King Pyrrhus in Rome Total History

[Philadelphos]

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XXI
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

29. Pyrrhus' Return to Italy

After capturing Akragas, Pyrrhus thought that he had done enough for the Sicilian Greeks. There was still an independent Greek army commanded by Sosistratus, an ally of Phintias, but the king thought that the Syracusans should be able to deal with this renegade by themselves. So he installed Gelon, son of Hieron, as governor of Akragas and then he returned to Tarentum.

30. The Battle of Phintias

As soon as Pyrrhus was gone, the Carthaginians took the field with a strong army threatening Segesta like they had done before. Gelon however thought it more important to eliminate the last resistance among the Greeks and so he moved out from his city to challenge Sosistratus north of Phintias, a new town on the mouth of the river Himeras founded by the former tyrant.

Sosistratus' forces were armed in the most traditional way as five units of militia phalanx. Gelon knew well how to manoeuver his troops to harass the enemy with arrows, javelins and boulders. It was a hard work running here and there to reduce the militias and ultimately rout them, but it was the right thing to do as the Sicilians and Epirotes lost only 33 men. Sosistratus was slain in a duel between the bodyguards.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

After the battle Gelon took initiative to secure his western border. To this purpose he ordered to repopulate the ancient city of Selinunt half way to Lilybaeum and use it as a fort.

___________________________________________________________________

What other users think of Rome Total History:

My favorite part of RTW has been the strategic map movements and this Mod has reinvented the game for me. It's like an all new game, but still familiar enough to make the game easy to jump into. I can see me playing this for a long time.

It's been a month since I downloaded the mod and I really enjoy it. The variety of buildings, the polytheism, the building cards, ancillaries and special features, the individualized settlements are awesome and can only be found in this mod.

This is a great mod. Very stable. Lots of new units. More mercenaries. I like what you have done with the factions and the provinces. This is how Rome Vanilla should have been.

Looks interesting. I'll be sure to give it a try soon. I definitely like all the island settlements in the Aegean.

Thank you! It looks and plays fantastic so far!

Well I've always liked the mods that have the vanilla style, so far I see this meets and adds a thousand things more.

I know I said this in the past with other mods, but this is one of the best mods I have played for Total War. I played the game for 5 hours last night up to the early morning and it was lots of fun. I will probably be playing the game for a long time.

My God... You have the best artwork and best cozy looking map compared to all the mods I have tried. You are the best designer ever. Everything feels very in place. I feel 10x better playing this mod than EB, EB2 or others. Thanks

[Philadelphos]

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XXII
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

31. Sulla's Retreat at Barium

The next summer Pyrrhus moved out from Tarentum to challenge the Roman commander Lucius Cornelius Sulla who was encamped near Barium in Apulia. Sulla first seemed to accept the fight, but when the Epirotes drew near he gave order to avoid battle and retreat to Brundisium.

Frustrated, Pyrrhus accused the Romans that they eluded him. He felt like there was little glory to gain against similar enemies.

32. Three Roman Assassins

On his way back to Tarentum the king was informed by his spies that there were at least three assassins waiting in the vicinity of the city. Their names were refered to him as Lucius Albinus, Decimus Pollio and Tiberius Pompeius. As a loyal soul Pyrrhus had not expected that the enemy would resort to such sneaky means. Having no assassins on his own paylist, he felt particularly vulnerable and so he decided for his own safety to sleep on his ship in the harbour of Tarentum, swearing that he'd leave Italy if the Romans wouldn't send a decent army against him.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Pyrrhus sleeping on his ship in the port of Tarentum:

To recruit the agents necessary to counter the Roman assassins, Milo gave disposition to build an execution square in Kroton.

[Philadelphos]

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XXIII
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

33. Pyrrhus in Illyris

The next winter the situation in Southern Italy was still the same and Pyrrhus decided to seek new glory in Illyria. The Spartan prince Cleonymus in his role as governor of Apollonia informed him about an uprising near Epidamnus, and the king took this as a good excuse for returning to his home country.

Pyrrhus took with him some of his best troops and as soon as he landed in Apollonia he moved out against the rebels of Epidamnus.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

34. The Battle of Epidamnus

The brigands had two units of Illyrian pirates and two units of archers under the command of a rebel general named Kandaules. Pyrrhus sent his skirmishers, infantry and cavalry alike, against the pirates and his Thessalian cavalry against the archers on the right. He himself rode against the archers on the left who fell back to elude him.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Illyrian Pirates have recruited some Nubian slaves, male and female:

Fearing that his Thessalians could be attacked by the rebel general, the king pursued the archers only for a short while and then returned to engage the enemy commander. When the rebel captain fell the battle was won, and it took only little further effort to rout the pirates and archers.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Philadelphos]

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XXIV
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

35. Unexpected Alliances

Pyrrhus' leave encouraged both the Romans and the Carthaginians to take a further step and conclude an alliance against the Epirote Kingdom.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The first to strike were the Carthaginians who attacked the two forts of Segesta and Selinunt.
Pyrrhus meanwhile tried to strengthen the ties with the Greek powers. Adding to his previous success, when he had convinced the Ptolemies and the Seleucids to make peace, he now encouraged them to conclude an alliance, which actually came into being thanks to Cinias' efforts.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The statesman's diplomatic offensive was even more successful when the Greek City States led by the Achaeans asked for a ceasefire.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Pyrrhus not only accepted, but offered also a new trade treaty.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

36. The Battle of Selinunt

Meanwhile the forts of Segesta and Selinunt were under siege and the Sicilian Greeks had to find a way to save their garrisons. The army besieging Selinunt was particularly numerous and Gelon in Akragas was not strong enough to take on the Carthaginians alone. He therefore asked Heracleides, the governor of Panormus to join him and together they marched over the Elymian pass to reach Selinunt.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Greeks had put together a decent army, but the Carthaginians were nothing less. Whoever wanted to attack had to march through the dry valley of the river Hypsas, so that neither party had an advantage from the terrain.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

It was a challenge in which the Sicilians had the better phalanx and cavalry, while the Carthaginians had lots of mercenaries, most of them Iberian infantry, Libyan skirmishers and Balearic slingers. The latter were a particularly hard match for the two generals who attacked in vain several times. Due to the flexibility of the Carthaginian light infantry, who took advantage from hiding in the woods, some of the Greek units suffered severe damage, especially the Sicilian slingers and the Lucanian warriors.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

When the Sicilians had turned the skirmishers to flight, the Carthaginians reorganized on the next hillside. A second charge was necessary, but in the end the Greek phalanx proved its superiority. From 750 enemies only 170 escaped to Lilybaeum, while the Greeks lost 130 men of 700.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Scottish King]

Interesting AAR! I commend you for sticking with it even though no one has commented on it! Keep it up! Epirus may soon take over the world...

[Philadelphos]

Interesting AAR! I commend you for sticking with it even though no one has commented on it! Keep it up! Epirus may soon take over the world...

Thanks for your comment! Here is the next chapter:

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XXV
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

37. Pyrrhus Invades Macedon

Pyrrhus called his son Ptolemy to join him and together they marched through Lyncestis on Pella. The Antigonid king of Macedon sent a protest note, but Pyrrhus would not hear the warning. After his large success in Sicily he was convinced that the Macedonian army and all of Greece would salute him as a liberator. So he encamped his army before the capital of Macedon waiting for someone to bring him the keys of the city. Defying his opponents, he didn't even care to put the place under siege and just waited to see what happened.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

38. Kingdom of Syracuse Proclaimed

After centuries of intermittent democracies and tyrannies the constitutional struggle in Syracuse ends, when the current ruler Hieron II proclaims himself king. In his throne speech Hieron underlines that he is and always will be a loyal follower of Pyrrhus. However, since the king of Epirus has returned to Greece it appears increasingly absurd to the Syracusans that the destiny of their powerful city should be decided in distant Ambrakia.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

King Hieron vows that he will keep his allegiance with the Epirote cause in all except the succession on the throne of Syracuse which is reserved for his own son Gelon. The new king also promises that he will revive the splendour of the Western Greeks at his court, following the example of the Diadoch rulers in Alexandria and Antioch.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hieron's first step in this direction is the dedication of a recently completed statue to Nike, the goddess of victory, and the next will be the construction of a new royal palace on the island of Ortygia.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Kleomenis]

nice aar

[Philadelphos]

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XXVI
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

39. War with Macedon

Fearing that his Sicilian possessions were slipping from his hands, Pyrrhus was all the more decided to conquer a strong kingdom in Greece. Since the Antigonids had not reacted to his provocation, he made up his mind and declared war by himself, immediately closing the city of Pella with his army.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The defenders were commanded by Antigonos Doson who had strong cavalry at his disposition, but almost no heavy infantry or phalanx units. However he could hope to be relieved by Macedonian troops from Chalkidike or Thessaly. In particular there was a strong army under Krateros of Corinth laying siege to the fortress of Cassandreia on the peninsula of Pallene, the westernmost finger of the Chalkidike peninsula.

This town, previously known under the name of Potideia, had broken away from the kingdom seeking independence under a cruel tyrant named Apollodorus. Antigonos Gonatas had dispatched his half-brother Krateros with the task to end his despotic regime, but if the capital was under attack the Antigonids might well change their priorities.

To prepare for a combined attack by Doson and Krateros, Pyrrhus hired a number of mercenaries, including some Thracians and Galatians.


40. The Battle of Pella

As Pyrrhus had feared, Krateros resolved to lift the siege of Cassandreia and rushed to Pella for a joined attack on the besiegers. The two armies of Doson and Krateros however lacked coordination and so their attack did not arrive simultaneously.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Pyrrhus disposed his army in a strong position on a hill waiting for the attackers who approached through a light forest which made it sometimes difficult to understand what was going on.



However, in this battle it appeared as if Tyche, the goddess of luck, was clearly with Pyrrhus, because the first victim of the day was Antigonos Doson. When the Antigonid prince was still approaching from a distance, before most of the Epirotes had barely spotted his bodyguards between the trees, he was struck by an arrow from the Cretan archers.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

With their leader dead, the units under his command stopped and kept the distance, which allowed Pyrrhus to concentrate on his left wing, from where Krateros' army arrived.
The first in view from that side were the lancers. Pyrrhus sent his entire cavalry to fight them, first with javelins and then with the sword, until they were routed. The next assault was made by the pikemen. These were hard to fight by the Epirotes who had only two phalanx units. Pyrrhus therefore sent his skirmishers to pepper them with javelins and arrows. This helped to reduce their morale and when they got the news that Krateros had been killed a simple cavalry attack in the flank was enough to rout them.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Pyrrhus sent his light cavalry and infantry on pursuit, while he and his son rode out to seek the remainders of Doson's army. They found two more generals (Philipos and Echekrates) and killed them.
At this point the battle became more and more dispersive, and some units lost connection. This was a problem, because the slope of the hill was grown with trees and bushes which made orientation quite difficult. Some units on the left wing got into serious trouble, when they inexpectedly met a third wave of Krateros' army. The newly hired Thracians lost more than half of their number and the other units were unable to deal with the last pikemen, because they had finished their ammunition.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The battle ended only when Pyrrhus and Ptolemy returned to the left wing and the last Macedonian phalanx raised their pikes. When Ptolemy announced that his father was willing to grant everybody his pardon, the surviving Macedonians acclaimed Pyrrhus as their new king. In his victory speech Pyrrhus praised the 23 Tarantine Cavalry who had killed over 160 enemies without losing a single man.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Philadelphos]

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XXVII
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

41. Pyrrhus the Conqueror

Pyrrhus expected that the outcome of the battle would convince the citizens of Pella to surrender, but his hopes were dashed when a small number of Antigonid survivors commanded by a captain named Aristonous prepared the citadel for defense.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

When he took the gate Pyrrhus thought he could ride into town being hailed by the population, but the defenders, especially a unit of pikemen and a number of horsemen, actually put up some strenuous resistance. Before the day was over these men caused a number of casualties among the Epirotes that ruined the king's humour.

When the pikemen on the plaza showed that they had no intention to give up, Pyrrhus sent his elephants to end the bloodshed.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

While the battle of Pella had caused only 60 casualties, the conquest of the city was paid with the lives of over 70 Epirote soldiers.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The next day Pyrrhus took offically possession of the ancient capital. To celebrate his victory and show the Macedonians his respect for their tradition he paid hommage to the statue of Philip II on the plaza, and when the people noticed what was going on, some of his new subjects started to cheer and call him Pyrrhus the Conqueror.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

42. The Battle of Corcyra

While this happened in Macedon, Alexander, Pyrrhus's second son, informed his father that a band of brigands, including a number of Illyrians, was raiding the peasants and farms on his island Corcyra. The prince was confident that he could resolve the problem with his own forces, and so he did in a battle on the southern tip of the island, but this caused a delay for the reinforcements he intended to send to his father.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Philadelphos]

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XXVIII
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

43. The Siege of Thessalonice

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Pyrrhus then sent his firstborn son Ptolemy to lay siege on Thessalonice, the thriving new rival of Pella. Ptolemy moved out with the elephants, while Pyrrhus remained to rest his aching bones in the old capital. From there he also took care to send a small detachment to the border with Thrace where they occupied the citadel of Amphipolis.



As soon has his siege work was ready, Ptolemy attacked the city of Thessalonice.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The city had the wooden walls, but the defenders on the battlements were no big match, as they were easily reduced by the Cretan archers. The towers with the ballistas however caused a number of casualties.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Once inside, more difficulties were waiting, as the enemy had several units of very effective lancers commanded by Dropion of Paeonia.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In the end Ptolemy sent his elephants ahead, of which two were killed on plaza before the place was finally conquered.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

44. Straton the Killer

Meanwhile in Greece Milon had recruited his first assassin, a former rogue from Dolopia. This man, named Straton, proved very effective and within a year he had already killed two of the three Roman assassins in Lucania. A year on he had two more kills on his record.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

45. Defending the Forts

The Romans then made another attempt on the fort of Consentia in Bruttium.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

They advanced with three units of Principes, but due to favourable terrain Milon had no difficulty in breaking the siege.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Carthaginians carried a similar attack to both Segesta and Selinunte, but Gelon drove them back.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Legatus Legionarii]

I like your AAR very much! I have not played RTH yet but will certainly try it soon... So, your AAR is a nice way for me to see a bit how the game mechanics work and what I can expect from this mod...Keep up the good work!

[Alwyn]

I agree that this is both a great AAR and an impressive demonstration of your mod.

[Philadelphos]

Thanks for your kind comments. I apologize for being absent for a while, but I was taken by my work.

You can see the outcome in the new release of Rome Total History 2.0. It is the result of nine months of concentrated efforts and presents huge improvements, so have a look and give it a try.

Information and download link here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...tonian-Edition!

__________________________________

In the meantime the Pyrrhus campaign has gone further and I have taken notes for thirty more chapters. Here is the first:

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XXIX
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

46. Two Kings Biding their Time

After consolidating his position in Macedonia, Pyrrhus found out that Antigonos Gonatas was waiting for him in Thessaly. Apparently the Antigonid king had levied every available man to assemble a huge army in Larisa.
Understanding that his own forces were insufficient to march against such a strong enemy, Pyrrhus felt like being blocked, despite his overwhelming military initiative. With his energetic character and officers such as his quartermaster, his drillmaster and a decent hypostrategos, Pyrrhus was able to freely roam all around Macedonia, from Epirus and Corcyra in the west to Illyria and Dardania in the north, Thracia in the east and Thessaly and Boiotia in the south. All this however helped nothing against the superiors forces in Thessaly and thus it appeared as if the king had no better choice than biding his time in Pella.

47. Pyrrhus in Paeonia

But then Pyrrhus received a detailed report about the state of things in the north, and since the situation appeared favourable, he decided to use the mild weather for clearing his back.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

With only his cavalry and light infantry he marched up the valley of the river Axius to face the Paionians who had broken away from Macedon during the civil war. He found the capital Bylazora almost undefended, with no wall and only two units commanded by the Dardanian warlord Longarus.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Pyrrhus was the first to enter the city. His bodyguards killed the enemy commander and then destroyed a unit of peltast. The Paionian phalanx only showed a minimum of courage and when they started to fall under the javelins of the Epirote skirmishers, the survivors soon surrendered. The Epirotes lost only seven men.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Thanks to his relentless initiative Pyrrhus was able to return to Pella within a week, while his light infantry took winter quarters in Bylazora.

[Kleomenis]

i read the whole aar from the start and i enojoyed all of it

[Philadelphos]

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XXX
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

48. Milon's Death

During the winter Pyrrhus received news that his trusted general Milon had died, aged only 62, from penumonia in Tarentum. Due to his stoic character, Milon had always been the king's best friend, a reliable second-in-command, who had saved the city of Tarentum from several Roman attacks.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

This time, on the news that the Romans were approaching, Milon had marched from Consentia to Tarentum during an early winter storm when he captured a cold. Despite his dwindling health, he would not take a rest and continued to supervise the preparations for the coming siege.



When his doctor and his philosopher warned him that his stoicism was becoming unreasonable, it was already too late. Feeling that the end was drawing near, Milon finally summoned his subcommanders and laid the garrison in the young hands of Pyrrhus' third son Helenus.

49. Helenus in Tarentum

The Romans arrived two days after Milon's death, when the populace and the new recruits were still upset for the loss. The besiegers where slightly superior in number, but Helenus knew that he could rely on the solid walls of Tarentum to wait for reinforcements from Kroton.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

When these arrived he abandoned the safety of the walls to face the Roman commander Appius Claudius Pulcher north of the city. The Epirote forces however were mostly recruits, not the veterans of previous wars with the Romans, and most of all they lacked good cavalry and archers.

50. Appius Claudius Pulcher's Death

When the Epirotes sallied forth, it appearead clear that their young commander lacked the experience and perfect timing of his predecessor. So they were dragged into a hot battle when their reinforcements were still far away near Metapontum.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Facing the opportunity, the Roman commander Appius Claudius Pulcher attacked almost immediately with his bodyguards. He rode straight into the Epirote phalanx, giving his life, but buying his Principes the time to catch up and enter into melee.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The situation for Helenus and his sub-commander Thrasylaus became very critical, when the militias were decimated and the harbour watch ran away.



But the commanders were saved by their own courage, when they attacked the Romans from the rear, to rout first one wing of the enemy line and then the other. The Romans reassembled to attack three more times, and each time the Epirote line was saved by the intervention of their generals and the Lucanian warriors in reserve.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Finally the reinforcements from Metapontum arrived on the battlefield and after a last desperate charge the surviving Hastati surrended. The auxilia cavalry and Pulcher's second-in-command, both fighting bravely but ultimately invane, had already abandoned the field. Helenus could count himself lucky that he was among the survivors, and even more Thrasylaus who had lost all his bodyguards except one.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Kleomenis]

Nice update

[Philadelphos]

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XXXI
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

51. The Tyrant of Cassandreia

All the time since the Macedonian civil war the city of Cassandreia on the peninsula of Pallene had suffered the outrageous rule of a tyrant called Apollodoros. This magistrate at first pretended to be a friend of the people, but when he had gained their confidence, he formed a conspiracy for the purpose of making himself tyrant. Binding his accomplices by barbarous ceremonies, he had installed a tyrannical regime, which in cruelty, rapaciousness and debauchery surpassed almost any other example in history.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The fugitives from Cassandreia had appealed to the king of Macedon, to save their home from disaster, and Antigonos Gonatas had tried to respond to their call, sending Krateros of Corinth to end the tyrant's reign. The Macedonians had even employed Ameinias the Phocian archpirate to scale the walls of Cassandreia, but Pyrrhus' offensive had interrupted the siege.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Now that Pyrrhus had taken control of Macedon the problem still persisted, and since the tyrant's regime was offensive to the Gods and all mankind, the new king considered it his duty to continue where Krateros and Ameinias had left. He therefore sent his son Ptolemy to capture the place.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Ptolemy begged his father's elephants and with their help he tore down the gates of Cassandreia. The tyrant stood no chance and was slain while he tried to escape, but his Galatian mercenaries fought bravely to the last man.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Kleomenis]

keep the updates coming

[Philadelphos]

Thanks everybody for their kind comments.

[Philadelphos]

Description coming soon: