Ah Rome, the most confusing Paradox game.
I personally can never get to grips with HoI, though I'm yet to play Rome so I can't really gove a balanced view.
I too shall be following.
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I personally can never get to grips with HoI, though I'm yet to play Rome so I can't really gove a balanced view.
I too shall be following.
Ah Rome, the most confusing Paradox game.
Will follow.
I personally can never get to grips with HoI, though I'm yet to play Rome so I can't really gove a balanced view.
I too shall be following.
Following this now. Good writing, and a good game as well.
Thank you all for the kind words!! They inspire me to continue, although I had no plans of quitting.
I'm really sorry that the update is taking forever, but don't worry I'm working on it as I type. The reason it's taking so long is because.. well.. I began working on it on Friday.. I've been pretty busy with life and at the same time have been a bit lazy but I promise to get the update up this week.
Thank you, enjoy!Great read. Very interesting game you've got there. Subbed
Chapter VI: Taming the Mediterranean
16, Elaphebolion 227 BC/527 AUC
Five years have passed since the pacification of the northern tribes and the Spartan nation had been relatively stable in this short period of time; less restrictions were enforced upon helots to keep their minds from causing too much trouble. Although it was peaceful within the borders of Eudamidas’s realm, the world was still a wild place which begged for civilization. Rome, for example, was blocking the way of Eudamidas’s ambitions of expansion. The Diadochi were relatively appeased with the Spartan king and his deeds, but the Romans and their republic did anything they could to expand their own territory and keep Sparta shrouded by the dust the Romans left behind from their quick aggressive wars of expansion. Sparta alone could not take on Rome as it had vast amounts of populated territory always supplying young naïve men to fill the ranks of their Roman war machine. The Romans were rightfully feared, as they are the men who had tamed the ferocious race of Gauls. The Gauls were a much sturdier stock then their Celtic counterparts in the Balkans.
To combat Rome’s expansion, Sparta had to intercept them at every turn. The recent wars between the Ptolemies, Seleucid’s and the Carthaginians had weakened Carthage to the point of total chaos. Two civil wars within two decades had clouded the once great Carthage in bloodshed and starvation, rumors of the sky being tinted red from constant death within the provinces of Africa are spoken all throughout the Mediterranean. Eudamidas readied his fleets and transports for a full on invasion of Carthage. He had even produced a casus belli for war which was to, “Bring stability to the once glorious provinces of the once wealthy Carthaginian peoples.”
None of the Diadochi seemed to care about the sudden outbreak of war between Carthage/Rebels and Sparta, the Seleucid’s had even supported the idea of Spartan expansion into Africa as it was a great disadvantage for both the Ptolemies and Romans. The Romans would be surrounded by a hostile rival while the Ptolemies would be limited in expansion and would be more inclined to depend on the Seleucid’s for help.
7, Thargelion 227 BC/527 AUC
Three months after Eudamidas had declared his intentions the main Spartan army consisting of 30,000 men had landed in the province of Hippo Regius. The army was split in three and sent in three different directions, south, west and east, each led by popular generals known for their skill in the Dacian War and the wars before that.
Although the Carthaginian state was fractured, their soldiers were still a hardy stock of veterans who could exploit their knowledge of the vast North African deserts. The Spartans were not as heroic and legendary as their ancestors but they were not to be underestimated. Their failures were usually due to terrible leadership or other factors like terrain or being outnumbered. The Carthaginians were a perfect match for the Spartan armies, no longer was there a mosh pit of nude warriors charging into the spears of Spartan hoplites but now there was an enemy that too had knowledge of phalanx formations and an influence of hoplite traditions. Although the Spartans did not fear the Carthaginians for their battle formations or mercenaries, but the elephants they had access to. The beasts struck fear into the Spartan ranks, even the most elite troops on the battlefield would waiver at the sight of these behemoths; they would first fire arrows upon the Spartan formations before they began trampling and gouging their victims.
7, Hekatombaion 226 BC/528 AUC
The third army led by Hippolochos Apollonid had marched from Hippo Regius to Carthage in a matter of weeks and had met no resistance. He had set up camp a few miles away from the glorious port-city of Carthage, but Hippolochos was not the only one with his eyes set on what was dubbed by Eudamidas, “the jewel of Africa”. On the morning of the next day a rebel Carthaginian army of 12,000 had stumbled upon the camp. Unprepared, the Spartans quickly grabbed what weapons and shields they could and quickly got into their positions. Horns roared across the now ravaged camp as thousands of men clashed into each other and pushed upon each other’s shields. Hippolochos at the time had been sleeping in his tent, too occupied with deep sleep and unaware of the battle raging in what was essentially his “backyard”, but his deep sleep was quickly interrupted through the clashing of metal between his personal guards and the enemy. A man who looked of Libyan descent charged a cranky Hippolochos, but Hippolochos quickly rolled from his bed and threw the Libyan to the floor; quickly, he grabbed his short sword and lay the point of the blade through the dazed man’s heart. He proceeded to help fend off the intruders within his tent and continued on to command the panicked Spartan army. Complete disaster was avoided and Hippolochos managed to retreat with 7,000 men, sadly for the brave men who couldn’t make it, had died gruesomely through execution or from the battle itself.
22, Metageitnion 226 BC/528 AUC
The repulse of Hippolochos’s army had forced the renowned Archelaus Antipatros to move his army towards Carthage. Awaiting him was a rebel army 10,000 strong ripe for the killing. The Carthaginian army consisted of mostly mercenaries which were quite diverse. Cavalry men whose loyalties lie wherever there was gold mostly hailed from Hispania and Numidia, cheap militia men who travelled the dry deserts of Libya adored Carthaginian currency, heavy troops were recruited from Gaulish Belgica and Northern Hispania for a hefty price, Greek archers were sailed from Crete and were provided many luxuries, and finally elephants were imported from Egypt or trained natively. The two armies clashed east of the city. Elephants charged toward the main Spartan line but Archelaus had planned for this. The archers were sent ahead of the front line and fired their volley of arrows at the beasts, this only enraged the animals. The hoplites marched further back while the peltasts ran ahead, they agonizingly awaited the incoming behemoths and let their javelins loose upon them like their ancient ancestors did the mammoths. 1…. 2… 3… elephants fell and the rest continued towards the main line.
“Spartans, lower your sarissa’s!” Bellowed Archelaus as he rode up with his sturdy steed.
Each hoplite in hearing distance lowered their spear and lifted their shield, one by one like a domino effect. Both beast and man collided into each other, the sounds of ribs being crushed had weakened the men’s state of mind and the spears piercing the tough skin had caused elephants to shriek in pain… 4…. 5…. 6 elephants fell and the rest retreated back to the rebels who were now advancing upon Archelaus and his men who too began their advance. First their archers rained down arrows of flame upon the front ranks of the Spartan army, then the heavy Gallic warriors charged the left flank comprised mostly of lightly armed Spartan infantry while the Iberian cavalry rolled around the Gauls attempting a flanking maneuver on the left flank, but the Spartan’s archers shot their volley of arrows at the cavalry causing many casualties. The cavalry retreated behind the Gallic warriors to avoid the arrow fire. On the main flank, Numidian cavalry peppered the Spartan hoplites with javelins and when pursued, would retreat in separate routes. On the right flank the Spartan cavalry had charged directly into the Iberian swordsmen which caused a full on retreat on the rebel’s right flank. The cavalry then proceeded into the back of the Carthaginians to deal a deadly blow to the Cretan mercenary archers, at this point the rebel force began to crumble. The remaining mercenaries were the brave Gauls who, not surprisingly, fought to their deaths, ultimately saving the lives of the Iberian horse riders and any remaining rebel troops.
3, Anthesterion 225 BC/529 AUC
The war between Carthage and Sparta had ended but the rebels were still an enemy of Sparta. The war with Carthage was successful, but with a cost. The life of Archelaus was given up for the province of Ikosim. His closest men had watched him get hacked down by the enemy, but they still fought on for they were the highly regarded Spartans. Archelaus was a great general and an acquaintance of Eudamidas and his father but death was an everyday thing, he was given an honorable burial by his men and his family received many of his treasures and praise from Eudamidas.
14, Mounichion 225 BC/529 AUC
Not too long after Archelaus’s death had the hostilities between the rebels and Sparta ended. Eudamidas had his hands on the coastal city of Carthage and was contempt with that. Although a new ambition arose; to become a dominant force in Africa and possibly Hispania. He had heard reports of the efficient fighting skills of the Iberian peoples and their barbaric ways of life. He had also received many maps of southern Hispania from the conquered city of Carthage which had taken note of the rich resources that the Iberians had access to. During the war between Carthage and the Seleucids, the southern Iberian tribes united into the Coelerni and revolted against their Carthaginian suppressors. They fashioned nearby resources into crude boats and sailed across the strait separating Gadira and Tingus and captured the Mauritania region. To gain a foothold into Hispania, Eudamidas had to incorporate the Coelerni tribe which was a more logical option than attacking the Roman backed Massilia.
An added benefit from stealing Carthage.
Nineteen thousand Spartans led by Hippolochos and Eurycrates Antipatros had marched their way towards the Rusadir province. A month into the march, the main Coelerni army had been spotted and was pursued. Hippolochos could tell the Coelerni force was larger but could also tell that they were avoiding a pitched battle, this was further confirmed when they took position behind a river and awaited a Spartan advance. Not willing to put himself at a disadvantage, Hippolochos ordered his archers forward to unleash their volleys. Most of the Coelerni had little to no armor and a lack of archers which made them very vulnerable. The Coelerni had no choice but to leave their position or suffer un-needed losses. Suddenly a wave of Celt-Iberian and Iberian warriors crossed the river in droves forcing the archers back. The hoplites and heavy Spartan infantry marched forward and formed into their famous shield wall awaiting the slaughter. There were so many Coelerni crossing over that the river became clogged with them which made them a very easy target for archers. The landscape had become tainted with the blood of the Coelerni, they had come in intimidating numbers but died in droves from the lack of armor. After the battle, the river had been dubbed the Blood River for there were copious amounts of blood in the water and in the soil surrounding the river which had been tainted red, there were so many bodies within the water that Spartan soldiers could walk on top of the shallower ends without getting their feet wet. The battle was a devastating loss for the Coelerni for they had barely any men to tend to their fields in Hispania. This would eventually free up land for Spartan citizens and make assimilation much easier. Un-willing to continue on, the Coelerni ceded 90% of their territory and became a tributary of Sparta. Not too long after, the remaining Illyrian tribes had been annexed and was now a part of the everlasting Spartan realm.
9, Boedromion 222 BC/532 AUC
In light there is always an everlasting darkness awaiting it’s time to unleash its evil. This time darkness struck the Eurypontid’s again. Age had taken its toll on the 80 year old Spartan king, he had finally succumb to the common disease of aging. Although he had left a legacy behind in his short reign, he was known as the subjugator of the civilized and uncivilized, the man who had conquered Carthage, the man who briefly ruled the Mediterranean. A statue of him had been erected inside the crumbled walls of Carthage, with his title engraved in gold. His death brought an end to the golden age of Sparta and had brought in a new era of enlightenment with the rise of Archidamus II Eurypontid, an administrator whose goal was not to conquer but to bring out the glory of Sparta through taxes and its natural riches.
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A new Basileus...no change of policy in Sparta, I would think, just the same: 'submit or get crushed'.
Well those sure were some fatal defeats for Qart Hadasht, something from which they can never recover.
Very sneaky to strike enemies whilst they are fighting civil wars...
Very sneaky to strike enemies whilst they are fighting civil wars...
Awesome.
For the sake of borders, I hope North Africa and southern Hispania can be consolidated.
For the sake of borders, I hope North Africa and southern Hispania can be consolidated.
This has been a great AAR so far, and I'm thrilled to announce that I've nominated this story for the Weekly AAR Showcase! Congratulations!
Congratulations on the showcase award, fantastic to see it highlight an AAR in one of the less frequented forum! Sounds like you have been making steady progress, although that was a frightening manpower comparison with Rome - I'd forgotten how large the gulf was!
Okay, I've been really busy with my new job and all these essays and projects.. So hopefully if I have enough time, I should be able to get some work into the next update, but don't have high expectations.
With spring break coming up, I should be able to post a few updates during that time to make up for the lack of them.
With spring break coming up, I should be able to post a few updates during that time to make up for the lack of them.
