Robert I King of Scotland
09-25-2003, 12:42
Greetings
I have following questions/suggestions/themes of discussion: Eastern nations, states and peoples in new game.
As I understand timeframe ends around 14 AD, so Great Persian Empire of Sassanids isn't being wait to present in RTW.
But Parthian Empire, Greeko-Bactrian Realm must be in RTW
So the question I offering you – is the map of the main campaign of RTW equal the one in MTV: the East ends on such Eastern Provinces as Asia Minor, Palestine, Syria, Georgia, Armenia (include Lesser Armenia) and part of Arabia?
I think (in order that game will be interest) there must be second big power (besides Senate) – Great Parthian Empire. This Realm should be the second strong force (after and equally with Roman Republic) not only as military units, but as whole.
The Parthian peculiarities are:
1) very strong and with best moral Kataphraktoi, having bonus against Roman legionaries, include triarii and cohorts Praetorian;
2) very very good, fast, courageous, artful and good shooting horse archers (remember treacherous Parthian tactic);
3) very strong government, a lot of provinces, peoples, money, another resources: comparable with Rome;
4) (negative feature) a lot of king's sons so very many rival claimants (may be sometimes – even joint rulers): sons, brothers of ruling king, joint rulers and another adventures, including distant relatives and Roman puppets. So that a lot of revolts, civil wars, uprising in back, patricides etc. Especially risk of insurrections interact when Parthian armies can be a success to turn out Roman war happiness and menace Romans lost their Eastern Provinces (there is the true situations: N. Debevoice A political history of Parthia, Theodore Mommsen Roman History vol. V (Chapt. IX, The Euphrates Frontier and the Parthians in The provinces of the Roman Empire, from Caesar to Diocletian) Richard Frye The Heritage of Persia and www.parthia.com);
5) the specific (unique) units to counterbalance in Senate – mage (mobed) and mage on mage (mobed an mobeds – analogy shah an shahs king on kings – Parthian tsars' official title) Magi can make solar/lunar eclipse, charmed spirits, summon tempest and storm, recruit over enemies troops, and (important) act as both inquisitors (keep in mind MTW) and Senate against Parthian generals, Crown Princes and even the Parthian King of Kings.
The second theme – about Greko-Bactrian Empire (AKA Indo-Greeks Kingdom 256 BC – 10 AD). In MTV each King (Emperor) and Crown Prince has his own special unit (Byzantium – Kataphraktoi, Westerners – Royal Kings, Muslims – Ghulam Bodyguards and Russians – Boyars), so the peculiarity of Greko-Bactria (remember the famous Bactrian king Demetrios' BC 200-167 coin with elephant helmet: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/baktria/kings/demetrios/i.html and http://www.columbia.edu/itc....0.html) (http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00xroutes/0000BCEs/199_100/199_100.html)) is that their kings and king's sons have elephant troops. So another eastern nations (Seleucids kings of Syria, Persians, Cartage and Egypt during Ptolemy's but not Parthian) will have only one kind of war elephant troopers, but Bactrians will have two – simple battle Elephants and Royal (Bodyguards) Elephant. About Greco-Bactrian army also look http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/armies/dba50ryan.html.
In RTW should be two-humped (Bactrian) camels not only one-humped (Arabian) one. Dromedary must have bonus on hot places, Bactrian camels – on more cold places. Also interest – may be ever camel will have two riders (both with archers) – to strengthen them against nomadic and foot troopers.
The third question – about small countries between two Giants (Parthia and Rome) – eastern Hellenic Iranian monarchies (terms of Daniel Schlumberger L'Orient hellénisé): Armenia, Commagene, Cappadocia, Nabataean Arab kingdom etc. All of them must exist. I want rise discussion two of these buffer/satellite/vassals/union states.
Armenian – it is important to Rome to has this government as his ally, because of Armenian heavy cavalry most have the same characteristics (with some small changes) as Parthian Kataphraktoi and can resist one at battle-fields. As will nomadic archers of Armenia will help Roman allies to struggle during their Parthian route.
About Commagene, his Wander of World Hierothesion (which must be reflected in RTW) and his famous king Antiochus I-st see http://www.atamanhotel.com/hierothesion.html, http://www.gata.com.tr/ing/aboutturkey/cities/commagene.asp and another http-documents.
But interest another – Commagene was the last small countries which was occupied by Rome in East (17 AD, then restored 38-72) and transformed to Roman Provinces (incorporated in Provinces Syria). Commagene was one of Seleucids' successors small kingdoms, whose kings play on conflicts between the two ancient colossuses (Parthia and Rome) and keep their independence (although one Roman legion was enough to wipe kingdom of Antiochus I off the face of the earth) and mediators functions in trade between them.
So in RTW Commagene must have small territory (but strong capital of Samosata), small army, neither expansion politic, but for Rome an Parthia must be far better to deal with Commagene not to conquered them because to merchant with this forgotten kingdom will bring Great Powers big money and solid profits.
I decide to write this letter for two reasons: at first I want to see everything I have touched in new game (I fanatic of MTW); second – as the game produced in (?) US/UK (I'm living in Russia, formerly the Soviet Union) there will be some warps in directions of Western people. But the grand Iranian civilized (Medes, Achaemenids, Parthians and Sassanian Persia) was in no way inferior neither strength, powers, army, diplomacy, nor culture, arts and civilizing (look for example cited works Schlumberger, Frye or Mommsen) to Greco-Roman (Byzantium) one.
Robert
P.S. Interest. Will be in RTW the famous and legendary Pyrrhus King of Epirus?
I have following questions/suggestions/themes of discussion: Eastern nations, states and peoples in new game.
As I understand timeframe ends around 14 AD, so Great Persian Empire of Sassanids isn't being wait to present in RTW.
But Parthian Empire, Greeko-Bactrian Realm must be in RTW
So the question I offering you – is the map of the main campaign of RTW equal the one in MTV: the East ends on such Eastern Provinces as Asia Minor, Palestine, Syria, Georgia, Armenia (include Lesser Armenia) and part of Arabia?
I think (in order that game will be interest) there must be second big power (besides Senate) – Great Parthian Empire. This Realm should be the second strong force (after and equally with Roman Republic) not only as military units, but as whole.
The Parthian peculiarities are:
1) very strong and with best moral Kataphraktoi, having bonus against Roman legionaries, include triarii and cohorts Praetorian;
2) very very good, fast, courageous, artful and good shooting horse archers (remember treacherous Parthian tactic);
3) very strong government, a lot of provinces, peoples, money, another resources: comparable with Rome;
4) (negative feature) a lot of king's sons so very many rival claimants (may be sometimes – even joint rulers): sons, brothers of ruling king, joint rulers and another adventures, including distant relatives and Roman puppets. So that a lot of revolts, civil wars, uprising in back, patricides etc. Especially risk of insurrections interact when Parthian armies can be a success to turn out Roman war happiness and menace Romans lost their Eastern Provinces (there is the true situations: N. Debevoice A political history of Parthia, Theodore Mommsen Roman History vol. V (Chapt. IX, The Euphrates Frontier and the Parthians in The provinces of the Roman Empire, from Caesar to Diocletian) Richard Frye The Heritage of Persia and www.parthia.com);
5) the specific (unique) units to counterbalance in Senate – mage (mobed) and mage on mage (mobed an mobeds – analogy shah an shahs king on kings – Parthian tsars' official title) Magi can make solar/lunar eclipse, charmed spirits, summon tempest and storm, recruit over enemies troops, and (important) act as both inquisitors (keep in mind MTW) and Senate against Parthian generals, Crown Princes and even the Parthian King of Kings.
The second theme – about Greko-Bactrian Empire (AKA Indo-Greeks Kingdom 256 BC – 10 AD). In MTV each King (Emperor) and Crown Prince has his own special unit (Byzantium – Kataphraktoi, Westerners – Royal Kings, Muslims – Ghulam Bodyguards and Russians – Boyars), so the peculiarity of Greko-Bactria (remember the famous Bactrian king Demetrios' BC 200-167 coin with elephant helmet: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/baktria/kings/demetrios/i.html and http://www.columbia.edu/itc....0.html) (http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00xroutes/0000BCEs/199_100/199_100.html)) is that their kings and king's sons have elephant troops. So another eastern nations (Seleucids kings of Syria, Persians, Cartage and Egypt during Ptolemy's but not Parthian) will have only one kind of war elephant troopers, but Bactrians will have two – simple battle Elephants and Royal (Bodyguards) Elephant. About Greco-Bactrian army also look http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/armies/dba50ryan.html.
In RTW should be two-humped (Bactrian) camels not only one-humped (Arabian) one. Dromedary must have bonus on hot places, Bactrian camels – on more cold places. Also interest – may be ever camel will have two riders (both with archers) – to strengthen them against nomadic and foot troopers.
The third question – about small countries between two Giants (Parthia and Rome) – eastern Hellenic Iranian monarchies (terms of Daniel Schlumberger L'Orient hellénisé): Armenia, Commagene, Cappadocia, Nabataean Arab kingdom etc. All of them must exist. I want rise discussion two of these buffer/satellite/vassals/union states.
Armenian – it is important to Rome to has this government as his ally, because of Armenian heavy cavalry most have the same characteristics (with some small changes) as Parthian Kataphraktoi and can resist one at battle-fields. As will nomadic archers of Armenia will help Roman allies to struggle during their Parthian route.
About Commagene, his Wander of World Hierothesion (which must be reflected in RTW) and his famous king Antiochus I-st see http://www.atamanhotel.com/hierothesion.html, http://www.gata.com.tr/ing/aboutturkey/cities/commagene.asp and another http-documents.
But interest another – Commagene was the last small countries which was occupied by Rome in East (17 AD, then restored 38-72) and transformed to Roman Provinces (incorporated in Provinces Syria). Commagene was one of Seleucids' successors small kingdoms, whose kings play on conflicts between the two ancient colossuses (Parthia and Rome) and keep their independence (although one Roman legion was enough to wipe kingdom of Antiochus I off the face of the earth) and mediators functions in trade between them.
So in RTW Commagene must have small territory (but strong capital of Samosata), small army, neither expansion politic, but for Rome an Parthia must be far better to deal with Commagene not to conquered them because to merchant with this forgotten kingdom will bring Great Powers big money and solid profits.
I decide to write this letter for two reasons: at first I want to see everything I have touched in new game (I fanatic of MTW); second – as the game produced in (?) US/UK (I'm living in Russia, formerly the Soviet Union) there will be some warps in directions of Western people. But the grand Iranian civilized (Medes, Achaemenids, Parthians and Sassanian Persia) was in no way inferior neither strength, powers, army, diplomacy, nor culture, arts and civilizing (look for example cited works Schlumberger, Frye or Mommsen) to Greco-Roman (Byzantium) one.
Robert
P.S. Interest. Will be in RTW the famous and legendary Pyrrhus King of Epirus?