The Men of the Republic

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((This will be a Roman AAR, I am going very slowly, and not blitzing anyone, infact it's 242 and I don't have all of scilly yet. Also I'm using the "give_trait" to give commanders the imperator trait if they deserve it.
I will first describe the leading men of the republic, and then the first campain.
Once I get my pictures together I'll post the first section)

Rome in 272 BC was just starting to dream about the empire that it would create. After defeating Phyrus’s himself, and making him abandon Taras, the logical next step was an invasion of southern Italy.
However Manivs Cvrivs Dentatvs, the most influential man in Rome opposed any march south. He used his contacts and wealth to sabotage and motion for war. He argued that Rome was still small, and her armies depleted, he arranged trade for money, and using his own wealth, started bringing the two half legions to full size.
Caivs Avrelivs Cotta, was a Tribune in the First Legion, however the Consul promoted him to Legate when he had to go to Rome.
During this time the second legion was stationed in Mars Field, its commander nominally the other consul, but in realty it was Lvcivs Cornelivs Scipio, a Questor.
This unusual arrangement led to much rivalry in later years, and (According to Asina in his memoirs) the cause of much bloodshed.

At this time Taras sent an army to take Capua, mistaking Rome hesitation for weakness. Cotta happened to be in sole command of the First legion at this time (Military action was not suspected, and the Consul in command of the legion had chosen him as legate as he would do as he was told, being a mere youngster), and without waiting for orders, he marched the legion, and defeated the Taras army.
The people of Capua called Cotta a hero, and the people of Rome loved him. Dentatvs was pleased, the Eperoites would hear of the victory, and word would spread that Rome was well defended.
When the first was at full strength, Cotta took Taras, and then Rhegio in 269 BC (the year after Dentatvs died), when he was given Imperium of the first legion, and Ativs Terentivs Lativs became his Tribune and Master of Horse.

Rome at this point was ready to start expanding outside italy.

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Is it worth another chapter?
(The campian is realy interesting, but no reply's (but 176 veiw?))

[madmatg]

i like it keep on writing!

[Tristrem]

you have to remember, there are a lot of lurkers in this forum. Not everyone who reads your aar will comment on it, ask the other authors, don't take it personal, it's just the nature of the beast. I say you should continue.

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Cnaevs Cornlivs Blasio was the most powerful man of Rome, however Cotta was the most popular, he was a pleb (and so was his staff , Ativs Terentivs Lativs for example), and the leader of the populares, against Scipio and the “Good men”.
Blasio was also a populares, and during his Consulship (266) and indeed the next decade, the populares had power in the senate.
Cotta advanced through the ranks, with either him or Lativs in Rhegio, and the other gaining another office. After Cotta was Plebeian Tribune, and the year Lativs became a Questor, Cotta felt his position weakening, the Patricians were trying to attack his character, while the plebs wanted him to take Messana (Carthgian diplomats had insultingly told the senate not to interfere in Scilly.
Cotta however knew that only his and Lativs’s and the first’s presence in Rhegio kept the mines producing so much gold, and keeping the population happy.
He also knew that Rome was penniless, if he lost many men in Scilly he would be unable to retrain them.
And so he persuaded the senate not to order the war.

However Scipio was not happy with this, and so he gave his “Punic Speech” an example in oratory. And Cotta was ordered by the senate to remove Carthage from the island.
It might have been the end of Cotta’s career, but he was prepared, he sold his land to raise money for a large garrison in Rhegio, and then leaving Lativs in Italy, he took his entire legion at full strength, and he simply besieged Messana, Lativs organised supplies, and after a year Messana surrendered. And then Cotta did the same to Libeo, for he would not assault and no enemy dared face him in open battle.
And thus the First, were the most honoured legion in Rome, and the Second under Scipio’s men were left in Mars Field.
The Punic speech had been a masterful political own goal, as now the Plebs began to believe in there own power, and consider challenging the nobles, and worse for him, Cotta was named Imperator of the Scilly and south Italy.
Cotta had now consolidated Libeo and Messana, sailed for Sardinia and Corsia, from the Charthaginians, and in the battle of Arpi, defeated the enemy garrison so soundly that he was awarded the name Africanivs.
He left the island under virtually there own control, but in name provinces, and he camped out side Rome, awaiting his triumph.

He was not to know that (thanks to Scipio) he would not enter the city for many years.

[Long lost Caesar]

looking really good man! i hope cotta gets his triumph, poor lads earned it! keep it up mate.

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Thanks

Cotta and Scipio are the heads of the different factions, Blaiso is the most influential man in the republic, but the people love Cotta so much...
In my campian at the moment, I'm hoping a Grandson of Cotta will be alive to spark the Marian reforms.

The next update will show the start of Cotta's wars.

[We shall fwee...Wodewick]

First Good start, I like the rivalry between the populares and optimates.

and secondly, don't lose faith if no-one replies. There are loads of lurkers and if i'm honest, I used to be one of them myself.

keep it up

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Scipio and his party feared Cotta, he was rich, he was a moderate, but he was a populares, and Optimates new Eperious's power across the Adriatic could be a excuse for a dictatorship to be declared, in which case the current Consuls when it was declared, would be in positions of power.
To stop this happening, Scipio (the current consul) raised a new legion to garrison Scilly and the island holdings (but really to counter the power of the first) and camped in for the moment outside mars field with the second (At this point the second were scene as the permanent garrison of Rome) "to train them" as the First was also out side Rome awaiting a triumph, this lead the borders undefended, and so Cotta was ordered north against the Celts, and away from the city.
Cotta however would not go meekly into history, he used a unclear sentence in his order of imperium in the north "And defeat and enemies of Rome that encroach into Italian land", at this time, Italy simply referred to the Italian lands under Roman rule (the rest were called Gaul) but Cotta used this as a excuse to lay siege to Segistica, and then defeat the Auedi in successive battles, tipping the balance in the Gallic civil war, and then returning to Segistica where he made many local contacts, which no doubt helped him when, in 241 he ordered the Fourth legion to be created from Ligurnia.

The public were screaming for a "double triumph" but Lativs, Cotta's old tribune was a firm favourite for next consul, and Cotta's son was a Questor. Scipio tried to remedy this, by personally commanding the second in a series of masterful victories, setting the Roman border on the River Po. However it was in vain, and on the very day Lativs (Cotta's old tribune) began his consulship (241) Cotta got his long awaited triumph.

It was a marvellous triumph, and afterwards Cotta stood for Consul, and ruled essentially through Lativs, he raised to new legions (one under the command of Blasio's son, a remarkable young man who history has forgotten) and a (in all but name) Malchos Saggolassou Pisidikes Tasivs, a Syrian Greek, the son of a Selculid general who had joined the Eporite kingdom, but after the battle of Taras, settled in Rome, and his son was given citizenship and who had a remarkable talent of being able to know everyone’s names and there family history, and being a great orator, and general.
Also Scipio retired this year, the command of the second going to a mercenary captain from Armenia.
So with the first (Cotta) the second (Zare) the third ( Lativs's son) the fourth (Pisidikes) and the fifth (Qvintivs Blasio), Rome was ready for war.

The reforms Cotta pushed through via Lativs changed the army as noted by Polybius, and signalled unknown expansion. It was in 241 that Blasio died and Cotta became the best man in Rome.

Eperious besieged Patavium, on the dawn of Cotta's consulship, he declared war (there had been a ceasefire) and the Second and fifth sailed to Eperious and Illryia.
The first attacked Patavium, and the Fourth besieged Mediolanium.
Meanwhile the third earnt it's name by attacking Sykaruse.

Cotta's wars had begun.


The World on the eave of Cotta's wars.

[I of the Storm]

Nice, nice. I like how you play internal politics along with the game. Keep it up.

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It's weird to think that 20 years after than pic, there were no rebel provinces for the celtic factions and that Britain was united.
And to think that in just 25 years later, any gradson of Cotta was considered a instant Alexander.

And to think that the Pisidikes family (now the Tasivs) could have such a rolercoaster of a history, and how they now look set to become the masters of Rome...

Malchos Saggolassou Pisidikes Tasivs

Pisidikes was Cotta's best general, even including Cotta's own son, Barivs Alvlvs Cotta Africanivs Gallicivs, who despite vast hype, and able skill, never left Italy, he served well under his farther, but was suprisingly given imperium over Cacalpine Gaul and northen italy, instead of the command of the Fourth Legion.
Pisidikes however was a general of much history, Born in Syria into a family loyal to the Seculids, he was sent into exile when the Ptolmids took Antioch. He spent most of his youth in Asia minor, before joining Phyrus. Phyrus sent him to Taras, where he was proved to be a masterfull general, but he was not at Taras when it fell, he was captured shortly afterwards.
The consul of the year, A.Tasivs, took a liking to him, and secured his release before adopting him.
In this postion he became a member of Cotta's retuine, and was made into leader of the fourth.

Cotta trusted him completely in his conduct in Cotta's Wars, he took Mediolanium for Rome, raised a auxilia legion, and then raised the Sixth "Gaullia", and he took these two legions and spent a campain season simply burning all Gaulic life north of the Alps.

When Massilia was besieged by the Arverni, Pisidikes could not bear this, and having got permission, marched across the alps and saved the greek settlement, which became a member of the Koinon Hellion, the group of greek states friendly to Rome.

When Cotta met with deligates from the KH, they both swore friendship to each other, and Cotta said "I trust you Greeks as Much as I trust my Greek, Pisidikes"

Pisidikes young son, Sextvs Egrnivs Tasivs was with Pisidikes in the fourth legion, on that day where it was proved the the KH was as trustworthy as Pisidikes, and Rome suffered it's worse loss in it's history.

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Comments?

[Vred var VingTor]

Are there going to be screenshots? otherwise, it's good. Keep on writing.

[CaesarAugustus]

I like it.

Write some more.

[madmatg]

i's a very good very good

[alatar]

I have screenshots for later, mostly campain based rather than battle based.

Thanks

[LotW89]

nice AAR ;)
I would like it if there were more pictures (At least one of the map^^), but it's quite good.
Keep going ;)