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Thread: World War 0 [Europa Barbarorum II]

  1. #21

    Default Re: World War 0 [Europa Barbarorum II]

    Chapter 8
    The Sardis Conference


    Coinciding with the Ptolemaic Memphis Conference of 270 BC took place the Seleucid Sardis Conference, held in the Asian Minor city of the same name. Present were the grizzled Seleukos Seleukides substituting in for his father Antiochus I Soter, an assortment of Seleucid generals (including the famed Olympikhos Alindeus) who were stationed in Sardis, the newly crowned Pergamene dynast Attalus in the wake of Philhetairus's natural death, the aging Mithradates of Pontus, and a tardy and shaken Antigonus Antigonides whose naval escort barely survived a series of maritime Carthaginian raids. Upon commencement the conference initially took a light-hearted, almost arrogant tone, but steadily became more and more down-to-earth and serious as grave news trickled in.


    The Seleucid court scribe had omitted an abundance of off-topic tangents and jokes to record only the most relevant discussions.


    "...our victory is certain, and the yellow-bannered and bellied Ptolemies know it. They have, in an act spurned only by desperation, acquired allies around the Mediterranean. However, this dying gasp only delays the inevitable. The great Antiochus marches onto Alexandria as we speak. Nonetheless these aforementioned allies must be dealt with, and their interference repaid in interest. I hereby propose our Grand Strategy: delay these delayers, and my father will take care of the rest. He will off the head of the yellow Sphinx, and the rest of the coalition will crumble. We all have much to gain from the shattering of the Ptolemaic Coalition - let us make this goal a reality!" - Seleukos Seleukides


    "...the last Ptolemaic holdouts in southern Asia Minor have been rooted out and defeated. From these urbanized communities we can levy additional men, most notably the Karians and Isaurians, further bolstering our manpower. I should note that these scores of men are well-versed in guerilla warfare, and can prove a match to the fluid armies of Pyrrhus." - Olympikhos Alindeus


    "...the Galatian migrations have come to a halt. Formerly marauders, these men have settled down, but now offer their martial might for a hefty price. The three chief Galatian tribes, the Tectosages, the Trocmii, and the Tolistobogii, number well over 30,000, including 10,000 veterans formerly employed by King Nicomedes I of Bithynia. My son Ariobarzanes Kianos has negotiated the settling down of Galatians near Kappodacia to help offset their initial cost of friendship. To add onto Olympikhos's point these Galatians could be recalibrated to fight in formations more flexible than the Macedonian phalanx in order to match Pyrrhus's Italian-inspired soldiers" - Mithridates


    "...excellent work by general Olympikhos and Ariobarzanes. As a complement to these fine additions to the Hellas theater or war I have mobilized tens of thousands of cavalrymen from Media, Armenia, Baktria, and the Iranian Plateau, not to mention the innumerable archers that the eastern satrapies pride themselves in fostering. Surrounding the Macedonian core of phalangites and heavy lancers, these auxiliaries, including the Karians, Isaurians, and Galatians, should form a resounding hammer to break Pyrrhus and put an end to the western distraction." - Seleukos Seleukides


    "...how exactly are we to fund and transport these men to Hellas? Taxes from sea trade have plummeted due to the blasted Carthaginian blockade. I could hardly imagine how much the Pergamenes and Seleucid cities along the Asia Minor coastline have suffered. In addition, the blockade has rendered naval transportation too dangerous for even small escorts, let alone easily noticeable troop carriers. If we are to ship our allies to the Hellas front, we must address the logistical difficulties presented by the Carthaginian privateers." - Antigonus Antigonides


    "...might I suggest the Hellespont Lifeline Doctrine, to address your first point? The Hellespont as we all know is barely 1 kilometer wide. We could exploit this natural feature and construct an artificial landbridge much like how Alexander did in Tyre. This landbridge would not only allow a steady stream of military traffic into Hellas, but also seal off the Pontic Sea from the Carthaginian and Ptolemaic armada." - Attalus


    "...interference from the Bosphorans is a likely possibility, according to merchants from Sinope. Exactly why they have chosen to involve themselves in the political bickering of the Ptolemies, I do not know, but they must be stopped. Settling down a warlike peoples in exchange for their military service, I'm afraid, is a common ploy. Should Paerisades do what I did for the Galatians but for the Sarmatians and Scythians we may face a mounted armageddon never before seen. To prevent this I must divert my Anatolian forces towards halting whatever the Bosphorans send south. The Hellespont Landbridge would allow for my diversionary forces to journey west, while my son is currently parleying with that rude Prince Shamush of Hayastan for military access counterclockwise east of the Pontic Sea." - Mithridates


    "...which brings me to the Eastern Problem. King Yervanduni of Hayastan is currently absorbing Caucasian kingdoms like a greedy beast. With each forced acquisition his resources and manpower grows. However this burgeoning cancer pales in comparison to the restless Dahaean Confederacy . The wise and peaceful Phrapates has joined his ancestors, leaving behind a new king whose insane ramblings of a new Achaemenid Empire belies his expansionist aims. He is however cunning as he is mad, for he has united all five major clans. Time is no longer on our side - we must act quickly before the expanding borders of these eastern peoples seal off the Seleucid Empire's access to cavalrymen and mines." - Seleukos Seleukides


    "...amber merchants returning from the Adriatic have reported a second Celtic migration of a magnitude even graver than that of the first more than 10 years ago. While the majority of them seem to be pouring into Italy, a non-negligible portion is heading southeast. It is doubtful that the mere plains of Pannonia or the mountains of Illyria is what they're after - they've brought alongside them their families and retinue. I fear they aim to ravage Hellenic civilization and settle down in the ruins. However, not all is lost. These Celts are an untamed, wild boar. With careful prodding and nudging we can hope to redirect their path of destruction a little south the heartlands of Epirus. A tragic sacrifice, I know, to point the Celtic beast at the lands of our western Hellenic rivals, but a fitting punishment for their fraternization with the Ptolemaic scourge. Now, to discuss the means to do so, let us shift the conversation towards the art of guerilla warfare..." - Antigonus Antigonides


    "...comrade, lend me the maps of Dacia. Yes. Note the crescent mountain range. The bottom tip of the crescent exposes the entrance to Paionia. From there one can choose from a variety of valleys to access Hellas. We need to direct the Celts throw this path here, through diplomacy if possible and through force if necessary." - Olympikhos Alindeus


    "...Romans, a new player on the international scene who managed to outlast the great Pyrhhus in a protracted war. Little is known about the true extent of their military power, aside from their ability to keep throwing bodies at Pyrhhus. Now, where they stand in international diplomacy remains to be seen, but the Carthaginian stranglehold on the Mediterranean surely must provoke their ire. Furthermore the Romans and Carthagnians share common expansionist goals, now that Pyrrhus is out of the Romans' way and that those anti-Barcid puppets we've been funding are out of the Carthaginian's way as well. What was it that Pyrhhus said? 'What a wrestling ground we leave for the Romans and Carthaginians'..." - Antigonus Antigonides


    The conference concluded on a humbled note, as the delegates recognized the severity of the task at hand and constructed a careful plan. Attalus was to oversee the construction of his hare-brained landbridge, as well as make a diplomatic attempt to convince the Bosphorans to not intervene. Ariobarzanes Kianos was to assemble native Anatolians to fortify both lateral ends of the Pontic Sea, in the worst case scenario where the Attalus's diplomatic ventures fail. In a similar multi-layered approach, Antigonus Antigonides was to meet with the king of the eastern migrating Celts, and negotiate friendlier terms for the Seleucid Coalition. Should that fail, an experimental guerilla army led by cavalryman Seleukos Seleukides and comprised of Medians, Bactrians, Iranians, and Armenians will harass and corral the Celts towards Epirus. Finally, a grand Western Army was organized, comprised of Galatian foot armed with cutting-edge short swords and large thureos shields and arranged in cutting-edge maniples, Karian foot skirmishers equipped with light linothorax and superior thureos shields, Isaurian archers gifted with composite bows of the East, the remaining Indian elephants from Antiocheia, and finally a massive elite cavalry hammer of Galatian nobles, Lydian lancers, Mithridate's Iranian Khuveshagan, Kappodacian lancers, all supported by Galatian retainers, Thracian light cavalry, and Tarentine-inspired horsemen drilled in skirmishing tactics. At the head of this army was Olympikhos Alindeus, who cut his teeth in the Pamphylian Wars against Ptolemy's son. All the while Antiochos Seleukides inches closer to Alexandreia, though his messengers report increasingly stiff resistance from Nabataean raiders and strange riders of unknown origin wielding javelins and employing dazzling mounted tactics.


    Plans deployed, the delegates departed to their respective theatres of war. They take some comfort knowing that there is a plan, but are careful not to let hubris overtake them. Unexpected twists and turns lie at every turn in politics and warfare.

  2. #22
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: World War 0 [Europa Barbarorum II]

    It sounds like the Seleucids are confident, but wary of rising powers in the east. I wonder if the Hayastan and the Dahaean Confederacy will be a threat, as Seleukos Seleukides fears. I'm intrigued by how the experimental guerilla army will get on. It sounds like Seleucid armies have an interesting variety of units.

  3. #23

    Default Re: World War 0 [Europa Barbarorum II]

    Still deciding on whether or not to write an ultimate battle between Pyrrhus's battered veterans and Olympikhos's dream team. Pyrrhus, after suffering his titular Pyrrhic victories against Rome, would be wary to risk his men for anything but a complete and decisive victory. Would y'all rather he learn from his lessons and resort to trickery to defeat Olympikhos, or he bet it all and face one of the finest armies every assembled?

  4. #24
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: World War 0 [Europa Barbarorum II]

    I like the idea of Pyrrhus learning from his experience and using cunning to win.

  5. #25

    Default Re: World War 0 [Europa Barbarorum II]

    Well... Pyrrhus was already cunning in winning battles. He just wasn't as cunning strategically or politically. Let's see if he will subvert reality in this alternate universe

  6. #26

    Default Re: World War 0 [Europa Barbarorum II]

    Chapter 9
    The Birth of Guerilla Warfare


    269BC saw the first instances of organized guerilla warfare across the Mediterranean. Employed by both Coalitions, it saw resounding success in some theatres of war, and embarassing failure in others.


    In the Spring of 269BC, the Ptolemaic Coalition's Barcids initiated Operation Bird-Hunting, which called for recalling the Carthaginian armada across the Mediterranean and concentrating them for a vicious assault on the coasts of Italy. Scores of ships carrying remorseless marines and raiders of Celtiberian, Ligurian, and Numidian origin descended upon dozens of Roman port cities, and slaughtered civilians and looted everything of value. However, just as quickly as they arrived did they leave, but not before depositing a parting gift - the aforementioned Celtiberian, Ligurian, and Numidian raiders. The Celtiberian and Ligurian warriors were capable of living off the fat of the land, and massacring inferior forces and evading superior ones. They thrived in the terrain of Samnium where the mountain passes offered concealment. Meanwhile the Numidian horsemen took advantage of Roman road infrastructure and penetrated deep into the heartlands of Latium, instilling terror and chaos into the population. Unfortunately for the Romans, their vast infantry resources could not corner the speed and subterfuge of these raiders, and their pathetic cavalry forces were either quickly picked off by the Numidians, or stuck attempting to root out the Celtiberians and Ligurians. Even worse time became a foe of the Romans, for without the grain exports on which the Romans had become dependent on their former Carthaginian allies, they were forced to rely on appropriating supplies from the local populace, an act that further destabilized the Italian littoral. With the port cities under Carthaginian control and the inner heartlands under increasingly oppressive Roman rule and brigand terror, the Senate was forced to elect a dictator, Marcus Romanus, who immediately cancelled the punitive expedition to Epirus to focus efforts on stabilizing the Republic.


    Coinciding with the so-called Rape Of Italy was Seleucid Coalition's the aptly-named Operation Hornet's Nest, initiated in the Summer of 269BC. Antigonus's diplomatic venture was cancelled right before his departure from Paeonia by the impatient and excited Seleukos, who was eager to deploy his massive hammer of a cavalry force. Like a swarm of hornets driving a boar into madness, Seleukos's massive cavalry expedition attempted through trial and error to prod and nudge the migrating Boii into Epirote territory. At first, a baiting strategy was employed. A wave of heavy cavalry would storm Boii camps, slaughtering women and children alike to further aggravate the already-wearied and furious Celts. The ensuing withdrawal was intended to encourage the Boii to follow their harassers, but instead the Boii simply bit their tongues and condensed their baggage trains and military camps, and moved in the opposite direction of Seleukos's intentions. As of the Autumn of 269 BC, the Boii have slowly but surely been pushed towards the western periphery of Dacia, alerting the resident Daoi and Getai tribes. The ever-cunning Antigonus Gonatas, who now has a chip on his shoulder after his modus operandi - diplomacy - was rudely rebuked by Seleukos, took the proximity of the Dacian tribes into consideration. With careful negotiations, perhaps the Boii migration can be dealt with by the Dacian locals, and not the over-committed cavalry battering ram of that hot-headed Seleukos.


    Meanwhile in the Syrian deserts, as Antiochus's grand army made landfall in Jerusalem in the scorching Summer of 269 BC, the leader of the Nabataean and Numidian guerillas, Qenu, made the drastic but necessary decision of employing scorched-earth tactics. By pillaging and desecrating settlements and supplies in the path of the massive but hungry Seleucid horde, the nomads hope to force it to turn back, buying more time to the Ptolemaic Coalition to achieve their objectives. The strategy was brutal but sound, yet the execution was botched. The wrong settlements were sacked, which not only infuriated the locals, but also left a tempting path of unmolested resupply sites for the Seleucid locust swarm. Already not confident in Ptolemy's abilities, and now angered by the uncaring tactics of his strange mounted allies, the populace of the Gaza strip began fortifying their cities into a sieve. Only the Seleucids are welcomed as liberators, while the Nabataeans and Numidians are rejected as marauders. As a result, by the Autumn of 269 BC, the Seleucids have reached the city of Gaza. Not even constant raids by the highly skilled Numidians and bow-wielding Nabataeans could stifle their swift advance.


    The year concluded with significant ramifications for the combatants of World War 0. The Romans could not execute their invasian of Epirus, allowing Pyrrhus one less side-concern to interfere with his primary objective of defeating the Seleucid's Grand Western Army. The migrating Boii were pushed into the sphere of the Dacians, which although a less desirable result than into the homelands of Pyrrhus, still offers an opportunity to accomplish the secondary objective of simply stopping the Celtic horde. Finally, as Antiochus's eastern army advances at breakneck speeds, it seems that the head of the Ptolemaic sphinx may be sliced off after all before its allies could undermine Seleucid authority.

  7. #27
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: World War 0 [Europa Barbarorum II]

    Nicely done, I like the way that you use the mix of success and failure in guerilla warfare as a theme. It sounds like Rome's plans has been severely disrupted.

  8. #28
    Turkafinwë's Avatar The Sick Baby Jester
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    Default Re: World War 0 [Europa Barbarorum II]

    I can only agree with Alwyn. War is a continuous process with successes and setbacks alike. Despite the setbacks the Seleucids seem to be winning at the moment. I'm eager to see what te Ptolemies have to offer in return.

  9. #29

    Default Re: World War 0 [Europa Barbarorum II]

    Hey guys, I'm still alive!

    Chapter 10
    A Landbridge to Surpass Tyre


    King Nicomedes I of Bithynia could not keep his mouth shut. As the overlord of the region east of the Hellespont, he consented to Attalus's clandestine proposition for the construction of a "secured moveable landbridge" which ostensibly aimed to enforce the collection of taxes and protect against pirates. Immediately afterwards he sent couriers to city-states bordering the Aegean announcing this "economic breakthrough."


    Some of these couriers however travelled through the Aegean, where some remnants of the Carthaginian armada operated. With not even neutral ships exempt from a quick frisk, the news of the landbridge construction project was discovered by Carthaginian marines, who quickly reported this to Barcid command, which relayed an analysis of the situation to Ptolemaios.


    Ptolemaios would later convene an emergency session in the Spring of 269BC to address the Seleucid scheme to build a landbridge across the Hellespont. The panicked discussion revolved around the consequences of even faster military traffic into Hellas and the sealing off of communication and resources from Paerisades of Bosphorus. As fear reached its peak Pyrrhus's historian raised his voice and pointed out that the landbridge has yet to be completed according to the Barcid report. The conversation then shifted from terrified reaction to resolved action, and a bold plan to assault the construction site was devised.


    Since the Carthaginian fleet was preoccupied with raping the coasts of Italia, it was up to the Ptolemaic armada to deliver marines to the Hellespont in an amphibious assault. The troops had to be of utmost training and equipment, for the Barcid report detailed many Kretan archers and Oxybeles and Lithobolos emplacements scattered around the growing landbridge. In addition, numerous military forts further inland support hoplites and other heavy infantry. As such an elite assault force was organized.


    Chief among them are 1,000 Galatians colonists eithered armored in chainmail or forced to wear Linothorax (for the ones insisting on fighting nude). They carried their native Thureos shield on their left arm, wielded armor-piercing Kopis supplied by the Ptolemies on their right, and wore Montefortino-style helmets on their heads. These men were selected for their bravery and further steeled by motivation in the force of advanced tax breaks - an upgrade to the system in place for settling down the warlike Celts.


    Supporting this heavy core were the Ptolemies' own Kretan archers and peltasts obeying no dress code - these warriors wore armor or not depending their prioritization of mobility. The heavier peltasts which were instructed to support the Galatians wore self-Linothorax, carried a mix of Pelte and Thureos shields, and fought with a Kopis. These quasi-heavy infantry numbered around 500. The lighter elements of the Kretan contigent wore only tunics and Petasos hats, with a few holding Pelte shields, but mainly relied on speed and evasion for protection. They fought as Toxotai or Peltasts, supporting their heavier bretheren from afar. Experienced and battle-tested, these flexible troops numbering 1,500 demand a high price but are worth every last Mnai.


    The final component to the strike force were the Ioudaioi. These men had fought as what could be considered light Hoplitai or heavy Peltasts, but for this occassion they were equipped with Thureos shield, Akon javelins, and short Dory spears. Some military officers began referring to this Jewish contigent as "Thureophoroi", and the name stuck. These some 3,000 Ioudaioi Thureophoroi, formerly policemen and garrison troops operating far from their war-torn homelands, are eager to see it back under the stewardship of the Ptolemies - their resolve is unquestioned as a result.


    The plan to utilize these crack troops consisted of two stages: a preliminary assault by the light Kretans through small rowboats followed by a mad dash of Triremes towards the beachhead by the Galatians, heavy Kretans, and Jews. Because the Seleucid Coalition enjoyed uncontested control and surveillance of the coastline, the marines' advance would be noticed well before the battle, and their own Kretan archers mobilized and Lithobolos and Oxybeles loaded. Thus the first wave aimed to close the gap as quickly as possible and either disable or distract the siege engine crews and Kretan archers. This allowed for the second wave to land unmolested and secure the beachhead. Ptolemaic engineers would then disembark and erect defensive fortifications along the narrowest stretches of the Hellespont, and the marines would occupy them for the duration of the war, with a special crew dismantling the landbridge along the way.


    In the early Summer of 269BC, the assault force departed from Alexandreia. As expected, the Seleucid Coalition forces sighted the Ptolemaic fleet well in advance, and organized a defense. The landbridge, barely 150m until completion, was dotted with dense Hoplitai phalanxes and siege engine emplacements and saturated with Kretan archers.


    It was when the initial rowboats of 1,000 light Kretans began their mad dash towards the shore did the Ptolematic plan fall apart. The rowboats could not close the distance quickly enough, and its occupants suffered grievous casualties from accurate Seleucid Kretan fire. What was accomplished during the frenetic sprint at the Battle of Marathon generations prior could not be replicated here due to the rowers' light arnament. Those that weren't routed found themselves hopelessly outnumbered in the skirmish at the beach.


    As a result of this botched assault, the second wave was subject to intense artillery fire. Of the thirty triremes carrying 4,500 marines, only twenty survived and delivered 2,500 marines to secure the beachhead. Supported by the surviving 500 light Kretans, this battered force had to accomplish the monumental feat of defeating the nimble Seleucid Kretans and various Hoplitai phalanxes closing in.


    The Galatians and Jews immediately executed pincer attacks on the unsupported phalanxes. With the Jews forming their own adhoc phalanx to act as the hammer, the Galatians creeped around to the exposed rear of the Seleucid Hoplitai and gutted them from behind. Meanwhile the Ptolemaic Kretans fought their Seleucid rivals for control of the artillery. Thanks to the superior close-range combat of the heavier Ptolemaic Kretans, the artillery pieces were secured and disabled, their operators and Kretan bodyguards slaughtered.


    Unfortunately, the remaining Seleucid Hoplitai retreated to both ends of the landbridge and sealed off the attackers by forming two phalanxes. Behind them were their Kretan allies who began raining arrows onto the wearied Ptolemaic marines. The Ptolemaic engineers could not achieve their scheduled disembarkment and construction of fortifications. However, the dismantling crews could operate unscathed in the gap in the middle of the landbridge, and began undoing months of Seleucid effort in a matter of days using specially-tailored boats.


    Over these days however attrition began taking its toll. The Galatians, Jews, and Kretans holding both ends of the landbridge were subject to nonstop arrow fire from the well-supplied Seleucid Kretans. The main fleet could neither resupply nor dock since too little ground was taken. Time was on the Seleucid's side. As casualties mounted, the Seleucid commanders, sensing weakness, ordered their Hoplitai phalanxes to advance. With the sea protecting their flanks, they could march forward without fear of pincer attacks.


    Acknowledging impending defeat, the Ptolemaic Triremes valiantly rescued as many marines as they could. Despite this, only 500 Kretans, Galatians, and Jews could be ferried back to the fleet through rowboats. The remainder capitulated, along with the dismantling crews and their equipment. The Seleucid forces promptly resumed construction, their deadline extended by only a few months.


    Seleucid propagandists were quick to capitalize on this "Hellespont Raid", twisting facts and exaggerating truths to paint a portrait of Ptolemaic incompetence. The Attalids delivered these alternative news throughout Ionian city states, many of whom were considering joining the Ptolemaic-affiliated Koinon Hellenon, but instead changed minds after losing what little faith they had left in Ptolemy's abilities. However contorted was the history written by the Seleucid victors, the Hellespont Raid still partially completed the objective of delaying the landbridge's completion. Still, the Ptolemies lost valuable manpower in the form of elite Kretans, Galatian colonists, and most importantly Jewish peacekeepers. The loss of the Jews combined with the latest news of Ptolemy's blunders as well as the doomsday arrival of the Seleucid grand army in the Nile Delta caused unrest to reach a peak in Egypt.


    In the Summer of 269BC, Ptolemy met with Antipatros and Pyrrhus's historian to make the gut-wrenching decision of abandoning Alexandreia and the rest of Egypt. The situation untenable, the Ptolemaic court and military command will depart from Alexandreia with what few troops remained and arrive at Sparta to support Pyrrhus's endeavors.

  10. #30
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: World War 0 [Europa Barbarorum II]

    Hey Shoebopp, it's good to see you! The marines delivered by the Ptolemaic armada sound like a formidable force and the story of their expedition to the Hellespont is well told.

  11. #31
    Turkafinwë's Avatar The Sick Baby Jester
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    Default Re: World War 0 [Europa Barbarorum II]

    Great to see you're still alive Shoebopp. I got extreme Operation Overlord vibes from this update. It's like seeing Omaha beach but in 269 BC.

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