[BOR 1.04c/HARDE .2 Primus Pilus] The Eternal Empire

[Franciscus]

Hi

Nice AAR

Just a note: consul (all non-generic leaders in fact) ratings are specific and try to be "historical"

[Lynxyonok]

Hi

Nice AAR

Just a note: consul (all non-generic leaders in fact) ratings are specific and try to be "historical"

True, but I play with highly randomized leaders. So it is always a surprise.

And thank you.

[Lynxyonok]

It has been a long war with the Samnites, and Romans are still not ready for another engagement. The two consuls are merely pawns in the hands of the Senate (1-1-1 and 0-1-2). At least the legions have been training hard, reaching 278 in strength from 224 in the last campaign.

[ATTACH]31464[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

Leaving both Consuls home to party, the Roman army leaves under command of an unknown praetor (4-1-2), laying siege to Sena Gallica. The praetor is not fooling around - ballistas go up immediately, and the first breach is achieved before anyone can utter a word.

Senones in the meantime assault and take Arretium.

[ATTACH]31465[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

Senones led by Brenn Biatex (3-6-2) attempt to lift the siege of their capital. They are late by mere hours, as the city falls... and that fuels their anger to no limit. Despite having half the Roman numbers, they charge, eliminating one legion (only 60 skirmishers survive), and winning the battle.

Lucky for Rome, Venetii do not know about this disgrace as they are signing the alliance.

[ATTACH]31466[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

Senones stop just short of annihilating Roman army, sending them fleeing to Perugia. How are they pulling this off while attacking in the woods against superior numbers?

A dictator is called to service, out of sheer desperation.

[ATTACH]31467[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

My legions make it to Rome - barely, as attrition almost wipes them while crossing Narnia, and I have to regroup. Requisitions are imposed in the southern Italy, and slaves quickly rise in revolt.

[ATTACH]31468[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

My new allies Venetii are paying the price for their insolence. 30K Gauls descend on them, and Venetii run, the battle barely lasting a round. What they do not realize is that without that single depot that is now under siege, they won't last a season...

[ATTACH]31469[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

4 Roman legions (minus the I and III, still recovering in Roma) assault Sena Gallica once again, recapturing the Gaul capital, while the barbarians are still busy up north. It might just be that the Venetii will buy me the time I needed with their entire state being the price.

[ATTACH]31470[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

And... victory. Unexpected. Undeserved. But very much appreciated.

[ATTACH]31471[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

What gave me that final push was foundation of Roman Sena Gallica, and even Etruscans jumping into the war must not have been enough to outweigh that.

[ATTACH]31472[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

Despite playing with HARDE on, replacements and reinforcements are still easy to come by. Of course, as an experienced AGEOD player, I always mind the closest depot, and fall back as soon as it might be needed. Of course "easy" does not mean "instant". Legio I is still missing 5 elements out of 11 - that's after sitting in Roma for 5 months with more than enough available elements in the replacement pool.

I am truly surprised that the First has survived. It only had 60 soldiers left in it - all skirmishers - before it retreated to Roma... note that there are no skirmishers left in the unit now.

[ATTACH]31473[/ATTACH]

[numahr]

Nice continuation. Hard fought war, but I did not really understand the context of your victory.

Thanks for testing HARDE over a full campaign. It seems like nothing is too much out of proportion.

For info the mod does not affect replacement of element. It does affect the replenishment of "wounded" elements.

[Lynxyonok]

Nice continuation. Hard fought war, but I did not really understand the context of your victory.

Thanks for testing HARDE over a full campaign. It seems like nothing is too much out of proportion.

For info the mod does not affect replacement of element. It does affect the replenishment of "wounded" elements.

The scenario had a sudden victory preset when a side's morale reached 175. I had a nice boost when Sena Gallica fell both times and a boost when Sena Gallica was rebuilt.

Morale levels have been swinging wildly in this scenario - at one point in time Senones went from 143 to 93 to 129 in 3 months...

And thanks for clarification

[Lynxyonok]

Morale is high in the Roman empire, and no one remembers the poor Venetii that gave their lives for our freedom and success. It is time to pay all the remaining bills, for Etruscans and Greeks have meddled in the Roman affairs for far too long.

Roman army is up to 5 legions and 5 alae, although I continue to have average luck with consuls: 6-2-4 and 3-2-2 to start, with a 3-3-4 Socii ally.

[ATTACH]31489[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

In the south, Epirotes take 2 small towns and lay siege to the third. They are right on the border of Sicily; I wonder where will they go now.

[ATTACH]31490[/ATTACH]

In the north are all my forces. The goal is to crush the Etruscans by cutting off their supply rather than chasing down their armies.

[ATTACH]31491[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

In the south, Epirotes take Venusia and advance to Capua. I tap a dictator, as the Greeks number in 40,000+ range.

[ATTACH]31493[/ATTACH]

In the north, Volaterrae is captured, and Boii are pacified. Rogue Samnites appear northeast of Rome.

[ATTACH]31492[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

Roman army clashes with Pyrrhus, resulting in the first of what is certain to be many Pyrrhic victory.

[ATTACH]31494[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]31495[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]31496[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]31497[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

[ATTACH]31498[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]31499[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]31500[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

The massacre quickly disseminates into multiple skirmishes, 6 rounds, but fewer and fewer hits find targets.

[ATTACH]31501[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

And the lesson of the day is... always leave an escape route. If you rush through enemy lands, you won't have enough military control there to retreat...

[ATTACH]31502[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

In a much more prolonged version of Capua massacre, Etruscan army is slowly grinded into dust. All the same modifiers are still at play - slightly hungry barbarians with nowhere to retreat.

[ATTACH]31503[/ATTACH]

(at least 10 more battles later)

[ATTACH]31504[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

In the north, Faesulae falls, and I pull my forces south, as Etruscans are wiped out...

... or not, as this Lucumon stack appears out of nowhere.

[ATTACH]31506[/ATTACH]

In the south, my battered legions attempt to go on the offensive, only to have to fall back; Greek units are smaller in numbers, but they are at full strength and cohesion, and that matters a lot in skirmishes.

[ATTACH]31505[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

Etruscan stack ends up being much larger than expected, and my Socii allies, sent ahead to scout, pay the price for it. Overall it is a stalemate, which is bad for Romans who are on a much stricter replacement and reinforcement.

[ATTACH]31531[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]31532[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]31533[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]31534[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

Following a disaster at Populonia - Etruscans narrowly beat both Roman armies, and then continued to pound them with follow-up battles before they had a chance to retreat to another province - I have to pull back to Rome and spend the entire summer recovering. It is truly not the battles that get you; it is the fact that the losing side gets wrapped into more and more battles in the same province. That's where the real casualties come from.

Come fall I have to rescue Neapolis and several other small towns under siege by Greeks, while Etruscans have a free run of my north.

It is a pity - I am flush with money, but there are no more units that I can build. A couple of extra legions could have turned the war right now.

[ATTACH]31535[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]31536[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

Roman army pushes Pyrrhus south all the way to Tarentum, when Cineas embassy event fires. And my entire country is locked for 2 turns. Exactly the food reserves of my army. How did the army find out what was happening in Senate, all the way in Roma? By an ancient cellphone?

[ATTACH]31538[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

Nothing much to report. The war is still give and take, both on my front and in Sicily where Pyrrhus is fighting Carthage. Not having good consuls hurts; I had 3-2-4 (with extra supply consumption) and 1-2-1 this year. The first one has been failing many activation checks, essentially freezing my movements. AI reacts to that immediately, sending scores of small stacks to siege everything. When my troops activate, I spend 2-3 months cleaning up... and the cycle continues.

For some reason I haven't seen a single ballista this entire campaign, so sieges take forever. What I have seen instead are tons of bugs.

Legio I disappeared as it was attached to a praetor who retired.

Urbae Legio got unlocked 3 months after the Cineas embassy, but it slows down any stack it is attached to by a factor of 2 to 3.

Roman fleet only resupplies in Neapolis, no other port works.

[ATTACH]31556[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

Urbs Legio was sent home.

A new Legio I was raised.

Roman fleet moved from Paestum to Neapolis. Things should be better now.

My army is split in two again, to face both Etruscans and Epirotes. It seems that when I combine my forces in one powerful stack, AI floods the countryside with raiding parties. When I split, I tend to lose battles. No easy choice here.

Something peculiar happens at Capua: Epirotes are given 200% trench bonus despite clear terrain, fair weather, and the fact that they just arrived there.

[ATTACH]31589[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

I decide to change the Roman strategy. Instead of chasing enemy left and right, my troops will slowly creep, building walls, castrums (castri), depots all over. It may be too late in this war, but it will be a great test, should we ever go after Carthage...

[ATTACH]31590[/ATTACH]

[Lynxyonok]

The rest of the war goes quietly as well. Epirote forces are scarce, but impossible to catch; it seems that hunger does much more harm to them than my troops. I make headway up north, and actually for the first time in this war I see ballistae, 3 of them, all at Volaterrae. In the south I assault a couple of small towns, all while Pyrrhus' forces evade my army.

Carthage finally reclaims most of Sicily.

There is a naval battle, a loss. It is a lesson learned: even at the maximum strength and cohesion, Roman fleet is no match for the Greeks, not yet.

[ATTACH]31592[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]31593[/ATTACH]