[Epeiros/Pergamon AAR] Philetairos' Gift

[QuintusSertorius]

229BC:



I need to get a conclusion with the Seleukids, repeating the same battles and sieges every few turns is getting boring. I think that means taking Ipsos then FD'ing a ceasefire. I could spawn some decent troops in one of their generalled stacks (they've now got about four FMs hanging around Anatolia) to make it a balanced force for one last proper battle, then kick them out.

Then I've got to think about where I go next, I can't really sit idle, not least because my best general, Messaneos, is a Warmonger who doesn't like idleness. He's currently in Thracia about to start a war with the Getai to take Kallatis eventually. He's going to start with a raid on their capital, Buridava.

Kyrene and Syrakousai are the main targets I'm thinking of. Not sure I want the Bosphorous so soon, I'll leave that as somewhere to progress to once I've got Kallatis.

Makedonia are proving to be pathetic, they've just lost Demetrias. Even though I regularly spawn medium phalanxes, thureophoroi and peltastai in their stacks and settlements, they still can't hold on to anything. Maybe I need to invade Greece and humble KH a little?

I just tinkered with Spain, giving Numantia to the Arverni, which has already provoke a war without it even rebelling. Also caused Rome and the Arverni to break their alliance, which is good. Gave Baikor to Qarthadast but unfortunately it hasn't revolted.

There's a lot less rebel territory out there nowadays. Still a fair amount, though, consider it's over 40 years in.

[Timoleon]

Looking at the battle statistics of your heroic victory in Phrygia, I noticed that 45% of your 327 casualties where healed afterward. It is huge! I've never had such a percentage in such a big battle. It is even more impressive if you consider that the enemy had few missile troops, as I can tell from the screenshots, and most of your casualties occurred in the melee. What where the traits and ancillaries of your leading general Epimenes Amantieus?

[QuintusSertorius]

I'd have to go back and check, but as far as I remember he's just got a Herbalist ancillary and high management and influence.

[Timoleon]

Did he have such recovering percentages in all of his battles?

[QuintusSertorius]

That was actually the very first one he fought. I'll have to see if he gets the same when he drives the Seleukids out of Ipsos.

[tapanojum]

I'm loving this AR and the way the captions tell the story perfect of your screen shots!

Awesome

[QuintusSertorius]

The Seleukid War

The Defense of Pergamon

In the winter of 229BC, while Amantieus was investing Ipsos, a Seleukid army slipped past the Pergamene army and laid siege to the capital. Once more the political and spiritual heart of the Pergamene kingdom was under threat, including the Basilieu himself. Pergamon didn't have a garrison, trusting instead to both it's stone walls and the standing army which usually protected Mysia from invasion. However that army was miles away in Phrygia and unable to come to the capital's aid.

But the king was not dismayed, for he had the resources of a vast city to draw upon. A proclaimation was issued to the people, calling for them to come to the defense of their city. The armouries were opened and many thousands of citizens given spear, helmet and shield, still others armed with javelins. There were also several hundred veterans in the city who strapped on their old armour, dusted off their weapons and mustered with the ordinary citizens.

The Seleukid commander was slow in locking down his blockade, which allowed many Pergamene nobles to slip out of the city with their friends to their country estates. There they gathered up retainers and supporters, along with as many horses as they could find from their farms, and returned to the city under the cover of darkness. They styled themselves the Patriotic Cavalry, a force composed of the cream of Pergamon's aristocratic youth. What they lacked in skill and experience they made up for in enthusiasm and patriotic zeal.

And so Pergamon's makeshift army was made ready to face the foe, mustering an almost equal number.



Ptolemaios ordered them to sally out before the Seleukids had any time to prepare siege engines. It was a chaotic affair.



Eventually, however, under the cover of archers in the towers, they were shaken into a semblance of a battle line, veterans in the centre and on the left flank. The Patriotic Cavalry rushed out to attack the first horse they could see, some Arabian light cavalry.



They they spotted the prize which every man among them desired - the enemy general Ionikou. But his bodyguard proved too skilled for the overenthusiastic youths, and they were forced to retreat.



He then stumbled into the veterans on the left, and they were not so easily dissuaded.



Rallying, the Patriotic Cavalry rushed in to attack once more.



Years later, many of the men present, and even some who weren't even in the city that day, would claim they were the one to slay Ionikou. In the generations to come, many families would maintain a tradition that it was one of their ancestors who struck the fateful blow. The truth would never be known.



The death of Ionikou was like a body blow to the Seleukid army, who broke and ran.



The Patriotic Cavalry were merciless in their pursuit of fleeing Seleukids. Let them be an object lesson to anyone who would threaten their king and capital.




Editorial Note



I wasn't going to bother with captures and the like for this battle, but then I changed my mind and I'm glad I did, because it was one of the most fun ones I've had. Also a little crazy, having so much heavy cavalry and otherwise nothing of quality at all. The idea of rationalising the garrison in Pergamon, which was otherwise useless, as a citizen levy appealed a great deal as well.

I couldn't wait to share this one, so I stopped playing to do so.

The next battle won't be fun, that's the siege of Ipsos. Unless that other army breaks off the siege of Side, it'll be a grinding, painful siege of full stack against full stack.