Europa Feelerorum
Was playing this huge battle on EB as Romani, year 245BCE, maybe the next to last battle to finally defeat the Epirote faction.
Background:
They only have two full stacks now, I control their former capital and the next settlement, previous three turns I conquered Segestica(sp?) so they are surrounded on Illirya and have one full stack barricaded in their only settlement and another just outside it commanded by the faction heir.
I only have two stacks total, my entire army mostly; neither of them are full, neither of them out of the extraordinary. One of them, the strongest (3x hastati, 3xprincipe 2xpedites extraordinary, 1xTriarii, 2xMerc iphikrates phalanx 2x merc medium makedonia cav, 1x Equites 1xGeneral) is on a fort commanded by this promising young general, its on striking distance of the last Epirote city. I doubt I can take bot their armies with it though so I devise a plan:
With my second army stationed at Segestica I will lure the standing Epirote army away from the capital and promptly destroy it with my strongest army.
So I go, on autumn I deploy one general to Epirote territory together with a small band of Merc gallic infantry and a couple of elite italian cav and build a fort. The general and the cavalry go out the fort, the gallic infantry stays. Then on winter, the standing Epirote army takes the bait and moves away from the city to besiege the allied gallic fort.
Time to move my stronger army near this poor Epirus army so I do. Due to winter movement restrictions though I cannot reach it in one move so I have to conform to camp near them and hopefully they will not besiege this new threat.
By next spring this Epirus army stops besieging the Gallic fort but still stays there.
I make my move, I strike with the small cav army, my main army and the gallic allies impatient to see blood again join in. Now this Epirote army comprised mostly of Illiryian levies, some normal hoplites and weak cavalry has to face a three front battle:
Main strike comes from my strong army, manual reinforcements are the cav army and the gauls are given free command.
So it starts, beautiful scenery thanks to RS2 environments but bad deployment for me since I am given the lower part of mountainous area, there's a plateau there in the middle of the battle ground, I have to seize it fast to meet the enemy army. Both my reinforcements come in at the back of the enemy.
I choose to keep the quincunx formation given and rush to the plateau as is doing the Epirote enemy, I arrive first and take on their charge, weak charge at it. Soon after, first Romani line stops defending and goes on attack, General and cavalry rush to their right side and engage some skirmishers and low tier spears. They retreat after initial charge, enemy commander sees this threat and joins in, Roman general and cavalry attack again to the Epirus General.
Meanwhile Reinforcements have arrived, main battle line now a huge mess almost all my units engaged, Triarii waiting back of the line not impressed. Cav reinforcements are given the signal to attack straight at the back of the enemy. They are met on their way by an hoplite unit, they don't care and keep charging, some Epirote units already have broken, Cavalry charge coming from the high mountains to the back of the enemy's right flank (my left flank) is a sight to be seen, most wonderful charge I've seen. Its now too much for the enemy, Epirote heir is killed around the same time, mass rout follows, drunken gallic warriors finally make presence to chase routers.
Enemy army destroyed, about 2300+ of them, just 300+ casualties for us.
Then CTD.
If it hadn't been such an awesome battle that I would love to repeat I would have been very mad. Everything from its conception on the campaign map to the battle itself was so satisfying I loved every part of it.
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