set
You've asked for it, and we've listened. The featured image at the top already gave you a hint …
That's right, with this add-on, you can now add a 7th player – or just vary the player colors! The new player set is going to be a sky blue/cyan-ish color, which pops nicely on the map board, different enough from the dark blue and cold green of the current player pieces as well as the light blue DNPR tokens. The coat of arms fits nicely alongside the current designs. I cannot wait to see it on the table!
In addition to the miniatures, the wooden pieces, the tray, and the tokens on this punchboard, this add-on will of course have a player mat and army/fleet mats.
We have some Stretch Goals planned too, that hopefully may make this add-on even cooler!
Finally, adding this beautiful illustration of the Great Stand on the Ugra, by Joeri, for you to admire:
