Spoofa
04-25-2007, 03:35
(I am doing a romani campaign with CountArch's house rules.)
The Romani have just suffered the greatest defeat known to our historians since the Battle of Allia in the autumn of 246 b.c.
2664 good roman soldiers, verse 2300 carthaginians, a battle for control of the vital economical position we call sardinia. Every year the profits we get from this island makes our coffers bulge, It creates legions, but no more. Four years of constant peace with the Carthaginians, four years of prosperity and economic growth, gone. Why you may ask, well the answer is quite simple. The Carthaginians send a large army of assorted troops, most from the far hills of Iberia, some from the deserts of North Africa... two thousand three hundred men in all, Quite a sum.
As soon as the army landed on Sardinia, we immediately diverted our best general and consul Caivs Avrelivs Africanvs and the first legion, our finest, with a flawless record of victories under Caivs Africanvs, to repel the invaders, and here is the story as Caivs Africanvs's most trusted centurion tells it.
247 b.c. Autumn. We leave Capua for the northlands, to expand our borders north, after the first legion's triumphs in the south, it is only natural the senators call upon their most experienced legion to make Roma's Republic larger.
247 b.c. Winter. Caivs Africanvs has decided to make winter quarters atop a small hill on the western side of the Tiber river, several miles outside of Roma itself, a messenger has arrived, he seemed to have more haste then is normal.
246 b.c. Spring. With a new year brings new victories, the messenger that came late in the winter has reported a large carthaginian army amassed outside of Karali, the main hub of control for the island of Sardinia. Caivs has ordered the immediate breaking of camp as soon as the frost thawed, now we march for Ostia, where we will board warships to ferry us across the sea.
246 b.c. Summer. We arrived on Sardinia and are setting up camp in southern sardinia, soon i feel we will be faced with battle.
246 b.c. Autumn. We have arrived outside of Karali and have seen a large army of fierce looking warriors besieging its walls, Caivs Ordered us to deploy in battle formation, and slowly march forward to battle.
Battle:
As my Maniple of Principes marched forward in between and behind the Hastati and Rorarii, i sensed some fear in my men, these warriors from the west were large, tall and strong men, fierce warriors we could tell, it would be a bloody battle, and before it was over we knew most of us wouldnt live to tell the tale...
4 minutes later... Reinforcements have arrived! Caivs Africanvs's son and part of the garrison of Karali have managed to sally forth and combine with our army, due to the distraction we've made. The garrison was only leves though, but good roman soldiers none the less, our numbers have bolstered to 2654 men, and it is good to see our general reunited with his son.
13 minutes later... The carthaginians have formed up into battle formation, a typical battle line, but they have much cavalry, strong, heavily armored cavalry, I do not know if our Equites can handle them, or possibly even our generals and their bodygaurd if such a dire need calls for their spear arm. We have deployed in normal roman formation, Hastati and Rorarii in front, with a large space inbetween them, Principes behind and inbetween the gap, Thankfully we have two maniples of Triarii, the Senate decided to strengthen our legion before we left, and they were deployed on the left and right wings accordingly, behind and off to the side of the rorarii and hastati, and we have our accensi infront to skirmish, the leves our general cleverly placed in the gaps inbetween our hastati, rorarii, Principes and triarii. The Equites are on the right wing, behind the Triarii, and Caivs Africanvs and his son are both on the left wing behind the triarii again.
5 minutes later... Caivs Africanvs has ordered us forward, inbetween us and the carthaginians is a small band of tree's, Hopefully we do not get caught in them when the fighting begins...
15 minutes later... Disaster! we have been caught in the tree's and our formation was not ready! the leves up front were slaughtered after failing to retreat to the back of the line after the accensi retreated. the Hastati threw their javalins but that was to little affect, the strange Iberians have large shields similar to our own, they have similar armor to the Principes, and their spears are made of solid metal all the way to the butt of the spear.
Their javalins pierce our shields like butter! These Iberians have far superior knowledge of weapons crafting, something I hope our senators look into sometimes in the future.
2 minutes later.... We have engaged, the Hastati and Rorarii and fighting these iberian warriors, and our general has left us to deal with the Carthaginian Cavalry, I suppose the situation is more dire then i once thought, we are alone now.
I have decided to order my Principes to charge and assist the hastati, the Triarii on the right wing are already engaged beside the rorarii, and the triarii on the left are engaged on another group of iberians.
15 minutes later... The leves have joined the fight as well, with their short spears and small shields, they are of little help, but every bit counts. None have seen our general or his son, we are worried.
24 minutes later.... Hurrah! the horn of our general has sounded from behind the enemy lines, and my men are encouraged! We may yet win this battle.
4 minutes later.... I was mistaken, the leves have broken and are retreating! the hastati are being withered down to nothing and so is my maniple, the Triarii on the right have disengaged and went somewhere north, to assist our general I think.
15 minutes later... Our right wing has broken! the left is faltering, our center is weak. we have lost. I no longer hear the horn of Caivs Africanvs, I fear the worst.
6 minutes later... the entire army has broken, we all run for our lives and grieve for the loss of Caivs Africanvs, one of his trusted bodygaurd rode up beside me and told me this grave news...
After that battle, we ran into the hills, shamed, humiliated, Roma's best! her first born has failed her! oh the misery! The consul has fallen, this is also a grave blow to Roma's pride and military strength, his son has not been accounted for but rumors of his flee back to the city, there is no hope for him there, the carthaginians suffered half their army, but still that was not enough. The bodygaurd told me of Caivs Africanvs valor, he managed to kill one of the enemy princes that was traveling with the army, Huzzah! We have at least done them the harm of robbing them of one of their royalty.
The few of us left have escaped on a small boat back to Roma, where i hope to regain command of a maniple, and avenge our beloved Caivs Africanvs, we loved him like a God, he will be missed.
The senate has called for no stop to war until the general responsible for this massacre is hung in the public of Roma, then his head put on a spear and displayed at the gates of Roma to tell all that enter, The sons of Mar's always, have their revenge.
https://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u136/MastaSpoofa/RomeTW-BI2007-04-1819-17-08-81.jpg
https://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u136/MastaSpoofa/RomeTW-BI2007-04-1819-17-05-78.jpg
https://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u136/MastaSpoofa/RomeTW-BI2007-04-1819-17-25-59.jpg
https://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u136/MastaSpoofa/RomeTW-BI2007-04-1819-18-20-98.jpg
The greatest general the Republic has yet known... (he was 4 star's on the campaign map, not including additional stars for attacking.)
The Romani have just suffered the greatest defeat known to our historians since the Battle of Allia in the autumn of 246 b.c.
2664 good roman soldiers, verse 2300 carthaginians, a battle for control of the vital economical position we call sardinia. Every year the profits we get from this island makes our coffers bulge, It creates legions, but no more. Four years of constant peace with the Carthaginians, four years of prosperity and economic growth, gone. Why you may ask, well the answer is quite simple. The Carthaginians send a large army of assorted troops, most from the far hills of Iberia, some from the deserts of North Africa... two thousand three hundred men in all, Quite a sum.
As soon as the army landed on Sardinia, we immediately diverted our best general and consul Caivs Avrelivs Africanvs and the first legion, our finest, with a flawless record of victories under Caivs Africanvs, to repel the invaders, and here is the story as Caivs Africanvs's most trusted centurion tells it.
247 b.c. Autumn. We leave Capua for the northlands, to expand our borders north, after the first legion's triumphs in the south, it is only natural the senators call upon their most experienced legion to make Roma's Republic larger.
247 b.c. Winter. Caivs Africanvs has decided to make winter quarters atop a small hill on the western side of the Tiber river, several miles outside of Roma itself, a messenger has arrived, he seemed to have more haste then is normal.
246 b.c. Spring. With a new year brings new victories, the messenger that came late in the winter has reported a large carthaginian army amassed outside of Karali, the main hub of control for the island of Sardinia. Caivs has ordered the immediate breaking of camp as soon as the frost thawed, now we march for Ostia, where we will board warships to ferry us across the sea.
246 b.c. Summer. We arrived on Sardinia and are setting up camp in southern sardinia, soon i feel we will be faced with battle.
246 b.c. Autumn. We have arrived outside of Karali and have seen a large army of fierce looking warriors besieging its walls, Caivs Ordered us to deploy in battle formation, and slowly march forward to battle.
Battle:
As my Maniple of Principes marched forward in between and behind the Hastati and Rorarii, i sensed some fear in my men, these warriors from the west were large, tall and strong men, fierce warriors we could tell, it would be a bloody battle, and before it was over we knew most of us wouldnt live to tell the tale...
4 minutes later... Reinforcements have arrived! Caivs Africanvs's son and part of the garrison of Karali have managed to sally forth and combine with our army, due to the distraction we've made. The garrison was only leves though, but good roman soldiers none the less, our numbers have bolstered to 2654 men, and it is good to see our general reunited with his son.
13 minutes later... The carthaginians have formed up into battle formation, a typical battle line, but they have much cavalry, strong, heavily armored cavalry, I do not know if our Equites can handle them, or possibly even our generals and their bodygaurd if such a dire need calls for their spear arm. We have deployed in normal roman formation, Hastati and Rorarii in front, with a large space inbetween them, Principes behind and inbetween the gap, Thankfully we have two maniples of Triarii, the Senate decided to strengthen our legion before we left, and they were deployed on the left and right wings accordingly, behind and off to the side of the rorarii and hastati, and we have our accensi infront to skirmish, the leves our general cleverly placed in the gaps inbetween our hastati, rorarii, Principes and triarii. The Equites are on the right wing, behind the Triarii, and Caivs Africanvs and his son are both on the left wing behind the triarii again.
5 minutes later... Caivs Africanvs has ordered us forward, inbetween us and the carthaginians is a small band of tree's, Hopefully we do not get caught in them when the fighting begins...
15 minutes later... Disaster! we have been caught in the tree's and our formation was not ready! the leves up front were slaughtered after failing to retreat to the back of the line after the accensi retreated. the Hastati threw their javalins but that was to little affect, the strange Iberians have large shields similar to our own, they have similar armor to the Principes, and their spears are made of solid metal all the way to the butt of the spear.
Their javalins pierce our shields like butter! These Iberians have far superior knowledge of weapons crafting, something I hope our senators look into sometimes in the future.
2 minutes later.... We have engaged, the Hastati and Rorarii and fighting these iberian warriors, and our general has left us to deal with the Carthaginian Cavalry, I suppose the situation is more dire then i once thought, we are alone now.
I have decided to order my Principes to charge and assist the hastati, the Triarii on the right wing are already engaged beside the rorarii, and the triarii on the left are engaged on another group of iberians.
15 minutes later... The leves have joined the fight as well, with their short spears and small shields, they are of little help, but every bit counts. None have seen our general or his son, we are worried.
24 minutes later.... Hurrah! the horn of our general has sounded from behind the enemy lines, and my men are encouraged! We may yet win this battle.
4 minutes later.... I was mistaken, the leves have broken and are retreating! the hastati are being withered down to nothing and so is my maniple, the Triarii on the right have disengaged and went somewhere north, to assist our general I think.
15 minutes later... Our right wing has broken! the left is faltering, our center is weak. we have lost. I no longer hear the horn of Caivs Africanvs, I fear the worst.
6 minutes later... the entire army has broken, we all run for our lives and grieve for the loss of Caivs Africanvs, one of his trusted bodygaurd rode up beside me and told me this grave news...
After that battle, we ran into the hills, shamed, humiliated, Roma's best! her first born has failed her! oh the misery! The consul has fallen, this is also a grave blow to Roma's pride and military strength, his son has not been accounted for but rumors of his flee back to the city, there is no hope for him there, the carthaginians suffered half their army, but still that was not enough. The bodygaurd told me of Caivs Africanvs valor, he managed to kill one of the enemy princes that was traveling with the army, Huzzah! We have at least done them the harm of robbing them of one of their royalty.
The few of us left have escaped on a small boat back to Roma, where i hope to regain command of a maniple, and avenge our beloved Caivs Africanvs, we loved him like a God, he will be missed.
The senate has called for no stop to war until the general responsible for this massacre is hung in the public of Roma, then his head put on a spear and displayed at the gates of Roma to tell all that enter, The sons of Mar's always, have their revenge.
https://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u136/MastaSpoofa/RomeTW-BI2007-04-1819-17-08-81.jpg
https://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u136/MastaSpoofa/RomeTW-BI2007-04-1819-17-05-78.jpg
https://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u136/MastaSpoofa/RomeTW-BI2007-04-1819-17-25-59.jpg
https://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u136/MastaSpoofa/RomeTW-BI2007-04-1819-18-20-98.jpg
The greatest general the Republic has yet known... (he was 4 star's on the campaign map, not including additional stars for attacking.)