[RTR AAR] Pontic Waves

[TheBard]

I was a regular on the old RTR forums before the White Message of Death screen appeared there a while back. I did several AARs over there and since I recently became re-obsessed with RTR, I thought it might be a good time to do a new AAR. I'll be using Pontus and I'm already 3-4 years in, so you can expect a nice first update with some good pictures sometime tomorrow. There have already been some interesting developments, most of them bad. I'm not sure if anyone here at TWCenter read any of my previous AARs, but if so, you know I like a challenge. In fact, one of my most satisfying ones was when I lost (really lost) with Armenia. So expect lots of defeats and lots of setbacks. Look for the first update tomorrow morning (ish)

[TheBard]

I am playing as Pontus with the Metro Naval Mod over RTRPE with BI installed. I’m playing on Hard/Hard, so this should hopefully be very challenging.

I have quite a few house rules, though this is the first time I have really played the MNM so I can not guarantee that I will stick to all of them. In general, I try to avoid tactics that the computer AI can not ever use. For example, I will only use forts in my own territory and never to block a pass or a bridge. I won’t deploy at the opposite end of a battlefield just in order to tire the enemy (I will always choose the most defensible position, just as the AI does). I will try to avoid overusing general flank charges, especially by my King, who will almost always avoid the fray. I won’t run all the way around the walls in a town battle to get all the towers to fire on the defenders. I will keep flanking maneuvers within the town streets to a minimum. I won’t have siege towers fire on the defenders on the walls. I usually try not to let a general lead an army by himself until he is at least 18, though this is more for realism than anything else. I won’t use spies to open town gates and I won’t use assassins at all except to kill other assassins or diplomats that are trying to bribe my towns. I rarely retrain units (except ships). Most importantly, I will never continue battle because the AI can not do it. There are probably a lot more, but these are the ones I can remember at the moment.

In an effort to keep the updates interesting, each king will have his own biographer. Each biographer will have his own characteristics and foibles that will hopefully shine through in his updates during that king’s reign.



Book 1: A People’s Rise
Chapter 1: Fond Beginnings

Reign of Mithridates
Biographer: Cleones the Ebullient






Our joyous king, Mithridates, promises to lead us to glory and wealth! He is a great man, with intelligence and a respect for the gods that many men lack. He has thrown off the yoke of the Diadochi impostor Antigonus and now will take control of the land that is so rightfully ours.



Our king heads an illustrious family, led by his two sons Pharnaces and Herakles.
Pharnaces will someday be a terrific leader, worthy to follow his father’s footsteps. He is the greatest horsemen in the region, if not the world. No man has yet been found to outride him.



Herakles has not Pharnaces’ capabilities on the battlefield, but he is one of the greatest governors in the world. Pharnaces is a great leader of soldiers, Herakles of civilians.



Though so far small in size, Pontus has more potential than any other kingdom in the world. We have the greatest soldiers and the greatest farms and no one will be able to stop us with Mithridates as our leader.

Rankings in 280


Military
1. Seleucids 210,000
2. Ptolemaics 145,000
3. Greeks 130,000
4. Carthage 125,000
5. Makedonians 70,000
17. Pontus 15,000


Territorial
1. Seleucids 33
2. Ptolemaics 20
3. Carthage 14
4. Greeks 10
5. Makedonians 8
14 (t). Pontus 2

Population
1. Seleucids 105,000
2. Carthage 60,000
3. Ptolemaics 55,000
4. Greeks 50,000
5. Makedonians 35,000
12 (t). Pontus 10,000

Overall
1. Seleucids 210,000
2. Carthage 130,000
3 (t). Ptolemaics 125,000
3 (t). Greeks 125,000
5. Makedonians 65,000
17. Pontus 25,000

Mithridates wisely sent the great Pontic fleet to clear pirates out of the Black Sea. Though some ships were lost due to unfortunate circumstances, Pontic trade routes became noticeably safer. With the coasts now protected, Mithridates looked toward taking the great city of Sinope.

In the meantime, Mithridates’ capable family swelled with his granddaughter’s marriage to the excellent warrior, Radhamsades.



That same year, Mithridates youngest son became a man. Wrongly nicknamed Spartocus the Crippled by foreign enemies, he is an exceptional young warrior. Proud and strong, he will surely help Pontus exceed even Alexander’s empire.



Mithridates soon realized that he would need to empty the kingdom’s coffers to prevent corruption and to ensure that his own sons would not become too complacent. It was a great decision that other kings are not wise enough to enact.

In the summer of 278, Sinope was besieged by Mithridates’ army, with his new grandson-in-law, Radhamsades, joining him. Tragically, our king took ill and died that very month! There was great wailing among all the world as such an amazing man passed to Hades. There would certainly never be another like him.

[TheBard]

Book 2: Expansion
Chapter 1: Bittersweet Spoils

Reign of Pharnaces
Biographer: Kytos the Worried

Pharnaces came to power in the midst of financial, military, and political crisis. The coffers were completely empty. All available soldiers were stuck besieging Sinope, and there were rumors that Herakles would try to seize the crown.



Rankings in 277

Military
1. Seleucids 220,000
2. Ptolemaics 150,000
3. Carthage 125,000
4. Greeks 120,000
5. Gauls 105,000
17. Pontus 30,000 (up 100%)

Territorial
1. Seleucids 33
2. Ptolemaics 21
3. Carthage 17
4. Greeks 10
5 (t). Makedonians 8
5 (t). Gauls 8
14 (t). Pontus 2 (no change)

Population
1. Seleucids 115,000
2. Carthage 70,000
3. Ptolemaics 60,000
4. Greeks 55,000
5. Makedonians 40,000
13 (t). Pontus 10,000 (no change)

Overall
1. Seleucids 275,000
2. Ptolemaics 150,000
3. Carthage 145,000
4. Greeks 130,000
5. Gauls 100,000
17. Pontus 25,000 (no change)

The Seleucids continue to dominate all of Asia and the Middle East, while the Gauls are beginning to expand in central Europe. Despite some small gains, Pontus continues to lag behind all the other kingdoms. At this rate, we will never gain fame and glory.


With the untimely death of Mithridates, the fate of our kingdom was in doubt. Rhadamsades took over for the fallen king’s army as it besieged Sinope, and in the summer of 277, he led the assault.



There was real question as to whether he had enough men. Perhaps Mithridates could have won this battle, but Rhadamsades was certainly no Mithridates. Plus, he was opposed by the capable leader, Akylos.

As they approached the massive walls, the Pontic siege towers looked puny.



A small group of sparabara somehow managed to gain the walls to the right of the main gate. Surrounded by peltasts, they would not last long.



Somehow, another unit of sparabara gained the walls to the left of the gatetower and charged the peltasts on the other side.



Just barely able to defeat the peltasts, the spearmen took control of the gate. Pontic soldiers poured into the town, facing off against seasoned Sinope hoplites.



As his men became bogged down right near the gate, Rhadamsades took charge, literally. He and his cavalry charged right into the hoplites guarding the gate, hoping to disrupt their formation and force them back to the town square.



Alas, it was not to be! Rhadamsades was unseated by an enemy spear and trampled by his own horsemen. What an ignoble death for such a noble man! With his death, it would only be a matter of time until the Pontic army was forced to flee.



But no! Somehow the dispirited and leaderless Pontic soldiers pressed on.



Through sheer force of will, and not a small amount of luck, the Pontic soldiers pushed the Sinope hoplites back to the square. The Pontic archers rained down flaming arrows and caused just enough chaos for a Pontic victory.




With more than 500 casualties and the death of Rhadamsades, perhaps this victory would prove to be more of a defeat. Still, Sinope was taken and Pharnaces ruled over a peaceful region…for now.






Any and all comments are appreciated. I'm especially interested in ideas for other types of biographers and I'm also taking suggestions for where to expand next (south into the Seleucids, east into Armenia, or west toward the coast).

[Winter]

very cool. I don't usually like Pontus, but I'm going to follow this one.

[TheBard]

[Couple quick notes. I am playing 2tpy, which I think I forgot to mention earlier. A couple more house rules: I never accept Man of the Hour events, and I probably won’t accept Adoptions. I use very limited numbers of mercenaries, certainly no more than 50% (at most) of any army. I am also limiting myself with how many elite units I can use. As of now, I am limiting myself to as many total elite units as I have towns. That means full units obviously, so I may allow some discretion if some elite units are ½ or 2/3 full. I may later change this rule to being that many elite units of each type. For example, I may change it to be 5 towns = 5 elite spearmen AND 5 elite chariots.]


Book 2: Expansion
Chapter 2: Sundered?

Reign of Pharnaces
Biographer: Kytos the Worried

After Radhamsades’ death, King Pharnaces worries about how to keep our kingdom together. There are precious few governors at the moment, only the king himself, and his two brothers, Herakles and Spartocus.

Fortunately, the king regained a son-in-law when his daughter Gepaepyris married Pharsanzes, a moderately effective captain under the king’s command.



Several months later, Herakles’ son Dionysos came of age and joined his father in the capital at Pharnacia.



Dionysos is a decent enough soldier, but he does not have what it will take to keep the kingdom together should the king falter. He is not the manager that his father is, and he is not the warrior that the king is.

Perhaps unwisely seeking to expand the kingdom’s borders, the king sends Pharsanzes and the young Dionysos east toward Armenia with a medium-sized army. A small army of Armenians has been camping very close to the borders in the mountains. Our spies inform us that the Armenians have been unsuccessful in dislodging a group of rebels from the mountain town of Koltais. Surely the Armenians will now look westward and bring death upon our soil.

Before Pharsanzes’ army could even enter Armenian territory to engage them, the Seleucids sent an army deep into our kingdom. Any hopes that a new alliance with the Ptolemaics would pressure the Seleucids into remaining passive were clearly premature.

A messenger from the king arrives (almost too late) to order Pharsanzes and Dionysos back west to engage the Seleucids. In the summer of 272, they do.



The Seleucids are outnumbered, but they are led by the excellent general, Abronychus Balas. A defeat would split the Pontic kingdom down the middle.

Forced the march uphill, our army was in serious trouble from the very beginning.



Dionysos and his cavalry recklessly charge into the middle of the enemy spearmen as they are engaged by Pontic Pezoi.



Thanks to Dionysos’ foolhardy charge, the Seleucid spearmen fold and flee, one by one. In the end, it is a victory, but a costly one.



Nearly 700 Pontic soldiers are missing, dead, or wounded past the point of being able to fight. Even worse, several more Seleucid raiding parties have entered Pontic territory.

With reinforcements from Pharnacia, Pharsanzes and Dionysos force all the Seleucid armies back to their own territory. Then, without approval from the king, they head into Seleucid territory. The war has begun in earnest.

In 271, Pharsanzes and Dionysos assault the southern Seleucid town of Eusebia. Surprisingly, they are able to take the town easily, with minimal casualties. Surely, the Seleucids would not have left it so lightly defended if they did not have a larger plan. Trouble would certainly be coming.

King Pharnaces was not even mildly upset by the aggressive actions since it resulted in a crucial victory. Still, he ordered reinforcements to the recently taken town for any possible counterattack.

That counterattack was not long in coming.



Dionysos continues to prove himself especially impetuous and foolishly charges out of the town with some pezoi spearmen to attack the enemy commander.



Pharsanzes and the remaining spearmen are able to hold off the remainder of the Seleucid troops while Dionysos soon scatters the enemy general’s bodyguard. All of a sudden, some of the enemy spearmen break through the defenses and Pharsanzes is trapped! Oh, cruelly slain by fate!



With Pharsanzes killed, and more and more outnumbered, the Pontic army slowly begins to break. Having no other options, and unwilling to flee, Herakles’ foolhardy son charges right into the teeth of the enemy.



Somehow, unbelievably, the Pontic army regroups and forcefully expels the attackers!





Casualties were high on both sides. The real problem for our army is that nearly 150 of our 200 casualties were pezoi spearmen. That and the death of Pharsanzes would ensure that Eusebia will not long stand. For now, Dionysos takes over the defenses.

Having now lost both of his sons-in-law, King Pharnaces’ eldest son Paerisades came of age and brings reinforcements from the capital of Pharnacia to his father at Eupatoria. There, the king gathers an army and heads south into Seleucid territory.



He is intelligent, but really still a boy in many ways. Given time, he may prove capable. The question is whether the King can wait to thrust him into action.

The next month, devastating news arrives: the Seleucids and the Carthaginians have formed an official alliance!

As the King marches south, Dionysos holds off three consecutive assaults by the Seleucids on Eusebia. Perhaps he is capable of defending the town, provided he continues to get reinforcements from the northern towns.

Apparently convinced that Dionysos will hold Eusebia, the King continues past and assaults the Seleucid town of Tarsus.



With a large advantage in numbers, it may seem like an easy victory is ensured. However, the defenders are led by General Molon, one of the greatest commanders in the region, greater even than King Pharnaces.

As the Pontic attackers steadily march into the town, a bottleneck is created near the town center.



Unlike his nephew, King Pharnaces does not foolishly charge into the enemy and Molon is soon struck down by the Pontic pezoi spearmen.



The Seleucids are, quite simply, steadily overrun by sheer numbers. While not an easy victory, it is a crucial one.



The Pontic kingdom now stretches from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, and the Seleucid Empire is split in half! Direct assaults will soon be coming all along the thinly stretched north-south region.

[TheBard]

Book 2: Expansion
Chapter 3: Enemies All Around


Dionysos is able to defend Eusebia twice more from direct assaults by the Seleucids, once personally killing the enemy commander, Adymos.

With our King so far to the south, the capital is moved to Eupatoria in an attempt to maintain the line of reinforcements.

Dionysos’ brother Rhescuporis comes of age in 265 and Dionysos comes up with a new plan.



Nervous to see his uncle and King so far isolated, Dionysos gathers a large army of reinforcements from all over the north. At the young age of 21, Paerisades takes sole control of Eusebia, while Rhescuporis moves to the new capital at Eupotoria.

As his army moves south toward Tarsus, Dionysos is caught unawares by two Seleucid armies, one led by a fantastic Seleucid commander seeking to free his city.



The core of Dionysos’ army is made up of veterans of the five defenses of Eusebia, and they easily dispatch first one, and then the other, Seleucid army.



Dionysos has clearly become an excellent commander, despite his continued recklessness. The question now, is where will he go next? Will he move farther south and shore up Tarsus by assaulting the other Seleucid towns along the coast to the southeast? Or will he strike due west into the heart of the western half of the Seleucid empire?

[I’m open to suggestions both for where to go next and for anything else you would like to see. Don’t expect an update of this size again for a little while, though I will try to keep updating as frequently as possible.]

[Winter]

Well if it was me, I'd go for Antioch, then try to make the Selucids accept an unfavorable peace deal. After that, sit for a while and see who attacks.

But thats just me. Keep it up!

[TheBard]

That's an interesting idea. I don't want to spread myself too thin, though I do like the idea of hammering away at the Seleucids while I have the opportunity. Armenia is relatively weak to the northeast still; they have been fighting it out with rebels for years. I really don't want to invade Armenia right now and have a massive 2-front war, but I am concerned that Armenia will be able to attack my eastern border while I'm stuck fighting the Seleucids.

[Selifator]

Try to kill the Seleucids on one side of your Empire. That will give you some space to consolidate.

[TheBard]

I am actually a little disappointed that things have not been more difficult so far. I am suffering high casualty rates in battles, and with so few of my cities able to build walls with the Metro Naval Mod, no city is truly defensible. But still, I would like the Seleucids to stop screwing around with whatever they are doing (fighting my ally the Ptolemaics perhaps?) and come at me full force to give me a run for my money. Speaking of money, my economy is pretty terrible at the moment, so I think I may need to consolidate and spend more money on improving my land, roads, etc. These things are all incredibly expensive in this mod, so I think it will be good to slow down my so far unchecked expansion. Having a port on the Mediterranean may do wonders for my trade income if I can build the safe port and naval control "buildings" in Tarsus.

[HeroSK]

Nice ARR, please keep it coming..

The difficulty with pontic in XGM was culture effects caused high unrest and all cities I took rebelled...so I disappointed and quit campaign..

I am not totally foreign for Realism, it is installed on my laptop too

I am currenty doing a Sarmatian campaign, but I can change my mind