The March of the Getai

**pezhetairoi** · 02-02-2006, 08:53

This is a campaign record of the Getai, inspired by Ragabash's Epeirote campaign record... I'd always wanted to do something like that, but never got down to it.

I figured it was a little tiring to keep typing in HTML tags etc and uploading all my screenshots (I have about 60 for 10 turns' worth of gameplay) so I'm hosting it on a blog created just for this purpose. Yeeha.

it's at http://getikoi.blogspot.com. For some strange reason the html tag doesn't work, so. Do go visit...

**Dooz** · 02-02-2006, 08:56

"Not found". Looking forward greatly to seeing this. Any AAR from somebody who wrote down hundreds of pages of records from campaigns must be good.

**pezhetairoi** · 02-02-2006, 08:59

Oh, haha. I'm currently writing it and uploading photos. The first post hasn't yet been made, that's why it's still 'not found'.

**Dooz** · 02-02-2006, 09:01

Getting my hopes up for nothing eh? You should have saved the post 'till it was ready! Now you must be lynched. Good day.

**pezhetairoi** · 02-02-2006, 09:08

Ah, forget it. You can't post more than one photo per post on blogger, and I have no time to figure out how it works. I'll post it here after all...

**Dooz** · 02-02-2006, 09:10

Noooooo!!! I would have loved a whole webpage dedicated to an AAR. I've always wanted to do that... bloody lazy... Someday................... some.... day.....

**pezhetairoi** · 02-02-2006, 10:31

NOTE: After conquering Naissus I got sick of black areas and toggled off fog of war. After conquering Tylis I got sick of Greek generals having only 1 HP and gave them 2 like everyone else.

Spring 272BC.

The quiescent Getai tribes have stirred themselves to war, under the leadership of their warchief and basileus, Zyraxes.

The chief marshals his forces together, and prepares to break out, south and west and east and north. Zyraxes' forces were split into three divisions of equal strength, each made up of 2 units of Getikoi Thorakitai Stratiotai, the armoured phalanx of the Getai, modelled along Greek lines, and 2 Komatai Toxotai, mere archers, but whose arrowstorms had won many a battle in the fierce infighting between tribes and peoples. Zyraxes himself commanded one division, stationed in the capital of Buridava. Outside it, freshly trained, stood another under Scyles. On the northeast frontier, having just finished campaigning against some rebel Getians attempting to march on Buridava, stood Vezina, heir apparent and son of Zyraxes, with a third.

The Getian dream had long been to gain access to the Pontus Euxinus, to the east. But the Skythians, in Kallatis, had defied the Getian attacks again and again. Zyraxes knew he was not yet strong enough to force a path to the sea with his current forces--many times the horse archers had ripped his phalanxes to pieces, armour or no.

For some time now the Getai had maintained a high level of infiltration into Skythia to gather information. While this time the reports showed a considerable chance of success in attack, still Zyraxes thought it was not worth the long march across Getia to get there. Better still to turn southwards, towards the nearer town of Naissus, across the Danube. In this Zyraxes was driven by practical considerations--he had raised an unprecedented army, and its expenditures were weighing heavily down on him. He had only enough mnai left to order the training of a peacekeeping force of komatai skirmishers, to remain in the city, and begin the building of a meeting hall, to train warriors of greater mettle than currently possible.

That done, Zyraxes gathered his and Scyles' divisions together into a strong force, and marched for Naissus, emptying Buridava in the process. At the same time he sent a messenger northeast on fast mounts to order Vezina to explore westwards with his division, to see if what lay behind the Carpathian mountains was easily conquered.

SUMMER 272BC

Zyraxes had marched through the springtime, and arrived now at the gates of Naissus. The Thrakian Triballi living along that southern strip of coast were led by their chieftain, Dekainos, and he defied Zyraxes to come and break his army, encamped around Naissus. Zyraxes, never unwilling to demonstrate the mettle of his troops, willingly obliged.

In the true Thracian style, Dekainos' army was modelled around their penchant for light-armed troops attacking at range. Dekainos led 2 units of falx-armed drapanai, 1 unit of komatai, 1 of bugimannoz archers, and 2 units of akontistai javelinmen, of which he took personal command of one unit of akontistai, in defence of Naissus. Against this Zyraxes pitted his army, which outnumbered Dekainos both in quantity and quality.

The battle opened as Dekainos deployed half his falxmen, half his akontistai, and his komatai on the outskirts of his town supported by the bugimannoz in rear, directly opposite Zyraxes' 4 units of thorakitai stratiotai, in phalanx, with the 4 units of toxotai in front in support. Zyraxes and Scyles placed their bodyguard cavalry in rear of the phalanx, preparing to swing around either flank as necessary. In the town square Dekainos kept a strategic reserve of his personal akontistai guard and a unit of drapanai.

The battle opened with an archery duel, in which the Getians swiftly had the upper hand. In the top left of the picture stands what remains of the Bugimannoz after 5 volleys of arrows.

Dekainos realised that he had to capitalise on his strengths, i.e. his excellent drapanai infantry charge, as soon as possible. Hence he set them forward in a headlong charge straight at the Getian left wing, hoping to catch the archers offguard. The charge was unexpected, and struck disorder into the Getian line (OOC: It was so unexpected and sudden that I didn't even have time to take a screenshot, I was so busy doing evacuation.) Fortunately the well-trained stratiotai simply left their phalanx formation and raced forward as the archers streamed to the rear. Such was their discipline that they did not get carried away with a charge, but halted and formed phalanx again just seconds before the drapanai smashed into the spearhedge and skewered themselves, with the Triballian Komatai.

As the battle developed Zyraxes ordered his as-yet-unengaged right wing phalanx to wheel inwards to strike the left flank of the Triballians, now locked in mortal combat with the Getian phalanx. This was done as the archers shifted to the right in an attempt to enfilade the Thrakian left flank before the wheeling phalanxes made contact. The plan was almost perfect, but the chief of the akontistai had the presence of mind to lead what he could of his unit to charge the nearest wheeling unit while they were still out of formation, dealing some casualties to the armoured stratiotai with javelin and blades. As soon as the threat was met, though, the stratiotai immediately formed their phalanx and engaged the akontistai while the extreme right phalanx closed in, unimpeded. It was a valiant charge, but in the end it availed the akontistai naught, as they were caught by two phalanxes, while Zyraxes led the cavalry to swing around the edge of the line and envelop the Thrakians, cutting off their route of escape. Where was the strategic reserve? While the drapanai were on the brink of being cut to pieces, Dekainos was at the town square with his akontistai and drapanai, unwilling to send them in, unable to see an opening into which his reserve could make a difference.

The main battle was quickly ended; Zyraxes and Scyles, completely unopposed, appeared in the rear of the Thrakians, and tore into them with a ferocious xyston charge. To their misfortune, the first Thrakian unit to be hit by the charge was the akontistai, who, being low in morale, simply broke and ran, spreading panic to the others.

In no time at all, the mass of Thrakian infantry had broken and been swept off to oblivion by the masses of horsemen, who then turned their attention to the Bugimannoz, whose remnants still stood on the town's outskirts irritating the heavily armoured attackers with their ineffectual shots.

As the cavalry entered the streets of the town, Scyles caught sight of Dekainos' banner up ahead, at the head of his akontistai--he was leading his reserves to battle! But it was a futile gesture; the time of opportunity had passed. Now, pitting his unarmoured, lightly armed, inexperienced men against the battle-hardened heavy cavalry of the Dacians, there was no doubt in Zyraxes' mind that Dekainos had lost his mind.

It was not only Zyraxes that spotted the akontistai; the toxotai, who had raced into the city to provide fire support for the far-ranging cavalry, had also seen the javelinmen, and now fired on them, with flaming arrows. With their backs to the wall, the akontistai fought like tigers, the flower of Naissus' youth. But to no avail; they were cut down, or run through by spears, fundamentally incapable of meeting the cavalry charge on anything like equal terms.

As the phalanx caught up from behind with the cavalry, it was over, and Dekainos' resolve snapped. He ran from the battle and with him, whatever was left of his men. So intent was he on his flight that he never saw who it was who rammed the spear into his back so hard it came out the other side and protruded two feet in front. The chief of the Triballi was trampled in the dust as the akontistai were ground into the packed dirt of the street.

The endgame had now come. In a show of strength, Zyraxes sought to dent the last defenders' resolve to fight on, arraying his troops in full view of them, placing his cavalry on the flanks. He issued them an ultimatum: surrender or die. The drapanai refused, and on Zyraxes' signal, his archers let fly with whatever arrows they had. Goaded by heavy losses and by Zyraxes; clear intent to let them die dishonourable deaths by arrow rather than in comabt, they charged, smashing themselves to pieces on the phalanx, but tearing aside the spears, and still coming, hacking at the hafts with their falxes.

Just as he had planned, Zyraxes unleashed his final charge. His tired, battered but triumphant horsemen dashed out from the flanks of the phalanx and swept away the drapanai, who broke. But they could not even cover that short distance between phalanx and square before they were cut down. The slaughter was terrible, and at its end, Naissus was cleared of defenders. Nearly every able male in the town had been killed in this one battle, and by right of conquest Thraikia Hypertera was now Getian.

After the conquest, Zyraxes occupied the town--he saw no more point in exterminating the populace for their resistance. He needed whatever population they had left, and enough killing had been done.

Meanwhile, up north Vezina's division was continuing its exploration of the Carpathian basin.