The Daughters of the Dragon: A Valkyrja AAR (ATW)

[SubRosa]

Well, it is like Americans naming cities New York. But I have been thinking of renaming it anyhow, to be more distinct. I have just not decided exactly what to, but I am leaning toward Vanaheimr, Fólkvangr, or Sessrúmnir.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Id go with Vanahemir personally but its ur choice.

[SubRosa]

Tereis, now a hardened veteran from decades of hunting Rebels, sallies against the Thracian army laying siege to Olbia.


I come at them from two sides, and they form two lines to repel me.


I give them a bit of arrows, drawing some of their infantry out on their left. Then I charged them as they headed back to their lines.


Their left evaporates.


In the meantime, my Mercenary Amazon Archers were softening up their Phalanx Pikemen in the center.


Okay, Round Two. I have pulled my troops back after chasing down the routers from the left flank and rested them. Once more I spend a while giving the Thracians some arrows.


I see a weakness form on their right flank, and charge.


Part of their center chain routs as I smash the flank.


Then it was just a matter of cleaning up the remnants.


Heroic Victory.


I hate when the AI does this to me. Damned Diplomats!


Alkippe cannot reach Campus Roxolani this turn. I do not want to wait another turn, because that will give the Sarmatians time to build a unit to garrison the city with, then I will have to retake it by siege. So Alkippe moves toward the city, then hires a Mercenary Virgin Horse Archer. The mercenaries then ride forward with a full movement rate and reach the city, taking it with no opposition.


It is my city, so I Occupy.


The west has not been quiet either. This is one of two Germanic incursions.


Both ended the same way.


That one got a famous battle marker however.


Who's your momma?


I do not have any assassins to take care of that Sarmatian Diplomat outside of Campus Roxolani. So I deal with him in a way that I have found to be very effective. With money.


Lousy Egyptians...


I have found that my enemies always make alliances with one another. You could say that I always unite the world in RTW, against me that is...


On the other hand, I can now recruit these lovelies in my capital.


Money has been in short supply again, so I sell my map to the Pharaoh.


A Sarmatian army has crossed the Don. Alkippe rides to meet them.


The Sarmatians are destroyed, and Alkippe marches east across the Don and into Sarmatian lands. Her next stop is Campus Sauromatae.

[SubRosa]

The Dacian King led an army against Vicus Vendedae.


Dacia now needs a new King...


In the east, a Sarmatian army has intercepted Alkippe the Honest on her march to Campus Sauromatae.


Here is an example of how I try to deal with the Sarmatian Steppe Lancers. A Lancer has locked onto one of my Horse Archers. I let my HA skirmish away, drawing the Lancer after it. At the same time I send Alkippe in to intercept the Lancer from the flank, with another Horse Archer coming along for the ride (just to add numbers).


The Steppe Lancers rout before Alkippe can strike them. This is one reason I brought along that second Horse Archer. Their numbers helped reduce the morale of the Steppe Lancers.


In the end Alkippe was victorious.


Next turn another Dacian army besieged Vicus Venedae, and a Thracian army I have been tracking did the same to Olbia.


Xanthippe turns her famous wrath loose upon the Thracians.


I have to watch out for these javelins of theirs. They really pack a wallop.


In this case I ran away just in time to get out of range as the deadly Thracian missiles were in the air.


Here is a little example of the kind of maneuvering you can do against armies that are mostly infantry. One of my Horse Archers is chasing down a routing Thracian unit on the other side of their army. However, they have a Militia Cavalry unit going after my HA. I see an opening in their line, so I send Xanthippe through it.


She easily passes through the Thracian army and falls upon those Militia Cavalry, routing them.


By the time their infantry were reaching my own, my Mercenary Amazon Archers had taken quite a toll. This one unit routed before contact.


This Greek Cavalry had locked on to one of my Horse Archers, so I ran the HA behind my Warbands.


This resulted in the Greek Cavalry slamming into a Warband.


Across the battlefield, Xanthippe's guard smote the Thracian's Captain's ruin upon the snowy fields.


Heroic Victory.


Nearby, Pantariste sallies from Vicus Venedae again.


Another Heroic Victory.


In the east, Alkippe the Honest has marched upon the capital of the enemy and laid siege to it. They have several armies lurking about the countryside. I expect at least one to come over and attack her. I have also sent Okypous out from Tanais and into Sarmatian territory to the south, in the hopes that she will draw some of those Sarmatians away.


Still the same turn, First Equal Makanyane assaults Panticapaeum.


The Spearwomen are the first into the city.


They are also the first to mix it up with the Rebels.


Not to be outdone, my Mercenary Amazon Hoplites kill the Rebel Captain.


No survivors. Panticapaeum was mine.


Makanyane enslaves the Rebels. Amazon whips will teach them to obey.


Over the AI's turn, the Sarmatians obliged Alkippe by attacking her, drawing the garrison of Campus Sauromatae into the battle as reinforcements.


This is how you kill a General with Horse Archers (and one Merc Hoplite).


Down he goes!


One more Heroic Victory.


Campus Sauromatae was mine, After twenty long years of war, the Valkyrja's first real blow into the heartland of the betrayers.


The enslavement puts Campus Roxolani up a tier.


Watch that puddle.


I am large and in charge.

[SSJPabs]

This is a fun little AAR. I don't have Rome (just M2 and Kingdoms) but I've often wished there were some female generals or faction leaders sometimes. Is it really true the generals are de facto invincible in Rome? If I did what you did with your general in M2 my general would be dead in short order.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

In vanilla RTW cavalry is near invincible and generals are battlefield gods.
It is hard to understand WTF was going through the CA programmers head at that time.

[SubRosa]

Hi SSJPabs. I am glad you like it.

It is true that cavalry are extremely powerful in RTW, and Generals are superheroic. It is not realistic, but I rather like the roleplay feel it gives the game, of the named characters being larger than life.


The Dacians and the Germans are in a race to see who can take Vicus Venedae first.


They will have to bring more than that if they want this city.


After gobbling up one Warband, the rest headed for the exit.


Pantariste hit the last Warband in line, and the other two nearby chain-routed with it. Got to love that low barbarian morale combined with a ten star General.


They are smoten


To deal with the Germans, I brought Kardika the Honest out of Vicus Gepidae to reinforce Pantariste.


More food for the crows.


In the east, First Equal Makanyane has crossed the sea to attack Thatis. Her slovenly spy has opened the gates for her, so she immediately attacks.


The Sarmatians do not have much.


This pretty well sums up the battle.


No survivors.


As it is a tiny settlement, Makanyane Occupies.


In the west, more Dacians and Thracians are on the way.


Thrace is really going strong. They have pushed Macedon back to a single city - Thermon - and will soon have them eliminated.


Now about that Dacian army I saw last turn...


They sure brought a lot this time! They started on the corner tile in the strat map, and head to that corner as the battle commences.


Veleda gobbles up the lagging Dacians.


Eventually the Dacians form a battle line (the ones that made it).


Now it was time to pick them apart a unit at a time, starting with their Captain.


Heroic Victory.


Germania is now allied to the Sarmatians.


Speaking of the Sarmatians, they tried to sneak an army past Campus Sauromatae.


Alkippe the Conqueror thrashes them most soundly.


Now for those Thracians at Olbia.


I have some infantry at Olbia, including a new Spearwoman recruited from Neapolis Scythica. It was nice to see the lines meet once more.


Not to mention hit the Thracians with the hammer once they were upon the anvil.


Heroic Victory.