Makedonia dreamin' AAR

[Stilgar CG]

Nice AAR

i like the way u put the battles in the spoilers, so it doesnt make the post huge

Thanks, atraps. The pressure is mounting in my compaign: the clash with big guys (TSE, Rome, Ptolemies, Scythia) is imminent. The best is yet to come .

[Dom9127]

Excellent AAR, did you use the force diplomacy to make that deal with the Thracians? And what .exe are you using?

[Stilgar CG]

Excellent AAR, did you use the force diplomacy to make that deal with the Thracians? And what .exe are you using?

Glad you like it, Dom. Yes, I had used the force diplomacy script. I tried a couple of times with my best diplomats. But the Thracians remained suspicious, answering with something like "no, thank you; we do not trust you; you will attack again", or something like this. Since my intentions were noble and sincere (at least for next 20 years or so ) and the deal is clearly in the interest of Thrace, I used the FDS.
I play on Alex.exe. It's ok, definitely better than RTW.exe, but at times AI seems a bit too cautious on the battle field. My Thrace campaign on BI.exe was more of a challenge, but that was another faction, of course.
Cheers!

[Balikedes]

Nice update ME, your battles are getting more and more serious.
I foresee Scythia entering the fray very soon, better to keep a border with Thrace than Scythia... .

[Stilgar CG]

Nice update ME, your battles are getting more and more serious.
I foresee Scythia entering the fray very soon, better to keep a border with Thrace than Scythia... .

Battles were on the easy side, indeed; mostly assaults. I had enough cash, that is also an explanation of a smooth start. But, I can see plenty of stacks marching my way from Italy and in Asia, so all the epic fighting is comming up next

Keeping a boarder with Thrace is a part of the plan, indeed
Scythia does not seem to advance in Europe: there are still some rebel cities between Scythia and Thrace, but Scythia became active in Asia: it's in war with Armenia now and allied with Pontus. I decided to do something about it and stroke Pontus ... details later on

[Scutarii]

If Scythia beats Armenia, you better watch out in Anatolia, he added funds from Armenia (basically as good as the rest of their kingdom) set them on fire. And I find with the recent versions TSE usually crumbles from Ptoly's + Parthia +Baktria + Maks/GCS, so they can't provide a buffer....

Great AAR ME.

[Stilgar CG]

If Scythia beats Armenia, you better watch out in Anatolia, he added funds from Armenia (basically as good as the rest of their kingdom) set them on fire. And I find with the recent versions TSE usually crumbles from Ptoly's + Parthia +Baktria + Maks/GCS, so they can't provide a buffer....

Great AAR ME.

Scutarii, thanks for stopping by and for the advise. All my attention is to Anatolia now. The fate of my Macedon empire will be decided there. But I also prepare an invasion to Italy (just have to wait 6 turns till I get first two onagers) and train an anti-Scythian army, just in case.

[Scutarii]

Sounds like a plan. Anatolia's rich, so should be a good place to go. Italy should be your next target, but maybe I'm thinking too far ahead. One goal at a time...

[TM Is Back]

ME, a great aar.

But could you use spoilers next time, so the loading time goes down?

[Stilgar CG]

ME, a great aar.

But could you use spoilers next time, so the loading time goes down?

I do use spoilers, TM, for battlefield screens (those are 60-80% of all screens). The strategic map screens will be still "un-spoiler-ed", so you can follow the story easily. I promise, there will be more and more battlefield action, and therefore more and more screens hidden in spoilers

[TM Is Back]

Ah ok THen it is ok

[Stilgar CG]

Battle reports in spoiler, as usual.

Chapter 6. Anatolia – promised land.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

262BC. The Macedonian conquest of Anatolia continues. Coast cities of Ephesus and Sardis, as well as the Pontus city of Cyzicus are all in the aim now.


The Macedon make first and left-footed step by splitting their forces near Pergamum. Anaxagoras of Raphia takes advantages of this and besieges Pergamum. He counts on the ability of his elephants to break through the city main gate.



All hope of the Macedon lies on shoulders of a unit of Thureothoroi …



And they do not disappoint: all the beasts lie soon dead and the enemy retreats empty-handed.






Damasos and his army disembarks near Halicarnassus. His goal is to march towards Sardis and capture it. Ikaros of Amphipolis and his army, stationed near Bizantium, is about to embark on a mission to capture Ipsus.


Worrying news arrives: Pontus accepted the Scythian protectorate. This extends the sphere of interest of Scythia in Anatolia. The initially planned attack on Pontus could be a gamble now.



Ikaros besieges Ipsus and finds it’s gate open by a Macedon spy. The Macedon enter the city and overrun it’s garrison with no difficulty.



Ikaros pillages the city: extra cash and no riots in the future are good reasons to do so.



Immediately after capturing Ipsus, Ikaros decides to attack a detachment lead by Gyras the Wrathful. Gyras tries to avoid battle and retreats, but soon realizing that there is no way out decides to meet the Ikaros army at the nearby bridge.






Ikaros orders archers to fire at the enemy positions



In spite of heavy losses, the enemy holds initial position just in front of the bridge. Entire units are wiped out by the Macedon archers.


A unit of light infantry, some skirmishes, and the general’s bodyguards is left



Finally, Ikaros decides that the enemy lines are softened enough and order thorakitai to cross the bridge and engage the enemy. Ikaros himself and the Scythian lancers were supposed to follow thorakitai.



Thorakitai crosses the bridge …



Instead of engaging thorakitai the enemy infantry retreats. Ikaros and lancers cross the bridge, then charge and kill the enemy general … all is over soon for the Gyras and his men.






In the mean time a small detachment is sent from Halicarnassus to lay siege on Ephesus. Damasos advances towards Sardis and finds a vast Seleucid army nearby. A small force is sent to lay siege on Sardis and block its garrison inside, whereas Damasos in well-coordinated effort attacks the enemy army outside the city walls.





The Seleucid take an advantageous position on a hill. Damasos sends his cavalry to go wide left to flank the enemy; light infantry is sent to approach the enemy position from the right flank; whereas the main body of the army marches straight ahead at the enemy. Timing is crucial: all three detachments should approach the enemy at the same time and coordinate their movements.



Cavalry arrives a bit earlier, charges and destroys a unit of skirmishers, taken by surprise far from the main body of the enemy army.



Main part of the Damasos army slowly approaches the enemy position. Archers continuously fire at the enemy. The phalanx line slowly turned inside, whereas a line of thorakitai and hoplites continued to march uphill. The enemy hesitates to charge the Macedon lines.



Finally, a unit of enemy spearmen charges the nearby phalanx … short and fierce melee … the cavalry counter charge …



This happened to be the enemy captain. The enemy hoplites and phalangists encouraged by the example of their captain engage the Macedon phalanx, but do it clumsily … soon enemy captain is killed …



… and his army continues rolling back …



All is ready for the final maneuver and attack …



The phalanx turns inside in an attempt to catch the enemy between two Macedon lines



The enemy retreats in disorder …



Finally, the Seleucid units bump into Macedon light infantry sent by Damasos to the right at the beginning of the battle.. The Macedon throw their spears into mass of retreating enemy.



This was too much for the Seleusids, the last bit of courage leaves them and they all run for the their lives



Only to find death … as the massacre begins …






At the same time, somewhere at the Peloponnesus coast, an Indi Greek spy ship is caught in a violent storm. They found out next to nothing about the Macedon forces in Peloponnesus and shortly after that are wiped out by the Macedon navy … What a pitiful end.



In winter 261BC the Macedon assault and capture Ephesus.




The Macedon are received warmly by the people of Ephesus and do just some minor looting …


The Macedon collection of wonders of the worlds has received a new item: the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus.

[TM Is Back]

Nice update ME

[atraps]

Yes, a good Macedonian AAR indeed.

[Balikedes]

Nice update, the Seleucids are going to come at you hard and fast!

What's up with the storm, I don't think I've seen one of those since I last played vanilla.

[DimeBagHo]

Storms at sea work with the Alex exe. They're broken on the other two.

[Stilgar CG]

Nice update, the Seleucids are going to come at you hard and fast!

What's up with the storm, I don't think I've seen one of those since I last played vanilla.

They just did, Bal ... I'll wash the "blood and sweat" and post an update today ... it 's finally Total War

I like that living and breathing RTW map, and those nice little events make it even better looking. Could be fun to get something like lacust invasion in Egypt (with real fying bugs) or a pass through the Read Sea appearing from time to time ?

@ Scutarii. The Pontus position and my intentions towards it has just changed (details in update). My armies can see Antioch on the horizon, but it's not all over yet ... Ptolemies are next on the list, and there is a nice little surpise I have for Romans ... he-he-he ... I also have a backup plan in the event of barabarian world (Germania, Thrace, Scythia) turning on me. It's Total War time.

[Stilgar CG]

Chapter 7. Anatolia Total War. (Part 1)

Prelude to the battle of Ancyra

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Macedon continued their conquest of Anatolia. At the end of 261 BC, Damasos besieged, assaulted, and captured the city of Sardis






Gyras the Conqueror, the king of Macedon decides to go for a confrontation with Pontus: if the Macedon armies would succeed in advancing deep into Seleucid territory, Pontus might launch attacks on the Macedon cities of the Anatolia coast. Therefore, Damasos was ordered to march towards Cyzicus – a Pontus city. Cyzicus is lightly garrisoned and falls easily into Macedon hands.




Had the Pontus general name of Zeus and not Herakles, that would not change his fate …


The city is extensively pillaged: the Macedon war machine needs “fuel”.



In the mean time, Ikaros marches to the boarder, spots a Pontus force, consisting of spearmen and some light infantry, and destroy it. That was a classical anvil and hammer affair …




The Macedon has cornered the enemy on a hill. Archers fire at will, short melee on flanks and in the center, decisive cavalry charge in the rear, enemy flees, but few escapes …




Encouraging news: Scythia abandons their client state – Pontus – and leave them to their fate, apparently. In its turn Pontus makes a wise move: it patches a quick alliance with Armenia, which is already in war with Scythia. Gyras decides to take Nicomedia and then leave Pontus alone, to give Pontus and Armenia better chance of survival in their fight with Scythia. This should give the Macedon the opportunity to advance in Seleucid territory with less troubles.



Ikaros advances to Nicomedia and attack the Pontus force near the city. The garrison of Nicomedia and Macedon reinforcements were to join the battle.




Ikaros places the phalanx in the center, with spearmen and light infantry on flanks. Archers behind phalanx firing at approaching enemy. Enemy, undecided, maneuver in front of the Macedon line. They finally attempt an attack on flanks.



The Macedon easily defeat enemy and advances to surround the remaining enemy forces. And it’s right time to charge …


and kill. The enemy reinforcements do not even bother to participate in battle. They retreat in Nicomedia.


Dyonisiphes, the commander of the Nicomedia garrison and his men could not escape their peril, though. The Macedon assault and capture the city


Pontus spearmen gave quite a fight on the walls and took lives of many Macedon sons Therefore, the people of Nicomedia deserved no mercy …

Battle of Ancyra

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In time that Ikaros and Damasos were cutting their way through Pontus territory, Eunos marched towards the town of Ancyra. The town was captured not long ago by a large Seleucid force. Basileides of Azotus was not in a hurry to leave the town. Euenos besieges the city with no delay, in an attempt to provoke the Basileides (almost wrote Balikedes ) attack. Basileides does sally, but he is assisted by a large reinforcement. That seemed to be the first real test of the Macedon military might in Anatolia …



Euenos positioned the phalanx in center, archers just behind. Spearmen and light infantry were split equally and positioned on flanks, augmented by a unit of hoplites on each flank. Slingers were positioned on the right flank.



The enemy vanguard appeared more to the left of the Macedon position. Euenos repositioned the army accordingly. The Macedon right flank faced elephants. The fire of slingers and archers were immediately directed at elephants. The spearmen and light infantry on the right flank stepped a bit forward …



… and met the approaching elephants with a rain of spears. Almost all the animals and their masters fell within seconds.


In fact, the missile fire depleted the enemy ranks almost completely on the right flank.



In the center, however, the battle was just about to commence. Enemy phalangists supported by the Greek hoplites attacked the Macedon phalanx.



The phalanxes clashed and cancelled each other initially, but …



soon the tide of the battle in the center went the Macedon way: the Macedon infantry on the left flank overrun their Seleucid opponents and then turned inside and hit the Seleucid in the rear.



The remainder of the enemy vanguard was destroyed or routed.



The main body of the Seleucid army was approaching. Euenos spotted a cavalry unit galloping their way: “Nice shiny cavalry unit, must their general”. Euenos waved his hand in the direction of the approaching enemy …



And then, the Macedon cavalry clashed with the Seleucid heavy cavalry. That was enemy general, all right. His foolishness brought about his death and the death of his soldiers.



The enemy unaware of the fact that their general has fallen or still confident of their luck and strength marched on. The Seleucid engages the Macedon right flank.


However, Macedon slingers and a unit of spearmen join the battle on the right flank. The Macedon win the battle on the right flank, and then advances and turns inside to attack the enemy phalanx.



Situation for the Macedon was by far more difficult on the left flank. Left flank suffered more casualties in the first part of the battle. Moreover, a unit of light infantry went too far from the battle when pursuing the enemy. Watching this, Euenos order his cavalry to go around the enemy and charges them in the rear



This charge proves decisive: enemy breaks and runs.



The Macedon cavalry pursue and kill, pursue and kill ...



The battle in the center is all over as well. The remaining Seleucid pahalangists run and many fell of the hands of Macedon mercenary slingers or …



… of the Macedon cavalry.


The Macedon had prevailed, but that was just a taste of the challenges to come.

Comming up next: On the road to Antioch & The Italian Job

[Scutarii]

Great job ME, the invasion of the east has begun! Hold off on Pontus for now, if they're a protectorate they're probably poor and won't attack you (or at least won't attack in force). Secure Anatolia from TSE then push to Tarsus and Antioch, crippling their presence in Asia Minor. Antioch is where all there good armies come from, so its important to take it quick. Then worry about Pontus.

[atraps]

Nice Update