Pontic Campaign

[Sygrod]

Update:

230 BC and the game just CTD:d (hmmmf). So far there has been little actual activity apart from pressure on my southeastern border. The Ptolemaioi and the Seleukoi (?) are throwing army after army at mostly Edessa and Kartkathiokerta and occasionally Antiocheia. The invalid client ruler in Karkathiokerta is a pain in the saddle. I have to keep a unit outside the walls just to be able to chase off enemy armies. The last battle was an epic struggle. My 1620 men fought off 2388 seleukids, half phalanxes, one third other melee troops with mostly slingers and two units of Caucasian spearmen, which performed famously. The battle did not result in a heroic victory, but 2281 of the enmy army were left on the battlefield, including a general, while the remaining 160 dispersed after the battle. My losses were 323 men. One unit of slingers was cornered by a unit of Nizag Gund and routed. The others danced around and hit the phalanxes whenever possible in the back, while holding their "fire" if the phalanxes were facing them. Next season, I fought my bloodiest battle yet. A ptolemaic army laid siege to Edessa and when I sallied, a seleukid army joined in.
Pontos: 2525 men
Ptolemai: 1892
Seleukid: 996
My main effort was on the ptollies, while I held back one unit of slingers, the governor, a unit of Akontistai Hippeis and my 18 chariots (depleted) to keep the seleukids busy. After the ptollies lost a great number of men while regrouping (as usual), my units sallied and set up a line across from them, while pelting their units mercilessly. Unfortunately, the ptoly line advanced and made contact and my phalanxes were overwhelmed. Actually, my Chalkaspidai broke immediately upon contact with the enemy general. GRRRR. I thought they were "elite" units... A long and drawn out battle with my units running for cover behind the walls ensued. The seleukids were ruined as a force and that freed up 3 hard hitting units to be brought down on the ptollies.
I lost no less than 636 men to their 2578. Heroic victory!!!

Meanwhile, the eastern Mediterranean has been swept clear of enemy fleets, leaving me with free hands there.

In other news, the Hayasdan have finally taken a town on the Caspian shore. The maks are out of the Balkans with only Mytilene and Pergamon left. KH controls Hellas all the way to Byzantion.

BTW, the offending mercenary general which casued unrest in Ani-Kamah, after some training in amaseia and a few good advisers later has been settled on Cyprus.

[Sygrod]

A few seasons later and a CTD and here I am updating again.

Sights have been set on Trapezous, fresh recruits from Amaseia and Mazaka joined with reinforcements from Ani-Kamah. A mercenary general was recruited to lead and at least temporarily administer the city once taken. There was a mobile force of locals to be dealt with first: 4 Eastern skirmisher and 4 Caucasian archer units. This force attacked a lonely unit of Chalkaspidai and the most spectacular battle so far took place.

The phalanx was placed in the red corner and waited for the barbarians to arrive. After much moving about, the enemy finally attacked with a unit of skirmishers which was ruied without loss. after that, the enemy units refused to advance and the battle had to be taken to them. Losses mounted as archers hit from behind, but eventually the Chalkaspidai ground their way through the enemy units, routing a couple. When the phalangites were down to 70, the enemy army finally routed. 26 men were healed and the unit gained 2 chevrons during this battle. The enemy losses were 1186.

A few more sieges were repelled, mainly Edessa. The assault on trapezous ended with CTD and has to be redone. Sigh.

[Sygrod]

Trapezous fell without any spactacular events. The assault was through two gates and any defenders behind the gates were mowed down by my slingers. Only on the left side was there any melee, but my Best melee units were there and pounded the enemy to a pulp.

Edessa is under siege almost every season by a ptolemaic army or another. There are three of them taking turns, being thoroughly defeated, but not destroyed, so there are always units to form the core of another army. It is getting boring. I wish I could save my deployment from battle to battle, so I don't have to arrange them every time. At least all the activity here has produced my first gold chevron unit: a unit of Scythian Horse Archers that were recruited as mercenaries very early on. Seing how they get a lot of action, I recruited a horse archer unit in Ani-Kamah (only place I can do that for now) and sent it to switch places with the decimated unit of chariots that I had there. My slingers are acquiring silver chevrons as well and one is at 3, 4 are at two, so they are hard hitting. With each chevron comeas an increase in attack and defense. With the high attack value, they are more likely to kill heavily armoured units - a big plus against the phalanx and Galatian heavy sword heavy Ptolemies.

Apart from the activity at Edessa, not much is happening. Mostly house keeping, replenishing units and recruiting new ones. A couple of old family members have kicked the bucket, but before they did, I transferred some of their useful advisers to their replacements. My oldest family member is a grizzled sot with the trait "One foot in the grave". He's 75.

[Sygrod]

Apart from the continuation of the Ai banging its head against the brick wall of Edessa, the following events took place:

A huge army of Seleukids marched for Karkathiokerta, and was intercepted in the open my a field army I've kept in the area. An epic battle took place which ended with the enemy army being vanquished.

An equally deadly army was sent from just outside Sidon to attack Antiocheia in 224 BC. It consisted of phalanxes and Iudaioi Taxeis. Fortunately, they lined up right under my walls and endured withering showers of missiles from the towers. Of 2674 men, 2380 were killed and the rest scattered. THIS left the road to Sidon wide open and, after a minimal siege, was taken before the end of the year. target of opportunity.

[Chaotix]

hold on a sec... (haven't been following the AAR from when it started) ...so you got the Ptolemaioi and Seleukoi to ally? against you? playing as pontos? wow. just... wow. What difficulty are you playing at? You must be the best player I've seen if you can get two factions predisposed to hate each other to ally against you in fear.

[Sygrod]

They are not actual allies, just "happenstance" allies. They consider each other neutral. The Ptollies are allied with Qart Hadastim and at war with Saba (as could be expected)
The Seleukids are at war with Haysadan and Pahlava.

[Morte66]

hold on a sec... (haven't been following the AAR from when it started) ...so you got the Ptolemaioi and Seleukoi to ally? against you? playing as pontos? wow. just... wow. What difficulty are you playing at? You must be the best player I've seen if you can get two factions predisposed to hate each other to ally against you in fear.

In my current Pontos campaign they made peace with each other and are fighting me. I'm the only faction the Seleucids are at war against, apart from the Eleutheroi. I think the AI likes to make it "interesting" for the player faction.

[Sygrod]

As may have become evident, I play by the rule that the enemy is to suffer losses. Missile troops are superb in that role. They hit at a distance and as long as the enemy does not get much of a chance to actually make contact, my own losses are minimal. Once in a while that is unavoidable. Aggressive defence is my main strategy. I build up enough force, while defending a position and then strike quickly when the oportunity affords itself to expand. It takes a bit of patience. The enemy is more than not forced to attack fortified positions and are pummeled with rocks and arrows for their efforts.

The plan is as follows:
Expand slowly into Mesopotamia, encroaching on ptolemaic and seleukid territory. Once Pontos is eventually attacked by Hayasdan, Makedonia or Koinon Hellenon, Pontos will expand in that direction. My strongholds are well enough manned to withstand any initial attack.