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Hello all. There seem to be relatively few Great Invasion AARs, so I thought I'd write one. It'll be a Yellow AAR, with purely historical nation choices. The nations that Yellow start off with are the following. I vaguely remember another Yellow AAR somewhere else.

*Sassanid Persia (Needs no introduction)
*Alans (A semi-nomadic Iranian tribe in the northern Caucasus)
*Vandals (Germanic Barbarians- Arian Christian)
*Burgundians (Germanic Barbarians- Pagans)
*Blemmyes (A small tribe of raiders in Egypt)

Apart from the Sassanids, all nations start as raiders, which are purely under AI control. As they still get warred upon by other nations, surviving until they are under player control is often difficult. This AAR will take the form of a history book, in ten year increments, and various gameplay features will be alluded to in the text, but otherwise not really mentioned.

[SIZE="4"]A Chronicle of the Dark Ages[/size]
The end of the Roman Era really began from the period of 350 AD onwards. There are many to whom this date will seem odd. What about the sack of Rome? What about the coming of the Huns? There are many dates, but the recent discovery of what has been termed “The yellow chronicles”, has radically changed our understanding of this period. The discovery of archives belonging to the Persians, Alans, Vandals, Burgundians and Blemmyes, to name just a few, has radically altered our understanding of this period, with the result that all previous histories seem incomplete.

To begin with, in 350, the Roman Empire had long been split into two halves, administered sometimes by the same, and sometimes different emperors. To the north were the restless Germanic tribes. To the northwest, the celtic tribes of the Picts and Irish. To the south, the nomaidic desert raiders of the Mauretanians and Blemmyes. But it is to the east that our eyes dwell. For here lay the mighty Sassanids, heirs to the throne of Iran, rulers of a vast empire spanning from Mesopotamia to the Indus.

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The Classical world in 350, near its end[/CENTER]


In 350, the Sassanids had recently made peace with their hated enemies the Romans, and concluded a friendship treaty.Under the mighty Shapur, farms, markets and mines greatly increased in number. In order to improve the efficiency in government, the unimportant provices of Azeria, Atropatene and Gurgan were given to the Visigothic barbarians, and the province of Bahrain to the Alans. This action is widely credited with prolonging the life of the Sassanids by many years.

(Note: Unless you do this, you immediately become an empire. You start as a kingdom)

Shapur believed that the East Roman Empire would be the great antangonist. So he funded various arsonists, rebels, thugs and bandits to afflict Thrace, greatly contributing to the difficulties faced by the Imperator Constantinopolis.

The markets heaved with slaves, and the halls of Ctephison (Tisfun) were full of great leglislators propouding improving administration of the realm. The markets were full of slaves, and yet the coffers of the state always appeared insufficient. Every year at January 1st, the money had always run out. On the whole the realm was at peace during this period, although in the latter periods, the stability of the realm was threatened by the masses of Christian missionaries which descended from Armenia.

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The Church sends missionaries to everywhere[/CENTER]

Whilst Iran was at peace and prospered, Germanic areas above the Rhein frontier were a field of constant warfare. The Allemanni were particularly aggressive. In 350, they launched a surprise attack on their Burgundian cousins. The Burgundians were able to convince enough of the army to launch a mutiny, but by itself this was not enough to ensure their safety, and later engineered a marriage as a truce. In 351, the Allemanni again declared war, but the Burgundians were again able to arrange a marriage and a truce, after convincing a small part of the Allemanni armies to desert. In 358, the Burgundians again convinced the Allemanni army to mutiny.

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The Allemanni revolt in protest against warring against their Burgundian cousins.[/CENTER]

It was this event that probably convinced the Allemanni to again declare war on the Burgundians in 359.

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It’s War![/CENTER]

Once again, the Burgundians were able to convince the Allemanni army to mutiny.

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Another Mutiny[/CENTER]

Although not defeated in battle, the munity left the Allemanni too weak to attack the Burgundians. The Burgundians had an unlikely ally in the form of the Western Emperor. Despite dealing with massive revolts, such as those of Magnetius and Sylvanus, during various wars with the Allemanni the Romans were able to defeat them and take the territory of Bavaria. This defeat further weakened the Allemanni.

Elsewhere, the Ostrogoths declared war upon the Alans, did nothing to prosecute it, and pledged peace 3 years later. They later trekked north into Slavic lands, for reasons unknown. The Franks expanded into what is today Poland. The Blemmyes, Vandals, Frisians and Mauretanians raided the Romans incessantly, whilst the Alans and Caucasian Albanians raided the other Caucasian kingdoms.

And in 360, with all treaties with the Romans concluded, Shapur declared war on the Eastern Empire, to sieze lands which were rightfully his.

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The world in 360, just before the Sassanids and Romans went to war. [/CENTER]

Excellent start

Looking foward to following this, love AAR's.

Welcome aboard!
What a first post!

A new GI AAR!

I will keep an eye on this.

So do I!

Good luck!

I suffer from discouraging frequent CTD and corrupted saves, hope you will be able to go as far as possible.

PhilThib wrote:Excellent start

Thanks very much good sir!

MrT wrote: Looking foward to following this, love AAR's.

I hope I will not disappoint. I’ve actually written quite a few AARs for Paradox. But I am bad at finishing them. This time I will only play after I have written things up.

arsan wrote: Welcome aboard!
What a first post!

Thanks. I hope the rest will be up to the same or better standard.

Tamas wrote: A new GI AAR!

I will keep an eye on this.

Thanks.

Palpat wrote: So do I!

Good luck!

I suffer from discouraging frequent CTD and corrupted saves, hope you will be able to go as far as possible.

I generally don’t get CTDs, but it freezes about once every 15 years or so. I’m not sure what causes them, but my autosave generally works well.

And now we continue!

360-370

Before the war began the Shah was able to complete a diplomatic breakthrough, convincing the Armenians to break their alliance with Constantinople and become vassals of the Sassanids. Shortly after Shapur had declared war, revolts broke out in the northern parts of Iran. Although quickly dealt with, these revolts caused a large degree of damage to various mines and farms, and were believed to be the work of East Roman agents.

The war itself began badly. The initial Persian armies failed to defeat the Roman Limes defending the Roman-Iranian border, and a renewed assault was necessary. Shapur himself was not present at these battles, as he was busy keeping an eye on the activities of various Christian missionaries. (note: Persian Monarchs are nearly all Defender of the faith, which prevents hostile conversions)

After the Limes were overrun, Nisibis, the city in Assyria which had thwarted so many previous Persian assaults, fell after Persian agents convinced a traitor to open the gates. The cities of Haran and Edessa were besieged. The Shah's Arab allies, the Lakhmids, captured the provinces of Arabia desertia and Hejaz from the Roman Allies the Ghassanids, as well as defeating most of the Ghassanid armies.

In 361, despite the Visigoths invading the ERE, the Roman Amy of the Danuvius defeated the Persians attacking Edessa. Several months later, reinforcements, including the famed war elephants, defeated the Romans and later captured the city. During this time the Christian kingdom of Lazycia (Georgia) died hierless and bequeathed his kingdom to Constantinople. This did not bring any respite to the Roman armies. Shortly after 362, the city of Haran near the Euphrates surrendered, and the Emperor surrendered a hefty tribute and the city of Nisibis to the Shah. The Shah then realised his kingdom was getting a bit big, and gave away the province of Hyrcania to the Ostogoths, who later collapsed for no recorded reason. The Lakhmids received the province of Arabia Desertia for their efforts, although the emperor reneged on his vows of peace and snatched the province of Araxes from the Armenians. The emperor, having lost his Danubian forces in battle, later ceded the province of Moesia to the visigoths.

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The world in 365, after the wars were over. The Ostrogoths ae in Hyrcania for a while. [/CENTER]

During this time many spontaneous conversions to the worship of Ahura Mazda, the one true faith occurred, most notably in Carmania and Ctephison. Christian missionaries in the northwest of Iran had some success, although one, Flaminius, was assaniated on the secret order of Shapur. It is unknown whether this action, or Shapur's war of agression that preceded it were the cause of the revolts which wracked mesopotamia, but it is known that throughout the decade of the 360s scarcely a year went by without some rebel activity. The auxiliary troops defending these areas were in nearly constant anti-rebel action.

Towards the end of 362, the hyper aggressive Allemanni attacked the Vandals, though this war later petered out. Later, they attacked the Western roman Empire, with the result that a Western Roman campaign annexed them.

In 363, the Yellow chronicles of another nation, the Thuringians begin. Their horde appeared in the ex Burgundian province of Moenus. They were initially safe from the various wars which broke out, such as the 363 Western Roman campaign against the Franks, but later they came under severe attack by seemingly endless raids of the Suevi, with the result that their armies and their horde was practically destroyed by 367.

The Burgundians were able to weather some initial desultory attacks by the Allemanni, when in 366 a much more powerful enemy, the Franks, attacked.

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366: The Franks attack. [/CENTER]

Initially very little happened. However, in 368 the Franks overran the ancestral homeland of the Burgundians. Despite many desperate battles, the endless numbers of the Franks were too much and in 369 the Burgundians ceased to exist. Although a tribe called the Burgundians later reappeared under the leadership of the foolish AI, the yellow chronicle of the Burgundians ends here.

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It's over- I decide to accept. It's only fair, the AI can't pick. [/CENTER]

Elsewhere, the Franks annexed the Frisians, only to see them reemerge independent almost immediately, before losing territory to the Romans and commencing a migration to the Baltic lands. The Lakhmids inherited the kingdom of Caucasian Iberia. The Visigoths, whose armies had seemed so threatening shrank to a small area north of the Black sea, and the Ostrogoths, as we have seen, collapsed.

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The world in 370. Note the Frankish migration east, and the independent provinces, and the fact that the Romans annexed the Allemanni. [/CENTER]

The Sassanid empire, despite constant revolts and the odd desertion, was generally well administered in this period, due most to various great administrators and the odd bread distribution. However, an exception was 368 when the treasury ran short of gold. And as if that wasn't bad enough, in 370 the Armenians declared war on the ERE again to recover their lost province, once again plunging the Sassanids and Romans into conflict.

Another Persian war in sight!
Good luck with this one as well.

Do you play with the official mod or not?

By the way, it's surprising to see a so extented WRE!
In my recent tries (well, I only played a couple), they tend to be defeated quickly in the British isles and to lose ground at least down to Sequana...

Your strategy of provinces giving/selling in order to prevent aging is great!

Palpat wrote:Another Persian war in sight!
Good luck with this one as well.

Do you play with the official mod or not?

By the way, it's surprising to see a so extented WRE!
In my recent tries (well, I only played a couple), they tend to be defeated quickly in the British isles and to lose ground at least down to Sequana...

Your strategy of provinces giving/selling in order to prevent aging is great!

I wasn't aware there was an official mod. Seems kind of strange to have an official "mod". In this game the Romans are holding their territory, I guess because it's normally the Allemanni who beats them up at the start, and because I made most of the Allemanni mutiny, the WRE was able to beat them.

I don't really like giving away provinces- but the threshold for becoming an empire appears to be 15 provinces. 14, you're fine. 15, whoosh, you're an empire. And as I plan to last at least until the Islamic invasion, I have to keep small. Glad you are reading and responding Palpat!

[SIZE="3"]370-380: The Coming of the Huns.[/size]

The next Roman-Sassanid war began badly for the Persians. No lesser person than Emperor Julian the Apostate himself led armies against the Persian vassals the Armenians, leading to their annexation in the middle of 370.

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Emperor Julian the Apostate. [/CENTER]

Despite this, elsewhere the Romans did poorly. The Ghassanids, Rome’s Arab allies were overrun by the Lakhmids, Vassals of the Shah. The Euphrates and other Roman provinces fell. By 371 the Shah made peace with Julian for the previously Armenian territories. Shapur then promptly gave the provinces away to the Thuringians, as he didn’t want them, he just didn’t want the Romans to have them. As the Thuringians had no military units after being attacked by the Suevi, this suited them very well, particularly as they were able to obtain use of a heavy infantry unit the Romans had levied for them.

In 371, some Christian missionaries in Mesopotamia were mysteriously assassinated. Despite this, there were many Christian missionaries active, and simply not enough poisoners or assassins to go around. Mesopotamia was beset by annoyed Jews, Pagans and Mazdesists revolting against the missionaries. Later some spontaneous conversions to worship of Ahura Mazda occurred.

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Another missionary down, but there are many more where he came from. [/CENTER]

In 372, a new force appeared in Europe, one that would upset the delicate balance of forces more than any other. The Huns. This terrible force would sweep down upon the peoples of Europe and Asia, and where there hooves trod no grass grew. The first people to feel the wrath of the Huns were the Alans. Fortunately, of the first two armies the Huns sent against the Alans, one mutinied, and in 373 the Alans were able to make a truce by marrying of the King’s daughter.

Elsewhere, the Western Roman Empire was wracked by revolts in Africa and Britain. The Lakhmids, who had inherited the Caucasian kingdom of Iberia, objected to the Thuringians occupying Armenia and declared war. However, their ability to recruit troops was hampered by Alan raids. The Alans seemed determined to continue raiding the Caucasus, oblivious to the Hunnic threat.

In 374, the Huns declared war again, breaking their peace treaty with the Alans. This time, the Huns took their time to invade, and were distracted by various revolts and bandits plaguing their towns. This allowed the Alans to win a few small battles and sign peace with the Huns. It is from this year that the Yellow chronicles of the Vandals begin.

In 375, the Huns again declared war, now commencing a major invasion. The vast majority of the Alan’s were destroyed by the Huns. Fortunately a further mutiny took place, although the rebel Huns then overthrew the Alan government. The Vandals, having accumulated enough troops, decided to declare war upon the Western Roman Empire. However, the Romans had previously launched a campaign into Germania, and had made the Suevi their vassals. Many Vandals died attacking Pannonia, when the Romans pulled a cunning diplomatic manoeuvrer and forced the Vandals to sign a grand peace treaty.

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Another Hunnic mutiny. [/CENTER]

In 376, another Hunnic army had the decency to mutiny, but the Alans finally realised the danger and ceased to be a raider state. They had to make a decision whether to submit to the Huns or run away. The decision was obvious, given the Hun’s disrespect for peace treaties. Run!

[note: This is an event. You submit, become vassals of the huns, or flee and get a new horde in vislania(?) while the Huns trash the Caucasus. I chose submit in an earlier playthrough and the Huns immediately broke the peace treaty, declared war and annexed the Alans.]

This resulted in another group of Alans reaching central Poland, where they passed the newly founded capital of the Franks in the middle of the Pripyat Marsh.

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The Franks realise their destiny lies not in Gaul, but in a swamp in Eastern Europe. [/CENTER]

By this stage, the vast majority of the Alan troops had died, and only a few remained in the Caucasus. They decided to head south, and annexed the Caucasian Albanians. They then declared war on the Lakhmids. However, the Lakhmids proved too tough, the Huns refused all Alan peace offers, all Alan units were destroyed and it seemed likely that the Alans would surely be annexed by the wicked Huns, when suddenly early in 377 peace broke out.

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Almost a miracle. [/CENTER]

Later that year, the Huns declared war on the Alans again, although they had reached the Crimea, and were somewhat distracted by wars with the Visigoths. Fortunately, another daughter had grown up so the Alans were able to arrange a peace and marriage again. Then in 378 the Huns broke the peace treaty and declared war again. Some Alans had by now reached the Baltic coast, preserving their existence, but the Alans in the Caucasus were saved by the surprising escape of their general Bortz. Bortz had been captured by the Lakhmids, but managed to escape, and upon arriving in the Alan capital raised a militia unit, the last Alans in the Caucasus. Bortz realised that being barbarians, if the Alans abandoned their ancestral homes eventually their provinces would become independent. So Borst abandoned Tanais, Alania and Euxinia and headed to Derbent. Also, a revolt occurred amongst the Hunnic lands, leading to the formation of the evil revolt nation, who had secretly been coordinating all rebels in the entire world.

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Didn’t know that could happen! [/CENTER]

Fortunately in Jan 379 Tanais and Alania became independent and the Alans no longer shared a common border with the Huns. Eunxinia province was captured by the “Native” nation, who hated everyone. Bortz recaptured Abgasia, and the war with the Lakhmids ended in a white peace after most their army mysteriously deserted. Bortz was a true hero to the Alan nation.

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Borst- without him, no Alans left in the Caucasus [/CENTER]

Shortly before this, the Western Roman Empire declared war on the Thuringians, but they had all gone off to Armenia and their home province of Moenus was taken over by the reborn Burgundians. The Lakmids had ceased to be Vassals of the Persians, following the death of Shapur. His less able son, Ardsahir II became king. After their independence, the Lakhmids and had conquered some other territory in Arabia, whilst the Western Romans had undergone a tremendous decline.

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The world in 380 [/CENTER]

So it begins!

In my tries (not very numerous I must say), the Huns were sort of passive toward West as they were deadlocked in wars versus Persia. I wonder if you'll have to fight them.
They did killed Ostrogoths -as in your games- but that's all.

Very nice AAR by the way! Can't wait for an update.

Palpat wrote:So it begins!

In my tries (not very numerous I must say), the Huns were sort of passive toward West as they were deadlocked in wars versus Persia. I wonder if you'll have to fight them.
They did killed Ostrogoths -as in your games- but that's all.

Very nice AAR by the way! Can't wait for an update.

Here's the update now. As for what happens to the Huns. Well, you'll see.

380-390

The decade of the 380s was a decade of unparalleled peace for the Sassanids. Despite a few rebellions stirred up by the preaching of various missionaries, there were no wars or major rebellions of any kind. The Sassanisd used this period to build farms and other infrastructure. Likewise, apart fron the plague of 383, the Thuringians showed very little activity. The Blemmyes continued their raids against the Eastern Roman Empire, with no let up. As such, the yellow chronicles of this period deal mainly with the activities of the Vandals and Alans.

In 381, the Vandal king, Godsigel, ordered his warriors across the Danube and attacked into Pannonia. The Roman Limes were easily overrun, and the main cities of Pannonia fell with relative ease. Although the Romans sent small reinforcements, these were dealt with speedily by the Vandal host.
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The Vandals cross the Danube. [/CENTER]

The second stage of the Vandals war was less successful. Although Laurica, Noricum and a few other areas were captured, large Vandal amies sent to capture Aquilea and Mediolanum suffered terribily from attrition. Larger Roman armies dealt with the Vandals after their arival in 382. In spite of having larger armies still in reserve, in late 382 Godsigel accepted peace with the Romans on the basis of the provinces of Laurica, Noricum and Pannonia.

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A temporary peace. [/CENTER]

Meanwhile, in the frigid northern wastes of Germania, the Alans came into contact with large numbers of Germanic tribes who sent wave after wave of raids against them. The Alans regarded this as unacceptable, and so decided upo ruthless military action. The first tribes to fall were the Angles and Jutes. While the Angles later regained their independence, the Jutes were completely annexed.

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The Alan hordes crush the North of Germany. [/CENTER]

Next were the Saxons. After occupying Sachsen, the Alans came into contact with the Western Roman empire, which had occupied parts of the far bank of the Rhein. This quickly led into a military conflice, with the Alans obtaining the province of Taunas when the first Roman/Alan war was over in October of 382. For the Alans, who were used to the poverty of the Northern Caucasus, the hitherto unimaginable wealth of Gaul lay before them. However, a few Alans still remained in the Caucasus, and the Huns declared war again in 382. Fortunately, the Huns were busy further west dealing with the Visigoths and Franks, as well as suffering from serious bandit and revolt problems, and so did not prosecute the war with any kind of effectiveness. A single Alan cavailry unit was able to capture large territories, and the Huns ceded Alania to the Alans. The years of 383 and 384 were largely concerned with making peace with the various north German raiders.

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Germania after the first Alan victory over Rome. [/CENTER]

By 385, further mutinies had occurred in the WRE, in particular Britain. A new Germanic tribe, the Rugians, established a kingdom in Bohemia. The Rugians were somewhat more civilised than their brethren, and established the city of Prag in 385. The Burgundians, like the Franks before them, began migrating to the east, conquering large areas of modern Poland. The reasons for this Germanic “Drang nach Osten” remain a mystery.

But for Godsigel and his Arian troops, the brief peace had served its purpose and allowed him to reconstitue his armies, and so in 385 Godsigel again declared war upon the Romans. This time, the Vandal armies were much more successful in their attacks, although there were notable defeats by the Roman vassals the Suevi.

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The Vandals defeat the Romans but are defeated by the Suevi. [/CENTER]

It should be pointed out the the relationship between the Suevi and the Romans was a complex one, and there were reports of a large number of Romans held captive by the Suevi.

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Something odd. [/CENTER]

Despite this, the Vandal armies were generally able to defeat the Romans, whose forces were now much more dispersed than previously. The bulk of the Po plain, including the imperial capital of Mediolanum, was stormed by the Vandals, whose ferocious assaults upon Roman cities were without mercy. Finally in early 386 the Romans signed a an unconditional peace with Godsigel, resulting in a large amount of territory falling to the Vandals.

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The Vandals victorious. [/CENTER]

During this time, ferocious battles had occurred between the Franks, Visigoths and Huns. The exact details are unknown, but it is known that at some point in 387, the Visigoths captured the Hunnic King Balamber and avenged their Ostogoth cousins, destroying the Huns in July. All Europe breathed a sigh of relief.

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The Huns are no more. [/CENTER]

Although another Hunnic horde appeared further east, the Huns ceased to be the threat they had been earlier. The period of 387 to 390 was marked by most barbarian tribes abandoning large tracts of territory. The Vandals gave up all their territory east of the Danube, an area which was quickly occupied by the Gepids. The Alans left the Baltic coast, the Burgundians settled in Poland, with the result that the Alans later occupied the ex-Burgundian lands in a game of musical chairs. The Suevi headed north, capturing the area around Brandenburg. The only “war” was the annexation of the Rugians by the Alans. Possessing niether armies nor fortifications, the Rugians were defeated without a single drop of blood, and Prag became the new Alan captital.

390-400

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The world in 390. [/CENTER]

The decade of the 390s was an era of trade, as the Sassanids signed trade agreements with the ERE< Lamkids and Alans. However, trade was continually disrupted by the revolts caused by the proselytism of Christian missionaries. In 390 for the first time, the Sassanids authorised missionary work the spread the faith of Ahura Mazda. But it was not successful, and merely led to more revolts. To that end, later in the decade Yazgerd would decide to persecute the Christians.

In April of 390, the Vandals attacked the Western Roman Empire, easily defeating the garrison of the Imperial capitol of Mediolanum.

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When Vandals attack. [/CENTER]

However, they were not yet experts in the art of war, and an army sent to besiege Rome starved to death. Vandal armies penetrated Illiria and southern Gaul. By March 391, the Western Emperor sued for an unconditional peace, and the provinces of Arvernia, Provencia and Isara become under control of the Vandal’s iron fist.

In 392, the Alans, now most in control of the Eastern bank of the Rhein grew tired of the incessant raids of the Angles and Frisians and declared war. In each case the campaigns were swift, but in each case annexation proved temporay, with the Barbarians soon declaring their haughty independence. In 393 however, the Alans launched an all out assault upon the Roman garrisons on the East Bank of the Rhein, fearing such a mighty neighbour.

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The Alans attack the Romans. [/CENTER]

Although not without casualties, the WRE was still reeling from the Vandal assaults and was unable to offer more than a token defence. By 394, the provinces of Allemania and Germania were ceded to the Alans, and the Roman presence on the East bank of the Rhein was no more. A more potent threat was posed by the Roman’s vassals the Suevi- but fortunately aghast at fighting for the Romans, a large Suevi army mutinied and the Alans were able to sign a peace based upon the status quo ante bellum.

Whilst this was occurring, a new force was growing in the East. The Gepids, normally eclipsed by their Gothic cousins had expanded their territory tremendously, and had even managed to win wars against both the Western and the Eastern Roman Empires.

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395, after th Vandals expand again. [/CENTER]

The Roman empire was rocked by revolts in Africa. Persia however, was also shocked by the serious revolt of the aristocracy, the Vaspuran in 395. This was a serious revolt, and much of the infrastructure of southern Iran was destroyed.

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Persia in revolt. [/CENTER]

In 397, the Vandals attacked the Romans again, driven by some unknown incredible impulse to obtain the Hispanian lands. This war resulted in the acquisition of Septimania, Pyranei and Iberus. The next Roman Vandal war in 399 resulted in the acquisition of Turia, Tader and Salsum. And so, the year 400 came around, with the Romans in worse shape than ever.

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The world in 400. [/CENTER]

390-400

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The world in 390. [/CENTER]

The decade of the 390s was an era of trade, as the Sassanids signed trade agreements with the ERE< Lamkids and Alans. However, trade was continually disrupted by the revolts caused by the proselytism of Christian missionaries. In 390 for the first time, the Sassanids authorised missionary work the spread the faith of Ahura Mazda. But it was not successful, and merely led to more revolts. To that end, later in the decade Yazgerd would decide to persecute the Christians.

In April of 390, the Vandals attacked the Western Roman Empire, easily defeating the garrison of the Imperial capitol of Mediolanum.

[CENTER]

When Vandals attack. [/CENTER]

However, they were not yet experts in the art of war, and an army sent to besiege Rome starved to death. Vandal armies penetrated Illiria and southern Gaul. By March 391, the Western Emperor sued for an unconditional peace, and the provinces of Arvernia, Provencia and Isara become under control of the Vandal’s iron fist.

In 392, the Alans, now most in control of the Eastern bank of the Rhein grew tired of the incessant raids of the Angles and Frisians and declared war. In each case the campaigns were swift, but in each case annexation proved temporay, with the Barbarians soon declaring their haughty independence. In 393 however, the Alans launched an all out assault upon the Roman garrisons on the East Bank of the Rhein, fearing such a mighty neighbour.

[CENTER]

The Alans attack the Romans. [/CENTER]

Although not without casualties, the WRE was still reeling from the Vandal assaults and was unable to offer more than a token defence. By 394, the provinces of Allemania and Germania were ceded to the Alans, and the Roman presence on the East bank of the Rhein was no more. A more potent threat was posed by the Roman’s vassals the Suevi- but fortunately aghast at fighting for the Romans, a large Suevi army mutinied and the Alans were able to sign a peace based upon the status quo ante bellum.

Whilst this was occurring, a new force was growing in the East. The Gepids, normally eclipsed by their Gothic cousins had expanded their territory tremendously, and had even managed to win wars against both the Western and the Eastern Roman Empires.

[CENTER]

395, after the Vandals expand again. [/CENTER]

The Roman empire was rocked by revolts in Africa. Persia however, was also shocked by the serious revolt of the aristocracy, the Vaspuran in 395. This was a serious revolt, and much of the infrastructure of southern Iran was destroyed.

[CENTER]

Persia in revolt. [/CENTER]

In 397, the Vandals attacked the Romans again, driven by some unknown incredible impulse to obtain the Hispanian lands. This war resulted in the acquisition of Septimania, Pyranei and Iberus. The next Roman Vandal war in 399 resulted in the acquisition of Turia, Tader and Salsum. And so, the year 400 came around, with the Romans in worse shape than ever.

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The world in 400. [/CENTER]

Very much enjoying this!

Thanks!

Go Gepids!

Excellent AAR!

You are in controll of the vandals, aren't you?

Your goal is to settle in North Africa?
With such a massive domesne, how do you avoid becoming a Kingdom?

Palpat wrote:You are in controll of the vandals, aren't you?

Your goal is to settle in North Africa?
With such a massive domesne, how do you avoid becoming a Kingdom?

Yes, I control the Vandals and the aim is to settle in North Africa. I’ll hang on to southern Spain as well. I think the age of the Vandals is only age 1 or 2, and as such despite having large territories, we haven’t formed a kingdom yet.

Tamas wrote: Go Gepids!

Excellent AAR!

Thanks Tamas! No, the Gepids are getting far too big. It will probably be necessary to stage some sort of war sooner or later to stop them getting too big for their boots.

WallysWorld wrote: Very much enjoying this!

Thanks!

Thanks WallysWorld, glad to have you reading. Was wondering whether anyone was reading for a while.

Just to give everyone an idea of who we are, here is who we look like.

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King Shapur I of the Sassanids.



An east Germanic warrior, such as a Vandal or Gepid.



An Alani horseman.



West Germanic warrior such a Suebi, Marcomanni or Burgundian. [/CENTER]

And our main enemy at this stage are the legions of the late Roman Empire.

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4th Century Roman soldier- equipment is much poorer than at the height of the Empire, lorica segmentata has given way to much simpler mail or scale. [/CENTER]

And now we go on!

400-410

Persia was largely at peace. However, despite every effort, the legitimacy of the government was undermined by Christian missionaries, who converted large areas.

In 400, the Alans ended their war with the Frisians for tribute. In may, the Vandals once again renewed the attacks upon Western Roman Empire. Their main opponent was the legendary Half-Barbarian Stilicho, but despite his defeat of the raid of Ragadasius even he could not defeat the host of Godsigel. In a pitched battle near the Rubicon, were so many years earlier Caeser had crossed to destroy the Republic, Godsigel defeated the Romans to destroy the Empire.

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Godsigel defeats Stilicho. [/CENTER]

But this was no raid- Godsigel was determined to make a demonstration of Vandal power versus Roman impotence. In May 401, a massive Vandal host descended upon Rome itself and brutally sacked the once great city. To this day, the name of Vandal is remembered for wanton destruction.

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The Vandals sack Rome. [/CENTER]

During this period far away in the east the Gepids annexed the Franks. By 402, the Western Emporor, having moved his capital to the inaccessible city of Ravenna, made an unconditional peace with the Vandals. Godsigel gained numerous territories in southern Hispania. The most important was Baetia, where lies today the city of Seville. Here Godsigel ordered contruction of a mighty fleet to carry the Vandal host to its new home- Africa. (Note: the ships just built themselves, probably via event). The rich territories of southern Gaul and Italia which the Vandals had conquered were simply abandoned, and large swathes would later become independent.

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The Vandals take southern Hispania 405. [/CENTER]

In July 402, the Alans once again attacked the Frisians, and this time annexed them for good. However, a new barbarian tribe, this time of renegade Franks established themselves in Frisia. Despite these defeats, the Roman empire could still conceivably recover. The core territories of the Romans, Gaul and Italia were largely intact. It was still possible to imagine recovery. This changed, the barbarians said by the intervention of God himself. On the last day of 406, the Rhein froze over, and vast masses of Alans, Burgundians, Gepids, Franks and Suevi were able to cross.

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The Barbarians cross the Rhein! [/CENTER]

This changed everything. The Alan horsemen quickly overran northern Gaul, taking vast territories and defeating the Roman garrisons with ease. A key factor in the Roman defeat was a failure of logistics- the Roman armies were essentially static, lacking food, equipment, pay and other items. Whilst the Alans were the most successful, the Burgundians and Gepids were also able to expand their territories, the Gepids settling in Southern Illiyria. The Vandals, using their new fleet were able to capture territories in Africa at last.

It is perhaps pertinent to remember that not all barbarians saw success. The Angles were annexed by the Suevi, regained their independence, but upon the death of their king decided to bequeath their territory to the High king of the Irish.

In 408, the Thuringians, having tired of their Armenia exile, decided to head back to their homeland. To this end they declared war on the Eastern Empire and quickly overran the ungarrisoned city of Sebastiopolis in Colchis. Had the Thuringians ever faced the might of the Eastern armies, they would doubtlessly have been destroyed, but the Emperor seemed uninterested in the fate of Sebastiopolis. The Thuringians then marched through Alan territory in Abgasia, determined to migrate back to their ancestral lands.

In 409, the Vandals once again declared war on the Western Romans, so close to defeating them and claiming Africa for themselves. As of 410, despite some success, the Roman auxiliaries were still fighting.

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The Vandals are nearly there! [/CENTER]

And so the Empire starts to crumble...
It seems also that the time has come for the vandals to settle and evolve.

Glad to see things evolving despite Huns demise.

Palpat wrote:And so the Empire starts to crumble...
It seems also that the time has come for the vandals to settle and evolve.

Glad to see things evolving despite Huns demise.

I've done another 10 years, and the Vandals have yet to evolve, even though everyone else practically has. I think fairly soon I'll start Persia expanding, but not just yet.

The next ten years were faily surprising!

[SIZE="3"]410-420: The age of God and Kings[/size]

In early 410, the Vandals captured Cathage. Almost immediately the Western emperor signed an unconditional peace with the Vandals, which gave them virtually all the territory they wanted in Africa. It was a great victory. The Vandals also received Sardinia and Corsica, but realising they would be too big, gave away the territory to the Burgundians. Other Vandal territory in southern Gaul and Italy was left ungarrisoned. These provinces soon became independent, although many were later conquered by the Alans, Gepids and even briefly the WRE.

Meanwhile, in the east the Thuringians continued their migration from Armenia back to Germany. Under Merwig, they captured Euxinia (410), Tanais (411), and Voronez (411). But there weren't many Thuringians, and Merwig was forced to rely on native alliances and mercenaries to battle the natives.

In 412, in a momentous yet sudden calamity, the Western Roman empire suddenly collapsed. The attacks of the Vandals had been the last straw for the tottering Imperial administration, which was wracked by revolts and assassinations. Italia and Illyria was taken over by the Eastern Roman Empire with relative ease. Northern Hispania fell to the Pagan Vascone (basque) kingdom, while the remaining Roman territory in Gaul was split between the Gallo-Roman Kingdom, the Vascones, and the very badly named Kingdom of Hispania. The Alans wasted no time in attacking the Gallo-Romans, taking large territories.

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The Alans take more of Gaul. Note Paris is now Caucasian[/CENTER]

In Africa, the Kingdom of Mauretania was established in Djeddar, but this was quickly annexed by the Vandals. It was however, in Britannia where a recent cache of the yellow chronicles was found. Under Owen, the Britons became independent, founding a Christian kingdom. Almost immediately, they came under attack by their neighbours the Picts. Britain was poor, having been the subject of almost non-stop rebellions for many decades, and the Britons posessed only 1 infantry unit against almost innumerable Pictish barbarians.


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The Picts attack! [/CENTER]

The Britons were forced to pay a heavy tribute in order to continue without losing territory.

In 413 the Alans decided to give up the bulk of their territory on the east bank of the Rhein. The Franks eagerly received the territory, but having no military units to defend it, the Franks simply vanished and all provinces became native.

By 414, the Thuringians had finally reached the Baltic, after innumerable hardships and battles. However, once there they were too big to remain a barbarian tribe and became a kingdom. It also became apparent that the Burgundians and Gepids were far too powerful for the Thuringians to overcome, so they just stayed as a large, long kingdom which stretched from the Caucasus to the Baltic in a one-province strip. In 415 they converted to Catholicism as most of their territories in the Caucasus had become Catholic.

Also in 415, the Gepids attacked the Suevi and the ERE. They defeated the Suevi, and then fought a bitter war with the ERE. Despite suffering from serious revolts, the ERE was able to grab a few Balkan territories from the Gepids.

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Gepids vs Romans[/CENTER]

In 416 the inevitable happened when the Alans founded their own kingdom. They converted to Christianity shortly afterwards, as there were relatively few Nomadic Shamanists in western Europe at that time. In 417 the Alans then declared war on the Roman Kingdom, took a few more territories, gaining most of Northern Gaul.

Perhaps the most momentous event of 417 was the inheritance of the Burgundians by the Gepids. The Gepids now stretched from the Baltic to the Balkans. The ERE inheritied the Lakhmid Arabs, gaintrol of most of the Arabian Peninsula.

In 418 the Picts again declared war on the Britons, but fortunately a large part of their army mutinies, and the Britons were again able to make peace.

In 419, the Gepids became an Empire, and picked Noricum, a province completely disconnected from the rest of their territories to be their capital. Thus, the decade of the 410s saw the bulk of the Barbarian tribes become sedentary kingdoms or empires.

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The world in 420 [/CENTER]

It is worth examining the religious situation at this point. The mazdeists continued to control much of Persia, although Mesopotamia had largely become Christian, as had the Caucasus, Anatolia, most of Italy and parts of Gaul. The Donatists still held control of North Africa, and Pelagianism had gained a foothold. The Church had begun missionary work amongst the Slavic natives of what is today Russia. The Germanic homelands remained predominantly Pagan, whilst under the influence of the Vandals southern Hispania had become Arian Christians.

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The world's faith in 420 [/CENTER]

Wow... Ten years and it's all different.
Epic update!

Palpat wrote:Wow... Ten years and it's all different.
Epic update!

Indeed. Please continue.

Thank you for the AAR. I've been thinking about buying GI, yet I newer knew how the game really looks. Maybe I'll give it a go after I play out some other fine AGEOD games.

The ability to control multiple factions seems really interesting, yet at the same time quite complex. Do you control them all all the time, or do you wary attention due to the need a faction has to defend or expand?

Great Invasions isn't Ageod's.

It was a Philippe's game released way back in 2005. Well, quite rushed it was, but it's not nearing smoothness. I suffer from a relative instability of the game, but Gjergj K. does not seem so. So be warned: it's a good game with a lot of potential, but nos as perfect as ageod games due to its rushed birth. But it's still somewhat supported by Calvinus and Ageod, despite its age!

Multiple factions controll is indeed one of the game's most original feature.
I'm not a fan of it, but it's sometime very interesting and help when there is nothing to do in a particular country.
You can indeed choose only one country and let the others into AI hands, or rule all of your pool (except most primitive barbarians). You can also choose to controll only certain things like diplomacy or administration.

Tamas wrote: Indeed. Please continue.

Thanks Tamas! Thanks Palpat!

Palpat wrote:Great Invasions isn't Ageod's.

It was a Philippe's game released way back in 2005. Well, quite rushed it was, but it's not nearing smoothness. I suffer from a relative instability of the game, but Gjergj K. does not seem so. So be warned: it's a good game with a lot of potential, but nos as perfect as ageod games due to its rushed birth. But it's still somewhat supported by Calvinus and Ageod, despite its age!

Multiple factions controll is indeed one of the game's most original feature.
I'm not a fan of it, but it's sometime very interesting and help when there is nothing to do in a particular country.
You can indeed choose only one country and let the others into AI hands, or rule all of your pool (except most primitive barbarians). You can also choose to controll only certain things like diplomacy or administration.

I’ve got some stability problems, but they’re not excessive. I often find the game freezing for no apparent reason, or else time doesn’t move forward after some point for no apparent reason. Maybe every 10-15 years or so.

Multiple factions control reminds of the board game Brittania- in that game, you’d follow the history of the British Isles from the Roman conquest until 1066. And it had multiple nations for every faction.

Respenus wrote: Thank you for the AAR. I've been thinking about buying GI, yet I newer knew how the game really looks. Maybe I'll give it a go after I play out some other fine AGEOD games.

The ability to control multiple factions seems really interesting, yet at the same time quite complex. Do you control them all all the time, or do you wary attention due to the need a faction has to defend or expand?

I basically vary them from time to time. There’s no other way- when there’s a big war, like the Alans vs Huns, you have to concentrate all resources on that nation for a while. However, sometimes when two nations have a common enemy, I’ll control the armies of both at the same time.

Sorry for the delay everyone. Food poisoning stops you from writing.

420-430

In 420, the Alans realised that the insidious Roman Kingdom of the Gallo-Romans had somehow broken their vasselage, so they declared war early in 420. However, unpredictably and for reasons now forgotten, a truce was declared later that year, sparing the Gallo-Romans any further territorial losses. The short, pointless war was a mere footnote in the vast encyclopaedia of history.

In 421, the Vandal, desiring to complete their African domain, declared war upon the Emperor of Constantinople, seeking the territory of Libya for the own. Although the territory was taken easily, the Emperor refused to countenance peace with the Vandal barbarians, instead sending large fleets and seaborne armies against the Vandals. In 423, the Romans landed at Asama, a Vandal territory past the straits of Gibraltar. After being defeated by Berber raiders who had overwhelmed the local Vandal garrison, the Romans began a long trek through the Sahara back to Egypt, even establishing dominion over part of the desert.

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It's a long road to Egypt. [/CENTER]

Although the Romans were later wiped out by natives in Musulamia, the Vandals were able to occupy the Sahara, and in 424 the Eastern Emperor eventually agreed to Vandal control of Libya, gaining back control of the Sahara.

While this was happening however, the Britons were again embroiled in another conflict with the Picts, when the Picts suddenly invaded in 423. Storming over what had been Hadrian's wall, Vortigern, the King of the Britons, made the decision to hire German mercenaries to aid in the fight.

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The Picts invade the Britons. [/CENTER]

As it happened, Vortigern was able to arrange a wedding and a truce with the Picts in 425, but not before Eboracum (York) was sacked, and the markets, farms and granaries were destroyed by the rapacious Picts.

In late 424, an alliance between the Berbers and the Eastern Empire was signed. The obvious target was the Vandals. The new Vandal chief, Genseric, a man of supreme guile and military talent, had just become the first King of Vandals. Genseric had the good fortune to capture a large fleet in Carthage, which may have made the Romans think twice about declaring war upon him.

But as it happens, the eyes of the Eastern Emperor were far away. Whilst the Alans would again make war upon the Roman Kingdom and force the Gallo-Romans into vassalage, the year of 425 saw the appearance of a large barbarian tribe in central Asia- the Ephthalites (White Huns). War between the Sassanids and the Ephthalites soon broke out, as the nomadic invaders sought to establish control over trade routes and gain Iranian territory. It took some years for the Nomads to reach the Sassanid border, but by 429 large contingents of Ephthalite cavalry began attacking Lut and other provinces. However, worse was to come as in 429, the Eastern Roman Emperor declared war upon the Sassanids. The Sassanids were now faced with a vicious two front war against a new nomadic invader and Europe's largest empire.

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The world in 430. [/CENTER]

The war initially went badly for the Sassanids. The army largely consisted of auxiliaries aimed at putting down revolts, as most funds had been invested in infrastructure. Although this had led to some monetary returns, the Ephthalites were able to easily destroy the weak Sassanid troops. Things looked grim...

Two front war with only militias and auxiliaries!
Things indeed look grim. You can perhaps try to convince the Eastern Romans to sign a peace, even at the price of one province, in order to protect yourself from the new barbarian and build a brand new army...

By the way, what a mess Gaul is!

Thanks Gjergj K., for a fine and entertaining AAR. You have rekindled my interest in this game, that I allways felt was a "rough" gem. If one is fortunate and it runs stable (as it is also generally my case), it is a great game, full of completely original ideas and concepts.

I also have found that it suits really fine one of my ways of playing - not "just" to win, but to have fun, watching history unfold.

I must say it's the best AAR I've ever seen for GI!
Please keep "working" on it until 1066!!!

This is a very entertaining AAR! Partly because Great Invasion is one of my favorite strategy games but mostly because I really like your writing style. It is also fun to see that you embrace playing multiple nations because I think that is one of the better features of the game.

This is the kind of promotion a game should get when it's launched. I'm pretty sure a good AAR attracts new customers.