Pontic Campaign

[Sygrod]

Well, the *&$%$ Game crashed as I was about to capture Side. GRRRRRRRRR
Time to write an update.

The seleucids tried to be smart this time. They laid siege to a fort east of Edessa and Edessa proper. I had moved out almost all my slingers to the fort from Edessa. Force composition was not good at all. What to do... I sent forth 2 generals, the Scythians, a nwely recruited Hippakontistai and a slinger unit from Karkathiokerta. and attacked the force laying siege to the fort. THe 5 slinger units in the fort became reinforcements. The enemy had 3 phalanxes, two of which were Argyraspidai - elite phalanx. They also sported a reduced Thorakitai and the remnants of an earlier army. There was a lot of dancing around, trying to stay out of reach and sling stones into the backs of the enemy. It worked. My 976 men, though rated much lower than the enemy saw to it that of the 744 attackers, only 18 got away to only 10 own casualties.
The slingers raced to Edessa and, followed by the two non-general cav units helped to lift that siege. They didn't even have to do anything. The enemy cowards fled.

Tarsos. My 1111 men had little problem vanquishing the 735 man strong garrison. 4 slinger units provided entertainment for the 2 ptolemaic Thureophoroi units and the Caucasian Hillmen. Once the gate defenders had been removed, the Chalkaspidai were sent in. They took a bit of a beating when blocking a street by the square. In the end, my cavalry convinced the enemy peltasts that it was time to pack it in and take a dirt nap.

Next turn, all seleucid units near Edessa had retreated, but a confident detachment of 3 ptolemaic Jewish spearmen units came by. So I sent out a bunch of guys to greet them - with stones and arrows. They didn't like that. The army routed and vanished.

Take Side: I found 2 excellent points to scale the walls with ladders and sent in my slingers and eastern skirmishers, who took as many towers as possible and let the ptolemaic phalanx "walk in the shade" (of arrows). I had just finished this lot with my slinger unit and... CTD. [Sigh!]

I've got to get Tarsos under control (they are upset that I took their city) so that I can take Antiocheia and get access to military docks to build a small fleet so that I can take Cyprus. That's my plan. I am also building an army in a fort defending the pass east of Amaseia. This army is meant to pay Ani-Kamah a visit once it is ready.