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Haplo_Patryn
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[AAR HAN:ToR] Of Gods & Men

Tue Jun 10, 2014 10:41 am

[color="#FFFF00"]Year 219 B.C.[/color]

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Year 219 B.C.. A quiet one, apparently. Carthaginians in Hispania have appointed a man named Hannibal as a leader of the Carthaginian army, which has about 64,000 troops mixing large number of Hispanic mercenaries, Numidian and from Carthage itself (Libyans). With him there are other general as his brother Hasdrubal and Maharbal, the general command of the Numidian Carthaginian cavalry - about 8,000 cavalry troops composed of Numidians and Iberians warriors.

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Little is known of Hannibal in Rome except that he is the son of Hamilcar Barca (who was a pain in the neck in Sicily a few decades ago in the 1st Punic War) and that he is very young (about 25 years). The military leadership system of appointment differs significantly between Rome and Carthage – Roman leaders are chosen by vote while Carthage only confirms previously proposed appointments – and Hannibal has not had problems to be assured himself the leadership of the Hispania’s army. Barca’s family is too powerful and influential at the time at Carthage and few dare to stand up to those who have revitalized the economy of the city which are overflowing with fresh money.

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The situation in Carthage and Numidia is quiet, away from the clash of arms in Hispania, but both regions live a great time thanks to the wealth that the new Iberian territories are providing them.

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Life in Rome is peaceful, away from the bustle and noise of the news coming sporadically from Hispania’s traders anchoring at Iberians waters. The Roman Republic lives a stable situation in the Italic Peninsula and in the islands of Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia where life go by normally. The acquisition of the islands has revitalized the naval commercial traffic throughout the area and the port of Ostia, northwest of Rome, shows a hustle activity while a load of stevedores offload great quantities of grain, wine and other Mediterranean products.

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Life in Roman territories is better than ever and that is reflected in the fact that the Senate has approved the funds to keep operating the modest figure of only 5 legions, which is the minimum considered necessary to defend the whole Roman territory. The legions I and II are in Rome together with the allied Ala legions of the socii peninsular cities, under the command of Consul Marcus Livius Salinator who has being awarded with the control over the homeland province.

Additionally the city of Rome has an urban army in charge of the Praefectus Urbi, more a garrison than an army, which main role is the defense of the city walls and the other fortified buildings, having more a “police” role than a military one.

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The most warlike Gauls from the Cisalpine Gaul were recently pacified in a campaign that lasted 3 years (completed in 222 BC) and there have not been riots and demonstrations of violence since then, much less after Gauls learned in their flesh what does Rome to those who oppose the power of the Roman legions. The Romans have come to terms with some Gallic tribes located in the region of Venetia and Athesis - approximately 43,000 warriors-signing peace and friendship treaties. Rome punishes the rebels but hold a hand to those who submit to her.

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The army of the second consul elect, Paulo Lucio Amelio has the III and IV legions - plus the socii Ala - and is stationed in Brundisium, southeast of Italy, and is about to embark to cross the Adriatic and land in Illyria territory.

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Despite the calm that prevails in much of the territories, the presence of Illyrian pirates has been a scourge from time ago attacking the naval trade in the Adriatic, and the Romans have decided to end these intolerable operations.

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The Roman fleet in Brundisium is in charge of Admiral Sexto Pomponio, which has under his command 350 ships mixing transport boats, light ships and quinqueremes with some 17.000 sailors, more than enough to transport almost 30.000 legionaries to Illyrian territory. The main pirate base is located in the city of Pharos, which has a good fortification and a powerful garrison, which implies that will be necessary to siege it in force. That's why the consular army carries lots of baggage which will not be enough for a long siege however, and probably will be necessary to be made more comings and goings with the fleet to transport additional supplies.

The V Legion along with an Ala socii is in Sicily, quartered in the city of Lilybaeum and commanded by the Praetor Marco Amelio, in a province garrison role. This army has about 15.000 troops.

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Syracusa is the most important city of Sicily, a huge, rich and powerful city that holds a certain level of independence thanks to its alliance with Rome. It has its own troops and a small fleet and even offer support troops to Rome to defend the island. The fortifications of Syracuse are awesome - Level 4 - implying that a siege would take a long time to get something positive.

In short, Rome has about 75.000 troops across its territory without counting local citizen militias and garrisons. It is an appropriate minimum for the situation of calm experienced in the Roman Republic territories and nothing suggest that this will change soon. However Hannibal has another idea...

The Carthaginian leader does not take long to begin to make it clear that he is going to do what he thinks is the best for Carthage at all cost. Since the continued rejection of the Iberian city of Saguntum to come around and accept the Carthaginian dominion over Southeast Hispania, Hannibal decides that the time has come to besiege the city and take it by force. Saguntum has spent years opposing the Carthaginian power and its garrison, sheltered behind its walls - Level 2 -, refused to surrender to the Carthaginians.

Hannibal, to speed up the siege, decides to march towards Saguntun from Carthago Nova along with the army of his brother Hasdrubal (respecting the independence of the command). This decision occurs at the same time as the Roman consul in Brundisium embarks his troops to attack the Illyrian pirates. Saguntum, which has received news of the Carthaginian movement sent another embassy to Rome urgently. Ignoring the many warning signs that come from Hispania, it is curious that the Romans embark on a war against Illyrian pirates just in the opposite direction where the real danger lies really. Because no one knows in Rome who is Hannibal and those who are interested in, that name says nothing to them, let alone frightens them.

Everything is ready. It’s about to begin one of the most spectacular wars in history.

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Franciscus
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Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:36 am

Sticked !

thank you very much for a great AAR, Haplo

:coeurs: :thumbsup:
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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PhilThib
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Tue Jun 10, 2014 5:12 pm

Bravo, wonderful !!! :thumbsup: :) :cool: :love:
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Haplo_Patryn
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Tue Jun 10, 2014 6:19 pm

[color="#FFFF00"]219 B.C. - Saguntum[/color]

In this screenshot you can see the Roman’s objectives.

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As you can see the Romans have only to defend their territory, including the islands of Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily, to get the enough number of victory points needed to win the scenario. This fact makes PBEM games very hard for the Carthaginian player since it is he who has to take the initiative and bring the war to Roman territory. The Roman player doesn’t need to take Hispanic cities to win if he can defend the other objectives, taking those is a plus not a need. This has been discussed during the beta phase because a conservative Roman player can won perfectly defending the homeland waiting for the Carthaginian player to move first. For sure AGEOD will improve this aspect and balance the PBEM game in futures patches.

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Above we see the PV screen from Roman point of view, these are his goals. As you can see in the column POWER it shows that, for example, Carthage has a ratio of 67/16. It means that Carthage has only 67% of military land power compared to the Roman one and only 16% of the naval power compared to the Roman one.

Let’s see what happens with a key city in the Mediterranean who played a very important role during the 2nd Punic War.

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At the time Massalia was a very powerful and rich city, with a very important Mediterranean trading port located in a strategic place and it has strong economic links with several cities of Greek origin that had been founded in the Spanish coast and in the Galia Narbonensis. The line you can see in the screenshot above is the path, more or less, used in theory by Hannibal to reach Italy. Initially the cities rounded in the screenshot start as "friends" of both Rome and Carthage, sharing the 50% of their supply to both players, in a kind of neutrality role that fits well with the business profile of these cities whose influence were based on their economic attractiveness not in their military aspect.

It is time to start detailing the events and explaining the facts from the Carthaginian point of view. I must say that this scenario is very strategic and you have to make very important decisions that can have much long-term significance. As the scenario is very long - over 200 turns – you cannot run nor sleep. As I have already explained before the Roman player only have to wait to see the Carthaginian player come to him in order to win so the Carthaginian player has to be aggressive and take the initiative as soon as possible.

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Here is the Carthaginian’s objectives window. Notice that the Carthaginian player wins 8 PV per turn while the Roman earns 22 PV per turn. Notice that most of their objectives are in the Italic Peninsula so he should move there as soon as possible.

Let’s go to Hispania. Hannibal decides to move his army and his brother one together to Saguntum to join efforts and speed up the siege.

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This is a total of about 64.000 men. Saguntum has a fortification of level 2 and is a rich city which generates many supplies.

The first decision I make is to recruit Iberian reinforcements and supply wagons in Carthago Nova. Hispania have a key role in this scenario and the Carthaginians have a large pool of recruitment troops, especially Iberian units.

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Above we can see the list of recruitable units. There are a lot of Iberian units (green ones). Libyan (Numidians) are the yellow ones and the Carthaginian are the pink ones. There is a huge variety of options that explains very well the multicultural character of this African nation, which combines many troops from different provinces and regions.

It is important to face the siege of Saguntum to have a look at the regional card options.

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The "siege works" are very important but, unlike others, they are lost when used. I’m not sure if they just “going back” over time, I would say no. In any case is an important decision because it allows a breach in the walls almost automatically. What I do not want to do is run, so as I have enough time Hannibal and his brother will siege Saguntum without using this option card not even once. I want to keep these cards for using later. This is an important decision, one of many that this scenario requires to take from the player. It is something that makes this scenario so great.

Politically the Carthaginian player has two options.

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Be careful because there are some options that come and go and some others are lost forever if not used. That is the case of the Baal-Amon Ceremony option that is lost if not used. Obviously you should not take it if you don’t need at all. Some of them are interesting in only very specific situations. In this case both options available are unnecessary at the moment from my point of view.

Something you already should know from previous games based on the AJE engine is that there are many additional places such as markets and commercial ports which add random extra income for the players and other places that add random land/naval replacements.

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Here we see why Hispania is so important for the Carthaginian player. I played several times as Roman and it has a lot more income because they have more land and more developed cities, giving them great revenues each year. At 217 B.C. playing with Rome I have come to have more than 2.000 denarii in the treasure. There are some options available to the players to gain some additional denarii as for example merchant and factories cards, commercial naval boxes for random income, great extra income from extraordinary events, etc. However, the annual income of the territories is greater for the Roman player because the Republic of Rome is very rich. But I advise you to be prudent using all this money because Hannibal hits hard and the needs to recruit and build new legions and buy replacements will cost a lot of money, so be careful.

The Carthaginians instead must “build” their regular income using something more "creative" tactics. Hispania is very rich but all the territories under its control are not as rich as the Roman ones. One of this tactics comes from battle victories that can provide fresh slaves to sell on the market for extra income, for example.

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Here is something that will be repeated sporadically: income of merchant ports such as Gades, in Hispania, or the own Carthage and "free" naval & troop replacements. We will have time to see ways to get extra money by Carthaginian side in this AAR.

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Sagunto is already besieged, now Hannibal just need to wait. Rome is focused on fight pirates in the Adriatic so the news coming from Sagunto, though worrying, does not seem to be affecting her.

The Carthaginians receive free regular troops and African militia reemplacements.

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The naval production also helps increasing warships replacements for free.

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Carthage has a ridiculous fleet because after the 1st Punic War the Romans put certain naval limitations and many of the warships during that war were lost. This implies that Carthage has little naval relevance but the player can change that if it spends enough resources to buy more naval units. It's another decision you have to take playing as Carthaginian: is it worth spending money and resources on getting a competitive fleet?

Let’s see the Roman side…

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This event means that Pharos in Illyria must fall before 218 BC or Rome’s prestige will be severely affected. That's why the consular army in Brundisium had orders to move there.

If the Roman fleet has departed it might have found some storms in its way…

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Thi is the score, without many changes.

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Here we see the reinforcements & replacements window.

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Carthago Nova is a very important city, a key one for Carthaginians and that is where they have focused their initial recruitment efforts.

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Haplo_Patryn
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Wed Jun 11, 2014 8:54 am

[color="#FFFF00"]The fall of Saguntum[/color]

While the siege of Saguntum goes on the romans take Issa

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This town must have been assaulted but Pharos is going to need a full siege before falling in Roman hands.

After 5 long months of siege (March to August 219 BC) Saguntum falls. Its garrison surrenders and the city is captured with its defensive wall intact.

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Hannibal will stay in Saguntum and Hasdrubal will return to Carthago Nova after giving to his brother some of his best troops. The capture of the city gives to the Carthaginians 14 VP and 1 Moral point automatically. What's worse is that the Roman prestige has fallen and certainly the Senate of Rome is not going to sit idly.

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The news of the fall of the city not takes long to reach Rome where the Senate meets in an extraordinary session. Hannibal knows that his action against Saguntum will have serious consequences so he decides to send some reliable men to build relationships with Gaul tribes around the Pyrenees and from Galia Narbonensis . This is reflected in the activation of the next event which also implies a declaration of war against the hostile tribes of northeast of Hispania (Open road to the north)

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This opens the northeast of Hispania (the Carthaginian player cannot move beyond the Ebro until he activates this event).

VPs screen at the end of August 219 AC.

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Rome gets 34 PV per turn while Carthage only 11. The difference is noticeable. Carthage will have to go to the offensive.

Wallensteinwojtek
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Wed Jun 11, 2014 10:11 am

Great!

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Haplo_Patryn
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Wed Jun 11, 2014 4:39 pm

[color="#FFFF00"]War[/color]

One of the things the player needs to decide is how many troops should take Hannibal to Italy with him and it is not an easy decision. If it takes a lot he will face serious logistical problems while if it does not he could have to deal with stronger Roman armies and have problems to garrison every city his army conquest.

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So, instead of taking a great army of 80.000 or 90.000 soldiers, Hannibal decide to go with approximately 40.000 men, the best warriors, the most experienced and a large number of impedimenta that have been acquired during the previous months (9 supply wagons).

The Roman Senate did not take long to send an embassy to Carthage with Senator Quintus Fabius Maximus as the representative of the Roman Senate . In his address to the Carthaginian senators, he requests Hannibal to be delivered to Rome but the Carthaginian Senate rejects it. So Fabius Maximus declared war on behalf of the Roman Senate.

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This is the score screen. Notice that at top left is the info about the main pools (Victory Points, Moral, Engagement Points, Denarii, etc).

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The Carthaginians need money so Sicily becomes an important place and all the economic regional card decisions (merchants & factories) are invested there.

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Extraordinary income come from the trade caravans that bring ivory, slaves and gold, all from the eastern border African town of Leptis Magna.

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Another decision that the Carthaginian player has to take is whether to focus on recruiting ground troops or naval units. In this AAR the Carthaginians will try to have a powerful fleet that can face the Roman one as soon as possible, at least expand the naval fleet to better numbers.

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In the picture you can see the small fleet that the Carthaginians have for the moment. Carthage has been once the 1st naval power but now is only a shadow of what she was. It is something that has to change.

The 2nd Carthaginian fleet is anchored in Hispania.

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November, 219 B.C.

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Hannibal still barracks in Saguntum, waiting for the right time to move arrives. If he move now or had moved in September he would have had to face the coming winter and some serious supplies limitations. So what both nations at war are experiencing is a "quiet" moment where war plans are made and new troops &naval units are recruited while they wait the next spring to come.

More leaders are recruited for Hannibal army.

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Mago Barca, Hanno Bomílcar and Hanno Tarrago. Mago is the Barca’s little brother and will stay in Hispania with Hasdrubal Barca army. The rest will march with Hannibal.

January 218 A.C.

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February&March 218 B.C.

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The trade pays off, extra income.

Meanwhile Hannibal checks the weather daily.

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March 218 B. C and weather has worsened in Hispania with a spectacular snowfall.

Meanwhile a new general comes to Carthago Nova to reinforce the army of Hasdrubal Barca: Bostar.

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There is a new political option, very expensive that it is not necessary at the moment.

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April 218 B.C. The time has come. The weather has greatly improve so Hannibal decides to undertake the long march to Italy with 45.000 men and nearly 10 baggage carts.

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He goes with the best men, the most experienced. His first step will be a trip of 31 days until Emporiae which will leave his troops exhausted. From there he plans to make shorter movements so his troops can rest and not lose cohesion sharply. The mission is to reach Cisalpine Gaul before winter of 218 BC and have a home base that allows his army to survive the winter. He must cross the Pyrenees, which is not the most complicated of the crossings, and the Alps which will be a nightmare, the harder one.

If you are following this AAR, get ready because here comes the most exciting and the most difficult decisions to take for the first stage of the game. How to cross the Alps and get live across before winter? And how do you get a base of operations in Gaul and deal at the same time with the Roman consular armies?

Now is when the war really begins.

Ech Heftag
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Wed Jun 11, 2014 10:54 pm

Thanks for the AAR and the impressions from the beta testing, haplo! I'll follow this.

By the way, is the Greek theatre only represented by Roman Illyria (Dyrrhachium & Epidaurus) and some neighboring Macedonian provinces? I had hoped the 1st Macedonian War would also be included in the scenario, since it was basically a proxy war between Roman (Messenia, Elis, Sparta, Aetolian League) and Carthaginian (Macedonia, Achaean League) allies. This diversion also meant that Macedonia couldn't be more active in Italy or Illyria, which ultimately helped the Romans a lot. At the same time, the Macedonians basically won the 1st Macedonian War, so this side conflict could be exploited by the Carthaginian player to get some bonus VPs to stay competitive.

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Haplo_Patryn
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Wed Jun 11, 2014 11:20 pm

You're welcome.

There is only one Macedonian province in the map where you can find the Macedonian city of Antagoneia.

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There are no Greek territories nor Macedonian's neighbours represented but you can activate Philippos V by event in 215 B.C. as you can see in the screenshot above. That's all, no 1st Macedonian War I'm afraid.

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Haplo_Patryn
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Thu Jun 12, 2014 11:25 am

[color="#FFFF00"]The long march[/color]

While Hannibal begins his long march there are very good news: extra income.

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May, 218 B.C.

Hannibal have 4 days of trip to arrive to Emporiae and once there he will continue the march 14 more days to reach Agathe, where he will rest until the end of the month (12 days).

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The land Hannibal is crossing is "friendly" and the cities like Emporiae Agathe give 50% of his supply to his army but no more.

The expansion of the Carthaginian fleet is a fact, although it is still far worse than the Roman fleet, at less in combat value.

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The monetary investment in expanding the fleet has been strong but is worthwhile because the increase in naval maneuverability allow making plans for the future (like sending reinforcements to Hannibal for example).

Late May 218 B.C.

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In early June the activation of a major event occurs.

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Recruitment of Numidian cavalry is very important because it is the best cavalry of the scenario. These units have a lot of combat experience and are superior to the Iberian and Roman ones. For 100 denarii, 5 EPs and 5 VP you can recruit one of these units. This option is checked twice a year if and only if the relationship with Numidia is a friendship one.

More Engagement Points.

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Hannibal is moving again on a journey of 18 days to the rich town of Massalia.

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It will be an 18 day trip and 12 more resting there, which will allow his soldiers to recover cohesion. At the moment the weather is very good and the terrain is not bad. As you can see Hannibal army still has 88% of its supply reserves that are slowly decreasing which is a good think. Hannibal is Master in Logistics but supply consumption is 110 supply points per turn. At this rate Hannibal has about 8 months before his troops begin to starve.

Late June.

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July 218 B.C.

The Numidian unit recruited in the previous turn has arrived to Carthage.

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This is not the usual Numidian unit we've seen in previous AGEOD games, here is greatly enhanced and you can see it in their ratios of attack/defense (11/10) and in its levels of experience (3 stars). This unit is a great one, its nearly 100 combat value despite having only 5 elements.

Meanwhile Mago Barca, the youngest Barca’s brother, will move to Carthago Nova in order to embark and move to Carthage for bringing back some reinforcements to Hispania.

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Now Hannibal is already close to the Alps and he plans the next move.

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As you can see is a 50 days trip if Hannibal wants to cross the Alps and move to Clastidium, a little less if he decides to move to siege Taurasia. But Hannibal thinks is better a 17 days trip until Cularo which is in under barbarian control (resting the next 13 days) and then jump to Cisalpine Gaul crossing the Alps and siege Taurasia.

Victory Points.

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August 218 B.C.

Mago Barca embarks in Carthago Nova to move to Carthage. The fleet has orders to avoid combat and flee whenever possible.

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Hannibal is already in the Western Alps and he will cross and besiegeTaurasia on a journey of almost a month. He still has 83% of supply reserves, which is pretty good by now.

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Victory Points.

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September 218 B.C.

There is a drought in Africa that is an event of no great importance right now.

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While Hannibal is crossing the Alps the only visible Roman movement is in Illyria, where the Romans have not captured Pharos that is still under "pirate" hands.

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Hannibal crosses the Alps! And so an event is triggered.

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This activates the tribe boii option. About 25.000-30.000 Gallic warriors located in the city under Roman control of Mutina in Easter Cisalpine Gaul rebel and put on arms against Rome.

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Hannibal arrives to Taurasia and put the Gaul city under siege. This city is not well defended for has a small garrison. Hannibal would like to assault the city right now but the crossing of the Alps (almost one month trip) has left his troops exhausted so he will spend this month resting before assaulting. Winter is coming and the situation is a priori good, with 72% of supply reserves, but Hannibal requires some operating “HQ city” that enables him to operate with confidence.

Placentia is the most important city of this Roman province with a 3 level depot.

Meanwhile Mago Barca will return to Spain with a powerful fleet and about 15,000 African reinforcements.

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Summarizing Hannibal is already in Cisalpine Gaul and everything seems quiet in the other fronts. Income is going strong, reinforcements are flowing and all seems fine. But Hannibal is in a very dangerous an delicate position because winter is about to come and Taurasia alone will not be enough to feed his army. And the Romans surely have something to say about Hannibal’s threat.

And, as we shall see in the next report, Romans have decided that this barbarian who has crossed the Alps has going crazy and it's time to stop him.

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Thu Jun 12, 2014 1:34 pm

Tense times!

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Haplo_Patryn
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Thu Jun 12, 2014 6:16 pm

[color="#FFFF00"]October&November 218 B.C.[/color]

October 218 B.C.

It’s October but winter still refuses to come to Cisalpine Gaul so there have been a lot of movement to take advantage of good weather. Several scattered Roman units come into view but without an apparent command. The Roman equites unit is probably performing some scouting mission to get more information about the Hannibal army in Taurasia.

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The good news is that the boii Gaul tribe have revolted against Rome and have captured the city of Mutina. They are 25,000-30,000 warriors and now the Roman city’s garrison it’s an easy target as it’s in open terrain.

The nearest Roman army is one without a leader in command and is formed by the VI Legion and several supply wagons. At the beginning of the scenario Roma has five Legions but after the declaration of war the Roman Senate can recruit two more legions, so in theory Rome has seven Legions operating on all fronts.

Hannibal has 60% of supply reserves and although his army has not yet regained cohesion at 100% (only 65-75% despite his army has been resting all the month) he orders to assault Taurasia without further delay.

Next we can see more details about the boii Gaul army who has joined the Carthaginian side.

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It’s an army of 25,000 warriors, a mix of heavy infantry, cavalry units and some chariots of war.

This is the logistic situation with the supply filter activated.

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As you see the situation now is bad and with winter just around the bend will be necessary to do something for improving the logistic aspect as fast as possible, for the supply of Hannibal's army begins to decrease quickly.

The Romans show up with a large fleet in African waters…

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It is not known whether or not there are legions troops on board but is better get ready for the worst that underestimated the enemy.

Hispania situation.

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Mago Barca has returned to Carthago Nova with fresh reinforcements and is leading a small army of about 18,000 men while Hasdrubal rest in Saguntum with a 47,000 men army.

Victory Point screen.

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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 218 B.C.

The boii annihilate the garrison of Mutina and the Romans suffer 1,800 casualties.

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Taurasia have surrendered to Hannibal without needing an assault. It’s the first strategic city that falls into Hannibal hands and without fighting. This is the situation.

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Hannibal detaches several cavalry units to capture the surrounding provinces which, though wooded & poor, provide a minimum supply per turn. The idea is to create a province-corridor under control so that the supply can flow through it while advancing eastward. One of the detachments will be commanded by Muttines a wonderful one star cavalry general and the other one by Hanno Tarrago, which does not have any outstanding special skill. Both are assigned with cavalry Hispanic units. In Taurasia Hannibal leave a small garrison with baggage to defend the city and will march towards Clastidium.

The boii army will advance towards Placentia to the west in order to cause some disruption, not because Hannibal thinks it it will be able to successfully besiege the city for a long time.

Some interesting events have taken place.

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More denarii and “free” infantry replacements.

An extraordinary event also takes place.

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Revenues of 250 denarii, great event.

The Roman fleet that showed up in Cartago in the previous month seems to have moved to Hispanic waters, close to Carthago Nova.

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It might have Roman troops on board so Mago Barca, which does not have as many troops as he would like, will move his army inside the city walls. If he needed some help in a presumable Roman siege, Hasdrubal Barca can move his army down from Sagunto and help his younger brother quickly.

General situation.

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numahr
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Fri Jun 13, 2014 9:29 am

Well-executed crossing of the Alps with due consideration given to logistical constraints. :thumbsup:

The AI-controlled Rome's reaction seems a bit weak and erratic, however. What is a lone legion without commander doing? If sending a fleet to Iberia, why have it go through Southern Med instead of the safer Northern Med coast? I hope the AI proves itself up to the challenge...

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Haplo_Patryn
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Fri Jun 13, 2014 11:45 am

[color="#FFFF00"]December 218 B.C. & January 217 B.C.[/color]

December 218 B.C.

Some action in midwinter in the Cisalpine Gaul. The cavalry detachment of Carthaginian general Muttines meets the Roman equites unit that is performing a scouting task and a brief skirmish takes place.

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Take note of the Muttines combat values (5-5-3).

The most surprising new is the Roman landing in Hispania, directly on Saguntum and there have been a battle against Hasdrubal army.

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It seems that Proconsul Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvo has received instructions from the Roman Senate to recover Saguntum. His army is formed by 7,500 men, most socii allied troops. Both armies remain in the same region waiting the next battle.

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Hasdrubal will attack to push out the Roman army which is now trapped in enemy territory and outnumbered. The Romans should have landed further north to get more chances of doing something useful but now they’re in a very complicated situation. Maybe they did not expect Carthaginians to be so powerful.

The Roman Senate, alarmed by the presence of Hannibal in Cisalpine Gaul convinces Massalia and neighbors’ cities to declare war against Carthaginians and join the Roman side.

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The idea behind this is to close the overland route Hannibal took to reach the Alps and so prevent future reinforcements while securing control of northeastern Hispania and Narbonensis Gaul. The Romans not only have their legions but also have a certain level of cunning and diplomatic ability to conveniently use them at the due time.

The weather situation in Cisalpine Gaul has terribly deteriorated and has fallen the most spectacular snowfall in recent years.

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Hannibal will move to besiege Clastidium while Muttines will continue to cover the northern flank of the main army. The VI Legion has fled from Hannibal army to Clastidium as expected. The boii Gauls besiege Placentia but it doesn’t seem to have been a good idea as the weather are worsening. Also this city has a powerful garrison and won’t be easy to surrender. Moving in midwinter means spending a lot more time and suffering "hits" for attrition, so players have to take into account the costs of taking risky moves.

Hannibal makes a mistake not building a supply depot in Taurasia. In ì]HAN: ToR[/i] depots can be build spending one supply wagon that will return to recruitment pool. Depots can be improved up to level 4 and they give +5 supply points for each additional supply depot level.

The casualties suffered in the recent fights force Carthaginians to make investments in Iberian replacements and some more troops are recruited.

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General situation.

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January 217 B.C.

Hasdrubal defeats the Romans in Saguntum destroying an Ala socii.

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Hasdrubal will not pursue the Romans, who have retired to the northeast. The Carthaginians have an unpleasant surprise for the retreating Roman army…

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The surprise for the Roman army is the ilergetes tribe that you can see two screenshots below. Alarmed by the Roman presence in this part of its territory, this tribe decide to ally with the Carthaginians and fight the newcomers invaders.

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This tribe joins the Carthaginians side and can be moved as any other Carthaginian army. So now there is another army with nearly 25,000 Iberian warriors in the northeastern part of Hispania. Very good news, indeed.
This force is located in the iberian town of Ilerda northwest of Tarraco (Cissa on the map) and is led by General Indibilis (5-3-2).

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Taking advantage of the Roman defeat, the Ilergetes’ army will move down to besiege Cissa and cut off the retreat of the defeated Proconsul army in Saguntum. Hasdrubal will leave the ilergetes the task of fighting the Romans in the northeastern part of Hispania as he will adopts a passive posture, resting and waiting. The Romans will have many problems in Hispania and that is something that fits what happened historically. The Romans don’t know this territory as much as the Carthaginians do and now they’re paying their baptism of fire in Hispania.

The Carthaginians have spent many years in Hispania and their troops have get a lot of experience fighting the Iberian barbarian tribes but the Romans are newcomers in this territory and they are discovering by the hard way that Hispania is the closest they have ever been to hell. Historically no one wanted to hold the Roman command of Hispania during the first years of the war; it was like a "black hole province” that sucked men and resources with no benefit in return. Now you can understand why.

It's time to see what happens in Cisalpine Gaul where the weather has improved.

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Hannibal besieges Clastidium while Muttines moves toward Mediolanum pursuing the Roman cavalry unit who has taken shelter there. The Roman Praetor Gayo Atilio Serrano has besieged Mutina taking advantage of the fact that the boii army is besieging Placentia, so the situation is pretty complicated. Notice that Hannibal army has low supplies (a ridiculous 11%).

Hannibal makes two more mistakes, seen in perspective. The first one is not assault Clastidium quickly. In the resolution of this turn he could have assault the city but he has moved with caution because the information about the Roman forces in the region are unclear. The second mistake is not repairing his indecision and orders the assault on this turn! The truth is there are reasons to justify his “passive posture” such as the low cohesion of the army, few supplies, the difficulties and the time cost of moving and getting information of the enemy in this wooded territory, etc. But a more daring player would have gained a couple of turns and have already taken Clastidium by now. To these two mistakes you could add a third mentioned above: no supply depot has been built in Taurasia because Hannibal fears that the Romans can try to do some flanking maneuver and recapture the population destroying the depot, for example. The truth is that Hannibal needs a depot because it would improve the logistic situation a lot and the sooner the better.

This is when the players are going to have to think how to approach the crossing of Hannibal and moving through Cisalpine Gaul. Some of you could have commented that I sent few troops (about 40,000) to Cisalpine Gaul with Hannibal but now it's time to ask yourself what would have happened if I have moved his army with, let’s say 20,000 or 30,000 more men. Probably things would be now different, some for the better and some other for worse. Surely moving with a large army allows splitting the army in two for example. But it also means that now Hannibal would not have the 11% supply reserves you can see in my AAR, but much less or not at all. Remember that Hannibal has Master in Logistics skill but the leader of the second army hasn’t (because anyone else have this logistic skill), so this secondary army will consume supply at higher rates that the Hannibal one. So, moving with a stronger army is worth it?

What is clear is that a bigger army would force the players to change their plans for the long march to Cisalpine Gaul. Wasting time resting and recovering cohesion as I did in my AAR can be more dangerous because supply will be decreasing at higher rates (more mouths to feed) and a nonstop 30 days trip in maybe 2 or 3 turns in a row will be necessary to overcome this logistic problem. And this implies that the Carthaginian army will reach Cisalpine Gaul with units probably affected by attrition hits and a dramatic low cohesion. Then add to this a PBEM game. In this case you would have a human Roman player who knows what you’re doing and he will be waiting Hannibal with a rested and totally cohesive Consular army, however bad it was its leadership.

I leave these thoughts to encourage you to think how to plan the long march. This is why this scenario is so great. You can ask yourselves ways to approach this crucial year of 218 B.C. in many ways.

Situation.

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Action is getting hot. It's a great scenario, very strategic, where the supply filter must be used continuously to check supplies; where you need to think medium and long term, manage resources well and take hard decisions.

In the next turn things are going to be exciting because it will be the first time we hear about a famous Roman family...

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Vincentius
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Fri Jun 13, 2014 2:34 pm

The Scipiones ;)
Italian videogamer (I love strategy games) :thumbsup:

Parcere subiectis et debellare superbos.
Os stulti contritio eius.
Hoc unum scio, me nihil scire.
Alea iacta est.
Mens sana in corpore sano.
Tu quoque, Brute, fili mi ?

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Fri Jun 13, 2014 2:48 pm

I am curious as to why you didn't advance Hannibal along the coast. Is bypassing or assaulting Massalia and then assaulting Antipolis a reasonable option? Wouldn't the southern route prove less costly due to attrition and create a solid supply route back to Spain? It seems like Massalia will most likely join Rome in any event so might as well take them out and gain a solid base and supply depot. Very enjoyable AAR.

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Vincentius
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Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:12 pm

When he passed through Massalia he couldn't conquer it because it was neutral
Italian videogamer (I love strategy games) :thumbsup:



Parcere subiectis et debellare superbos.

Os stulti contritio eius.

Hoc unum scio, me nihil scire.

Alea iacta est.

Mens sana in corpore sano.

Tu quoque, Brute, fili mi ?

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Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:22 pm

Vincentius wrote:When he passed through Massalia he couldn't conquer it because it was neutral


Ah I see. Can't Hannibal attack neutrals or is it hard coded? I guess the game wants you to follow the historical path.

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Franciscus
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Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:42 pm

Yes, you cannot attack neutrals.

But no, you are not forced to invade northern Italy by land.
You can, for example:
- build a fleet and invade Italian mainland or Sicily
- stay in Hispania and wait for the Romans.

Anyhow, the idea, I think, was to make possible to do as Hannibal did

(PS: historicaly I think Massalia played a very little part in the SPW, and was not a big factor in either Hannibal or Roman strategic decisions)

Regards
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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Fri Jun 13, 2014 6:04 pm

Franciscus wrote:Yes, you cannot attack neutrals.

But no, you are not forced to invade northern Italy by land.
You can, for example:
- build a fleet and invade Italian mainland or Sicily
- stay in Hispania and wait for the Romans.

Anyhow, the idea, I think, was to make possible to do as Hannibal did

(PS: historicaly I think Massalia played a very little part in the SPW, and was not a big factor in either Hannibal or Roman strategic decisions)

Regards



Thanks for clearing that up. Really looking forward to release!

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Haplo_Patryn
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Fri Jun 13, 2014 8:46 pm

[color="#FFFF00"]February & March 217 B.C.[/color]

February 217 B.C.

General Muttines, which covers the northern flank of Hannibal’s army, reaches Mediolanum but the Romans come into battle with fresh troops and the Carthaginian detachment have to fight against nearly 11,000 enemy troops, more than expected.

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A brief skirmish takes place that ends with the loss of one cavalry element but a symbolic victory, probably because the Roman troops are without leadership which is a heavy penalty.

It’s followed by another combat against the roman equites unit.

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On the other hand the boii army fights against a large Roman army of nearly 19,000 men in Placentia which was probably trying to free the city unsuccessfully.

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This is the situation after these battles in the Cisalpine Gaul.

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Bad weather has returned and it is snowing. The boii’s tribe, tired by the recent battle and lacking supplies, returns to Mutina. Hannibal will assault Clastidium because his army is partially supplied and the logistic situation is worsening. It's now or never. Muttines who has suffered attrition and lost cohesion by the recent fighting, will merge his detachment with Hannibal army because it is not possible to move towards Mediolanum as the city is now well defended with 11,000 Romans or more.

Surprising news come from northeastern of Hispania where a Roman army led by Publius Cornelius Sicpios show up with some 10,500 men.

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The ilergetes’ army which is defending Cissa (Tarraco) performs well and holds the region. It was only a skirmish and the Romans withdrawn when they see they’re outnumbered.

This is the situation in northeastern Hispania after this battle.

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The coming on the scene of the Scipios Roman army is a surprise because the Iberian army was expecting to fight against the Roman army defeated by Hasdrubal in the previous turn and instead it have came into a battle against Scipios one that certainly has its base in Emporiae. Given these facts Hasdrubal will go northwards in a seek & destroy mission against the “disappeared” Roman army. In fact and as you can see both Roman armies have "disappeared", probably hidden by the terrain. The lack of Carthaginian cavalry in this region prevents to have better detection rates and the enemy can easily hide.

It's been a good turn economically.

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In Gades, southern Hispania, lands a new general: Himilco Barca. I guess that he is a close relative from the Barca’s family but I don’t know if he's a brother, a cousin, uncle…. I've been trying to find information about him but without luck. Do you know who was he, exactly?

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As most leaders have gone with Hannibal and the armies in Hispania need more leaders, he will join Mago Barca army. He is not a very competent leader (4-2-2) but he assures a certain level of activation and can be used to move troops and perform well in a garrison task.

General situation.

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March 217 B.C.

Hannibal successfully assaults Clastidium eliminating the garrison which suffers 9,300 casualties (many of them are taken prisoner).

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Hannibal's army is formed by about 30,000 men now, without counting Mutines’ detachment and the other garrison force in Taurasia.

This is the situation in Cisalpine Gaul.

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Good weather has arrived and now Hannibal with 30,000 men will advance towards Placentia to besiege it. Meanwhile the main Roman force is in the north inside the walls of Mediolanum but without leadership, in a passive posture. Perhaps it would have been better to besiege this city instead of Placentia. Sure, Hannibal makes another mistake because Mediolanum just have only 1 fortification level and he might well have elimintad the Roman troops inside the city in a successful assault (15,000 men inside, maybe more). But he decides to besiege Placentia instead. Meanwhile boii’s army has fought a weird battle in which the Romans leave behind a supply wagon, which is captured. The Gauls welcome it because it is full of supplies.

In Hispania Hasdrubal finds the Roman army and defeats it in Dertosa.

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It's a minor skirmish and the Romans withdrawn southwards.

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The Carthaginians will chase the Roman army to prevent them from reaching Saguntum because Romans have retired to the south. Meanwhile Himilco, who landed in Gades in the previous turn, is now leading a secondary army in Carthago Nova formed by about 23,000 men. Mago Barca is his second in command.

By the way, there is no news about where is Scipios army.

The capture of many prisoners in the assault of Clastidium allows to sell them and get 200 denarii.

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Meanwhile another good event (+1 Engagement Point)

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A new leader arrives: Hasdrubal Calvus a 2 stars general (3-2-3).

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He is more a "naval fleet" leader thant a "land" one because he can reduce by 25% the travel time cost of the fleets.

More troops have been recruited.

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Replacements for now are going fine and there are enough reserves.

General situation.

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Pay attention to the difference of PVs between Romans and Carthaginians (Romans earn 35 PV/turn by only 10/turn the Carthaginians, more than three times). Notice also the number of prisoners - 3,500 - which is what triggered the event to sell slaves (2,500 prisoners to trigger this option). Own casualties amounted to 11,580 men while the Romans have suffered more than twice for a total of 22,560.

What is happening in the game it's like History coming alive again. Although the AI is not as competitive as a human player, it’s indeed challenging enough to surprise the players and have a good fight. The scenario setting is fabulous, great events, some hard decisions, revolts and great leaders to play with…what much more do you need?

I can only say that I'm enjoying it and I hope you are enjoying it too.

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Fri Jun 13, 2014 9:17 pm

It looks like Carthage definitely has the more difficult task in order to win the game. Rome can steadily rack up VP rather quickly.

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Haplo_Patryn
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Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:05 am

[color="#FFFF00"]April & May 217 B.C.[/color]

April 217 B.C.

The allied Gallic tribes offer their warriors to Carthaginians to complete and fill the ranks of rebel troops as boii.

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The funny thing is that these "free" replacements don’t add to the total of the replacements window and remain hidden, as it is explained in the text of the event.

The situation in Cisalpine Gaul is the following.

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Hannibal has decided to build supply depots in Taurasia and Clastidiumand he will left a small garrison in each to defend them. Building a depot cost an impedimenta unit that the next turn becomes available to recruit again. In both cities you can expand the depot to level 4 and each level gives +5 points of supply so that Hannibal can increase by a total of 20 points the supplies output each city provides by default.

Hannibal will use the siege works card to open a wall gap in Placentia. It will take two gaps to assault and the quickest way is using this regional card.

Currently AI is reluctant to show himself and its main forces in the area are stationed inside Mediolaum. Has appeared an Ala socii eastwards in the Roman city of Felsina but no more. The boii Gauls in Mutina suffering supply shortages.

Quiet turn in Hispania.

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The Roman army north of Saguntum is avoiding combat and Asdrubal will keep trying. In Cissa the ilergetes are besieging the city. Although they can assault there is no hurry and will hold that position to see if the defenders lose cohesion and suffer attrition. No news from Scipio army.

VPs and general situation.

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The power force values between Romans and Carthaginians are balancing although the Romans still have more land and naval troops. In the naval aspect and comparing since the start of the scenario, the differences are shortening quicker. The Carthaginian fleet, although still at a lower combat value, it is far better than the beginning. Keep in mind that they are the most expensive units of the game, costing between 100 and 250 to recruit one of them depending on the types of ships.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------


May 217 B.C.

There has been a small skirmish in Placentia. The Romans have tried to capture a Carthaginian supply wagon unsuccessfully.

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And then takes place the first "serious" battle between Hannibal and a Roman consular army.

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The forces were even (approximately 21,000 to each side) and the Romans were commanded by Praetor L. Manlius Vulso (3-3-2). This is the second element of Numidian cavalry lost since the Carthaginians arrived to Cisalpine Gaul but now that two depots have been built Hannibal can replace these losses quickly.

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The picture is self-explanatory but surprise to see that finally the Romans have taken action and have attempted to free Placentia with V Legion & V Ala socii. The first breach has made in Placentia and Hannibal will use another siege works card for making a second one. The new depots are going to be expanded to the next level (two more impedimenta).

From now on I’m going to put a screenshot of the supply situation (supply filter on) in order you may have an idea of how important it is to manage well not only the strategic aspect but as well the logistical one in this scenario.

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Notice that it is important to create that green corridor you can see in the screenshot because it indicates that it is an area under Carthaginian control in which the supplies are flowing into neighboring territory, if I'm not mistaken. In the screenshot I’ve rounded the supply numbers generated by each province. In the next turn the amount generated from these cities will increase by +5 (next depot level).

Let's see a think that is very important. One depot has been built in Taurasia, which is under Carthaginian control (purple color) because the city was barbarian (Gauls). Now this is vital because it allows Hannibal to recruit again the impedimenta used to build the depots just there!!! Hannibal can recruit these supply wagons again in Taurasia and he can use them to feed their men or to expand the depots, as he wish.

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Here they are, there are two impedimenta recruited in Taurasia.

This is turning point in the logistics, indeed. Now, although the Carthaginians still are living on the edge, with reserves of supply between 10 and 15%, the new depots are something that will start to improve a lot their supply condition. So is VITAL that when you play as Carthaginians not hesitate to build depots in at least a couple of cities as fast as you can.

Now this creates a serious problem. Taurasia and Clastidium are cities with no good fortifications so if the Romans dare to penetrate westward can take them by assault easily, capture the impedimenta placed there and destroy the supply depots. This is what the "scorched earth" or "Fabian strategy" means. It is a scenario where logistics plays a key role; it is like playing two games in one.

In Hispania Hasdrubal fights the Romans in a minor skirmish. The Romans suffer a lot more in the subsequent withdrawal.

Image

This is the situation.

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Hannibal will pursue the Roman army.

VPs.

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Something draws my attention. In the previous turn the naval CV was 163 but this turn has increased to 232, which means that the Romans may have recruited some naval fleet units.

Great game.

numahr
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Mon Jun 16, 2014 9:47 am

Nice developments. You're building up a stronghold in the Cisalpine area, but the strong Roman presence there remain a Damocles sword for lightly protected depots...

I only wish the first battle against a consular army would have been a bit more decisive, a bit like the historical Battle of the Trebia. And I wonder what is Cornelius Scipio up to in Northeastern Iberia? We have not heard of him since his first surprise appearance.

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Haplo_Patryn
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Mon Jun 16, 2014 4:08 pm

[color="#FFFF00"]June & July of 217 B.C.[/color]

June 217 B.C.

Again a great battle in Placentia against the army of Pretor Lucius Manlius Vulso who is trying to free the city but this time his army takes a high doll.

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The Roman V Legion has been totally destroyed with part of the V Ala socii and they suffer more than twice casualties. Three National Moral points are earned and the battle let the Roman army in a very bad condition. Notice that the Carthaginian element casualties are cavalry and elephants ones. The Carthaginian cavalry is very good and very aggressive; hence the cavalry casualties are always high, especially the Numidian one.

Hannibal will recover their losses as soon as his army can rest in a city with enough supplies. The blow given to the Romans is very important and the destruction of almost an entire Legion is a great prize, plus many prisoners captured (1,000).

The situation in Cisalpine Gaul.

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Roman survivors retreat to Mediolanum where there might be around 20,000 or 25,000 men inside the walls right now.

What surprises me unpleasantly is that the IA interprets the battle as "abandonment" of the siege of Placentia so the siege works card has not been used because Hannibal was not meeting the conditions for using it. But the worst is that Hannibal missed too the breach achieved in the previous turn (the breach has been repaired by the defenders when Hannibal “abandoned” the siege). So Hannibal have to siege Placentia again with its walls intact as if nothing had happened before. It will use the siege works card again to get the first breach…

From the battle which has taken place a double reading can be derived because the Romans, after all, have gotten what they wanted (don’t let the enemy make the second breach and force Carthaginians to re-start a siege from the beginning) but at the cost of losing a Legion and part of an Ala socii. The Cisalpine Gaul is becoming a headache and this is just the beginning. Hannibal must fight against time, against the weather, against the Roman legions and besides has to manage well the logistics.

News from Hispania are very good and Hasdrubal destroys the Roman army.

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This is the situation in Hispania.

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Notice that in Cissa a Roman supply wagon has arrived by sea. The siege of the city is not going well because it should have the port blocked to get the better conditions to surrender the city garrison but it isn’t, so the Romans are supplying the garrison by sea as they please and when they please. Hasdrubal on the other hand will return to Saguntum to rest and wait for events after his victory over the Romans.

General situation.

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July 217 B.C.

Cisalpine Gauil.

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The supply depots are going to be expanded and another siege works card is invested for making the 2nd breach in Placentia. The good news is that the supply reserves of Hannibal have risen above 30% which is an indication that the supply depots are doing a lot to improve the logistics

The Romans sent a consular army which is right now in the city of Felsina. The Roman army is under command of Consul Gaius Flaminius Nepos and is formed only by the VII Legion (about 5,000 men approx.). The Romans are not gathering his legions and instead are moving in small armies consisting of a single legion or a mix of 1 legion & 1 Ala socii. Consular armies are designed to move with 2 legions and 2 Ala socii so what’s happening here right now is weird from that point of view.

The victories achieved on the previous month allow selling prisoners.

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Defeating the Romans is definitely much more than an ideological reason; it is also a matter of money.

In the other provinces things are quiet but there is something striking in an unfrequented place so far in the AAR.

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It seems that the Romans want to block any future Carthaginian reinforcement trying to reach Alps by land and have taken the barbarian population in the western Alps. They are also looting some regions of the Galia Narbonensis. My fear is if the Romans will dare to cross the Alps and appear in the back of Hannibal, which would give them access to the supply depot and the impedimenta of Taurasia. Surely the Romans are operating from the city of Massalia that is now on the Roman side and provides supply at 100% to its troops.

VPs.

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Casualties’ ratio remains low and twice for the Romans, but after almost a year of twar, casualties are very "soft". The casualties don’t cover hunger and attrition losses because otherwise they would be higher.

numahr
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Mon Jun 16, 2014 5:12 pm

Aha Hannibal "afraid of the Romans crossing the Alps"! Now that's interesting!

Otherwise I liked how the Placentia battle was somewhat more decisive, but it seems the engine falls a bit short of reproducing the devastating battles of that war... This or the Romans have already got a Cunctator leading them, fighting an attrition war from the beginning?

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Mon Jun 16, 2014 5:30 pm

It seems to me AI is actually smarter than Romans were, denying Hannibal the decisive battle.

Searry
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Mon Jun 16, 2014 6:44 pm

Looks like a very good scenario. I would probably try to create a powerful navy as quickly as possible by "extracting" money from the populace with ruthles methods. Then as Hannibal is crossing the alps, you could probably try to defeat or force the Roman navy to stay in a port while you ship supplies and troops to Cisalpine Gaul. I'm am a PBEM player so this scenario will provide so many good moments. Thank you for the AAR.

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Haplo_Patryn
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Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:22 pm

[color="#FFFF00"]August & September 217 B.C.[/color]

August 217 B.C.

Hannibal captures a supply wagon full of supplies from Syracuse that was trying to sneak into Placentia.

Image

Syracuse is an ally of Rome and from time to time the city delivers troops and resources to the Roman army, hence this supply wagon is not something as weird as can seem. In fact this city delivers light infantry troops to the Romans as auxiliary reinforcements by event.

Cisalpine Gaul situation.

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Dramatic situation and dramatic decision taken by Hannibal . He has lost all his siege works cards trying to breach Placentia walls unsuccessfully. This turn Placentia has repaired one breach and this prevents the Carthaginian leader to assault the city as he was expecting. Is an epic fail, he has spent the entire siege works cards for nothing and now there is none available. A sum of bad luck but the worst is that all the turns trying to breach and capture the city are now are lost. This is a problem that will be ever present with Hannibal because almost all major Italian cities have a fortification of level 2 or more that will require wasting 5-8 turns at least besieging them, depending on the city, if it has naval port, the size of the garrison and the its supplies output, etc. It is a time that Hannibal cannot lose; he cannot sit back and watch how the enemy starves slowly. Because his strength is in the offensive war, his is a wonderful leader only if he can fights against an enemy army.

So he gives up and will abandon the siege of Placentia to move towards Mediolanum to seek and destroy the Roman army that is resting inside the city walls (maybe around 30.000 men). It's what he should have done before instead of besieging the damn city of Placentia. Again the game engine does a great job simulating the many problems that Hannibal had to face when deciding to besiege level 2 (or more) fortification cities.

Moving on, the Romans appear occasionally in North Africa with their powerful fleets but there is no assurance that they do it with ground troops on board, they just block the port of Carthage probably to avoid Carthaginians to send reinforcements to Spain or to Hannibal.

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VPs.

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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

September 217 B.C.

Hannibal moves to Mediolanum and a battle takes place in which he annihilates a Roman equites unit, allowing him to control the region and besiege the city.

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There are a lot of supply wagons inside the city, but where are all the troops that were there the last turn? Where are the Roman legions?

Here they are…OMG.

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The Romans have sneak into enemy territory and now are besieging Taurasia which is defended only by a weak Iberian infantry unit and local militia. What's worse is that there are two supply wagons that will be lost if the Romans assault the city. And keep in mind that if the Romans capture it, they will probably destroy the depot built there (level 4) as well. Cisalpine Gaul is turning out to be a bad dream, a “guerrilla warfare” with Roman troops sneaking into rearguard cities and attacking the major weakness of the Carthaginian army: logistics. Hannibal won’t help to free the besieged city because he won’t arrive in time if the Romans decided to assault it, so he will assault Mediolanum instead and then we will plan his next step according to what the Romans do in Taurasia.

Free infantry replacements for event.

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Good news, finally…

VPs

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This scenario played by PBEM could be a nightmare for the Carthaginian player, don’t you think?

Thanks for reading.

numahr
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Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:11 pm

Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:40 pm

Indeed the Romans are led by the Cuntator, or so it seems... smart move. Now Hannibal, who did the mistake once to insist on a useless siege, should leave Mediolanum to its fate and rush to Taurasia with the highest offensive posture. If the Romans do assault it, then they will fall prey to their own tactic and get assaulted in turn by Hannibal. Destroy their armies who went out of cover to destroy your own logistics!

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