[Multi AAR] History of men

[Biggles]

You and Fred-nin are the top 'fans' of this AAR. And I already recogniced that you are one of the few peeps here who actually reads my AAR from top to buttom, so I am always curious what you post after a new update.

Well it's quite simple:

First of all, the whole scope of the AAR had me hooked from the beginning. The history of man? You bet I'm interested!

Secondly, you don't stick with one mod, which I think is very engaging and interesting. Seeing AAR after AAR using the same basic mods can be tiering after a while, but your AAR has already covered mods I've never heard of!

Thirdly, and most importantly: you don't have a roleplaying pretentious storyline that sometimes gets tedious over time, or that's what I often feel happening to AARs...I'm no big fan of "personal story" aars, unless their humerous. I really like the approach you're taking for (most) of your updates, that is, the lecturer at university bit. Not the only one to do it, but nether less, it's quite excellent!

And your screenshots are always nice, which I cannot deny is quite an advantage for keeping my interest up!

Rest assured, I will follow this to the end, be it in one year, two or five!

[Dan the Man]

I say we all pitch in some money via paypal and buy it for him on Steam for Christmas!
No seriously, that's not such a bad idea.

[Dave Strider]

No, buy the ACTUAL box game. If he buys it on steam it's .

[Dan the Man]

He'd have to register it with Steam anyway. Plus, it's far easier to use Steam's gift service to send it to him rather than pay postage. Steam is always having those crazy sales, so it'll probably be cheaper than the boxed game too.

[Dan the Man]

I just like the pictures.
Nevertheless, it's still a fantastic AAR, and I enjoy looking at the screenshots immensely! I still think we should pool funds to get you NTW!

[Fixiwee]

I say we all pitch in some money via paypal and buy it for him on Steam for Christmas!
No seriously, that's not such a bad idea.

Haha, I like the idea, but it'll probably take more then a year until I reach that time period so... And I doubt it that people want to pay for that.

I just like the pictures.
Nevertheless, it's still a fantastic AAR, and I enjoy looking at the screenshots immensely! I still think we should pool funds to get you NTW!

Just watching the pictures is cool too. I always take special care and extra work with my screenshots (cropping, cutting, editing and uploading sometimes takes an hour for one update) and they are a part of this AAR aswell as the text.

Well it's quite simple:

First of all, the whole scope of the AAR had me hooked from the beginning. The history of man? You bet I'm interested!

Secondly, you don't stick with one mod, which I think is very engaging and interesting. Seeing AAR after AAR using the same basic mods can be tiering after a while, but your AAR has already covered mods I've never heard of!

Thirdly, and most importantly: you don't have a roleplaying pretentious storyline that sometimes gets tedious over time, or that's what I often feel happening to AARs...I'm no big fan of "personal story" aars, unless their humerous. I really like the approach you're taking for (most) of your updates, that is, the lecturer at university bit. Not the only one to do it, but nether less, it's quite excellent!

And your screenshots are always nice, which I cannot deny is quite an advantage for keeping my interest up!

Rest assured, I will follow this to the end, be it in one year, two or five!

This is one of the best feedbacks that I have read.
I know what you mean with the roleplaying storyline. I tried to experiment with such things but I for me personally it is too much work already. (And I remember that you didn't like them ^^ )
But I am always eager to try new things and bring new stuff into the AAR.

Of course it is more difficult to have a rather text driven AAR like mine to compete with the more simple screenshot driven "I will conquere everything" AARs (no offense to those) but I hope that my readers are rewarded with coherence when they are patient and take time to read it.

[Dave Strider]

Damn right I'm a fan, this AAR rocks!

[Fixiwee]

Damn right I'm a fan, this AAR rocks!

Haha yeah! Thanks.

[Dave Strider]

I've been following this AAR since before my name was Frednin!

[Fixiwee]

A little help needed!

So my (early) imperial campaign is currently going it's way and I am quite content with Augustus:Total war. But seeing that, playwise not AARwise, I am already halfway through it I am beginning to wonder what will happen next. The mod ends about 120 AD and chronologicly the next mod I can find is IB:restitutor orbis (270AD), which wont be released for another year. That makes IB:Somnum Apostatae Iuliani with 355 AD the next mod.

And that means I will have to skip 200 years of history which isn't what I want. So I'm asking if anyone has ideas what to do about it. Maybe there are other games/mods that deal with that time period. Maybe anyone knows a place to ask for further ideas.

[Biggles]

Afraid I don't really know any good advice. But one thing that might help is if you know what you want to play as? Are you planning to play on as a sort of Roman faction or something else?

[Fixiwee]

Yeah Romans mos def. Since I will connect to the decline of the Roman empire in IB.

[Biggles]

Yeah Romans mos def. Since I will connect to the decline of the Roman empire in IB.

A Roman Mos Def mod? Sounds rather weird doesn't it? Jest kiddin' I ain't that stupid

[Agent007]

Well, there isn't any mod that covers the height of the Roman Empire, unfortunately. Unless you wait for Restitutor Orbis, or Europa Barbarorum: Novus Ordo Mundi, which will cover from 80 BC to 180 AD (yeah... i'm waiting for those as well).
The only idea that occurs to me (but that implies not playing in Europe nor the Middle East), for that time period, or at least the closest as possible to it, is Three Kingdoms TW, which starts, IIRC, in 190 AD. But of course it would be a drastic change of scenario and cultural set, plunging you in the period of the many warrying kingdoms in China. But hey, you started in Asia, after all, he he he (and well, it's "History of Men").
The only possible other way is to keep playing Augustus, maybe with some modifications / roleplay by you.
Cheers.

[Fixiwee]

A Roman Mos Def mod? Sounds rather weird doesn't it? Jest kiddin' I ain't that stupid

Well, there isn't any mod that covers the height of the Roman Empire, unfortunately. Unless you wait for Restitutor Orbis, or Europa Barbarorum: Novus Ordo Mundi, which will cover from 80 BC to 180 AD (yeah... i'm waiting for those as well).
The only idea that occurs to me (but that implies not playing in Europe nor the Middle East), for that time period, or at least the closest as possible to it, is Three Kingdoms TW, which starts, IIRC, in 190 AD. But of course it would be a drastic change of scenario and cultural set, plunging you in the period of the many warrying kingdoms in China. But hey, you started in Asia, after all, he he he (and well, it's "History of Men").
The only possible other way is to keep playing Augustus, maybe with some modifications / roleplay by you.
Cheers.

Restitutor Orbis will take at least another year so that's not an option. EB:NOM seems to have potential but it only extends 40 years.
I will most likley lean on the real history including small modifications with a summerising update. I did that befor, but the timespan covered was much smaller. Not what I really want but it seems I don't have any options.

As for Three kingdoms; I'd have to take a look at it. I'm quite terrible with Asian rl history, but maybe I'll do a poll so people can decide if they want to see something like that.

Anyway, thanks for the information. Even though my problem isn't solved, that was exaclty that kind of response I was looking for.

[Agent007]

You're welcome! Good luck .

[Fixiwee]

“It was luxuries like air conditioning that brought down the Roman Empire. With air conditioning their windows were shut, they couldn't hear the barbarians coming.”
~Garrison Keillor
Caeso
(13 AD - 36 AD)

Ticinius – De vita Caesarum
The life of Caeso
(written between 100 and 140 AD)

Lucius, the brother of Caeso, is one of the most interesting person during the reign of the new Caesar. Arguably being the most competent general since Nero and Caesar himself, he loved to bring his men into battle whenever he could. For him war had a bittersweet taste; the brutal killing of other people and at the same time getting cheers of the Roman masses was something Lucius lived for.

Yet there was also something very odd about Lucius. For starters, he was stunningly incompetent when it came to dealing with business and politics. In all those years he attended hardly any sessions of the Roman Senate and if he did it was only when the Senate would declare war, which we know didn’t happen to many times during Caesos reign.

Lucius was simply put a very lazy man. A letter from Caeso to his friend Agrippa that I found in the Bibliotheca Octaviana revealed that during his stays in Rome Lucius slept till midday and liked to hunt wild animals outside of Rome with friends, rather then standing up before the break of dawn and getting things down like his brother. Lucius, loved by his soldiers and famed by the people for his victories, could have tried to take the power from his brother. But this thought never occurred to him, he was simply content with what he was, uninterested in politics and also, a fact that I have not written enough about, he loved and trusted his brother Caeso.


The Roman Empire, by Wolfgang Schreier, Bonn 2003


Caeso at the beginn of his reign.

Caeso was 38 years old when he succeeded his father Augustus as the Princeps of Rome. His biggest advantage was that his father left the position as the leader of Rome stable and secured and Caeso had no trouble following him. Additionally Caeso was also very popular with both the Senate and the people. He was charismatic, good looking, charming, rich and smart; an antique playboy through and through. While his reign would be largely uneventful Caeso’s reign was also stable and without any big scandals.


Bryzos, king of the Thracians

The first years nevertheless saw a few conflicts on the Roman border. During the whole reign the Balkans saw the most action. Caeso had inherited the problem with the Dacians and the Thracians. With the latter he dealt quickly. Bryzos was the king of the Thracian tribes, after the Romans had killed his father Byzas in 5 BC. Incidentally Caeso was one of the young leading officers in the battle against Byzas. Now, in 14 AD, Caeso ordered his brother Lucius, who was still one of the most brilliant Roman tacticians of the last decades, to conquer Thracia and kill Bryzos. And his brother delivered.


The battle of Seutopolis in 14 AD


Roman soldiers prepared for battle.


The Thracians used a mix of outdated Phalanx formations inspired by their Greek neighbours and more wild undisciplined warriors inspired by the Dacians.


Discipline versus furor.


Roman troops trapping a Thracian general.


The Romans eventually won the battle and Bryzos would later fall into Roman hands.


Nothing seemed to stop the Romans at that time...





After his victory over the Thracians Lucius returned to the Danube legions and fought off occasional attacks of the Dacians. But for the most part the Romans stayed on the defence against the Dacians. Caeso had little interests in expanding the empire, much to the mischief of Lucius.

This went so far that Lucius was asked to Rome by his brother in 20 AD. They held a conference that Lucius asked to be granted supreme commander of the Eastern legions with the mission to conquer Armenia, which were still rebellious against the Romans. Caeso did not like the idea because he knew that conquering Armenia would lead to the inevitable conflict with the mighty Parthian empire. But Lucius made an offering to his brother which he could not resist. He would publicly announce that neither he nor his sole son Herius would claim heirs to the princeps.

Lucius was a straight forward soldier. He had little interests in politics and dealing with the Senate. The only thing he lived for was battle and he had proven without a doubt that he was a genius in warfare. Yet he seemed to lived in the wrong time; a time when the Roman borders where secure and a new great general was simply not needed. His son Herius on the other hand seemed to be a bookworm, suffering from social anxiety disorder, with little interest in either politics or warfare. The offer was tempting because Caeso had three sons who seemed to be more capable in succeeding him. So at last the emperor agreed and Lucius was free to conquer Armenia.

The campaign started in 22 AD with Lucius marching into Armenia.


Lucius marching into Armenia.

The Roman army faced the Armenians at the battle of Apsilae in March.


While the Armenians were well equipped they had outworn themself in the previous conflicts against the Romans and were without strong leadership.


The balista is being prepared.


The heavy Armenian cavarly was one of the finest during that time.


But the Romans learnt to use light cavarly to harras the strong enemy cavalry.


Without strong leadership the Armenians quickly broke.


Soon the whole army was in flight.


Mounted Archers firing during the retreat.


Once again the Romans had won an overwhelming victory.

The victory at Apsilae opened up Armenia to Lucius. With the destruction of the main Armenian army the Romans met little reistance as they marched inland.


The route into Armenia. The battlesite is marked by an X. Afterwards Lucius met no resistance as he marched inland.

In August of the same year a Roman patrol captured the Armenian prinz Arkah, while the Armenian king Aram retreated to the southeastern corner of his empire at the city of Phraaspa. Still there was no resistance opposing Lucius and piece by piece, city after city he conquered Armenia. When he reached Phraaspa in early 23 AD the Armenian king Aram, a weak and unjust king if we are to believe the Roman sources, decided to commit suiced rather then being strangled in a triumph in Rome. With his death the Armenian kingdom ceased to exist and Lucius established the province Armenia.




While the Romanisation of Armenia would remain rather weak, we do however find traces of their empire, like here the tempel at Garni, modern day Armenia.

Lucius had hoped for a grand campaign in the that would make him famous like Alexander the Great or Caesar, who had both forged their fame in the East. But the Armenians were a weak opponent, after the Battle at the Tavanian hills during the reign of Augustus had ultimately weakend the Armenian empire and Lucius simply dealt the death blow.
He returned to Rome in 24 AD, was rewarded a triumph (with prince Arkah being executed) and hoped to return to the east. Lucius was now at his cenith of his fame and power. Caeso received Parthian emissaries that warned the Romans of further expansion to the east. Lucius hoped that his time had come, but his brother had little interest in further wars and expansions so he garantued the exotic emissaries that Lucius would stay away from the East and no legions would be posted to the Parthian border.
Lucius was devastated but he bent to his brother. He remained in Italy but mostly out of Rome living his life in a villa in Campagnia. He ceased to play any significant role since Caeso did not wage any further wars during his reign.

Caeso’s politics were focused on the domnestic area. He staged some minor administration reforms concerning the provinces. Among the most important one was that he increased the terms of service of the governeurs to five years. That way the governours didn’t have to be exchange every year, which was a tedious regulation preventing long-term work for any magistrate serving in a province.
The other important factor was that Caeso made the Praetorians, the personal guard of the emporer a permanent establishment of Rome with the prefect appointed directly by the princeps. In time the political power and importance of these Praetorians would grow, as we will see later.
Even though Caeso probably never heard about it, there was also another important event that would have long lasting effects to the Roman Empire. A Roman senator called Pontius Pilatus was serving governeur in Jerusalem from 26-36 AD. The cruxifiction of Jesus of Nazareth falls during this time period.

Caeso had a flamboyant character and he loved to decorate himself with expensive cloths. He made toga picta, a purple dress, the permanent vesture of the princeps. He vastly expanded the rather simple house of his father on the palentine into a palace.
At the same time Caeso made absolutely sure that he did not disgruntle the Senate and, much like his father, included the Senators in the political process. By actually spending more private money into public buildings he could convince the Senate and the people that he only ornamented himself with little money he had left.

Except the Armenian campaign between 22 and 23 AD and the occasional clash of arms against the Dacians the reign of Caeso was stable and uneventfull. This peaceful period was so sucesfull that the ancient historian Ticinus spends more time with gossip and rumours surrounding the roayal family (Caeso seemed to have had a long time relationship with a slave) because he has little to write else about.

Caeso had three sons, Sextus, Marcellus and Marcus (Germanicus) of whom he designated the oldest (Sextus) as his sucessor. Sextus was also appointed grand commander of the Danuebe legions where he earned the respect of his soldiers and the people.


1. Caeso, 2. Sextus, 3. Marcellus, 4. Germanicus (Marcus), 5. Marcellus Iratus

Caeso died at the age of 61 years in 36 AD.


In a nutshell Caeso tried to continue the balanced politics of his father, meaning that he ruled Rome as the Princeps while working together with the Senate.

[Marechal Ney]

Sorry if I'm missing something obvious, but can't you just change the end date in descr_strat?

That, although it wouldn't add in any period specific stuff, would solve the problem of not being able to continue...

[Fixiwee]

Sorry if I'm missing something obvious, but can't you just change the end date in descr_strat?

That, although it wouldn't add in any period specific stuff, would solve the problem of not being able to continue...

I guess it is a possible solution. I might do that, but there wouldn't be any battle screens because I dont want any anachronistic Roman LS soldiers marching around. And because of that I would make each update about the emporer rather short, focusing more on politics then on military expansion.

[High Chunker Greens]

YAY new update! I have been waiting for a long time for this, you never disappoint