Pompey's Overconfidence - Pompey vs. Sertorius vs.

[Jim-NC]

I have decided to write an AAR about my 1st foray into AJE. Not only is it my 1st foray, it's also a 3 way PBEM. I will be the Romans, Sir Garnet is the Sertorians, and Nemethand is Pontus. I have labeled it Pompey's overconfidence, as I really don't know what I am getting into.

Well, lets get started.

As this is my 1st time playing, I am a bit cautious. Much more cautious then is my norm.

In this 1st round, I have decided on a few scouting missions as I don't know what will happen. I am attaching pictures of my orders for your edification.

1st up - Asia Minor. I am doing nothing with most of my forces as they are locked. I am however gathering the troops from Rhodus (they are unlocked this turn) and sending them to Asia Minor. I think I will need extra troops.
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Next up - The heel of Italy. I am sending a fleet to pick up Lucullus and his his legion. I will be sending them to Asia Minor.
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Now we move to Spain. Here we see NE Spain. I have decided to split up Pompey's forces (he will take 3 legions, and 1 will stay behind to guard the home area). I am unsure what is where, so I am going to scout towards Osca. Osca is the Sertorian capital, and I figure I can end the war by capturing it (if this is anything like other AGEOD games - specifically AACW). It's going to take me 8 days. I will say that at this point, I am too ingrained with 15 day turns. I have not figured out that the turns are 30 days, and thus am wasting a lot of time. It will take me several turns, and I am not sure I still have it down.
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Replacements/Reinforcements - I have decided to purchase an extra Auxiliary unit in Emporiae. I think I will need some extra troops. I have also purchased some reinforcements. I point your attention to the Legatus replacement I have purchased. It cost me 2 NM for that, but may save some troops in the future. It is quite expensive in terms of NM.
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Here is Southern Spain - I have decided to go passive this turn. I have my calvary scouting out the force to my NW (in Castra Caecillia). I don't want to go blundering into anything.
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[Jim-NC]

Let's talk about political decisions. Not understanding the game, I did almost decisions the 1st round. Silly me. This is a great way to get money, or change loyalty or other goodies. I will end up regretting not using any the 1st round.

I have added a merchant to southern Spain (Italica).

I will say this, the troops do not always appear to be marching to the correct location. I have rectified that where I can.

[Cfant]

Greetings from the Roman home front. Will follow this AAR very happily. I tried the scenario in SP and Super-Sertorius killed everything everywhere everytime, so it might be a not so good idea to split Pompejus forces. But we will see Being a Rome-fan I wish you luck!

[Jim-NC]

Well on to turn 2.

A small battle. Sertorius marched to the sea, and took my town (and the garrison). No NM loss here. He doesn't seem that tough however, he only has 2 legions with him. (editorial note, I did not understand that there was in fact 4 legions with him, only 2 are attached to his army, the other 2 are in the region).
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Asia Minor
I have the ships going back to Rhodes to gather the rest of the forces. I have Lucullus and his legion moving to re-inforce Asia Minor (fleet in the attached picture). I consider Pontus to be the bigger threat at this point. I also expect him to declare war immediately on me. I currently have 4 legions split into 2 corps. Soon I will add a 5th legion. I purchase a calvary unit in Asia Minor.
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Spain
I have Pompey marching to Osca (Sertorius has left the capital mostly defenseless). I believe that the slaves will be fighting both of us, and thus provide some extra drain against the Sertorians). I have Cessaro and the Narbonne garrison moving south to keep an eye on the Sertorian force. I am across a river, so that should provide a nice defensive benefit. (ed note - what's he thinking? There ain't no guns here. That position is bad). I have received Afranius, and have him moving south to take command of the lone auxiliary unit. In the south, I have my calvary moving onto the city of Castra as I see no troops. I am moving Metellus and his 2 legions + auxiliaries to Consabura. I see no troops there, and it is a strategic town. Lacobriga is being besieged by the Sertorians. There's nothing I can do, as the game engine currently doesn't give ports supply when under siege.
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Decisions time:
I have decided on the following actions:

3 merchants added (M on maps) - 1 in Asia Minor (Ipsus), and 2 in Spain (Clunia, Calagurris) (ed note - what is he doing? Merchants work best when on your own territory - usually in a safer location).
1 tradepost added (T on map) - in Spain (Italica)
1 Subversion added (S on map) - in Spain (Segovia)
1 Reforms added (Ref on map) - in Spain (Gades) - I am just experimenting with this

I have purchased 3 Militia replacements (Roman, Cappadocian, Hellenistic)
I have purchased 1 Auxiliary replacement Cappadocian

I have 5 markets pay their taxes (all on normal + 15 each) which give me +75 denarii
My troops cost 47 denarii to upkeep

[Jim-NC]

Troop Quality

I want to talk about troop quality for a post. In the picture below, you can see the 3 legions that make up Pompey's force. He has the 1st, 10th, and 2nd. I did not realize this at the time, but there is a large difference in the quality of the units. Legion 1 has 2 stars, and was recruited from nowhere. Legion 10 has 1 star and was recruited from Italy. Legion 2 has 1 star and was recruited in Cisalpine. This is the weakest legion by far, and will drag down the strength of the force. This is noticable by the power levels of the legions (202 vs. 176 vs. 159). However, I did not notice it.

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[Jim-NC]

Turn 3:


Lets look at Spain. I am brimming with confidence here. I have Pompey + 3 Legions in Osca. I tried to assault last turn (ed note - didn't know about the fort and breaches rule). I am going to let Sertorius come to me. I have level 2 entrenchments (ed note - according to the forums, entrenchments ain't what they used to be. They don't have much effect on battle). Metellus and his 2 legions just got smacked around, but that is OK. I realize that retreating appears to be deadly (see battle section below). I have Afranius + 1 Legion moving to engage the enemy in Lacobriga (where he is besieging my troops). I have Thorius + 1 legion moving north from Carthago Nova towards Dianium. You will notice 2 circled decisions. I have decided to enslave the local population in Osca and Castra. I need the extra money.
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Asia Minor. The pirates have attacked me. As a good Roman, I must defeat the pirates. I am still gathering forces. I am moving the rest of the Rhodes units to Asia Minor. I am consolidating around Cotta's force. I move 2 legions under Isauricus towards the pirates at Myra.
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Battles:
Well, several small battles, and 1 large battle. I don't know where those Iberians came from, but they trashed my unit. I only slightly lost (I was attacking at 1:2 odds, which meant that I was outnumbered). It wasn't the battle, it was the retreat that hurt. At Tarraco, I just had a unit wasted for no good reason (didn't realize how tough Sertorius was.
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General information:
Here you can see that I have some replacement on the way, I have ordered up some reinforcements, and that I earned 21 but used 46 denarii. My morale is 86, which isn't too bad.
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[Jim-NC]

Sertorius is a really nasty general.

If you look at his stats, not only is he 6-4-6, he also has 3 abilities that heavily tip the scales in his favor. He has the inspiring trait, that gives him + 1 initiative to all men. He has the club one, which gives him a 20% chance to gain surprise (1st fire), and he has the Militia man trait, which gives his militia +1 discipline. It appears from other forumites that he who strikes 1st usually wins. He also increases the discipline of some troops. This would explain how he can do so much damage to the Romans most of the time.

I leave my troops at Osca as I believe that I hold the advantage (defending in entrenchments with 3 legions to 4, hardly the 2:1 odds I think he needs). This will prove to be a large mistake.

[Jim-NC]

Message from my opponent - Sir Garnet of the Sertorians:

"The Sertorian history so far is rather blandly sunny and workmanlike rather than brilliant. As things fell out, in the north I mostly had a better or at least good general on the spot with an edge in troop power and good fortune in what I contacted and when I avoided contact so it snowballed. I figured you would go for Osca right away or if left alone in ever greater strength later, so attacked immediately. I don't think weighting Osca as a capital like Rome is historically justified - its loss would not have meant as much, and it defines a strategic necessity that did not seem to exist. On the other hand, Rome needs a target to go after rather than a guerrilla war."

These words prove to be prophetic indeed.

[Iuguolo Inimicus]

Wonderful AAR! Really enjoying this.

[Jim-NC]

Turn 4:


Spain:
Well that was not a good turn. Pompey got whacked (more on that below). Afranius got beat, and I suffered a lot of casualties and lost NM. Now from some orders. The legion on the east coast will move west to join Afranius's corps in Italica (he is marching east to arrive). Pompey is cut off, as he doesn't have enough evasion points to get away from Sertorius. So I am moving Memmius' Corps from Emporiae to gain military control of the area SE of Pompey's current position. I have seen the damage, and I plan on moving Pompey away and behind Emporiae. Memmius will move to support Pompey, then move back to Emporiae. I have decided to punish 3 areas of Spain. I get money and my enemy is denied supplies.
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Asia Minor:
I have decided to attack the Pirates this turn. I have 2 legions moving to Iconium (and passing through Ipsus). I have Cotta moving to support those legions and end up between the two cities I am besieging. I have decided to enslave Myra, and punish the 2 provinces east of the city. Lucullus is holding back in support if needed. I am surprised that Pontus has not attacked, but I will use the time to punish the pirates. The other 2 sets of arrows in the ocean are ships moving to defend my merchant fleet. I had a few ships sunk this turn due to Pirate activity.
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Major Battles:
OUCH. This was not a good turn for battles. It wasn't the battle results that hurt so bad. The issue was the retreat. In Lacobriga, the casualties aren't that different, but I still lose 2 NM. In Osca, even though I am outnumbered 3 to 1, the casualties are even (excluding the retreat). The problem is that I lose 6 cohorts vs. 2 for him. That is disastrous to my NM. Also, my troops in Tarraco surrendered to Sertorius costing me 1 NM.
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Minor Battles:
No NM from these.
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Odds and Ends:
Well my NM is way down. My troops are damaged, and I am bleeding money. I was able to recoup quite a bit from enslaving, but this has gone for replacements. Only 1 of my 2 punish missions actually worked this turn. I am showing just how weak my Legions are at this point. As you can see, each legion is missing several elements, and those that are left are less than 50% strength.
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[Jim-NC]

So what have I learned so far?

Legions are very costly, very costly indeed. Even have equal numbers of troops, and equal numbers of casualties means massive losses in Roman NM. So as the Romans, you must outnumber the enemy, and make sure it is his troops that die, not yours.

[Iuguolo Inimicus]

I also think one really needs to pick the right ground for one's legions to fight on. I'm not sure what type of ground you just fought on. Was it clear ground? Wooded? Hilly? Were your troops sitting in defensive positions behind a river? I've been experimenting with this in my games and I'm starting to feel I'm understanding this better.

[Sir Garnet]

The Commentaries of Princeps Quintus Sertorius


As did Great Pompey, Sertorius anticipated that, like loss of Rome, the loss of Osca would be a very ill omen and cause morale to plumment (though now it is known to be otherwise). Having taken office in Hispania as Propraetor and having need of a title suitable and necssary for the task ahead, and mindful of that extended to
Pompey and Metellus of Proconsul, the need for a superior authority, the legal and political questions regarding the status of the Consulate, as well as the dubious precendent for the dictatorship when out of Rome itself, he proposed that the Hispanian Senate elect him as first citizen (Princeps) to lead the Republic in Hispania until the Roman Republic as a whole was restored to liberty or the security of an independnet Republic in Hispania was established.

Facing the Sullans was a daunting task, made potentially easier by the hostility and ambition of Mithridates of Pontus in the east. Yet the expectation was that he would merely encroach in the eastern fashion rather than offer a bold and direct attack upon the Sullans, so it was anticipated the might of Italia would reinforce
the Sullan-occupied lands in the northeast and south with a ring of towns to strangle Iberian freedom. Mithridates might strike later at his convenience. The opposing Sullan forces in Hispania were not known in any detail - great swathes of the country were under their control, and an army under Metellus was in the south with maybe 2 or 3 legions while Pompey was present in the northeast, with perhaps up to 4 (actually 3).

The capital of Osca was situated in the north, within easy cross-country march from Sullan Emporiae, where Pompey was rumoured. Hence the first order of Sertorius was that some reinforcements and suppplies be sent therein to ready the town to stand siege. Metellus Pius in the south was seen at his ease nera pleasant Corduba, a central position at the junction of the great south road and the road north linking it to the great north road. It was a position well poised, wherefrom he might strike north, east, or west with great speed and make a swift return to the town without yielding his position.

The Princeps was positioned not far north where he could strike with great force at Metellus, but he considered whether there was any need. A commander may find himself in so favorable a position that its advantages by binding him to it may prove adverse to his campaign. It was judged that Metellus unless reinforced in strength or learning of Sertorius on the march in the northeast would judge it imprudent to
risk attack from east or west on Corduba by striking north, and instead would prepare against a powerful blow from Sertorius coming south down the road.

Active demonstrations would be ordered within his scouting range in order to satisfy his apprehensions and help fix him in place. The defensively capable Lucius Hirtuleis** 5-3-3 with an army judged sufficient (with uncertainty as to the worth of the legion-sized Hispanien alae against real legionaries) was posted at Consabura to block or delay Metellus with the option of falling back into a fortified town.

Consabura is a strategic crossroads city and depot at the junction of the great north road and the connecting road from Corduba. (see Post 1 Map 4 featuring Metellus). An attack in the far west against Lacobrigia found use for forces in Lusitania and if it diverted Sullan forces west or encouraged Metellus to sit in place, so much the better.

Sertorius would take a host including the II, III, IV and V legions and substnatial supports east along the northern great road to the sea in search of a decisive battle with Pompey in the field or a siege to fix him in his works. It was thought Pompey might enter the interior by the main riverside road so that was the path of march against him, but he might also strike directly for Osca. In that case Osca had walls so strong as to require breaches before any assault. This would allow Sertorius time to relieve it or, if he failed and was driven back or routed, necessarily draw Pompey away in pursuit.

It was conceivable that Metellus might abandon Corduba and move east and then north along the coast against the Hispanien coastal towns, which might leave him and Pompey ideally placed to crush Sertorius between them - in theory - but as events in future shall prove it is difficult to coordinate supporting attacks among multiple forces, particularly from different locations. This was judged a small risk well taken.

Should Fortune favor the true and the brave, by then Pompey would be driven back and the north secured, after which Sertorius and his victorious forces could sweep down the coast and wipe the bloody red stain of Sulla from the map, making all the peninsula Iberian blue! Once cleared, it might be possible to defeat naval descents by shrewd deployment and use of shifting reserves emulating the conceptions of Alexander and Pyrrhus on a grander scale. This then was the strategy.

And as things happenned Metellus did not shift away from his favorable position in Corduba and remained fixed facing Consabura. Pompey moved directly on Osca. Sertorius and his host swept to the sea, north, and back toward Pompey. This led to a series of victories, and not bloodless ones,. Fortuna stirred a favorable tide for Iberia upon the first day which, taken up with vigor in its flood, cascaded victories and a torrent of blood.

At this time the Hispanien Western Army faced down Metellus Pius on the Corduba-Consabura axis. After sending forces to defeat a raid north, a detachment moved against Italica to the west, but Metellus
was able to dash west to drive them back and return to Corduba before his absence could be exploited.

[Jim-NC]

Turn 5:

Well, things could have gone better.

Lets start with Spain. Pompey had been trying to retreat away from Osca after his defeat by Sertorius last round. Unfortunately, he was caught and a battle ensued. He was pushed to the NE 1 region. The good news is that there are no enemy troops in the region, and thus Pompey can move freely. Memmius' corps marched in circles, and ended at Emporiae, where it was promptly smacked by Sertorius. Ugh. My orders are for Pompey and Memmius to go south, and meet up in Detosa. I have the African ships and troops sailing to the sea zone next to Detosa, so I can re-supply, and get Pompey more troops. In the south, Metellus smashed a lone cav unit. I have Afranius marching to join with Metellus (that way I can get 4 legions, and do something). Also, Thorius and his auxillary are retreating south to Carthago Nova to protect it from the Sertorian force just north of his position. In a further blow to morale, Lacobriga surrendered to the Sertorians. I had been told that ports created supplies if a town is besieged, but later found out that doesn't happen. Aargh. So anyone can siege a town to death. What's the point of Rome Ballistae?
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Now in Asia Minor. I am attacking the pirates still. I have 2 sieges going on (the 2 red boxes). I have received Triarius (with his fast mover ability). Thus I am forming a raider group to visit Pontus and his lands. I hope to have the pirate cities fall soon to my irresistible armies. Pontus is strangely quiet.
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There were 3 battles this last turn. They cost me 3 NM. I also lose another NM for the surrender of Lacobriga (what cowards).
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Replacements and reinforcements. I think I need another Legion. Things are not going well in Spain. Pompey needs to out number Sertorius, and he doesn't. I am showing all the replacements I own, and what I need.
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Odds and Ends. My morale is 78 (soon to be 76 due to that Legion I just bought). I was able to punish 3 of the 5 regions I tried to. I was able to enslave 2 regions. I also imposed requisitions on a region. A note about requisitions - If I can help it, I only make these on 100% Roman towns, with garrisons. As it adds to the slave control, I must be very careful where I do it. I am trying more punishment this turn (it helps damage supply lines, and maybe force Sertorius to move back for supply). Can I add that I hate Pirates? My shipping is taking a beating from Pirates. I lost a ship, which cost me an EP. So I am forced to send warships to keep my trade ships safe. I am Rome, don't those Pirates fear me? Oh yeah, Pontus bribed them to attack me. Curse him.
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[Jim-NC]

A note on NM (morale). Mine stinks. I am at 76, and my enemies are 100 or more. Thus I have almost a 40 point gap between myself and the Sertorians. I would have a worse NM, but my Punish and Enslave has made my people feel better about their leaders (me). I am able to gain a few points here. I must say though, that the enemy can do the same thing to me. So I must make the best use of it.

[Jim-NC]

Turn 6:

As if things can't get worse for me.

And here is lovely Spain. In the NW, Sertorius and 1 legion + some Hispana troops is besiging Emporiae. No big deal I say. It appears to be a bit confusing, so let me explain what is happening. Pompey and his battered legions are moving south then west to join Memmius' corps. I have detached an auxillary unit to march to Pompey to give him more strength. I realize I can't afford to lose more legions. I can't cross the mountains to the north, as the ridge blocks movement. So I can only retreat south, and try to stay alive. At this point, I don't fully understand the danger I am in. In the south, Metellus is going to attack that small force besieging Italica. They look weak enough for me to kill. I leave an axillary to build fortifications (I haven't figured out that fortifications are near useless in this game). I don't like the look of the force to Metellus' north. Also, sneaking down the eastern coast appears to be 3 legions (I can't see for sure, but 3 legions attacked my town last round). The fleet I had trying to support Pompey is moving to the NE away from the Sertorian navy.
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Asia Minor. Peace reigns through the land. I am sending a cav unit to stir things up in Pontus' land. I am still carrying out operations against the pirates. I got a surrender this round. I have a lone horse unit moving to join with Cotta's army of Rhodes. This army suffers huge penalties as I have a general of the wrong type in charge. Cotta is moving to engage the pirates north of him. Lucullus and his legion are needed to stop some Pirates on the coast of Dyrrachium (note - the 1 city was a pirate haven, and now troops have moved out to attack me). I could have used that legion where it was. The sad thing is that the legion started in southern Italy, and thus is going back to almost it's starting point.
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Battles for this turn. The 1st is really icky. Although the number of troops lost isn't that bad, the element loss cripples my army. 5 NM!!!! from this battle alone. That is going to be really tough to correct. At the bottom, you can see a sea battle where I retreated, and lost 44 more hits for my trouble. So much for getting a fleet to Pompey.
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Odds and ends. I can't believe the difference in NM for Roman troops vs. Sertorian (mostly Iberians). I have lost only 9,000 more men, but it has cost me 10 NM points. This does not include the replacements I have had to purchase. My NM is currently 71 (I bought another legion for -2 NM). In fact, I haven't gained a single NM for winning a battle! I must say Rome has it tough in this scenario. In fact, it's almost not worth fighting at all. Each destroyed cohort has cost me -1NM. I can't continue like this, or I will have no NM left, and will lose due to Sudden Death.
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[Jim-NC]

A note about merchant shipping.

Guard it. Each ship sunk costs you 1 EP. They can't be rebuilt (that I can see), and they have no defensive value (anyone can sink them). You will need to move some warships in with them. And not just in the sea zone, you need a convoy with the warships attached to the merchants or the warships starve to death. I am in the process of losing way too many ships, and thus way to many EPs this game.

[Cfant]

Jepp, Rome in this scenario is the hardest mission in AJE so far (imho). I don't understand, why Sertorius doesn't go after Pompejus, he could destroy the legions without any danger for himself. He is the Sulla of this scenario, only harder
By the way: Tarsus (south coast of Cilicia/Turkey) is some kind of pirate capital. Taking it boosts your NM and it's only a level 1 fortress. All the pirate cities are level 1 - you can fight the pirates with low losses before the war against Pontus starts. It gives you some social decisions too (enslave), which brings you quite some money. And by Jupiter, you need it, buying replacements AND make games to hold up moral...
hm, merchant ships... you can repair them for 15 ep. Don't know, if sunk ships are replaced then, will have to look for that.

One more thing: I don't remember you to use the social decisions of merchants and trading posts. Both bring you money for nothing...

[Jim-NC]

I botched my merchant decisions (you can see where I placed them in turns 2 and 3). I don't have enough control, or my loyalty is too high. I haven't been able to cash in on a single tradepost.

PS - You can play merchants anywhere you have less than 90% loyalty. In this game this means Spain or Asia Minor (for the most part). You can only place tradeposts in areas that you control (IIRC 50% or more). Thus, the fact that I am losing in Spain means my tradeposts are getting overrun. As a further problem, I did not realize what was going to happen, and thus I have merchants in places I can't get any income from (for example, I placed a merchants in Crete, and couldn't understand why I could not place a tradepost there. Realized next turn I ddin't control Crete, the Pirates? or maybe Creatans did. So I can't recruit Creatan troops either. So now I need to send a force to pacifiy Crete). There isn't enough time in this scenario for this sort of micro-management. So is not that I didn't use, it's that I didn't understand the game mechanics, and didn't plan accordingly.

It doesn't help that this is my 1st attempt at the game, and I don't really understand all the rules/mechanics.

If I was on the offensive and winning, the merchants/tradeposts would be great, and I would have no problem placing them. But being defensive, and losing territory means no tradeposts, as I can't place merchants in Italy/Siciily/North Africa/Greece/my parts of Asia Minor without them being deleted by having too much loyalty in the region.

And you get a boost to your loyalty every year just by being Roman. It is an event that happens each year. I lost several merchants that way.

[nemethand]

A note about merchant shipping.

Guard it. Each ship sunk costs you 1 EP. They can't be rebuilt (that I can see), and they have no defensive value (anyone can sink them).

There is a decision, titled 'Buy merchant ship replaceent' or sg like that in on of the F screens. Never used but I guess it may be for this issue.

[Cfant]

@Jim-NC: Against the KI I make the merchants on turn one and the trading posts on turn 2 (all in Greece/Macedonia), there I get the money at least one time, before NM is too high. However, it was not meant as a critic, I'm just a Roman, trying to help No need for the Consul to listen to me By the way: I realle love your AAR - very thrilling!

@nemethand: Yep, it cost's 15 ep. I think it should bring back lost ships, as they can sink by event too.

[Jim-NC]

The sinking of my ships has reduced my EPs, and thus I don't have 15 EPs to spend on the repairs. I don't know if it helps or not.

@ Cfant - as this is my 1st game, I am finding things out all the time. FYI - there is an event that increases your control of your regions. This makes most of the areas I currently already control no longer eligible for Merchants. I did not know about it, and thus several merchants were removed as a result.

[Sir Garnet]

The Commentaries of Princeps Quintus Sertorius Part II
October - December 75 (Turn 5-7)

In the north it was easy to lose sight of Pompey, but as autumn waned Pompey's attempts to escape to the coast were foiled by Perpenna's column heading south in October (turn 5) , and then in November (turn 6)Sertorius himself set some forces to besiege Emporiae and then led other troops to sweep across the northeast lowlands in search of what must be only remnants with Pompey. The object was to bring him to final battle or drive him into the pitiless mountains to make an escape. There were more victories, yet Pompey himself and some troops escaped into the hills.

All this vigorous activity strained supplies and the efforts to sustain the troops almost let the Sullans capture a supply train traveling from inland to Emporiae. It appeared doomed, yet the intricately interwoven web of patrol paths conceived by Sertorius caught the Sullans short of the Impedimenta and drove them away into the woods. The people rallied to Sertorius strongly in hatred of the punitive Sullan exactions, and demands were strong for decisive action to put an end to the spectral ghost of an army haunting the northeastern hills and forests.

As the year neared its end, Sertorius sent the capable Perpenna with a sizable army south along the coast, planning to simply bypass the great coastal fortress of Carthago Nova and make contact with the Western Army. It was thought a coordinated drive forward through Metellus at Corduba from north and east could take both that town and Italica. As matters emerged, there was an ill-coordinated series of engagements between Metellus and the three Hispanien forces approaching him. Both sides were battered in the south - even without legions engaged, the enthused Hispanian alae proved able to fight hard against legions though with heavy losses. Having both sides battered seemed a success and the fear of a union of Pompey and Metellus was relieved. However, the advent of reinforcements from Italia that could arrive by the north road or anywhere along the coast remained a concern as even Sertorius could be defeated if he engaged piiecemeal. Emporiae, Nova Carthago, and Gades all offered secure entrepots for a large invasion. The solutiion apopeared to be taking those cities and building ships.

National Morale, however, remained high and the news and sentiment of the country and the auguries were all generally favorable. The use of merchants was now understood, and the efficacy of requisitions of oyal regions and plundering of the disloyal. Many replacements were raised, and some fresh troops - the sale of prisoners providing a large income for this urpose.

With the onset of winter, the various troops at the end of the year largely retired to quarters for supplies and the location of Pompey remained unknown.

[Jim-NC]

Turn 7:

More bad news. I have accidentally deleted my orders file for this turn. Thus I don't know what my orders were exactly. I will post maps with current positions and past battles.

Spain. I was trying to have Pompey escape this desperate problem. This turn was another attempt. I believe I tried to sneak past the army at Emporiae. In the south I tried to have Metellus escape with what is left of his army. At this point, I have realized that Roman losses are deadly to NM. I can win a battle, kill more of the enemy, and still lose NM. Sadly 2 legions of mine are worth 1 of Sertorius'. Sertorius's army with the legions is coming to smash Metellus.
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Asia Minor. No war yet, and thus peace. My cavalry unit + general is exploring the scenery. Lucullus will land to take on the pesky pirates. I have 4 legions facing the might of Pontus and his pirate allies.
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In the south, there were a series of sharp engagements. Sadly for me, I can not seem to win. I show the battle of Corduba as a prime example. The Sertorian army retreats, but it appears as if I am defeated. And to add insult to injury, I lose 7 NM. In the north, Pompey barely survives, but 2/3 of his army disappears in the maelstrom. I am showing the depleted state of my legions. The top 4 legions on the right is what's left of Pompey's troops. The middle group on the right is Metellus' battered legions. This turn cost me 12 NM in 2 battles.
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Defeat in Victory. Here we see just how badly shaken my troops are. I have a NM of 62, vs. 130 for Sertorius. Now the good news is that in December, I get money from the trade of my markets. I can get from 5-30 denarii depending on how well I do. I also got a bonus line replacement (it's a random thing).
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The questions I face are what can I do to stem the Sertorius tide? And when will Pontus attack? I need to do something, but what?

[Bertram]

This defeat in victory usually happens when you have a depleted army, or the enemy elements are much cheaper (in victory points) then yours. Thus the enemy can decide to retreat, and even loose more men, but your side can lose more elements (because they are already depleted, and each element has less men left), or your side can lose more victory points (because each element you lose costs more then the enemy elements lost). View it as having driven the enemy off, but them retreating in good order, ready to fight another day, with your troops at their ragged edge, without reserves, and the home front nagging you about the costs .

[Jim-NC]

And now Turn 8.


Here we have lovely NE Spain. As you can see, Pompey is resting on his laurels in Narbo. Marcus and part of the garrison of Emporiae are attempting to break out, and march north. I figure I can give this a chance, as they are starving to death.
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Southern Spain. Here, Metellus has lost enough seniority that he is now 2nd in command (what a cruel world). Afranius has a full dance card, attempting to escape intact. I need those legions to survive. I can't afford the NM hit.
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Asia Minor and the coast. All quiet on the eastern front. My campaign against the pirates continues. The citizens of Myra have seen the error of their ways, and decided to join my side. They are smart. My cavalry corps (actually a glorified cavalry unit + general) is still parading around impressing the local girls. I do want to draw to your attention that I have pillaged just about all of Ponus' front line provinces. I hear that he has supply issues, I just want to make them worse for him. Actually, don't believe all the press hype, as Lucullus will not be able to do much (in a show of criminal logistical failure, I don't notice that Lucullus is about to starve - I forgot about the way supply works in this game, and thus he can't go far without a severe lack of food).
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Battles, battles, and more battles. Most were harmless (more or less). The killer was the destruction of Pompey's army. It only cost me 6 more NM. At the end, there was only 2 Legatus left, 1 of which died in battle, and 1 of which died in the retreat.
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Morale, who needs morale? Mines at 57. Man, my troops must love me. I have 3 legions under construction, and need lots of replacements. I'm only 590 Victory Point behind.
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[Jim-NC]

Morale and it's losses

Well lets see what my NM looks like.

I have wasted 33 NM points with lost combats this game so far. That's over 4 NM per turn.

Add to that the 10? NM I have burned with replacement/reinforcements (3 new legions, and at least 2 Legatus replacements).

Nevermind the fact that I have surrendered at least 3 garrisons (with the attendant -1 NM for each surrender).

On the plus side, I have increased NM through the judicious use of Punish, Enslave, and some Minor games.

All this leads me to a 57 NM at turn 8, while Sertorius is at a nice healthy 135. This is no way to win a war. I need to do something to correct this NM imbalance, but what?

[Cfant]

Hm... maybe victories against Pontus might help? You should hope for a declaration of war soon. On the other hand, you have split up your troops in Asia Minor a lot (I think I see 4 armies). This and your low moral will help Pontus to defeat a lot of roman elements... I guess Still I think, there is no way to win this scenario as Rome against human opponents. So you should ban me, as I am a defatist

[Jim-NC]

It's not necessarily about winning at this point. This is about learning from my mistakes, as I made a lot of them in this game. At this point, I was pretty sure I had lost the game due to my bad morale. But this was the low point for me so far, and this happened awhle ago now (we are into -73, so over 12 turns ahead).

[Jim-NC]

Turn 9 Redux (the website crashed last time I tried this).

First up is Spain. I am trying to sneak away with Afranius' corps. I have realized that my position in southern Spain is not good. Thus I am trying to save my legions. I am trying to reach a safe region (in this case Lacobriga), and then let my troops rebuild. I have an axillary unit moving to check out Consubura. I plan on punishing areas behind the Sertorian front line. I need to stop the siege of Carthago Nova, so I can keep it. I plan on doing that by punishing all the regions I can. In the NE, I have the city troops trying to escape (they have no food, and thus will starve to death shortly).
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Asia Minor. I am still fighting the Pirates. Iuncus and his 2 legions are moving NE to try to engage the Pirates and their general (they are currently besieging my troops). Cotta and his army of Rhodes will try to engage the pirates north of his position. Still no war with Pontus. I wonder why not.
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There were 2 inconsequential battles against the pirates this turn. I need to kill them off. There was 1 important battle. As you can see, my cohesion was low, my positions were blocked, and thus I could not escape last turn. The part that kills me is that I outnumber him 2 to 1 (manpower), and we lose roughly the same percentage (25%), but I lose 3 NM. I lose 5 elements in the process. This is part of the learning curve of this game.
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Odds and ends. I am still losing badly. I have 2 events listed. The merchant ship is where the pirates got my ships. I must say that the merchant fleets in the MTBs are important, as they are the only income every turn. I have lost several ships, and had to move ships to guard them. I am still building 3 legions, and you can see my replacements (there aren't many for the hits I have suffered).
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