*Grabs first post*

Sweet son of Neptune, another AAR from SubRosa?

I'm excited now. This is going to be a huge change from your last campaign what with no horse archers and all.

[This message has been edited by General_Zavier (edited 10-27-2007 @ 07:56 PM).]

I enjoyed reading your previous AAR so i'm expecting this one to live up to the standars =]. Good luck with Carthage, i fnd them extrememly difficult.

Edited to add:

Wow, you folks got here as I was writing my second post. Thank you for the compliments. This will be a challenge without horse archers. I miss them already. However, Carthage has excellent shock cavalry, not to mention those nimble Numidian mercenaries. As long as I have horses to play with, I am a happy girl. (hmmm, that gives me an idea, My Little Pony Total War...)

I forgot to mention in my initial post. It is vanilla RTW except one modification. I have added generic archers to Carthage using a mod by Professor Spatula. They are just the Numidian foot archers is all, and funnily enough are called Carthaginian Archers in the game files.


Back to the original post:

Okay, time to get the show on the road. I build roads in all my non-island settlements, and otherwise concentrate on building my infrastructure. My generals move out to create watchtowers along my borders. Some hire mercenaries, such as Numidian Cavalry in Africa, Spanish Mercenaries in Iberia, and Hoplites in Sicily. My cities recruit Peasants to serve as permanent garrisons, and the Town Watch units there are disbanded a turn later. I have no intention of fighting with them, and the Peasants are much better and cheaper for maintaining public order.



Also that turn my diplomat in Iberia gains trade rights and sells our map information to the Spanish. I need every denarii I can scrape up in the early game.


The same thing next turn with the Numidians.


Because of how my empire is so spread out, it seems like I have hardly any troops anywhere. However, the reality is that I have a big army. They are costing me so much money that I am barely staying above bankruptcy. I need to get them out and earning their keep. With that in mind my faction leader Hanno attacks a Greek army on our border in central Sicily. We are at War!


The Greeks flee my first attack, and I have to wait another turn to catch up with them on the coast. All around the odds look good for me. I have them outnumbered, they have no cavalry, and I have Elephants.


The battle starts and I find myself with lovely ground. I am sitting on top of a hill with the Greek army below me.


The Greeks come up after me, and go out to meet them with my light troops in the lead, my slingers to the left and skirmishers to the right. Here you see the Greek Archers have turned to engage my skirmishers, who because of the hill are also in range to fire upon them in turn.


My cavalry, lead by my Numidians, sweep out on both flanks. The Greek light troops retreat before them while their Hoplites in the center continue forward toward my own line.


My horse catches up with the Greek Archers and Peltasts behind their army and crushes them.


The Greek Hoplites continue forward, uphill, under steady fire from my Slingers as my cavalry chases down routers behind them.


Here my Round Shields continue chasing routers, while my Numidians race up behind the Hoplites to give them a volley of javelins from the rear.


The first unit of Hoplites is obliterated by cavalry charging from the rear.


There goes the second.


Finally, the last Greek Hoplites are smashed just as they reach my own infantry.


Flawless victory.


Same turn, rebels have appeared in Africa who need dealing with. My faction heir comes down from Carthage to team up with my general from Thapsus and they attack.


There are a lot of rebels, but they are not of much quality. Only the Round Shield captain is any real threat. Here you see how I intend to envelop them.


Things do not go exactly as I planned, as is wont to happen in battles. I am forced to move my Faction Heir from the center to my right to counter a move by the rebel cavalry. I got caught up running down peasants while the rebel horse turned away and charged my lone Iberians in the center.


They melt under rebel hooves.


However, the Iberians slowed them down enough for the rest of my horse to converge upon them from all sides. The rebels were annihilated moments later.


Next turn comes a move I have been expecting. The Julii have landed an army on Sardinia. Thankfully I have troops enroute from the Balearics to reinforce Caralis.


More rebels have appeared in Africa. My generals go north to teach them their rightful place. Beneath the hooves of our mounts.


The rebels are aggressive, coming straight at us with their general in the center.


Their aggression wanes as my own cavalry comes up. The general pulls back into the infantry.


Round Shields and Numidians hit them on the left.


While more horse sweeps away the rebels on my right.


My cavalry from the right closes in on the rebel general behind their infantry.


He flees like a coward!


I was so busy with the rebel general and chasing other routers that I did not notice this unit of rebel Iberians attacking my round shields on my left. They would rout before I could get them away


The same thing almost happened again with my general, but I saw the rebels in time to pull him away and blow his horn, reforming the round shields.


After that the rebel infantry that remained were surrounded and destroyed at my leisure.


Victory.


My diplomat in Spain has reached Numantia, where he forges trade agreements and sells our map information.


That was fun. More later.

[This message has been edited by SubRosa (edited 12-10-2007 @ 10:04 PM).]

First of all, GOOD LUCK WITH CARTHAGE!

I've heard playing them is really difficult because they get crushed by many factions at a time.

Good strategy using the watchtowers. Did you know that I DISCOVERED watchtowers when I realised there was a button on the bottom-right of the screen...you might say: everyone see them tghat way...well...the sad part was I saw the button when I was within one turn of sieging my 50th province with 4 onagers and a huge cavalry and many legionaries

Have fun with Carthage!

PS: Its real fun reading your AARs...they are pretty cool...

I've heard playing them is really difficult because they get crushed by many factions at a time.

Really? Carthage always does well or is crushed by the Scipii in all my games. The Numidians never take any of Carthage's cities, Gaul is always to busy fighting the Romans to do anything to Carthage in Spain, and the Spanish always stay dormant.

This will be a challenge without horse archers. I miss them already.

Maybe you should go on a blitzkrieg straight to Scythia to get some mercenaries.

Or just head east toward Egypt to get some Beodin(sp?) archers.

And just wait until you get armored elephants. Fun fun fun!

[This message has been edited by General_Zavier (edited 10-27-2007 @ 09:49 PM).]

I return from the front with news of Carthaginian victories.

My reinforcements from Palma have arrived in Caralis just in the nick of time, because it looks like the Scipii are trying to beat the Julii to the punch in taking Caralis. I do not attack them however. I do not want to force the war with Rome. I have things to do elsewhere. Not that I will have much choice when they attack me in a turn or two. But I still need that time to deal with the Greeks on Sicily.


Some good news. My first trireme rolls out of the shipwright at Carthage. These ships will be a key to my strategy.


My basic plan is to take Sicily and then stay on the defensive against the Romans. If I can take control of the sea then they will be unable to attack me. Failing that I will grind them down in sieges against me in Caralis and Messana. In the meantime I will conquer Africa and Spain, securing my rear and building my economy. By then I hope to have at least Poeni infantry and War Elephants, if not better, and I will invade Italy.

Following that strategy my faction heir attacks Numidia, destroying a small Numidian army of skirmishers outside of Cirta, then lays siege to the city itself. We are at war.


In the east, my faction leader assaults Syracuse. I had a lot of reservations about this attack. I have a powerful army by early game standards, however, it is one made for battles in the open field, not the harsh grind of street-fighting. So as is often the case, deception would be my most valuable asset.

Here you see a good view of the city and my deployment. All the troops you see lined across the near wall are a diversion. I have no intent to attack there. The real blow will fall from those two lone towers out to the left.


The battle starts, and I see the Greeks have fallen for the bait. Their hoplites are all deployed to counter my diversion...


...while the walls opposite my real attack are empty.


My mercenary hoplites are on the wall with no resistance. While they were climbing my army has been marching around the perimeter of the city, and is headed to the gate.


My mercenaries take it.


My army rushes into the city as a unit of militia hoplites come up from the other wall to stop me.


They meet my elephants.


It did not take long for them to vote with their feet.


I saw a Greek general moving past the intersection nearby, heading for the town square. So I charged, wanting to fight as many of them outside of the square as possible.


Once again the elephants are in the thick of it.


The Greek general was tough. He held on longer than I imagined he could. But in the end he cracked and was flattened by my elephants.


My troops have spilled over into the square however, triggering a counter attack by the Greeks there.


I moved the generals and elephants behind the Greeks while they went at it with my infantry and skirmishers, then charged them from behind to swamp them. Eventually they were all driven into the pavement and the city was mine.


I enslave the city, figuring that the extra population will help my early-game cities.


Which it does, Caralis immediately expands.


However, on the next turn the Scipii attack it. I know some people do not think it is worth fighting for Caralis and simply abandon it to the inevitable Roman attacks, but I am obstinate. I do not like giving up territory. Besides, I am confident in my ability to sally and destroy the armies that come at me.


Needless to say, I am at war with Rome. Hmmm, I wonder why the Brutii have not declared war though?


On the other hand, I am also the largest faction.


Now that we are at war, I put my fleet to use. The Scipii are first to feel its sting.


In Spain I lay siege to Carthago Nova. Part of me is worried that I am stretched too thin, fighting on so many fronts. But I do not see any significant Spanish troops nearby, and I want this land to fuel my economy, so I decide to be aggressive.


I am at war with all my neighbors.


Now, back to the Romans, and my strategy of holding them off while I expand elsewhere. I sally at Caralis. The Scipii do not have a lot, but neither do I. However, I have an ideal sally force. Horse and missile troops. I do not have to defeat the Roman army, just whittle it down. Next turn I can do the same, and so on until it is destroyed or retreats. That is the key to sallies. Not trying to over-extend yourself.


My general exits by the gate facing the Romans.


At the same time my slingers go out a side gate.


As my slingers move up, I maneuver my general around the Roman flank. The idea here is to force them to turn their line to face me. Doing so will expose their flank or rear to my slingers, and just maybe draw one of them out of formation after me.


One unit of hastati starts coming after me.


They change their minds and turn back for the friends, however, not all of them make it.


That got the Roman general's ire. He charges me, and I retreat, leading him directly past my slingers so they can fire into him as he goes by.


I turn to attack him once we reach my walls. I should have lead him on a longer chase, but I did not want to tire out my own general too much, and with only wooden towers I cannot do to much damage to him in the chase. Instead I turn to fight him, hoping the melee will take place directly in front of this tower.


It does not however, and the Roman slowly gets the better of my general. I pull him out before it is too late and retreat.


Now I do what I should have done to begin with. I lead him in a circle around my slingers, with his unshielded right side facing them.


Round and round she goes...


That whittled him down pretty good, enough for the Roman to decide that he ought to leave while he still can, and this time he retreats to the safety of his own infantry.


I brought my slingers up and started into the hastati. This trigged a general Roman attack. However, the hastati hesitated and broke off before contact. They were exhausted and shaken from the barrage they had been under. The Roman general did not hesitate though. He came straight at my general. I faced him head on and brought in one unit of slingers to attack him in melee from the flank.


It lasted a while, and I admit I was sweating, but finally he broke and ran.


But there was no escape.


Now only the hastati are left. My general is across the map after chasing the Roman general, so I let my slingers pound away at them. This unit of hastati routs under the continual punishment.


As my general finally returns, the other hastati goes the same way.


This is much better than I had hoped for. The Romans are destroyed, and I have my first Heroic Victory of the campaign.

[This message has been edited by SubRosa (edited 12-10-2007 @ 10:36 PM).]

Now, I'm going to have to start a new AAR.

Good job, when I played Carthage I went straight for the Scipii throats, but it didn't work, so, like Pyrrhus, I went on to something else.

[This message has been edited by CaesarVincens (edited 10-28-2007 @ 00:41 AM).]

Yay! Carthage is one of my favorites

I always fight the romans tooth and nail for Caralis too because it actually makes decent money, which is something Carthage desperately needs at the start of a campaign. Looks like it's going well so far and I'm interested to see how taking Spain first compares with the way I typically play Carthage. However Carthage is played it's always fun trampling people with elephants.

Good luck with your new AAR!

Thank you Krymzon. Carthage is one of my favorites too. Mainly because I find their history and culture very interesting. Of course it does help that I love cavalry and elephants too...

I hear what you are saying about needing money in the early game. I am so incredibly broke. I am just finally starting to have a little bit of denarii left over at the end of every turn. Taking Syracuse seems to have helped a lot there. Or maybe it is just that my economy has finally gotten onto its feet with ports, roads, and markets now. Although I still have not been able to build a port at Caralis yet. When I do that will be huge, as it will not only bring in trade dollars, but will it also be an excellent naval base from which to dominate the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Well Caesar, you know what you said about going straight for the Scipii throats? It looks like that is what I am doing. So far so good too. The idea for a very daring gamble is percolating in the back of my mind as well. One that could cripple me if I blunder it or cripple the Romans if I succeed. But that will be some time to come. If I do it.

However, what I have done now is taken my faction leader and his army out of Syracuse and attacked the Scipii field army on the eastern slopes of Mt. Etna.

The Roman army is slightly larger than my own. They are strong in heavy infantry, most of them veterans. My own army is most plainly one of cavalry, with the heavy sledge of elephants to back them up. The classic matchup of opposite forces. This battle will decide the fate of Sicily.


The field was dominated by a slope that runs down from the mountain on the left to the sea on the right. Wanting to take advantage of height, I deployed my army far to the left. As it turned out this put me on the flank of the Roman force.


The Romans scampered to realign their army to face me head on. I pushed the cavalry on my left forward as fast as possible, hoping to take some of them out before they could get into formation. At the same time I pulled almost all the cavalry from my right, swung it around behind my infantry, and followed the horse on my left. Here you see my Numidians engaging the Roman archers.


The Numidians continue to fire on the Roman flank with my slingers on the high ground to their left. One of the Roman generals moves back from them. I was worried he might charge my light horse before the rest of my cavalry came up. I do not want to attack until I have the full force of my horse, so for now I am just skirmishing.


Now my elephants are coming up. I do not like committing them when archers are around. But my slingers and Numidians are keeping them busy. A few moments after this all my horse and elephants on the left would converge on the Roman general at their extreme flank.


He gives way in moments.


We swarm through him, headed for the exposed flank of the infantry.


A view from the side of the battlefield. The Roman right is dissolving under the relentless hammer blows.


However, they somehow shift their entire army around to face my cavalry. I pull them back rather than run headlong into the solid ranks of hastati.


The second Roman general thinks I am retreating, and charges out to pursue.


I let him get far enough out that the hastati cannot support him.


Then two generals, a round shield, a numidian, and my elephants all converge upon him. This is the real power of cavalry. The ability to quickly project a concentration of your force to any single area of the battlefield that you want. In fact, this whole battle has been based upon that ability. Every time I have struck it has been with overwhelming superiourity of numbers at the point of attack, even though I am outnumbered overall.


My infantry came up to engage the remaining Roman hastati from one side, while my cavalry had their way with them from the other. Most of the Roman army dissolved. This one unit of hastati makes its way in good order toward the map edge. I do not want them to escape and reinforce Messana. So I sent all my cavalry after it.


I hit them in successive waves, and after giving a stiffer fight that a unit of infantry charged from behind ought to, they finally break.


The battle is mine.


The remnant of the Roman army has melted into the countryside. Only a small garrison at Messana stands between me and undisputed ownership of Sicily.

[This message has been edited by SubRosa (edited 10-28-2007 @ 12:54 PM).]

Sweet stuff. I love Carthage- so many different ways you can expand, then elephants

AAR are dammed fun. I did one for my macadonian RTR campaign (Try looking for it- it's in the stratagy section, IIRC). I think I should do one for M2TW, too...

This is really good, I love the way you circled your own slingers to wittle down the Scipii general at Carlais, only way it could have gone wrong is if he had turned his attention to them and attacked them.

I might start an AAR, they are big at the minute. All your AARs I have seen have been great and this one is no different so far.

Thanks EOJ, I found your AAR. I have not had time to read it yet, but I found it. Looks cool. I have always liked Macedon, although their pikemen seem under-powered to me. Maybe that was just XGM however. I never played them in vanilla. I should probably give that a try some day.

Thank you Legionary. I am afraid I cannot take credit for the brilliance of that move circling the slingers. That is something I learned from the AARs of none other than Severous the Cunning, the Godfather of RTW.

I really enjoy reading AARs, and making them. Although making them is obviously much more work. I have learned a great deal reading other people's, and even learned doing my own. Partly because doing the write-up afterward prompts me to really examine the tactics I am using, and partly because people have suggestions for things that I would never think of.

Ok, time to get this show on the road and get back to the action for a minor update.

My faction heir assaults Cirta.


I deploy with my only unit of infantry carrying the ram (mercenaries hired solely for this purpose), flanked and followed by Numidian cavalry. My army is very heavy with javelin troops, and so is the enemy's. Neither are really good for fighting in a city. It sure would be nice to have even one unit of Poeni or Mercenary Hoplites.


My Numidian cavalry work over the defenders with javelins while my ground-pounders go at the gate with the ram. It is amazing how high up in the air the javelins fly. It looks like they are going at least 200 feet up before coming back down.


The gateway forced, my footmen take their turn.


Then my general and round shields lead the way, slamming into the Numidian general and his cavalry. It is a brutal, nose to nose slug-fest. Not the situation I prefer.


Eventually the Numidians are thrown back and retreat to the town square. I hold off on pursuit however, since my own men have been hammered as well. I use the pause to bring up my Libyan mercs and some more Numidian Cavalry


The Numidians reformed and came back in the street after me. It could not have worked out better, because that left the town square all but empty as one of my units of Numidian cavalry came charging in from another entrance and hit the Numidians in the rear.


Victory, but at a heavy cost. Thankfully I can retrain the round shields in Cirta, and my general will naturally regenerate his bodyguard.


Look, I am the most advanced faction!


Now the Brutii finally declare war on me. I have been wondering when they would.


My Spanish army assaults New Carthage (Carthago Nova). I have always thought that name was rather funny, since Carthage means "new town" itself. So Carthago Nova means "New New Town". With only one general defending it was a walkover. My Spanish empire is expanding.


Now the big one. My faction leader assaults Messana. I believe the Roman general within is the Scipii faction leader by the size of his bodyguard. He only has a single unit of hastati with him, so they do not really stand much of a chance against me.


Still, I play it by the numbers, and go in through multiple entry points. It was not until I was deploying that I remembered that my elephants could batter a way through the wooden walls. It has been a while since I had them. I spent a turn building the rams for nothing.


I make my standard approach in a city. Heavy infantry lead the way down the central road, backed by skirmishers and my general. Cavalry split off and approach from streets to either side. I engage with the central force and draw the Scipii general into the street outside the square. Then I charge him from both flanks with my cavalry from the side streets. He routs and is destroyed before retreating back to the square.


That leaves the hastati, who were treated to the javelins of my Numidian horse while their general was slaughtered. Now I charge them with all my cavalry.


We wash over them in a huge wave.


Messana and all of Sicily, is now mine!


I also went and decided to make a new shortcut for my AAR, using the loading screen symbol. I am planning on making desktop icons for all the factions and posting them in the downloads area.


Done, until they are up in the Downloads area, you can get them from my site here


Edited to Add:

A minor update.

I build a spy in Sicily and send him across the water to Italy via boat. His discoveries look very promising.


That Scipii fleet I tangled with earlier has turned back up near Caralis. I attack and send them packing. But not before they deposited a diplomat on Sardinia.


Meanwhile the garrison of Caralis marched out to the northern edge of the island, and engaged the Julii force that has been camped out there for the last few years. They only have two hastati against my slingers and cavalry.


I split my force, sending the horse to the right while the slingers move up the hill to the left, the Romans sandwiched between them.


As I had hoped, the Romans pursue my cavalry, exposing their backs to my slingers.


What followed was a lot of maneuvering by my cavalry and shooting by my slingers. Eventually the hastati were worn down enough that I attacked one of them from both sides with my cavalry. They routed quickly.


Here you see my Balearic Slingers doing what they do. The second Roman unit routed simply from exhaustion and bullet fire, and were run down by my horse.


Now Sardinia is securely Carthaginian again.

[This message has been edited by SubRosa (edited 11-22-2007 @ 01:06 AM).]

Okay, another update for today. This one worthy of starting a new post.

First my fleet moves away from Sardinia to the central Tyrrhenian to engage the first of two Scipii fleets.


They are defeated.


Next is the beaten up Scipii ship that I have defeated several times already on previous turns.


This one I send beneath the waves, along with the diplomat that was onboard.


Meanwhile, my spy in Italy reports that the coast is clear.


Time to let the dice fly high. My Faction Leader and his army boards ship and sails up to the western coast of Italy. I do not disembark this turn even though I knew I could have. I want to do my business in a single turn if possible.


Meanwhile, far to the west my Faction Heir disembarks his small army near the Pillars of Hercules in order to attack Tingi next turn.


Bad news. Next turn the Julii have sent a new invasion fleet down to Sardinia. My Caralis fleet cannot intercept them in time because they had moved east to deal with the Scipii fleets.


However, my Faction Leader is also hitting the beaches in southern Italy.


He hires all the mercenaries in the area and attacks Capua.


Thanks to my elephants I do not have to wait a turn to build rams. I attack immediately. Here they go at the gates.


Behind them my slingers start working over the Equites in the streets.


My skirmishers and Numidians help out.


I use the elephants to create three breaches before sending the army though. You can see how effective my missile troops were while the elephants did their work.


I send a unit of Samnite Mercenaries through a breach with no defenders. That triggers an immediate charge by Roman Equites. I counter-charge with one of my generals, and the Romans flee.


I rush in the other breaches and simply overwhelm the other unit of Equites.


I move to the town square in my standard three-pronged attack. General and heavies up the middle, horse along the both side streets. Here one Roman general charges my infantry. The second will follow a few moments later.


My infantry are really getting chewed up in there. Even my mercenary hoplites who are in phalanx formation. But help is on the way. My cavalry, led by two generals, counter-charge from one direction.


And more come from the other. My Faction Leader charges into the fray himself along with the elephants.


The Romans melt in the cauldron.


The remaining Roman infantry follow soon after.


No survivors.


Capua is mine! I exterminate the Roman dogs.


The Scipii are destroyed. That was the goal of this raid.


I destroy all but the military buildings and set taxes to Very High. Then in the same turn my Faction Leader marches back to the coast and boards fleet. I want the city to rebel and generate the best troops possible.


Phew, I did it! That was a dangerous gambit. If there had been more Romans around, or one of those monster pirate fleets, I would have lost three generals and the backbone of my army. Thanks to my success however, I have destroyed the Scipii. That should buy me the time I want to build up before I am ready to make the real push into Italy.

Predictably, there is rioting over the computer's turn.


Next turn I catch up with that Julii fleet off Sardinia, but not before it could land its invasion force.


While far to the south and west one of my diplomats has found Dimmidi. He tries to bribe it, but the Numidians are too honorable to take my offer. That means the small force I am sending that way will have to deal with them the hard way.

[This message has been edited by SubRosa (edited 12-10-2007 @ 10:44 PM).]

That means the small force I am sending that way will have to deal with them the hard way.

That's always the best way though.

Next turn, there is more rioting in Capua.


Also, that Roman invasion force has laid siege to Caralis.


On my turn I sally. Thankfully I have brought in reinforcements from my Faction Leader's army in Sicily.


I send my horse around the flanks while my Slingers set up in the center and start a duel with the Roman Archers.


I move my cavalry around the Roman left flank.


Then into their archers, destroying them


The remainder of the Romans reformed after that, but I was able to pull their Triarii out of formation on their right. It is pursuing one of my generals while a Round Shield of mine waits for it to pass by.


In the meantime my Round Shield on the other side of the battlefield routs. I am not sure why. Maybe it was taking pila fire I did not see?


Back to that Triarii that was baited out. My other Round Shield charges it in the rear. I try to pull it back, wanting to avoid a protracted melee. But I am too late. They rout as well.


My general hits the Triarii seconds later and now the Romans rout.


My Round Shields reformed in a few moments, then I noticed that my reinforcing general was being attacked by Roman infantry. I pull him out as fast as possible.


After that it was just a matter of whittling down the remaining Hastati with bullets and then charging them from all sides. It was not a pretty win, but it was a win nonetheless.


On the same turn my Faction Heir assaults Tingi. The Numidian Faction Leader leads the defenses.


For some reason the gates opened up as my army approached. I am guessing the Numidian Archers got too close and triggered them to open.


A few moments later they slammed shut, and the tantalizing opportunity to enter quickly was gone. Instead it would take the slow work of battering down the gate.


Under enemy fire. The Numidian Archers have pulled back from the gate and out of range of my javelin troops. However, my army is still well inside their range. This is why I am so partial to archers, especially in sieges.


Finally we get through the gate and turn the tables on the archers.


Most of my troops go straight up the street toward the plaza. I see the second unit of Numidian Archers out in front and charge them. Their generals join in and a vicious battle erupts in the streets.


It is not going well for me. My Round Shields are being torn to shreds by the Numidian Generals. One of them actually routs through the Numidian army to the relative safety of the town square.


However, by now my Numidian Cavalry have come around a side street and charge across the town square. They go straight into the backs of the Numidian Generals. After that it did not take long to finish them.


Tingi was mine. I now hold the entire coast of western Africa and southern Spain.


Next turn Capua finally revolts and goes over to the rebels.


They have a decent garrison.


That same turn Corduba is besieged by a small Spanish force. I had seen them coming and moved some Numidan Cavalry over from Africa to reinforce, along with some heavy infantry from Carthago Nova.


So I sally.


It was not much of a fight. The Spanish immediately retreated for the map edge. My reinforcing Numidians were the only ones able to reach them before they escape. Charges into their rear took out a good number of them, but also cost me more Numidians than I would have liked. I could have just let them go, but there is a much larger Spanish army coming up, and I did not want these skirmishers joining them.


My Northern Fleet finds some Roman ships off north west Italy and defeats them.


A Brutii fleet has come to break my blockade of Croton. I send up some reinforcements and attack them.


This time I lose however. My first defeat of the campaign.


Next turn, and Corduba is besieged again. This time by that large Spanish force I mentioned. Again, because my watchtowers saw it coming I moved my Faction Heir across from Africa with the rest of my Numidians to reinforce. There is another sizeable Spanish army coming up on Carthago Nova, and my other general in Spain has moved up to reinforce that city as well.


Down in Africa, one of my young generals had laid siege to Dimmidi with a small force of Round Shields. A large Numidian army materialized from the western desert, and I had to withdraw him to the east, where I have more men coming up.


Well, things have been going well against the Romans. Better than I had hoped at this stage of the campaign really. However, my blitzkrieg of Africa and Spain is now left my forces strung out and vulnerable to Spanish and Numidian counter-attacks. So far I have been able to counter the Numidan and Spanish moves by shifting around the troops I already have out west. It will be tough to keep this up however. They are so far from my major production centers that it is very difficult to reinforce them from the heart of my empire, which means that the next few turns will probably be decisive in the west.

[This message has been edited by SubRosa (edited 11-22-2007 @ 01:07 AM).]

Wow, the next few turns will be fun to watch. Good job forcing the Scipii out so fast.

I loathe skirmishers and slingers so I typically just disband the ones Carthage starts with, and you use them a lot. I use normal unit sizes so I don't find them really effective except in certain situations so I dump em in favor of infantry. I get a much slower start than you because of it though. This is by no means criticism, I think it's really neat to see someone play Carthage nearly opposite of the way I do!

You've given no ground and taken much, good job so far!

I am a big believer in missile troops. My preference is archers because of their range and a large store of ammunition. But I will take whatever I can get. Slingers are probably my least favorite because they fire in such a flat arc, they are rarely any use a siege since they usually cannot get their bullets over the wall, and if they are behind other troops they hit them in the back. Not to mention the very low attack rating they have. I have been doing very well with the Balearic Slingers I started the game with however, so maybe I am improving my game with them.

To be honest, I usually move a lot slower than this in my campaigns. I have been taking a page from Severous' book with my fast expansion. The money is so tight that I have been trying to expand to get my treasury up. I have been just barely staying solvent while keeping my cities building and armies in the field. My troop facilities are rather poor because I have been concentrating on trying to get the economy up and going. So I have had to hire a lot more mercenaries than I typically do. Which of course costs me more money.

I am hoping that after I stabilize things in the west I can slow it down a bit and just build up my economic and military facilities. If I can knock out Numidia that will do it I think. Then I can send more troops from there over to Spain and not have to worry about my back door, so to speak.

The reason I loathe slingers is what you said, the low attack, low arc, etc. That and I usually kill more of my men than the enemy with them. So that'd be the reason I loathe them: I stink with em. You and Sev use them well though, I've read several of Sev's AAR's and your Sarmatian one as well. (Which has been invaluable when playing Scythia)

I just sub slingers out with Iberians, have Iberians engage and then charge in round shielders on flanks and rear. Standard hammer and anvil tactics. Just takes longer to develop is all. I haven't grasped onto these nomadish tactics as well as I maybe should. I just feel "naked" without infantry.

Very nice AAR. Keep up the good work!

Thanks EOJ, I found your AAR. I have not had time to read it yet, but I found it. Looks cool. I have always liked Macedon, although their pikemen seem under-powered to me. Maybe that was just XGM however. I never played them in vanilla. I should probably give that a try some day.

Ah, but in RTR they're fairly decent. I also found it a rather more intense campaign as well.

As you say, it takes lots of time and effort to mantain a AAR- I know I would forget it if I were to set one up

Good work again. Spain's a goldmine.

Krymzon: I feel naked without missiles and cavalry!

Hussarknight: Thank you!

EnemyofJupitor: I had the chance to read your AAR. That was a monstrous Roman horde in Italy you had to deal with. I am amazed that they were able to build up so many troops. It it is too bad you lost your save. That is why I make regular saves of every game as well as quicksaves. In fact, I have decided to make a regular save every time I update the AAR. That way if I do mess things up, I can always go back to where I ended my last post.

Now, we return to the action.

Things are turning around in the west, it looks like I am getting the situation under control. In the east things have been relatively quiet, with only a few pirate battles and a marauding Brutti fleet to deal with. I have moved my Faction Leader back to Carthage to govern it and have given his retinue members away. He is past 70 now, so will probably die any day. I have disbanded much of my Sicilian army, and sent some of the remainder to Caralis to reinforce the troops there. In the meantime I am shipping the Balearic Slingers from Caralis to Carthago Nova to reinforce the troops there. Basically I am doing a shuffle of troops to try to strengthen my western armies.

I also tried making peace with the Greeks, but they would not go for it. I am tired of looking at that Greek diplomat in Sicily, so I am going to assassinate him.

Here is the situation in Iberia (I really do not like calling it Spain). A big Iberian army has moved beyond the river north-east of Corduba, a rebel army lurks to the south of the river, and another Iberian army is sitting outside the doorstep of Carthago Nova.


My Faction Heir starts with the rebels. They have a big army, but it is not worth much.


I took some pics of the battle, but as it was a very fluid, cavalry affair, they did not make much sense even to me. The end result is I won.


My Faction Heir ends his move astride the river. I am hoping the Iberians will attack me there. While it looks like I have a large garrison in Carthago Nova, in reality it is mostly Peasants, so I do not want to attack the Iberians until I am reinforced.


Down south, my leading general was attacked by a large Numidian stack outside of Dimmidi and I retreated rather than fight it out. I did not like the odds. The next turn I was able to concentrate all my African forces into this single army. I am very confident that they can handle whatever they meet, although I wish I had some Numidian Mercenary Cavalry.


On the computer's turn the Numidians attack.


Ahh, the lovely pink sands of Africa.


The Numidians are almost all skirmishers, so I simply charge all my Round Shields forward.


Their right is overwhelmed in seconds...


...And their left dissolves.


Only the Numidian Cavalry escape. If I had some of my own I could have caught them.


Victory.


Looks like I will not be seeing those Numidian horse again.


Up in Iberia, that Iberian army withdrew, heading back north to Iberian territory. I was not going to let them escape that easily.


A side view of the armies. A hill dominates the field, sitting in the center of both forces. I want that high ground so I rush forward to take it first.


My Numidians lead on my left, with my Balearic Slingers coming up behind them. The Iberians have shifted their own Round Shields and their General over that way as well.


One of my Round Shields crushes one of theirs, but I am wary of the Iberian General just to the right.


I bring up my Faction Heir to deal with him.


The Iberian right completely vanishes, as my infantry comes up to theirs in the center.


My cavalry sweeps up their left flank now, trapping their infantry in the center.


They routed soon after and were annihilated.


Once again the survivors would trouble me no more.


Afterward I advanced west toward Scallabis. I do not see any sizeable enemy forces in western Iberia. I really should have detailed off some cavalry to head back south to Tingi to deal with the rebels there however.

Back down in Africa, I have advanced upon Dimmidi and once more laid siege to it. The Numidians have reinforced, so it looks like the upcoming battle there will decide the fate of Africa.



Edited to Add:

More action.

In Africa, a lone Numidian General I have been tracking all the way from Mauretania has come down into the Sahara and strangely walked right past my army at Dimmidi. I send a few troops out after him. After the battle starts he retreats off the map however.


I find that he has retreated back the way he came, and is in fact standing right next to Dimmidi. Seeing an opportunity to take the city without a siege, I attack him, drawing the garrison out into the open.


This is a view from behind the wandering Numidian General. My army is to the right, and the garrison of Dimmidi is directly across the field.


I send some of my troops to the left to swarm over the lone Numidian. Amazingly enough he was able to flee to safety off the map again, although not after losing nearly all his bodyguard.


Now for the city garrison. Here my right moves to encircle a unit of Numidian Cavalry that has moved far ahead of the rest of the Numidian army.


One of my Round Shields is just able to clip them as they skirmish away. They turn into melee with me, and my cavalry shatters it.


On my left I likewise send my horse around the Numidian Cavalry on the flank to take out these Numidan horsemen.


The same thing once again on the left.


Here goes the second Numidan Cavalry.


With their cavalry gone, the javelinmen were easy pickings for my cavalry. Victory.


Next turn I am treated to the spectacle of Mount Etna erupting!


I find that the Iberian army outside of Carthago Nova has retreated north toward Osca. I am not going to let it escape. Reinforced with two units of Balaeric Slingers from Caralis, my army moves after it, but we cannot reach them this turn.


Further west my Faction Heir assaults Scallabis. I think that is the Iberian Faction Leader in there by that 99 man bodyguard.


A pretty standard assault with two rams.


My javelin troops did rather well clearing the street while the rams did their job.


Once within the remains of the Iberian Round Shields attacked. But they were quickly routed by my infantry and Faction Heir.


Later the Iberian General was baited out of the square by my Numidian Cavalry.


This is odd. He is wearing the blue colors of a Briton General. This is not the first time I have seen this strange bug in this campaign.


His blue hide was tough. Very tough. Thank goddess I was fighting him outside the plaza. He went down eventually, but not before taking an awful lot of my men with him.


Down in Africa my Saharan army assaults Dimmidi. Its only defender is that wandering Numidian General, who had escaped to the city after the last battle.


There was not much to it. I entered unapposed, came into the plaza from three sides, lured the General out, and swarmed him. Dimmidi was mine. This puts Africa firmly in my grasp. I send one general west and north to build watchtowers and eventually deal with the rebels lurking near Tingi. The other will eventually move east for Nepte and Lepcis Magna.


Next turn, my army in eastern Iberia catches up with that Iberian army.


The battlefield is dominated by a steep slope going from the right down to the left. I put my Balearic Slingers uphill where they will benefit from its increased range.


Right at the start of the battle the Iberian captain charged straight into my lines. My newly-hired barbarian mercenaries war-cried and went after him. Along with my General and a unit of Round Shields. That was it for him.


On my right the Iberian Town Watch came up the hill after my Slingers. One of them brushed into a unit of my Round Shields when I was not looking. Unlike what usually happens when infantry engage motionless cavalry, the Iberians routed moments later.


A view from the top of the hill looking down. The Iberians have had both flanks turned, and their infantry are stewing in the center. I swarm in on them and they evaporate.


That is it for them. Osca is now lightly defended in front of me.

[This message has been edited by SubRosa (edited 10-29-2007 @ 06:07 PM).]

You took a very different approach than me. The last time I played as Carthage, I blitzed Siciliy, like you, but after letting Capua rebel, I took Rome and sparked some massive battles to try and maintain that hold. It also kept the Romans in check and allowed me to go otherwise unmolested by them until I got bored and went on to a different campaign.

Maximus_Decimus9: That is one of the things I like about reading people's AARs. I see them doing things I never would have thought of trying myself.

A small update:

In the east there have been some furious battles in the seas around Sicily. With both pirates and Romans. Now with Greeks as well. However, in spite of several early defeats I have rebounded and retained control of the seas, albeit just barely.

I detach my Faction Heir from my army in western Iberia and he moves first to Corduba, and then boards ship to head east to Carthage. I know my Faction Leader will probably not live a whole lot longer, so I am sending him to take over as governor at Carthage. His high Influence will be a big help in keeping a lid on public order there.

The rest of my army in western Iberia heads north, and engages this small Iberian force south of Asturica.


They did not fight however, and instead fled the field as my army came up. I hate that.


Looks like I was prescient, a few turns after I started my Faction Heir east my Leader dies.


All hail my new Faction Leader, who is on a ship bound for Carthage already.


My army in eastern Iberia assaults Osca. I do not like the look of that Gallic army to the south of me.


A standard assault with two rams.


No matter how I positioned my slingers they could not get a shot in at the defenders. This is why I do not like slingers. If I had archers I would have been tearing them to pieces.


As soon as the ram opened the gates, the defenders streamed out to attack my men. How often does that happen? I charged my general in to take the starch out of their shorts.


We stream in the two entry points and sweep all before us.


I move up to the plaza and separate into three sections, one per street. My slingers lead this time, and now they have a clear shot at the defenders.


Once again, a blue Iberian General orders the charge against my own General.


Now out of the square, I fall upon the Iberian General.


He is no match for the Sons of the Triple-Moon.


Osca was ours. By my reckoning the Iberians now only have one settlement left, and my western army is closing in on it.


However, the situation is eastern Iberia is not looking so good. There is a big and menacing looking Gallic army directly north of Osca, and another one heading down the coast toward Carthago Nova. This looks bad...


As I guessed, next turn the Gauls lay siege to Carthago Nova. It has nothing but Peasants to defend it, and I cannot move my troops down from Osca because of the second Gallic army nearby in the north.


However, my new Faction Leader's ship is not far away. He disembarks and heads to Carthago Nova. The General and Round Shields that I had detached from the Sahara to deal with the rebels near Tingi have done their work, and are also enroute by sea. To make matters worse, it looks like the last Iberian city has a strong garrison, and that Iberian army I had chased off has appeared behind my western army, cutting them off from the rest of my troops. This will be interesting.

[This message has been edited by SubRosa (edited 10-29-2007 @ 11:08 PM).]

Always a joy to read, these. I am inspired to start my own within the day, does one simply capture shots by way of printscreen?

You're going to want to use fraps.

And incidentaly, is it just a coincidence, or is your signature purposely in Packers colors SubRosa?

[This message has been edited by General_Zavier (edited 10-29-2007 @ 11:05 PM).]