The Daughters of the Dragon: A Valkyrja AAR (ATW)

[SubRosa]

I decided to take a break from mod work, and once more actually play what I have been working on. Since the largest changes to Amazon:Total War have been to the Valkyrja (formerly New Amazonia), I decided to do an AAR with them. To find out more about ATW look here at the Guild, and here at Mod Realms.

I know most AARs around here are done as a melding of fiction around the framework of a campaign. Those of you who are familiar with my AARs from RTWH will know that is not my style however. I learned from people like Severous, so mine have the same blend of game information and personal observations that his did. Hopefully people will find it to be enjoyable. One thing that will be different from my past AARs is that I will be posting it on multiple forums. I never did that before. I hope it will work out.

So here we go. This will be a Valkyrja AAR, using Amazon: Total War version 2.4.


Difficulty: Very Hard/Very Hard
Scale: Huge
Battle Time Limit: On
Morale: On
Limited Ammo: On
Player Manages All Settlements: On


Here are my starting territories. As you can see, I am deep in the forests of what will one day be known as Russia, with lots of dark areas surrounding my three settlements.


There is one Rebel settlement in view from the start of the campaign. Androphagia. I send my slovenly spy in to investigate, and find it has a small, but potentially dangerous garrison. Naked Fanatics (which in ATW are nothing to sneeze at) and Archers.


I raise taxes in all my settlements, recruit Peasants, and build Roads. Then start sending my troops out to the borders building watchtowers along the way and seeking out neighboring settlements. I start with Antimache in the north, who marches east from Neo Themiskyra.


Polemusa marches west from Careotae.


Finally Makanyane heads south and lays siege to Androphagia.


Next turn Polemusa sights the Rebel settlement of Vicus Aesti.


To the south, Makanyane has built her siege equipment, and assaults Androphagia. I make it a night attack to reduce the range of the Rebel Archers.


My Agema Archers have the range advantage against the Rebel Archers.


We give them an Amazon welcome.


Once the defenders were slaughtered, I sent the infantry forward to batter a way through the walls.


Then I sent my women and men in through multiple entry points.


Advancing upon the town square, I have my Agema Archers open up on the Naked Fanatics there. I array my Spearwomen directly in front of them in a shield wall, with a Warband directly behind them to lend the weight of their numbers. A unit of Militia Axewomen waits on one flank, with Makanyane on the other.


The Fanatics are lured from the square and charge my spearwomen.


Then Makanyane and the Axewomen close the trap behind them.


Their Captain is cut down by a lowly spearman.


The Rebel Warband was finished off in similar fashion, and the city was mine. Losses were high though. Those Naked Fanatics took a real toll, even upon my Spearwomen in their shield wall. In retrospect I should have placed the Warband in front of the Spearwomen to soak up the brunt of the Fanatic's charge. They are much more expendable.


As it is a tiny settlement, I Occupy.

[SubRosa]

My Diplomat has found the Scythians and obtained the usual from them - trade rights and map info.


Back in the capital, the first purely military unit I recruit in the campaign is Horse Archers.


The reason why is the small force of Rebel Amazon Chariots that have appeared east of Neo Themiskyra.


It is your basic shootout.


This one unit eventually led me to create this entire mod. I suppose that is why even though they are incredibly out of place in this territory, I have resisted the temptation to remove them from the game.


Eventually I ran out of arrows. Losses are heavy on both sides. I am not about to go into melee with those Chariots, so instead I withdraw.


It goes down in the books as a defeat. This is a lesson in horse archer tactics for those unfamiliar with them. Do not hesitate to withdraw your army of HAs after you run out of ammo. Typically you are heavily outnumbered. The idea is to whittle the enemy down then retreat when you are out of ammo. Then next turn you go back and attack again with full quivers. Rinse and repeat and you can destroy an army that vastly outnumbers your own while taking very few casualties. The art of war is skill and cunning, not brute force.


In the east, Antimache finds the Rebel settlement of Gelonos. According to Herodotus it was founded by Greek colonists who came north from Maeotis. They sure walked a long way before putting down stakes.


In the west, Polemusa has laid siege to Vicus Aesti.


My slovenly spy has moved on to Vicus Neuri. Not much of a garrison, but that Mercenary Spearwarband could be trouble in the narrow streets.


Next turn, and round two against those Rebel Amazons Chariots.


It is a nice day for an archery duel.


They chased me across half the map before I realized that all of their archers were dead, and instead they had their full complement of chariots and drivers. I have seen this happen with Elephants and Chariots before in RTW.


I use up all of my arrows and kill only 1 Rebel. I have too few women with me to get through their extra hit points, and there are too many Chariots, causing my women to spread their fire out amongst them.


So I withdraw again.


Antimache assaults Gelonos.


I found a unit of Barbarian Cavalry waiting outside of the city and immediately charged them with Antimache and her bodyguard. They retreated to the town square, and I pursued.


Antimache got into range of them and stopped, throwing javelins.


That got their goat. The Barb Cavalry turned and attacked. Rather than duke it out with them, I pulled Antimache back to where my infantry waited.


Then I hit them with everything I had, and the Barbarian Cavalry evaporated.


Afterward I moved back to the square and tried the same trick against the Rebel Warband there.


They refused to leave their square however.


So I brought up my infantry, and let my Skirmishers pelt them with javelins this time.


They came out this time, but routed too close to the square, allowing many of them to escape and reform.


I pick off as many of the Warband as I can before I pull my troops back out of the square. I really do not want to get into a slugging match there, where the enemy will not rout.


Okay, back to the drawing board again. This time I use the Skirmishers to pelt the Rebel Militia Hoplites, while my Amazon Warband sets up across from the Rebel Warband. in the meantime Antimache begins to circle around to the other side of the square.


I use the drag function to make sure my Warband marches into the square, but does not go into the Militia Hoplites. Still, the Militia Hoplites turn and advance on them from the flank.


This in turn exposes them to a flank attack from my Skirmishers, causing them to drop their spears and draw their swords.


Bam! Then Antimache and her bodyguard charged into the lot from behind.


Victory would be mine. But that slugging match in the square cost me a lot of men, and a few good women too.


As it is small, I Occupy Gelonos.


To the south, a lone Horse Archer runs down some Rebel Peasants.


It is not really very noteworthy.


However, it did give me a Commander of the Hour, which is why I mentioned it. I am so taking her.


Next turn, and round 3 against those Rebel Amazon Chariots. This time I have taken the time to retrain my Horse Archers in Neo Themiskyra before engaging however.


It was like shooting fish in a barrel.


Here is a look at the situation overall. To the south the Scythians are now on the move, having laid siege to Vicus Neuri while I was busy hunting Rebels.


To the east the Sarmatians are on the move as well, advancing into the territory of the Roxolani.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

*Does the insanity dance of joy.*

[SubRosa]

Thank you for the dance Olaf.

One last update before I turn into a pumpkin.

In the west, Polemusa assaults Vicus Aesti.


It is a nice winter day for a battle. The cold will preserve the meat of the corpses for Freja's ravens.


After the first breach was made a unit of Barbarian Infantry came to the walls, received a dose of Amazon javelins, and promptly decided that they had other places to be.


With the second breach open I waited no longer and entered the town.


I saw the Barbarian Cavalry waiting outside the square and immediately charged them with Polemusa.


Those Barbarians were tough, and really chewed up her bodyguard before they finally broke.


Then my infantry had come up, and once again a Rebel Captain was laid low by a mere spearman.


I am not sure what these guys are cheering about, they are about to become pincushions.


The javelins pulled them out of the square, where they were promptly routed.


The second Warband followed suit. Most people would probably end the battle here when the game offers you the chance. I never do during sieges. I always fight to the bitter end, even though it means taking more casualties when the routed enemy units get back to the square and reform. It just does not seem right to take the easy way out.


So I take the hard way, and suffer my worse casualties in a battle yet. Obviously Polemusa is not one of my most stellar Generals.


She Occupies Vicus Aesti.


Nearby, the Scythian siege of Vicus Neuri has been broken by the Rebels. *cackles gleefully*


This gives Makanyane a chance to take a crack at the Neuri.


Back west, Polemusa was out building a watchtower when she spotted another Rebel settlement.


Doh! The Scythians have gotten to Vicus Neuri ahead of Makanyane!


Looking south, even though the banners still say they are rebel owned, right clicking on the map shows that the Bosporus now belongs to the Scythians, and the Kuban to the Sarmatians. Given the amount of devastation around each city, it looks like they were long and bitter sieges too.


Speaking of bitter sieges, the Scythians have been beaten back from Vicus Neuri a second time. Truly Freja is with us, for she has given us this opportunity to smite the Rebels.


A new woman has come of age and taken her place amongst the leaders of the Valkyrja. I can use her, and the few other Generals who have adopted in recently, as I have a lot of watchtowers that need building. Not to mention for the powerful heavy cavalry units they provide. I have been avoiding recruiting troops to keep my treasury in enough money to continue building economic buildings in every city. I start with roads, then go with mines (when available) farms, ports (where available), and finally traders. I have yet to construct a single military building. I always go for the money in the early game.

[SubRosa]

My Diplomat meets the Dacians and makes the usual agreements.


As with the Thracians.


Terrible news. My Faction Leader Antimache has died (I need to think of what the Valkyrja would call their leaders, obviously Queen and Princess is right out, Strategos does not feel right either.)


Now Makanyane leads the Valkyrja.


Antimache could not pick a worse time to meet Kybele on her mountain. She leaves young Alkippe to lead the Eastern Army against a large army of Rebels, while an ominous-looking Sarmatian army has come north into our lands.


I missed the odds screen of Makanyane's assault upon Vicus Neuri, but did get the enemy troop composition. The Rebels are all seasoned veterans after defeating the Scythians twice.


I attack the city from two walls.


My Agema Archers soften up the defenders as my women bring up their ram.


The men have no opposition at the other wall, and enter freely.


Makanyane charged in once her wall was breached, and cut down the Neuri leader.


Then it was on the the town square, where the Agema Archers took over.


Makanyane's Bodyguard lent a few javelins to help.


I let the missile troops finish off the Rebels without entering the square. My preferred tactic. I hate those prolonged slug-fests in the square, where the enemy cannot rout. Note the difference in my losses compared to the bloodfests Polemusa has had in the west.


As it is small, I Occupy. As is probably obvious now, I always do so when a settlement is 1st tier or just over it.


They have a shrine to Bendis! Excellent, this will give my missile troops a bonus to their weapons.


In the East, Alkippe has caught up with that big Rebel army near the banks of the Volga.


There sure are a lot of them, including more Fanatics.


These guys are nothing to sneeze at in the early game.


The Rebel General gets the scent of Alkippe, and goes straight after her. She flees, and leads him to where she has her infantry hidden in the woods.


Then she turns and drops the hammer on him.


He fled. Alkippe let him go, having bigger fish to fry. Instead she let her Mercenary Virgin Horse Archers intercept him across the battlefield and run him to the ground. The caused a unit of nearby Peasants to rout just from proximity. Got to love when that happens.


Then it all fell apart. Two units of Barbarian Infantry got into the woods where my infantry was. My Warband evaporated in moments, and the Skirmishers chain routed a second later.


Worse, my Virgin Horse Archers were caught by a unit of Naked Fanatics while riding down the aforementioned Peasants. That was the end of them.


Okay, I still have a Horse Archer and my General. I did not realize it at the time of this pic, but the remnants of my Warband had reformed and were hiding in the woods somewhere. Things are not that bad though. I have the mobility, and I use it to pick apart the Rebel infantry one unit at a time. The trick is to let them chase the General and become exhausted, while shooting them in the back with the Horse Archer. Then charge them and finish them off. Often they will rout before you even make contact.


I stop and rest my women while more of the Rebels come charging up. It is important to give your cavalry breaks to rest during large battles. The more tired a unit is, the closer to routing they are.


I isolate another Naked Fanatic.


They rout without me going into melee.


I have to be careful while I run them down, lest my women blunder into these Barbarian Infantry. Thankfully the Barbarians routed themselves a moment later. Panic is infectious.


Then it was down to this last Barb Infantry unit. It did not last long.


Heroic Victory.


Young General Okypous intercepts some Rebels near the capital. I only mention it because the Rebels are two Generals, and I use some basic Horse Archer tactics to deal with them.


One of the Rebel Generals locks on to Okypous. She flees, leading them past her reinforcing Horse Archers.


Now Okypus will ride in a circle around her missile troops, who pelt the Rebel General with arrows as he rides by them. I call this the Scythian Circle. This trick will work with foot archers and slingers as well.


When the Rebels are whittled down, Okypous turns and slaughters him.


Then it was time for round two. But the second Rebel General was not so obliging. He catches one of my Horse Archers in melee and thrashes them before they can run far enough away to escape.


But then he was trapped. I call this the Triangle of Death. Basically you surround a unit (or units) with Horse Archers. That way you always have a back shot at them, and no matter which way they go, there is no escape.


He locks on to Okypous, and she takes him into another Scythian Circle.


Finally he routs.


Victory.


Another battle with Rebels. This time a lone Horse Archer takes on a Warband and a Peasant.


I concentrate all my fire on the Warband. I do not want to waste arrows against Peasants if I can help it. There are no fancy tactics needed here, just ride away and shoot them as they pursue.


I was able to finish off the Warband with arrows, but then I was out of ammo with plenty of Peasants left.


I ride in close, daring them to come after me. I want them to chase me to get them to Exhausted. But they will not budge.


I hate to leave the field to Peasants. My Horse Archers have axes, which gives them a so-so melee attack. Sometimes you have to roll the hard six. I throw the dice and charge.


The Peasants rout!


Another Heroic Victory.

[SubRosa]

I had to break this up into two posts because the forum software does not allow more than 50 pictures per post.

After the losses she took assaulting Vicus Aesti, Polemusa wisely decided not to take Vicus Gepidae by storm. Instead she settled into a long blockade to starve them out. On their last turn the Gepids sallied.


I move my infantry behind the rams, so they would break up the enemy line, while my cavalry moved to get around behind the oncoming Gepids.


Their first unit is quickly routed.


They head back to the city, and Polemusa see the gates open before her.


She rushes into the defenseless city. I could have had her ride around to all of the gates and this point, and then take the square unapposed to win the city. But I hate to do that when I know I can beat the enemy.


So she came back out to finish off the Rebels.


Down they went.


Victory.


Again, I Occupy.


Uh oh. Over the computer's turn the Sarmatians attacked. One force laid siege to Gelonos, while two others bypassed it and are now marching upon Neo Themiskyra.


Yet another Sarmatian army marches upon Melanchlaeni, and the Scythians hover like flies around my southern settlements.


Now the real fun begins! Young Alkippe hires mercenaries to replenish her Eastern Army and marches to the relief of Gelonos. See how it turns out next post.