Flop wrote:This is excellent. Thank you very much for taking the time to write this. I've been wanting to write an AAR for GI myself, for quite a while, but I've never written an AAR before, so it's a bit daunting. Also, at this point I've pretty much forgotten how to play, and learning it was hell.
Still, this game deserves more AARs, especially since they also serve as a great (and much needed) way to help new players learn how to play the game.
Keep it up!
edit: We should have a GI AAR subforum...
Thanks Flop. I don't think we need an GI AAR subforum. There aren't enough people posting AARs to justify it.
Palpat wrote: Go Vandals, go!
And Gaul is still so a mess...
Yes, Gaul is still a mess. The Roman Kingdom has actually been building masses of heavy infantry so they would actually be quite tough to take down. The Vascones seem quite weak. And the Gepids have a lost of troops and territory, but I think it would be easy to take their Gallic territories and create the glorious Carolinian empire- under the Alans.
Here's the next installment.
[SIZE="3"]460-470[/size]
Early in 460, the entire vandal fleet was sunk in a severe storm. This was a serious setback, as the Vandals lacked the ability to replace the fleet. Henceforth, the Vandals were landlubbers.
In Britain, the Britons funded a series of revolts against the Picts. Many Pictish territories became controlled by natives- which were then invaded by the Britons and annexed to British Kingdom. Only Tinea, where the mighty Pictish armies stood and waited for something, remained in Pictish control. Only the constant Irish raids disturbed the new conquests.
In the Caucasus, the small raiding tribe of the Abkhaz declared their independence from the Thuringians. This was unacceptable to the Thuringian kings, and in September 460 they declared war. Vast armies were raised and then sent against the Abkhaz, who fiercely defended their mountain territory. Time after time the Abkhaz defeated the Thuringian oppressors- but by march 462, eventually the Abkhaz armies were sufficiently worn down for the Thuringians to reassert their unwelcome domination over Abkhazia. The Thuringians were not well liked by their subjects, and suffered constant revolts. In 464 rebels captured the capital, leading their kingdom into decline.
Meanwhile, in 461 Genseric again declared war upon the Imperator Constantinopolis. During the previous war the Romans had captured the border areas of the Sahara, and Genseric coveted this territory for his African Empire. The Vandals captured the Roman territory, far away from Constantinople and rescue with ease, but the Romans refused peace.
The Vandals were aided when in early 462 the Alans in the Caucasus declared war on the Romans. This may have been a factor in the Romans making peace with the Vandals, ceding the Sahara to the Vandals in september 462. The Alans later received the province of Atropatene in the Southern Caucasus. For the Vandals, this decade was a time of plenty. Using the money obtained from selling slaves and establishing successful businesses, the Alans funded the building of markets in every city in their Empire. This building campaign brought great revenue to the Alan state, making it much easier to balance the budget.
In 464, the Heruls believed they were strong enough to begin expanding, and a major invasion was beginning. They coveted the rich lansd of Italy- however, their way was blocked by the two Germanic Superpowers- the Suevi and the Gepids, as well as the minor nation of the Rugians. In 464 the Heruls declared war upon the Suevi, and sent armies to capture their territory, as well as occupying the Rugian capital. The Herul territory was surrounded by the Suevi on 3 sides, and the Seuvi armies outnumbered the Heruls. The Heruls used every strategy they had, bribing armies to desert, preying for bad omens to visit the Suevi armies. However, it mostly didn't matter as the mighty Suevi armies stayed at home in Southern Germania, and refused to give battle.
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The Heruls attack the Suevi- the large stacks in Bavaria and Allemannia didn't move. [/CENTER]
The refusal of the Suevi to fight meant that small Herul armies were able to capture most of their territory with only minor skirmishes. By 465 the Suevi signed an unconditional peace with the Heruls, whereby the Suevi gave up the city of Aquilea, paid tribute and agreed to become vassals of the Heruls. Afterwards, there was a vast migration of the entire Herul Horde and army into Aquilea, as they abandoned Germania forever.
In 464, the upstart barbarian tribe of the Scots declared war upon the Britons. Fortunately the entire invasion fleet was wiped out by storms and Irish raiders before landing.
In September 465 the Heruls and their Suevi lackeys invaded Roman territory. The Alans organised their own invasion of Roman holdings in the Caucasus at the same time. Initially, neither the Alans nor the Heruls saw much resistance. However, as 466 approached and the Heruls captured or laid siege to large parts of Italia, a powerful Roman force in Sicily defeated the invading Heruls.
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The Roman army of Sicilia defeats the Heruls. [/CENTER]
On hearing of their defeat, the Herul's largest army was thrown into a frenzy, and brutally sacked Rome. The cowardly Suevi made peace with the Romans without the Herul's permission, taking Etruria in exchange for peace.
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The Heruls sack Rome. [/CENTER]
In order to put even more pressure on the ERE, the Sassanids invaded the Eastern Empire's badly defended Mesopotamian provinces in 467.
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TheSassanids invade Mesopotamia. [/CENTER]
However, using their diplmatic wiles, the Romans were able to organise a grand peace treaty which restored the status quo ante bellum. The Alans received one territory in the Caucasus for their troubles. The Heruls however, were able to eventually muster enough forces to overwhelm the remaining Roman troops in Italy, including the raising of mercenaries and bribing traitors to open the gates of Neapolis. By 469, the Eastern Emperor offered an unconditional peace which left the Heruls in control of most of Northern Italy.
The only other war of note in this time period was the invasion of Caledonia by the Barbarian Scots. Under Fergus, the Scots suddenly captured Clota. King Vortigern had recently died, otherwise the Scots would have been driven into the sea. As it was, his more cautious son, Vortimer decided to recruit more troops before invading Clota.
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The Scots invade Caledonia. [/CENTER]
The only other events which were of interest concern the reappearance of the Ostrogoths near the Danube and the capture of Phazania in Africa by the Vandals. However, this was a relatively foolish conquest by Genseric, as it exposed the Vandals to near constant Blemmye raids.
