From Basileion to Arche - An interactive Makedonian campaign/AAR

Beginning of the Synedrion, Winter 248BC

https://img367.imageshack.us/img367/...nedrionyj7.jpg

When Cheimon of the 528th year after the First Olympiad came (Winter, 248BC), Alkyoneus Argeades and current Basileus Makedonias decided to call upon the Synedrion once again. 6 years had passed since the last Synedrion and many things had happened, things that to be discussed thoroughly by the Synedroi.

There was an unknown silence within the Synedrion, as if something was about to happen. Truth was, all the Synedroi knew there where about 60.000 of Makedonia’s finest just outside Pella, like a beast waiting for his master to point it’s next victim.
https://img229.imageshack.us/img229/...mies248um7.png

The first to stand up was, as customary, Diophantos, the head of the Synedrion.

“Noble and wise Synedroi, it is my greatest honor to stand here before you once again. A total of 6 years have passed since out last gathering, now our wise Basileus decided it is time to consult us, the noblemen of Makedonia, once again.”

“Today, there are several people who have asked me for audience. First of all, I will give word to our Basileus who will inform us of the recent happenings as well as the current state of Makedonia. His place will be taken on the pedestal afterwards by Strategos Adaios Argeades, son of the passed Antigonos, who has recently completed his military training in Sparte. Last, but not least, will be Menephilos Thebaios, governor of Ambrakia and Satrap of the region of Epeiros.”

“Without hesitation, let us welcome Basileus Alkyoneus Argeades, Hegemon Hellados, Timoros Barbaron and Nikator Pergamou.”

Alkyoneus stepped forward towards the central pedestal with loud applause from the Synedrion. Alkyoneus seemed quite old as he took his place, his hair already greying but keeping a firm posture that commanded authority. His voice was loud and clear as always:

“Sympatriotai, I salute you once again. As you remember, the last time we where gathered here, we decided our Basileion needed to develop it’s infrastructure and reorganize it’s military. So I, by your decision, set forth a project of building up our humble Basileion into a to-be international power.”

“6 whole years have passed since the last time we met, Synedroi, and 6 whole years did I work on everything. Building roads, Akademiai, ports and Agorai, I gave our Basileion a new face. A face that is in par with any other great power out there, a power that is capable of reaching great heights despite what anyone who thinks lowly of Makedonia may say. For from the next year and onwards, I swear to you Synedroi, Makedonia is going to change. No more licking Seleukid boots, no more fearing barbaroi in the north, no more threats by Romaioi scum.”

“Some of you may think this all sounds very nice to the ear, but according to what am I saying this? The answer is plain and simple and one has but to take a glance from our Akropolis to understand. For to the south of Pella, nearly 60.000 troops composed only of Makedonia’s finest, as well as the best of barbaroi, lie waiting for your orders. Not since many, many years has our military looked this promising, gentlemen. We have but point them to a direction, and our armies shall wreak havoc and wipe off the ironic smiles from those that still mock Makedonia.”

“During those 6 years, I did what you asked me to: I reorganized the military, I built up our infrastructure and I strengthened out naval might. We are now at the point where we will have to take a risk and see the results. If we fail now, we will probably not have another chance in a long time, of any ever again. That is why, from this point on, we must be very careful with our decisions, which may make the difference in the end. For it will be by these decisions that will shape our future and evolve Makedonia from Basileion to Arche.”

“As you may have be informed, there have been a lot of incidents in both the West as well as the East, the latter being within our immediate interest. In the West, the Karchedonioi seem to lose ground in Sikelia against the Romaioi, while they remain masters of the seas. Our naval forces in western Hellas where also attacked in several occasions by raiding peiratai from the Adriatike, but fortunately they where unable to cause any significant damage before meeting their end in the dark waters of the realm of Megas Poseidon.”

“In the East now, things are becoming more intense as we speak. It seems that the fall of the Arche Seleukeia as we know it and has been prophecised in the past, is finally taking place. After losing the recent Syrian War against the Ptolemaioi, the Seleukeidai have lost mayor poleis in the Levant, including mighty Antiocheia, to the Aigyptian Makedones. Now as we speak, the Ptolemaioi are manning the offensive within the heartlands of Seleukid regime, Mesopotamia.”

“Of course, our military activity hasn’t remained unnoticed by Ptolemaios Philadelphos, who will surely raise the garrisons of his newly-conquered regions. He is no fool, he knows we still remain an ally of the Antiochos Syriakos, Basileus Seleukeias. We have acted in his steed in the past, thus he may be expecting us to do so now as well.”

“That is why, sympatriotai, we must act now and we must act swiftly. If we lead our forces to the East now, we will hopefully catch Ptolemaios off-guard and if not, we can hope that the Seleukeidai will have time to react. For I can sincerely tell you that by now, I have recieved more requests from our Seleukid allies than ever. And as time passes, those requests are beginning to sound more like pleas, gentlemen. Yes, pleas. Who would ever expect that from one of the greatest powers in the world?”

While some of the Synedroi start discussing with each other and making surpised sounds, Alkyoneus raises his hand to command silence before going on.

“As you see Synedroi, it seems that Anatolia needs to be given it’s much-needed rest from constant war. As such, it is up to us to bring Makedonian law to the lands of the East, or some barbaroi will do so. I have even prepared an invading plan, Synedroi. The last 2 years have I discussed with my fellow Strategoi various plans and it seems we are inclining towards the following, which I will present here on this map:”
https://img155.imageshack.us/img155/...aryplanpw5.jpg

“Orange lines indicate the movement of the 2 navies that will carry our 2 invading armies, while the yellow and red colors refer to each army individually. Discontinuous lines indicate naval routes, while dots indicate land routes. As you see, I suggest an invasion of Krete and Rhodos followed by Kypros and from there a sweeping movement over the shores of southern Anatolia up until Antiocheia. From there, we can hold off any Ptolemaic attackers until further plans.”

“Which brings me to my point, Synedroi. What I ask from you, is suggestions as how we should move and how we should treat conquered lands. What I suggest, sympatriotai, is that we turn the regions of Krete and Rhodos into Satrapeiai (lvl2 governments), while any other regions in Anatolia in Nomoi Emphrouroi (lvl3 governments) until those regions are firmly pacified and Katoikiai are built.”

As Alkyoneus goes back to his throne, Adaios Argeades steps on the central pedestal and faces the Synedrion with a determined, yet somewhat nervous expression.

“Chairete, sympatriotai. As you may know, I have recently completed my military training in Sparte and was appointed Strategos Makedonias by Basileus Alkyoneus. My request to you, Synedroi, is your approval of leading the second army of Makedonia. I may be young and inexperienced, but I have worked very hard in Sparte and I believe I am ready to lead our forces to glory. Under supervision of Alkyoneus, I believe I can be successful. Thank you for your time.”

Next came Menephilos, who patted Adaios on the shoulder as the latter was walking back to his seat. He then took his place on the pedestal and spoke loud and clearly:

“My beloved Synedroi, chairete! I am here today to ask for your reason and consideration, for my region of Epeiros seems to be threatened by the Illyrioi. As you may know, the lands of Illyria have been unified by the Taulantioi tribe and are now roaming freely. Therefore, I deeply fear for the future of our north-western borders, which will probably be one of their primary targets.”

“That is why, sympatriotai, I have come here with a request for strengthening the garrison of the region of Illyria Hellenike. I believe that a garrison force of the same strength as the ones guarding the Makedonian-Thraikian borders will suffice. Thank you for your time.”

When Menephilos walked back to his seat, Diophantos stepped on the central pedestal once again and addressed the Synedrion:

“I have given word to everyone who asked for audience, now is your time of answering to these fine men. Let the discussions formally begin.”

This out-of-character, but here is a map of actual AI expansion at this point in the campaign:
https://img184.imageshack.us/img184/121/ebmapfw9.gif

"Great Basileus, your plan for an intervention in the East is worthy of Megas Alexandros himself. The way across the sea is surely easier and faster than marching through the mountains of Anatolia. However, it seems to me, that an invasion of Krete would only take precious time and manpower while not being of any direct relevance to a campaign in Syria. Rhodos is of course a major strategic point, guarding the entrance to the Aigian Sea and so is Salamis for any naval operations around the Syrian coast, but Krete is far off the routes to the Eastern Mediterranian. It would only be necessary to occupy Krete if we wanted to ship troops to the Kyrenaika.
I say, we should leave Krete for now and focus our combined armies first on Rhodos and Salamis and from there strike at Side and Antiocheia simultanously. As our fellow synedros Alypios might confirm, Antiocheia is a major strategic city for the Seleukidai, being the major military center in Syria and the connection point to Anatolia. Our aim should be to return it as soon as possible to the Seleukidai so that they might aid us in our struggle against the greedy wannabe-Makedonian Pharao, since our supply lines will be long. Our strategic goal should be to reestablish the Seleukid dominions in all of Syria and Phoinikia, while occupying the Southern coast of Anatolia up until Tarsos so that we may always be able to quickly bring in reinforcements should the need arise.
Regarding governments... I suggest that we install a puppet regime in Rhodos. The city-states of the Ionian coast might welcome our sorvereignty if the see that we would grant them autonomy. Let us not forget, that it were those city-states that were the first to oppose Persian rule and defy their king. We should not underestimate them, or else we might be forced to fight several wars like the one against Pergamon. Of course, our war against Pergamon ended with a glorious victory, but we would not want to waste precious military resources in an endless series of petty wars in Mikra Asia, would we?!"

Zenon makes a small pause.

"Furthermore we should begin to consider intervening in Italia as long as the Carthaginians still have a foothold in Sicily. Rome is a growing power and sooner or later its eyes will turn to Hellas with hunger for land and riches. We must start our planning now, while we still have enough time to "machinate". Ultimately, it is our duty as Protectors of Hellas to free the Greek cities in Italia, since they are former colonies of city-states in Hellas and thus are subjects of our protection. If we strike and occupy Taras and Rhegion and their respective hinterland, while the Carthaginians are still able to wage war in Sicily, then we might cut off Roman reinforcements to Sicily, enabling Carthage to reclaim the island for itself and pick up their war against Rome more effectively. Otherwise they might soon be thrown out of Sicily, I fear."

*Alypios rises and prepares to address the Synedrion*

Chairete fellow Synedroi. It is good to see that our Basileion is growing stronger and stronger, and is now ready to truly take the offensive and begin to take back the lands that rightfully belong to Makedonia and the true heirs of Megas Alexandros.

First of all I agree with Zenon. Taking Krete would serve no strategic purpose at this time. But I also believe it is necessary to destroy the Koinon Helenon once and for all. Too long have the Poleis-Krate resisted us. Crushing them would do much to break the resolve of would-be rebels in southern Hellas. Because of this I think that we should ignore Krete now, at the beginning of the campaign, but once it is done, one of the returning armies should conquer the island.

*Alypios takes a deep breath, then continues*

As for the Anatolian campaign itself I think that is not aggressive enough. The current plan leaves a few provinces in Ptolemaic hands. I think that we should take these lands as well. They all rightfully belong to us and would at least give us a bargaining chip with the Seleukidai. Antiocheia and the surrounding lands should be returned to the Seleukidai, in order to restore their morale which was no doubt shaken by its loss, as well as giving them a strategically important province.

I have prepared my own map of how I think we should go about conquering southern Anatolia. It’s a much bolder and more dangerous plan but the benefits are also grater.

https://i266.photobucket.com/albums/...Battleplan.jpg

Of course we should be constantly training garrison troops for the new cities so that the main armies can move forward constantly.

*Alypios pauses as he lets The Basileus and the other Synedroi study the map, then continues*

I also think that we should make all the new provinces, except for two, into Satrapeia in order to integrate them more quickly.

Kypros and Kilikia, being so distant should be made into one client kingdom under a more distant member of the Argead family, one with little chance of becoming Basileus, but of sufficient skill that he may run the small kingdom well. It would give us a loyal buffer state against the Ptolemaioi and the Seleukidai.

*Alypios now takes a grimmer expression*

Italy also worries me. The fact that Megale Hellas is under Romaioi control and not even the Carthaginians could stand against them shows their martial prowess. But still there is nothing we can do for the moment. We must focus of the East. It would be good if we could coordinate with Carthage in defeating the Romaioi, but I fear that Syrakousai will fall before our campaign in Anatolia is even half done, even with our Wise and Noble Basileus’s more conservative battle plan. So all we can do for the moment is to fortify our Illyrian border against the Taulantinoi, the apparent allies of Rome. We cannot risk a war on two fronts with such a large and important campaign in the East.

*Alypios sits and eagerly awaits for the reaction of the other Synedroi*


Out of Character: The idea behind the Kingdom of Kyprios, or however the Basileus chooses to call it comes from MAA’s AAR , and I’ve used it in my own Epeirote campaign. Use type 3 government and a family member that has an heir, or at least a wife to create a separate kingdom that can be used for role-playing later on. Hope you like my suggestion.

“Fellow Synedroi! I cannot say how proud I feel to see our great Kingdom strong again. My Grandfather always told me and my brothers that one day the true Basileus and heir to Megas Alexandros would lead the armies of Makedonia to the east and regain what the gods had deemed his…”

*He takes a short break seemingly to gather his thoughts and continues.*

“Yes he would surely be proud.
However we cannot allow ourselves to make any mistakes in these crucial times.
I agree with the war plans of our Basileus. The rest of the so called “Koinon Helennon” must be put down. Krete is probably used by them as a Base to convince pirates to raid our merchant ships. Should we take the Island however we will have more control of the Aigaion(Thanks Maion :beam:) and could hire Toxotai Kretikoi who are possibly the best Toxotai (archers) among the Hellenes. They will be a great support for our armies as the peoples of the east use large numbers of good quality eastern Toxotai in their armies and we need to able to counter them. The Ptolemaioi also use Toxotai extensively. This alone is good reason to conquer Krete as soon as possible.”

“Rhodos itself was one of the founders of that serpent of the Koinon. In fact it is the only founding member still unpunished. That we should change rather soon as well. There Spendonetai (slingers) are famous for there skills with the sling. The Rhodioi and Kretikoi have both served Megas Alexandros so it should be natural that they serve our Basileus – the true Heir of Alexandros.”

“Alypios. I believe your plan is reasonable and would be realizable but the many sieges we would have to fight will give the Ptolemaioi time to reorganize there defenses and be ready when our forces arrive in Antiocheia. Your idea concerning Kypros sounds very wise to me and I fully agree on your suggestion on Italia and the Taulantinoi. The time is not ripe for offensive actions in the west. Not yet.. “

*Philadelphios takes his seat again*

Out of Character: nice Armies you have there Maion:2thumbsup:
I know you have lots of Hellenic Archers but (at least to the little experience I have till now:book:) Kretan ones could also be usefull. (not to mention should the Ptolies employ eastern archers:skull:)

Good luck to the invasion forces:charge:

*Alypios rises and addresses Philadelphios*

Noble Philadelphios, there are many reasons for my plan being the way it is. One of the most important is security. If we leave two provinces in Ptolemaic hand we risk being attacked from behind and loosing all we conquer. Indeed, this plan would take much more time and there is a chance the Ptolemaioi could organize a solid defense of Antiocheia and thus end the war in a stalemate. But WE would remain with the lands of southern Anatolia. We are not going to war in order to save the Seleukidai from their own incompetence, but in order to rebuild the Empire of Megas Alexandros and this war will be an important step towards that goal.

*Alypios sits down, awaiting other reactions*

*Alkyoneus stands up after hearing the 3 Synedroi so far*

"I see Synedroi that there is a certain reluctancy to attack Krete. Let me rationalise the reason why I believe the capture of the island will be of major importance and maybe so I will change your minds."

"First of all, in Krete reside the remnants of the Spartiatai that have always had strong relations with the Kretai. Disposing them will mean no future plans of retaking their homelands. Furthermore, Krete is a region of great strategic importance and within the immediate interest of the Ptolemaioi themselves who wish control of the Aigaion (HunGeneral:wink:). Leaving Krete and going to the East will leave the grounds open to the Spartiatai who might even have agreed some kind of alliance with the Ptolemaioi yet again. As you see, I believe Krete should be captured and slowly turned into a Satrapeia."

"As for the plan to invade Anatolia and the Levant itself, let me tell you a few things. Especially you, Alypios, having presented your own plan as well."

"What you suggest, noble Alypios, is attacking Karia and Lydia early on. Let me remind you that those regions are firmly controlled by a Ptolemaic Strategos named Philotas Elephantineios. His army is vast and is located in the south of Halikarnassos. His army contains strong troops from Pezhetairoi to Elephantes from Aigyptos herself. So opposing such an army would be too risky early on in my oppinion. Thus, I suggest we go for Pamphylia and fortify the region with one of the two armies, while I head for Antiocheia with the remaining one. Thus, we can hold off any attempts of re-conquest by Philotas, given he will be ordered to do so by Ptolemaios Philadelphos."

"So as you see, my plan is not necessarily conservative but plain rational. Philotas may not be impossible to defeat, but he may halt our advance long enough to give the Ptolemaioi time to react. And that is exactly what I do not want them to do. I want the element of surprise against those bastards."

"As for the suggestion of making Kypros a semi-autonomous Basileion of it's own, let me remind you that it would be dangerous. For the future, that is. Gaining too much power may create idead of rebellion, which I will not tolerate. Now giving the Rhodioi autonomy, that I will not allow myself. My grandfather, Demetrios Poliorketes, tried and failed to capture the polis and was mocked by them. My father vowed to bring the polis down himself, though Charos didn't permit him to do so. This leaves me the one that will have to do what my grandfather couldn't. I will teach them respect the hard way."

"Regarding the West, I cannot agree more that the present happenings are worrying. If the Romaioi can defeat the richest power in the Mesogeios, then probably they will pose a great threat in the future. But then again, our incomes cannot permit me to interfere military in Sikeli or Megale Hellas at all, at least not until the invasion of the East is successful. I have spent a lot of gold from the Royal Treasurehouse to do what I have done so far, now is the time to get back what I invested so vigorously for the past 6 years."

"While, I said, we are not able to interefere in Megale Hellas or Sikelia, I can arrange a defending force to be raised to garrison Illyria Hellenike against any possible future attack from the Taulantioi. Even though I believe the Illyrioi will know better than to do something foolish like that, however powerful their nation may be. Megas Alexandros and his father Phillipos before him had no trouble putting them in place, something I will not be hesitant to do as well should the need arise."

*Alkyoneus takes his seat again and waits for responses*

Thanks for the support guys, I really appreciate it. Seems things are getting interesting now, maybe we'll see a great Makedonia very soon:wink: Anyways, regarding my archers now, I do have some Kretans but I've placed them in the border garrison army of Pergamon. When my current units are depleted, I will of course use regional archers and/or mercenaries to fill the numbers.

*Alypios rises and humbly addresses Alkyoneus*

Noble and Wise Basileus, it would seem I was wrong in proposing my plan. I had forgotten about the large Ptolemaic force in those provinces. Indeed, your plan is much more rational than mine and I apologize for my rashness. I am only eager to see as much of the Empire of Alexandros reunited during my life.

But I continue to believe that attacking Krete at the beginning of the campaign would be a mistake. The poleis-krate have not made any attempts to attack Hellas in many, many years and the loss of Rhodos would surly cripple them and they would be unable to mount an offensive. They should be left at the end, when our greatest foe, the Ptolemaioi, has been defeated.

Also, I am not sure if the garrison at Pergamom is strong enough, in the event those Ptolemaic armies attack there instead of going to Pamphylia.

*Alypios sits down looking a little worried that he insisted too much on the subject of Krete*

*Alkyoneus stands up and addresses Alypios*

"There is no need to apologise, Alypios. It more than acceptable that a man of politics does not know full details about military activity in Anatolia. Indeed, the force is large and I am reluctant to face them head-on, since Philotas commands mighty elephantes which I fear might do great damage to our forces. Note that I do not fear elephantes, as I have faced them before, back then when Pyrrhos of Epeiros was threatening Pella herself and won. It is just that a minor mistake would break our plans at the present time."

"Concerning the plan itself now, let me tell you that military-wise, it would indeed be more rational to first conquer the regions of Karia and Lydia, then move on. This means that, given Philotas is ordered to retreat from the region, our armies might as well make a change of course and attack those regions firstly. Either way, it is true that confrontation with Philotas will be inevitable. I just prefer to face him from within strong walls, instead of the open field in order to minimise losses."

"As for Krete now, let me tell you this: What if the Kretai decide to 'allow' the Ptolemaioi to take control of the region? Wouldn't it be all too easy for the Ptolemaioi then to use the strategic location of the island to launch offensive movements from there? Even the bulk of our navy will be forced to sail to the East to carry our forces, meaning the Aigaion will be very lightly protected. A thorn in our sides is not exactly what we need now, Alypios. I believe everyone understands this. Even so, I can do nothing but respect everyone's oppinion and if it is ultimately decided that Krete is to be left alone, I cannot do anything but bow my head in recognition."

*Alkyoneus sits down again*

"Basileus, what concerns me and my fellow synedros Alypios about occupying Krete right now, is that it may cost us valuable time. Our primary military aim should be to stop the armies of Ptolemaios of conquering the Seleukid heartlands in Mesopotamia. To accomplish this, we have to strike at the point of crisis - which is Syria - as fast as we can and with the maximum of available forces. Therefor we should not bother with occupying less vital regions like Krete, for that can be done later and will not need vast armies. As Alypios has advised, this can be done, when our armies return victorious from Syria. Of course, the Kretans and especially the remaining Spartiatai there might become a thorn in our side, but they would be a rather small thorn that we can overcome easily as they are not able to muster large armies or navies fast enough to threaten us, even with help from Egypt. We should focus on the most direct sea road to Syria: Rhodos, Salamis and from there Antiocheia. Syria and Phoinikia must be reestablished as Seleukid domains as fast as possible in order to enable them to be of any use as buffer against the ever growing Ptolemaic ambitions or becoming an empire."

*Alkyoneus stands and addresses Zenon*

"I understand your rationale, Zenon, and maybe it will truly be better if we neglect Krete for the moment. But let me ask you something else. I heard you mentioned giving back the regions of Syria and Phoinikia to the Seleukeidai. Do you believe this should be done? I am not disagreeing with you, I just believe this topic should be discussed here by us."

*Alkyoneus sits again with renewed interest*

*Alypios rises and addresses Alkyoneus*

Noble and Wise Basileus, I personally believe that we should return those two provinces to the Seleukidai for two reasons:

Firstly it would give us a buffer against the Ptolemaioi. Without such a buffer I fear we would face a never ending war with the Aigyptioi (spelling please).

Secondly, I know the Seleukidai better than anyone here and I fear that they may consider that not returning “their provinces” *Alypios says this with disgust and anger before returning to his usual tone* a betrayal of the alliance and lead to a war with both them and the Ptolemaioi, a war which we would not be able to win at the moment.

I do not believe that they deserve any of the land they now possess but we must not rush things or our Empire will suffer the same fate of Alexander’s.

*Alypios sits*

________________________________________

Out of Character: HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!!!!!

Sympatriotai, brothers!

What has already been said, my dear Basileus, by the Synedrioi is indeed sound and logical. I agree with all of it. However, as have been mentioned, Krete presents a.. Interesting topic.

It is true, that Krete serves as one of the few outposts still loyal to the cause of the Chremonidian usurpers that we expelled from Hellas not too long ago. This presents a problem. As long as Krete stands, so does the so-called Koinon Hellenon, and thus, their cause. As long as this union still stands, yet broken as they are, they have the possibility to further their cause by politics and other means. That they lack military might, especially compared to us, this we know through our networks. However, in the hellenic world their words can still weight heavy and their say in politics aswell. As opponents to us and our cause, which is just and ours by right, they will most likely talk trash about us behind our backs, nagging and criticizing us for every move we make. Now I do not fear them, this Koinon Hellenon. No brothers, I fear what they might do. Remember, that there are many Hellenic poleis (Spelling? Polis in plural) out there that swear allegiance to no political power that we are dealing with yet. Take for example Trebizond, Bosphoria amongst others. Alone, these poleis do not present any threat to any major power, as they are simply too weak on their own. However, should these poleis unite against us.. I fear for the worst. And trust me, brothers, that the Koinon Hellenon can, and will, given proper evidence, accuse us for a great ammount of things that could win these poleises over to their cause.

This is, ofcourse, as long as the Koinon exists. Or rather, its leaders. For while they do have a common enemy, us, that is also all they have in common. Take away their leaders, who struggle to hold the crumbling alliance of theirs intact, and the whole rebellion will surely fall.

Also, let us not forget the economic value of taking Krete. Krete has a very favourable position when it comes to guarding the Aegean sea. While Krete still remains under enemy control, we are missing out on alot of trade from the outside world, such as the Karchedonioi. It also limits our own naval influence that we cannot pass past or near Krete.

But, as the rest of you have pointed out, taking Krete could turn into a drawn out, long siege, possibly delaying our entry into the Syrian heartlands, which is, after all, the goal of our next military steps. I do, however, vote for conquering Krete, despite the delay it will cause.

Furthermore, Syria. As our wise Basileus and his advisors have planned, I agree on taking Rhodos, then moving along the coast, taking Side, Tarsos and finally Antiocheia. Our army should, however, be prepared for marching long and fast, since time is of the essence. Our goal is to avoid the Ptolemaic army currently residing in Mikra Asia seeing as a battle with it could prove fatal to our own forces. I do not say it is a battle we could not win, merely that it would alert the Ptolemaioi to our pressence and give them time to regroup in Syria, making it harder for us to liberate it. As I said, speed should be of the essence and Syria should be the goal. Might I advise that we send scouts to both Side and Tarsos, and if they are lightly defended, be so bold that we split the army heading for Antiocheia, taking the two cities fast, then regroup at Tarsos before moving on to Antiocheia? Might I also suggest that they travel by sea as far as possible, seeing that it is faster?

As for when Syria is in our hands, since I have no doubts that it will become ours, I suggest that we hand it over to the Seleukidai. Not only to show our good intentions and honouring our brothers in the east, but also as others have pointed out, beacuse it would give us a buffer-state against the Ptolemaic sphere in Phoinike. The landgains along Mikra Asias southern coast, should however, befall unto us. However, they could prove to be hard to protect.. I am a little bit split on that descision, so the thoughts of you, brothers, on that particular topic would be appreciated. I do belive that after liberating Antiocheia we could turn backwards, after giving it to the Seleukidai ensuring that it is properly garrisoned, and wrestle Karia and Lydia from the Ptolemaioi? Not only are these areas of great importance should we decide to keep Side and Tarsos, considering roads, logisitcs etc. but it would also clear Hellas Proper from the looming threat of Ptolemaic troops. As it is right now, they are closer than I like to Pella itself. Now I know our navy would most certainly not allow any troops of theirs to cross the Aegean sea, but I am not one for taking chanses. We all know how Pyrrhos was close to taking Pella, not too long ago. I do not wish for a similar Ptolemaic threat looming over Pella.

That is all I have to say, brothers. And, my Basileus.

"Ah yes... the matter of how to rearrange Syria politically. Well, I can only repeat what my fellow synedroi said before me: We need the Seleukidai as a buffer against the Ptolemaioi. If we give them back their Syrian provinces, then their military focus would be right there on the border they share with the Aigyptoi. I fully agree that we should keep the Southern lands of Mikra Asia we are going to conquer. Not only can we intercept any Aigyptian armies marching into Mikra Asia, but we will also have a safe supply route to Syria, should the need to help the Seleukidai in their wars ever arise. Furthermore, the Sleleukidai do not have the military might to hold Mikra Asia as well as Syria and their Eastern dominions. If we keep their former provinces in Mikra Asia for ourselves, we relieve them of one of their protection spheres, enabling them to focus their military attention on their more vital struggle with the Ptolemaioi. This would be in their best interest, as they will surely acknowledge (if they are wise). Their Syrian Provinces however are, as I said before, one of the main pools, they draw their military might from. stripping them of these cities and provinces would be like taking away the gatehouse of their capital. Their heartlands in Mesopotamia would be wide open to Aigyptian armies. And I don't think I have to point out how desastrous it would be if the sons of Ptolemaios would hold the dominion over Mesopotamia.

As for my friend Antigonos Aiginios' concerns regarding our possibilities to defend and hold our eventual gains in Southern Anatolia: If we add Rhodos to our dominion, we have the mighty Rhodian fleet at our disposal. With that it should be no problem to supply our garrisons there by sea. Even more so as we will hold Kypros too, stripping the admirals of Ptolemaios of their operations base for the coasts of Mikra Asia and Syria. This will push their naval influence back to the coast of Aigyptos since they will be left with only Alexandria as their only remaining military port."

Btw, note that by "Syria" I mean the whole region that was refered to as "Syria" in Antiquity, not just the EB province.

You speak with great wisdom for your age, Zenon.

Indeed, what you say is true about Rhodos. I suppose that with Rhodos under our control, we could control the seas around southern Mikra Asia, aswell as supply our armies and newly gained territories there. Forgive me for forgetting the strategic weight of Rhodos.

As for everything else Zenon said, I fully agree. All of Syria must be conquered and given back to the Seleukidai. As Zenon stated, we should also station one army in southern Mikra Asia for two reasons. First, to protect the region from any Ptolemaic agressions. Secondly, to be able to quickly intervene should the Ptolemaioi strike against Syria with full force before our Seleukidai brothers have rebuilt and re-fortificated the region.

Hello everyone. There is something I have to tell you all. First of all, thank you for your time to post here and participate in this AAR. Thanks to all my readers as well for sticking with me all this time. Due to certain (tragic) RL events as well as a very annoying persistant bug that cause me a CTD every time I hit "End Turn" (man, how I hate that every bad thing happens at the same time when you get the downfall:sad:), I will sadly have to discontinue this AAR.

Thanks to everyone again and sorry for this, but I really have no other choise. My internet surfing will also become less and less frequent, at least until things are fixed. Thank the economic crisis for hitting me as well:sad:

Anyways, you don't have to listen to my stories. Here, have a balloon each for participating in the Synedrion: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon:

Maion

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Maion Maroneios

Hello everyone. There is something I have to tell you all. First of all, thank you for your time to post here and participate in this AAR. Thanks to all my readers as well for sticking with me all this time. Due to certain (tragic) RL events as well as a very annoying persistant bug that cause me a CTD every time I hit "End Turn" (man, how I hate that every bad thing happens at the same time when you get the downfall:sad:), I will sadly have to discontinue this AAR.

Thanks to everyone again and sorry for this, but I really have no other choise. My internet surfing will also become less and less frequent, at least until things are fixed. Thank the economic crisis for hitting me as well:sad:

Anyways, you don't have to listen to my stories. Here, have a balloon each for participating in the Synedrion: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon:

Maion

---

*Rhemaxos commits suicide out of cheer dissapointment*

NUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(cries)
WHY?!?!?! WHY!?!?!?


ok now for seriousness. Its sad to hear this has been put down. I can only pray for another one at some point like this.

Everything that has a beginning has an end, Ne Olaf. :smash:

We must carry the Ordenskissen and lay it to rest by the grave of this heroic AAR.

~:mecry:~:mecry:~:mecry:~:mecry:~:mecry:~:mecry:

I'm really sorry this had to end this way:sad:. Thanks for the balloon. I only wish I could have received it under better circumstances.

Good luck with the RL problems. I hope you manage to solve them quickly.

Damn! This is some seriously sad news indeed! :embarassed: But hey, real life comes first. Always.

As the others have said, hope you get to solve it all! Best of luck mate!

But as for this AAR going down.. Lets just say that I am very sad about it, like I am sure that many others who have participated in it are. But hey, thats a good thing, in a way! It is atleast proof that we all genuinly liked being part of it. :)

As I said, best of luck to your RL issues.

Um, I will shamelessly come with a proposition.

What say you all AAR-members of discussing something new along the lines of this AAR? With some other faction perhaps, etc.? Could be fun. And ofcourse, that AAR would be in honouring memory of this one and Maion's efforts to make this AAR as immersive and good as it have been. Those of you that are interested in this offer could PM me and we could perhaps talk more about it. Everyone welcome, even those of you that have lurked and are interested but never have posted in this one. And ofcourse all of you that have posted but have not participated in this one. :)

Sad to see the end of this Maion.:thumbsdown:

See, this is how the Makedonians pay for denying good Skythian cavalrymen some Kleroi!

JK, that must suck. Have a :balloon2: for comfort.

It's really sad to see this AAR end like this~:mecry:~:mecry:~:mecry:~:mecry:

Best of luck to RL. I hope everything will be solved soon.

Thanks Maion for starting this AAR and keeping it alive as long as possible:2thumbsup::yes::2thumbsup:. And thanks for all other participaters. God bless you all.

(Thanks for the Balloon)

EDIT: I had a feeling I forgot something and I was right: to Maion for all the work and time spent on this AAR :balloon2:

Well that's quite unfortunate. I'd been following this since the beginning and it is a shame to see it go.

:no: :no: :no: :no: :no:

Squadron leader Antiochos pulls out his sword, raises it high unto the sky, facing Mount Olympos.

"Ye Gods! What befell you? What gruesome fate treated us so badly? I have been held captive by unscrupulous Thraikian mercenaries for decades. Every day have I thought on flight, and finally have I managed to reach my beloved country again. But for what? For what? Only to see my beloved Makedonia fall at the hands of you, Zeus, and you, Hera, you, Dionysos, Apollos and Herakles. Even you, Herakles, our noble ancestor. You too have turned your back on us."

Antiochos points the sword towards his belly. "Oh Makedonia! Oh my Basileus! I'd rather go forward than await my bitter fate! F**k you Gods! Arggh!"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Maion Maroneios

Hello everyone. There is something I have to tell you all. First of all, thank you for your time to post here and participate in this AAR. Thanks to all my readers as well for sticking with me all this time. Due to certain (tragic) RL events as well as a very annoying persistant bug that cause me a CTD every time I hit "End Turn" (man, how I hate that every bad thing happens at the same time when you get the downfall:sad:), I will sadly have to discontinue this AAR.

Thanks to everyone again and sorry for this, but I really have no other choise. My internet surfing will also become less and less frequent, at least until things are fixed. Thank the economic crisis for hitting me as well:sad:

Anyways, you don't have to listen to my stories. Here, have a balloon each for participating in the Synedrion: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon: :balloon:

Maion

---

I'm sorry to hear this. Although I didn't have the opportunity to contribute, I planned to do so and followed the progress as far as I could.
Of course the well-being of this AAR is less important compared to that of your own, so I'd like to communicate my compassion to you, for whatever tragic may have happened. I very much hope your live will turn to the better soon.

Accept a balloon from me, as a puny comfort: :balloon2:

I'm very sad to hear of your problems. I hope you'll be able to sort that out soon.

As for the AAR, it's a pity that it has to end like this. This was great fun and Maion's elan is to be admired, as is every participant. You all did a great job, guys!

Just found some time to get on-line again and I must say I am deeply moved by all you here. Really, I never expected this:yes: Anyways, things might turn out a little better once I find a job sometime and perhaps I can 'revive' this AAR at some point later on. Note it probably won't be an interactive one, but just a normal storytelling AAR about Makedonia in her rise to glory.

Thank you all again for your support and balloons, it is nice to see this from you. If things get better, be sure you'll be informed henceforth and maybe we can even discuss doing something together from the start.

Goodbye:bow:

Maion

A little bumb here (no the AAR is not resurrected :tongue:), everyone still interested in "reliving" this in some sort, look for a thread created by me and the main Forum section about a Makedonian PBM.

Maion

ALL HAIL MAKEDONIA!!!