The Exile - Kingdom of Kydonia [a fictional semi-observing AAR]

[Olaf Blackeyes]

This is a great AAR/story. Keep it up. Pirates of the Carr...oh wait Medditerianian FTW

Edit grats on Pg3

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

This is a very well made AAR. Keep it up!

[LordCurlyton]

Hmmm, I see a plundering of Egypt followed by a line of piracy up the coast of the Levant and throughout Asia Minor, followed by finally attacking the Arche Hellenon with the massive monetary supplies gained and finally becoming a player. Or just being the uber-pirate and devastating the whole Mediterranean by securing a couple more island bases (Balaeric Islands, Rhodes, Cyprus, Corsica and Sardinia) and making the rest of the world fear your naval might.

[PriestLizard]

@MAA: Thanks for the kind words from the Master himeslf
@LordCurlyton: Hehe smart one... yes its something like that. I have to play some more years ahead before I post a new update but then you will know what happened.

[PriestLizard]

Chapter 5: Paragon

„The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity.“ -Seneca

Large temple of Zeus-Ahura Mazda in Kydonia, 205 BC.

THE ARCHE PTOLEMAION

By the end of the third century before christ, the ptolemaic empire had repacified all the known lands from egypt to india. Ptolemaios and his descendants had created an impressive empire and – more important – were able to hold it. Their story of success began with the syrian wars, when the Ptolemaioi had beaten the seleucid on several occasions, capturing the important cities in Syria like Sidon or Antiocheia. The seleucid empire was threatened on all borders and the Ptolemaioi used that advantage to advance more and more into the heart of the Arche Seleukeia.

The war between the Arche Seleukeia and the Ptolemaioi lasted for more than sixty years, only being paused by a short ceasefire in 254 BC. In 229 BC, the ptolemies had already captured Babylon and pushed the seleucids more and more into the east. Another twenty years later, in 206 BC, the Ptolemaioi reigned over all former seleucid provinces and basically restored the vast empire of Megas Alexandros.

Arche Ptolemaion 206 BC, 201 BC, 197 BC.

The Ptolemaioi used the typical successor-warfare tactics that was typical for that period of time. Phalangitai were the core of each army and were used to pin the opponents on a strong and defenseful battle line. Skirmishers and cavalry were used to break the opposing battle line untill one weak spot was created. The ptolemaic generals perfectionated these tactics and adapted them even against the steppe factions from the north, like the Sauromatae and the Hayasdan. Even though their continious wars caused many casualties, the Ptolemaioi were always able to make up for their losses.
The key to this success were the coastal cities in Syria. It was their major advantage over the seleucids to have control over the trade in the mediterranian area. Their homeland provinces in egypt were never threatened by war and so were the cities in Syria. That gave the Ptolemaioi the opportunity to develop a strong economy. They used their financial power to support the local governors of allied provinces so they would follow the ptolemaic rule. This was a strong contrast to the way the seleucid ruled over the lands in asia. They never had such economical possibilities and therefore had to rely on their military strength only.

By the time the Arche Ptolemaioi had repacified the eastern and northern regions, they turned their attention to asia minor. The pontic kingdom of Mithridates had been a loyal protecorate for several centuries but in 206 BC, Pontus, who ruled over most provinces in asia minor, saw their chance to revolt against the Ptolemaioi. The ptolemaic ruler immediatly sent his huge forces to engage the traitors and to show the world, that such a behavior would not be tolerated. The campaign only lasted eight years and in the end, Pontus was crushed below the hoofs of the ptolemaic cavalry.

The kingdom of Pontus, finally destroyed 198 BC.

However warfare was not the only accomplishment of the Ptolemaioi. Even though they walked in the footsteps of Megas Alexandros himself, conquering all the known eastern world, they also forged a cultural unity that had never been before. It must have been the dream of Alexander the Great, to see the union of several cultures in one great ecumenism. For the first time since the short time of Alexanders reign, there was peace in the lands between egypt and india. The ptolemaic rulers were able to sign peace treaties with both the Saka tribes and the Sauromatae, so that their northern and eastern borders were secured as well.

So besides the military achievements, which are obvious, the Ptolemaioi also brought peace to the eastern part of the mediterranian ocean. While the west was shaken in wars and rebellion, the east enjoyed a period of prosperity and peace.

ARSAKES ASTERAIOS ENTERS THE STAGE

At the end of the third century BC, a character enters the stage of history which will play an important role in the changes that would occur to the western part of the mediterranian world. Arsakes was the third son of Menander and when the former king of Kydonia died in 215 BC, Arsakes was only seven years of age. Not much is known about the childhood of Arsakes but we know that at first, he didn't seem much like his father. In the short time Arsakes knew his father, they did not have a very close relationship.
Arsakes had his coming of age in 206 BC, few years after Herakon had died during his campaign in sicily and Antimachos was announced sole owner of the kydonian crown. In that time, Arsakes had close connections to the criminal schemers in Kydonia and we do know, that Antimachos even thought about sending his younger brother to exile. It was not the first time that Antimachos hesitation changed the course of history and it is sure, that the fate of the western world would have been different if he had sent his disloyal brother into exile.

It was then three years later that Arsakes joined the pirates on Krete, unknown to his royal kin. This moment marks the start of a new chapter in both kydonian and mediterranian history. In the following years, Arsakes and his comrades seized all major cities in the western mediterranian ocean. It is unknown how many mnai they looted during their raids but some sources mention a loot of more than 400.000 mnai. It is an unthinkable amount and we can only imagine the power that Arsakes and his comrades gained with such a high sum.

Arsakes Asteraios in Alexandreia, 202 BC.


Pharos Alexandreias, spared by Arsakes and his comrades.

At the dawn of the second century BC Arsakes also seized Athenai and Chalkis. This ends his raiding campaign with him probably being the most opulent man in the known world. Arsakes now was twenty-six and he was already a formidable general. Even though he and his comrades never saw a huge opposition force when they raided the cities, he still had a lot of combat experience and he truely was in the pink. He was a conquering hero for his friends and soldiers (which consisted mostly of mercenaries) and in his following decisions, he was probably also influenced by them.

Cities seized by Arsakes and his pirates, 203 – 197 BC.

THE THIRD PUNIC WAR

In 196 BC, six years after he had left Kydonia, he turned his attention to sicily again. Due to his wealth, Arsakes was a much more powerful thread to Carthage and their terretories in sicily than Herakon almost twenty years before. It had been a dream of kydonian rulers since Menander took the crown in 242 BC, to set foot in sicily and continue the story of greek colonies. In winter 196 BC, Arsakes led a force of about thirty thousand mercenaries to sicily and took control of Syrakousaei and Messana with little effort. The carthagian empire which ruled over the cities in sicily, were busy fighting the remaining roman provinces in Germania and were cought by surprise. Arsakes used this advantage to free the greek colonies and give them their autonomy back. He deployed local governors who were basically independent from kydonian rule – they were only forced to support Arsakes with soldiers.

Arsakes Asteraios on his way to sicily.


Italy and its factions, 194 BC.

Arsakes entered sicily as an old fashioned conqueror. There is a story which tells that Arsakes role model was Pyrrhos of Epeiros and he truely followed this ideal. Arsakes' plan was to forge his own empire in italy and he was successful in doing so. Two years after he had arrived in sicily, he had completely taken control of the island and removed the carthagian rulers – and another two years later he captured Rome. The italian cities had suffered several years of harsh reign of carthagian sovereignity and probably saw Arsakes as a liberator.

Mons Capitolinus et Templvm lovis Optimi Maximi, Rome.

The campaign in italy went very well for Arsakes and in 190 BC, the third punic war entered another level when Arsakes landed in Africa with an army of 56820 mercenaries. It was the first time that Carthage was threatened by another faction directly in their homeland. Historians do not fully understand why Arsakes made this decision to invade Carthage. He was known as a great strategist and he could not truely believe he would be able to capture and hold the cities in Africa. Even though Carthage had lost much of its power due to their lost provinces in italy, it was still the major power in the western mediterranian world. Arsakes probably knew that he could not oppose this force directly. This leads to the theory that Arsakes only wanted to weaken the carthagian empire to secure his own lands in italy. Even though he still was a servant of the kydonian crown, officially still worn by Antimachos, it is obvious that Arsakes already had his own ambitions to become king.

Arsakes quickly make himself a name as a great strategist and commander.

Anyway Arsakes landed near Carthage in 190 BC and he was immediatly engaged by a carthagian army in Zeugitana. The numbers were quite even as the carthagians also fielded about 60000 men under the command of Zimrida of Carthage. The following battle was epic.

The opposing forces at Zeugitana.

THE BATTLE OF ZEUGITANA

Both forces fielded an enormous battle line against each other. The carthagian army consisted of african elite spearmen and even elephantoi. Twenty years before, Herakons forces suffered heavily under opposing elephants – but Arsakes was well prepared. He ordered his cretan archers to shoot fire arrows on the engaging elephants. This caused those monsters to run amok and they broke out into their own carthagian lines.

The armies collided and created a wide and long battle line where both sides pinned each other. Arsakes personally fought on the right flank and his guards were able to route some enemy units.

At the same time, the left flank of Arsakes forces had a slight disadvantage as the sacred band cavalry engaged. Arsakes reacted promptly and ordered his guards to the left to help his forces in battle. In the center, there was still a draw with phalangitai on both sides pinning each other.

After some hours, the right flank of Arsakes' forces gained the upper hand and started to encircle the center of carthagian troops. On the left, it was still a draw with Arsakes and his guards trying to counter the sacred band bodyguards.

At the near end of the battle, the left flank seemed lost for Arsakes, as many of his units started to flee. Arsakes and his guards conducted a bold move though: They directly engaged for the enemy general and were able to take him down. This caused the carthagian forces to route and the battle was won for Arsakes.

With the carthagian army beaten, Arsakes captured Carthage and the city was taken by an opposing faction for the first time ever. Arsakes showed no mercy. More than thirty thousand citizens were sold as slaves and the great temples of Ba'al and Astarot were destroyed and looted.

The port and walls of Carthage.

What made the battle of Zeugitana so important was the fact, that one man single-handedly opposed a vast empire like Carthage and succeeded with that. When Arsakes captured Carthage, it was the moment Kydonia finally entered the stage of the most powerful factions. Untill then, Kydonia was a small kingdom with mere influence apart from Krete itself. The crisis of Halikarnassos showed their ambitions but ended in an ultimate loss. The first claim of sicily was nothing but a short intermission as well. But now Arsakes had taken control of sicily and southern italy and he had forged an empire which could be able to compete with the other major factions in europe – and all that without even being king.

Arsakes must have known the importance of his achievements in italy in africa. In 188 BC, shortly after his raid of Carthage, Arsakes returned home to Kydonia after almost fifteen years. Of course Antimachos and his children knew about Arsakes' accomplishments and they were aware of the situation. The people of Kydonia were supporters of Arsakes though, as he was a victor – a hero – and Antimachos was never able to achieve the love of his people. In fact, his influence was small.

Arsakes left Kydonia as a criminal and he returned as a hero. He called himself out as new King of Kydonia and Antimachos disappeared with his loyal family members. It is uncertain if Arsakes killed him or ordered his death – it seems possible though. After he finished his short mission to wipe out the royal family of Kydonia, Arsakes returned to his new capital Syrakousai. The third punic war was far from over and Arsakes still owed the world a proof that he was more than just one more condottieri like many before him, and that he was capable of building an empire in italy.

Also for Carthage this chain of events during the third punic war held some changes. During the last centuries, the military class had gained more and more influence. The war against Rome went good from a military aspect – but it also slowed down the economy and trade. As the military class became more and more stronger, the people seeked for a stronger hand to lead them. The carthagian Republic was about to break. The raid of Arsakes on their capital was just what the hardliners needed to bring their military to absolute power over the people of carthage. Just when Arsakes lifted himself to the throne of his own kingdom, Carthage abandoned his senate and became an empire on his own.

The known world in 188 BC.

TIMELINE

205 BC Hayasdan becomes protecorate of the Arche Ptolemaion. Agathokles, son of Devnet and therefore true heir or Theodotos' crown, is born in Thebes, Egypt. Large temple of Zeus-Ahura-Mazda in Kydonia.

203 BC Arsakes and his pirates start to raid the ptolemaic cities in egypt, syria and asia minor. Cities who became targets: Paraitonion, Alexandreia, Salamis, Tarsos, Rhodes, Halikarnassos, Athens, Chalkis.

201 BC The tribe of the Aedui is destroyed by the Lusotana.

The Aedui destroyed, 201 BC.

198 BC Kanishka Asteraios, fourth son of Menander Asteraios, is assassinated in Kydonia. Pontus is destoyed by the Ptolemaioi. Kydonia has more than 350.000 citizens.

195 BC Arsakes lands near Rhegion with a force of about 50000 mercenaries. The third punic war begins. Arsakes quickly captures Rhegion, Messana and Syrakousai.

194 BC Lilbeo is captured. Arsakes forges an alliance with the Lusotana.

192 BC Arsakes captures Arpi and Rome.

191 BC Devnet dies in Thebes.

190 BC Arsakes conquers Capua and moves on to Africa to directly assault Carthage. The Arche Indohellenon is down to one province.

The royal seleucid family almost destroyed, 190 BC.

189 BC Battle of Zeugitana. Carthage is raided by Arsakes and his mercenaries.

188 BC Arsakes returns to Kydonia and wipes out the royal family. He is announced new King and moves the capital to Syrakousai. Carthage disbands its senate and the carthagian empire under military rule is formed.

End of Chapter 5.

[Maion Maroneios]

That was wonderful, PriestLizard! I'm really enjoying your AAR, it's very well written! A balloon for you, sir, you deserve every bit of it:

Just for the fun of it, 400.000 mnai would equal to about 104.839.880,8 USD. A hefty sum, isn't it?

Maion

[theoldbelgian]

now this is what I call superior roleplaying, I couldn't stop reading
you sir are a genius

[Cbvani]

Wow ! Behold, the power of money. Carthage as a military empire now, eh? Cool.

[julius_caesar_the_first]

Excellent chapter PriestLizard. Good job on beating Cartahge and becoming a true empire once again. Honestly I didn't expect that. Congratulations.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

[PriestLizard]

I'm glad to hear you guys like it. I guess I'm really improving so hopefully this AAR will become better and better.

Carthage had fallen under military rule, yes. Enslaving their population and destroyed their holy buildings have brought their hatred on Arsakes and his empire. It will be difficult for him to maintain his terretories in italy. With Carthage refusing a ceasefire and the war with the roman senate and nobles still going on, it will be a difficult road from a condottieri (mercenary leader) to a real king.

The first task will be to deploy a stable government with all the allied states in italy... its hard to only play with govIV settlements. Syrakousai has become GovII-Type now (as its the new capital), Messana and Taras, as former greek colonies, are type III.

Have a look at the new house rules on page 1 btw: I do use auto_win now as it has become boring to fight clear victory-battles over and over again. It will be hard enough as my enemys will usually have an advantage in numbers from now on (campaign difficulty is VH).

More important is my house rule regarding government types. When I brought italy under my control, I decided that govIV cities should keep their local autonomy when it comes to production. They have to "serve" Syrakousai, yes, thats why the king may adjust the production-style (military, financial etc) but the cities still have their autonomy to make their own decisions. This might make it a little bit more difficult as I highly depend on the reinforcements produced in those cities - but its also much more realistic.

The Ptolemaioi are fighting the hellenic empire now near Byzantium. Its the only warfare in the east. So besides that and the third punic war still going on in the west, the world is rather peaceful. Most factions have been destroyed (or nearly destroyed at least) anyway.

Next update will of course cover the second part of the third punic war. Make sure to check it out... and also leave your comments, critics and suggestions - like usual.

Bye Priest

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Truely, truely

EPIC!!!!

[gamegeek2]

Which color are you? Kydonia seems to be gray...

[Maion Maroneios]

He's white, taken after the Karthadastim I pressume. Also, PriestLizard, while it's good to experiment with colors, try to stick to one (to avoid posts like gamegeek2's).

Maion

[PriestLizard]

I always change colors to indicate that its basically another faction now. The faction I'm playing is no longer the kingdom of Kydonia, as the empire is not governed from that city - new capital is Syracuse - and its also not playing an important role either.

It might be confusing to see changed colors every new chapter but if you have a look on maps in history books, you also usually see new colors if there is a new empire Hmm... I will try to reduce that though, OK.

Oh, and I forgot to post this one! Its OOC anyway so its not too bad:

[Maion Maroneios]

Ah, that is very well thought. Just mentioning their names would be fine, to be honest I personally don't have any problems with the colors, I can tell them apart.

Maion

[Tyrfingr]

E to the PIC - EPIC!

[PriestLizard]

Chapter 6: Ragnarök

„The way to prevent war is to be ready for it!“ -Cleopatra (Cleopatra, 1963)

Arsakes Asteraios becomes new king in 188 BC.

The battle of Zeugitana and the claim of Arsakes for the kydonian crown truely started a new chapter in kydonian history. As we know the kydonian kingdom had its roots in the very east, far away in Baktria and Arsakes was the first, to restore some of its old spirit. Before the kingdom of Baktria was re-integrated into the Arche Seleukeia in 253 BC, it controlled a huge terretory including Baktria and Parthia. Patrokles brought the crown to Kydonia and founded a strong city-state, but all efforts to bring back the glory of old times were in vain. The situation in 188 BC however was very different.

Arsakes chose the right time to interfere in sicily and to start the third punic war. The italian provinces longed for their autonomy again and were suffering from the strict carthagian rule. Arsakes only needed five years to extinct the carthagian ruling class from italy and to incorperate the provinces under his lead. Comparing to the carthagians however, Arsakes allowed the cities to maintain their autonomy and to keep their local customs. It is interesting, that this strategy in fact led to symbiosis of both cultures, while the carthagian culture was never adapted or even accepted. The reason for this is obvious. While the carthagians were seen as very different people by the samnitic and etruscan cities in italy, the hellenic influence of Kydonia seemed very familiar.

Streets of Syrakousai.

There had been greek colonies in italy for several hundred years now and both ways of life had already approached each other. Beginning with the captures of Arsakes however, this procedure of cultural symbiosis entered another level as we can see temples of Zeus-Ahura Mazda, a clearly baktrian cult, in Syrakousai and Taras. Merchants and settlers from the very east even arrived in italy and even the iranian languages start to approach the italian peninsula.

Carthagian temples in Lilbeo.

Clearly these cultural changes helped Arsakes to build his empire in italy. Even though Arsakes was known for his brutality to his enemies and foes, it seemed that he still had a sensitive way to organize his kingdom. We will see, that his administration strategy helped Arsakes to overcome another threat to his lands, confronting him in 183 BC.

THE ALLIES OF ARSAKES

So what was the situation in 188 BC? Arsakes had returned to Kydonia and claimed the throne of the kingdom. He eliminated most of the royal family or sent them into exile. When we became new Basileion at the age of thirty-four, the numbers of his allies were few. There are some to mention though, as they will play a more important role later on.

One of his closer friends and supporters was Dion Chatrachartaios. A son of the former hero of Halikarnassos, Krateros, he joined Arsakes on his way back to italy. Just like Arsakes, Dions earlier years never seemed to lead to an important role in the royal family. When his father died in battle at Halikarnassos, Dion was only four years old. Later he joined kydonian mercenaries and fought for Pergamon in asia minor. Like many others, he was probably impressed by Arsakes' achievements and when Arsakes arrived on Kydonia, Dion immediatly offered him his and his mens services. In that way, Dion probably also helped Arsakes to take control over the throne in Kydonia.

Dion was in great health and known for his vigor and strength. Much like Arsakes, he also was a gifted leader and as we will see, he would become a very successful general under Arsakes rule.

Dion, 181 BC.

The second important supporter of Arsakes within the royal family was one of his nephews, the third child of Antimachos, Arsakes II. It is not known much of him and it is still uncertain why he betrayed his father and joined Arsakes I. to take over the crown. Maybe he just wanted to save his life – or maybe he was just tired of the passive agenda by his father and his dull administration.

In the end both of them joined the new king to italy and provided strong support for him. While Dion and Arsakes II stayed in Syrakousai to monitor the ongoings in the empires capital, Arsakes I marched north to bring an end to the third punic war.

THE THIRD PUNIC WAR CONTINUES

Two years later, in 186 BC, Arsakes and his army resided in Etruria, near the city of Arretium. He almost had sixty thousand men under his command, mostly light infantry from Campania and mercenary phalangitai. He was engaged by the carthagian general Celeas Iol and the following battle ended in a devastating loss for Carthage.

Even though the numbers were quite even, the light troops from Africa were no match for the veteran mercenaries under Arsakes' command. The carthagian army routed and almost thirty-five thousand carthagians died that day.

After this clear victory, Arsakes easily captured both Arretium and Ariminum. He once again had proven his military prowess and by every won battle, his empire gained more and more power and fame. After the year 186 BC, Arsakes had been in too many battles to count – he had definetly Seen The Elephant.

Arsakes, seen the elephant, 186 BC.

In 185 BC Arsakes continued his campaign to take the islands Sardin and Korsim. This added to the economical power of Syrakousai. From this year on, the domination of Syrakousai over Carthage was not only based on military strength but also economical substance.

“Royals Collide“ (unknown painter) shows the battle on Sardin, 185 BC.

THE REBELLION OF THE SENATE

The next year was a difficult one for Arsakes. While most cities in italy were happy under his rule, allowing them to keep their autonomy by their local governors, Rome had always been a difficult client state. Arsakes probably did not fully understand the importance and influence of the roman senate. Even with their army gone and with their nobles being far away in the north, fighting for their new Imperium Galloromanum, the senate still had sufficiant power to cause trouble.

In 184 BC it was the moment when the senate started an open rebellion against Syrakousai. At that time, Arsakes was still on Sardin and monitored the deployment of local governors in Karali, so it seemed like the right time to revolt. The senate hoped to bring some of Arsakes' supporters on their side (probably by bribes) – but they underestimated Arsakes' power on their own.

First, Aspiones, the former local governor of Arsakes in Rome, stayed loyal to him and was able to defeat a roman army in Latium. The next season, Aspiones was engaged by another army though and had to retreat – so the situation ended in a draw.

The situation in italy after the rebellion of the senate.

One year later, Dion arrived with an army from Syrakousai and put down the rebellion once and for all. He defeated the rest of the senatory force and captured Rome again. The senators were executed and most citizens were sold into slavery.

This not only ended the roman rebellion, it also showed the power and influence of Arsakes. It was the proof, that his empire was strong enough to even strike down a rebellion of such a strong institution as the roman senate was.

Dion demonstrated his loyalty to Arsakes, but we also know that he had an hard time following the orders of his king. Historians had found preserved letters of Dion to his wife in Syrakousai, in which he moaned of insomnia and that he was a restless sleeper.

Later that year, Dion was engaged by the another roman army near Bononia.

Dion was able to celebrate another great victory over the romans and with their last stronghold in italy, Bononia, lost, the roman nobles had no choice but to offer Syrakousai a ceasefire.

After the senatory rebellion had been put down, the situation in italy seemed repacified again. But 183 BC also marks the start of another war who not only forced the military apperatus of Syrakousai to step on a higher level, but also accellerated the cultural symbiosis between italic and hellenic influences.

THE BARBARIAN INVASION

194 BC, Arsakes' diplomats had signed an alliance with the spanic barbarian tribes, the Lusotana. They had become the dominant barbarian nation and had included both the Aedui and the Arverni into their tribes. More than ten years later, in 183 BC, they started their invasion of italy.

The first battle happened in 182 BC near Arretium and was exemplary for many others to come during the next years. Arsakes had about thirty-thousand men under his command and was engaged by more than seventy-thousand barbarians. During sunset in summer 182 BC, both forces colided.

Arsakes disciplined hoplites and infantry carried away the victory. He quickly marched north to capture the city of Segesta in Liguria only to be besieged by another huge lusotani force. In the following battle, more than sixty-thousand barbarian warriors died by the hands of Arsakes and his men.

“The Hoplites“, painted by Philippos the young, approx. 112 BC, shows the battle in Segesta.

In 180 BC, Arsakes had conquered a great empire. Syrakousai was in control of italy, sicily and the islands of Sardin and Korsim. The war against the Lusotana was not only a threat to Arsakes – it also played into his very hands. Even though most italian cities did not revolt against Syrakousai, some stayed sceptical and Arsakes had not only friends in italy. The war against the barbaric tribes however made Arsakes more than just a conqueror, more even than a liberator from carthagian rule – it made him the defender of civilized nations – the last stronghold against barbaroi in western europe.

Like we mentioned before, this accellerated the cultural symbiosis in that part of the world and together with the achievements of the Arche Ptolemaion, it was another important step to forge the hellenic world we have today.

In the following years, there were many battles between Syrakousai and Lusotana. Even though Syrakousai stayed victories in most occasions, the barbarians seemed to have unlimited men and they sent army after army. It was not a war about terretory or wealth anymore – it was a struggle for survival against the barbarian invasion.

ARSAKES' MILITARY TACTICS

The military strategy and army composition changed significantly during the years. When Arsakes began his campaign in sicily, his army constisted of typical greek soldiers: phalangitai, cretan archers and hellenic skirmishers, mixed with several gallic mercenaries as supporting infantry.

During the war in italy, Arsakes applied more and more to a different style of warfare. The typical successor unit, the phalangitai, was replaced by another classical unit – the greek hoplites. All former greek colonies in italy were able to train these classic soldiers and Arsakes used them in huge amounts.

They were his military foundation in his campaigns against both Carthage and Lusotana. This core was supported by typical italian light infantry: campanian infantry, rorarii and hastati from camillia.

At the start of his campaign, Arsakes had to rely on mercenaries mostly. When his administation of italy became more and more stable, he was able to recruit his soldiers directly from the population. The cities had to support Arsakes with units in order to keep their independence – which was benefitial for both sides.

THE SITUATION IN 179 BC

TIMELINE

186 BC Arsakes defeats a huge carthagian army in Etruria. Later both Arretium and Arimium are captured.

185 BC Arsakes captured Sardin and Korsim.

184 BC Rome rebells against Arsakes. War of Rome against Aspiones. Arsakes gains an important sea victory over Carthage but his return to italy is delayed.

183 BC The Lusotana start their invasion of italy. Dion strikes down the rebellion of Rome and sends the citizens into slavery.

182 BC Arsakes suffers a critical decease, confined to bed. Victories by Dion over romans and by Arsakes against the barbarians. The war of the Arche Hellenon against the Arche Ptolemaion starts.

181 BC Dion conquers Bononia. The Basileion Pergamou is destroyed. The ptolemaic empire captures their last city Mytilene.

180 BC Battle of Segesta, hard fighting in the streets.

179 BC Arsakes captures Medilanum. Dion captures Patavium. Biton, the loyal local governor of Segesta defends the city. Arsakes II joins the war and wins some battles near Messalia.

End of Chapter 6.

[Tyrfingr]

I can barely wait for the next update, this AAR is AWESOME!

[Cbvani]

I wonder where it will go from here? I haven't a clue, which is quite unusual.

[LordCurlyton]

Hmm well since he has become the "Defender of Civilization" I would expect Arsakes to look to free Massalia and Arse from the yoke of Lusotannan rule under which they obviously suffer. This would necessitate using his naval superiority to launch strikes into deeply held Luso territory while holding off the hordes; not an easy task. It also will likely precipitate more conflict with the Carthies as securing the Balaeric Isles would be critical to establishing a nearby way point for resupply and troop assembly.
Of course one cannot forget the Roman Senate who, after the crushing defeat, are likely filled either with sycophants or those who wish to worm their way into the power structure rather than overthrow it. These types are likely sending effusive praise to Arsakes extolling his many virtues and trying to guide him to areas they have lusted over...such as the rich mines of Iberia...
Of course, this is only speculation.

[PriestLizard]

These are great ideas Curlyton! I will keep this in mind when I think about the storyline. Right now, some years after the sixth chapter, the game had become quite boring in some way. I need to play some more years ahead in order to get the right ideas ... and I also decided to take a break of some days, probably one week. I will play some vanilla BI, I never finished a campaign in that game.

The next thing I will probably do about this AAR is a summary of what had happened during the first 100 years ( = 400 turns ), some kind of baktrian chronicles.

Its always important to take some break, get some rest and refresh your creativity... I guess.

[LordCurlyton]

Well if you MUST play vanilla BI I would recommend the WRE. While no vanilla campaign is difficult generally speaking since all the generals can become devastating killing machines quickly the WRE will have the greatest unrest problems and religious schisms to deal with, plus their roster is not nearly as good as the ERE. If you want a fun time mod it so you can play all the factions and play as the Celts...

[PriestLizard]

Hi there. I think my break was long enough. I just loaded my kydonian game again and made some notes about family members for my upcoming interludum of this AAR. I'm back in the mood for gaming now and I will hopefully play some more this week so I can give you another good update next weekend.

I sense that the recognition for this AAR has somewhat slowed down - do you guys don't like something about it? I do this for my personal joy but I'd also like to entertain you guys, so if there's something you don't like - please let me know. I know that some of you disagree with fictional AARs but well... for all the others, I hope I can give you some nice entertainment.

@Curlyton: Yup, actually I did play the western roman empire. To be honest I saw your posting somewhere where you already suggested that BI/WRE is not a bad game at all so I decided to give this faction a shot when I planned to do a BI campaign. You are right, its really challenging... I lost several provinces due to unrest and I'm in war with basically everyone. Sadly the alliance with ERE did't last for long.

Now I want to go back to EB and this AAR though, so I'm not sure if I will ever finish BI. It was a nice experience to go back to vanilla one more time as it really showed the true strengths of EB again!

[LordCurlyton]

Its not that it has so much slowed down as people are just waiting for the next update. If you're looking for input you can always open a "What should I do next?" poll and give them several options. Those always seem to keep people interested if you're worried about it.
About BI, the easiest way I found was to pick one of the religions (pagan or Christian) and convert EVERY province to it. Sure you'll probably lose a few to revolt but that works in your favor if you plan it correctly. Since most of the hordes love to descend on France you can always just let France revolt to the WRE Rebels and THEY get to deal with everyone. The ERE, for all it wants to betray you, usually is not a problem as long as you keep a navy around.