Once in a while it just works

[Sygrod]

I had the most fascinating chain of events occur this weekend.

Background:
I've got a Romani campaign (I thought "What the heck") going and had taken Kyrene, Ammonion and Paraitonion. I set my eyes on a fairly moderately defended town to the South East - Hibis. 3 units were defending there. I sent 6 to attack, but while laying siege a roving Ptolemai army showed up and wanted battle. I withdrew. My army wandered the desert for over 2 years, staying away from roving armies. Once the area seemed calm, I sent 3 more units out and they joined the army. hibis, here we come.

Well, as soon as I laid siege again, the area swarmed with armies. Where they came from, I have no idea.

After 2 turns of siege, I was just about ready to assault. Well, if a Ptolemai army didn't arrive with 3 units. They wanted battle, and again, I had to decline. My army just wasn't strong enough to defeat them and then take and hold the city without riots.

Main action:
When it was my turn again, the situation was as follows:
My army was south of Hibis. Two of the three defending units had exited and were south west of the town. They consisted of 2 Machimoi and a Kleruochoi unit. Inside the town was now a lonely Pantodapoi unit. North west was the attacking army with a small elite phalanx with 2 silver chevrons, Akontistai and Pantodapoi.
I attacked the army SW of the town, drawing the garrison as well. My main effort was against the 3 unit army, while Triarii and Equites (skirmishers) were to savage the Pantodapoi. I won the battle, but did not manage to vanquish my enemies. They got away, all except of a Machimoi unit. After the battle, I laid siege to the town, where the defeated army had taken refuge. The Pantodapoi unit was nowhere in sight. I discovered that my spy had opened the gates, so I decided to assault. This drew in the army to the NW as reinforcements.

My plan was to quickly enter the city and take control of gates and towers. My Captain's Pantodapoi unit got that task, being the mos expendable soldiers in the army and easiest to replace locally. My missile units were to take to the battlements and batter the advancing enemy coming from the NW. Hopitai Haploi and Machimoi were to stay at the South gate and hold an enemy unit there.
That was the plan. Well, as we know, the best laid plans don't always go the way we want. I am playing with Huge units, and while my Pantodapoi had no trouble getting in, they too their time arranging themselves before getting up on the walls. Meanwhile, i sent my remaining units in. Bad idea. they all got stuck in the entrance. I am watching the enemy come closer and closer and my units are stuck. I manamged to get my cavalry out and distract the enemy units. Eventually, after some tense minutes, My units were going up on the walls. Rorarii, Toxotai and Accensi. An Accensi unit was sent out to savage the enemy units, but got out too late to be able to do anything useful. They had to go around to the North Wall, followed by the 55 man Elite Phalanx, which was whittled down by towers to the last man. Good. My other missile units were savaging the other enemy units. The Akontistai got as far as the South Gate and were obliterated by my Haploi and Machimoi, with the help of towers. The enemy Pantodapoi snuck in through the West gate, but my Triarii made short work of them. All that remained to do was to reduce the garrison. The phalanx was destroyed while it chased my Triarii and met with arrows from a tower and the full weight of rocks from an Accensi unit on the wall. The last enenmy unit was sandwitched on the square between my South detachment and my Pantodapoi.

In two battles, I had vanquished 7 enemy units and taken a town, with minimal losses.

[Ibrahim]

awesome!