Rome Total History: Action Reports

[Philadelphos]

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THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE chapter VI
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10. The Roman-Massaliote War

The alliance with Carthage was certainly a diplomatic error, because the next turn the Roman Republic declared war, opening the hostilities with a blockade of the port of Rhodes. Although he had only one ship, the Roman admiral Tiberius proved quite able and the Rhodian commander Pamphilidas had to face him three times before he finally rid the Aegean of the Roman presence.

The most dangerous situation was however in Gaul, where Protis had just started to consolidate his position. The Romans advanced with highly superior forces anihilating a small detachment of hoplite militia in the Alpes. When Protis learned about the dangerous approach, he decided that his only chance for survival was an immediate attack on Arausio, where the Romans had only a small force of Hastati and Ligurian Hillmen under the command of two generals.

11. The Bridge of Arausio

Since Protis was out of reach in Narbo, he ordered his son-in-law to take the offensive with all he could afford. Gelon resolved to leave only a unit of peasants to guard Massilia, and after putting all the militias in his ships he sailed up the Rhodanus until they reached the bridge of Arausio. Here he placed his men on the bridge and laid siege to the city. To give him more support Protis sent all the cavalry at his disposition in Narbo.

The Romans however were not inclined to suffer the siege and while Gelon was still preparing his rams he was suddenly attacked by a Roman relief force. Fortunately the Massaliotes had the river to protect them. Gelon placed his phalanx at the end of the bridge and the milita cavalry and the slingers behind them, waiting for the enemy. Thanks to this disposition the Romans, although superior in number and quality, stood no chance. One of the Roman generals was killed on the bridge and the other one escaped to Arausio where he shared the same fate only a day later, when Gelon took the town.

[~Asukav of Epirus~]

Well I leave here some screens of my campaign with Epirus Easy/Medium, later I'll make a more difficult one but right now I was testing the mod.

My empire so far, the slaughter of the roman generals was sooo cool whahaha, after capture and destroy everything in Capua, my income increased:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

And Rome its the next to take and destroy then I'm going to conquer Greece, just wanted to weaken the romans enough to dont have the risk of an roman counterattack.
Btw the texture of the city wall its like that because some personal mods i have... forget completely remove that.

Cheers ^^)/

[Philadelphos]

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THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE chapter VII
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12. The Battle of Arausio

While this happened in Arausio, the Roman general Lucius Licinius Lucullus approached with a strong army of highly professional soldiers including a number of mercenaries from Helvetia and Liguria. At the end of the turn they had reached Aquae Sextiae and Gelon had now the problem to defend two cities with only one insufficient army. He resolved the dilemma by leaving only a small force in Massilia and Arausio and putting his main force on the ships waiting in the port of Massilia.
Lucullus resolved to besiege Arausio, with two units of excellent Hastati, a gladiator unit, two Ligurian Hillmen, a Helvetian Phalanx and a squadroon of Noricene Cavalry. Seeing the superior quality of the enemy, Gelon started to doubt the chances of his troops, but since there were 320 militia recruits in the city, he decided to collect all the troops he could get and attack the enemy from the rear. In the very last moment Protis reached him on the bridge of Arausio and then the two commanders gave the signal.

There was a bit of snow beyond the river, but the Massaliotes managed to gain the higher ground. There they took a long rest, waiting for the reinforcements from Arausio to arrive. Fortunately Lucullus lacked initiative, because he sent only the Helvetians to intercept the militias, but since the enemy was too slow they luckily came through. Protis placed them in a second row to reinforce the first line. He had now seven militias, two hoplites, a Barbarian horde and some Aquitanian swordmen, plus two cavalry militias, a Barbarian cavalry and 34 Ligurian slingers. In numbers the Greeks were twice the Romans, but the bookmaker bar had them almost equal.

The first to advance were the cavalry militia. Together with the Ligurians they almost halved the hastati. The enemy had the 120 Helvetians on the right and the Noricene Heavy Cavalry a bit behind on the left. The Massaliote line advanced downhill and Protis decided to concentrate his efforts against the enemy's left flank, where the Noricene waited. He ordered the phalanx to advance against the hastati and the Barbarian horde against the Ligurians behind them. In this way he exposed them to an attack by the Noricene and therefore he held all his cavalry ready on the same side and ordered one militia to move against the Noricene and protect the Barbarians.

Strange enough the Noricene stood just there waiting for the militia to arrive. Even when they had the chance they never took a shot at the Barbarians. When the militia engaged Protis feared for their inexperience. So he sent his Barbarian cavalry to wheel around and followed with Gelon. But when the cavalry arrived most of the work had already been done and the Noricene were easily dispersed. They were a complete disappointment and the militia had taken only two casualties.
In the meantime the Barbarian horde had made good progress against the Ligurians and the gladiators had taken flight. Seeing his hastati in trouble, Lucullus charged with his bodyguards, dircetly into the Greek spears! One militia and the mercenary hoplites were put to flight, but the other militias easily filled the gap. Only the Aquitanians on the left had a hard time to prevent the Helvetians from interfering.

Having reached the rear of the enemy Protis and Gelon charged from behind, together with the Barbarian horde. When Lucullus was slain, his hastati despaired and the rest was hunting down the fugitives. The last to run were the Helvetians who had been of little use. The battle would have been much harder if Lucullus had placed them in the center with the Hastati and the Ligurians to protect their flanks.

13. Stopping the Romans

After the battle Gelon went back to Massilia, where he built two forts at Tolo Martius and Aquae Sextiae, to protect his capital. The next summer the enemy sent two more armies to besiege Arausio and Aquae Sextiae, but since they were smaller than the previous one, Gelon and Protis had no particular problem rejecting them. Another officer, Gnaeus Antonius, was killed at Arausio. Massilia looks quite safe now and it appears that the Romans have suffered a major setback on their way to world domination. Their troops are still by far the best around, but the Greeks in Southern Gaul have proven that they are not invincible.

Meanwhile news from Sicily had arrived that an eruption of the Aetna has destroyed the beautiful town of Naxos. The population in Katane and Messana has also suffered a number of casualties. The people in Hellas, who were enjoying a period of peace, decided to collect a decent sum of money for their Sicilian allies.

Two years after the battle of Arausio Pytheas made his triumphant return to Massilia. On his way up the Liger and down the Rhodanus he had witnessed the Gauls besieging Vesontio and Lugdunum, but it don't seem that they made much progress.
His captain Euthymenes is still missing. Last news arrived from Burdigala that he was approaching the Cantabrian coast, when he was attacked by pirates and driven about on the unknown ocean.


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Watch out for the next installment: RTH 1.6 will be out within 24 hours and it has huge news!
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[Stath's]

Very nice!

[Philadelphos]

Here is the download page for Rome Total History (latest version): http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...d-Installation

[Philadelphos]

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THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE chapter VIII
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13. King Pyrrhus' Death

The following years not much happened. When Philinus of Acragas reached the major age, the people of Agrigentum ousted their old tyrant. Phintias agreed to go into exile in Massilia, but he died during the voyage.

Then came the successful offensive of the Romans in Magna Gracia, where Publius Cornelius Sulla captured first Croton and then Rhegium. The outcome at Rhegium was a surprise, because king Pyrrhus was quite confident before the battle. But when he lost his life due to a stupid incident in the streets, his army lost courage and Sulla entered the town. Every living soul in Greece and Sicily mourned the great king's death, but it must be said that he held out much longer than anyone would have expected.

The Romans then turned north again to attack the fort at Aquae Sextiae. Gelon fought several battles, all victorious. Most of the time the enemy sent small detachments, but two encounters were quite tough.

14. New Leaders for Massilia

The Massaliotes still lacked governors for Narbo and Arausio, and thus the Synodos in Aegion decided to send two leaders, one from Achaea and one from Athens. It was a very dangerous voyage through the Ionian Sea, but they were lucky to reach Agrigentum, where the Massaliote fleet was already waiting to escort them further. En route they made a short stop in Sardinia. They tried to do the same in Corsica, but the western coast of that island offered no useful harbor. They reached Massilia just in time to witness the triumphant return of Euthymenes from the Cantabrian Sea. He had sailed as far as Mauretania and then returned through the columns of Herakles.

With the reinforcements from Achaea the Massaliotes are now planning to conquer Corsica as a useful stepping stone from Sicily to Gaul.


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RTH 1.6 is out! Download here: http://dfiles.eu/files/nek4vt0rv
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[Philadelphos]

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THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE chapter IX
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15. Rising Empires

In the meantime war is going on in other parts of the world. Tha Carthaginians are quite successful in Spain and Africa. They have taken Saguntum and Leptis Magna and now they are approaching even Cyrene and Ammonion. The Numidians are not doing bad and they have taken Hippo Regius and Tingis. Even the Spanish tribes can be satisfied, since they have united northern Spain and annexed Burdigala.

The Egyptians have been extremely successful. First they got Halicarnassus, Damascus and Napata, but their offensive continues on all fronts and recently they have conquered Ephesus, Meroe, Palmyra and even Iathrippa. Their empire in the Aegean Sea and Asia Minor is becoming a serious threat to the neighbors. And if their expansion towards Mesopotamia continues, Ptolemy III might soon dine at Babylon, just like in real history. Currently the Egyptians are clearly the strongest empire of the world, with Carthage and Rome in second place.

The Seleucid Empire is doing very bad. They have lost Antioch to a surprise attack by the Armenians. The Armenian marauders are all over the place in Syria and it dont seem as if the Seleucid could ever get it back. This means their empire is cut in two parts. They still got three provinces in Asia Minor and they are holding on to Sidon, too.

The Mauryans have expanded into Arachosia and Drangiana, but they have lost Gandhara, probably to an uprising. The Parthians are doing as supposed, eating parts of the Seleucid Empire in the east. They have built a powerful kingdom and they might reach Babylon even before the Egyptians. The Scythians have taken Paropamisos.

The Kingdom of Pergamum has grown and now it comprises not only Phrygia, but also Lysimacheia on the Hellespontus. My Byzantines had been planning to take that town, but they waited too long for help from Mytilene and so they lost the occasion. Now the conquest has been done by a Spartan task force which migrated past Corinth and Athens over the Cyclades into Asia Minor and from there to the Hellespontus. It resembles Lysander's move during the Peloponnesian War against Athens. Well, Lysander used a fleet, but I'm afraid the computer will never learn to do that, though with the land bridges it works as well.

Macedon didn't make any progress for a very long time, but now they have finally conquered Paionia and Boeotia. The Illyrians are inoffensive. The only obvious expansion for them is Apollonia and this has been conquered by Epirus. They rarely take Siscia. Dardania and Moesia are full of rebels.

Besides the accelerated collapse of the Seleucid Empire and the poor performance of Macedon and Thrace, all other factions are doing pretty much as expected. The Greek Cities are lucky that Hellas has remained peaceful so far.

16. The War with Gaul

While this happened in other parts of the world, two Gallic leaders carried out a sneak attack on Narbo. When the news arrived at the other courts, Carthage, Epirus and Illyria refused to respond and broke their alliance. The Greeks were on their own again.

The commander of Narbo, Polyxenidas of Rhodes, however had no difficulty to drive the attackers back. The next year a bigger army arrived from Tolosa and was again defeated in the plains of Narbonensis.

But then Lucius Antonius led a strong army from Helvetia to besiege Arausio.

With the Romans arriving from the east and north and the Gauls from the west, the situation in Massilia and Southern Gaul was getting really uncomfortable and the Greek council would have liked to enter some peace talks. Unfortunately the Romans would not agree to a ceasefire unless Massilia ceded Arausio and became a protectorate.


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RTH 1.6 is out! Download here: http://dfiles.eu/files/nek4vt0rv
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[Philadelphos]

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THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE chapter X
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17. The Romans in Sicily

In the meantime the Romans conquered Raetia in the north and Messana in Sicily. King Hieron II. is still holding out in Syracuse, but he has a strange strategy, leaving the better part of his army in the field instead of defending the almost impregnable walls of his city. All of Greece is quite worried about the destiny of Syracuse. And if the mighty city falls, the next step for the Romans would certainly be Agrigentum.

To reinforce the position in Sicily (and maybe try to conquer Corsica), the Achaean Synodos decided to send two more leaders to the west. They luckily arrived in Sicily, but during the return journey the fleet (two beautiful trihemiolias) was lost, suffering a crushing defeat by the Romans.

18. The Battle of Mons Ventosus

Due to the nature of the terrain, Gelon of Alexandria, stationed in Massilia, was unable to relieve the besieged city of Arausio. Thus he sent an army around on the western bank of the Rhodanus to cross the river at the ford north of the besiegers and cut them off from their supply lines.

Hearing that help was on the way, the commander of Arausio, Eurykleides of Athens, renewed the spirit of his men. He tried a sortie, hoping to add the newcomers to his own men. Unfortunately however they didn't arrive in time for battle and so he was alone, facing a far superior force in number and quality. Eurykleides tried to exploit his superiority in cavalry and even rode out in the center of the battlefield to personally challenge the enemy commander. But the Romans manouvered very well and Lucius Antonius kept his Principes close for cover. When the Greek and Iberian cavalry had finished their ammunition, Eurykleides retreated behind the walls. He had lost some 40 cavalrymen, while the Romans had about 60 casualties.

Knowing better the strength of the enemy, Gelon decided to move out himself. On the right bank of the Rhodanus he hired more mercenearies and added them to the relief force, with orders to attack the enemy from behind. This time the forces were more balanced since Eurykleides sallied again, adding his men to the fight.

The battle was fought at the lower reaches of Mons Ventosus north of Arausio. The enemy, still superior in the quality of his infantry, was caught between two armies. But Lucius Antonius had taken a strong position on the edge of a deep forest.
The Greek commanders opened hostilities sending their cavalry in advance, to do their work with the javelins. The Romans suffered their first casualties and Eurykleides personally routed a force of mercenary peltasts.

Meanwhile the northern army advanced in close formation with three units of archers and a few slingers behind, but the enemy had good shelter from the trees. Since the relief force approached quite slowly, the sallying army from the south came in close contact with the enemy, before the archers had done their work with the bows. Eurykleides had only two militia phalanxes, and the Roman Principes easily put them to rout. This was the crisis of the battle, since Eurykleides' entire force took to flight, excluded only the Iberian cavalry.

At this point however the northern army had finally reached the edge of the forest, and after a hard fight the Romans were routed. Lucius Antonius excaped with some 150 men to Taurasia.


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RTH 1.6 is out! Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/cg...5w/RTH_1.6.rar
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[Philadelphos]

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THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE chapter XI
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19. The Battle of Nemausus

The next summer the Haeduans and Averni assembled a huge army to invade Gallia Narbonensis. Led by Diviciacus the Haeduan and Convictolitavus the Vergobret, they encamped near the fort of Nemausus, while another army coming from Tolosa besieged the city of Narbo. Gelon collected his best troops from Massilia and Arausio and led them to meet the enemy east of Nemausus.

The Gauls had over 1033 men, and the Greeks 1280 with a superiority in cavalry and archers. Gelon used his skirmisher cavalry in front of the line to create a protective barrier, thus buying the time for the archers to do their work with the bows. The Gauls tried their usual assault tactics against the Greek flanks, but in reality they never stood a chance and died by the hundreds under the rain of arrows. Diviciacus escaped with only 50 men, mostly his guards who never entered into battle. The Greeks had 110 casualties.

After the battle Gelon sent his cavalry to relieve Narbo, and there was another battle with very few Gauls returning to Tolosa. The Greek victory couldn't have been more complete.

Massilia in RTH 1.6:


20. The Synodos in Aegion

Despite the good news from Massilia and some minor naval victories over the Romans, the Achaean counselors at the Synodos were all but satisfied with the global situation. Many concerns were expressed regarding the critical situation in Sicily and the naval war. The most serious worries however derived from the financial situation. The new fleet, the large army in Gaul and the exaggerated number of leaders in the Peloponnese had increased the cost for the military to a point that the surplus was reduced to only 3.500 pieces per turn. If the trend continued and the Romans blockaded more ports, soon there would be no more money for the maintenance of the fleet.

During the secret council of the Synarchy all options were discussed, even the inconfessable. Finally it was decided to make an extraordinary effort for the improvement of the ports of Piraeus and Rhodes. Second, the generals in the Peloponnese should do something for their money and try to annex Gortyn in Crete. Third, at the first occasion, the Massaliote army should be employed to take Corsica.

There were other ideas, more audacious or more desperate, as some might say, but for the moment it was decided to avoid new wars until the incumbent were concluded.

The political institutions of the Achaean League:

[Philadelphos]

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THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE chapter XII
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21. The Cretan Disaster

A plan for the invasion of Crete was quickly drawn up and the necessary army hastily assembled in Argos. The voyage from Lerna seemed a small step, but the expedition started in the worst possible manner, when the fleet encountered a Roman ship off Kydonia. Since the Romans appeared far inferior, the Greek admiral gave order to attack, only to harvest a crushing defeat. During the chaotic retreat the fugitives encountered another Roman fleet, this time even stronger. To counter the risk for the expedition force on board, the admirality sent every available ship from Methone, Piraeus and Rhodes. These helped to land the army near Kydonia, while the generals for a lack of initiative stayed on board.

The next turn the navy did an excellent job, defeating all Roman attackers, but the expedition was doomed when the Cretan leader Philon the Cnossian attacked the landing party before the Achaean generals had reached them on the Cretan soil. Without the competent leadership of Margos and Chremonides the battle of Kydonia spelled complete disaster. The Tarantine mercenary cavalry was annihilated and other units lost two thirds of their effectives.

The return of the beaten army to the Piraeus was a sad view, quite exactly the contrary of what the generals needed to raise the population's confidence in their capacities.

22. The Salluvian Uprising

The following winter there was a dangerous uprising of Celtoligurian brigands north of Massilia, mostly from the Salluvii, Albici and Vocontii tribes. Gelon had no difficulty in reducing the rebellion, but one excellent unit of Veneti mercenary archers, arriving from Arausio without any cover by hoplites, was attacked by the rebel cavalry and almost completely annihilated.

23. The Battle of Aleria

In the meantime Cycliadas of Achaea had reached Corsica, which was defended by Hostus, the son of the Sardinian rebel Hampsicora. To be on the safe side, Cycliadas hired some more mercenaries and then attacked the town which had no fence or wall. Lacking experience as a general, Cycliadas thought that it was a good idea to send his militia cavalry in advance to harass the enemy from a secondary street, while the hoplites advanced towards the plaza. In the narrow streets the cavalry found it hard to coordinate their skirmish and rushed directly into the enemy infantry taking their first casualties.

Cycliadas had predicted that Hostus would attack them with his bodyguards and to counter this he kept his own bodyguards ready in a side road. When Hostus rushed forward to chase the militia cavalry, Cycliadas promptly intervened and took him in the flank. The ensuing melee however didn't go as expected and the rebels were having the better part of it. Cycliadas now called his militia cavalry in support, but when the enemy infantry arrived both cavalry units were routed.

The remainders of the militia cavalry took the way out of town, but Cycliadas' bodyguards grew completely headless and fled towards the plaza where they rushed directly into a compact formation of spearmen.
The Greek soldiers witnessing the scene gasped, thinking that their general was as good as dead, but somehow Cycliadas and five of his companions managed to make their way across the plaza into safety behind their own phalanx.

Free of his adversaries, Hostus now took the same side road in opposite direction, to attack the Greek skirmishers in their flank. Feeling secure behind the phalanx in the narrow street, these men had been harassing the enemy with their javelins and stones, but now they were in extreme danger. Fortunately there was a harbor guard from Massilia mixed among the others and thanks to their numerical superiority the Greek skirmishers resisted the cavalry attack. Hostus did some serious damage, but ultimately he was thwarted and slain. After the death of their commander the rebels on the plaza were soon conquered.

The conquest of Corsica was however a big disappointment under various aspects, since the town of Aleria was very small and it would take several years before a harbor offered more safety and prosperity. The Massaliotes even considered to send some peasants as settlers to accelerate the process.

[Philadelphos]

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THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE chapter XIII
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24. The Conquest of Gortyn

Hearing the news from Corsica, the Achaean generals in Athens were keen to make up for their previous failure and assembled a new army to invade Crete. This time they disembarked without any disturbance all together near Cydonia. The Cretan defenders were expecting them south of Mount Ida, but Margos and Chremonides resolved to take the northern road to attack the Cretan capital.

The main force of the defenders hurried in support of the garrison, but they had a hard way up from the coast to the high plain of Gortyn. The Achaean attackers took the plaza before Philon the Cnossian was even near. Afterwards a phalanx placed in the narrow access held the enemy off from entering the city. The battle was over before the Cretan main force was able to engage.

Crete was a useful addition to the Achaean League as the port offered a safe haven on the way to and from Rhodes. The balance sheet felt the impact too and the surplus reached now almost 7000 gold pieces per turn.

A year after his conquest of Crete Margos of Ceryneia died peacefully in his bed in Gortyn. His successor as Strategos of the League was Aratos of Sicyon, while Gelon the Conqueror was elected Hipparch.

25. The Battle of Leontini

Meanwhile the Romans intensified their offensive in Sicily, attacking contemporarily Syracuse and Panormus. Although the alliance between Achaea and Epirus had been broken, Philinus of Akragas decided to go to the help of the Syracusans. He therefore sent all available troops to Katane leaving their command in the hands of Eucleides of Larissa who had recently crossed over from Achaea.

The battle took place northwest of Syracuse near the town of Leontini. Due to the broken alliance the Syracusans didn't enter and watched the fight from their mighty walls. Eucleides therefore quickly hired some available mercenaries from the vicinity to restabilize numerical parity and then he gave order to attack.

The Roman commander Gnaeus Pompeius deployed his army in manipular order on the slopes of a hill, with 4 units of Principes in the second row and a few gladiators in reserve. In response the Greeks manouvered well to get the upper side of the hill, but due to their march they came upon the enemy in oblique order, with the left wing far ahead. The Mirmillo Gladiators fought bravely there, but when they were reduced to a single man, the entire wing was routed by the Roman Principes.

On the right wing the Mamertines and the Syracusan Hoplites in the service of Agrigentum at first suffered the javelins of the enemy, but once the melee started they fought bravely. It was here that the battle was decided, when Pompeius rushed his bodyguards into the spears of the phalanx fulfilling his fate. When the routed hoplites on the left wing returned and the Syracusans converged to the center, the victorious Principes called it a day and returned with more than 200 survivors to Messana.

[Philadelphos]

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THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE chapter XIV
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26. The Methone Incident

The harbor of Methone lies on the southwestern tip of the Peloponnese. Geographically it belongs to Messenia, but the Spartans fortified it in the times of Brasidas and used it as a stronghold against the Messenians as well as a naval base against Athens. Due to the decline of Spartan power however the port came under Achaean control, together with Arcadia. It is certainly their most useful base against the Romans trying to invade the Aegean.

The fleet in Methone was under the command of the Achaean admiral Philoctetes who knew that there were several Roman fleets at large. One morning however he was reported an Egyptian quinquireme trying to double the promontory on the way to the Ionian Sea. Philoctetes knew that the Romans were not far away and so he ordered to seek and attack them, to test the promptness of the Egyptian allies and see if they were ready to give battle at the side of the Achaeans. When the Egyptian commander Harpalus saw the Achaeans sailing past, against the enemy, his bloodlust had the better on him and he ordered to follow suit. Thus the Achaean and the Egyptian fleet attacked the enemy ships side by side, delivering a crushing defeat, and this incident triggered the war between the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt and the Roman Republic.

27. The New Superpower

As the incident had shown, the Ptolemies were reliable and most valuable allies to the Achaean League. Their success had however something scaring to the Greeks, expecially their expansion in the Aegean, where they had already conquered Ephesus and Halicarnassus. Shortly before the Methone incident they had started to besiege the Macedonian citadel of Chalcis on Euboea, and the next winter they took it.

Due to their large success on all fronts, the Ptolemies had become the real superpower of the Mediterranean. In Asia they had taken Sardes, in Phoenicia Sidon, and together with their Armenian allies they were now ready to strip the Seleucids of all their western possessions.

[Philadelphos]

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THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE chapter XV
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28. Preparations for War

The Achaean Synarchy came to the conclusion that sooner or later a choice between Macedon and Egypt might become inevitable and therefore they secretly started to prepare for war in Hellas. The Achaean Synarchy was aware that the Greeks were not strong enough to face the Romans and the Ptolemies at the same time. Although that meant to accept a role as junior partner, the strategos and the demiurges came to the conclusion that they had no other choice than fasten the ties with Egypt. The only thing they could do was trying to block them from entering Hellas and to this purpose the governor of Attica ordered to deploy a small force of men at Delium, north of Athens, where they controled the bridge over the Euripos.

In case of war with Macedon, Aratos of Sicyon named Corinth as the primary target and to prepare his assault he sent the Syrian agent Erginos to infiltrate the citadel, hoping that he might be able to open the city gates for the Achaeans.

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With this chapter my Greek Cities campaign comes almost to an end. I have started the scenario in February, still with version 1.3. Since then Rome Total History has made huge progress and now I feel like starting a different campaign with the new features.

Regarding Aratus and the Achaeans, history tells us that their surprise attack on Corinth was carried out in time of peace without a declaration of hostilities, and since Rome Total has a custom battle for this brilliant assault, I will play it as the last chapter of my scenario ...

[Philadelphos]

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THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE chapter XVI
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29. The Citadel of Acrocorinth

Acrocorinth is the acropolis of Corinth on a monolithic rock overseeing the ancient city. In ancient times it was considered the most important of the Macedonian fetters of Hellas, because it controled the access to the Peloponnese. The Macedonian king Antigonos II Gonatas had already lost the citadel once, due to a defection of the governor of Corinth, and therefore he had taken every necessary step to make the place really impregnable.

But the young strategos of the Achaean League, Aratos of Sicyon, discovered a way to liberate the city, with the help of four Syrian brothers. One of them, Erginos, had stolen the Corinthian royal treasury and he decided to store his fortune at Sicyon. There, he revealed to Aratos that his brother Diocles, who was a soldier in the Macedonian garrison, had discovered a part of the walls which was only 15 ft high. It was accessible through some rocks, by a hidden path. Aratos guaranteed a 60 talent reward to the brothers, pawning his own wife's silver jewelry to cover the cost.

The Historic Battle in 243 BC

The Achaeans decided to assault Acrocorinth with 400 men. They took the city gate in complete silence, but on their way to the citadel they were detected. Aratos left 300 men at the foot of the slope in defense against the waking city, and then he lead the finest 100 men personally right up to the Acrocorinth, taking the place after a hot fight on the walls. The Macedonians, mostly Syrian mercenaries, were overwhelmed by the assaulters. The next morning, the Corinthians opened their gates for the rest of the Achaean army and the Macedonian garrison in the city surrendered.

The Custom Battle Scenario

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Achaeans led by Aratos start half way from Sicyon to Acrocorinth, while the city of Corinth with the port of Lechaion lies down to the left on the coast. The first problem in this scenario is to get the ladders up the narrow path. You need patience and precision to reach the top, always walking in the middle of the road. This may well be one of the hardest challenges you have ever faced in Rome Total War (similar to Teutoburg Forest), and therefore you should start on an easy difficulty level.

When your soldiers reach the top, they will be very tired and you might want to give them a rest just below the plateau, before you get your ladders ready to assault the walls. But don't wait too long, because sooner or later the garrison in Corinth will wake up and the two commanders Archelaos and Theophrastos will rush up the slope.

Once on the plateau, your next problem will be the fire from the towers. I have played this several times with RTW and ALX and it appears the latter is even harder. Once you reach the walkway take out as many towers as you can, because otherwise they'll keep firing at you even when you're inside the walls.

The garrison inside the citadel is not very numerous, but the troops are good quality. If you get a sufficient number of your own men up the walls and attack the defenders before the Corinthians arrive you have a decent chance to capture the place.

30. The Battle of Acrocorinth

Aratus led his soldiers up the narrow pass. More than once they got in disorder with the ladders, costing time and fatigue. Before the last step, just below the plateau, Aratos therefore replaced the units on the ladders. Getting the equipment up the last part under the fire of the towers was indeed the hardest effort, and the carrying unit was decimated before the ladders were finally in place.



At this point the garrison in Corinth had woken up and the Macedonians were rushing up the hill. Aratos was in doubt whether he should affront them on the fringe or continue the assault on the walls to get inside the citadel. As a compromise he encouraged his soldiers on the ladders and with his bodyguards took position on the edge of the plateau. The latter proved a good move, because the Corinthians were led by a unit of peltast and when these discovered the bodyguards they dared not go further and returned to the level below.



This way Aratos bought his assaulters the time to reach the top of the wall and take out the gate and towers in the vicinity. On the walkway the Achaean thureophoroi had to face a number of Agrianians and Kestros slingers, but thanks to their higher number they had the better, killing their opponents to the last man. The Achaeans then took the other gate and went down to face the Syrian mercenaries on the ground. The thureophoroi harassed them with their javelins and then the pikemen finished them off. The garrison commander Persaios was killed in this fight.



In the meantime Aratos had got inside the citadel with his bodyguards and since most of the towers were controled by the Achaeans, the Macedonians from Corinth found the gates closed and returned to their city. They could have used the ladders, but they didn't even try, and they would have been late anyway. It was a very close victory, though, and the Achaeans lost almost 60% of their original strength.



THE END

[Philadelphos]

NEW CAMPAIGN

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter I
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1. Prelude

My goal in this campaign is to follow the footsteps of king Pyrrhus of Epirus. Therefore I will first fight in southern Italy trying to defeat the Romans and liberate the Samnites. When this is done, I will move into Sicily trying to expel the Carthaginians from the island. Afterwards I will return to Italy and from there I will cross over to Macedonia. After the conquest of Macedonia my last goal will be the Peloponnese, especially the cities of Sparta and Argos.

Here I play Rome Total History mod with Alexander, which gives better computer performance. The campaign was started VH/H under version RTH 1.6, but in the meantime there have been two upgrades with a number of improvements.

Since I designed this mod, I know the scenario so well that my advantage needs some kind of correction. I therefore impose myself a number of handicaps. First, I limit my activities in the first turn, so that my neighbors can make the first move. Second, I decide that all offensive action from my side must be carried out by king Pyrrhus in person. The only exception to this rule should be the unification of Epirus, that is the conquest of Apollonia, which can be carried out during the king's absence by his sons. Third, the Epirotes cannot carry out genocide, that means they cannot eliminate the Romans and when an enemy is reduced to only one region, they must offer him to become a protectorate. I may decide on additional handicaps as the game develops. If the situation gets critical I may also decide on exceptions.



2. Pyrrhus' Arrival

The History book tells us that Pyrrhus arrived with an army of 25,000 men consisting of pikemen from Epirus and Macedonia, mercenary hoplites and peltasts from the Greek cities, archers from Crete, slingers from Rhodes, elite cavalry from Thessaly and even 20 war elephants from Egypt. In Italy he hired more Samnites, Lucanians, Bruttii, and some Illyrians. The following message has the news of their arrival.

Pyrrhus in Italy

At invitation of the city of Tarentum, king Pyrrhus of Epirus has crossed the Adriatic Sea with 25,000 men.
To fight the Romans and the Carthaginians, he has hired soldiers from all parts of the Hellenistic world, including pikemen from Epirus and Macedonia, mercenary hoplites and peltasts from the Greek cities, archers from Crete, slingers from Rhodes, elite cavalry from Thessaly and even 20 war elephants from Egypt. In Italy he can count on help from the Samnites, Lucanians, Bruttii, and some Illyrian tribes.
With these forces Pyrrhus hopes to establish a kingdom of the Greeks in Magna Graecia and Sicily, and then make a triumphant return home to win the throne of Macedon.

During the first turn Pyrrhus had enough to do to organize his army and thus he didn't move. He only gave order to build two ports in Ambracia and Croton. His son Ptolemy in the meantime moved to Phoenice to prepare the conquest of Apollonia. The Sicilian ally Hieron II of Syracuse trained his troops and generals. When Pyrrhus checked his balance sheet, he realized that all these measures cost him so much money that his war chest would be empty by the end of the year. He therefore gave order to conclude two trade treaties with Egypt and Macedon and raise taxes to the maximum level in all cities.

[Philadelphos]

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter II
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3. First Battle with Fabricius

When the first turn was done Pyrrhus received news of a number of events, especially the Gallic invasion of Delphi, the foundation of the Achaean League, and the civil war in Macedon.

Gallic Invasion in Greece

Several hordes of Celts, who call themselves Galati, have invaded Macedonia and Thessaly. Under their leader Brennus they are approaching Delphi to plunder the riches of the famous Oracle. The Aetolians, trying to defend the sanctuary of Apollo, are requesting support from the other Hellenes. Will they be able to beat off the invaders?

Achaean League Founded

The Achaean League is reformed by twelve towns in the northern Peloponnesus. It is governed by a federal council with proportional representation of members and an annual assembly of all free citizens in Aegion.
The League achieves a common coinage and foreign policy and the member cities pool their armed forces. Executive power and army command are in the hands of a strategos who is annually elected, as well as his deputy, the hipparch.

While the Epirotes were unloading their troops in Tarentum, the Romans had taken Brundisium. Pyrrhus realised that he was surrounded by at least three Roman armies, although each one significantly smaller than his own. He decided to make his first move in Bruttium against a small detachment under the command of the consul Gaius Fabricius.

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The battle was fought near Hipponium and since the numbers were clearly favourable for the Epirotes, there was never any doubt about the outcome.



King Pyrrhus let the enemy commander escape, so that he could refer at home that the Romans didn't stand a chance against their far superior enemies.

Attachment 315356

While the Epirotes and the Romans were fighting over Bruttium, a terrible news arrived from Rhegium:

[Philadelphos]

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter III
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4. Rhegium Avenged

After the battle Pyrrhus found himself in a dilemma, because the other two Roman
armies threatened his base in Tarentum and Croton and with his exhausted army he
had no chance to reach them before they laid siege on one of the cities. The king
thus decided that the Tarentines were save behind their walls and that it was
better to use the occasion for an attempt on the rebel city of Rhegium.



The king's plan was based on the power of his elephants who quickly tore down the weak
city gates. The Campanian rebels under Decius put up some resistance in the
streets, but ultimately they were slain.



When Pyrrhus entered the city a physician named Dexicrates offered to enter his
service. He was the only man in the city who had successfully opposed the
mercenaries' terror regime by blinding their commander. Pyrrhus honoured the
courageous chirugeon with a decent sum and then he ordered him to look after the
wounded.



Finally, as he feared a Roman attack on Tarentum and wanted to be ready
for a quick return, he ordered the Tarentine admiral Democrates to sail to the
strait of Messana. Then he took winter quarters.

[Philadelphos]

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter IV
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5. The Battle of Heraclea

As Pyrrhus had feared, the Romans used his absence in Rhegium to lay siege on the city of Tarentum. Knowing the bad roads in the region, Pyrrhus feared that a march through Bruttium would not let him reach the besieged city in time. He therefore embarked his army at Rhegium and sailed past Kroton to disembark near Thurii. His plan was almost thwarted when the ships carrying the infantry were delayed by bad weather. Pyrrhus now called the governor of Kroton to send him all available infantry and with these and his own cavalry he advanced on Heraclea where he attacked the enemy in the back.



The Roman commander, a member of the mighty Scipii family, had taken a strong position finding cover for his left flank behind an abandoned clay facility. Pyrrhus sent his subcommander Andranodoros to move around the inaccessible place and attack the Roman velites in the flank. This plan worked fine until the Roman cavalry commander attacked and drove Andranodoros back. Meanwhile however Milon and the defenders of Tarentum had entered the battlefield and their intervention saved Andranodoros.

On their right flank the Romans fought a desperate battle against the Epirote elephants and Tarantine and Thessalian cavalry. The Hastati and Principes fought bravely, and both sides used their javelins to great effect, but finally the Romans were all killed or routed and their general was slain.



6. The Siege of Apollonia

While Pyrrhus fought at Heraclea, his son Ptolemy moved against Apollonia and started to besiege the city. He had received reinforcements by the king of Egypt, Nile infantry and Libyan spearmen, but didn't trust them much in the cold weather. For this reason Ptolemy left them in Ambracia and Dodona to guard the border with Aetolia. The army assembled under the walls of Apollonia was not very big, but there were some decent hoplites. Ptolemy was confident to resolve the question in a short siege.

When his siege work was ready, he mobilized every available man for the storm, including the Nile spearmen offered by king Ptolemy to guard the Epirote homeland during Pyrrhus' absence in Italy. The defenders commanded by Mytilus of Dardania were almost equal in number and the battle was to the last blood. It could have gone either way, but in the end Ptolemy and Alexander of Epirus prevailed and Apollonia was conquered.

[Philadelphos]

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter V
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7. A Sicilian Invitation

After the battle Pyrrhus gave his men a rest in Tarentum. He might have been satisfied with his campaign so far, but as he found his war chest empty he realized that he needed a lot more income to continue the war.




The king was still pondering his options, when a message arrived from Tauromenium in Sicily, in which the local tyrant Tyndarion begged him to intervene in the war against the Mamertines in Messana.
Pyrrhus felt that this was an offer he couldn't refuse. Hoping to achieve new plunder and glory, he accepted immediately and ordered his main force to cross over into Sicily.

8. The Battle of Metapontum

As soon as the king had left, the Romans sent another army against Tarentum and their commander was again Fabricius. This time however the Tarentine defenders under Milon felt strong enough to thwart a siege. Milon sent a message to Andranodoros, who was still in the vicinity, ordering him to challenge the Romans near Metapontum, a few miles west of Tarentum, and when this was done his garrison sallied forth to attack the enemy from the rear.

Although the Romans fought bravely, Milon's superior forces carried a clear victory. Gaius Fabricius was again able to escape.

[Philadelphos]

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter VI
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9. The Mamertines' Fate

Pyrrhus decided not to lose time with a siege at Messana. When his Syracusan ally declared unable to provide the necessary catapults, he resolved to use his elephants to tear down the city gates.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Mamertines in the city were totally surprised by the quick move. Largely outnumbered, they rallied under their commander Cios, but when the Epirotes and allied Sicilians entered the city, they were slain to the last man on the plaza.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

10. Back in the Green

The conquest of Messana resolved a number of problems for king Pyrrhus, most of all those regarding his war chest. Previously he had accumulated a considerable and fast growing debt (-1923 gold pieces), but now, due to control of the trade in the Strait of Messana, his balance sheet turned positive, allowing to recoup the loss and pay the creditors.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Another positive aspect was that the Epirote forces were now in control of a connected territory ranging from Ambracia and Apollonia to Tarentum and Syracuse, thus embracing the entire Ionian Sea.