bdac
04-09-2007, 09:57
Makedonia, the root of empires. Makedonia, the military machine that conquered Persia. Makedonia, home of Megas Alexandros. And several of his cousins. Cousins you might call connoisseurs of wine...
https://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6412/fotv2ab0.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Autumn, 248 BC
Kappodokia Pontika
Alkyoneus Gonatas was a man unused to failure. Indeed, failure was almost a wholly foreign concept to him. He, the vanquisher of Phyrros and his damnable Epeirotes, the conqueror of Halikarnassos and Rhodos, fail? The idea was laughable.
Unfortunately for Alkyoneus, king of Makedonia, vanquisher of Epeiros, victor at Rhodos, &c, &c, passing up good wine was another concept wholly foreign to him. One simply does not abstain from a bit of good Aitolian wine, even on the eve of battle. Especially on the eve of battle. So perhaps our good man Alkyoneus overindulged a bit on the fruit of those Aitolian vines? No matter. The foolish king of Pontos was outnumbered nearly two to one. And the plan was simple anyway: kill as many of the Pontic royal family as possible. It's difficult for dead men to hold a throne, after all.
https://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2309/fotvkpintrowo2.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Alkyoneus, King of Makedonia
Ever since the conquest of Byzantion, the "kingdom" of Pontos had been a minor irritation, a miniature thorn in Alkyoneus' side. The fools decided to declare war on Makedonia - a declaration that had no ramifications whatsoever, considering that Alkyoneus commanded all of Hellas and Pontos consisted of a single province in northern Kappadokia. Now Alkyoneus hoped to gain their province, eliminate an ally of the Seleukids, and perhaps find a few new vineyards...
To that end, the Makedonian king besieged the capital of Pontos, awaiting the inevitable counterattack from the Pontic field army. When the counterattack came, Alkyoneus would array the bulk of his forces against the field army, while a small rearguard would deal with the smaller city garrison. With skillful maneuvering, and a little bit of luck, Alkyoneus planned to entrap the majority of the Pontic royal family and slaughter them, leaving their kingdom his for the taking.
https://img207.imageshack.us/img207/9361/fotvkparmyfd9.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
The Makedonian army
As predicted, the Pontic field army attacked Alkyoneus in an effort to break of the siege of their capital. Alkyoneus, thoroughly satisfied with his plan and his Aitolian wine, arranged the majority of his pezhetairoi battle line against the southeast, with a few pezhetairoi, plus his veteran argyraspidai, guarding against incursion from the northeast.
https://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7143/fotvkp3ot9.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Alkyoneus inspects his battle line
The Pontic rulers, their cavalry bodyguards, and their Persian levies approached the Makedonians from both sides. Alkyoneus watched from the center of the Makedonian lines, eagerly (and, perhaps, slightly drunkenly) awaiting the demise of the royal family of Pontos. As the first elements of the Ponic levies engaged the Makedonian rearguard, the tipsy Makedonian king noticed something rather unfortunate. In his ever-so-slightly intoxicated state, Alkyoneus had arrayed his main battle line against the tiny garrison force of the Pontic capital. His rearguard now faced the Kappadokian hippeis and phalangitai of the Pontic field army.
Everything went quite wrong from there.
https://img81.imageshack.us/img81/6361/fotvkp2kt3.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Argyraspidai face unexpected opposition
With too short a line and too few mobile infantry to defend the flanks of his rearguard, Alkyoneus angrily ordered his Thessalian lancers to immobilize the enemy cavalry. With the Thessalians occupied, Alkyoneus would be unable to entrap the Pontic royal bodyguards...
In the southwest, the Makedonian main battle line was thrown into utter confusion. The pezhetairoi faced highly mobile bodyguard cavalry and a single unit of phalangitai, not the infantry-heavy army they had expected. The phalanx held its position against the small force of phalangitai as the Pontic family members charged towards its left flank...
https://img207.imageshack.us/img207/4158/fotvkp1uv0.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
garrison phalangites distract the pezhetairoi
https://img206.imageshack.us/img206/184/fotvkp4uq6.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
A Pontic strategos and his bodyguard charge the left flank
Alkyoneus at last managed to rout the Pontic field army, through the personal intervention of his somatophylakes and liberal use of his Thessalians. Desperate to kill at least a few of the Pontic royals, the Makedonian king ordered his already exhausted Thessalians to assist the pezhetairoi and thureophoroi against the small but cavalry-heavy garrison force.
https://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4996/fotvkp6sj4.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Thessalians surround the Pontic horse
Ultimately, the Makedonians had won the battle - but quite accidentally. A little Aitolian wine had cost Alkyoneus Kappodokia Pontika, at least for another season. The Makedonian king, irritated by the failure of his well-laid plans, promised himself he would never touch the fruit of the vine again. After he tasted just a bit of that Euboian vintage, of course. And he had always wondered if the Campanian stuff was as good as the Romaioi traders claimed...
~~~~~
This entire episode was prompted by my own failure to properly position my forces. For some reason I completely mixed up the directions the armies were coming from, and I found that amusing enough to write a miniature AAR on. I suppose if anyone finds this remotely entertaining I could continue it.
Incidentally, you may have noticed I'm rather new here. I've been lurking around since .74 or so, but I only now decided to register. I would like to mention that EB is really quite dangerously addictive and ought to be a controlled substance...
https://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6412/fotv2ab0.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Autumn, 248 BC
Kappodokia Pontika
Alkyoneus Gonatas was a man unused to failure. Indeed, failure was almost a wholly foreign concept to him. He, the vanquisher of Phyrros and his damnable Epeirotes, the conqueror of Halikarnassos and Rhodos, fail? The idea was laughable.
Unfortunately for Alkyoneus, king of Makedonia, vanquisher of Epeiros, victor at Rhodos, &c, &c, passing up good wine was another concept wholly foreign to him. One simply does not abstain from a bit of good Aitolian wine, even on the eve of battle. Especially on the eve of battle. So perhaps our good man Alkyoneus overindulged a bit on the fruit of those Aitolian vines? No matter. The foolish king of Pontos was outnumbered nearly two to one. And the plan was simple anyway: kill as many of the Pontic royal family as possible. It's difficult for dead men to hold a throne, after all.
https://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2309/fotvkpintrowo2.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Alkyoneus, King of Makedonia
Ever since the conquest of Byzantion, the "kingdom" of Pontos had been a minor irritation, a miniature thorn in Alkyoneus' side. The fools decided to declare war on Makedonia - a declaration that had no ramifications whatsoever, considering that Alkyoneus commanded all of Hellas and Pontos consisted of a single province in northern Kappadokia. Now Alkyoneus hoped to gain their province, eliminate an ally of the Seleukids, and perhaps find a few new vineyards...
To that end, the Makedonian king besieged the capital of Pontos, awaiting the inevitable counterattack from the Pontic field army. When the counterattack came, Alkyoneus would array the bulk of his forces against the field army, while a small rearguard would deal with the smaller city garrison. With skillful maneuvering, and a little bit of luck, Alkyoneus planned to entrap the majority of the Pontic royal family and slaughter them, leaving their kingdom his for the taking.
https://img207.imageshack.us/img207/9361/fotvkparmyfd9.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
The Makedonian army
As predicted, the Pontic field army attacked Alkyoneus in an effort to break of the siege of their capital. Alkyoneus, thoroughly satisfied with his plan and his Aitolian wine, arranged the majority of his pezhetairoi battle line against the southeast, with a few pezhetairoi, plus his veteran argyraspidai, guarding against incursion from the northeast.
https://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7143/fotvkp3ot9.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Alkyoneus inspects his battle line
The Pontic rulers, their cavalry bodyguards, and their Persian levies approached the Makedonians from both sides. Alkyoneus watched from the center of the Makedonian lines, eagerly (and, perhaps, slightly drunkenly) awaiting the demise of the royal family of Pontos. As the first elements of the Ponic levies engaged the Makedonian rearguard, the tipsy Makedonian king noticed something rather unfortunate. In his ever-so-slightly intoxicated state, Alkyoneus had arrayed his main battle line against the tiny garrison force of the Pontic capital. His rearguard now faced the Kappadokian hippeis and phalangitai of the Pontic field army.
Everything went quite wrong from there.
https://img81.imageshack.us/img81/6361/fotvkp2kt3.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Argyraspidai face unexpected opposition
With too short a line and too few mobile infantry to defend the flanks of his rearguard, Alkyoneus angrily ordered his Thessalian lancers to immobilize the enemy cavalry. With the Thessalians occupied, Alkyoneus would be unable to entrap the Pontic royal bodyguards...
In the southwest, the Makedonian main battle line was thrown into utter confusion. The pezhetairoi faced highly mobile bodyguard cavalry and a single unit of phalangitai, not the infantry-heavy army they had expected. The phalanx held its position against the small force of phalangitai as the Pontic family members charged towards its left flank...
https://img207.imageshack.us/img207/4158/fotvkp1uv0.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
garrison phalangites distract the pezhetairoi
https://img206.imageshack.us/img206/184/fotvkp4uq6.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
A Pontic strategos and his bodyguard charge the left flank
Alkyoneus at last managed to rout the Pontic field army, through the personal intervention of his somatophylakes and liberal use of his Thessalians. Desperate to kill at least a few of the Pontic royals, the Makedonian king ordered his already exhausted Thessalians to assist the pezhetairoi and thureophoroi against the small but cavalry-heavy garrison force.
https://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4996/fotvkp6sj4.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Thessalians surround the Pontic horse
Ultimately, the Makedonians had won the battle - but quite accidentally. A little Aitolian wine had cost Alkyoneus Kappodokia Pontika, at least for another season. The Makedonian king, irritated by the failure of his well-laid plans, promised himself he would never touch the fruit of the vine again. After he tasted just a bit of that Euboian vintage, of course. And he had always wondered if the Campanian stuff was as good as the Romaioi traders claimed...
~~~~~
This entire episode was prompted by my own failure to properly position my forces. For some reason I completely mixed up the directions the armies were coming from, and I found that amusing enough to write a miniature AAR on. I suppose if anyone finds this remotely entertaining I could continue it.
Incidentally, you may have noticed I'm rather new here. I've been lurking around since .74 or so, but I only now decided to register. I would like to mention that EB is really quite dangerously addictive and ought to be a controlled substance...