There will be a another screenshot of the map coming up in one of the next chapters. Don't know when I'll have time and inspiration to write it, though!
Printable View
There will be a another screenshot of the map coming up in one of the next chapters. Don't know when I'll have time and inspiration to write it, though!
Take your time and play when you feel to it.There is no rush behind it.
Great AAR, just used it for inspiration. Boy, those elephants rock against phalangites! And they're good at knocking down wooden palisades too. Great fun! And I loved reading the story.
Only adverse comment I'd make with the AAR is that pic with Epirote phalangites standing on a very steep slope. That's an 'exploit' as far as I'm concerned.
Historically, phalanxes had to operate on flat ground to be effective. Ordinary hoplites could defend the slopes of a hill, but not phalangites with their heavy 18 or 21 foot sarissas - those things could only be balanced if they were level.
I always deploy phalangites on level ground only. Even if that means giving up a terrain or deployment advantage to the AI. Even if that means that they occasionally don't get into the fighting at all, and I have to try and win (or lose!) without them.
It isn't really that big a exploit. Only in the way that the AI doesn't move to a more favorable position.
And it did happen in History, when the Makedonians and the Romans clashed the Makedonians pushed back the Romans in Cynoscefalai I believe. They were fighting from the high ground.
And what was the outcome of the Dog's Head??? Romani victrixQuote:
Originally Posted by Phalanx300
Well if we think about it: putting Phalangites on level ground on top of a hill so that the sarissas tip reaches to the point where the enemy gets to the more "level" ground on top of the hill isn't unreallistic - they can balance the weapon and the enemy surely tires before they reach the top.
I know this isn't really the case here but if this becomes the situation then using you Phalagites in a way described above is (in my opinion) accepteable.
Chapter V - On the Roman Campaign
In that year, the 537th after the first Olympiad, as Ptolemaios prepared his army to move northwards towards Taras, did his great-nephew Seambys moved south through the Peleponessos and laid siege to the polis of Sparte herself. Many of the Spartan homioi at that point moved from their hometown and fled towards the poleis of Mikras Asias or far-off Emporion.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...1-00-61bmp.jpg
The only ones that remained in Sparte were some of the older citizens as well as the poorer citizens. Altogether, they hardly had enough soldiers to properly defend the polis.
Ptolemaios had at that time received messages from the polis of Neapolis, which had long been an ally of the Epirote throne, even before Pyrrhos became Basileos. The Romaioi were once again amassing their forces in Kampania. Ptolemaios perceived this as a threat and wasted no further time in Taras. He quickly amassed his forces once again. Before he left, he sent final word to Ambrakia to start levying forces once again in the city of Epidamnos; this due to the news that the Illyrioi tribes were raiding the north of Epiros.
Around the same time had Archimedes of Syrakousai composed his second map, detailing the extent of the Epirote kingdom.
Ptolemaios finally left Kalabria in spring, as the trees in Megale Hellas started blossoming and the air became fresh with the scent of lavander. Ptolemaios' force marched for three months without encountering any form of resistance, and before the summer sun scorched the Kalabrian shore they had reached the Romani stronghold at Arpoi. There Ptolemaios set up his camp and prepared for a siege of the city.
Messengers from Taras came and went to Ptolemaios during autumn and continuing into the mild winter of Megale Hellas. Most came with the news of new constructions in Hellas, seeing how the mainland of Hellas was now flourishing due to the immense increase of trade due to the alliance between the kings of Seleukeia and the Epirote kingdom and the undisturbed mining in Thraikia since the unification of Hellas and Thraikia.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...4-42-02bmp.jpg
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...4-44-29bmp.jpg
In the islands of the west the followers of Sarapis and Isis were spreading their faith, and the city of Korinthos was once again merged with the Epirote kingdom as before the Spartan invasion. Taras was preparing for possible attacks and was thus preparing barracks and military complexes for the levies and the town of Rhegion was preparing for the new sewage system by completing the process of sanitanization. Finally, the city of Μαρσαλα or Lilibeo in the speech of the Phoenicians was once again engaging in trade with the Karchedonoi since the peace treaty of Syrakousai signed several years earlier. The re-engagement of trade resulted in the expansion of the natural harbours of Marsala.
Before long however, the Romaioi sent a force to relieve the siege of Arpoi. Battle was coming.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...7-31-18bmp.jpg
===========================================================================
Woohoo! It's back, I finally managed to get some time free. Thanks for your comments everybody.
Titus Marcellus Scato: I do not regard myself as an expert on phalangite combat, so I had no idea. I might mind it in the future.
Hey, I read your Anabasis, you read mine... :wink:
:smiley: I thought your AAR dead to be honest - great to see that I was mistaken! I like you writing style. Didn't know that the Greeks called Lilibeo Μαρσαλα - I just "graecisized" it in my campaign to Λιλυβαιον.
I don't know whether they called it that, though the Wikipedia entry for Lilybaeum redirects to Marsala.
Woah, back from the dead! Strangely I mentioned this in another AAR a few days ago and now it's back. :beam:
German Wikipedia says Marsala means "Port of Allah" and was introduced by Arabs in the 9th century. But then it's only Wikipedia... :shrug:Quote:
Originally Posted by Hax
Yes you mentioned it on my aar, and I found it just to compare the screen shots. I think hes got the elephant ones going for him.. Still excellent aar. Keep it up HaxQuote:
Originally Posted by johnhughthom
Marsala is deffinately not what the Hellenes called Lilibaeum. They called it Lilibaion, like Centurio correctly stated. Hoping to see more of this, btw :wink:
Maion
Oh that might be right, Maion. I just like the ring of it XD
Whoa. I thought this was dead, too. Good to see it back.
Good to see this isn't dead. I thought about unsubscribing some time ago but decided to give it some more time. Glad to see you're back:beam:
Chapter VI - On the battle of Arpoi
Ptolemaios first received news of increasing Romaioi activity in the 539th year after the first Olympiad, as the winter passed into spring and the area surrounding Ptolemaios' campsite became full of life again. The Roman relief force was led by a man known as Caius Cornelius Blasio, or ΚΑΙΟΣ ΚΟΡΝΕΛΙΟΣ ΒΛΑΣΙΟ in Greek. Although Blasio was one of the most influential men in the lands held by the Romaioi, he was of a treacherous kind and sought to defeat Ptolemaios for his personal glory. This also caused him to welcome strangers to his people to his side, as he sought a way to defy the will of the Romaioi senate.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...7-18-40bmp.jpg
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...7-08-92bmp.jpg
Ptolemaios faced the Romaioi on a grassy hill, with his pezhetairoi aligned at the top, giving them a clear advantage.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...3-34-76bmp.jpg
Behind the Pezhetairoi were the Skuthioi archers, which had come all the way from Kimmerika to aid Ptolemaios in his campaign against the Romaioi.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...3-38-21bmp.jpg
Guarding the flanks were the fierce and noble warriors from the Greek apoikiai in Megalé Hellas. In the language of the Romaioi they were known as the Samnitici Milites; in Greek the name Aichmetai Maleontou, named after the polis of Maleonton.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...3-27-25bmp.jpg
Soon after, the first of the Romaioi soldiers clashed with Ptolemaios' elite phalangitai, the Chaonion Agema from Epiros proper.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...5-21-67bmp.jpg
At the same time did the Agrianian infantry clash with the Roman infantry from Bruttion. The Bruttioi were of a strong Italic stock and had served the Romaioi for some time.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...5-58-38bmp.jpg
At that moment did Ptolemaios see that the Bruttian infantry severely outnumbered the Agrianians, who were quickly losing heart in the prospect of such a might. Ptolemaios then ordered the elephant corps from the far-away Indos valley to aid the Agrianians.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...6-05-36bmp.jpg
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...6-06-24bmp.jpg
At that moment did the Romaioi elite infantry corps recruited from the hardy peoples of Samnion charge forward. The elephantes wasted no further time and charged into the Samnite lines.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...6-08-59bmp.jpg
As the Elephantes charged the Samnite warriors there first came news from the Chaonion Agema. One of the Romaioi captains had been killed, leaving his soldiers with no leader. He had been crushed onto a sarissa, wielded by a man named Leon Boulothrios. That same Leon would later be killed in battle, but there would forever be a mound erected in his honour in the hills of Apoulias.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...6-39-28bmp.jpg
Battle slowly progressed. Revitalized by their success at crushing the Bruttian soldiers, the Agrianikoi moved on and engaged the elite Romaioi infantry.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...6-50-68bmp.jpg
The elephantes had already circled around and were now too engaging the Samnitioi soldiers. Many would never return to their home and the battlefield would be rank with the smell of blood for a very long time. Later children would avoid coming near the place, calling it the Home of Ghosts. It was said that if in the middle of the night, in late spring you would sound a horn in the hills of Apoulios, you could see the ghost of Ptolemaios leading his soldiers onward.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...6-57-43bmp.jpg
As the battle continued the last of the Romani elite soldiers clashed with the foot-companions of Ptolemaios. Knowing that the Romaioi would not engage their Trarii (as they were known in the tongue of the Romaioi) until the last moment, Ptolemaios predicted that the battle would soon be over.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...8-53-14bmp.jpg
Knowing that the Romaioi army would most likely rout if their leader would be killed, Ptolemaios ordered the elite Molossian cavalry onwards. He quickly passed the lines of the Agrianian infantry and rode around the hill. Aligning his cavalry directly opposite of the Romaioi cavalry of Blasio, he clutched a horn from his second-in-command and delivered such a mighty blow that the horn cracked. The earth soon shocked under the weight of more than 2,000 horsemen crashing into the Romaioi cavalry.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...0-11-69bmp.jpg
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...0-12-63bmp.jpg
The prodromoi joined in as well, sending a second shockwave through the Romaioi lines as they came crashing down on Blasio's bodyguard.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...0-43-17bmp.jpg
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...1-34-24bmp.jpg
Finally, Blasio's horse was cut down from underneath him and his skull was crushed on the rocks of the Apoulian hills.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...2-41-40-81.jpg
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...1-48-72bmp.jpg
In total, the death-count on the Epirote side counted no more than four dozen in total, though barely 200 Romaioi found the way back to their home in Lation. Apoulias was under Epirote control.
https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/...4-18-94bmp.jpg
================================================================================================
Next: Chapter VIII - On the city of Rome.
Thanks for everybody's comments, I really appreciate it.
Centurio Nixalverdrus: Yes! I will completely read your AAR, I'm very interested. Expect comments there!
Vasiliy: Thank you very much.
MarcusAureliusAntoninus: Like the Molosson Agema coming from the woods, so has this AAR! I finally found time for it again; I'm in my final exams year and I had to do a lot for school. Seeing that I have four days off from school now, I hope to be able to write some more in the future.
julius_ceasar_the_first: Thank you very much! =D
Exceptional update, Hax! I'm getting happier with each Roman death I witness in your AAR :beam:
Maion
Then you will be very happy with a lot of the upcoming chapters =D
Great battle-story Hax!
I also believed this AAR to be dead - but thank God I was wrong. Good to see it back. The Title of the next chapter really caught my interrest...
Really awesome pics, as usual! I especially like the story of the ghost haunted plain when one could hear the horn of Ptolemaios...