Civil Wars

[caranorn]

Just wanted to say thank you. Finally got myself a Civil War in my current Rome game. Went for Empire around turn 90 as I was risking to fall into the lower third of the CDR chart and did not want to risk losing progress tokens I could not regain later. My Emperor is no good but I can live with that. At that time I was rounding out some territory in the Balkans that I had taken from Macedonia. Macedonia proper was already pacified, but Thracia was a big mess, starving populations, risk of buildings being destroyed and of course bottom level loyalty with Independants bordering on that province. And suddenly i get the Civil War warning, at that moment I was building loyalty improving buildings almost everywhere (my people were quite happy under a Republic), so I rapidly increased those productions by any means possible. A few turns later I get the opportunity for the religion +10 loyalty booster for regions with a religious building. Together with all those constructions I end up above 75 loyalty in most places. So I think I can lean back and profit from a crumbling Illyria (my Dalmatian ally's subject) and take that province and the obective therein to reduce my status age even more. Next turn the Civil War starts when I'd felt secure. One enemy army in north eastern Cisalpina while I have a Roman army plus Mercenaries stationned in Padus (in case the Celtici or Raeti decide to do more than raiding from the Alps), so no problem, a nice battle and the problem in Italia is solved. Two armies popped up in southeastern Illyria plus a revolting minor (iirc Aetollia), I have two armies of my own in the area, but if the enemy manages to converge and hit one of my armies before I can reorganise I will be in big trouble. Luckily that turn ends up with just one battle between single armies, an easy win but four veteran Marian Legions take step losses, cavalry too. A fourth enemy army appeared in northeastern Thracia, I've got nothing there and the food situation in that province is really bad so I don't plan to move there quite yet, I have to deal with matters in Illyria first anyhow. Of course at the same time Independants launch an attack towards eastern Macedonia, a weak one but I only have scattered garrisons which I don't want to concentrate as they'd be very vulnerable on the move. So first turn of Civil War two big battles I won in which 90% of the enemy involved were destroyed. Second turn I order my now consolidated armies in Illyria to advance against the remaining rebel forces in that area (unfortunatelly one of my generals retired due to health reasons and I had no good replacements so only a 1-0 wilderness fellow in charge of one army and of course a quality drop due to new commander), but the odds should be well in my favour. I still won't deal with Thracia and Macedonia, my armies from Illyria will eventually march there. My army in Cisalpina will return to it's garrison in Padus. A new fourth army has been formed in Latium with cavalry in Padus, some Thracian medium infantry elsewhere as well as Macedonian lancers. The Italian portion of that army will concentrate at tarentum before shipping to Illyria where it's Macedonian and Thracian elements should join up, there it will relieve the two veteran armies to march towards Thracia. I also noticed two ports blockaded in Illyria but have no inteligence what it could be, so one fleet dispatched there for a patrol and another moving up to Italia Inferior to support it, a third is patrolling the Dardanelles, I don't trust the Spartans, though I have a full cooperation with them, they lust for my Graecia and Macedonia provinces. The remnants of the formerly great Macedonian state pose no threat though I'm sure they will DOW me soon. The Raeti and Celtici might also try to seize this opportunity, but my forces in Cisalpina should be sufficient to deal with them.

In short, a lot of fun, the first really serious battles in a while and I don't have the best generals in the field right now (well one 2-2 in Illyria, a 1-1 wilderness there too but now replaced by 1-0 wilderness, a 2-0 in Cisalpina, not sure who I put in charge of the freshly formed army but at best a 1-1, most of my generals are in the 1-0/0-1/0-0 range right now.

Back to playing now :-D ...

P.S.: Roman provinces are Italia Superior, Italia Inferior, Cisalpina, Epirus, Graecia, Macedonia, Thracia and Illyria, though part of Graecia is still in Spartan hands. Loyalty is now mostly above 75 and rising as more buildings get completed, though most regions are still focussed on construction to speed up work in the lower loyaltry regions...

[Pocus]

Nice feedback, thanks!