The Shophets of Safot Softim biQarthadast: A Carthaginian AAR

I've been playing a good carthage campaign, and after a while figured I would post it as an aar. I don't have screenshots for the first few years as I really didn't think I would be playing seriously. Please forgive any spelling and grammatical errors. I've decided to do each chapter as the reign of a Shophet, so chapters will be longer and a little less frequent than normal aars.

Well, without further ado...




The Shophets of Safot Softim biQarthadast

Chapter 1


Mago I (r. 272BCE - 262BCE)


From Judge to King: The early years of Mago I's reign (272BCE - 270BCE)

Mago I was the second ruler in the 1st Dynasty of Safot Softim biQarthadast, being appointed by his father while he lay on his deathbed in early spring of 272 BCE. While this was clearly against Qarthadastim tradition and law, Mago's family was so respected and revered that his father's decision was unanimously supported by the senate of Safot Softim biQarthadast known as the Hundred, and Mago was coronated Mago I officially in late spring of 272 BCE.

Mago I was blessed by Baal with 4 sons. Hanno, the first born, Xanthippos, who was destined for military greatness, Carthalo, who would come to rule over the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, and Gisgo, his youngest son and Governor of Ippone and it's surrounding territories.

Many modern scholars mark the year of 272 BCE as the year when the Safot Softim biQarthadast began to function as an empire rather than a republic. Consequently, the Hundred became less relevant as the years went on and Mago's power grew. While he still chose to retain the title of Shophet, or Judge, he was, for all intents and purposes, a King who ruled over a diverse empire with near-absolute authority. By the end of his reign, the Hundred had been reduced to a mostly-advisory role, and the Shophet's word was often considered law.

However, in times of war, the Hundred still retained the authority to pass any measure deemed necessary to defend the soveriegnty of Safot Softim biQarthadast.

Fortunately for the people of Qarthadastim, Mago I was an able administrator and cunning military commander, who nurtured the arts and started several large infrastructure projects around the empire.

He was an enlightened ruler, to say the least.


The Sun Never Sets on the Safot Softim biQarthadast: The Empire of Mago I (272BCE)


Mago I was bequeathed a vast dominion which included land on two continents.

The riches of North Africa lay within seemingly easy reach of the city of Kart-Hadast, but these were harsh, unforgiving lands ruled over by wild and barbarous men. Mago I would make little to no gains in North Africa during his reign, actually losing the city of Ippone to a Numidian attack in autumn of 271 BCE.

Although the Numidians were repulsed by a force sent from Kart-Hadast the following year, the damage had been done. Many citizens had been carried away to a life of slavery on Numidian noble estates (including several aristocratic Qarthadestei, or pure blooded phoenicians, which made up the highest strata of Qarthadastim society).

As if this was not insult enough, Mago's youngest son Gisgo, governor of Ippone and the Supreme Military Commander in western North Africa, had his head chopped off and impaled on a stake, which was placed above the main gates of the city of Ippone, presumably as a warning to Kart-Hadast.

Following the military failures of the late 270s, a movement within the Hundred began, led by Hamalcar, brother to Mago I. Hamalcar convinced many men of power and wealth that the lands to the west were arid and infertile when compared with the rich soils of Sicilia and Iberia. Therefore, Europa was where the future of Qarthadastim expansion must lay.

This movement (which would later become more organized under the creation of the Barcid party in 270 BCE) would seek to extend holdings in Sicilia and Iberia, regardless of the costs involved. It also favored more passive policies in western Africa, even going so far as to pay tribute to Numidian chieftains. Many Numidians had, by this time, become integrated into the Qarthadastim Military due to immigration followed by conscription. Several chieftains demanded lands within the empire and military exemption, which Mago I refused, so Safot Softim biQarthadast remained nominally at war with several small states in North Africa for the entirety of Mago's reign(although it was often a cold war at best, with only minor skirmishes taking place in the deserts and highlands of Numidia).

Hamalcar gained many supporters, both in the Hundred and the Qarthadastei aristocracy of the city-states around Kart-Hadast. It was for this reason that in 270 BCE, in an otherwise unthinkable act of defiance, the Hundred ordered Mago I to sign a measure which made his brother, Hamalcar, his successor, instead of his eldest son Hanno.

This vast support for Hamalcar came from the desire of many to control the great city-states of Sicilia, which were said to be wealthy beyond measure. It was even said that Syracusean grain production nearly matched that of Kart-Hadast itself!


Into Sicilia: The Syracusean Wars (270BCE - 269BCE)


Mago I oversaw a vast network of bureacrats, diplomats, intelligence agencies, and many other civil servants. He felt his talents would best be utilized in the city of Kart-Hadast, where he could indirectly control all regions of the empire.

However, wanting to please the Barcids, Mago I appointed his son Xanthippos to supreme military commander of all Qarthadastim forces in Sicilia. He ordered Xanthippos to invade the city-state of Triarike, with it's capital at Syrakousai. Xanthippos set out for Triarike in the summer of 270 BCE from the eastern Qarthadstim stronghold of Lilibeo.

The Syracusean tyrant, being no fool, refused to engage xanthippos Army in the field, prefering instead to stay behind the safety of his capital's massive walls.

So, in winter of 270 BCE, Xanthippos layed siege to the city of Syrakousai. By spring of 269 BCE, he was ready to attack the city.

Once Xanthippos men had pushed there siege towers to the walls, they began a bitter fight which lasted nearly the entire morning. The battle for the streets below would be equally hard-fought, with the greek inhabitants fighting for every inch that Xanthippos and his men gained. Finally, the last of the greek defenders was cut down, and the banner of the
Safot Softim biQarthadast flew over the cities' huge administrative buildings, and Xanthippos and his generals feasted on exotic foods from all over the world in the great palace of Syrakousai.

In Summer of 269 BCE, Xanthippos was awarded the title of "Conqueror of Syrakousai" by the Hundred, and he was celebrated in absence by a parade and festival which is said to have lasted 3 days and nights.

This would be the first realm Mago would add to his domain, but it wouldn't be the last.


Sicilian Consolidation: The Mesannian Wars (269BCE - 268BCE)


Following his successes in Southern Sicilia, Xanthippos wasted no time in consolidating Qarthadastim power in Syrakousai through a policy of regional pacification, where most rebellious greeks were rooted out and executed.

Having established a temporary Provisional government, Xanthippos left Syrakousai in the autumn of 269 BCE and headed north, towards the last independent city in Sicilia, Messana.

Messana was a city of brigands and pirates, ruled over by a mercenary force of Lucanians who had settled there some years earlier.

Xanthippos despised these men for what they were, and wasted no time in laying siege to the city in the closing months of 269 BCE.

Following a short siege, Xanthippos ordered his men to ram the flimsy palisade walls that protected the town. The city fell after a great battle in central square.

With this victory, Xanthippos had secured all of Sicilia for the Safot Softim biQarthadast. He payed homage to Baal-Haamon for his successes. It was at this time that Xanthippos began looking across the straits to the fertile Italian peninsula. He knew Qarthadastim was destined to rule over these lands as well, and he began preperations for an invasion of the Kingdom of Brettia in early 268 BCE.


Alliances Forged: Qarthadastim Foreign Diplomacy Broadens (268BCE - 266BCE)


By 268 BCE, Mago I controlled an empire which stretched from Iberia to Sicilia. Nearly a million souls payed homage to the Shophet, and countless other autonomous tribes sent tribute daily. The Safot Softim biQarthadast was wealthier than ever before, and new building projects sprang up all over the empire.

It was also at this time that Mago I sent an army of spies, geographers, and diplomats all over the known world, forging many alliances, and redrawing Qarthadastim maps. Mago I is often referred to as the map-maker, because he expanded Qarthadastim knowledge of the surrounding world 1000 fold.

One of Mago I's allies, the Senatus Populusque Romanus centered around Roma in central Italia, was at war with the Epeirotes, or western Greeks, as they were also often called. King Pyhhros of Epeiros was said to control a large tract of Western Hellas, and the powerful city-state centered around Taras in Southern Italia. It was here that tensions with the Senatus Populusque Romanus and Epeiros came to a head. In the beginning, Mago I had sided with his allies, the Romani, even going so far as to send financial assistance to the senate of Roma.

This policy of Romani assistance would abruptly end, however, when Xanthippos invaded the southern Italian city-state of Brettia, and besieged it's capital of Rhegion. This infuriated the leaders of the Senatus Populusque Romanus, as they saw an encroachment by Qarthadastim military forces on Italian soil as a direct threat to Roman soveriegnty. Xanthippos took Rhegion late in the year of 267 BCE. In an effort to appease the Romans, he allowed the Brettians to remain largely autonomous, setting up the reformed Kingdom of Brettia as a Qarthadastim client state. The die had been cast, however, and war was now inevitable. Following the Brettian War, Xanthippos meant to retire to Syrakousai and a life of liesure and abundance. Unfortanetly, peace for the young general would be short-lived.


The First Romani War: Success and Failure (266BCE - 262BCE)


In the spring of 266 BCE, the Romani sent a diplomat to Xanthippos' court in Syrakousai, and demanded that Qarthadastim recognize Brettian independence, and also that reperations be paid to the Brettians for Qarthadastim aggression and hostility, of which the Romani would recieve 40%. Xanthippos answered the only way he could. He politely smiled and said no. Nothing else was stated. With one word, tensions between two western superpowers was ignited into a war that would last for the rest of Mago's reign and beyond.

Xanthippos would meet with some initial successes against the Romani Legions. From the years of 266 BCE to 264 BCE, the army under Xanthippos defeated the Romans in two major engagements around the mountains of Southern Italia. Xanthippos also assisted his new allies, the Epeirotes, in lifting the siege of Taras in autumn of 264 BCE.

Following these initial successes, Xanthippos found his army in need of refitting. Nearly all of his divisions were at half strentgh or less, so in late autumn of 264 BCE, he retired to Rhegion. Unfortunately, the city lacked the facilities to properly train new recruits for his depleted units, so he was forced to send some divisions back to Sicilia to be refitted. Xanthippos knew he would be vulnerable in Southern Italia with the bulk of his forces away, but he felt confident it would be some time before the Romani could raise new legions to challenge him in the south.

Unfortunately, he underestimated the Romani readiness. A new legion invaded Brettia in early 263 BCE, and layed siege to the capital city of Rhegion. Xanthippos was caught uncharacteristically off-guard, and the city fell by autumn of the same year.

Mago I, having raised a new army of Liby-Phoenician Infantry and Citizen Cavalry(said to be the most powerful army Qarthadastim had ever put into the field up to that date), set sail for Southern Italia in late 263 BCE, with the Shophet himself planning on leading the battle.

Unfortunately, this army would never reach Italia. The Qarthadastim Fleet was intercepted off of the northern coast of Sicilia by a Romani fleet. After suffering a major defeat, Mago and the Citizen Army were lost at sea. It was one of the greatest defeats Safot Softim biQarthadast would suffer during the First Romani War. The loss of Mago I was a devestating blow to Qarthadastim moral, and Xanthippos was forced to fall back to Sicilia in spring of 262 BCE.

Thus ended the reign of Mago I. He was a good ruler, it was said, who increased the economic and military might of Safot Softim biQarthadast. Although his reign only lasted ten years, it was one of the most influential periods in Qarthadastim history. His critics noted that, besides Sicilia, he had made few territorial gains, but they could not have known that his policies would shape Qarthadastim thought for centuries to come.

Iberia and Northern Africa while only lightly defended, were stable and prosperous, although much of that relied on the alliances Mago I established with native tribes to keep peace and order. Under Mago I, Qarthadastim goods spread to all corners of the known world.

By 262 BCE, The constant warfare was starting to drain the treasury, and some within the Hundred began to question if Brettia was worth war
with the Romani. When Hamalcar was coronated Hamalcar I in the summer of 262 BCE, he knew he must continue the struggle with the Romani, and bring all of Italia under Qarthadastim hegemony. Hamalcar I would spread Qarthadastim control in Iberia as well, gaining access to the untapped riches of Iberia that Mago's critics had often said had gone untouched.

While many historians agree that Qarthadastim domestic and foreign policy had been shaped by Mago I for decades to come, it would be his successor, Hamalcar I who would spread Qarthadastim power to it's furthest reaches yet. He would go down as one of the greatest Shophets in Qarthadastim history. But that's a tale for another day.

End of Chapter 1


Well, there ya go. Sorry about the lack of pics, the next one should have some. Hope you enjoyed it.:2thumbsup:

cool...looks like we got two Kart-Hadastim AARs going on at the same time...I will be watching this :). Was Xanthipus the son of Mago? I though he was a mercenary spartan general. I may be wrong however. You didnt wait long for that first Punic War huh? :). Can't wait to see what hamalcar does...He did alot for me thats for sure :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chirurgeon

cool...looks like we got two Kart-Hadastim AARs going on at the same time...I will be watching this :). Was Xanthipus the son of Mago? I though he was a mercenary spartan general. I may be wrong however. You didnt wait long for that first Punic War huh? :). Can't wait to see what hamalcar does...He did alot for me thats for sure :)

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You might be right actually....I really didn't do much research, and he died a few years ago, during the beginning of Hamalcar's reign.

Well, the romans attacked me actually. I change stuff sometimes for roleplaying purposes....I knew I would go to war with them if I took Rhegion, but I really didn't feel like playing against endless legions for a change, though I do appreciate the historical aspect of waiting. I won't kill Rome yet...that would be too easy. I just wanted to keep them in check. It's really not a very serious aar anyways....I just like to write and I was bored. :2thumbsup:

Lurker alert:book:

I really liked the first chapter man, make sure you keep adding to this.

Thanks. I actually just finished Hamalcar I's reign ingame today. I'm working on writing up the reign of Hamalcar I now. Should be finished tomorrow, and this one will have a few screenshots to color things up, at the very least. :)

I keep running into a rather annoying ctd in 241. I really don't understand why, but I'm going to have to abandon this campaign if I can't figure it out. I hope it's not a memory problem, because I only have 768MB of Ram, but my pagefile size is 3GB. I've played campaigns into the late 2nd c, so it might just be one of those things. If thats the case, maybe I'll choose a new faction, but keep the same writing style. Sorry, folks.

Hi that's too bad,


shouldn't your maximum page file size only be 2 as your RAM? so in your case


RAM=768mb

max. Pagefile size= 2 x 768 = 1536 mb


I thought i wrote it some where if your page file is bigger than 2xRAM you could have problems

BTW did you contact our Anti CTD Missile Operator Bovi?

No, actually I haven't really did much research....I've never heard that your page file couldn't be larger than 2 x ram, but I might be wrong. I've never had any problems before this, and I've played two campaigns well past 200 BC.

Ok it's was just a wild guess

you tried this one

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...5&postcount=13

it's part of this thread

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...25&postcount=1

I now you familiar on this forum but just for sure

it would be a shame to see this AAR finished like this

BTW good luck with your KH succession game