Above is the map image for the upcoming online campaign. Details to come on www.fanaticus.org forum threads: Discussion: News and Notices and Gaming: Campaigns.

HISTORICAL DESCRIPTION 
During the early part of Alexios' reign, Sicilian Normans to the west and horse tribes from the north threatened Byzantine shores. This campaign recalls thirteen troublesome years in Alexios’ early reign.

CAMPAIGN DESCRIPTION 
Players battle over the course of thirteen weeks using any armies listed. Players may play any opposing armies. Players report battles via email and are updated weekly showing each army's territorial gains, losses and rankings. A combination of historically based event rules and random game mechanic rules add flavor to the campaign.

Alexios I Komnenos Early Reign Campaign - Campaign Rules

INTRODUCTION
This online campaign involves any number of players, from anywhere with internet access. Games are played as normal with results reported to the campaign organizer via email. (See RESULTS OF A BATTLE below)

MAP
The map can be found at http://www.northdakotadba.freeservers.com/whats_new.html and is used for reporting the rankings of armies and territorial gains made. First ranked armies will win the game week/campaign “year” and be listed at the left. The bar by each army’s number will change as gains are made. Armies are shown on the map in their relative historical position.

RESOURCES
Armies always fight full strength: 12 troop elements. Elements lost are not absent from a player’s next game.

THE CAMPAIGN YEAR 
Each campaign year is resolved over one week of thirteen weeks. Players may play any number of games against any opponent.
 
There are no declarations of war. Players may game against whomever with whatever army.

Special conditions and rules for the campaign year/game week will be posted the day before the week starts. 

CAMPAIGN ARMY LIST – ELIGIBLE ARMIES

Major Combatants
IV/1a Komnenan Byzantine
IV/5a Sicilian (Norman)                                               
III/47 Pechenegs                                                         
III/79 Cumans                                                             

Other Antagonists and Allies
II/58 Alan
III11b Central Asian Turkish
III/16 Khazar (through 1083)*
III/26a Early Serbian (through 1089)*
III/32 Volga Bulgar
III/33 Early Muslim North Africa & Sicily
III/52 East Frankish
III/53 Dynastic Bedouin
III/67a Early Hungarian
III/72a Communal Italian
III/73b Seljuk Turk
III/74 Fanatic Berber
III/76 Papal Italian
III/78 Early Russian
IV/2 Cilician Armenian

  *These armies are not playable after the years listed. Have an additional army to play thereafter. 

GIVING BATTLE  
Battles are set up normally with normal deployment rules. As per the rules, more aggressive armies are more generally the attacking army. High Aggression armies do well if they win and gain territory. Low Aggression armies do well if they win and keep territory. First Ranked armies are not determined by how much territory they gain but by their win/loss ration. Historical enemies count for double in terms of effect in the campaign.

PARTICIPATION BY ALLIED CONTINGENTS  
Players by mutual agreement may use allied armies, team-mates with allied armies, and any armies on the campaign list, whether allies, enemies or otherwise.

RESULTS OF A BATTLE  
Results of each battle should be emailed to the campaign organizer: Yozhik at gameyozh@hotmail.com. They must be received within 24 hours from the close of the week. The following format should must be used for accuracy.
 
Date of Game: Month-Day
Winner: Army Book, number and name.
Loser: Army Book, number and name.
Attacker: Army Book, number and name.
Defender: Army Book, number and name
Name of Winning Player
Name of Losing Player
Historical Battle (versus enemy, correct allies, etc.): yes/no
 
Win/loss ratios will be calculated for each army on the campaign list. At most, 10% of an army’s territory can be lost in one year to a given opposing army, more to various armies.

TRIBUTARIES  
Should an army lose 75% of its territory, as indicated by the bar on the campaign map, it becomes a tributary of the army having gained the most territory from it at the given moment (the army that has had the highest cumulative win/loss ratio against it). Any new battles by the tributary army count for the overlord army. Should a tributary army continue to fight its overlord army, which is permitted, and have more wins than losses against it in a campaign year, an insurrection has happened and the overlord army is ousted from its territory, along with any other armies having gained territory there. The tributary army controls its territory once again.

CONQUEST AND WINNING  
The game ends after thirteen weeks. The army with the most 1st weekly rankings is the overall winner. If there is a tie, the tied army with the highest win/loss ratio is the overall winner. The conquest winner is the army that has gained the most territory by the end of the campaign. The winning player is the player with the highest win/loss ratio.

PAINTING  
Take a photo of your army and send it in jpg format to the campaign organizer: Yozhik at gameyozh@hotmail.com. Armies will be posted on the campaign website. If you have prepared and painted this army for the campaign indicate so when you send your photo. It will be eligible for the campaign painted army contest. Players can vote for their favorite army at an upcoming poll on fanaticus.