Quintili Vare, legiones redde! - or Varrus, give me back my legions!

**anubis88** · 10-18-2009, 14:32

An amazing thing happend to me today in my Romani campaign... It's the year 202 BC, and i pretty much have the possesions Rome had at the end of the 2nd Punic War... In the po valley, i must for about 20 years now reppel Barbarian Invasion, and i never had a problem with that, except maybe in the forests around Mediolanum, since the visibility really sucks out there... So i decided a year ago, that it's time to take Massilia from the Arverni, to make it a legit Client kingdom. I created a new legion to guard the Po valley, and i used my consular one to open another front and attacking the Arverni at Massilia. My new legion Consisted of 1950 men, the regular 2 hastati 2 principes, 1 triarii, accensi velites and Equites Romani, general, 1 pedites extraordinarii, + a few gallic allies, nothinh much.

Then the Sweboz decided it's time to attack me again. They had a decent army of 3000 ,men, within 2 units of those wild wolf guys, whom i never thought before, and an 7 star general. I thought that my Po valley legion could handle them.

I thought wrong

.

They moved around my forts and attacked my army on open field. I saw later that my general was morose, having -2 morale, but i usually leave those generals in charge, since the battle AI usually really sucks.

I prepared for battle in the usual quinqux formation and got ready... The Sweboz attacked, they overran my flanks, (nothing to panick about usually) and suddenly my whole right flank collapsed!!!! The pedites extraordinary and later even the Triarii routed like some lower class infantry. The wolf guy with their general completly defeated the Hastati and Principes on that flank and half of my army started to rout. On the other flank things seemed alarming as well, so i had no other choice to retreat ( kinda roleplaying, i doubt any roman general with his trait would charge the battle line instead of fleeing)

The result of the battle. The Sweboz lost less then 150 men, while my survivors were less then 300. The entire Po valley is now ready to be plundered by the 2 Sweboz fullstacks (another one just came to my borders). I'm trying to assemble as many man as i can, but i just shipped 2 legions to Iberia, ( where the sitiuation with the Lusotanna is dire indeed, since i have no decent units to repair my losses, and now Gader and Mastia are Besieged by the King and Prince of the tribe with uber armys of gold chevron Ambakaros)

I think the Teutonic and Cimbri invasions came a houndred years to soon for me.
The battle was the first!?! battle i lost as the romans in 70 years of this campaign, but i guess it can almost be compared to Cannae IRL.

I finally got to a place where my roman campaing will become a challenge for the first time. Of course i could let a few cities be taken and then kick their asses with new legions, but that's not how i role...

I hope the post isn't too long, but i just wanted to share my first defeat, well not defeat, complete rout in the campaign.

Did anyone alse experince something similar? Having the AI beat you so badly on M battle difficulty?
Beat you so badly that IRL your faction leaders would start screaming in panic?

Please due share your experiences

**Macilrille** · 10-18-2009, 14:44

Your own personal Arausio (a defeat that dwarfed Cannae and inflicted by the Cimbrii and friends

) WTG

Sweboz does that to civilised factions and Gauls

It is the Ulfhednir, they are a scary bunch www.ulfhednir.dk.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arausio

**anubis88** · 10-18-2009, 15:12

Yeah it looks more like Arausio, but i choose Cannae since i'm 100 years away from reforming my army, and carthage never invaded the peninsula.

**Ca Putt** · 10-18-2009, 15:33

Sweboz does that to civilised factions and Gauls

+1

Sweboz are always good for a surprise when you play civilized factions, they have some evil AP units and their bulk is more courageous than one thinks at first.
they utterly loose to Archers and especially horse archers tho.

**IrishHitman** · 10-18-2009, 18:09

Originally Posted by Macilrille

Sweboz does that to civilised factions and Gauls

Only if the civilised factions are stupid enough to leave their archers at home...

**anubis88** · 10-18-2009, 18:17

Which they usually were, for one Rome rarely used them during the Republican times

**athanaric** · 10-18-2009, 20:05

Ouch. Such a defeat would terribly irk me as a player... But it's nice to hear that the AI hires Worgozez.
Suebi are perhaps the second most underestimated faction, after Saba.

**Macilrille** · 10-18-2009, 20:20

Originally Posted by athanaric

Ouch. Such a defeat would terribly irk me as a player... But it's nice to hear that the AI hires Worgozez.
Suebi are perhaps the second most underestimated faction, after Saba.

By who? They definately have a large following here and is the most popular Barbarian faction to play.

I do not think I have ever suffered such a defeat BTW, it must be the Scare units, I find that when I use them- or especially using the large Stone Projectors as Rome my enemies rout almost on contact. Which is annoying for the lack of cavalry in Roman and Sweboz armies disallows me from hunting down a massive enemy force.