Invasio Britannia-AAR

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

Invasio Britannia

First off, I'd like to thank SeniorBatavianHorse and his AARs for being my inspiration. You can check out one of his wonderful AARs for Invasio Barbarorum here. I think it's pretty apparent where I got the title for my AAR from as well.

I'm playing my first campaign of RS ever (gasp) on M/M settings because, as always, I am an eternal noob. My house rules are simply to not use any cheats and to not adopt family members unless it is a Man of the Hour event (and even then I am choosey.) I will always fight out the battles unless it is against a handful of enemy. I have reduced the Gauls to one territory in Britannia, and am at peace with everyone else...but war threatens and the recently-conquered Gaul isn't happy with me being there.

This AAR will not cover my campaign in detail. It may mention some major events such as war with other factions and the like, but I am following the life of one man and the Roman attempts at finishing off the Gauls and expanding throughout today's Britain. The first update should be coming soon.

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

Lucius Sextus
Ave, fellow Romans. I am Lucius Sextus, Roman. I am the adopted son of Vibius Popertius, son of Vibius Maxentius, son of Tiberius Maxentius.

Like many of us these days, I have yet to see the glory of Rome. I was born to Patronia in the city of Genava, in the Roman province of Sequani. The year I was born was the same year we Romans conquered the region from the Gauls. My father, Modius, is a leader of a maniple in the army of Cornelius Maxentius. Cornelius Maxentius commands the armies and people of Rome as our leader, and I am lucky to count him as a close friend.

Shortly after I was born, Cornelius led the attacks on northern Gaul. My father fought by his side, and I watched the battles with my mother as we followed the Roman troops through the then-strange land. First we traveled to Alesia in Lugdenensis, then more recently to Samorobriva in Belgica.

Once we Romans took Samarobriva from the Gauls, I was old enough to join my father's maniple. There was little war to be seen in these lands for the most part. The Gauls had meekly submitted to our rule here, unlike in many other parts of our conquests. A small rebellion occured a mere three years ago in the far east of Belgica. Though it was small, there was a real danger of war engulfing the entire region. The war leader, a ferocious Germanic named Charax, had been razing villages in the lands east of Belgica for quite some time. The Germanic tribes were either too weak or unconcered about his presence--and I am convinced of the former--to deal with him. So his popularity rose among the people, and the Germanics finally sent a small force to kill him.

He fled, entering our lands. Cornelius was busy at this time, as he had just assumed responsibility for managing Rome and her conquests, so he sent me in his stead to deal with Charax. I remember the battle well. There was a thick forest to Charax's back, and we surrounded him as he fled towards it. He killed many good Romans that day, eighty in all. For a man to do that with a mere twenty of his closest followers is an accomplishment, and a dangerous one at that. Yet he was defeated. He was a ferocious man, more alike a wolf than a man in appearance. When my maniples closed in around him he charged at them, hopelessly, ruthlessly...and I slew him in single combat.

Cornelius was notified of my victory, and called for me to meet with him. He had long trusted and respected me, and he told me of his intentions: to have a powerful Roman adopt me as his son. I accepted, and shortly after I was elevated from a lowly position to one of the highest.

And two years later, I have command of an army camping near the northern shore of Belgica. We are a motley group. Half of our number our the newest trained legionaires from Capua. But the other half are a collection of veterans, though they are veterans of age more than combat. Some friendly Gauls have been hired to fight with us. True, all these men have seen combat, but ironically enough the Gauls have seen the most--against the same men they now march with. The men fight as one though, I have seen to that. For at the start of this season I recieved orders from Rome: kill the remaining Gauls in Britannia, and fortify and subdue the region. And they send me these troops to complete the task.

I have stalled as long as possible, writing Cornelius and writing Rome, asking for the best legionaires Rome has to offer. But Rome, it seems, has many things to attend to, and I think Britannia is not their chief concern. Cornelius has sent for a diplomat and a spy to join me on the conquest. They are a few days off yet.

And so I sit here at camp with my men in this cold land, waiting for the last pieces of this expedition to assemble. I gaze into the fog to the north that masks the sea that seperat this land from Britannia. I can picture the land in my mind, but I cannot picture what will become of me there.

[Caesar_1991]

Sounds cool, Dude. I was gonna do one like that 'cept during the Puic wars.

[Spartan_Shame]

Nice start, Fuzz. I shall keep my eye on this one.

[swhunter]

Hi spartan i got tired of seeing 4 rings so i added a rep.
now you got... lol

[swhunter]

Interesting!
i enjoyed it.

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

Britannia
The spy, a man named Servius Camilius, has reached our camp. He is a small man, with beady eyes and a steady hand. You would think someone less auspicious would make a better spy, but he is apparently the best northern Gaul had to offer.

The diplomat is no where to be seen. I inquire with Servius and he was unaware he was to travel with a diplomat to the port. With this frustrating turn of events the invasion will be more difficult, but if we had to lose one man I'd rather it was him. In enemy territory such as Britannia a diplomat only has so many uses. Writing a letter to Cornelius is out of the question. I have stalled long enough, and I want to try to get much of the fighting done before winter. I give the order to board the waiting biremes, and we march onto the ships and off to war.

The voyage is short and miserable. I hate the seas. These biremes were hastily built and are ill-suited for the rough, cold waters. I wonder if I shall ever be dry again, or if those vessels will be seaworthy for much longer. We disembark on the shores of Britannia and build a small camp. We will rest here while Servius makes his way to Londinium, a short while away. I have not seen any Gauls, but they may have seen us. I can only assign men to continuous watch and hope the Gauls do not strike us here. I prefer to choose my battles.

So for the time being there is nothing we can do but wait for Servius' return. But in this miserable land any amount of time spent waiting is tortue. The fog has closed in around us, and the temperature has dropped. It is suprisingly cool. Now the rain comes down erratically, pouring in one area and sprinkling in others. Any warmth we had found since coming ashore is gone. And now the wind picks up, making tending any fire a chore.

Britannia....what sort of hell is this...

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

South of Londinium
Servius has returned. The news he brings is both good and bad, as all news tends to be. The good: he reports the Gauls are limited to Londinium and a few small villages outside Londinium proper. The bad: they have many experienced troops and leaders of renown. Outside the walls of Londinium two Gallic war leaders are camped: Caratacus and Cocolitanus. Stories about Cocolitanus have made their way back to the mainland of Europa, though I am sure they have been embellished along the way. But the mention of his name seems to disquiet the troops.

Then there is Caratacus. He is young, and has yet to make a name for himself. We are here to make sure he never gets the chance to make a name for himself. But according to Servius he displays a troubling fortitude for tactics and combat.

Then there is Londinium itself. It is garrisoned to the teeth. Servius describes it as appearing like any other Gallic city, but it is Londinium's inhabitants that make it more dangerous. Meriadoc, leader of the Gauls, is within its walls. Cassivellaunus his son is there as well, and a general of unknown skill named Motius. For being so far out in the wilderness, Londinium is a suprisingly large town with 14,000 Gauls calling it home. It may be significantly less than that living there soon.

It will not seccumb easlily. I survey the men. They are fresh and ready to fight. I give orders to prepare for our march. Soon our camp will be at Londinium's walls.

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

Motius
Morning. The sun peeks over the forest, illuminating the plain to the west. For once the weather is pleasant and the dew on the tall grass is comforting. I stretch and yawn. Today we will march on Londinium. I sit down on a rock and close my eyes, basking in the morning sun.

Suddenly my reverie is cut short but a runner spriting towards me. He calls out: "Lucius! Lucius Sextus!"

I stand up and meet him. He is gasping for air. "What is it?" I ask tersely.

"Gauls, sir!" he replies, still panting. "They are marching towards us! They know we are here!"

Unwelcome news. Servius must have been followed. I nod to the runner. "Spread the word among the men. Prepare for battle!" I send for my other messengers and captains and tell them the situation. The entire camp is in motion. From an outsider's view it may look chaotic but everyone is doing what they have been trained to do. It is a reassuring sight for a commander. I turn and enter my tent to ready for battle.

Battle of South Britannia
So it was Motius, the general we knew nothing about, that was clever enough to track us to this location. I can see him from my vantage point. He looks like any other Gaul. He should have brought more men to the battle. Though he probably didn't know our numbers...

I survey the plain where the battle will soon take place. It is clear that we can win the engagement, but we need to limit casualties more than ever. Every Roman that dies weakens our chances of success in this campaign. Our cavalry can win us this battle quickly. I gaze at the field again, thinking.

There is a thick forest to the north. I order the cavalry to hide there and wait for the signal to attack. In the opportune moment, they will ride out and hit the enemy in the flanks.

I study the Gallic army. It is made up primarily of swordsmen though there are still a decent number of spearmen. There is an even mix of elite troops and auxilaries. Much like our own force...

I have waiting long enough. I give the order to march towards the waiting Gauls. I do not need to encourage our men. A victory here will make the past weeks worth the effort. A defeat...a defeat will mean that none of us will see another Roman again. I need not remind the men of that.

As we march their slingers hit our heavily armored troops with stones. It matters not. Our front line, a mix of hastati, principes, and legioaires, marches on.

The Gallic peltasts move forward to attack us. I do not think they are aware most of my men carry javelins as well. The peltasts quickly run back to their lines but not before we inflict heavy casualites on them.

The calm before the battle is always a odd experience. Two enemy face each other and try to scare the other. As if any army would turn and run while they are so close to battle....

I order my men to attack. I will try to envelop the Gallic line, pushing hard on the center to divide them in two. That will only make my cavary's job easier. They run forward, throw their javelins at the Gauls, and the pitiful Gallic peltasts are destroyed by the volley. The Gallic swordsmen on the front line take a step back nervously.

Some of the inexperienced hastati charge. I will have to address that later, for the rest of the Romans have run into battle to aid their countrymen.

On the left flank I send my best legionaires. They run at the Gauls, then hit them with amazing force.

The line quickly devolves. On the right, a group of Gallic swordsmen have been cut off. Motius charges the center of the line and creates confusion in our lines. I order some legionaires I had in reserve to fill in the gap, as well as a veteran maniple of triarii to deal with the enemy cavalry. There is a mass of Roman troops on the far left flank. I order them to push forward to surround the enemy.

The battle on the right goes well. The Gauls will not hold for much longer, and they are completely seperated from the rest of their army. But Motius has some men in reserve, and they seem to be rushing to aid them.

Motius's charge is absorbed by our troops in the center. The line there is still thin, but the reinforcements will soon reach them. It begins to rain and I notice it is dusk now.

On the left flank some elite Gallic troops charge at our swordsmen. Enveloping the enemy will be harder than I had anticipated. I see the suprise in my men as they notice the Gauls rushing at their flank, but another maniple of hastati have already moved to meet the attack.

Suddenly a huge cheer rises from our center. Motius has been killed! I did not catch it, but it seems he tried to break through to reach me and he was speared by our triarii. The Gallic line shows no signs of breaking, however. If anything they took advantage of our cheer, and Gauls charge at the far left.

The Gauls now have the upper hand on the left flank. It is time for the cavalry to end the Gallic push. A runner rides off into the woods and then fron behind our lines the cavalry forms. The Gauls have not seen them.

The cavalry hit the back of the Gauls, and hard. Our legionaires move to fill in the gap and suddenly the Gauls that had pushed us back find themselves trapped. Screams of pain and terror emanate from the Gauls.

The finally break. They turn and flee, and our cavalry and maniples give them chase. A group of Gallic spearmen disappear in the mass of Romans. The cavalry runs down more of the fleeing enemy.

It is already twilight. How quickly the day goes when there is war. The rest of the Gallic line still holds steady. I order the right flank to stop chasing the enemy and turn and attack the rest of the Gauls.

The Gallic mercenaries try to help, but the merely hit a line of spearmen. They sustain heavy casualties trying to get away but the charge has rattled the enemy. They now realise their back and flanks are not protected.

Our left flank folds over the Gallic troops. The Gauls fighting in what was the center of the line now find themselves fighting on three sides. Cavalry hits them and chases routers. But still the Gauls on the far left hold. Here are the most elite of our enemy.

A group of spearmen break for safety. I give the order for my Gallic mercenaries to redeem themselves and they give chase. Their horses froth at the mouth, tired, but the men can get some more effort out of them.

Suddenly the left group of Gauls buckle. They panic, and the panic spreads to the entire enemy army. All are in flight. Our legions and maniples rush after them to kill the cowardly Gauls.

The final part of the battle is merely a massacre. The enemy puts up no resistance.

I ride in and hit some routing Gauls. It is my first taste of battle this campaign. Soon there are no Gauls. I look to the north and see three enemy running to the forests. I order them to be let alone. Three men is enough to spread panic in a city. We have won the type of victory we needed. Gaul is weakened to the point of breaking, and we emerge stronger than before.

[dvk901]

Excellent! Well done!

[Paul d]

that seemed too easy... should have done h/h

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

that seemed too easy... should have done h/h

Perhaps...but I was worried about the scope of the mod and wanted to go easy on myself.
-------------------------------
Londinium Beseiged
The season have changed. We must trudge through deep snow to move anywhere. Frostbite hurts our men But we are still hopeful. Across the river we can see Londinium itself. They must have weakened by now. But I do not like being uninformed. If we seige the city now, we can assault by the first signs of spring. I send Servius to infiltrate the city. It is under heavy guard and I fear he will not return. I follow his horse until it goes out of sight, knowing full well I may never see him again. So now we wait, again. Curse this miserable land.

------

Servius has returned! It seems he is more able than I gave him credit for. His news is a confirmation of what I suspected. Londinium is still heavily defended, but its men are worn.

We march. I am not keen on attacking from the south--crossing a river not a good tactic here. We march around the north of the city, and we begin to build our seige engines. Spring cannot come soon enough.

------

It is cold outside the walls of Londinium. The snows have given way to freezing rains. A sign of the changing seasons, but it is still too cold for my tastes. From the coast of Britannia come news that our biremes have been destroyed. I think the Gauls hired some pirates to destroy them, for no self-respecting pirate would attack the soggy rafts that passed as biremes. At any rate, supplies and reinforcements are now out of the question. This is driven home by a letter sent from Cornelius Maxentius. Carthage has betrayed us and attacked our territory of Ilergetes in Iberia, and laid seige to the city of Tarraco.

I respond in turn to my friend and leader. We will train our own reinforcements following the fall of Londinium. We will expand here by our own resources and manpower. Rome needs to concentrate on it's territories. Soon, though, Britannia's name will be added to that list of place-names.

[rory o'kane]

nicely written! i'll be keeping an eye on this! surely though the battles should be on large, if not huge?

[Globalhead]

Bravo! Well written and interesting, liked the battle sequence alot .

[MarcusTullius]

Brilliant read. Looking forward to more
Any reason you used a alot of First cohorts?

[perun]

Good stile and nice screenshots. And you have some excellent source of inspiration, he he. Please keep this AAR up.

[antropolis]

which is this mod? RS? what does it mean, hehe im new to this site its been a week since i've known they're mods to this wonderful game, and by the way, cool AAR!

[dvk901]

which is this mod? RS? what does it mean, hehe im new to this site its been a week since i've known they're mods to this wonderful game, and by the way, cool AAR!

'Roma Surrectum'....the mod forum you're in.

[Elrond]

Nice AAR!

I will post it in the voting forum for the TWC scriptorium tomorrow, so it can be added to the AAR section.

[swhunter]

Excellent Report !
Classus Maxmuckus Triffelious..
From the daily Rome Newspaper! Err scroll