Birth of Rome AAR

[TorpX]

Birth of Rome

3rd Samnite War 298 BC

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The Samnites have been gathering their forces to make war upon the republic, and have threatened Lucania if they don't ally themselves with them. Lucania, not wishing to go to war with Rome, has appealed to Rome for help. The Senate sent emissaries to Samnium to demand an explanation for their actions. As they have returned without any satisfactory answer, the Senate has voted to declare war. Two consular armies have been enrolled to conduct operations.

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The numbers circled in green are the victory points, national morale, engagement points, and money (in thousands of denarii). Areas with blue circles are objectives. Red areas are controlled by Rome and it's allies.

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The purple area in the south is controlled by Magna Greacia. It is not at war with Rome, but can be considered a hostile power.

Turn 1, May 298 BC

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I am building a socii equites unit in the north at Perusia, a socii garrison unit at Luceria, and an impedimenta supply train at Capua. Also, we have started to train some force replacements. All this takes down the treasury from 250k denarii to 105 k. The first Consular Army, has legion I and II, and is commanded by C. Scipio Barbatus (rating 6-0-3). I have sent him down to Beneventum. There are no reports of enemy troops in the field there, but a clash is a possibility. The idea is to cut off Bovianum from the southern part of Samnite territory, and force the enemy to fight on our terms. [yellow line]

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The second Consular Army is commanded by F. Maximus Centumalus (rating 6-5-2). He has an infantryman background. His army is not fully ready, but is being sent to Capua to operate near the first. It has legions III and IIII. Capua is a rich, and important city, and it is important to retain control of it. [blue line] The ratings are strategic-offensive-defensive.

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The strategic rating is related to how likely they are to be 'active'. The offensive and defensive ratings relate to tactical abilities. Forces/leaders that are inactive cannot engage in offensive operations, and move and fight at a penalty.

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The Senate has made an alliance with Picenum. This will provide for a fort and socii troop in Hadria to deter (hopefully) any aggression from the Senones.

The green area just north of Rome is Volcinii. This is controlled by Etruria. I have decided to leave this area alone for now, gambling that the forces there are not strong enough to cause any trouble. Rome has a 'Urban legion' and a smaller garrison, and a supply train, and has a level 3 fortification, so it is not too vulnerable.

Below is a listing of objectives. Rome has control of those with a red icon. Perusia doesn't have an eagle because I don't have a regular unit garrison there, and am not getting VP for it. This is only required if the civilian loyalty is less than 50%.

Turn 2, June

Legions I and II reach Beneventum and start a siege of that town. A Samnite army

apparently eludes our force and evacuates that area to Bovianum.

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The second army, Consular exercitus II, is ready, and is sent to make a probing attack toward Neapolis. The enemy force is thought to be stronger, but Maximus Centumalus is a very able leader, and I consider this to be a worthwhile risk.

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I build another small garrison militia unit in Perusia. They are almost certain to need it.

Turn 3, July

There is a battle as Maximus Centumalus advances toward Neopolis. Our losses are very slight and the enemy army suffers considerable loss, so this is an excellent result. Note that battle reports, like all strength estimates of enemy forces are subject to 'fog of war' effects.






Consular exercitus II (orange line) is going to continue it's advance into Grumentum to try to wear down the Samnite army, and take advantage of the recent victory. Consular exercitus I will continue to besiege Beneventum. A small irregular force of Picinum troops is going to raid Corfinium. There are not significant towns there, but I want to keep the enemy on the defensive.

Populonia is under siege in the north, but will have to hold out as best it can. Since it has a harbor, supplies should not be a problem.

Turn 4 - August

There is a small skirmish at Grumentum.



I am disappointed that Consular exercitus I has not achieved any breaches at Beneventum. However the garrison has started to weaken, and it would be foolish to call of the siege now. Spies report their strength as 44 and 137 pts. Consular exercitus II will begin to lay siege to Grumentum. This city also has a sizable force. If there was only a small force, I would probably ignore it to pursue the main Samnite army, but leaving a substantial force in my rear, and having my forces split seems too risky, to me.

The small Picinum force is sent to raid Canusium. This will only have nuisance value, but there is a drought in Italy, and I have reason to believe the enemy is having trouble supplying his armies now. Two of his towns are besieged, and a third is cut off from his army.

The Lucanian exercitus is sent to join forces with Consular exercitus II, and so is the supply train that was left behind in Capua.

I am a little surprised the Samnites have not attacked one of my armies yet. It seems that they are trying to play for time, until their allies can gather their forces.

I have only 40k denarii left, so I will have to raise money soon.

Turn 5, September

Beneventum has surrendered to us this month. However, bad omens have spooked

citizens in Rome.

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Income has come in, allowing me do delay raising taxes. A bigger problem than money is the fact that my forces are stretched thin; I must leave one legion in Beneventum, send Consular exercitus I (only the II legion) to Grumentum to besiege that town, so Consular exercitus II can attack Gaius Pontius and the Samnite army at Venusia. For September, I

will only be suffling the units. At some point I should get allied reinforcements, but I don't know when.

Turn 6, October

Fate is generous to us this month; Canusium surrenders to us! This was very unexpected.

The garrison must have been very weak.

Now, I will send Consular exercitus II, reinforced with the small Lucanian army, to attack the main Samnite army, while Consular exercitus I continues the siege of Grumentum. The small irregular raiding force will move north to Luceria. It may be able to intercept some fleeing enemy forces if there is a major battle at Venusia.

Turn 7, November

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My raiding force is badly mauled.

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We lost a heavy battle at Bovianum. The Samnit army abandoned Venusia and decided to retreat to Bovianum. My army caught up with it there. Actually, it was more of a costly stalemate, but,

either way, I must raise taxes and recruit more soldiers now. Samnium surrendered at Grumentum. We get 10 vp and 1 nm pt.

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Consular exercitus II will move to Capua to rebuild. Consular exercitus I will move to Venusia to lay siege there. The garrison is very weak, but reducing this will likely take 3 months to accomplish. The main Samnite army is now at Bovianum, and likely has adequate supplies now. I will be in for a long siege there, in all likelihood. My raider force was apparently destroyed by the Samnite army as it moved north. It should have been able to execute a competent retreat and save itself, but for some reason that didn't happen.

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My garrison at Populonia continues to hold out. The supply situation there is unchanged.

Turn 8, December

After moving into Venusian territory, we find out there is a more substantial enemy force in the city. They do not sortie, however, so the siege will proceed as before. I have the I legion rejoin exercitus I, and a socii equite unit garrison Beneventum. Meamwhile exercitus II has partially recovered from the recent battle.

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Our spies tell us there are 4 units in Venusia with 46 and 184 power. If we can reduce them to half that, and make a breach, we can attempt an assault.

Turn 9, January

Samnite forces inflicted some hits on the Populonia garrison, but they look to be in good shape still.

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C. exercitus I has made a breach in the Venusia walls, but I do not think it wise to try to assault it yet. Otherwise, not much has changed this month.

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Turn 10, February

The enemy force besieging Populonia has broken off the siege. It appeared they went south into Volcinii, but I cannot be sure. This is somewhat disconcerting. Meanwhile, the garrison at Venusia repaired the breach.

[TorpX]

Turn 11, March
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Two new consuls have been elected: Q Fabius Rullianus 6-2-3 who looks to be an outstanding commander, and P Decius Mus 2-2-3, who has a reputation for being hot-headed.

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I am now able to build an Allied legion, which I started. It will take 90 days. I will need them. I decide to build a small Roman militia unit in Populonia to add to the garrison there. Also, some more money has come in this month.
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The garrison of Venusia surrenders. Now I can put full effort on Bovianum. This is the major enemy bastion in the south.

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Turn 12, April
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The weather is terrible and both consuls are inactive, so they will sit and wait. Exercitus I took quite a few hits (32) from exhaustion moving to Beneventum, due to mud, I guess.
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Another, or maybe the same force, is besieging Populonia again. This will likely prevent the Roman militia unit from being organized.
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Turn 13, May
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Again, the weather is awful. I order exercitus II to Beneventum, so they can join with exercitus I. When ready, they will advance into Bovianum, the key objective in the south.
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Most of the objectives in the south have been secured, but Bovianum remains. The numbers in parenthesis are the value in national morale points each is worth.

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Turn 14, June
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The two consular armies combine, with C Fabius Rullianus in command, and advance into the last Samnite stronghold in the south. I expect a major battle, followed by a protracted siege.
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Elsewhere, little has changed. Populonia is still under siege.

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Turn 15, July
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My combined armies advance into enemy territory unopposed. The enemy doesn't have the confidence to face us in open battle, so a long siege appears to be in the cards. Etrurian ships are blockading Neapolis. What they hope to accomplish, I don't know.
The city is not under siege, but I guess my fleet cannot sail into the open seas. Since Rome has but a small fleet, this is of little concern to me.
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Also, we have an economic boom of sorts:
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Turn 16, August
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According to our spies, the Samnites have a 4 unit force, 254 pts, and a 12 unit force, 1370 pt. Ours is not much more powerful, 1509 pts.
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The Ala I allied legion is ready to deploy. It is sent to Spoletium for now.
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I am going to leave both consular armies together, until the enemy has been worn down some. I consider an enemy sortie fairly likely under the circumstances.
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Turn 17, September
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I can raise another allied legion now, but lack the funds, so that will be done this turn. No progress has been made in the siege.
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I decide to detach legion I to go to Spoletium with Q Fabius Rullianus. There he can organize a small army to raid, and possibly besiege Volsinii. The remaining 3 legions with the Lucanian force should be able to repel any sortie from Bovianum.
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Turn 18, October
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I begin raising the 2nd allied legion in Rome. I would do this farther north, but if the town it is at comes under siege, it will take forever to organize it.
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There is no progress in the siege of Bovianum.
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I decide to send Fabius north to relieve the siege of Populonia. I don't really know how large the enemy force is, but think it not too large. If it was it would probably be causing more trouble. I order Fabius to make a conservative advance, though. He has I Roman legion, I Allied legion, and a 1200 man equite unit (cavalry).
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Turn 19, November
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Fabius marches to Populonia without meeting resistance. However, there is bad news. The Umbrians have allied with the Samnites, so this can only mean harder battles for Romans.
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No breaches have been made at Bovianum, but our spies tell us that the enemy has been greatly weakened. An urban militia unit 13 pt, a Italic force, 74 pt, and Gaius Pontius with his 11 unit army 742 pts.
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I don't want Fabius to stay so close to the Umbrian forces with the small force he has, so he is ordered down to Volcinii to pillage that area, and lay siege, if possible. It appears there is a larger force there than we were aware of.
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Turn 20, December
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The garrison of Bovianum continues to weaken, but still holds out. They should be done before the new consuls are elected. I decide to detach another legion to join with Fabius. There is little danger of an effective sortie now.
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Italy makes further economic progress under Roman rule:
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.Turn 21, January
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The positions of the armies are unchanged. Starvation continues to weaken the Samnites in Bovianum. I expect the city to fall in the next month. Fabius made a breach at Volcinii. I could make an assault, but the weather is poor, so I think it best to wait. In
the meantime, the Ala II legion will join his force, fresh from their training at Rome.
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.Turn 22, February
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The Samnites still hold out at Bovianum. They are a stubborn lot. Our spies give their strength as Italic force 4 units, 6pts; Samnite force 4 units, 25 pts; Gaius Pontius army 7 units, 34 pts.
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Unfortunately, the Etrurians repaired the breach at Volsinii. So we are back where we started there. I believe they have a considerable stock of supplies there. This will take time.
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[TorpX]

Turn 23, March
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Political troubles complicate election of consuls:
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V Flamma Violens and A Claudius Caecus have been elected consuls for the coming year. Claudius is said to be well versed in construction of pontoon bridges.

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More money has come in, 394k denarii. Also I am authorised to recruit another allied legion. This is good news. I select Capua for it's base.
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And surely Bovianum cannot hold out another turn...
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.Turn 24, April
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Bovianum surrenders at last. This boosts national morale, and provides more engagement points, as well as contributing to our economy. This is a major victory. We also have another increase in armaments production this turn.
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Consular exercitus II at Bovianum will rest. The weather is rainy, and I would rather they recover some of their losses. The III legion is still understrength. Fabius Rullianus will continue siege operations at Volcinii. The enemy garrison appear to be weaking
rapidly now.
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I am imposing a Pax Romana at Perusia and Paestum to improve civilian loyalty.
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Our progress, so far:
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Turn 25, May
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The III legion is still hasn't regained it's missing elements, so I move the army to Rome. The siege at Volcinii continues. Rullianus is not energetically prosecuting the siege, so
we must starve them out.
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Turn 26, June
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Rullianus still will not bestir himself. We could capture Volcinii now, if we tried.
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I order a road building project to start in Narnia. This costs 75k denarii. It is expensive, but is maybe worthwhile in the long run. I like to make some improvements to things in the longer scenarios.
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The Ala III legion is ordered to Rome. It will operate with Consular exercitus II.
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Turn 27, July
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Etrurians surrendered Volsinii to us this month. We gain 24 vp and 1 morale. Legion III recieved Hastati replacements.
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Rullianus and consular exercitus I is ordered to move north to Clusium. He is still not active, so this is a preliminary to invasion. I wouldn't mind if the enemy advanced and attempted an attack, though.
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Also, I ordered our small fleet into the seas to attempt privateering against enemy ships. I'm not sure how risky, or worthwhile this is. We shall see.
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My treasury is down to 88k denarii already. I'm beginning to regret the roads project.
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.Turn 28, August
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Exercitus I is ordered into enemy territory at Arretium, and exercitus II will march from Rome and invade Volatarrae. As far as I know, the enemy forces in these regions are not very strong, but we cannot be sure. The forces are told to be conservative in their advances. The Senones are still not technically at war with us, but they could join our enemies at any time. I want to defeat the Etrurians and Umbrians before they do.
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.Turn 29, September
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Rullianus won a skirmish against the Umbrians and is now besieging Arretium. It appears many of the enemy troops retreated into the city.
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Day 25- Flammus and exercitus I have been bloodied in a battle near Volaterrae. Reports conflict, but it appears to be a loss for Rome. Nevertheless, his force did not retreat, nor has the enemy. The Senate has congratulated Flammus for his actions against the enemy.
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[You might be wondering what constitutes a victory or defeat in the game. I can't really tell you. The game often give conflicting signals, and with the 'fog of war' rules, it is a murky business. Personally, I don't worry too much about it, as long as the battles bring me closer to my objectives. The game does reduce or increase national morale on the basis of losses/victory/defeat, though.]
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Exercitus I will hold in place, and exercitus II will continue their siege.
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Turn 30, October
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Exercitus I will try to make probing attacks toward Volatarrae. They cannot sit in place all winter, their supplies are insufficient, but if the enemy forces can be bottled up, or pushed back, it should be easier to get supplies to them. Otherwise, they will have to retreat, probably to Populonia. As it is now, the Etrurians have nearly complete control of the region, so our poistion is not sustainable.
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Rullianus, with exercitus II, is inactive this turn, but can continue the siege of Arretium.
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Turn 31, November
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Exercitus I has succeded in driving off the Etrurian army, and begun the siege of Volatarrae. Arretium has surrendered to our forces. This is very good news. The Etrurian army retreats to Faesulae. They only have 2 territories under control, not counting the small island of Portus Argous.
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I devide Fabius Rullianus exercitus, leaving Legio II and Ala II to occupy Arretium, and send Fabius with the remaining force and supply train to Volatarrae to join Flammus, as he is low on supplies and has a smaller force.
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I have recalled our fleet from southern waters for the winter. They did not make contact with any enemy ships.
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I am sending agents to subvert the enemy territories (Faesulae), and imposing a pax romana in Bovianum and Populonia.
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The Senate informs me the Samnites have sent a delegation to the Etruscans. I don't know what, if any, significance this has.
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.Turn 32, December
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Fabius Rullianus gets stuck in a blizzard and cannot reach Flammus. He goes back to Arretium to rest his forces, but the supply train is sent on. Flammus Exercitus I is in better shape now, the weather at Volatarrae being less severe. The siege goes on.
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Turn 33, January
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Volatarrae surrenders this month. We gain 1 morale pt, 2 engagement pts., a market center which will bring in more money in the future. Additionally, civilization continues to progress in Italy.
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I begin a land clearing project in Casinum, and another Pax Romana in Maleventum. In Rome, prisioners are humbled. The Senate has reason to be pleased, I think.
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Turn 34, February
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Ala IIII legion is sent to join Exercitus II in Volatarrae. The weather is still harsh in mountain areas, so no campaigning yet. The defeat of the remaining enemy forces should only be a matter of time now. They will have trouble obtaining adequate supplies, and have few places to hide.
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Turn 35, March
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Consul P Decius Mus takes command of exercitus II. He will hold position at Volatarrae, as he is not ready to move yet. Q Fabius Rullianus takes over the army at Arretium. He will move into the remaining enemy strongholds and attack. Both armies are up to
strength, and should be able to handle anything the enemy should attempt.
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Money has come in to the treasury to the tune of 369k denarii. I start a road project in Perusia, and start building a transport fleet at Neopolis.
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.Turn 36, April
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Fabius fights an indecisive skirmish with the enemy forces. His troops had to make hard marches to reach the enemy bastion, and suffered a great deal of fatigue. For now, he will be content to begin a siege. Decius Mus will march through and gain control of the provence beyond. It is thought to be empty of enemy troops.
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Turn 37, May
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The enemy force was not trapped in the besieged city, but was chased into Aquinum by Decius Mus. He faught a brief skirmish with them, but they are evading, and it may take
some time to hunt them down. They have no source of supply, though. His other legions are being brought up to assist. Meanwhile he is inactive.
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Turn 38, June
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For some reason, Fabius does not assault the city. Again, I order an assault. Decius Mus is still inactive, so I must wait until he is ready, before I can finish off the last enemy army in the field.
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Turn 39, July
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The Senate proclaims Victory!
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Etruria surrenders at Faesulae, the pitiful army starving in mountains, are a shadow of their former selves. The Latin peoples can enjoy a well deserved peace, at last.
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Incidently, the game computes 1099 victory pts.
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'total scores'
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Rome 260 pts.
Graecia Magna 135 pts.
Samnium 109 pts.
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[TorpX]

I'm not sure if anyone is very interested in this game, but I'll finish up by adding a few comments on the campaign.



As viewers may have noticed the AI seemed rather passive in this game. I haven't played more than a half dozen games, but this one seemed to be kind of a fluke. I have no way of knowing why; perhaps I was very lucky, or the enemy leaders were poor. One of the settings involves randomization of leaders. This can be set to none, some, or high. I set it to high, so that may have led to an easy AI here.

There are a number of game settings that affect AI ability and difficulty:

use fog of war ___________________yes
delay troop commitment ___________ long delay
foreign entry ____________________ normal
attrition ________________________historical for both
activation ______________________ large penalty
randomized generals _____________ strongly randomized
naval boxes ____________________ standard rule
force pool ______________________ historical

activate AI______________________ yes
AI ranking______________________ tribune
use all behaviors_________________ yes
activation bonus _________________normal
AI detection bonus_______________ low
AI aggressiveness________________ normal
give AI more time ________________ yes

1st group:

The fog of war is self-explanatory. If turned off, the AI can use the info as well as you.

The troop commitment delay means armies don't always fling themselves upon one another when they reach the same region.
Long delay seemed the most realistic to me.

Foreign entry. I presume this makes it easier or harder for allied nations to enter war. I guess this would have helped the AI if it was 'easy'.

Attrition relates to disease, desertion and such. The setting I used applies it to both player and AI. I don't see the sense in having it work only for one side.

The activation penalty can be either no penalty, large penalty, or troops/leaders not being able to move when not activated. I chose the middle setting. I don't see how one could ever win a major victory with the no-move setting. Leaders, especially the poor ones, spend many turns inactive. Some would be entirely useless. I'm not sure how much of a penalty the game applies, though.

I chose to have strongly randomized generals/leaders. The reason I did this is I realized that in a given scenario, you will get the same schedule of leaders every time. Meaning if you played the scenario before, you will know what consuls will be elected in the future, and what enemy generals will show up. Strongly randomized leaders blunts this a little.

The 'standard rule' means fleets in the naval boxes use supply and such at a normal rate. Wasn't important in this game.

In the force pool, you can use the historical level, or a higher level to have more troops.

2nd group:

Activate AI relates to passivity of AI. Not sure how it would be to turn this off.

AI ranking goes 'legionary', 'centurion', 'tribune', 'consul'.

Use all behaviors. Some AI behaviors can be deactivated. Sounds like first setting in group. Not sure how this would be.

Activation bonus. This can be easy, normal, hard, or very hard. Gives die roll bonus on AI activation rolls.

AI detect bonus can be no bonus, low, medium, high, very high.

Aggressiveness. Can be low, normal, or high. They state the game is optimized for normal. Low would be passive, and miss opportunities. High would be reckless.

Give AI more time allows the AI to spend longer calculating it's moves. No advantage to disable this, apart from speeding up turn processing.


In the period of the early Republic, I think the biggest weakness of the Roman legions is their commanders. Consuls are elected every year, so even when you get one, or two that really know what they are doing, they aren't around that long. Samnite, Umbrian, Senone leaders are in it for the duration, and likely to be capable. This is one reason I didn't want to give the AI big activation/detection bonuses.



In any case, I found this game to be fun, maybe even addicting. I would recommend it for anyone who has an interest in ancient history.

[james_nix]

Entertaining thread! Thanks!

[TorpX]

Thank-you for posting. Not too many views or replies here.



Oh, and I forgot about the victory conditions business.

There is some controversy about this. The game seems to hand out 'minor victories' instead of 'major victories'. This game here is the first time I won a major victory. I was beginning to wonder if it was possible. There is also confusion between 'victory points' and the 'score' at the end. The way the game calculates the score is (to me at least) very opaque. Supposedly, capturing all the objectives on your list makes for a major victory, but failing that, the game comes down to the point score.

Frankly, I would have preferred a simpler scoring system. I should note this game was played on v1.05 update, so there may have been changes to the scoring, but if so, isn't mentioned in docs.