[Epeiros/Pergamon AAR] Heirs to Lysimachos

**Maion Maroneios** · 06-19-2008, 18:58

Interesting AAR, but somethingI noticed is that you always fight with guard mode on! Why is that?

**Swordmaster** · 06-19-2008, 19:06

Originally Posted by Maion Maroneios

Interesting AAR, but somethingI noticed is that you always fight with guard mode on! Why is that?

For hoplites, it's important to keep formation. Guard mode somewhat aids with that.

**QuintusSertorius** · 06-19-2008, 20:16

Originally Posted by Maion Maroneios

Interesting AAR, but somethingI noticed is that you always fight with guard mode on! Why is that?

Originally Posted by Swordmaster

For hoplites, it's important to keep formation. Guard mode somewhat aids with that.

Actually I always have whomever is facing the enemy's front with guard mode on. I only switch it off for flankers. Minimises the losses amongst the people pinning the enemy down, and means they won't be tired either.

**Swordmaster** · 06-19-2008, 20:26

Originally Posted by QuintusSertorius

Actually I always have whomever is facing the enemy's front with guard mode on. I only switch it off for flankers. Minimises the losses amongst the people pinning the enemy down, and means they won't be tired either.

Also when the attackers themselves are on guard mode?

**QuintusSertorius** · 06-19-2008, 23:53

Originally Posted by Swordmaster

Also when the attackers themselves are on guard mode?

Yep, I'm not that bothered if you've got two units not really doing much to each other, if I've got someone behind them carving them up.

I'm currently very tempted to take Krete. It's not all that heavily defended, bar a KH half-stack sitting outside doing very little. I wonder if I'm in danger of blitzing though.

**QuintusSertorius** · 06-20-2008, 02:14

Capture of Kydonia

Simias Klathiatos landed on Krete with a small force from Karia to bring the island into Pergamon's sphere of influence. It was hoped the island's command of the sea-lanes nearby would give Pergamon's burgeoning confederation control over trade routes. His invasion force was smaller than that mustered by the defenders of the island.

As the defenders sallied out, Klathiatos formed up his men in a simple battle order. Hoplites to the centre, Illyrian levies either side, skirmishers out front.

The battle was hard-fought, with Klathiatos' superiority in cavalry being put to good use. He himself clashed with the tyrant's bodyguard several times.

But it was the Illyrian cavalry who killed the tyrant, Ainesidemos.

That broke the spirit of the Kretans, and after some clever maneuvering in the town, they were subdued.

265BC:

You'll notice I've got a nice surplus in the bank, now. That's largely because I have pitifully few units, and all my settlements are ports. Plus my mining income as a result of cheating to build them is about 7500 a turn. Four of my six provinces have mines, too (just Karia and Kydonia which don't).

Rome are expanding ridiculously fast, going both north into Cisalpine Gaul and west into Sicily. I've had to boost the garrison in Patavium in the hopes of slowing them down. Part of it is my fault; I've had to keep adding to the garrison of Rhegion to stop it revolting back to me. They keep stripping the garrison and I don't want to be at war with them. Though perhaps if they actually took it properly, that might make them develop it properly?

And so Kydonia is added to my holdings. It's a bit of a cheap shot in a way, because I know the AI is too stupid to attack it, and likely won't land anything there at all. It never did in the last game I played, not til I used move_character to put a Makedonian army there.

I am now, however a little paralysed by indecision as to where to go next, because in essense I've taken all the easy steals. For the moment I'm trying to avoid war with any other faction, at least til my economy is strong enough to support some armies. I need the trade for now.

If I go for Naissos, which was part of the historical Kingdom of Thrace, I put myself in the path of both the Getai and Makedonia. Neither have taken it, but they're both angling in that direction.

If I go for Mytilene, that throws the Makedonians at me. I could do it the subtle way - send spies to get it to revolt, then snap it up when it's rebel. I'm doing that already with Ipsos, which is flicking between revolt and some semblance of stability as a result of my spy.

Talking of which, Ipsos and Sardis are possibles, but I'd then be at war with the Seleukids. Until I've got a proper army in the region, I don't really want to risk that.

Ankyra is a possible, although I might then be over-extended and exposed to both Pontos and the Seleukids. I think for now it suits me that it's rebel, and has a massive stack there (courtesy of create_unit...).

And then there's Rhodos. In a way I think that might be a good steal, KH aren't brilliant at defending it, and it might weaken them enough to slow down their war against the Makedonians (which they're winning, again). Completes the island chain to Krete, and has that wonder that boosts sea trade.

Thoughts?