New Town (Carthage AAR) [updated April 3, 2021]

[Swaeft]

Somehow I managed to miss a mind boggling THREE updates so you can imagine what a great time I had reading them in succession

I'm afraid I'm not very familiar with the civil war mechanics, but judging from your writing and the pictures it does sound rather terrible to experience. Luckily for me you explained that in one of the updates, so I did grasp a rather basic understanding of it. I need to play Rome 2 - in summer break next year maybe I love the application of tactics in the latest update, I really enjoy reading about such things. It's a good time for a bunch of fresh recruits to gain some experience I suppose, but your last paragraph seems to bode ill very much for the Carthaginians.

[Kilo11]

Definitely a good update, one deserving of a rep that I unfortunately cannot give

This battle is won, but it seems you are still in the woods with this civil war, and I'm interested to see how you'll get out of it.

[Turkafinwë]

A great victory for Admago's forces and a great loss for Carthage but then again in a civil war nobody wins, nor in any war for that matter. The Celtic tribes seem to have grown bold and taken advantage of the situation. Wonderful images of the battle portraying the strategy Garafin used perfectly.

Interested to see how the rest of the civil war will pan out!

[Alwyn]

Nice updates! I played a Carthage Rome II campaign recently, in part because of you. I'm impressed how you got that civil war to escalate this much. My opposition never held more than one province per party. I assume that's probably because of the difficulty level.

Thanks, the opposition parties controlled a lot of territory because I appointed some of their characters as commanders, used them in battle and promoted them, over a long period of time. That's my strategy for reducing the risks of secessions and civil wars, so clearly it doesn't work all of the time! (I promote commanders in my ruling party too, and as my family tree grows I use more of them, reducing loyalty and eventually making a civil war more likely).

Somehow I managed to miss a mind boggling THREE updates so you can imagine what a great time I had reading them in succession

I'm afraid I'm not very familiar with the civil war mechanics, but judging from your writing and the pictures it does sound rather terrible to experience. Luckily for me you explained that in one of the updates, so I did grasp a rather basic understanding of it. I need to play Rome 2 - in summer break next year maybe I love the application of tactics in the latest update, I really enjoy reading about such things. It's a good time for a bunch of fresh recruits to gain some experience I suppose, but your last paragraph seems to bode ill very much for the Carthaginians.

Thanks! I'm having a lot of fun playing this civil war and it's challenging - and different from the battles I'm used to in Total War games - to defeat what used to be my own veteran armies.

Definitely a good update, one deserving of a rep that I unfortunately cannot give

This battle is won, but it seems you are still in the woods with this civil war, and I'm interested to see how you'll get out of it.

Thank you, yes Admago's Carthage is still very much in the woods and I'll be interested to see this too!

A great victory for Admago's forces and a great loss for Carthage but then again in a civil war nobody wins, nor in any war for that matter. The Celtic tribes seem to have grown bold and taken advantage of the situation. Wonderful images of the battle portraying the strategy Garafin used perfectly.

Interested to see how the rest of the civil war will pan out!

Thanks and well said - each time I win against the forces of Sanais, I'm defeating soldiers who formerly defended Carthage. Yes, the Celtic and Germanic tribes in my northern border are, understandably, taking advantage and they're a real threat, although they're somewhat divided among themselves.

[Alwyn]

Chapter 35

The Battle of Five Armies

By Nape, son of Sanais

One of our generals, Saraca, was defeated at Memphis by the devious tactics and foreign mercenaries employed by one of Admago’s generals. This cruel blow robbed Sanais’s Carthage of an opportunity to re-unite our divided republic, end the civil war and remove Admago’s weak leadership as Shophet.

The army of Saraca were heroes of Carthage, veterans of many battles. The survivors of Saraca’s army could have been released and allowed to return to their homes and families. But Admago’s general did not act honourably after his victory. He treated our wounded heroes as if they were defeated barbarians! Instead of being being given the respectful treatment they had earned, they were treated shamefully, chained and enslaved. This betrayal of our brave heroes can never be forgotten, this stain on the honour of Admago cannot be removed. After this shocking betrayal, another of our armies, the Pride of Mago, marched into danger.

The Pride of Mago had been sent by our leader, Sanais, to march on Rome. This army, composed of veterans, was victorious at first, capturing the important military dockyard at Genua and the wealthy cities of Velathri and Ariminum. But two of Amago’s armies marched down from our northern border and pursued the Pride of Mago. Our army marched past the walls of Rome and into southern Italia. They hoped to strike at the poorly defended cities there and to disrupt our enemies’ sources of food and wealth which their armies relied on. This was a good plan. If we could keep the forces of Admago off-balance, reacting to our bold, decisive actions, then Admago’s Carthage would be doomed to defeat.

In Calabria, south of Rome, the Pride of Mago camped overnight on a large hill overlooking a forest. This hill gave them a view across a considerable distance of the surrounding countryside, a strong defensive position on the hill-top and easy access to wood for their cooking-fires. However, in the following morning, fog blanketed the lands around, making their hill-top seem like an island surrounded by a sea of clouds.



Concerned by this development and knowing that they were being pursued by enemies, the Pride of Mago sent cavalry scouts into the mist. The riders returned with a warning. The two armies from the north which had been pursing them were close by, were forming up as a single army and were marching towards the hill.

The Pride of Mago sent horsemen to the south-west, to scout a possible line of retreat. However, they encountered a smaller force of enemy infantry and horsemen approaching from that direction. Riders sent to the south-east found another smaller enemy force marching towards the hill from there, too. The Pride of Mago realised that they were surrounded by four armies. As enemy horsemen approached the hill-top, the Pride of Mago closed their ranks and prepared to defend their hill to the death.

[Cookiegod]

This might have been the pride of Mago, but definitely not that of Admago. I'd wager this army was pretty much doomed, especially when you compare its cavalry numbers with yours.
I'll go ahead and press for respect.

[Turkafinwë]

The switching of storyteller between Astarte and Nape is really giving us the full experience of this civil war. A really great way of telling the story, in my opinion. Things seem to be going in Admago's favour, militarily speaking that is, though I presume the war is far from over.

[Swaeft]

Congrats on maintaining a regular schedule, I'm find that very hard myself nowadays!

If this was Medieval 2 I'd tell you you stood a fair chance of beating the armies, but now I'm not so sure...I wish you the very best of luck, heh.

[Alwyn]

This might have been the pride of Mago, but definitely not that of Admago. I'd wager this army was pretty much doomed, especially when you compare its cavalry numbers with yours.
I'll go ahead and press for respect.

Well said! I was thinking that it was a shame that the AI army didn't try to break out, as the two armies to the south were smaller. However, as you said, my attacking armies had a signficiant advantage in cavalry. I wouldn't want to command an army trying to execute a fighting withdrawal in dense fog, with the constant danger of a cavalry charge from any direction.

The switching of storyteller between Astarte and Nape is really giving us the full experience of this civil war. A really great way of telling the story, in my opinion. Things seem to be going in Admago's favour, militarily speaking that is, though I presume the war is far from over.

That's good to hear, I worried that alternating perspectives with each chapter might be confusing. Yes, the balance of power is definitely moving in Admago's direction and you're right, the civil war goes on, Sanais still has significant land and miltary strength.

Congrats on maintaining a regular schedule, I'm find that very hard myself nowadays!

If this was Medieval 2 I'd tell you you stood a fair chance of beating the armies, but now I'm not so sure...I wish you the very best of luck, heh.

I know what you mean about the challenge of maintaining a writing schedule. Thanks, the thing to remember is that I'm not trying to beat the armies, I am the armies! - as I said to Turkafinwë, I can see how my switching between perspectives could confuse people. I'm about to introduce a new narrator, I hope you'll like him!

[Alwyn]

Chapter 36

The Unanswered Question

by Garafin, son of Passaris

From Garafin, general of the Defenders of Egypt, to Astarte, daughter of Admago.

As I write, my army is camped by the port of Iol. The grumbling of soldiers on the march from Carthago has been replaced by cheers and laughter as the men compete at javelin-throwing on the beach. It is strange how this civil war has become normal, how we have become used to speaking of Admago’s Carthage and Sanais’s Carthage, not one republic. On this day of rest, I can forget the war, but the question you asked remains in my thoughts.

When I visited you in Carthago, I enjoyed our discussion when we watched from a hill-top by the statue of the Lady Tanit, as the patrol ships returned to the Cothon. You wondered why everyone was talking about ways to win the war, but no-one was discussing what would happen afterwards.

I was surprised by your question. When we met, the news had not yet reached us that Sanais’ army in Italia had been surrounded and destroyed by four of our armies. We knew that another of Sanais’ armies, sent towards Carthago, had turned back. We didn’t know that they had boarded transports and retreated to Iberia, I only learned this when my army approached Iol. We have regained the lands we lost in Aegyptus and Italia, but Sanais’s strongholds in Gaul and Iberia remain.

In Carthago, everyone was debating what Admago’s Carthage should do next: should we concentrate our armies in a single attack or approach from two directions at once? Some Council members said that the defeat of Sanais’s army in Italia shows that one army is vulnerable. Others agreed, saying that when Hiempsal was Shophet, first one Carthaginian army in Iberia was massacred and then another. I hope that your family will persuade wavering Council members that my army should be allowed to cross the narrow strait to the southern tip of Iberia, while Admago’s other armies march against Sanais’s strongholds in Gaul and northern Iberia. You could use the example of my father’s march to the Black Sea.

When Mascarada was Shophet, Passaris’s army drew away several armies of the Triple Alliance, staying ahead of their enemies. In a similar way, my army could draw away Sanais’s armies from northern Iberia and Gaul. In their long march from Aegyptus to Iol, my soldiers proved that they can march swiftly. Passaris’s colony survived thanks to his alliance with Greeks from Pergamon who had settled in Scythia. I would look for allies in the Iberian tribes, Admago’s friendship with the Lusitani showed that this is possible.

Your question has been on my mind on the march to Iol. How can the divided halves of Carthage be re-united, after so much bloodshed? How can we avoid another generation of Carthaginians going to war over Iberia and other lands? Perhaps, if Iberia is returned to its own peoples, Carthaginians will fight over it no more?

Author’s Note

The Cothon was Carthage’s circular military harbour, shown in the screenshot above. My thanks to Kilo11, who suggested that Passaris, if he managed to create a Black Sea colony for Carthage, might find allies in that part of the map. As you can see from this chapter, Passaris followed your advice!

[Kilo11]

I really really liked the first paragraph of this one. The causal remarks about how the terrible can become pedestrian are perfectly executed, particularly in that you as narrator draw no special attention to the point (other than to mention it). To me, that is one of the more important tasks for a writer, to draw out those little details that are often missed or overlooked, and that paragraph just does that wonderfully! Well done, Alwyn!

[Turkafinwë]

Once again you have done a great job of connecting the old campaign to the new one. We get closure on Passaris' quest and I'm glad to see he succeeded in his endeavors.

[Alwyn]

Thanks for your encouraging comments! Here's what happened next...

Chapter 37

Carthage Betrayed

By Nape, son of Sanais

From Nape, son of Sanais, to all generals who remain loyal to Sanais, the true Shophet of Carthage.

It was a difficult decision for Sanais to break away from Admago’s weak leadership. Sanais chose to build a new Carthaginian republic, staying true to our traditions and resisting the insidious influence of foreign superstitions. Sanais deserves to win the civil war and would have have achieved victory by now, if Carthage had not been betrayed.

We should never forget how we reached the current situation. When Admago forgot his duty to protect Carthage and befriended our enemies, Sanais fought to defend us and to avenge the slaughtered Carthaginians of Tolosa, our people who had been murdered by Admago’s Lusitani friends. When Sanais sent heroes of Carthage to restore order in Aegyptus and Italia, Admago’s generals killed many of them and enslaved the survivors.

Massalia under siege

While Admago’s forces on land and sea began a siege of our stronghold of Massalia in Gaul, trapping many of our finest warriors in the city, hordes of Lusitani barbarians swept into Iberia. The north Iberian cities of Aracillum and Tarraco have fallen to the Lusitani. In central Iberia, the Arevaci tribe have risen against us. Even our capital in Iberia, Qart Hadasht, is under siege.

The timing of these attacks cannot be a coincidence, Admago has allied himself with barbarians against fellow Carthaginians. Sanais does not believe that the lands we have lost in Gaul or eastern Iberia can be regained in the near future. Sanais is rallying our remaining armies, we will concentrate our strength in the cities of Iberia’s western coast. Admago and his barbarian friends will be ground to dust beneath the feet of our brave hoplites.

Today, I received news that the Defenders of Egypt, an army under the command of Garafin, a traitor loyal to Admago, landed recently in southern Iberia. In the west Iberian cities of Brigantium, Olisipo and Ebora, we will make our stand. There are reports of enemy scouts approaching Ebora, the armies of Admago and his allies cannot be far behind. This will be the hardest fighting in the civil war so far. We do not only fight against Carthaginian traitors and their Lusitani friends, but against Egyptians, Romans, Libyans and others who fight under the banners of Admago’s generals. Admago’s armies cannot be allowed to defeat the unity of Sanais’s Carthage. We must fight and we must win.

There are reports that some of our generals have sent emissaries to Admago offering to discuss terms of surrender. We must remain united, any terms to end the civil war must be negotiated by Sanais himself. Sanais will demand that we keep the estates held by our families before the war and that Admago must fight with us to drive the Lusitani and Arevaci out of our lands. By fighting and holding back the forces of Admago, we will force Admago to agree to our terms.

[Cookiegod]

oh no. Der Untergang Cartheginian style. We can only hope the army of Steiner will save the day. A civil war in Iberia does not bode well for the republic.

And I'll stop it with the bad jokes and be serious: Very well written, you implemented the letter style excellently and it just works. 10/10 do recommend. I enjoyed this!

[Derc]

Yeah, Steiner will set things right. Get more catapults!

Alwyn, your civil war is much more complex than I would have imagined. There are few AARs where a random civil war gets so much attention. I like it very much! Unfortunately can't +rep you right now.
Keep it up!

[Kilo11]

Yeah, this is getting pretty dodgy for you it seems. By the writing here it seems like things are spinning out of control and getting intense for you. All I can say is that I hope you are able to work this out at some point, or you are going to be royally boned. I guess you can always take the Phoenician way out though and just pull roots to move somewhere else. I hear the Caribbean is nice this time of year

[Welsh Dragon]

I've just been catching up with the events of New Town and having a great time doing it. Using multiple narrators on different sides of a conflict is tricky, but you're really pulling it off well and giving each a distinct voice in the process.

The moderate Astarte who can look beyond the war to what comes next.

The aggressively biased Nape, who will not accept anything less than total victory and looks for any opportunity to demonise his rivals.

And Garafin, who seems to be more in touch with the common man and soldier, with some good ideas but perhaps not the political clout to put them into action alone.

Excellent story telling and writing, and some well deserved +rep.

All the Best,

Welsh Dragon.

[Turkafinwë]

Dire tidings for Sanais' Carthage, its greatest strongholds under siege, rebellions everywhere. Could the civil war be coming to its close? I wonder if Admago's faction will accept Sanais' demands or if they will fight on till the end? Nape seems confident but I can't but feel a bit of desperation creeping into his writing.

Another very well written chapter Alwyn!

[Alwyn]

oh no. Der Untergang Cartheginian style. We can only hope the army of Steiner will save the day. A civil war in Iberia does not bode well for the republic.

Thanks, Der Untergang (Downfall) is quite similar to the situation of Sanais's rebels at the moment. Two of their three strongest armies were destroyed at the Battle of Memphis and the Battle of Five Armies, some of their armies are surrounded and under siege while others are defeated and falling back.

Yeah, Steiner will set things right. Get more catapults!

Alwyn, your civil war is much more complex than I would have imagined. There are few AARs where a random civil war gets so much attention.

Thanks, it helps that Rome II has a civil war mechanic - not only rebellions where a region breaks away, but the possibility of a large number of your regions breaking away to form their own state. I like the way that the rebel faction (Sanais's Carthage) started with about half of my territory and half of my armies (because they had about 50% influence in the game's politics system, which reflects the in-game events beforehand). To be fair to Rome II's system, civil wars have known in-game causes. Here, while I was giving some rival party members military commands, winning battles with them and promoting them - as a strategy to retain their loyalty, at the cost of increasing the influence of their parties. This worked well for several in-game generations, until my ruling party's family free had got so large that, when I gave the next generation of my ruling party their military commands and promotions, this caused a significant loss in the loyalty of rival parties.

Yeah, this is getting pretty dodgy for you it seems. By the writing here it seems like things are spinning out of control and getting intense for you. All I can say is that I hope you are able to work this out at some point, or you are going to be royally boned. I guess you can always take the Phoenician way out though and just pull roots to move somewhere else. I hear the Caribbean is nice this time of year

Thanks, you're right that things are spinning out of control for Sanais's rebels and that things are getting intense for Nape, son of Sanais - I'm happy that this came across. As I'm switching perspectives in each chapter between my side (Admago's Carthage) and the rebels (Sanais's Carthage), it's easy to lose track of which side is the player's.

I've just been catching up with the events of New Town and having a great time doing it. Using multiple narrators on different sides of a conflict is tricky, but you're really pulling it off well and giving each a distinct voice in the process.

The moderate Astarte who can look beyond the war to what comes next.

The aggressively biased Nape, who will not accept anything less than total victory and looks for any opportunity to demonise his rivals.

And Garafin, who seems to be more in touch with the common man and soldier, with some good ideas but perhaps not the political clout to put them into action alone.

Thanks, I'm enjoying writing the different narrators and you've captured the different attitudes and styles of the civil war narrators well!

Dire tidings for Sanais' Carthage, its greatest strongholds under siege, rebellions everywhere. Could the civil war be coming to its close? I wonder if Admago's faction will accept Sanais' demands or if they will fight on till the end? Nape seems confident but I can't but feel a bit of desperation creeping into his writing.

Thanks, yes the situation for Sanais's Carthage is dire. One of the things I like about Rome II's civil war mechanics is that it's possible, in the game, to resolve a civil war with diplomacy - Sanais's Carthage and Admago's Carthage could make a peace treaty. However, both sides would need to be willing. I'm pleased that Nape's desperation comes across - he is desperate and is clinging to any hope however small!

[Alwyn]

Chapter 38

The Truth about Tolosa

by Astarte, daughter of Admago

Quart Hadasht, formerly the capital of Sanais's Carthage

In the governor’s palace in Qart Hadasht, we found a copy of a letter by Nape, son of the rebel leader Sanais, to Sanais’s generals. Nape claimed that Admago “sided with our enemies” when the Lusitani sacked the city of Tolosa in southern Gaul. It is time for the truth to be recorded.

Nape accused Admago of betraying Carthage, but people deserve to know what really happened. Admago led a small army of raw recruits, fresh from farms and craft-halls, into battle in northern Iberia. He achieved success, capturing two cities from the Lusitani rebels in northern Iberia. At Brigantium, the second of these cities, many of his men were wounded or killed. Admago’s army was not capable of continuing the fight into Gaul. His army was small, inexperienced and had suffered many casualties, while Sanais’s army was large, composed of veterans and almost at full strength. If Admago had wanted an unfair share of the glory, then, as Shophet, he could have taken over command of Sanais’s army. Admago acted honourably by remaining with his depleted force, while Sanais led the attack on the Lustani rebels in Gaul.

Nape wasn’t lying when he wrote that Tolosa was sacked by the Lusitani in the last days of their rebellion. It’s true that some Carthaginian nobles blamed Admago for this disaster. But it was Sanais who led the attack into Gaul, not Admago. Admago trusted Sanais, Sanais repaid Admago by blaming him for Sanais’s own mistake.

Nape also didn’t tell his supporters the whole story of Tolosa. A Lusitani nobleman heard the distorted account which Nape was spreading. He informed Garafin, a loyal general, of what really happened, and Garafin gave him an escort to come to Carthago and inform me of the truth.

Before the battle at Tolosa, a Lusitani warrior ran ahead of his army, flourishing his sword and shouting defiance. The commander of Tolosa’s Carthaginian garrison ordered his skirmishers to throw their javelins, killing this warrior in their first volley. The Carthaginian commander hadn’t realised that the Lusitani, who vastly outnumbered his garrison force, were offering single combat between champions. The Lusitani offered this as an alternative to a one-sided battle which could only end with the deaths of most of our garrison. When the Carthaginians killed the champion, the Lusitani were outraged. That is why Tolosa was sacked. Sanais could have sent troops to reinforce Tolosa. Alternatively, after it fell, he could have investigated why the Lusitani sacked only this city and not any other.

Sanais persuaded generals to support him by blaming Admago for his own failure to reinforce Tolosa and, through Nape, by misrepresenting what happened. Nape continued to misrepresent the real events, claiming that the armies sent by Sanais to Aegyptus and Italia were to “restore order” when they were, in truth, attempts to invade. Sanais' rebellion against Admago was built on half-truths and lies, which are now being exposed as Sanais's Carthage falls.