All Hail the New Parthian Empire! - A Total War: Rome II AAR

All Hail The New Parthian Empire! – A Total War: Rome II AAR

Chapter I: From Humble Beginnings


Spring, 272 BC

The rising sun found Arsarces sleeping, and the warm touch of its rays woke him. Eyes still closed and head groggy, he sat up on the edge of the bed and put his feet down…on cool stone? His toes had been expecting the yielding patchwork that made up straw floor of his tent, inevitably marred by a smattering of small stones and a thin coat of dust brought in by shoes. As his consciousness sluggishly returned, the memories came rushing in. Nisa. So much has happened in so short a time He was no longer in his dusty tent near lake Alagol, but in the clean and upscale, if not luxurious, governor’s residence of Parthia.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Arsarces threw on a tunic, fastened his belt and made his way to the next room where he found his steward, Arsak, pouring a small cup of strong, aromatic coffee. “Good morning, Autocratos. Will you break fast with your coffee? I can run to the kitchens.” “Just the coffee for now, Arsak,” replied Arsarces as he took a sip and then another, letting his memories come into better focus. A lot had happened in a few short months.

His father, leader of the Parni tribe within the Dahae Confederacy, had passed away in the winter at a young age as an ailment of the brain had progressed quickly taking his body soon after his mind. The disease was hereditary and Arsarces could only pray the gods would not bestow the same fate upon him. That same disease, however, was no small part in situating him here in the governor’s traditional home in Nisa. The Achamaenid kings of old were said to suffer from the same disease, and his father and his forebears had claimed direct lineage from that long list of King of Kings in order to maintain power among the Parni. Thus, Arsarces had been made leader of the Parni at the age of 14. Even at that young age, he looked more like his father’s younger brother than his son. And, despite the physical resemblance, his character was rather different than his father’s. Where his father had been prideful of his claimed heritage but selfish, indolent and content to be a big fish in a small pond, Arsarces knew his lineage may well have been a useful contrivance, and he was also full of ambition.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Arsarces I of Parthia

Arsarces’ people had been eking out an existence in the province of Chorasmia in an area to the west of Amul, home city of their Dahae allies. To the south, Andragonas had rebelled from his Seleucid masters. Not content to be governor, he had made himself king. While his father couldn’t see it, Arsarces saw the opportunity provided by Andragonas’ rebellion and his older brother, Tiridates, quickly agreed.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Tiridates

As soon as was proper after grieving for their father, Arsarces and Tiridates called the men – an unruly mix of spearmen on foot and javelin-armed horse archers, along with the brothers’ cataphract bodyguard – to arms through a middle-aged general from the second family of the Parni, Ekurzakir. The host, along with all the women and children, every last Parni marched on Parthia.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Ekurzakir

Nisa had been lightly defended, as most of Andragonas’ troops had been defeated in Hecatompylos by Parthava, who controlled the rest of the province by the time of Arsarces’ arrival. Tiridates killed Andragonas in the struggle, and the Parni had a new home. Sipping coffee in the late governor’s quarters, Arsarces thought of his claimed lineage. The old Achamaenid Empire had stretched from Pella to the Bosporos, from Egypt to northern Arabia, and east as far as the river Indus. Perhaps someday…

Hooray! Another AAR! Looking forward to this!

Chapter II: Old Friends and New Enemies


Fall, 272 BC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Nisa

The Parni were happy. Arsarces’ tribe so quickly made themselves at home in Nisa it was as if they had always lived there – only months after the last spear loyal to Andragoras was dropped to the ground in surrender. The stone and marble of the town spoke of permanence, and they began to craft new lives and look to the future. Many took to the surrounding countryside and with sweat and the fertile land and good rains, farms soon provided an abundance of food for the people and the armed forces that protected them.

Parthava, for now, seemed content with its lot of governing most of Parthia province including the major towns of Susia and Zadrakarta from its capital in Hecatompylos. To the east lay another Seleucid satrapy, the Aria. Dignitaries from both had not only recognized Arsarces and his court as a sovereign power, but relations seemed amicable enough.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Foreign Powers Call at Nisa

Perhaps the Seleucid Empire had bigger concerns than a Parni upstart in a small town on the south-eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. To the north, Arsarces’ allies the Dahae controlled the southern half of the province of Chorasmia.

Secure for now Arsarces thought to himself, looking over the town from his balcony and picking at a bowl of dates and dried peaches. His thought of peace had only just faded as his steward Arsak stepped out from inside and into the sun. His face was not peaceful.

“Autocratos, the Dahae ask for our help. Bactria has declared war upon them.” “Has Amul been attacked?”

“Not yet, King of Kings. The Dahae had sent an emissary to negotiate a trade agreement with Bactria. The man’s horse returned without a rider, but with an answer. His head, along with samples of the wares the Dahae had to trade, and a letter…saying they would rather not pay for what they would soon take by force. How should I respond?”

“Tell the Dahae I am a man of my word, that I remain grateful and will not soon forget their hospitality. Their enemies are Parthia’s enemies.”

“At once, Autocratos.”

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Parthia and Her Neighbors

Bactria was no small foe. The Dahae’s sparsely populated lands were home to only one true city, Amul. By contrast, the provinces of Transoxania and Bactria were home to four, two of them with thick walls built at great expense. But, there is much hope. Bactria’s army is small. Enough to defeat the Dahae on their own, but not – I think – to defeat me. Arsarces’ invading army, The Children of the Parni, had resumed drills as soon as the people had settled into their new home of Nisa and easily numbered twice the men the Dahae had at their disposal.

Still, we should be prepared for the worst. Nisa had a military stables capable of outfitting a host of melee cavalry, and Arsarces would do just that. Yet, not a month had gone by before the situation became more difficult. The Khorasmii, a nomadic peoples who had stopped for now in Kath in northern Chorasmia, had begun a series of raids in Dahae land. The Dahae retaliated, and war soon followed. True to his word, young Arsarces declared war on Kath. Parthia now had enemies in the north, as well as the east.

Over the next year, Parthia kept close contact with Dahae for any movement by Bactria and in the meantime recruited, outfitted, and integrated into the army three units of Median cavalry. Arsarces’ would lead the army himself, giving it a new name for a new age: The Black Quivers. His uncle, Timgiratee, would remain behind to train more spearmen and more horse, continuing the legacy of The Children of the Parni.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Timgiratee

When all was ready, he left his older brother Tiridates to govern in his absence, and made for the Chorasmian border.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Arsarces’ Forces

Looking forward to this...haven't played a horse-heavy faction yet. And in my Rome/Pontus campaigns, I haven't fought this far east; all these town names and regions are still unfamiliar. Good stuff.

Chapter III: Interlude

Fall, 271 BC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Tiridates at Court in Nisa

Tiridates was irate. A year had passed since his brother crossed the border into Chorasmia with the ironically named Black Quivers – the army had not a single bowman. During that year, Tiridates had done the best he could to govern but, although older, he lacked the patience Arsarces had always displayed even as a boy. His only success thus far had been in finalizing development of the outlying farms. He was now trying to negotiate trade agreements with Parthia’s neighbors, but finding success elusive.

“Why won’t they trade with us?” he asked Arsak the steward, who had stayed behind at Arsarces’ behest in Tiridates’ charge. “The Aria are our neighbors, they know we mean them no harm and our army is abroad besides, they have a strong distaste for the Bactrians with whom we are at war, and although our tradable goods are few for now while our economy develops, both sides would still benefit.”

“It’s much simpler than all that, young lord” replied Arsak, many years his senior and more knowledgeable in the ways of the world. “We are but a little upstart, a small kingdom that could quickly be swallowed by the sands of time. That is how the Aria see us. We are Insignificant. Perhaps they wait to see if we fail in this Bactrian war? We would then be an easy target.”

“That is a humbling thought. But, my brother will not fail. Do you have any news of him?”

“He makes good progress through Dahae territory, but an army can only move so quickly and keep up the line of supplies. He should reach Transoxania within one year.”

“And the Bactrians? What of their forces?”

“The King of Kings sent Nur-Ayya The Spy to be his eyes in Transoxania. Apparently there is heavy construction in the Bactrian’s provincial capital Maracanda, but both it and Bukhara are defended only by their garrisons. Bactria’s armies are elsewhere. At least, that is what I can glean from what he sent.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it appears that Nur-Ayya The Spy is something of an amateur artist. This is what he sent. It’s…it’s not to scale.”

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

“He’s HUGE!”

“Yes, I suspect the man has a bit of an ego. But, he does have some artistic talent. And he is not a bad spy.”

“How about south, in the province of Bactria? Do their troops amass there?”

“I do not have any information. Nur-Ayya is keeping to Transoxania to make sure Arcarses has the latest information upon his approach.”

“Then send another spy! My brother will be in hostile territory with no knowledge of whether or not Bactrian reinforcements are en route!”

“But..my lord…we cannot send another spy. We only have the one, Nur-Ayya The Spy.”

“You mean to tell me that out of all the Parni people and all the people here who submitted to our rule…out of all of them, only one would accept such a position!?”

“No, my lord. I mean we can only have the one spy.”

“WHY!!?”

“I told you, we are Insignificant. Insignificant factions can only have one spy.”

“That is ridiculous! That makes not even the tiniest modicum of sense! HIRE ANOTHER SPY!!”

“My deepest apologies, my lord. This I cannot do.”

Flabbergastered and infuriated, Tiridates took it upon himself to find another spy. But, try as he might, and offer as much gold as he would, he could not. His brother would be blind to goings on beyond Transoxania’s southern borders.

Knowing full well the danger that a Bactrian army could be amassing far to the south of Nur-Ayya The Spy’s operations in Transoxania, Arsarces and The Black Quivers marched at best speed toward their foe. The young Autocratos reached Amul, capital of his Dahae allies, in the fall of that year (270 BC) and after a brief respite and resupply pushed into enemy territory by the next spring. At the same time, back in northern Parthia, his uncle Timgratee had finished assembling a small army of melee cavalry and spearmen as reinforcements. The Children of the Parni marched to join their brothers at war.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Timgratee and his men had no sooner crossed the border into Chorasmia but, preparing to ford the Tejan river, were met with a rider bearing a letter from Arsarces. It read: The town of Bukhara is lightly defended and without walls. March as quickly as possible and take it if it remains so. I have passed it by in favor of assaulting Maracanda. The walled city will provide not only a greater prize, but a secure base for operations. Nur-Ayya The Spy begged of me to include a picture he drew...it is not to scale.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Timgratee and The Children of the Parni forded the river and moved as quickly as they could to follow Arsarces’ orders. Unbeknownst to Timigratee, by the time the rider had met them on the road, Arsarces had reached Maracanda and faced Bactria’s armies...

Thumbs up on the spy conversation.

Thanks, Bramborough! :-) Any suggestions for improvement are always welcome, by the way.

Very nice! Looking forwards to the next installment!

It's been a hectic week of work but next installment should be up either tonight or tomorrow night as it's about half-written. Pace should pick up from here :-)

Chapter IV: Bactrians

Fall, 269 BC

The young King of Kings was no fool. With only four companies of spearmen, The Black Quivers would be hard pressed to assault Maracanda’s walls if they were well manned. As he approached the city, it had at first seemed that luck was not with him – Nur-Ayya The Spy reported two small Bactrian armies, The Heralds of Thanatos and Ares’ Terror had beaten him to the city’s environs, reinforcing the garrison.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

But luck had not altogether deserted him, for he learned both armies were encamped well away from the city’s walls as he drew nearer. If he could take the fight to them on the field, perhaps the city garrison would sally out in a foolish effort to try and save them from destruction. And he was right. In fact, luck was very much with him as the garrison rushed out of the gates to meet him while their friends were still well away.

Arsarces’ 1,140 men met 1,320 Bactrians in the fields about Maracanda. Although the enemy numbers were greater, Arsarces could now focus on eliminating the garrison before the others arrived. And out in the field, his horse skirmishers could be put to good use.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Tactical overview. The Black Quivers in yellow, ready to engage the Bactrian garrison as enemy reinforcements approach

Arsarces’ army neared the enemy, and he ordered a brief halt to allow time for fear to infect the Bactrian ranks as they counted his numbers, and for a few words. “Parni warriors! You marched long and hard with me to our new home in Nisa, fought well there, and our people are happy. You have marched long and hard with me to these lands, to defend our allies and to keep our people safe. Now, it is time for you to fight well again. But worry not, for they are called Bactrians with reason! Their backs will be all you will see on this battlefield! At them!”

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The gods seem to favor us. With their forces split, the battle is all but won. But this is only one battle, I must preserve the army’s strength in order to win this war. How many men do await us in Bactria? How many men are already on the march? The garrison army was fairly large, eight full companies, but poorly equipped and at a very large ranged disadvantage. Its two compliments of slingers could easily be disposed of.

Arsarces ordered his spearmen to form ranks facing the reinforcing armies approaching from the northeast, and formed up with all but one unit melee cavalry behind them. His horse skirmishers would whittle down the lightly armored garrison infantry, and the single company of Median cavalry he sent to loop around and trample their two lots of slingers – their only ranged troops.

The Maracandan garrison, entirely on foot, were quickly intercepted by the much faster Parthian cavalry. Arsarces’ seven companies of skirmishers launched volley after in unison, blackening the sky and raining down death to their foes.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Bactrian infantry was cut in half long before it neared eyesight of Arsarces’ melee lines. Just as their true target became visible, the Median cavalry came crashing in from behind.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

A brief final clash, and what little will to fight the garrison had left was squashed. The few that remained standing and able ran for the hills.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Arsarces had no time to wait for his missile cavalry to return. Their part in the battle had taken longer than expected, and Ares’ Terror had covered ground rapidly, closing the distance. Now at a ranged disadvantage, there was nothing to do but…”Charge!!” Arsarces battle cry rang out, and the melee cavalry sprang forward. The young king bravely aimed for the Bactrian general, but his heavily armored cataphracts were outpaced by the Median cavalry.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Bactrian general and his bodyguard put up a good fight, but were overwhelmed by Arsarces’ three companies of melee cavalry, soon joined by his shock cavalry. The enemy horsemen cut down, The Black Quivers made short work the remaining slingers and spearmen.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The man commanding the Heralds of Thanatos, the last remaining Bactrian army on the field, seemed to have been waiting to see how things would play out. With his friends defeated, he made to retreat. This, Arsarces would not allow. Full of bloodlust and the taste of victory thick on their lips, the Parthian horse sped to a gallop and engulfed the Heralds.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The first battle of the Bactrian War was won. But will the days ahead be so easy? Arsarces wondered.

Nice technique with screenshotting the tactical map...useful when there's spread-apart reinforcing armies. Never even occurred to me to do that.

Is Baktria faction Hellenic, not Eastern? "Ares' Terror" army name kinda caught my attention. Also noticed their cav had Greek-looking crests on some helmets.

Originally Posted by Bramborough

Is Baktria faction Hellenic, not Eastern? "Ares' Terror" army name kinda caught my attention. Also noticed their cav had Greek-looking crests on some helmets.

The Bakria faction aka Greco-Bactrian is a Hellenistic faction with a mixed unit like Seleucid. The only faction in Far East, that is a Hellenistic faction and a successor kingdom

Originally Posted by Amras

The Bakria faction aka Greco-Bactrian is a Hellenistic faction with a mixed unit like Seleucid. The only faction in Far East, that is a Hellenistic faction and a successor kingdom

Exactly, they rebelled from the Seleucids around the same time ish as Andrsagoras, the governor of Parthia. They later went on to form two empires or kingdoms IIRC. The Greco_Bactrian? kingdom which fell, but the Indo_Bactrian kingdom further east lasted much longer. Both the Parthians under the Arsacids and the Bactrians traded and had contact with the Chinese. I mean to weave this stuff into the story, butI see now it would have been better as backstory before the war.

Thanks GREATLY!
but why pictures does not come for me?!
anyway.....
Indeed, Parthia Was a Heroic Faction & Empire!!

have you something on Great Sassanids?!

Chapter IV: Paper Elephants

Fall, 269 BC

Siege lines were drawn around Maracanda, and The Black Quivers wintered encamped about its walls. Arsarces was biding his time, letting the garrison weaken, and allowing him to focus on other matters. Over four years had passed since the Parni had invaded Parthia and taken Nisa. Knowing his brother was a dependable but not an imaginative administrator, Arsarces communicated policy direction to Tiridates even while on campaign. Revenues were not where they should be, as taxes were not being universally paid. Arsarces penned him a letter, ordering universal taxation to be implemented, payable by labor if need be. War is costly, if not much in lives so far, very much so in coin. This led him to the second matter that needed attending.

Arsarces tasked Nur-Ayya The Spy with hiring two companies of mercenary infantry. His four units of spearmen, lightly armoured as they were, were likely to be insufficient under a hail of fire from the city’s towers. It took time, but Nur-Ayya returned with two mercenary companies of ax-wielding Bactrian hillmen. By early spring, siege ladders were constructed, the mercenary companies had drilled and were integrated with Arsarces’ army, the garrison had to be running low on supplies, and Arsarces’ battle plan was set.

The Battle for Maracanda, Spring, 268 BC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Marcanda’s garrison was down to just one unit of spearmen, two companies of barely armed townsfolk, and some slingers. Reinforcing them were to units of heavy horse, respective bodyguard for Eustorgius (former commander of Ares’ Terror) and Prochoros (Dread of Deimos). A small force, but enough to man the towers – and if Arsarces’ infantry were unable to open the gates, his hundreds on horse would be of no use at all. Accordingly, Arsarces planned a feint.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Three infantry units, including both mercenary companies, were to place ladders in an attack on the south-western corner of the city. To the west, Arsarces ordered his horse skirmishers to array themselves, making the enemy think the western gate was intended point of entry.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Meanwhile, Arsarces and the melee cavalry approached the city concealed by tree cover, from the south.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hidden from the enemy, and waiting, he watched a single unit of Parni spears march a ladder up to the southern wall. Success was theirs, and theirs only, to determine.
Luck was still with the King of Kings. The enemy had fallen for his plan. The southern wall lay virtually undefended, and Parni spears soon took them.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Arsarces and his horse dashed from the tree line to the soon opened gates. With vastly superior numbers, the enemy were easily dispatched.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Maracanda was won, and her walls now protected Arsarces from any Bactrian attack. To the north-west, his uncle Timgiratee was following orders, marching at best speed to the un-walled settlement of Bukhara.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Bactrians, like Parthia, had rebelled against their Seleucid masters. And the Bactrians, like northern Parthia, had afforded Arsarces and his tribe an opportunity to expand without garnering the ire of the Seleucids and their subservient states. But a great pride was swelling in the Parthian people – for their young king who had brought them to a new home, and who was now winning great glory, a pride for his Achamaenid lineage and for the old ways. A return to the teachings of Zarathustra was on the rise, and Hellenic ways were being cast aside in favor of those of old Persia. Maracanda would need to grow along the same lines. Arsarces commissioned a shrine in the city. He then sent Nur-Ayya The Spy to the south, to report back on any Bactrian movements and as to the size and disposition of forces in Baktra, the enemy capital. And, Arsarces waited for word from his uncle in Bukhara.

The Battle for Bukhara, Fall, 268 BC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Timgiratee sat atop his horse with the town ahead of him and his cavalry around him, trying his best not to show his anxiety. He had not seen battle in the invasion of Nisa, as he had been put in charge of defending the women and children. This would be his first fight, and he had a horrendous aversion to the sight of blood.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Children of the Parni was a small army, but more than enough for the town garrison – only four units of real soldiers, two of spear and two of slings, and the rest an armed mob. Timgiratee split his forces, assigning his three spear companies to charge up the middle while he and the cavalry attacked in parallel by the hill at the north end of town. The two would meet in the town center and have the enemy surrounded. But to get to that center, there would fighting. And if there was fighting, there would be blood. Timgiratee gulped. Then, with a quick prayer to the gods, he signaled the advance.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Parthian spears clashed with Bactrian shields, and the reverse, but the advantage in numbers lay in Parthia’s favor. The garrison lines thinned in time, and broke as the men ran to regroup in the town center.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Timgiratee, riding through the undefended north end of town toward that same town center, could hear the clashes and the war cries, and the thought of all that blood made him very queasy indeed. His bodyguard the Median cavalry turned south towards the market, where enemy slingers and the armed mob stood waiting. The untested (and nauseous) general let out what might have been intended as a war cry, but came out more as a squeaky whine, and charged forward.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

A member of the armed mob lay right in Timgiratee’s path, and he readied his sword. Closing his eyes at the last moment, he swung and felt flesh give under his blade. He peeked open his eyes to look at the now used blade, and saw…Nothing? The blade was unblooded. Encouraged, he kept his eyes open as he slashed at the next foe. Nothing! Unbelievably, neither man nor blade sported blood.

“Why is there no blood?” Timgiratee asked his closest bodyguard. “I thought wars were bloody?”

“I don’t know if it’s the work of Ahriman or the Spenta Mainyu, but that’s the way it is, general. Men bleed at all other times, but never in battle.”

Timgiratee shrugged, accepting it must be the work of higher powers than man. And, stomach at ease, got back to killing with new vigor. Bukhara, and with it the rest of Transoxania, fell to Parthia.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Weeks later, back in Maracanda, Arsarces received a package from Nur-Ayya The Spy. As was the spy’s wont to do, there were no words - only a picture. But the message was simple: the feared host of Bactrian arms gathering to the south was just that - a fear. Arsarces smiled. Bactria is but a paper elephant, imposing but insubstantial.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Originally Posted by EasternSpartakus

Thanks GREATLY!
but why pictures does not come for me?!
anyway.....
Indeed, Parthia Was a Heroic Faction & Empire!!

have you something on Great Sassanids?!

Thanks for reading and commenting EasternSpartakus - and sorry for the very late reply!

I hope the pictures are working for you now. I am using imgur to upload them, and don't know if there's something that I'm doing wrong that's making them not show up?

I'm sure I will find a way to work the Sasanian successors into this :-)

Great work and a very interesting faction, looking forward for the next instalements.

Sorry y'all, I'm taking a break from Rome 2 to try other things and wait for future patches.

I was bearing with the sluggishness in large battles for a time, but after having played Tomb Raider with all the settings maxed out and enjoying the buttery smoothness, it's hard to come back to this game. It's nice to see the benefit from the new CPU/mobo and GPU that I upgraded to after seeing the performance in TW:R2.

Just picked up the Hitman Collection for $25 and looking forward to trying that out next.

I'll be back, it just might be a few weeks.

Sorry to hear that, I was enjoying this AAR. Have you tried the new beta patch? Supposedly it has helped a lot of people with framerate issues.

Originally Posted by Hooahguy

Sorry to hear that, I was enjoying this AAR. Have you tried the new beta patch? Supposedly it has helped a lot of people with framer are issues.

Well, with patch 7, diplo reliability is finally fixed and we get tips about breaking pre-existing truces. So, might need to rethink campaign starts for all factions.

Originally Posted by Hooahguy

Sorry to hear that, I was enjoying this AAR. Have you tried the new beta patch? Supposedly it has helped a lot of people with framer are issues.

I did last night, it helped a little bit but still bogged down to a slideshow in a 40v40 battle zoomed in- it's not the GPU-intensive stuff that's the issue, but the CPU-intensive stuff - shadows, unit detail. I've spent more time trying to get this game to run well in those intensive situations than actually playing it so far.

That's part of why I want to take a break from it, and come back fresh without the frustration in the back of my mind. What I might do is start fresh with "normal" unit size after patch 7 comes out of beta and replay the exact same moves as close as possible and continue the AAR from there.

I hope you come back with your AAR!