Roman campaign recollections

[Dooz]

Ah, it's been a great 42 years (if the campaign began at 280 B.C. like I think it did). This has been probably the best campaign I've ever played, in terms of realism of expansion, battles and so on and so forth. The two lightly defended Epirote cities to the south fell easily after a few troops were trained and dispatched. After a few more years, eastern Sicily was mine and it seemed the Punic Wars might be at hand to take Lilybaeum. However, I chose to buy out the place, holding off war for another while. And so, the peninsula and Sicily were mine. To the north were the Gauls, who were busy trying to unify the tribes so my northern front was relatively safe.

After a few years of building up infrastructure to boost my economy, I built up a nice full legion of 5 hastati, 5 principes, 4 triarii, 2 velites, 1 archer, and 2 equites. Lead by a general, this would be the standard Roman army for years to come. I decided to send my legion to Africa instead of moving north on the mainland. While gathering my army, I sent a legion a spies to Africa only to find Carthago, the Carthaginian capital, very lightly defended to say the least. Better yet, not a single formidable Carthaginian army close enough to relieve the coming siege. And so my general landed on the north-eastern shores of Africa and lay siege to the capital. Now the Carthaginians are not stupid people as my historians would have you believe. They realzed the situation was dire and there was no win this war at the moment so within a few months of the siege, they sent a diplomat with an offer I couldn't refuse... but I could alter to my advantage a bit more. They offered a generous sum of denari as tribute for a good 6 years in return for peace. I accepted and left their lands... for now.

With nowhere else to go, I turned my attention to the barbarians up north. Taking the three towns was not a difficult task as the brunt of their forces were abroad. After seizing what I wanted, I offered peace which they were all too happy to accept. Meanwhile, another superpower was forging just across the sea to my east, the Macedonians. I had allied myself with them while we both grew in power, knowing fully well that in due time, there would be the inevitable clash of superpowers.

Now with all of the peninsula under my control, and the agreed time for recieving tribute from the Carthaginians almost over, I once again looked towards Africa for conquest. I now had two full legions, ready to be unleashed upon the world. Long story short (as my memory of these years is a bit hazy), I took the two islands to the west of Italy with a small expeditionary force and the two eastern cities of Carthage on the mainland. From there I launched some more attacks to take the next two cities to the west, and another to the south-east, which I planned to use as a bargaining chip for peace. As by this point my legions had taken considerable losses and Macedon had attacked and siezed Patavium (not to mention enslaved its populace), I could do with peace with Carthage. However, they were not compliant, having felt betrayed by me.. There was nothing I could do, I had to concentrate all my resources on the Roman mainland to deal with the encroaching Macedonians. Leaving what garrisons I could behind and a superior navy along the shores, I left for Rome to retrain my depleted legions. My southern and eastern borders in Africa were relatively safe as I was allied with both the Numidians and the Ptolemies. The defense of the two western cities near the Carthaginian forces would be up to the conquering general who took them and the levies trained there (and a certain diplomat with a pension for bribery).

Meanwhile a third legion had been in full production in Italy, with troops being trained and called up from up to 6 cities simultaneously. It was ready by the time my African corps arrived. Patavium was taken back in short order. Now the biggest war and biggest battles Rome had ever seen was here. Until now, it had been one key pitched battle here, a siege and surrender there. That was all in the past now. Macedon was a force unlike any other, with many capable generals and many full armies of deadly phalanx troops and flank support. For years, up until the current time, a stalemate has been raging along my eastern border. My legions attack and destroy a Macedonian army taking considerable losses and retreat to resupply. Another legion is attacked by a few armies within months and must retreat and resupply. It has been a war of attrition of the highest order, and I believe I'm winning. Recently I took a lightly guarded town just to the west, as a buffer zone and possible future bargaining chip, although there may not be much left to bargain with what with an exterminated populace and destroyed landscape. My spies report even more Macedonian armies coming from the south, and I say, "bring it on"!

In other news around the world, a wonderful thing has happened in that the Britons have invaded the mainland. In an amazing show of military prowess, they've taken two Gallic towns and are looking for more. The Iberians couldn't do away with the Carthaginian cities to the south, and turned their attention to the Gauls in the north whom they are destroying. And the Gauls just can't catch a break. Two rebel strongholds have held out since the beginning in the face of relentless attacks and sieges. With their forces depleting after every attack, you would think they'd be gone by now but they've really showed a tenacity and fighting spirit the likes of which I've never seen before. The Britons even tried to take one of them but were repelled. All Gaul really has now is the main stronghold in Vienna with a huge army and growing, while the rest of their towns are being taken by the Iberians, Britons and Macedonians.

There is so much more that is happening and has happened, it's wonderful. I wish I had started a more detaild report with images and everything earlier on while it was happening, it could have been great. I do have some shots of the fall of Patavium when the Macedonians first attacked. I had a general and a full stack of Rorarii, which are the only troops I use as garrisons. After a long siege, their numbers were pretty thinned out but they fought bravely against the numerically and militarily superior Macs, slaughtered to the last man. I could post some of those up if anyone wants. Also, I could put up a shot of the current state of the world with all the expansions and whatnot.

Anyhoo, I just couldn't go on playing this amazing campaing without letting something out so there you have it. It's not the ideal AAR with images and story and bells and whistles I would have liked, but it's something off my chest and onto your screen. G'bye folks, g'bye!

[Asiriya]

Pretty interesting
i know this is an old post, but if the campaign is still going, go ahead and continue the tale

[Taelok]

Yeah great post. Really reflects how I also feel about some of my campaigns. Very well written post Wonderland. If you're still around, please give us updates .