[EB AAR] ROMANI (A Historical Roman Campaign) [UPDATED 4/23/2013]

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!

http://i.imgur.com/2uiHH.jpg
How about some more Charlie Brown and Peanuts? :laughter:

Last Update before the holidays (snuck one right in there huh?). Hope you all have a fun and safe holiday season and a very happy new year (I'll see if I can get one in before then, but no promises).

Thanks for reading everyone!

please ignore

(I was having some posting problems on the website)

Another great update. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Great update again.You are on the right way in capturing all of Sicily.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
Predator!

Merry christmas! :)

Great AAR. Looking forward to you kicking the enemy off of Sicily for good. +rep

Great AAR! +rep

Hey everyone,

Sorry about the length in between updates, but I knew that if I didn't get one in before the new year that it might be a little later than usual, again sorry for that. I'm in the process of moving right now so the AAR is obviously not at the top of my list of things to do at the moment, and since I would hate to put out an update that sloppily concludes the First Punic War (even though there isn't all too much left), I decided to wait until I get an opportunity to properly try and bring the war to an end. It takes a little bit of time to get all my ducks in a row when it comes to the research about the given years and events in the updates and then that is followed by some "careful" (in parenthesis because I am sure I have made quite a few mistakes haha) editing with names and the like.

I'll be sure to update when I get the opportunity and I am leaning towards a 3 part conclusion to the First Punic War to try and quickly bring the last part of the conflict to an end without missing any important details.

Thanks again guys!

No problem. Take your time, we'll wait ;).

Hey guys,

First off let me apologize for the lack of an update. Can't believe it has been almost a month already! I've been quite preoccupied with moving and with classes at my university starting back up (new campus to get used to). It has been fun, but I haven't gotten a chance to even touch the AAR or Rome Total War for that matter.

Until today! I was able to play for a few hours today and got some decent photos in for the AAR as well as some more campaign development. Look for an update sometime this week. I'm going to keep pretty busy over the course of the next few months, so updates may not be quite as regular until this summer, unfortunately. However, hopefully with me just being able to work on the AAR today, the updates may become a bit more frequent.

Thanks again guys!

I'm glad to hear this AAR is not dead and that you will continue with it eventually. :) Good luck in your real life. :thumbsup2 Sincerely, Warrior Cat.

http://i.imgur.com/XJ0Uh.jpg

CAPITVLVM III (Part XIII): An End in Sight [1/3] (VT.BIBERENT.QVANDO.ESSE.NOLLENT)

http://i.imgur.com/u2g83Ug.jpg

As one tale goes, the sacred chickens were tossed overboard by the Roman consvl Pvlcher for refusing to eat before the battle (a very bad omen). To quell the men's fears aboard the flagship he was reported (albeit by only one source, a literary/artistic one at that) to throw the birds overboard while saying the phrase "vt biberent qvando esse nollent" This is translated as "so that they might drink, since they refused to eat!"

504 AUC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Romani continued their push against the Karthadastim the following year. They did not wish to let up on momentum following their impressive victory at Panormvs. In order to push the Karthadastim out of Sicily altogether the Romani would need to capture a city which had alluded them for the duration of the war: Lilibeo.

http://i.imgur.com/Bi7R6hi.jpg

The Romani first began their assault by seizing, and then burning, the Karthadastim-held cities of Selinovs and Heraclea Minor. While these cities played a minor role, the idea was that the continued pressure upon the Karthadastim and the destruction of any of their bases or trading centers would ultimately cripple them:

http://i.imgur.com/JOY2Y9Q.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7KPLyNB.jpg

The Karthadastim, however, were persistent in holding onto their prized naval stronghold. In the years prior to the Pvnic War, when Roma and Karthadast were still locked together by treaty against the Greek Tyrant Pyrrhos, the base of Lilibeo had served them well. The Karthadastim had deemed the city so important that they even sent a treaty to Pyrrhos in which they agreed to allow him to have all of their Sicilian holdings as long as they were allowed to continue to hold Lilibeo. Of course, Pyrrhos refused this since he too saw the importance of the stronghold and its position upon western Sicily:

http://i.imgur.com/0UHB9W0.png

With the city perched atop a bay protected by natural sea walls and small island chains, it was a perfect location for a naval base to be located. Its proximity to the great city of Karthadast only added to its important position and both Pyrrhos and the Romani knew this. Taking the city would require more than just force, however, as the naval port below the city would have to be blockaded or captured and held to properly be able to control the city.

It was with this in mind that the Roman consvles Lvcivs Manlivs Vvlso Longvs and Gaivs Atilivs Regvlvs began the newest siege of Lilibeo:

http://i.imgur.com/6TTU3tN.jpg

The same year, the former consvl Marcvs Atilivs Regvlvs, who was captured at the Battle of Tvnis during the ill fated Roman Incvrsio Africae, was sent back to Roma during an attempt at peace, or at the very least, a prisoner exchange between Roma and Karthadast.

http://i.imgur.com/udrCvZO.jpg
The former Roman consvl Marcvs Atilivs Regvlvs announces that he will return to Karthadast to face death.

However, the brave and loyal man of Roma continually urged the Roman senatores to continue the war without an attempt at peace until Roma had completed their victory against the Karthadastim. In fact, he told his fellow Romani to fight back harder than ever before. He would later return to the Karthadastim capital where he was executed by being placed in a barrel of spikes and rolled down a steep hill.

505 AUC

The siege of Lilibeo continued on into the year of the consvles Pvlcher et Pvllvs. The new consvles first job was to commandeer the Roman fleet into the harbor of Lilibeo and try to put an end to the constant shipments of food and supplies which had been leaking through to the besieged city for the past few months. The small "breaks" in the siege were engineered by a Karthadastim naval commander who led a small fleet whose name was Hannibal. He was able to use the still superior naval skills of the Karthadastim to sail around the Roman blockade and deliver supplies to the city and take horses (completely useless within the city) to the harbor of Drepana. Not long after this, another man by the name of Hannibal the Rhodian sailed around the Roman fleet and reported the locations of the Roman troops and encampments back to the Karthadastim naval commander Ad Herbal.

This infuriated the Roman consvles and the leading consvl Pvblivs Clavdivs Pvlcher (Pvlcher=handsome) needed to put an end to this if he wished for the siege to even be worthwhile. Thus the stage was set for another naval battle between the Romani and the Karthadastim:

http://i.imgur.com/vcNNJRf.jpg

The Battle of Drepana

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

http://i.imgur.com/7l7ADcD.gif
(Image courtesy of livius.org)

The Roman consvl Pvlcher decided upon a surprise attack as the best course of action to quickly rout the Karthadastim fleet and regain control of the waters surrounding the island of Sicily. On a moonless night he ordered his fleet to move upon the Karthadastim harbor at Drepana where their fleet was anchored.

http://i.imgur.com/DSLS137.jpg

In the early morning, a tale tells how the Roman consvl threw a pair of sacred chickens used to predict omens overboard since they refused to eat. By refusing to eat on the day of battle the chickens had predicted a dismal defeat for the Romani. Many of the men under the command of consvl Pvlcher began to lose morale and even questioned whether the Romani should even fight on that day. Consvl Pvblivs Clavdivs Pvlcher ordered the sacred chickens to be tossed off of the ship "so that they might drink, since they refused to eat." This attempt to save the morale of his men would be in vain, however.

While a good idea at first, since the Karthadastim scouts could not make out the approaching Roman fleet, the odds quickly turned against Pvlcher and his men. The extremely dark night had made navigation in battle formation near impossible and as dawn broke over western Sicily it became obvious that the Romani had dug themselves into a massive hole.

http://i.imgur.com/Ksc3Ffx.png

The Karthadastim scouts now saw the Roman fleet and quickly reported to their admiral, Ad Herbal, that the Romani looked to be in complete dismay. Ad Herbal ordered his fleet to move out of the harbor in an attempt to avoid being blockaded by the Romani, but quickly saw his chance to attack while sailing past the Roman fleet.

The Romani had their fleet strung out in a line and with the rough land of Sicily at their backs began to try and turn to face their opponent. However, two small islands sat at the edge of Ad Herbals left flank. Ad Herbal ordered the southernmost portion of his fleet (right flank) to surround the Romani. This made the victory all but assured to the Karthadastim since they now had no risk of being out flanked.

With no support and his fleet completely surrounded, the Roman consvl and his fleet were thoroughly defeated with most of their ships either being sunk or captured:

http://i.imgur.com/jNkPFb7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rD9sGwf.jpg

While his fleet had been near completely wiped out, the Roman consvl managed to escape back to Roma. There he was accused of treason for failing to take heed to the omens cast by the birds. He was ordered to appoint a dictator to replace him for his failure at Drepana, however, his choice of dictator was overruled. Pvblivs Clavdivs Pvlcher was tried for treason and impiety where he was found guilty and fined 120,000 asses. His fellow consvl Lvcivs Ivnivs Pvllvs committed suicide after the naval defeat rather than return to Roma in shame. In time, Pvlcher would do the same after being exiled following his trial.

http://i.imgur.com/JYJN6gd.jpg

The defeat at the hands of Ad Herbal was so complete and demoralizing that the Romani appointed former consvl Avlvs Atilivs Calatinvs as dictator to control the land combat on the island of Sicily. The Romani would wait another 7 years before constructing another fleet since the remnants of the fleet routed at Drepana was caught in a storm and completely destroyed (I plan to re-disband my naval force the next time I play; I didn't think that the Romans lost their entire fleet, but I was surprised to find that they indeed did after my research).

This horrible failure to capture the city of Lilibeo forced the Romani to once again lift the siege and withdraw until a better opportunity to secure the stronghold arose:

http://i.imgur.com/1ZpLsFs.jpg

506 AUC

http://i.imgur.com/QAJNHby.jpg

At the end of the year 505 AUC, a man by the name of Hamilcar Barca helped launch a successful raid on Sicily. The raid itself was not important, rather the man leading it. Hamilcar Barca would not truly rise to the position of General until 507 AUC (the same year his son, Hannibal Barca was born). Not much worth noting occurred the remainder of the year, however, since the Romani were still recuperating from their abysmal defeat the previous year and the Karthadastim still were not in a position to launch a successful counterattack.

http://i.imgur.com/AypDuEj.jpg

Many of the senatores in Roma who had gathered to appoint a dictator began to think of a way to come back from this shameful defeat. In no way was Roma to have to enter into peace talks with an enemy who was so close to being defeated. Besides, it would be unspeakable to not honor the dead Regvlvs by not defeating the empire responsible for his capture and death. Indeed, the Roman senatores had to think of a solution to the problem, but at least they had time...

The current state of the SenatvsPopvlvsqveRomanvs:

http://i.imgur.com/ZWUx11A.jpg

(Ariminvm is a bit unhappy, even though they are still at 100 public order, since I just installed the next government level there and it caused their beloved ruler to be at odds with the senate)

The situation on Sicily:

http://i.imgur.com/OtLPhpn.jpg

(Turned off self-autonomy for Syracvsae simply because it was taxing them too much and making the public order a little too low for my liking. I will turn it back on when I can balance the public order and taxation out.)

Replies
Dejeyo: Thank you! Sorry for the delay in between the updates. It sure feels good to be back though!
Predator: Thanks once again Predator! I can't wait until you start up your AAR. It looks like it's going to be fantastic!
Kybrothilian: Thanks again for your continued comments and interest in the AAR!
Airborne Guy: Thank you! I can't wait to finally be able to get Sicily all to myself! :evil:...well, I mean the city of Syracuse will still be there, but you get the idea...
Major: Thanks major! Glad to see that you enjoy the AAR!
Warrior Cat: Thank you and thanks for the well wishes! Glad to have you as a reader (even if I forget to add you into the replies section on the first go around ;)).

Post Scriptvm: Sorry again for the length in between the last update and this one... Hopefully the updates will become a little bit more frequent, however, as aforementioned, they more than likely won't be as regular until the summer. Thanks again for reading guys!

Great update with good text and some nice pictures and maps (:thumbsup2). It was worth waiting for this and it's really nice to read it after such a terrible week I had.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EdwinMerit

Warrior Cat: Thank you and thanks for the well wishes! Glad to have you as a reader (even if I forget to add you into the replies section on the first go around ;)).

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You're welcome. :) And no worries mate about the reply thing. I look forward to the next update. A very excellent AAR once again. Cheers! WC

Great update once more.I hope i'll start my AAR as soon as possible.
Cheers Predator!

I'd like to tell something. As part of my application to the Content staff, I have written a review of this AAR! You can read it, along with other reviews and announcements regarding creative writing, over here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...1#post12618909

Any news on this?Are any more updates being prepared or is it dead(hopefully not and we shall get some more of this great AAR)?

Yea, sorry guys. I haven't had a chance to update the AAR between midterms and Spring Break this week where I meant to bring the game back home with me for a few days, but forgot.

No promises, but I will try and get an update in sometime next week or so. I just had 4 exams and a lab report due over the past week and I was really focusing on that for some time. I'll aim to finish the First Punic War by the end of the month, but I have a couple other things to work on as well, so again, no promises. But I will definitely try an update the next part by sometime next week or so.

Sorry again, but don't worry, the AAR is not dead, just being set aside until I can get a real good chance to work on it, and not forget to bring the game with me.

Great.We're happy to her it and eager for a new update.Take your tie though and solv yur problems and then all can be continued.Cheers Predator!

http://i.imgur.com/XJ0Uh.jpg

CAPITVLVM III (Part XIII): An End in Sight [2/3] (A Man Named Hamilcar)

http://i.imgur.com/OgsNFhg.jpg

Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal Barca, would provide the last obstacle for the Romans to overcome in the First Punic War. As great a general as he was, however, the situation he found himself in on Sicily would prove too much to overcome with the remaining forces he had. He would use guerrilla warfare tactics in order to raid Roman supply lines and camps while still dealing losses to the Roman armies and attempting to force the Roman forces back in anyway he could.

507 AUC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hamilcar Barca would begin his Sicilian campaign upon receiving command of the Karthadastim forces in the year 507 AUC. His goal was to attempt to retain a stalemate between Roma and Karthadast since the Romani had more manpower, resources, and land holdings than the Karthadastim did. The Karthadastim leadership believed that the naval battle of Drepana was enough to keep the Romani in check for some time and that it may even persuade the Romani to sign a ceasefire with the Karthadastim. As a result, the Karthadastim sent Hamilcar to Sicily with an army consisting mostly of mercenary forces and some local levies. This army was meager at best and would not be able to stand toe-to-toe with a proper Roman army commanded by a consvl. To make matters even more difficult for Hamilcar, most of his men were not paid and were beginning to demand their payment for fighting in the Karthadastim army. As time went on, the army became even more unruly due to overdue wages and started to become quite treacherous to the Karthadastim commander. To assert his dominance as commander over the diverse mercenary army, and to keep the peace within his own ranks, Hamilcar punished the rebellious forces by killing some at night and drowning others at sea. The more fortunate ones were dismissed to Africa (although many may have been crucified as a result).

http://i.imgur.com/Nuv8taP.jpg

With this, Hamilcar began his operations on Sicily with a reduced force and nearly no navy to speak of in Sicily. Nevertheless, Hamilcar took his forces which had landed near the city of Panormvs, and began to move towards the Roman controlled portion of the island. Early on, he would encounter roman garrisons which would require him to use his military brilliance to overcome:

http://i.imgur.com/LaXBvyn.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/MxwwCGq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ryK3h9X.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rYcxHob.jpg

By moving swiftly and using the surrounding forests as cover, Hamilcar quickly overcame the Roman troops who were stationed outside of many of the small Sicilian towns and villages. He would be able to continue this policy of aggressive, guerrilla warfare in order to continue to avoid large conflicts while at the same time pushing further into Roman territory:

http://i.imgur.com/EB82BU2.jpg

In fact, it didn't take long at all for Hamilcar to land on western Sicily, move across the island and into Roman-held provinces, and raid southern Italian towns and the surrounding lands.

The Romani were unable to stop Hamilcar's raid during this year, but were able to enter into a treaty with Heiron II of Syracvsae in order to lock in an alliance between the Romani and the Syracvsans. Roma was in a much better position to be able to provide food and supplies for her armies on Sicily now that they were in control of not only the crossing between the city of Messana and the region of Rhegivm, but they also held the Lipari Islands just north of Sicily. As a result, the treaty between Heiron II and Roma was on equal terms.

The Romani also established new colonies at Alsivm and Aefvlvm:

http://i.imgur.com/R6jKA1R.jpg


509 AUC

In order to attempt to counter the coastal raids being made by Hamilcar, the Romani issue the private conscription of a small fleet:

http://i.imgur.com/bdBecQf.jpg

However, little changes with Hamilcar as he continues to raid the coastal towns and villages of southern Italy:

http://i.imgur.com/RqwzIv2.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/TEjhmO7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/BMUN71I.jpg

Hamilcar was able to carry his raids as far north as parts of central Italian coastlines and continued to put a strain on not only the Roman supply lines, but also the Roman economy in general. His raids were successful in continuing the stalemate between Roma and Karthadast, but Hamilcar was unable to achieve much else since he lacked the forces and the resources to retake many (if any) of the Roman cities and fortifications which once belonged to the Karthadastim.

Not much else would occur this year between the Roman forces and Hamilcar and his army, however, in the east, war was beginning once more...

http://i.imgur.com/saPJcEg.jpg

In Ptolemaic Egypt, Ptolemy II is succeeded by his son, Ptolemy the III after his death. The lands surrounding the Nile River Valley, the North-African region of Cyrene, the eastern regions of Judea and Southern Syria, as well as the island of Cyprvs all belong to the Empire of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. They are able to control all of these regions because of the authority held by their mercenary army consisting of Makedonian and Greek soldiers in combination with their Egyptian levy forces.

At the same time in Arche Seleukia, Antiochus II leaves his wife Berenice in order to rekindle the marriage he shared with his previous wife Laodice. However, Laodice poisons Antiochus II and proclaims her son Seleucus as King Seleucus II Callinicus. Her scheme also involved the killing of Berenice and her children who had fled to Daphne, in Syria.

Berenice's brother, Ptolemy III is outraged by his sister's death and vows to avenge her and her children. He gathers his forces, marches into Seleukid-held Syria, and begins the Third Syrian War (aka the Laodicean War):

http://i.imgur.com/EXTTa3Y.jpg

Ptolemy III is able to win major victories over Seleucus II in both Syria and Anatolia. Ptolemy III briefly occupies the great city of Antioch, but the victories are overshadowed by the losses to Antigonus II Gonatas (ally of Arche Seleukia) in the Battle of Andros.

However, when Seleucus II Callinicus' mother, Laodice, attempts to take control of Arche Seleukia by trying to make Seleucus II's younger brother Antiochus Hierax co-regent, Antiochus declares independence and begins a civil war against his brother:

http://i.imgur.com/i4SJkyk.jpg


510 AUC

Following his successes against the Romani, the Karthadastim General Hamilcar Barca returns to Sicily after the Romani bypass his army and instead head for the city of Drepanvm:

http://i.imgur.com/EB82BU2.jpg

Hamilcar would recall his forces back to the western half of Sicily in order to defend both the cities of Drepanvm and Lilibeo from the much larger Roman forces. He would situate his army at a defensible position on the slopes of Mt. Eryx near the city of Panormvs so as to be able to provide support to either city if they were to be besieged by the the Roman Army:

http://i.imgur.com/g5KmTpq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/OfuHUZO.jpg

The Romani would set up their fortifications just east of the city of Lilybeo and prepared to pin down the Karthadastim commander Hamilcar and his army. The plan would appear to work quite well as now Hamilcar remained within the fortified walls of his camp and ceased his raiding campaign against the Romani. The next order of business for the Romani would be to cut off the supplies to the Karthadastim, but that would require another fleet, and better results than the last attempt...

Replies

Dejeyo: Thank you once more for your interest in the AAR. Hopefully the wait hasn't been too dreadful...
Warrior Cat: Not forgetting you this time, haha! Thank you for following the AAR with such interest as well!
Predator1994: Here is the update, haha! Thank you so much for your positive comments and continued support with this AAR! I hope this update was worth the wait since classes have been a pain and I have been trying to get over a cold for the past week... Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this one!
The Kybrothilian: Thanks once again for the interest in the AAR and also thank you very much for the write up in the Guild! It was very appreciated and was an excellent review!