[EB AAR] The Legacy of Megas Alexandros

[Juvenal]

It warms the cockles of my heart to see this AAR still running.

I fervently hope you haven't settled into a six-month update schedule, we your loyal readership need our fix at least monthly.

Are you contemplating including battle pictures in future episodes? I know you said at the outset that your elderly laptop wasn't up to it, but these days computers are so powerful you could probably run EB on a smartphone! (And yes, I know you probably played the campaign to completion some time ago, I did likewise for my own current AAR, but that doesn't stop me going back and replaying battles to get better pictures.)

Anyway, congratulations on this latest episode!

[Lysimachos]

It warms the cockles of my heart to see this AAR still running.

I fervently hope you haven't settled into a six-month update schedule, we your loyal readership need our fix at least monthly.

Are you contemplating including battle pictures in future episodes? I know you said at the outset that your elderly laptop wasn't up to it, but these days computers are so powerful you could probably run EB on a smartphone! (And yes, I know you probably played the campaign to completion some time ago, I did likewise for my own current AAR, but that doesn't stop me going back and replaying battles to get better pictures.)

Anyway, congratulations on this latest episode!

First of all, thanks, and no, I don't plan on keeping a six-month update schedule.

Regarding battle pictures: Yes, I have a new PC which can easily run EB and yes, I have played the campaign very far ahead. Going back in the campaign and replaying battles is not a solution in this case, in my opinion. I have started the campaign on normal unit size and the small units don't really fit the epicness, which I have in mind. That means, I'd need to play custom battles. Well, I could do that, but I think I would limit that to only a few selected engagements.

Edit: I have to add that the bloody battle results I usually get are because of auto-resolving them. If I played them out, the outcomes would probably be a lot less exciting. But now I get an idea, I'll have to think about.

[Constantius]

Excellent

[Lysimachos]

Guys, let me tell you what frustrating is. I spend about one and a half hour posing on the battlefield for screenshots to artificially stage screenshots to use in the coming update's battle, only to discover I forgot to turn AA off and all screens turned out black
So, this AAR won't see its debut for battleshots today. Maybe some other time.

Excellent

Thank you

Chapter 48: The Fruit of Trust

Antiochos is leaning forward heavily on his steed, his eyes are dry and his front is wet of sweat. He is just standing there, breathing heavily, while trying to suppress the vicious headache and watching.
“Sire,” a voice raises behind him. The king recognizes the speaker, but he doesn't lift his gaze from the city across the plain. “Athenaios, what ails you?”
“Basileus, we cannot go on like this. The situation is becoming severe, the men are weak and soon there will be nothing left to eat. Perhaps we should put down the elephants.”Antiochos' voice seems absent, when he answers: “Trust me, Atheniaos, trust me. It's what you do, isn't it?” - “My life is yours, Sire,” is the Hetairos' stoic reply.
“So I have all the more reason to keep it safe. You are dismissed, Athenaios.



A smile plays around Antiochos' embrittled lips. His instinct has never let him down and it won't this time. The day has come that the Pharaoh's son has been lured out from behind his walls.



An air of relief surrounds the men. They are tired of idleness and welcome the coming action as a refuge from the relentlessness of hunger, a foe that can't be hit or hurt, and for them this battle is a giver of hope, something to cling to.
Antiochos rides along the line and he watches the soldiers' faces. They are emaciated and weakened, but still faithful and today their face shall be rewarded.

Terpnos, the ptolemaic Strategos, is an experienced commander, but, just as many of Antiochos' enemies have done to their own peril, he values numbers to much. A small reinforcement from downstream, turning the numbers in his favour, is enough to prompt him to test the seleucids' strength in battle.

Antiochos positions his Taxeis in a thin line. Thin, but strong enough to hold for some time. Just as many of his enemies before, Terpnos has no means to counter the king's horseman and he marches with a plan, damned from the beginning. His army is swept away and scattered into the four winds, leaving behind the Diospolis, like a fruit ripe for the taking.



From the moment that Antiochos had turned his army south, toward upper Egypt, the ptolemaic bureaucracy and military started working on one goal: hindering his campaign by denying him the supplies to feed his army. It almost worked, bringing the army to the brink of dissolution, but ironically the bursting storages of Thebes, where all the riches of upper Aigytos have been brought to, now feed the invaders' host.

Athenaios and Kratippos, another Hetairos, have started to register the supplies, suddenly made available behind the city's gates. It is a huge task and so the two Hetairoi inspect the laden magazines. “So,” Kratippos comments at the sight of a long row of Amphoras filled with egyptian wine, “first things first. The king's temper is taken care of.”
Athenaios glances at his companion. “You didn't know? Ah, yes, you were with the rearguard. The king hasn't drunken a drop of it in weeks.”

[Boustrophedon]

Such an awesome AAR and a great new update I've always liked the level of depth in a story the EB mod allows +rep

[dezikeizer]

Great as always, and great to see new updates to this. The Ptolomies are close to being finished at this point, so where will you expand next? +rep
Just one typo:

An air of relieve surrounds

I think you meant: An air of relief surrounds.

[Lysimachos]

Such an awesome AAR and a great new update I've always liked the level of depth in a story the EB mod allows +rep

Great as always, and great to see new updates to this.

Thanks to both of you.

The Ptolomies are close to being finished at this point, so where will you expand next? +rep

Don't jump the gun and never underestimate the capabilities of the Ptolemaioi.

Just one typo:

You do like that, don't you?

I think you meant: An air of relief surrounds.

I suppose you're right.

[ReD_OcToBeR]

"His army is swept away and scattered into the four winds, leaving behind the Diospolis, like a fruit ripe for the taking." = Nice line

You didnt need pictures in this update my friend. The writing and descriptions were enough for me to picture a starved and drunken young king vividly. +rep

[Lysimachos]

"His army is swept away and scattered into the four winds, leaving behind the Diospolis, like a fruit ripe for the taking." = Nice line

You didnt need pictures in this update my friend. The writing and descriptions were enough for me to picture a starved and drunken young king vividly. +rep

Well, thanks, but I feel the need to point out that the king was neither starved (starving is the word ) nor drunken (he is in withdrawal), nor is he young anymore (he's been a grandfather for quite some time now).
It is really an interesting thing about the EB traits, that I wasn't aware of before: Theos had the drinking trait on a low level from the beginning and with time it increased to a, well, considerate level. But when his army started to be deprived of supplies, the drinking trait continually decreased until it was gone.

[ReD_OcToBeR]

oh, i thought by you saying he had not drank a drop in awhile, that u meant water, not his liquor supply lol. And thats kind of cool, being able to starve the wine outta them.

[Lysimachos]

The next update will show you how badly I suck with pictures. It's the lack of practice, I'm sure.

Have fun.

Chapter 49: The Watch on the Margos

Over the last centuries the pressure from the nomadic barbarians against the north-eastern border of the Arche continually increased. Two pillars still hold them back: In the east, between the hordes of the Sakai nomads and the central iranian uplands stands the junior king of the seleukid house with his tribal and mercenary army. The victory against Hagana costed a bitter price, but Seleukos Kallinikos clings to the southern parts of Margiane, his right flank leaning firmly against the Margos river, that runs from south to north through the province.
In the west stands Gorgias Dahaikos, Seleukos' closest friend, guarding Parthyaia against the Dahae.



The king knows, it is only a matter of time. He knows, he will not hold the enemy for ever, but does he have another choice?



When again the barbarians come, Kallinikos lines his troops up with their back protected by the river's bank.



Again, he commands the larger force, but is aware that another victory like the last may be his army's end. A cloud of worries hangs over his head, when the Sakai position themselves in the west.



While the nomads have masterful archers among their ranks, the sheer number of missiles favour the Basileus' Iranians.



Lijugula, the barbarian commander, throws his army forward against the seleukid line.



The attack is vicious, but soon repelled by the greater numbers and the battle finally is decided, when Lijugula's heavy horsemen turn around and flee.





It is a second victory against the Sakai for the young king, but he turns back south with half the army with which he came, leaving southern Margiane behind to the Sakai.

[dezikeizer]

Great update as always. Once you finish the Ptolomies you going to send the king to finish the war with Pahlava and the Sakai?

[Lysimachos]

Great update as always. Once you finish the Ptolomies you going to send the king to finish the war with Pahlava and the Sakai?

This is the second time you've been quick to assume the Ptolemaioi as good as finished. It seems to me, you lack a certain virtue called "patience". All I can say is, first things first, Philadelphos is far from being defeated!

There is, however, another thing I would like to hear my esteemed readers' opinion about. As it is, I have been deliberating about starting a second (parallel) project for quite some time (years actually, this AAR started in 2008 after all), something perhaps with a slightly different approach, a less ambitious scope, maybe a first person narrator. So I've been thinking, the advent of Shogun 2 could be a good opportunity to do so (admittedly I'm quite excited about it), but it leaves me worrying about time allocation.
Thus, I'd like to hear from you guys what you think: would you like the idea to read something different from me (since this won't be completed somewhen in your lifetime anyway) or would you rather have me concentrate on this one (so there is a chance at least your children may get a chance to learn how it ends)?

[Constantius]

I would like you to continue with this one! The only other parallel I would like to see would be from another point of view! perhaps a Romanoi view point if they cross paths. But like I said might be best to concentrate on one

[dezikeizer]

I would agree with Constantius that it would probably be best to concentrate on one. For example, Decimus Milo has been running two aars at the same time and partly as a result updates have been sporadic. I wouldn't want updates to this aar to become even more so as this is one of my favorite aars, so maybe in the future another aar would be viable. As you yourself essentially said, patience is a virtue

[Lysimachos]

I would like you to continue with this one! The only other parallel I would like to see would be from another point of view! perhaps a Romanoi view point if they cross paths. But like I said might be best to concentrate on one

I would agree with Constantius that it would probably be best to concentrate on one. For example, Decimus Milo has been running two aars at the same time and partly as a result updates have been sporadic. I wouldn't want updates to this aar to become even more so as this is one of my favorite aars, so maybe in the future another aar would be viable. As you yourself essentially said, patience is a virtue

I thank both of you for sharing your opinions and I appreciate that you value what I'm writing in this AAR.

Constantius, to be clear about that: I never intended to leave the Legacy unfinished. Incorporating a different point of view is not a bad idea and I have already tried something like that with some ptolemaic characters. I will not exclude the possibility to expand on that.

Dezikeizer, for the sake of thinking this through, allow me to argue against your points.

You fear running two AARs at the same time will make updates sporadic. I don't believe that writing two AARs makes updating overall slower for itself, meaning if you like both AARs you still get the same amount of updates collectively. It may have other reasons if indeed there is a delay. I don't know how that is with Decimus Milo's AARs.

Pointing to patience is a good move, I give you that. But to give the patience some perspective, let me show you some raw numbers. The Legacy has always been and still is designed as a history not of one or two men, but of the seleucid kings and its completion shall be marked by either domination or downfall. By now it is running for about 30 months and covers roughly 25 years of gametime in 50 parts (49 chapters + 1 Intermission) and 103 pages (or 102 if you don't count the chapter I'm working on) in the .odt-file I'm writing it in.
Now, I've been playing the campaign in advance, taking notes and making concepts. At the moment I'm roughly 50 gameyears into the future and I have notes worth of 11 pages in .odt, not to count scribbling paper. So, if I extrapolate on that - up to the point to which I've played, which is not yet the point of completion - you can expect about 100 more chapters over a period of 60 months, which equals 5 years. In five years I'll probably be looking like this:, perhaps I'll be married, have children and have given up on writing for good.
So, is it really a matter of patience?

[dezikeizer]

I thank both of you for sharing your opinions and I appreciate that you value what I'm writing in this AAR.

Constantius, to be clear about that: I never intended to leave the Legacy unfinished. Incorporating a different point of view is not a bad idea and I have already tried something like that with some ptolemaic characters. I will not exclude the possibility to expand on that.

Dezikeizer, for the sake of thinking this through, allow me to argue against your points.

You fear running two AARs at the same time will make updates sporadic. I don't believe that writing two AARs makes updating overall slower for itself, meaning if you like both AARs you still get the same amount of updates collectively. It may have other reasons if indeed there is a delay. I don't know how that is with Decimus Milo's AARs.

Pointing to patience is a good move, I give you that. But to give the patience some perspective, let me show you some raw numbers. The Legacy has always been and still is designed as a history not of one or two men, but of the seleucid kings and its completion shall be marked by either domination or downfall. By now it is running for about 30 months and covers roughly 25 years of gametime in 50 parts (49 chapters + 1 Intermission) and 103 pages (or 102 if you don't count the chapter I'm working on) in the .odt-file I'm writing it in.
Now, I've been playing the campaign in advance, taking notes and making concepts. At the moment I'm roughly 50 gameyears into the future and I have notes worth of 11 pages in .odt, not to count scribbling paper. So, if I extrapolate on that - up to the point to which I've played, which is not yet the point of completion - you can expect about 100 more chapters over a period of 60 months, which equals 5 years. In five years I'll probably be looking like this:, perhaps I'll be married, have children and have given up on writing for good.
So, is it really a matter of patience?

Hmm, good points there. Well, in the end I'd have to say that it's up to you, and if you don't think starting another aar will slow down the pace of updates then go for it. Just make sure that you can handle the increased workload of running two aars beforehand. Still, whatever your choice is I look forward to reading your aars.

[Lysimachos]

It suppose it will be decided when I get to play Shogun 2 and inspiration strikes or not. Anyway, chapter 50 is coming later today or perhaps tomorrow.

[dezikeizer]

Good to hear, I'm looking forward to it.

[Lysimachos]

Chapter 50: Rock Bottom


Heavy, angry steps approach from the corridor. “Deja vu,” mumbles Ikadion, cowering in the corner of the cold and dark cellar-room. The door is violently thrown open and a torch's flickering shine illuminates the chamber and the lord of the house. The stout Nomarch enters and puts the torch into a fixture next to the door. Behind him the weasel-faced man comes in and closes the door.
“So, Babylonios.” The Nomarch looks down on the picture of misery that is left of the former poet of class and epicurean.
“I hope your accommodations are to your satisfaction.” - “Indeed they are. Too much light is not good to my eyes. Thank you for asking, anyway,” is Ikadion's dry reply.
“Stand up!,” commands the Nomarch. “I've been told you were close with Sarpedon.” - “I suppose, you could come to that conclusion.” - “Then you must know him well, know how his methods and weaknesses. I can be very grateful for adequate advice,” he looks around, pointing to the naked, cold walls, “and I understand there have been times when you were used to a very different standard of living. I can make that true again.”
Ikadion smirks. “You want me to help you understand what kind of a man Sarpedon is, but you should let it go. You do not have the mind to comprehend him.”
“You dare mocking me under my roof!” the stout man shouts enraged. The sudden impact of his fist on Ikadion's jaw is so hard that a pain travels along his arm and the Babylonian is struck to the ground. Ikadion groans and rolls on his side, blood dripping from his mouth. “It is my nature, I can't help it,” he mumbles with effort.
The Nomarch stands above Ikadion, grips the long curly hair and pulls him up. “If there is anything useful at all, you better talk now, Babylonios.” - “What do you expect me to tell you?” Ikadion grunts. “He made me lose everything and by now I haven't seen him for years.” Again he spits blood and sighs deeply. “Although it doesn't much look like it right now, you are man with a code of moral convictions, Nomarchos. There are things you would not consider doing and there are other things which are even unthinkable to you. To Sarpedon, such a thing does not exist. It takes a deeply immoral man to understand Sarpedon's mind in its full beauty.”
Ikadion sinks to the ground as his hair is released. “You scum are a waste of my time.” - “You take him for weak, but his teeth are poisonous. I tell you, watch your back and beware the trickery.” The Nomarchos snorts and turns to go.
“What shall I do with him?” asks the Weasel. “I don't care, I have no use for him any more.”

(In case you don't remember who Ikadion is, check chapters 16, 18, 28 and 31)