[Romani AAR] It began on seven hills...

[QuintusSertorius]

197BC:



My campaign against the annoying Dacians continues; I think I'll take Ak-Ink and give it to the Sweboz or something.

The two settlements I gave away seem impervious to rebellion. Even though both have 3-4 spies in them, and keep turning up the pitchfork, it miraculously disappears again the following season. The Getai also don't seem interested in trying to take them back off their new owners. Maybe I need a buffer zone of other factions to keep them away.

The Seleukids are suddenly in motion, which is good timing for when I start my Syrian War and humble them. They've taken Pergamon and Hallikarnassos, which surprised me, and have stopped Pontos retaking Mazaka. They also seem to be getting the upper hand in Syria.

The Saka are giving Baktria a kicking again, the've lost Baktria again. Mysteriously all my diplomats seem to have died over the last few turns, so there isn't a lot I can do about it other than moving armies around. Annoyingly a lot of the Baktria armies don't seem to be called what they're called...

The Saba have taken Petra off the Ptolemies. They seem to be on the move.

In Spain, the Lusotanii are determined to take Numantia, which I can't allow. Been adding extra units there every time they besiege it.

Koinon Hellenon might finally take Korinthos without any help from me, which is good. Makedonia have definitely suffered from the war with me, I think taking Serdike off them made a difference.

Oh, and people might have noticed I haven't changed my armies to reflect the punishment of the Italian communities. Largely because I don't want to stop recruiting Italians, and besides which the Bruttians make such a good Italic hastati analogue. I might start phasing them out in the 160sBC or something, start recruiting more Roman-looking legions. Then in the 130s phase out hastati.

[Icekiller]

I'm confused on how you can win relativly large battles and cause massive casualties on your enemy, whilst losing a minimum number yourself.

[General Appo]

Ehhh... being kinda good? I´d say his results are pretty ordinary, especially for playing on Medium difficulty.

[QuintusSertorius]

I'm confused on how you can win relativly large battles and cause massive casualties on your enemy, whilst losing a minimum number yourself.

Ehhh... being kinda good? I´d say his results are pretty ordinary, especially for playing on Medium difficulty.

A lot of practice using the formation I do, and the inherent flexibility of it. You can see in detail how I fight in a lot of the earlier battles. Joy of the Camillian and Polybian armies is that you pretty much don't have to be imaginative about formations, just use the same one over and again. Plus a lot of Roman troops have decent armour and morale (especially when you get to the Polybian ones) which helps in survivability. Plus every general always has a doctor ancillary to try to encourage casualties to survive.

As in reality, most of the enemy casualties actually come when they rout. My troops have better morale than most of theirs, and I use my skirmishers to outflank when they're exhausted their missiles.

Plus recently I've gotten good with my cavalry (even Curepos and other lights can do the charge to the rear thing if you know what you're doing), so that again adds to the likelihood of the enemy breaking.

The other thing is that some of the enemies I've been fighting (Dacian especially) have little or no cavalry of their own.

[Aaldaemon]

I'm confused on how you can win relativly large battles and cause massive casualties on your enemy, whilst losing a minimum number yourself.

It's definitely doable. Provided you have the right army and know what to do with it that's how RTW battles will go... It's even worse if you use horse archers... if you micromanage horse archers perfectly and don't get lazy... it's massacre after massacre.

[QuintusSertorius]

It's definitely doable. Provided you have the right army and know what to do with it that's how RTW battles will go... It's even worse if you use horse archers... if you micromanage horse archers perfectly and don't get lazy... it's massacre after massacre.

It's a combined arms thing mostly, for me. Before the lines engage, my skirmishers whittle down their skirmishers, and in the case of slingers some of their elites. Then just before the lines close, my line troops hurl lots of missiles. This matters because legionaries use AP javelins, so even thrown at the front they cause carnage. Often by the time hand to hand starts, the enemy has already lost 10-15% of their force.

Then when they're up close and personal, all my skirmishers and cavalry slip around the line and get in behind them. One wing or the other usually routs, allowing me to then march my line troops around to outflank the centre.

As before, most casualties occur during the rout, not the actual fighting, if you get your cavalry onto them as fast as you can, that guarantees they don't rally and get back into the fight.

[Aaldaemon]

It's a combined arms thing mostly, for me. Before the lines engage, my skirmishers whittle down their skirmishers, and in the case of slingers some of their elites. Then just before the lines close, my line troops hurl lots of missiles. This matters because legionaries use AP javelins, so even thrown at the front they cause carnage. Often by the time hand to hand starts, the enemy has already lost 10-15% of their force.

Then when they're up close and personal, all my skirmishers and cavalry slip around the line and get in behind them. One wing or the other usually routs, allowing me to then march my line troops around to outflank the centre.

As before, most casualties occur during the rout, not the actual fighting, if you get your cavalry onto them as fast as you can, that guarantees they don't rally and get back into the fight.

Aye textbook stuff, and once your troops gain experience after a few battles like this it gets easier and easier.

[QuintusSertorius]

Aye textbook stuff, and once your troops gain experience after a few battles like this it gets easier and easier.

True, although I don't retrain, so they don't tend to leap ahead too fast or too far in terms of experience. I rarely get into the sliver chevrons territory when merging green units into experienced once. But then with Roman troops that doesn't really matter since they're already pretty good to start with.

Anyway I did get one battle done before I hit a potential technical problem, which meant another battle I'd won had to be abandoned.

T. Claudius Pulcher continued on the punitive expedition into Getic lands. He encountered one of their armies.



The battle took place in an open plain, favouring the Romans ability to maneuver.



The centre of the Getai line was formed entirely with naked warriors. The wings with levy Celtic spearmen.



The Getic chieftain charged.



But after contact he and the entire centre retreated, leaving the Celtic levies to their own devices.



They didn't fight on for long.

[QuintusSertorius]

Temporary bug-halt, I'm afraid. I got out of the unbreakable battle-CTD loop, but there's some dodgy business going on with Ak-Ink and a cloned Getic Family Member.

[QuintusSertorius]

I got a sneaky way around the bug, by transporting the clone to an inaccesible area.

192BC:



My Syrian War has begun, and not a minute too late. The Seleukids are starting to steamroller Pontos, Pahlava and even the Ptolemies of late, intervention needed. That third face isn't another Family Member, he's a Greek Mercenary General. I decided I needed some allied cavalry with actual punch in this war. Plus Pergamon can provide me with some light or medium cavalry quite easily. A minor confession, I used process_cq to build up their regional barracks, after all Pergamon was an actual military power in it's own right. Not that I've built anything but levy hoplites for the garrison yet. In other news, those mercenary Thessalian cavalry are looking pretty tasty, if expensive.

Strangely I shipped my army over to Pergamon to turn it into my base of operations and client kingdom, and on starting the war, the Seleukids immediately begged me for a ceasefire. Without even using FD, they gave me Pergamon in exchange for it. Given I'm not going home without humbling them, I of course took the gift, then immediately attacked them. I'm going to keep Pergamon as a client kingdom, since it actually was one from around 200BC.

I'm going to start moving Seleukid stacks from Parthia to me so I can have some proper fights, and of course divert their resources away from their borders.

For some bizarre reason Makedonia attacked me in Asia Minor, I think my general sitting in some trees surprised them when they tried to move through.

It's proving difficult to maintain the Aedui in Spain, perhaps because the Lusotanii have nothing else to do now. Besides the longer they're kept busy there, the longer they'll take to turn their attention to me. Course I now have two proper armies in Spain, so I'm ready whenever they are. I might have a few pre-emptive goes at some of their settlements to wear them down a bit.

Now they've got nothing outside of Africa, Qarthadast are starting to win the war against the Saba. That said the Saba haven't been idle, they're besieging Ippone right now.

Sweboz won't give up on crossing the Rhine. I've transported some of their stacks to the Black Sea and that island in Scandinavia.

I also staged my own Casse invasion, transporting a stack to Bratosporios. They even besieged it, but then got driven off.

Koinon Hellenon have got the upper hand against Makedonia of late, doing a lot of FD'ing Thermon and Demetrias to Makedonia.

[QuintusSertorius]

The Syrian War, 192BC

Pergamon had been a Roman ally since the Second Makedonian War, and aided in driving the Seleukid invasion off. Now that Qarthadast and Makedonia had been dealt with, the Romans turned their attention to the Seleukid menace. There were rumours that Theopropides Nepheris was serving as a mercenary advisor to the Seleukids, and that could not be allowed.

In the time since the campaigns against the Dacians, T. Claudius Pulcher had been elected consul, and as a proconsul was given command of the war against the Seleukids. With him he brought Numerius Aurelius Cotta, a somewhat dissolute youth as his tribune, in the hopes a war would make a decent man of him.

Pulcher marched out to meet a Seleukid force, unaware that another one had slipped into Pergamon to threaten the city state.

He had a slight advantage in numbers, but more importantly one in cavalry and light troops.



He deployed in the regular triplex acies, and the Seleukids drew up in a long line of pike phalanxes.



Seeing that his skirmishers had no effect on the well-armoured phalangites, Pulcher ordered them back and out to the flanks.



They were joined by his cavalry.



On the right a Karian warband was routed, and the envelopment began.



On the left the movement to outflank the Seleukid right continued.



A cavalry charge to the rear broke one of the phalanx blocks in the centre.



Elsewhere in the centre, some supporting spearmen gave up the fight.



The phalanxes on the Roman left routed.



More from the centre began to falter.



And the Seleukid army collapsed into flight.



The first major battle of the war had gone to the Romans.

[Aaldaemon]

So much death! The Dragon can do naught but salute such carnage!

[QuintusSertorius]

The carnage continues!

Syrian War 191-190BC

The proconsul Claudius Pulcher displayed all of his renowned vigour in prosecuting the Syrian War. Having defeated one Seleukid army, he marched to invest Sardis, rumoured to be the supply dump for the Seleukid effort in the region. The defenders hastily pulled together what troops they did in an effort to stop Pulcher. He had the advantage of numbers and cavalry superiority.



The Seleukids deployed in a single line, with a screen of skirmishers out ahead of their heavy troops.



The Roman skirmishers ran out to engage their counterparts.



They took a heavy toll before retreating to the safety of the line.



As the lines engaged, the allied cavalry looped around the fighting front.



The elements on the wings were routed, and the Roman maniples marched around to outflank the elites in the centre.



The centre caved, and a general rout started.



The elites had fought hard, causing some casualties, but the day was Roman.



Sardis was seized and a garrison allied to Pergamon was installed.

Marching to guard Pergamon against invasions from other directions, Pulcher ran into a Seleukid noble.



He wasted no time in eliminating the threat of a competent general joining up with the enemy armies.



Guarding the river crossings against rumours of a large body of Seleukids, Pulcher halted a Seleukid detachment.



The crossing was hard fought, and Roman losses were high despite the victory. A runner had come ahead from the fleet saying reinforcements were on their way, but it could be close.



Hearing that Pergamon was under threat, Pulcher turned around and marched to it's relief.



Initially the Seleukids looked willing to fight.



But on seeing the clouds of dust from the reinforcements marching from Pergamon, decided to break off contact.



The Romans had to content themselves with destroying the Seleukid cavalry, and wiping out their rearguard.



Another Seleukid army marched to invest Pergamon, and Pulcher was on hand to stop them.



They meant to fight.



First the skirmishers traded fire.



Then the lines clashed.



The Asian allied cavalry roamed at will behind the Seleukid line.



The commander of the Seleukid force was careless and caught out in the open.



At his death, the Jewish spearmen on the Roman right lost the will to fight on.



Those in the centre carried on fighting for some time.



But even they were not immune to the spread of panic.



At little cost to the Romans, another Seleukid army had been laid low.

[Aaldaemon]

You know, I pity the Seleucids... they used to be my favorite vanilla faction... It's a good thing you got house rules or you'd make them melt real fast.

[QuintusSertorius]

190BC:



I auto-calc'ed the battle for Hallikarnassos, didn't fancy playing out a siege. Won it with light losses (less than 200 men) so that was worth it. Gave it straight to the Ptolemies.

The AI has been a little frustrating with it's use of troops I've transported to the region to fight me. They've got the numbers, and even have some decent generals but don't seem to want to send any competent commanders to lead them.

Pontos seem to be struggling to get moving, I accidentally gave them some units they can't use which might be causing some trouble. Been gifting them money via the console, but they've not really done much. I intend to give them Mazaka and Amesia both, once I've kicked the Seleukids out of there.

My next target is Ipsos, once my second draft of reinforcements by sea arrives. I might detach the youngster with some Greek troops and mercenaries to go and take Side. Both it and Tarsos are destined for the Ptolemies. Although I'm considering perhaps giving one to Makedonia so that they're not too disadvantaged by the growth Koinon Hellenon are getting. Maybe I should give Ipsos to them instead.

Parthians haven't rebounded yet, not even with me draining all the Seleukid reinforcements to fight me.

My money is suddenly alright, Pergamon is a major money-pit it would seem. I have slashed and burned two major settlements recently, too. I didn't expel or enslave, mind, just destroyed all the buildings of military value.

I'm hoping that I can build up Pergamon's own military capability to the point where it can look after itself. After all my legions can't stay forever.

[QuintusSertorius]

You know, I pity the Seleucids... they used to be my favorite vanilla faction... It's a good thing you got house rules or you'd make them melt real fast.

I think with only one serious army in the region, I'd run out of steam pretty quickly if I was serious about conquering, rather than displacing them. I've taken three settlements in two years, and the only reason they haven't rebelled back to the Seleukids is because I've given them away.

But yes, I'm stopping when I get to the Amesia-Mazaka-Tarsos line. When that's done, my work will be done, and hopefully the Seleukids will be reduced enough not to pose much of a threat to various others. I wonder if the Hai will finally sense which way the wind is blowing and attack them to get their spoils before it's all gone.

[QuintusSertorius]

Syrian War 189BC

General Pulcher's campaign against the Seleukids continued, this time demonstrating against Ipsos to drive them out of central Anatolia.

They had greater numbers, but his men were confident in his leadership.



His position was not ideal, waiting at the foot of a hill for the Seleukids to come.



On they came, skirmishers out front.



Then the lines met.



Missiles expended, the Roman skirmishers went to the flanks. Pulcher had the slingers save their remaining ammunition for the arrival of the reinforcements.



The Roman cavalry hit the skirmishers lurking behind the Seleukid line. The absence of any Seleukid cavalry gave them free reign.



The first of the reinforcements, light cavalry, arrived, only to be met by a mass of Roman cavalry.



The allied heavy cavalry meanwhile hit one of the phalanxes in the rear, and it disintegrated.



The trick was repeated along the line, routing one block after another.



Eventually the entire main line of the first Seleukid force collapsed.



As they fled, the reinforcements arrived, and Pulcher reined in his eager men. There was more fighting to be done this day.



The reinforcements concentrated on the Roman centre.



As they bunched together, not even repeated cavalry charges could make a dent in them.



The unengaged maniples moved to surround the pikemen, but they doughtily fought on.



After more than an hour of grind, the encirclement and repeated charges had the desired effect.



A great victory was won!



Ipsos was passed into the hands of allies and now the campaign moved to the Cilician coast.

[QuintusSertorius]

I've hit another CTD roadblock, I'm afraid, this time more serious than before. I can get past it without the script, but I'm loathe to do that if there's an alternative.

[QuintusSertorius]

187BC:



The punishment of the Seleukids is nearly done, just have to carve something out for Pontos now. Fortunately for me, those erroneous cavalry have almost all died now as well.

I split my generalship, the proconsul stayed with the Roman troops, his tribune and the Greek mercenary general have set off with an army of "local levies" to free Mazaka and Amaseia. It's probably about time for old Pulcher to come home. He's Seen the Elephant now. Plus time is running on and I don't actually want to complete cripple the Seleukids - they need to at least retain Syria and right now the Ptolemies are kicking their butts. I'm hoping they can stabilise where they are minus Anatolia. What I don't want is a resurgence of the Yellow Death.

Asia Minor is going to be a bit nasty when it comes to conquering it, but I can worry about that in 40-odd years time.

Baktria are expanding at the Seleukids expense, they're prosecuting the Parthians a lot more actively.

Sab'yn are suffering all of a sudden at the hands of the Ptolemies and Qarthadast both. I might try to get my diplomat in Syria to start bribing Ptolemaic armies away.

[QuintusSertorius]

Syrian War 187BC

The final battle of the war was not fought by the proconsul Pulcher or even a Roman army, but a force of allies advised by Pulcher's tribune Aulus Cornelius Rufinus. Acting in support of Pontic allies, he encoutered the garrison of Mazaka and some supporting troops.



He stretched his troops out in a long line, skirmishers out front.



After a clash of lines, superior numbers carried the day.



A peace treaty was signed, whereby the Seleukids agreed to give up all territorial claims in Anatolia, as well as pay Rome and Pergamon an indemnity for the next 10 years.

Small Wars, 185BC

Not everyone welcomed the pre-eminence of Pergamon, assisted and supported by Rome. Some of the local Greeks saw the emergence of one power, worse one aided by foreigners as intolerable. Pergamon was besieged, before the ruler sallied out to drive off the invaders, and having returned to the kingdom, Rufinus met another of their armies coming from the Hellespont.



He advised the Pergamene general to array the troops in a single line.



The two armies advanced to meet each other.



Greek cavalry attempted to outflank the Pergamene line, and was trapped by our cavarly.



Some Galatian mercenaries on the right were routed.



The main line advanced to meet the Pergamenes.



The Greek strategos himself led the charge.



A second cavalry battle erupted out from the Pergamene right.



While the strategos fought on, many of his troops had fled, and the Pergamene cavalry roamed freely around the battlefield, their counterparts driven off.



After a long while, even his hardened bodyguard gave in.



In the rout he was cut down.



It was costly, but a victory was won.



In Hispania the quaestor Caius Fabius Maximus was despatched with the provincial army to deal with a rising amongst a sept of the Lusotanii. He was accompanied by one of the local kings, along with a contingent of Iberian and Celtic troops. He encountered an Iberian army outside Oxtraca. The Romans and their allies outnumbered the Iberians by a significant margin, but the Iberians were fierce and brave.



The Iberians used their knowledge of the local area to their advantage. The Romans and allies advanced nervously into the forest.



The first the Romans knew of the enemy was a charge to the left, scattering the skirmishers.



The fighting became confused in the forest, runners getting lost or even ambushed and killed. The warchief charged the Roman front and died for his boldness.



Eventually the Iberians were driven off, but it was a costly victory.

[QuintusSertorius]

185BC:



Syrian War finally done, the Seleukids are properly gone from Anatolia. I doubt they'll be back any time soon either. The last battle didn't get much capture because I was interrupted and on the phone, but didn't want to just pause the battle and wait.

Been having some fun using a non-Roman army, basically cheap Greek levy troops available to just about anyone. They do the job, though. I didn't even start it, KH attacked Pergamon with a full stack composed half of freed slaves. Had no trouble kicking their tails when I sallied out with Pergamon's garrison. Now I figure I'll mop up their armies before getting some peace again. Might give Makedonia some breathing room, they're doing better now they've got some rich territory in Asia Minor.

In spite of what the counter says, I'm having to find places to sink money of late. Some of my settlements can't actually build anything, Roma, Massalia and Lilibeo for example have nothing left in their roster, or nothing I want to build.

I'm about to start some battles in Spain to reduce the Lusotanii threat to Celtiberia. They keep attacking it, so about time I destroyed their armies. I won't take any territory, though. I moved one of their half-stacks to Ireland to see what they do.

The Ptolemies have been hamstrung by losing a lot of their desert provinces, and Sinai and Nabataia. I didn't actually take Pselkis off them, the Saba did that on their own. Doubt they'll hold it long, though, they pretty much stripped their garrisons to build up that army.

Pahlava have bounced back, moreso than Baktria who took Karmana and aren't doing much now.

I'm in a dead spot time-wise now. While there were wars in Spain, I've got no major ones planned until the 170s when things should kick off with Makedonia again. So I might have to recruit another consular army to soak up cash and focus on building stuff. Possibly time to station one in Illyria more permanently. Plus easy access to Makedonia then. Assuming I don't just ship one across, that is.

[General Appo]

Good work, as always. There aren´t many years left until the Pahlava should really start conquering, maybe you should let them loose a bit. Don´t want them stuck in Iran when you want to be fighting Carrhae with them.

[QuintusSertorius]

Not a bad idea, they've got quite a way to come to reach the Euphrates. Given the rate they were expanding before, shouldn't be too difficult for them.

Historically didn't the Seleukids shrink to basically Syria and the nearby area?

[QuintusSertorius]

Small Wars 185BC

In his ongoing role as advisor to Pergamon, Rufinus was with the Pergamene army when it was attacked again by another Greek army. Two detachments from two different communities converged on the allied force.



Taking no chances, Rufinus advised guarding the river crossing.



It was a propitious move, bringing victory once again.



Pergamon was preserved.

184BC:



Here's what Spain looks like. I had actually played the next turn, and the army indicated attacked across that river. But then I got a CTD during the battle, possibly something to do with them fording it. I hope it was just one of those random things, because it's of equal size and as I learned from the last one, Iberian armies are hard-fighting. I'll need them tired from swimming to beat them decisively and end this little war.

[General Appo]

Not a bad idea, they've got quite a way to come to reach the Euphrates. Given the rate they were expanding before, shouldn't be too difficult for them.

Historically didn't the Seleukids shrink to basically Syria and the nearby area?

Indeed. However, in 168 BC Antiochus IV actually invaded Egypt and Kypros, and came close to capturing Alexandreia, until a Roman envoy threatend him with war and forced him to withdraw his forces from Egypt and Kypros.
Just one year later the Parthians (Pahlava) captured the city of Herat in modern Afghanistan and effectively splitted the Greek world in two.
After 164 BC Civil War ravaged the empire, and for quite some time large areas of the empire were ruled independently by various usurpers.
Around 140 the Jews in Judea were fully independent, and the Parthians had captured the entire Iranian Plateau.
By 100 BC the Seleukids controlled little more then Antioch and parts of Syria, and in 83 BC this to was lost when the Armenian king invaded Syria.
For a few years during the 60s BC a Seleukid rump state served as a Roman client kingdom, but I think a L4 Gov. could represent this just as good.
I do wonder how you´re going to get Hayasdan to conquer Syria though, they´ve never really been famous for doing such in EB. Oh well, it´s almost a hundred years to go.

[QuintusSertorius]

Indeed. However, in 168 BC Antiochus IV actually invaded Egypt and Kypros, and came close to capturing Alexandreia, until a Roman envoy threatend him with war and forced him to withdraw his forces from Egypt and Kypros.
Just one year later the Parthians (Pahlava) captured the city of Herat in modern Afghanistan and effectively splitted the Greek world in two.
After 164 BC Civil War ravaged the empire, and for quite some time large areas of the empire were ruled independently by various usurpers.
Around 140 the Jews in Judea were fully independent, and the Parthians had captured the entire Iranian Plateau.
By 100 BC the Seleukids controlled little more then Antioch and parts of Syria, and in 83 BC this to was lost when the Armenian king invaded Syria.
For a few years during the 60s BC a Seleukid rump state served as a Roman client kingdom, but I think a L4 Gov. could represent this just as good.
I do wonder how you´re going to get Hayasdan to conquer Syria though, they´ve never really been famous for doing such in EB. Oh well, it´s almost a hundred years to go.

Indeed, the AI Hayasdan isn't interested in moving south, only forever trying to expand north into the steppe. It's a result of that which caused me to put two of their full stacks on Krete where they can't do any ahistorical damage. It's annoying, I can FD them the right territories, but they won't actually move in that direction.

[General Appo]

Perhaps giving them a Seleukid city or two will get them moving? Worth a shot I´d say, even if you probably shouldn´t do it for quite a few years.

[QuintusSertorius]

They've recently taken Ekbatana, so perhaps they don't even need a nudge!

[General Appo]

They´ve taken Media? Wow, never thought I´d see the day. Well, that´s one more faction you´ve gott to watch carefully less they destroy the Seleukids. Just hope they don´t end up in a war with the Pahlava, now that they share quite a big border. If I were you I´d try to make the Pahlava go south for now and take Iran.

[QuintusSertorius]

They just tried (and failed) for Gabai too. Problem I have with arresting their westward progress is that I can't move any of their units with move_character, since they don't appear to have internal names like their external ones.