Hannibal Revisited!

[Hold Steady]

I was looking for a challenge in my new campaign. To make a long story short: I really like sword-based armies the most, and really don't like to fight with phalanxes (a bit too cumbersome to me). Been playing RTR 6.0 lately, really great mod, but a tad too easy to my liking.. (not RTR's fault, it's got real underdogs compared to vanilla) and I read about how Darthmod had some important changes that made the game significantly harder in battles. So, I tried it.. And opted for a challenge..

So, I started Carthagians in Darthmod on VH/VH (no advice, duh :drunk: ), froze all activities in the home provinces (okay, started building some pallisades where there were none and some dirt roads), loaded the largest part of the north african army (and sicily) on board my ships and sailed to southern Iberia to meet up with my colonial army there. From this I took a sizeable chunk, I left enough (I hope) to defend against the Iberians during the bankrupt years.
The title was a giveaway, so you might have guessed.. I'm reenacting the Hannibal campaign across the alps to storm the Italian peninsula and take Rome (well, at least, that's MY goal here, who knows what Hannibal was aiming for..) and burn as much Romans in the process, in order to fill my treasury and keep out of the red and of course, to remove the threat of them coming to burn me (which, historically, happened anyway, so I figured, I got myself a challenge).

So meet my army, with it's general Hanno! suiting isn't it? ~D

http://www.piczs.com/is.php?i=9021&img=Hannibal1.jpg

Yep, winter in the alps, took me a few years to come this far.. Historically, I should have met some Roman army earlier, brought by sea, and should have eluded them, trying to block my path, but I didn't. Also some of my elephants and men should have died of attrition, but no, that didn;t happen either. And finally, I should have met some Gauls and bought them as mercs. Now, I wás actually planning to do just that, for you can see, I have enough swordsmen, all Iberian inf, but not much spears (Not that I plan to meet much cav and I have enough of those myself, thankyouverymuch, but there's allways the odd enemy general running around) if it wasn't for two things: first, I was broke, so no mercs. Second, I was at war with the Gauls, so I nearly had a fight in the Alps, some medium sized army confronted me and we went into the battle screen. I saw some flags appearing on the crest of a hill, staying there 20 secs and then 'retreat!!'. Guess they didn't like the sight of me and mine..
After that I didn't met any Gauls and attacked the first roman city. These elephants sure are very handy in knocking down pallisades!

http://www.piczs.com/is.php?i=9022&img=Hannibal2.jpg

Meanwhile, in Iberia and north Africa, enemies are growing like corn (in the picture two Iberian armies have just crawled back into the shades. I just repelled an attack on Corduba. Rebels, Iberians and Nubidians are stalking my cities and trade routes, which forces me to sally out sometimes and leave less garisson than what's good for the economy.. Well, Rome wasn't destroyed in one day..
My Sicilian city (whatsitsname) was captured by the scipii ( :furious3: ), who are now top of my soon-to-be-burned list. Funny, I started this in the first place to get a real challenge. Pick a grand fight with the romans on their terrain and let the numidians, iberians and egyptians grow strong or even attack me. But as soon as bad things really materialize some instinct kicks in. Like trying to put in contact lenses for the first time or trying to watch basketball. ~D

The Iberian attack has been substitantial, the egyptians are only blockading my eastern port till thusfar. The nubidians however, are a real pain in the behind. Along with rebels they're standing on my dirt tracks, causing my chief cities to go into the red.. Carthage is losing 1400 a turn! Burning Segesta bought me 1700 denarii, but I will need some fat cities to build up again. Or lose my army quick...

I'll keep you guys informed, perhaps tonight (CET) a sacking of Rome? ~:eek:

[Hold Steady]

Well, Roman hasn't been sacked yet, mostly because practically all mu other cities were being attacked. In Iberia things are going well, I repelled about three attacks with minimal losses. The sacking of two roman towns even allowed me to buy a new iberian infantry unit! On the down side: Sardinia is lost to the scipii and the Brutii are besieging my second city in North Africa.. With no hope actually, 2 units against 12-something hastati, with only palisades. ~:eek:

On the east Egypt is coming, with a full stack. My town there only has pallisades there but a decent army, so good hopes of holding out a couple of years. I gave Cyrenea to the Greeks, nice to have some friends over.. (figured they might hate the egyptians..)

Meanwhile in Italy..

I had a great battle after I sacked two Julii cities, because the senate noticed I gave one of these cities to the Greeks, they promptly raced towards it with a full stack of one of their armies, you know, one with 3 or 4 units of each unit type: 4 hastatis, 3 principii, 3 triarii, 2 velites, and 5 general units! All with double chevrons and stuff. picture:

http://www.piczs.com/is.php?i=9246&img=Hannibal3.jpg

I'm a bit reluctant to use elephants in mortal combat, they're nice creatures.. Horses too, of course, well, whatever..
But they came in handy here. The romans came to me in neat colums, 3 hastati broad. Most of their generals charged me on the flanks and in the center before their infantry arrived. Two could be stopped in their tracks by my two elephant units (supported by infantry) and the other three were outflanked by my cavalry or spiked by my medium spearmen (which are excellent, I must say).
The rest of the battle was a classical envelopment of the flanks, a bit like Cannae actually, with my cav slamming the rear and iberian infantry neatly enclosing them from the flanks. The anvil was provided by my war elephants. Two or three of their generals escaped. A bit disappointed, if this was Rome's best.. But after all, Hannibal slaughtered Rome's best in astounding numbers (80.000 roman soldiers) at the battle of Cannae, so it's not that unrealistic.

Now, Rome is under siege, and will be Carthagian tonight (if the Brutii and Scipii haven't got any of those stacks left they're sending at me in the southern med). Or Greek, or Gaulic, I might give it away. On the other hand, seeing my home cities under siege all the time, I might consider moving to Rome!. Perhaps try to keep my silver mines in Iberia but other than that, leave Africa to the Africans! And the romans if they want it. Hmm, That's an idea.. Has anyone done something like it? I'd like to hear your comments.
One other thing, my 'Hannibal' is now among others an 'Eagle collector', nicknamed Hanno of the Eagles, for having won more than two eagles:

http://www.piczs.com/is.php?i=9247&img=Hannibal5.jpg

[Magraev]

Great story!

I say keep the italian peninsula, and rebuild there - then retake Carthage (for the pachyderms).

Please keep us informed of your progress.

[Hold Steady]

Well, it's all gone a little sodden actually. I'm trying to recall what happened actually. I conquered, burned and retook Rome, and Capua after that. But still was losing a lot of money. I had to burn a city every one or two turns to get out of the red and meanwhile, the egyptians, numidians and Brutii were ganging up on me, I could have made a stand perhaps in africa, or conquered italy, but actually, I didn't feel like it. And somehow, while playing, I got another idea.

I started up RTR 6.0, vh/vh with Iberians, my favorite faction. They're similar to Romans in troops, but more of an underdog and 'barbarian', so no silly feathers on their helmets.
I'd like to see them fighting on another scene, like the middle east or asia minor. I like RTR very much, but playing in these regions would mean take a faction who primairy soldier types are phalanx-like. Which I find cumbersome and dull fighting. So I took all my starting troops, the scutarii and such, and attacked the rebel town east of the pyrennes. There's a harbor in which I build a few ships, put all my soldiers aboard (while keeping peace with the carthagians, in which I was forced to give them a few towns, or their navy would sink me) and sailed to crete ( I was again 25000 in the red again by then) where I made a new Iberian Kingdom, gave away spain to the carthagians and Gauls.
From there I attacked a few seleceuid cities in asia minor. By now I own 5 cities and have a modest income (2,5 K) and are out of the red. I had to build up a lot of infrastructure, 'cause in RTR, you cannot use other cultures militairy infrastructure. I'm starting to hire mercs actually, which is a silly thing after being in the red 30 K.
If it's any good I'll post a few pics if anyone interested. My aim is to have an Iberian kingdom of the east, asia minor to india. Let's say, Alexander revisited, only then Iberian.. H'mm, that means I have to conquer Egypt too no? And greece/macedon. Hell, I'll even might take back spain! But right now I'm more like a Cretan pirate, with a few coastal possesions in Asia minor..

[zukenft]

Hehe...somebody also liked the "migration strategy". I remember in MTW doing the reverse : migrating the Turks to Spain! ~:cheers:

In my Mundus Magnus, playing as Parthians, I also migrated to Arabia, through the treacherious Seleucid lands, eventually building a successful Arabian kingdom and capturing much of Egypt...

[Hold Steady]

Hehe...somebody also liked the "migration strategy". I remember in MTW doing the reverse : migrating the Turks to Spain! ~:cheers:

In my Mundus Magnus, playing as Parthians, I also migrated to Arabia, through the treacherious Seleucid lands, eventually building a successful Arabian kingdom and capturing much of Egypt...

Cool! After this, who needs BI? migrating barbarians, what's new!?

[Hold Steady]

Well, here a picture of my Iberians in minor asia-adventure. I have a steady cash flow now and have to fight the seleceuids every turn at least once (or pick my fight with them), so starting to depend on mercs heavily, since I can't train anything yet. I'm starting to wonder IF I can build any spanish units outside of Iberia in RTR 6.0. I'm building now the Stage III barrack-precursor in a few cities. Hope I will be able to build some infantry soon..

http://www.piczs.com/is.php?i=10476&img=Iberiastrat1.jp.jpg

It's hard to tell from the picture world map, my color is brown and I own Crete and four cities on the mainland: Smyrna, Halicarnassus, Sardis and Prusa..

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Cool! You're recreating the Minoan empire (Spanish bulls replacing minotaurs and a distinct preference for paella). Onward to glory Mino-Iberia! Ave!

Seamus