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Thread: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 20th Dec 18]

  1. #1

    Icon1 Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 20th Dec 18]




    Caledoni's Macedon Let's Play

    Hi All, I'm new to this sub and want to get involved so I am starting a let's play for Macedon on legendary difficulty in the Vanilla Grand Campaign.




    I'll aim for one update per week although I'll likely miss next week as I am not at home. The episodes will be around 90mins long and I am planning on playing until achieving one of the ultimate objectives in the Grand Campaign. I am also going to try and play most of the battles rather than auto resolving so we could be here for some time!


    I'm choosing Macedon as aside from Carthage, they are my favourite faction yet despite playing quite a few campaigns that have generally went well, I've never actually seen one through to the end. I like Macedon for a few reasons not least because of Alexander and also their strong unit roster and interesting starting position.


    I also want to use this campaign to get used to naval battles. I've played Rome 2 on and off since release but have totally neglected these and after a recent chance encounter, I realised they are actually quite fun.

    My objectives for the early campaign will be as follows:


    Control all of Thracia
    Maintain peace with the Greek States until I am ready for the inevitable war
    Establish naval dominance of the Black sea, Hellespont and Aegean
    Establish good relations with the tribes in Ilyrilia and Dacia
    Gain access to Macedon's level 3 units
    Build up a strong base economy
    Establish trade links



    With each episode starting with No. 2 I'll add a summary of what happened in the previous one to remind you and so people can jump in without having to catch up.

    Any thoughts, feedback or suggestions welcome.



    Cheers!
    Last edited by Caledoni; December 20, 2018 at 09:22 AM.

    My Mountaineering Blog -
    https://grahamwyllie.blogspot.com/

  2. #2

    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR)

    Episode one is up!

    For anyone that is not interested in watching video's I'll post a summary post with some pic's before the next episode. this will probably be in 10-14 days time as I am away all next week.

    What I was trying to achieve in this episode was getting a good start. The success of the early wars in these turns often dictates how successful the campaign will ultimately be. Here I wanted to successfully attack the factions holding the other Thracian settlements while also holding onto Pulpedeva. I also felt it was important to try not to get overstretched but getting drawn into wars elsewhere, namely in Greece.



    Enjoy! Feedback and any other comments appreciated.
    Last edited by Caledoni; September 06, 2018 at 01:02 PM.

    My Mountaineering Blog -
    https://grahamwyllie.blogspot.com/

  3. #3
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR)

    Your voice-over is done at a good pace and is easy to follow. I like the way that you explain why you chose Macedon and your goals. With the diplomatic penalty with Greek factions and the added challenge of playing on Legendary, I can see why you'd be concerned about being overstretched and why you'd be drawn into wars which you had hoped to avoid.

    It's a simple thing, but I like the way that you move the cursor around reasonably slowly. Sometimes, when I watch videos of experienced players, they do something very quickly and I want to know what they did (for example, when they replaced a general in an army, and when I didn't know how to do that), but their cursor moves so quickly that it's difficult to see.

    This looks like a useful introduction to the Macedon faction, for example when you highlight their excellent shock cavalry, when you indicate your primary research goal, researching a specific technology (for access to some very useful units) and your diplomatic strategy (making treaties with factions to the north, since you don't intend to expand in that direction). When you mentioned that the Agrarian Axemen area good unit, I wondered if it would be helpful to briefly say why (they're useful for both short-range skirmishing and in melee and they're cheap, so they're very cost-effective.)

    It takes time in the Writers' Study to build up readers/viewers. Obviously, there's nothing wrong with posting 90 minutes updates if you prefer that. My concerns are that the length of the updates might make it more difficult to attract viewers. If you imagine two strangers, one of whom asks for '15 minutes of your time' and the other asks for '90 minutes of your time', then I imagine more people saying yes to the first than to the second. Posting shorter updates could enable you to post updates more regularly (about once a week or once a fortnight can work well, enabling you to attract more viewers over time. I've noticed that the number of views for my AARs tend to increase more when I do this.)
    Last edited by Alwyn; September 16, 2018 at 06:34 AM.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR)

    Thanks Alwyn!

    Very useful feedback. another point about the Agrian Axemen is that I believe they have high AP so they can be effective against tough units, like Oathsworn and Hoplites.

    I have been too busy these last 2 weeks to even think about playing Rome but hoping to get a good update posted over the weekend. I think for now I will stick to 90mins but in a month or so when I have more time I might shorten them as you say and post them more regularly. Once again thanks for your feedback and being this my first go I'll see what works for me as I get deeper into it.

    In any case I'm looking forward to continuing as my free time allows.

    Cheers!
    Last edited by Caledoni; September 22, 2018 at 12:31 PM.

    My Mountaineering Blog -
    https://grahamwyllie.blogspot.com/

  5. #5

    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR)

    Hi all

    Here's a round up of what happened in the first episode.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Starting as Macedon you are caught between the Greek City States to the south and Barbarian factions to the North. Both Pella and Pulpudeva are walled cities which helps massively with defence early in the game.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    I want to try to conquer Thracia first and started with an attack on Antheia.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    After I took Antheia they struck back and assaulted Pulpudeva with a large army. I managed to hold out but my King, Antigonos II was killed on the walls.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Demetrius II has not yet come of age so Biton was Crowned.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    An easy siege and I was able to take Odessos but much of their army was out in the Black Sea and avoided the battle.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    They Sailed south and Took Antheia despite a valiant defence.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    My Navy tracked down and destroyed the last remnants of Tylis sending them to the bottom of the Aegean.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Ending the episode the map looks like this. All in all a good start to the campaign. Should be able to follow it up by fully conquering Thracia in the next episode.

    Thanks!
    Last edited by Caledoni; October 03, 2018 at 11:53 AM.

    My Mountaineering Blog -
    https://grahamwyllie.blogspot.com/

  6. #6

    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 22nd Sept 18]

    Here's Episode 2 of my Campaign.

    I was wishing to continue my good start by conquering all of Thacria as well as continue with my other 'Early Game Objectives' listed in the OP

    Enjoy!


    My Mountaineering Blog -
    https://grahamwyllie.blogspot.com/

  7. #7
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 27nd Sept 18]

    It's good to see your AAR continuing, the recap at the start of your new episode is helpful and your idea of presenting text and screenshots to illustrate the action in the previous chapter is a good one.

    The screenshots don't seem to be showing, at least for me. You might want to try using the gallery feature of TWC, this is explained in the Critic's Quill article on Screenshots and Maps in AARs. You can create an album by selecting 'My Profile', then opening the 'Albums' section of your profile and starting an album. Upload and save the images, then select an image and copy and paste the BB Code from the image into your chapter. Use 'Go Advanced' and preview your post, to check that the image is displaying as you want it.
    Last edited by Alwyn; September 30, 2018 at 12:14 PM.

  8. #8

    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 27nd Sept 18]

    Thanks Alwyn. I could see the images but I was using onedrive guessing that is down to permissions. have uploaded them to an album on TWC. can anyone confirm they are showing now please?

    Hoping to get some images up from Ep 2 soon and then the video for Ep 3 at the weekend.

    Thanks!

    My Mountaineering Blog -
    https://grahamwyllie.blogspot.com/

  9. #9
    Caillagh de Bodemloze's Avatar to rede I me delyte
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    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 27nd Sept 18]

    Yes, your screenshots are showing fine now!

    I liked the summary of your first episode, but I'm afraid I have to echo a comment Alwyn's already made: 90 minutes is more time than I can spare to watch a video. So I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I won't be able to watch your videos. I'll keep an eye out for your summaries, though.






  10. #10

    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 27nd Sept 18]

    Thanks for the Feedback Caillagh. point about the length noted. I really don't want to shorten them for various reasons however even if people just follow the summaries I'm happy

    Here's a summary of what happened in Episode 2

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    My starting situation from the first episode was as shown in the map. I had lost Antheia but was well poised to take it back. The priority after that was getting rid of the Triballi and completing my conquest of Thacria

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    My first move was to attack Antheia. My army was strong and the defenders had little chance.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    This led to the destruction of the Odrysian Kingdom. After this I had to put down a rebellion in the province. the rebels were heavily out numbered. They were surrounded and crushed.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The Assault on Navissos went well except that my best General was killed in melee during the final stages of the battle.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The Triballi's final act was to launch an assault on Navissos. they couldn't break my pikelines and displace my forces from a hill in the settlement and they shared the fate of the rest of the Thracian factions

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    With Thracia now under my full control I began to consolidate and put down another rebellion in the process. I established non aggression pacts with some of The tribes to the north and also trade links with Libya.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Another very successful episode with me securing all of Thrace and getting vital treaties to ensure it's stability. I can now turn my attention to Greece where Epirus has taken Athens and is putting pressure on Sparta

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Thanks. Episode 3 is coming soon!

    My Mountaineering Blog -
    https://grahamwyllie.blogspot.com/

  11. #11

    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 13th Oct 18]

    Episode 3 is now live.

    Plan at the start was go to war with Epirus who have taken Athens



    Enjoy!

    My Mountaineering Blog -
    https://grahamwyllie.blogspot.com/

  12. #12

    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 13th Oct 18]

    Hi all!


    Here's a summary of what happened in Episode 3 where I was hoping to move into Greece. I was also looking to secure my northern border, gain access to the next tier of units and develop my economy.

    Starting the episode the map looks like this
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    After positioning my army to strike Appollonia I moved my spy south to see where Epirus's forces were. They must be occupied with Sparta leaving their lands unprotected.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    I struck at Appollonia where the garrison and the entire enemy navy were destroyed.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    After the battle I moved to diplomacy where I secured trade agreements with Carthage and the Scordisci. My Navy also arrived back from Africa and headed for the southern tip of Greece.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    As I was recruiting my new Thorax units into my army in Pella I moved my forces in Appollonia down the coast. They were attacked by a large Epirot army. Despite my Right flank taking heavy loses my Cavalry superiority shone through in the end and victory was mine.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    They moved their other army in to Larrisa also so I set both my armies strategically at the bridges to the North and West of the region. They took the bait and my army in the West would face the full brunt of their forces.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    While my Infantry held them at he bridge my Cavalry forded the rived and swopped down on their rear. Only a few horsemen survived and I now had complete military dominance over Greece.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    My armies swept south sweeping aside the defenders at Larissa and then successfully assaulting Athens, completely overpowering the garrisons.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Ending the turn the map looks like this. Epirus now only hold Sparta and field no armies
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    I would say that my Early objectives are all but complete and I now have a secure base to look to east as Alexander did.

    Thanks for Reading. Episode 4 coming soon!
    Last edited by Caledoni; November 03, 2018 at 01:37 PM.

    My Mountaineering Blog -
    https://grahamwyllie.blogspot.com/

  13. #13
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 3rd Nov 18]

    I enjoyed this, it looks like Macedon's expansion into Greece was very successful.

  14. #14

    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 3rd Nov 18]

    Thanks Alwyn. Campaign is going very well for sure.

    Given that my early objectives from my OP are pretty much complete now I've put together another few objectives to direct me through the next part of the campaign:

    Maintain a Secure base in Greece through diplomacy or war if need be
    Conquer Crete, Rhodes and Asia Minor
    Increase size of military to support constant conquest
    Develop economy through Research and building up captured territories
    dominate faction politics through family members

    Here's episode 4


    My Mountaineering Blog -
    https://grahamwyllie.blogspot.com/

  15. #15
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 6th Nov 18]

    Good update! It looks like your strategy of securing Greece, then taking Crete and Rhodes before moving into Asia Minor is going well. I noticed at about 47:30 that you're already thinking some years ahead, recruiting archers who will be useful later on when you're facing factions such as Armenia (with their horse archers). I imagine that the idea of recruiting the archers early is so they'll be experienced by the time that they meet horse archer armies.

  16. #16

    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 6th Nov 18]

    Thanks Alwyn. In past campaigns I've pretty much auto resolved battles against cav. archer heavy factions. Planning to play them this time round so as it's the best way I know to beat them I'll get an extra unit here and there early and train them up. I also prefer using archers to slingers generally in anycase, although their range is worse the arc of fire means that they need less micro management and I can focus more on the units I want to be using.


    And here is a review of Episode 4


    Starting the episode the map looks like this. Sparta is the last settlement on the Greek mainland and also the only settlement now held by Epirus.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    I assulted Sparta to put Epirus to bed. The garrison sallied out of the city and were destroyed
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    With the mainland now fully secured my attention now turned to Crete. As I sailed an army over, Knossos declared war on me.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    As I marched on Hierapytna Knosos's army boldly appeared in the Aegean near Athens. I assaulted the city and after an easy victory secured the island.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Knossos only forces were floating in the Aagean so while my navy hunted them I turned my attention to Rhodes. The final stepping stone to Asia. I declared war and laid siege. The defending army sallied out and took huge losses allowing me an easy assault the next turn in when I also destroyed all their navies meaning an end to the faction.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    My Navy finally caught up to the remnants of Knossos in the Dardanelles. heavily depleted and outmatched the encounter was a formality and the last of the faction were sent to the sea bed.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    At the end of the episode the final map looks like this
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    With the island factions now destroyed my armies are now ready to invade Asia.


    Episode 5 coming this week

    My Mountaineering Blog -
    https://grahamwyllie.blogspot.com/

  17. #17

    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 6th Nov 18]

    Episode 5 is live



    My Mountaineering Blog -
    https://grahamwyllie.blogspot.com/

  18. #18
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Reclaiming the Lion's Glory (Macedon Let's Play, AAR) [Updated 20th Dec 18]

    Good updates! I notice that you study the diplomatic relationships of Anatolian nations before attacking, for example deciding to avoid a war with Pontus. I'm surprised that your fleet has only ships with ranged units, I usually want to have at least a few melee ships but maybe I should try your approach. Your units get an impressive number of kills at the Battle of Ephesus, which seems like an important battle as you're establishing a foothold in a new part of the map.

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