[RTW AAR] Mos maiorum (or How I started another never to be finished AAR)

[Dowly]

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/firefox2009-10-1920-22-33-77.jpg

Right, time for another AAR as I got my EB installed.

First things first:

- Latest Europa Barbarorum
- Playing as SPQR
- Trying to follow the historic campaigns (as far as the AI let's me, no diplomacy cheats)
- Prior to Marian reforms, armies will be disbanded after campaign is finished (This to simulate the lack of standing/professional army before the Marian reforms)
- Faction leader or the oldest heir always leads the army until the Marian reforms


Starting shortly. :hmmm:

[Dowly]

Aftermath of the Pyrrhic War, campaign in southern Italy 272BC-

Now that we're rid of that lunatic Pyrrhos, it's time to take back what is rightfully ours!

On Autumn of 271BC, I march my legions to the gates of Tarentum, held by the remnants of the Epeiros' army that took part to the Pyrrhic war. My hastily recruited army is somewhat the size of the enemy army against us, so I decide to use the services of the local mercenaries to even the odds abit.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/1-PreBattle.jpg


With their backs towards the sea, I plan my attack to prevent their retreat to north, east and west. I position the mercenaries to the north gate, while the roman legions attack from east and west.


Mercenaries' position at the north gate. Samnites at front, missile infantry at back.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/2-Mercenaries.jpg


The east gate is poorly defended and falls quickly.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/3-EastgateFalls.jpg


Soon followed by the loss of north gate. Cavalry tries to drive me back, but is forced to retreat with numerous casualties.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/4-NorthgateFalls.jpg


The fighting at west gate is still going on, with hoplites putting up a fierce resistance. I detach two legions from the mercenaries in hopes to have them flank the defenders at the west gate, but they are flanked by enemy missile infantry before they get there.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/5-Northtowestflanked.jpg


The flanking enemy was pushed back, awhile later they joined the battle at west gate. I continued to move my 2 mercenary legions to flank them.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/6-Westgatereinforcements.jpg


The other legions had secured the north and east gates and started to make their way deeper into the city.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/7-EastMovingDeeper.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/8-NorthMovingDeeper.jpg


Atlast, the west gate falls and I can start moving my troops closer to the citysquare and put an end to this.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/9-WestgateFalls.jpg


Pockets of resistance surrounded and eliminated as I make way to the citysquare.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/10-Resistance.jpg


Anyone still willing to fight were quickly surrounded and killed at the citysquare.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/11-Surrounded.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/12-debrief.jpg

[Dowly]

'When Pyrrhos crossed into Sicily from Italy in 278BC, the people of Rhegion appealed to Rome for protection, fearing both the Epeirote king and the Carthaginians. In response, the Senate dispatched Decius Iubellius in command of an army 4000 Roman citizens from Campania. The army began to envy the prosperity of the town and finally took control, following the example of a group of Campanian mercenaries who had seized the city of Messana roughly 10 years earlier. Decius and his men expelled and massacred the citizens of Rhegion.

With the fall of Tarentum, retribution became possible...'

Spring, 270BC

With the mercenary force left behind to look after the newly gained Tarentum, my legions went after Decius' forces to regain Rome's name.

Our forces were evenly matched and with my spies having the doors open for us, I decided to head in.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/1-Rhegion.jpg


Strangely, the gates were left very poorly guarded. I didnt mind, so I marched my Hastatis in.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/2-Rhegion.jpg


Gate was quickly taken under our banner and my troops started to secure the narrow alleyways leading to the citysquare. Principes joined the battle at this point aswell.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/3-Rhegion.jpg


I separated my legions and started to slowly make my way around the city to surround it. Both flanks saw attacks by the enemy. Pic 1) east flank, pic 2) west flank.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/4-Rhegion.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/5-Rhegion.jpg


Attacks in west were quickly taken care of, but the situation in east was growing dangerous with the enemy throwing most of it's troops against two of my Hastati legions.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/6-Rhegion.jpg


My attempt to flank the enemy in east was discovered and met with resistance.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/7-Rhegion.jpg


With this, I had to cancel my orders to surround the city and detach 2 of my Principe legions from west to aid the troops in east. Pic 1) Principes closing in, pic 2) enemy flanked.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/8-Rhegion.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/9-Rhegion.jpg



Decius Iubellius slain.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/10-Rhegion.jpg


With their commander slain and their morale broken, the battle was soon over.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee274/Finnish_Ferret/11-Rhegion.jpg


The capture of Rhegion marked the end of the Italy campaign. Rome was now in control of whole of Italy. Army was disbanded and allowed to return to their homes as Consular Curius Dentatus travelled back to Rome.

[Raptor1]

Err, since EB models the Marian Reforms dynamically, shouldn't you say that armies will be disbanded until after you unlocked them rather than a fixed date?

[Dowly]

Yes, of course. I remembered incorrectly that the Marian Reforms would happen in EB in 107BC even if the requirements for it werent met.

[Dowly]

267BC

Three years after the end of the campaign in southern Italy, Rome is prospering. Her cities have seen the much needed improvements to their infrastructure aswell as their defences.

Consular Curius Dentatus, the general of the armies in south, never made it back to Rome. He passed away of illness before reaching home.

The Senate has been hard at work, voting on what to do with the situation in Sicily. With Messina revolting against the Carthaginians, Rome has to decide whether to wait for the inevitable response from the Carthaginians, which would bring their armies within Rome's borders and break our treaty or to take action and march to Sicily first.

[Dowly]

264BC
Beginning of the 1st Punic War.

WAR!

The traitorous Carthaginians broke our treaty by besieging Messana and by doing so, bringing their armies too close to Roman borders.

Senate voted unanimously and the consular approved to deploy legion to the strait of Sicily, soon to be followed by another, bigger, legion with which to invade Sicily and show the dogs their place. :stare:

[Dowly]

263BC
Liberating Messana

I got impatient and decided not to wait for the 2nd legion to be amassed and went in with what I had; 4xHastati, 4xPrincipes & 2xlight cav. roughly 1600 men. I was against mostly spearmen, some 1200 men.

Fraps didnt want to take piccies for some reason. :shifty: Anywho, this turned to be one of the easier battles. My spy had opened the doors for us and with Messana having that crappy wall around it with no towers near the gates, I could move around without having to dodge arrows.

I massed all my troops to the main gate, Hastatis in front and Principes right in their arse. The hastatis threw their spears over the wall and made the defenders fall back few dozen meters, this was a welcome event as I could puor in the first wave and get them inside the walls without a fight.

2 units covered both the east and west roads to the gate, while the remaining two pushed into the mainstreet to bottleneck the defenders there. One spearman unit tried to throw my eastern guard out, but they fled after a short fight. The main street was where the battle was decided, the enemy threw it's cavalry and infantry against mine. I had held back the infantry for sometime successfully, but the enemy cavalry managed to push my troops back towards the gate.

I relieved the middle units and swapped them with the E & W defenders who were rested and in full strenght. At the same time, I marched the Principes in and ordered two units to go E and down the alleyways which lead to the mainstreet, right into the enemy's flank.

Despite few javelin thrower guys, my principes got to the mainstreet undisturbed and set up so that one unit watched to the N (towards the town square) and blocked enemy reinforcements and the other charged to S, to the rear of the enemy forces fighting at the maingate.

This worked and the enemy started to flee, straight into my flanking forces. Only few got thru to the town square. I pulled all my hastatis out of the city to get some rest, while all my principes approached the townsquare from east and west. At this time, the enemy had 3 units left, none of them full strenght, so it was easy pickings to march to and surround the townsquare. Full volley of spears thrown from point-blank range by 4 principe units does wonders. :yep:

I lost ~150 men and the enemy lost all but 2, Messana occupied. More troops from Rome and onwards to west to have a go at the Carthagenian troops I spotted earlier on.