The Empire Strikes Back - An SPQR AAR (with all assorted gadgets)

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

England - 1900 AD

The life of a Victorian aristocrat was certainly like a well synchronized and polished clock. In the Rigby Mansion, the typical ornate decoration of a wealthy and succesful man adorned the vast estate manor of William Rigby, a rich industrialist who made success in his life through the sale and manufacture of shoes. Recently, mr. Rigby had been blessed with good fortunes during his life, the ones that finally made him settle comfortably and take time for himself. It was the later part of his life, and only now could he set his trade aside and read about what has been his interest since the later infancy, as a poor boy in Glasgow: the histories of the world and the peoples who lived.

Mr. Rigby took an active interest in archaelogy. He pitied himself in envy for men like Schliemann, who grew out of nothing to abandon everything, learn Attic in a few months, and then stumble and excavate the treasuries of Troy for a renewed fame and success. He recognised his limitations enough to perceive he would never be a renowned man on the field, but nevertheless his interest propelled him to encourage and take part in the growing and young field of archaeological studies, in particular that of ancient civilizations. The Akkadians and Egyptians were the focus of his interest, making the cuneiform tablets of the archaelogical society, all brought and bought at high prices, fill his private collection together with the kilometers of treatises on the matter.

Not every minutes of his time was dedicated on a pedantic archaeological drive, though. Mr. Rigby had been long a fan of the Classics, and in his mind the stories of Greek and Roman of old were praised for their masterful overtones. He read day and night on many details: from the composition of Carthaginian Armies of the First Punic War to the affairs of Nabis, the tyrant of Sparta. He was repeatedly delighted in reading about the particular death of the former: demanding help from his allies, he was betrayed when one of the cavalrymen sent in his aid charged against him intentionally killing him instantly. It was reported that Rigby uttered a laugh at the poor man's fate, squeezed as he was between two powerful and cruel interests! No one saved Sparta after him... Oh, sic transit gloria mundi.

And now, Rigby had just set in a for a day of leasure and pleasing intellectual delight with his books. Dressing himself with old fashioned indoors clothing and toying with his pipe, there he was looking for a good read. Ah yes, there it was! A book, a Romance of a certain scholar, which he bought on a fair in Athenai many years ago. But only now could he enjoy it, and as he took a sit in his comfortable sofa he began, as usual, by the introduction. No, Rigby was used to get first things first! Not trying to read Chapter XI out of spontaneous interest without reading the previous ones. In this regard, he was one of the few not to share the vice with his friends.

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The STORY begins with Archesilaos, a Greek wise man living in the ides of 100 AD, when the Empire was at its height. He was Greek, but like many ones of the "new" age, he was thoroughly impressed and versed on the ways of the Empire, including but not limited to Rome. A city of contradictions, but above all, a city with a history worth reading.

It was, then, when in a trip to Rome he offered to tell to an interested group of men about the tales of old. Of the Republic, which no longer had any meaning, or even of a day when the Hellenes were independent... Nay, with all the peace and prosperity of the new age, no longer the people wanted to remember when their ancestors struggled madly for a few pieces of land. No one wanted to leave the Empire, except maybe the savages living on the borders, and that was not a decent man's business anyway!

Welcome, curious fellow! Have a sit and a sip of our wine as I tell you the story... Not just any story, but the story of a people who dedicated their lives, souls and hard work for one goal: supremacy. Complete supremacy over the lands of the known world, guided by a strictness and a patriotism that would win them wars, even if all battles were fatally lost.

I am telling, of course, of the Romani. Years of living in a cramped town with some odd hills tired these fellows, and now they are set into no less than the complete domination of the world, whatever that means. However they know their foes await and will do everything within their reach to destroy and wipe out the growing Republic, or maybe just keep them away from their ancestor lands. But as you know, Roma Victrix! The People of Rome, guided by the Senate and the Mos Maiorum, will always triumph in the end and let their strenght be felt everywhere in the civilized and barbarian world, and beyond!

And now, on to the story. I see I have a big fellowship already? Very nice, now let's start out!

Archesilaos then unrolls the parchment and tells the story to his avid readers. "Far far away, in a age long ago!" - His eyes reaching the crowd - "These are their stories!"

[penguinking]

Great start!

[Legosoldier]

Good start!:thumbsup: I like it!

[Maion Maroneios]

Nice introduction, I'll be following this one. Like to read some AARs that have the feeling of a book lately, don't know why.

Maion

[Joszen1]

Interesting! Keep it coming, and pics are always great!

[julius_caesar_the_first]

Good start:2thumbsup:. I have a feeling I'm going to like this~:)

[I of the Storm]

Yup! Good stAARt! :2thumbsup: will keep an eye on this.

[desert]

You should make that into a novel. I would buy it.

[gamegeek2]

the more, the merrier. seriously.

[Cbvani]

I like the new novel style AAR's as well. They are quite interesting.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

To be honest novel AAR are becoming the norm on the .org so it shouldnt surprise anyone

EDIT: oh and btw DONT EVEN THINK of messing with Germania, cuz if u do ill find u

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

Thank you all :), I should update this by today. Was busy with another campaign, and naturally spamming here :smash:.

[johnhughthom]

Darn it, I had planned on starting either a Roman AAR or a Pahlav one with an old dude telling stories to kids in a tent...
Back to the drawing board.:furious3:

Anyway nice start, are you going to go with the old assault on Taras first up or are we going to see something slightly different with this one?

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

Darn it, I had planned on starting either a Roman AAR or a Pahlav one with an old dude telling stories to kids in a tent...
Back to the drawing board.:furious3:

Anyway nice start, are you going to go with the old assault on Taras first up or are we going to see something slightly different with this one?
I actually had to delay this a bit due to the fact 1.2 was launched like a day after it started, lol. But since the beginning of a Romani campaign is always so well know I might cut the details of my narrative for Taras. Still thinking of it!

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

Archesilaos scratched the back of his head, then wavered, then reminded of his duty. The inspiration of the moment left him aloof for a few seconds before he could realize the audience was waiting for him to continue, and that he best do it for the sake of his image as a historian. Continuing, he set himself on an eloquent mood to impress the audience.

“Legate, wake up!” – A voice cried in the tent.
“Yes… hmm, huh? Marcus!” – The figure of a man, relatively tall for a Roman and young in looks and manner opened his eyes and inquired the disturber.

The tent was a typical Roman tent, but this one was relatively large and special: thanks to the love of standardization found in the Roman army, it was a methodically organized and clean tent of large proportions compared to the others on the field, reserved for the soldiers. On the center was a table and a few improvised wooden benches and apparatus, presumably a tactical map, which also happened to be the most precious part of the cargo thanks to the lack of reliable geographers. It came straight from Rome, where a Greek master had sold it to the Senate for no less than 1000 Denarii. Grudgingly paying the bill, the Censor Plebeivs Dentatus consented in giving it to the young Cornelius Scipio, warning him that his political future was at stake with the Campaign and that not even his name would save him if he lost on the South.

Lvcivs Cornelivs Scipio was a man of ambition: young, he was since an early age tutored by Greeks from Italia in all sorts of cultured gadgets and wisdom. At 11 he held a sword for the first time, and had intensive training sections that only the warlike patrician clans of Rome could afford. His father, and in his absence, his close adult male relatives, taught him how to duck and dodge javelins and thrusts, how to stab with a Gladius and how to throw a spear into the distance. All of this was coupled with classes on personal defense, which included holding a large thureos shield which the very young Scipio could barely stand, then defend against the blows of his trainer like any common soldier.

It was true that Scipio would probably not use any of these skills: he was the son of the most ambitious and growing aristocratic family and gens of Rome, and the last assignment he could think of was of a common soldier. He would never share his room with the Plebeii on foot, but rather fight on horseback; but given the Roman tradition and the urge of his own family to learn every art, from the art of philosophy to the art of killing, he became skilled in the ways of the common legionary in a manner that many on his future battle lines would never be.

When he was 15, his father Barbatus, already an elderly figure, introduced him to horseback riding. Giving him a pony, and later a horse of Campanian breed, Scipio’s youthful energies were gathered towards charging, using a lance and controlling his mount. The best riders from Campania taught him how to hold the lance and fight mounted, and taught him essential precautions: “never fight on horse like you would on foot” – They told him, around the campfires – “On horseback, you are a big and easy target for your foes. Avoid a prolonged melee and rally your companions away for another charge. This is where strength lies: during the charge, you are unstoppable.”

Now, the ambitious young Scipio was alone on the world, and the Paterfamilias of the Scipiones. Thanks to his influence and lineage, he was able to convince the Senate to allow him to lead the army against Pyrrhus; many were opposed to allowing a young man to lead such an expedition, but the aristocratic factions in the Senate convinced most that the worst part of the Epirote war was done, that Tarentum would be an easy target, and that the Consuls and Praetores best be left managing the Res Publica instead of following such undertakings. It was how Scipio gained his first command, and on the year of 272 B.C., his army was ready to march on Tarentum. Men from all the Res Publica were levied for the undertaking, and a new legion, the Legio I, would be under Scipio's Command.

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

Updated, quite a long hiatus but now I'm doing it. Expect the Tarentum campaign to be up soon :smash:.

[Maion Maroneios]

Updated, quite a long hiatus but now I'm doing it. Expect the Tarentum campaign to be up soon :smash:.
It's Taras you filthy Roman dog! Just kidding, nice update I'm eager to see some Roman arse-kicking for a change:yes:

Maion

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Romani are evil (Insert super evil laugh here)
nah im just kidding i am gonna see how this one turns out.

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

The Battle of Tarentum (or Taras for you Greeks out there :P)

Scouts had told Scipio that a war party of Greeks was spotted on the border. He wondered what they could be doing alone: apparently they were relatively small. “Scouting”, perhaps? As Scipio left his tent dressed in full equipment, a wave of aides came with new reports; reports on the payment of soldiers, reports on the daily drilling of men, reports on disciplinary procedures, etc… etc…

Scipio could not stand the minutiae of running a camp, and frankly speaking he was tired of standing ground all the time while waiting for the rest of the legion to gather, and what men! Most of them were lost during the march, and he needed to send scouts so they could be found and guided to the right path and the encampment. Unsheathing the sword, he gently rubbed his hand on it: “prepare to be blooded!” – He muttered quietly.

The Legio I was the only standing legion of the Res Publica: all the rest were either disbanded or destroyed during the constant pressure of the war with Epirus. Scipio hoped that he could finally end this chapter of affairs and hoped for an end to the war, on his terms of course. And the men were a mixed blessing: tough veterans stood along with the fresh conscripts of the year, most of them as young as 16. Scipio reviewed them in detail, dressed in armor, and occasionally correcting their stand and lifting their morale with encouragements.

“Milites!” – His voice echoed through the camp – “Today, we follow our own march to the Epirote. Strengthen your hearts, for winter is coming, but we cannot waste time! Remember what your fathers, cousins and even some of yourselves have done on the field against them, and take it to your hearts and minds of our ultimate goal, and that goal is to kick the effeminate butt of the Epirote all the way back to their ugly mommies!”

His men sycophantically shouted in approval: “hurrah! Hurrah!”, some of the young men as loud as they could to appear confident. Scipio then proceeded: “When you kick their arses at least do it gently. You know what they have been through when they were boys!” – The laughter took control of the men over there. It was the mission! But Scipio knew that marching his men on winter, even the Mediterranean winter, would require more than a sharp tongue…

“God I hate this” – One of the Tribunes was complaining – “Why can’t we just come home. I’m sick of these god damned Epirotes and their stubbornness! They should have handed Taras long ago!” – Scipio was listening closely and replied – “This is not the way it works, young Aulus. I know these god damned Epirotes were tough to crack, but it will be far easier now. Pyrrhus is on Greece, thinking he can be a God, and meanwhile the news of our inevitable, hear well, inevitable victory will bring him down to the ground. As if we really needed those fancy elephants to win anything for us!”

“I agree, Legate.”

The war party marched closely through the flat and gentle ground of Magna Graecia towards their destination. Scipio’s plan consisted in besieging the city of Tarentum, and hopefully starving the men there onto submission; he wished to avoid any and all bloodshed, but naturally he set his own plans for a battle: in case the Epirotes tried a slugging match on the open ground, he would ram them frontally and hope for the best. That’s what any sensible Roman would do, and never mind the fact that some of them carried pikes larger than the Via Latina. “It must be a phallic obsession, you know”, a Tribune known for his lewd mind said, “they and their pikes, and their rear ends”. Scipio merely uttered a superficial laugh, knowing that the large number of phallic jokes would never win a battle for him. And indeed, the men looked gloomy, more than the usual for a boring march.

“Uphill go!” – The Hastati were leading the march onto a hill, close to Taras proper – “I’m surprised, you know. Even though our spies and scouts sighted a couple of Greek war parties, they never dared to approach us.”

“Good enough, Aulus. Now let’s lay siege to that damn place!”

It was then, in what seemed like another boring day, that a man on a horse came as quickly as he could. He could barely breathe, but once spotting the main body of the army he began shouting: “THEY ARE THERE, THE GREEKS, THEY ARE COMING FOR US!”

Scipio then sounded for the war preparations and deployed his men on the hill for the inevitable battle. "And so it begins!"

[Maion Maroneios]

Just read your update, it was very good mate. I laughed a bit when I read that line about the Greek boys:laugh4:

Maion

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

@Maion,

LOL, thanks. And no offense meant to Greeks :clown:.

Stay tuned for part II :book:.

[Maion Maroneios]

Sure man, not offended at all. To be honest, that parenthesis made me smile:smile:

Eagerly awaiting for the second part:wink:

Maion

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

The battlefield of Taras was one which inevitably gave the defender many advantages: a steep hill that an attacker would have to climb upwards, and certainly an unpleasant one to walk on under the rain of javelins! Scipio deployed the Romani on the traditional manipular formations, with the hastati forming squares, followed by the Principes and Triarii, tough veterans of the Epirote campaign. All of them had gaps so that the retreating soldiers could retreat through them without hindrance, according to the old combat principles of the Romans. A simple, yet increasingly effective formation that always made the average enemy hordes rout at the contact of fresh and well disciplined reserves, and Scipio could state it. It was not his first time at battle.

The men lacked confidence on him, it is true. They were tired of the march, which had been forced, and climbing the hill had sapped their strength; Scipio let them sit on the ground to replenish their strength while he supervised the battlefield and looked for the Greeks. The hot sun quite blocked an easy view of the area, but Scipio and his aides, positioned on foot at the top of the ridge, could discern the marching lines of Greeks: On the horizon was a small line of spearmen, presumably, being followed by a regiment of lightly armored men. Probably some kind of archer or slinger, but he could not tell exactly.

On a greater distance, and that was his main concern, was a big mass of men. The main Epirote army! Garrisoning Tarentum, they were promptly taken to the field by the local commander, who presumed his massed formations of Pikemen would do better on the open field. So far, the God of War could not tell who was the most reckless of them: the Romans, who marched without any regard and then climbed a hill, tired, or the Greeks who would rather risk everything attacking upwards a hill on a sunny day.

“Men, remember the hand of divine guidance, and let it be known that our Roman gods are protecting us, and they are stronger than the Greek gods!” – “Hurrah! Hurrah!”, was the automatic reply of his men.

“But aren’t the Greek Gods the same as ours?” – The young and naïve Aulus questioned – “Shut up and obey, Aulus”.

And so they waited and waited, the enemy was coming closer, and apparently the Greek Commander was such a great genius, that he decided to send the hoplites unsupported and upwards. “Charge!!!!!!” – They screamed loudly attempting a fearsome look. Immediately they were met with hails of javelins from the maniples upwards, wavered, then broke and ran without even a fight!

“These men are crazy, and on top of that they are also a bunch of cowards!” – Aulus said – “Yes, part I is complete. Now on to part II, charging the pikes from the front. ”

[Maion Maroneios]

And yes, the AI stupidity in all it's glory! Sorry, I mean Epeirote:laugh4:

Maion

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

Indeed it's not just about luck :P.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

That right there is why most of us win battles in RTW or any TW game. Im the AI were even 1/3 as good as Sun Tzu or Megas Alexandros, i guarentee you that there would be 8 times the number of defeats in these AARs as there are now.
Why is it that its sooo hard to set up a battle between two different people on the internet?

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

The sight of the Epirote army coming uphill dominated the day as the positioned Romans laid, silently and in good manner, nailed to the hill and expecting them. A brief cavalry pursuit was laid on the routers of the unfortunate regiment that vainly tried a charge before routing quickly at the sight of so many Romans, but by then all of Scipio’s men, including Scipio himself, awaited them on top of the hill. He could discern the Greeks: their phalanx was of a militia type, probably male landowners of some sort. At least the consolation of Scipio was to know that everyone there, including himself, would rather be taming their own fields instead of killing themselves; but Scipio was no naïve, neither a pacifist.

As they approached, the horns sounded and the army was propelled forwards, including to the pikes. A furious wave of men went down screaming in the direction of the Greek phalanxes, who held steadily. Meanwhile, Scipio charged his cavalry into the Greek Cavalry hoping to rout them and get behind the Greek line.

Amidst the Hastati the fury of the moment took place. “CHARGEEEEE!!!!!”, they screamed, before meeting the pikes of the Epirotes. One Hastatus, a young man called Lucius, was impaled immediately when he forgot to put his shield on front of him leaving it open for for a thrust. The mistakes of the young had no margin of error in the harsh school of war.

“Forward, men!” – A fierce fight ensured. The Principes charged a group of hoplites trying to flank the Hastati, and as result these same hoplites, no more than a militia, quickly routed when facing a superior force and penalized by the bad terrain. The Epirotes were tired from the march, and on top of that they were facing waves of enemy infantry. Not even their large pikes prevented some Romans to infiltrate the phalanxes and force them to use their swords in a clearly one sided slaughter.

“That man is a damn fool” – Scipio thought, when giving a brief glance at the battle lines. Usually displacing a phalanx would require a flanking maneuver, but facing upwards a hill with men pouring through the gaps would test the strength of elite phalangites, dedicated to the business of war with their lives. Never mind a bunch of farmers and traders who apparently did not hold a sarissa until days before being forced into battle.

Scipio’s particular situation, however, was quite terrible. His own cavalry showed their immense lousiness: when faced with the Tarentine cavalry, the Roman Citizen Cavalry was taking casualties at an alarming rate, and Scipio himself could see that the Greeks were carving a path closer and closer to him. Fearing for his life, and battling the Greeks, he made a sign for the Cornicen.

“The Cavalry wing requests reinforcements!” – A polished military voice told, mechanically. – “On to battle, Romani! Let’s go, running!”. “Aye, Centurio!”

“AHHHHH!” – The Triarii came just in time. Scipio was fighting the Greeks desperately, dodging their swords. He retreated with his men and charged again, faithful to the principle he was taught. By this time the Triarii, tough spearmen, had already turned the tides for the Romans, and the Tarentine cavalry was reluctant to face them.

At this moment, the battle line was relatively steady. The phalanxes showed strength enough to stop the Romans on their tracks, and a bloody match ensued between them and the Hastati. But now, something was different! A wave of screams was heard, and just nearby more and more men, the skirmisher wing of the Roman army, collided with the fragile flanks of the Greek militias. To them it was enough, and they routed almost in synchrony with the Tarentine cavalry foolishly contesting with the spearmen on the left.

The Battle of Taras ended with a victory for the Romans. The rest of the time was spent pursuing the routers in their futile run for safety. To the Greek dead, one thing was certain: their king demanded them, and in return for their service, the cold hand of death was their only payment.

The Capture of Tarentum


https://img529.imageshack.us/img529/2461/romanskl8.jpg (https://imageshack.us) https://img529.imageshack.us/img529/romanskl8.jpg/1/w1177.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img529/romanskl8.jpg/1/)

Scipio lost little time, and laying siege to Tarentum, he found the gates open. His spies apparently had sabotaged them! Thanking the Gods for his luck, he poured into the city and destroyed the Epirote remnants, capturing it after a brief conflict. The Epirote War, and the Prologue, as Archesilaos could state, were over!

[Lucio Domicio Aureliano]

Nice. Very nice AAR. I´m eagerly wainting for the next part.
Congrats.

[Maion Maroneios]

ROMAIOI BARBAROI!!!

Maion

[Vasiliyi]

Nice aar! I like Aulus and his smart mouth. I will be reading this. Good luck on killing those greeks. I hope you've been reading my ahistorical aar.