[RTR AAR] Strategikon: by Legio_Italica

[Lord Thesaurian]

Strategikon:

A story of the Greek Cities’ struggle for re-birth

Forward:

Salve cives! It’s been quite a while since I’ve been able to visit the forums on a regular basis, and months since my last AAR. So, I decided to get back in the action with a new one about my Greek campaign. I will be writing this story in the first person as a Greek officer, and I haven’t yet decided whether or not to have him die of old age or to continue telling the story. The first pictures are a bit sloppy and it may be a while in between updates, but hopefully you will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

-- Legio Italica

Book One: A Struggle for Survival

Chapter 1: Pyrrhus in Italy

Greetings. My name is Philip of Crete. The story I am about to tell is something of a memoirs I suppose. As captain of the Cretan hoplites I marched with the great Pyrrhus of Epirus all the way from my home to Italy and beyond. It has long been my interest to write down my story and those of my comrades for the ages and now I feel the time is now right. So now let the Muses be my guide as I faithfully record the past in order that it may not be forgotten by posterity.

In 270 BC the many Greek city-states had finally brought to heel the violence and corruption that had for centuries kept Greece in turmoil and allowed her to be grossly exploited by her neighbors. At last reason had prevailed and not only was peace established, but a new league had been founded under the mighty city of Sparta. Even then the city of Athens had bitter reservations about submitting to the rule of her arch-rival, but the growing hostility of Macedon to the north quieted her protests.

So it was that although Greece had finally united, old rivalries still threatened to boil to the surface. It was necessity that had brought us together, and this new League had a shaky hold at best over its constituents. A Supreme Council was formed by the bringing together of local councilmen from all of Greece, and though Sparta was head of the League the council refused to permanently reside there because of her barbaric reputation, choosing instead to meet there on a regular basis.

Soon after these matters were settled the state of foreign relations demanded the formation of a regular army and militia. Conscription quotas were passed to all Greek cities as well as minimum requirements for garrisons, weaponry and economic contributions to the League. It was then that I and 2,000 hoplites embarked from Crete to mainland Greece.

Upon arrival we were retrained in Sparta and awaited further orders. In southern Italy the cities of Croton and Tarentum urgently requested aid against the Italian cities and the Romans, who had been menacing trade and frontier villages there. King Pyrrhus of Epirus was given command of a new army that was to travel Italy and address the situation, my unit being among the conscripts.

When we landed in southern Italy we had little idea as to what our presence there would lead. We were tasked with the defense of Tarentum, Croton and the surrounding villages but plans quickly changed as the Romans and Macedonians became more and more aggressive.

A seasoned commander of legendary proportions and a veteran of numerous campaigns, Pyrrhus knew that to sit idly by and wait for the situation to worsen was nonsense. He ordered the hoplites from Croton and Tarentum to return to the defense of their homes and gave the rest of the army orders to prepare to move out the next day at dawn. And so we marched north into central Italy.

With mighty Indian elephants and professional troops from Rhodes and Crete we easily crushed the defiant cities of Paestum, Rhegium and Corfinium. Their leaders were executed and the populace brought to heel. Governors and magistrates were brought in from Greece to govern them, and levies were conscripted for their defense. Deeply impressed by our success, the Supreme Council awarded Pyrrhus autonomous command in Italy. They could have had little idea what he would do with such power.

Chapter 2: War with Rome and the Battle at Capua

Battle-hardened and impetuous, we were eager for another fight. We didn’t have to wait long, for word came via a Roman messenger that we were to return immediately to southern Italy at once or face the wrath of Rome. Incensed by such arrogance, Pyrrhus had the man buried alive in a heap of animal dung, saying, “It is you who shall return from whence you came, you worthless dog!” Thus in such dramatic fashion the League, or at least Pyrrhus, had declared war on Rome.

The Council was furious and there was even talk of expelling Pyrrhus and the state of Epirus from the League, but thankfully cooler heads prevailed, as such an action would have torn the fragile League to bits almost before it had been formed. Yet severe divisions remained in the Council and were it not for Pyrrhus being virtually independent of the Council’s direction our course of action would have been impeded in such a way that we may never have reached the heights of glory and conquest that fate had decreed for us.

Meanwhile Pyrrhus whom by now we had all affectionately taken to calling “Strategos,” was busy making plans of grandiose, and in the eyes of many downright mad, plans for the ultimate demise of Rome. A powerful city and republic, her legions were rumored to be some of the most unflinching and well-trained soldiers in the world. But this did not seem to deter our Strategos in the slightest. In a bold move, we marched on Rome’s second city, Capua. This long-time ally of Rome had been recently assimilated by the Republic, even as the rest of the socii rebelled. Indeed many of the cities and towns we had just conquered had once paid fealty to Rome. Divided and weakened by rebellion and internal strife, Pyrrhus judged correctly that now was the best time to strike Rome in the heart before she could raise her mighty legions against us.

We encircled Capua but did not make preparations for a full siege as word soon came that a Roman army of considerable size and strength was on its way. Apparently our arrival had been anticipated. We withdrew to a better position and made camp, still within sight of the city walls. Then we watched as the city garrison sallied and joined the Roman field army. And so we realized that we would now be facing a Roman army nearly twice our size. Yet we were no less confident of victory than before, and awaited their arrival anxiously.




After some skirmishing, the Italian auxilliaries charged my unit against orders, and the legions were forced to follow suit. This flustered engagement tipped the balance in our favor from the start, though we were still at a significant numerical disadvantage. The battle then began in earnest.



Because the Romans threw all their forces at us early, we were able to immediately work around their flanks, and the coup de grace was soon to come.





It was then that we demonstrated to the Romans the awesome might of our elephants.







Even as we watched in awful glee as the proud Romans were tossed dozens of feet into the air, some even being caught and skewered on the long pikes of the Epirot spearmen, I couldnt help but pity the poor bastards, and wonder if I could keep my nerve in the path of these horrific beasts



Soon the mighty Roman legions could not keep their resolve in the face of twenty-four thundering monsters goring and trampling their comrades by the hundreds. The Roman general was slain, and what was left of his army fled in terror.





We drove the Roman army before us like chaff in the wind, slaughtering almost as many in the persuit as we had in battle. Our victory was complete and total. We marched into Capua unopposed, taking another city in the name of a united Greece.

[Tony83]

Excellent read matey.

Would you like me to move this our After Action, Multiplayer and Custom Battle Reports forum?

[Pat89]

Cool

(I moved it already Tony)

[portu cale 64]

Nice work! Congratulations + rep

[basics]

Legio_Italica,

Good idea, so take time to describe the feelings of the men around you and of course you yourself as the personal side gets involved. Good hunting.

basics.

[Lord Thesaurian]

After the great victory at Capua we had expected the remainder of the Roman forces to muster at their beloved city and await us there. Instead scouts reported that the Roman army had regrouped with reinforcements to the north and was returning to Capua. This information came just hours before the legionary standards appeared on the horizon. We prepared for the worst.

Yet it seemed that the Romans were even worse siege engineers than tacticians. Every able-bodied soldier manned the battlements and prepared to hurl all manner of death from the walls as the legions readied their siege engines. But instead of organizing a siege as expected, the Romans encircled the city and set up camp in the most leisurely manner. When King Pyrrhus witnessed this astonishing display, he was puzzled. “Ha!” he chuckled, “Do these sons of Aeneas think that we, the mighty stock of Achilles and Odysseus, will cower behind these walls? Let us wait for the coming of night. Then we shall remind them who built the great wooden horse; who burned all of wretched Troy and lit up the night sky, even as their ancestors slumbered in the flames’ shadows, and who sent them fleeing across the sea like whipped curs to this god-forsaken land in the first place!” Pyrrhus believed himself to be another Alexander; the last of a long line of heroes. And standing there in the last rays of daylight, so fearless and confident, evoking such legendary names as Odysseus and Achilles as if they were old friends and comrades, we really began to believe that he was another Alexander, or even Achilles reborn. A mighty shout arose from the ranks. Never had an army been so visibly animated and of one accord. May the gods have mercy on those poor dogs who dared to challenge the sons of Greece!

It seemed that darkness could not come quickly enough. When it finally did we were ready and eager to sally. Still we had taken precautions so that the Romans would not catch on to our plans. False weapons had been left scattered on the wooden walls, no torches or fires were lit and some of the local militia were kept on patrol at all times. Then, when the time was right, we assembled outside the walls.

Every man in the army, even Pyrrhus himself, was present and all were stricken with a barbaric war fever. We crept within a few hundred yards of the Roman camp. Nyx himself must have hidden us in his shadow, for we expected at every minute to catch the eye of a sentinel or night watch detail, but no sound was heard. Then, in unison we lit our torches, let out a blood-curdling shout and fell upon the sleeping Romans like wolves upon wounded prey. Men were burned alive in their tents, slain in the thoroughfares and cut down into their own stools. We nearly ran wild in our murderous frenzy, looting anything of value and raping and slaughtering camp followers to the sounds of death and destruction. Over twenty thousand Romans, including several senators and both consuls, were utterly annihilated by fewer than ten thousand of our own soldiers in a matter of hours, and two legionary eagles were taken. By dawn nothing was left of the Roman camp but ruins, ash and corpses. Afterwards Pyrrhus immediately dispatched a messenger to Rome, where he delivered three gifts to a bewildered and dumbfounded Senate: The heads of the two Roman consuls – and a little wooden horse. Glorious...

[Sunbird Alkibijad]

Just read it. I think this a good start to a even better AAR

It's been a while since we two met in TWC at all, and now you've made up for the pause with this good read

Nice work man.
One suggestion - give us a bit more detail. And maybe some more protagonists and antagonists(god I hope I didn't say something stupid here )

[Lord Thesaurian]

oh no not at all. basics said something along those lines too. I've kept that in mind but was saving it more for the coming war with Mace. U know hoplite-vs-phalanx stuff. so far in all my battles Ive simply engaged the enemy and hit them in the flank with my eles. Mace will give me a chance to get into more "personal struggle" type stuff

[Sunbird Alkibijad]

That's one thing each mods for RTW need to work on. AI does not make much difference between faction specific units. They will use the specific unit's attack and all that, but in reality legions just won't be flanked by phalanx, unless phalanx troops overwhelm them by wast numbers...Eles proved almost completely useless vs Romans in history, they just butchered the poor beasts with javelins(with bee/wasp poison on the spear tips).

Hastati doing a frontal clash vs a unit with 10+m long spears...uh-huh...

But back to AAR, awaiting new update

[Lord Thesaurian]

Chapter 3: The Agroikoi of the North Descend

Enmity between the Greek cities and Macedon was by now common place, as it had been the common factor of relations between the two since before the days of Phillip and Alexander. But after the formation of the league and Pyrrhus’ successes in Italy, tensions quickly gave way to open hostility. King Astarichos of Macedon sent a message to the Council which stated the following:

Be advised, men of Greece. If I do not receive a message within the next ten days declaring your ultimate and unconditional surrender to my rule, I will invade Greece with a mighty host. And when – not if but when – I lay desolate and bare your cities and farms, I will build my own monuments in their place so that the world may never know that such a plague as you ever existed.


When this dreadful message was read to the assembly there was at first troubled whispers and murmurs, then shouts and curses as the delegates argued how to respond, and more importantly, how to prepare for the impending Macedonian invasion. The Macedonian army boasted as many as fifty thousand men in the field and thousands more in reserve, as opposed to the mere twenty thousand Greek hoplites and auxiliaries present on the mainland. It was not until recently that I learned of a proposal given to the Council in this dark hour to recall Pyrrhus to Greece. Even if this was done it would have been more of a request, as Pyrrhus had been granted autonomy in Italy and was therefore a virtual renegade, bound to the interests of the League only by his good word to support her. This and many other outrageous and desperate propositions were raised in commotion, only to be shouted down and countered with more of the same. It was not long before the Spartans took matters into their own hands.

Restoring order to the room by force, the Spartan kings rose and, after whisking off a defiant and bitingly laconic message to that pompous royal brat, dictated to the floundering councilmen their course of action: Warnings of the Macedonian threat were to be issued to all of the Greek cities. A scorched-earth policy would be implemented and all hoplites on the mainland were to return to the defense of their home cities. Macedon’s numbers could not be matched in the field and therefore the hope was that denying the marauding Macedonians sustenance in the field would force them to organize huge baggage trains to and from Macedon itself. These baggage trains would no doubt have to be heavily guarded against partisan attacks and local bands of guerillas, thinning the strength of enemy forces considerably. This highly volatile situation would then force the Macedonians to either wait for conditions to somehow improve, or to engage in long and costly sieges to try and force local cities to abandon the League and surrender.

If this bold and incredibly dangerous plan was unsuccessful, then the last hope an independent Greece was that Pyrrhus would be able to finish Rome and invade Illyria, thus putting pressure on the already over-extended Macedonian army to withdraw from Greece altogether.

While such a plan (indeed it was all complete madness to many – but then again the Spartans had always been downright loony in the eyes of other Greeks) was extremely risky, it possessed one decisive element that, if successful, would dramatically improve our chances of victory; a piece so ingenious it was only fitting that such an idea was that of a Spartan: Because the because the plan called for a scorched-earth policy and the mandatory garrisoning of all active hoplites, the Macedonian supply lines would be stretched thin and thus greatly endangered. With such a large army to supply and with supplies under serious threat, the Macedonian commanders would not have time to wait out long sieges and have only enough time to construct enough siege equipment to assault the walls. Because not just the League but their very homes and families were under direct attack, the besieged would be forced to stand and fight to the death, ensuring that the invader would pay dearly for every inch of ground gained. Through such measures it was hoped that the Macedonians would suffer crippling losses and be forced to withdraw. It seemed that the dreams of a united and independent Greece were dashed forever, but only one thing was sure: there would be a hard and desperate struggle ahead.

[Sunbird Alkibijad]

LOVELY JOBELY

Keep them coming and don't falter

[Lord Thesaurian]

Chapter 4: All Greece Under Siege

No sooner had the Council’s decree been put into effect than the barbarian hordes marched into Greece. Several armies under the command of King Astarichos’ best and most trusted generals invaded Greece and fanned out like a horrid Kraken. The Macedonians had come to conquer and rule, there was no question about that. Two great hosts, one under the command of Astarichos himself, and several smaller armies fell upon the cities of Greece with grim efficiency. Systematically, each army marched to its assigned city and prepared to assault the walls. In this fashion all Greece was besieged, with the exception of Sparta and Antegonea.

To make matters worse, reports came that Astarichos was marching on Athens with nearly seventeen thousand men. These were Macedon’s finest and under the command of their king, there was no doubt that they would be at their best no matter what the circumstances. All the men of Athens could do was pray to Athena that she would watch over her beloved city and hope that the Macedonians would assault the walls without delay as planned.

The hearts of all true Greeks were with the Athenians as the great army of Macedon surrounded the city. The Macedonians were showing signs of stress and wasted no time setting up camp and making preparations for the construction of various siege engines. This was a welcome sight and did much to raise the morale of the besieged. The Spartans appeared to be justified in their strategy after all.




When at last the great siege towers, ladders and rams had been assembled, the Macedonian horde fell into formation and advanced towards the walls under the cover of the early-morning fog. The Athenian hoplites and auxiliaries, numbering less than ten thousand, awaited their arrival anxiously. The fog came to be a problem as it was realized that the archers on the walls would not be able to effectively fire at the advancing Macedonian infantry, but Athena was indeed looking after her people, and the fog began to lift and then disappeared altogether just as the enemy had come within range.



The defenders then unleashed a firestorm upon the enemy. In their massed phalanxes the Macedonian levies took quite a beating before ever reaching the walls. Once they did, the archers on the walls lit their missiles and burned the enemy rams and siege towers to the ground, many of which were full of men ready to storm the walls. In such a way nearly a quarter of the Macedonian forces were wiped out before the real fight had begun.



Even so, the barbarian horde was so vast that it simply regrouped and brought up more ladders. The archers, being out of ammunition, were powerless to stop their advance and were cut down when the walls were stormed by the Macedonian infantry. The walls were lost and the enemy came pouring through the main western gate. It would seem that the Athenian commanders had anticipated the loss of the gates, and had placed the bulk of the hoplites in a giant square, ready to receive the unsuspecting barbarians. Being surrounded and exhausted, the Macedonians were devoured by this horrid meat grinder. Still, more and more came, and more and more were slaughtered, but it was not until the walls were retaken and the towers began firing into the densely packed enemy infantry that they were utterly annihilated.



Astarichos escaped, but his army had been destroyed. Good Greek courage and skill had laid low these agroikoi, and it would not be the last of them either. Over the course of the League’s war with Macedon, Athens was attacked eight more times, and all eight times the defenders routed the attacking armies, which were often two to three times their size – or greater, and sent them fleeing into the hills. Surely Athena is proud of her city.

[Zorgh]

This is not to in any way ruin your ARR, but i know that all the team read this.

The year 280BC or 473 AB


Greece

• Pyrrhus makes an alliance with Ptolemy Keraunos, King of Macedon. This allows him to go to southern Italy with his army.
• The Achaean League is reformed by twelve towns in the northern Peloponnesus and will later grow to include non-Achaean cities. It has two generals, a federal council with proportional representation of members and an annual assembly of all free citizens. The League achieves a common coinage and foreign policy and the member cities pool their armed forces.
• Rhodes, rising in prosperity, becomes head of an Island League and helps to keep the peace and freedom of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
• The Colossus of Rhodes is completed by the sculptor Chares of Lindos after twelve years' work. It becomes one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Colossus of Rhodes is a giant statue of the Greek god Helios. It stands 70 cubits tall, over 30 metres (100 feet), making it the tallest statue of the ancient world.
• There was no Macedon Greek war , in fact they was all pinned down by a huge gallic army Bremmos had invaded 3 huge citys around Macedon.
• And was now going down to attack all of greek main land , with an army of 64.000men and some 12000 cav. it took more then 1 year with Macedon and greek armys working together to beat them back.

And the year after he came back with an army that count 154000 men 12400 heavy cav 24800 light cav..

Again Greeek and Marcedon worked together to face them off.

This is fact taken from wikipedia.org

same goes with what hold the Romans back from taken the north of Italy, also huge gallic armys , they also attacked citys in Italy years after with huge armys.

People like to focus on the Greek Marcedon Romans.

And forget the fact that the gallic tribes.
Did to the ancient world what other tribes did later.
Not before year 225 BC was Rome so strong , that it was able to take the war back to the gallic tribes ,After some huge battles they took the north.

In the RTR platinum 2 of the citys that Callic tribes own was is right places.
But they had not reel armys, and Marcedon quickly took all greek Dacia.

So is it posible to build in forced peace ? forced wars.

Or is it all going to be about balance , witch again have nothing to do with what was real.

Ps: I do not know where the right place is to post this .. so just move it there.

[Lord Thesaurian]

Well this is not a historical AAR, just a "report" on my campaign in the game. The whole League idea was implemented simply to make gameplay as a single greek faction more feasable and make the story flow better

[Tony83]

Well, I for one am finding your story fascinating. This game is as much about creating history as following it slavishly, and I think you are doing a great job matey.

[Sunbird Alkibijad]

This is not to in any way ruin your ARR, but i know that all the team read this.

Well, that's probably what you are doing with such post
If you're lazy to look closely check in the adress above this topic, and you will see "Rome: Total Realism(RTR). Click on that one, and find a proper topic to post in it.

Ps: I do not know where the right place is to post this .. so just move it there.

You move it

Good work btw Legio, keep it up.
Is the RTR 7.0 out yet, or whichever version was being worked on during spring/summer(i started losing track of all them mods progress)

[Tony83]

Work on FOE is nearing completion matey and its release is very close.

[Sunbird Alkibijad]

Nice

So does this mean Rome is no more, or it's just the city that's fallen, and Rome as faction still kicking?

[Lord Thesaurian]

She has one settlement left, but she finally dies... soon

[Lord Thesaurian]

Chapter 6: Troubles with Carthage

The mighty civilization of Carthage was a Greco-Phoenician naval power with a long and proud history. An ancient enemy of Rome and an aggressive colonial power, she had grown extremely wealthy through maritime trade and international commerce. Hers was an industrious and hardy people who were comprised mostly of merchants, farmers and other wealthy landowners. As a result of her legendary wealth and naval might she was able to depend mostly on mercenaries to fill her ranks, with citizens serving on a voluntary basis. She had a long-standing trade relationship with Greece and Greek colonies and was thought to be on good terms with most of the Greek cities. Indeed, Carthage itself could be considered a glorified city-state, similar to Athens in the years following the war with Persia. But alas, the situation began to deteriorate when the League was formed; perhaps because she grew wary of the power of a united Greece, but the main reason for her hostility towards the League was that the change in the balance of power had significantly hindered her trading interests in the area. A united Greece under a single, central government was much harder to manipulate than a hodge-podge of squabbling city-states and colonies.


Relations between the League and Carthage had grown tense over recent years but diplomacy officially broke down when Carthage began to expand aggressively in Sicily, aggression which finally resulted in an army of Carthage laying siege to the Greek city of Messana. This was an international outrage was completely unprovoked and a fine way to show Carthage’s appreciation for years of effort by the League to preserve the mutual respect and free trade between the two nations. The attack on Messana became a powerful rallying cry of the Greek world, and the cities of Croton, Tarentum and Syracuse were quick to send aid to the besieged. The Carthaginians did not realize it, but by their despicable and rash act they had let slip a great floodgate which even they would be powerless to stop.

Even with the combined forces from Tarentum, Croton and Syracuse, the Carthaginian army was a formidable foe. With mighty African elephants, hardy Libyan and Spanish mercenaries, and swift and deadly cavalry from the deserts of Numidia, the Carthaginians left the siege at Messana and marched forth to meet the Greek army, even as it was marching to the aid of the city.



The Greek forces under the command of Pheidon, captain of the Syracusian hoplites, formed up lines near Messana and observed the Carthaginian advance. The enemy had scarcely arrived upon the field when they sent forth their terrible elephants, apparently assuming that the mere presence of the beasts would frighten the Greek army into withdrawing.



But these elephants are an extremely temperamental lot, and when they came under fire from the Rhodian slingers and Syracusian peltasts, they panicked and turned back on their own lines.



Undeterred, the Carthaginians sent their Spanish cavalry into the nearby would to drive off the Greek cavalry and fall upon the exposed flank of the Greek skirmishers. Having placed another unit of cavalry in hiding to the rear of the Spanish cavalry, Pheidon himself led an ambush against the enemy, routing them completely.

Having failed in their attempt to rout the Greek cavalry, the Carthaginian commander Abydos Olisipo ordered the Libyan infantry to engage the Syracusian hoplites. Armed in the hoplitic fashion, the Lybians were a peculiar sight to the Syracusians, who proceeded to give their foes a lesson in proper martial technique.



Pressing the Greek hoplites into a deep bowl, formation, the Libyans were exposed to devastating missile fire by the Greek auxiliaries.




In desperation, the Olisipo charged into the fray with his bodyguard of the legendary Sacred Band. But his efforts were too late to salvage the situation, and he was slain. Seeing their commander lying dead upon the field, the whole Carthaginian army panicked and fled in terror.



They were pursued and slaughtered by the Greek cavalry. The day belonged to the heroes of Syracuse.