[Dowly's EU:Rome AAR Collection]
 

EDITED: October 31, 2015

So, another attempt! This time, I am primarily writing this to another forum, so updates to this thread might be a bit slower.

Anyways, playing EU:R version 2.32(?) and using the Epigoni mod... screw it, I'll just copy paste text from the other forum.

Staying with the "history book" style.

INDEX

Chapter I – Second Samnite War (306 BC)
Chapter II – Expansion to northern Italy (304-303 BC)
Chapter III – Roman–Apuli War (300-298 BC)
Chapter IV - The Syracusean Question (297 BC) - 1/2
Chapter V - The Syracusean Question (293–291 BC) - (2/2)
Chapter VI – Plebeian Revolts (280-279 BC)
Chapter VII – The Illyrian War (276-274 BC)
Chapter VIII - The End.

***
Didn't start as I had planned, I wrote the first two chapters while I was drunk,
and they really arent up to par to what I had meant to do. The goal was to write
in such way that would be like reading a book or wikipedia, where screenshots/pictures
aren't needed. So the story can be imagined by the reader.

Like I said, I'll take my time, though with the two first chapters I didn't. I record
everything I play, so I can look back to what happened. The first 2 chapters
were written from about 20 minutes of footage and there are a lot of things that
I should've added but didn't. Character backgrounds and such.

Morale of the story: Don't write AARs when you are drunk. :88)


Next update will be within a week. :salute:

I see this is starting off real well!:haha: Hangovers don't help when writing these either!

Hangovers I spend on the couch, watching The Sopranos for the millionth time. :)

Perhaps all those Roman historians from back then also started their writings drunk. :hmm2:

Could be.. they drank a lot of wine.. :hmmm:

BTW, those who may or may not be following this, do you want to see the raw unedited
footage of the gameplay? As I said, I record when I play so I can go back to it
and don't have to write everything while/after playing.

But do note, if you watch the actual gameplay, it will show stuff that happened differently
than what I might write in the AAR. Say, I might write that an army surrendered,
but in the actual gameplay, I might have disbanded the army.

On the good side, it shows how the game is and works. Epigoni mod doesn't really
change much in terms of gameplay mechanics, so you get a good idea what kind of
game EU:R+Vae Victis expansion is these days.

Lemme know. :salute:

No. It is Europa Universalis:Rome, Vae Victis (which is an expansion for EU:Rome) with the mod Epigoni.You could also call it Europa Universalis:Rome Gold Edition with Epigoni.

It should not be confusing it says what the game is right in the first post.

I want this game...

I spent an hour the other day with the demo...sadly it's all I had time for...but this weekend I'll play some more and hopefully not get whipped by Carthage again. :-?

Hunter is probably behind your problems Dowly! You know what his motto is-"I'm taking over the world, one strategy game at a time!":D

Hunter is behind world hunger, AIDS, the current Ebola outbreak and probably ISIS too. :hmmm:

:haha::haha:

(First post updated)

****

Chapter I – Second Samnite War (306 BC)

Background

In her two last wars, Rome had grown substantially. The rich region of Campania was annexed in the end of the First Samnite War (343-341 BC) and after the Latin War (340-338 BC), most of Latium fell under Roman control.

Nearly twenty years after the end of the First Samnite War, Rome was looking to spark another conflict with their old enemy. Hoping to provoke a response, two Roman colonies were established on Samnite territory, one at Cales in 334 BC and one at Fregellae in 328 BC.

Understandably the Samnites didn't take this too well, but were at the time involved in a conflict with the Greek colony of Tarentum and couldn't react immediately. Once this conflict ended in 331 BC, the Samnites turned to Rome for an explanation to this intrusion on their territory. Rome responded with allegations that the Samnites were encouraging the Greek people of Neapolis (modern Naples) to expand to rest of Campania, and that Rome established her colonies in response.

The Samnites garrisoned the city of Neapolis in 327 BC, which threw the aristocracy of the city in panic. The elite called to Rome for help and the Roman Senate voted unanimously to send an army to Neapolis, setting off the Second Samnite War.


Progress

Until 321 BC, the war had been going in favor of Rome, and the Samnites were forced to sue for peace. The terms of the treaty however, were unacceptable, and the Samnites decided to fought on.

Later in 321 BC, the Samnites, now taking advantage of the mountainous terrain of their territory, managed to ambush the Roman army marching through a mountain pass. What is now known as the Battle of the Caudine Forks was battle in name only. There was no battle nor casualties as the Roman army was completely cut off and any resistance would have been futile. After negotiations, the Roman army was allowed to leave unharmed in exchange for a five year truce and Rome giving up the colonies of Cales and Fregellae.

Hostilities began again in 316 BC as the truce expired. Initially, Rome suffered number of successive defeats, notably a crushing defeat at Lautulae in 315 BC, but from 311 BC to 307 BC, Rome won a series of victories that greatly weakened the Samnite forces.

The decisive series of battles were fought in the summer and early fall of 306 BC. Quintus Rullianus, who had commanded the Roman legion during the battle of Lautulae, marched his newly formed Legio I 'Primum Pilum' towards the Samnite capital. Rather than trying to hold the capital, the Samnites met the Romans on the plains to the west of the city. The Roman forces outnumbered their enemy 3 to 1, but couldnt achieve a decisive victory. The Samnite general, Servius Cupitas, disengaged after a short battle and instead of retreating to the city, he led his forces to Campania.

For over a month, the Samnite army pillaged the countryside of Campania. The much larger Roman army had great difficulties in trying to outmaneuver the Samnites and force a confrontation. It was early fall, when Rome's ally, Apulia, laid siege to the Samnite capital. Message of this was no doubt received by Servius Cupitas for he himself decided to confront the Roman army, as if it was their last act of defiance.

The battle was over quickly. Rullianus attacked the enemy from three sides and rapidly broke their formation. The exact number of casualties is not known, but according to contemporary sources, the Samnite army was destroyed completely. What became of Servius Cupitas is also unknown.

The Roman general marched his legion back to Samnium and sieged the capital with the Apulians.
After 49 days, Bovianum, the Samnite capital surrendered, ending the Second Samnite War.


Aftermath

Rome benefited greatly from the war. Not only was Samnium now wholly part of the Roman Republic, Roman military also adapted the manipular formation from the Samnites. This formation was vastly more flexible compared to the hoplite formations Rome had used before.

The war also necessitated for a road network to be build, so armies could be quickly moved around the Republic. Two ”highways” were built during the war, Via Appia in 312 BC and Via Valeria in 306 BC.