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Nicely done! Especially considering the two massive neighbors you happen to be sandwiched between.
Also, glad to see some activity in these parts. EU:Rome is a very underrepresented game in the greater Paradox community.
Also, glad to see some activity in these parts. EU:Rome is a very underrepresented game in the greater Paradox community.
That's the way to do it! If I were feeling particularly pompous, I'd say you were using your enemy's strength against himself: they were big enough to get a serious civil war and you were able to pounce.
Anyway, you had a great opportunity and you made full use of it. You now have strategic depth, i.e. the ability to run away just a little bit further if the Egyptians come calling.
Unfortunately the even bigger Egyptians stubbornly refuse to collapse in civil strife.
Indeed.
Glad you like it.
I hope you will continue to enjoy it.
Agree on all points.
Between A Rock and a Hard Place
Onwards to Glory!
The conquest of Leptis does mean that I actually have some interest in securing Nassamones, and after the Carthaginians for some reason (as it isn't like they can colonize the province) provokes the barbarians the province is colonized. Carthage soon is thrown into yet another populist civil war, unfortunately there is no rebels near enough for oppurtunistic attacks. There is also a brief civil war in Cyrenaica.
It only lasts a few months. The Carthaginians have a harder time dealing with their civil war, briefly losing control of Carthage itself, but soon the rebels are on the run, but Rome invades and seemingly sinks the Carthaginian navy, or atleast large parts of it, as our royal treasurer fullfills his ambtition of us having a larger navy than Carthage. Our navy is fairly decent, 24 ships, although the Egyptians have at least four times as many. As it looks like this will be a peaceful update with no Cyrenaican expansion Crete decides to attack the Achaean League and asks us to join. I agree and decide to actually send the Cyrenaican army north. Crete has its armies in the north dealing with the Achaean army trying to invade Aetolia, so we find no opposition as we land near Sparta and quickly secures the province. After taking Achaea we just annex them. Cyrenaica now has lands outside Africa.
As can be seen our economy is quite strong (especially as the conquest of Achaea not only added impressive income, it also greatly reduced our army and navy maintenance, we are now actually within our forcelimits! Not that that will last). We do need to have some sort of basic defense there to deal with rebels, I prefer to have our main army in Africa and having to ship it north everytime there is a rebellion is something I would like to avoid, but that will have to wait until the next update. What is the state of the rest of the world then in 550 AUC?
Well done grabbing bits of Greece! And I'm impressed with the size of Crete (though not with the way they're spread out, particularly that northern bulge that is exposed to an awful lot of barbarian provinces). Is Crete powerful enough that your alliance with them might deter Egypt? Egypt continues to look scary - as does Rome, bulldozing its way into Gaul, but at least they are far away.
heartily approve of the Greek gambit, suddenly you are no longer so completely vulnerable if the Egyptians have a hissy fit at you.
You've done a good job managing your economy too. For what its worth, I'd go on a fleet creation programme, you can't defend Africa if Egypt attacks but a decent fleet might just protect your little corner of Greece from them?
You've done a good job managing your economy too. For what its worth, I'd go on a fleet creation programme, you can't defend Africa if Egypt attacks but a decent fleet might just protect your little corner of Greece from them?
That large Macedon looks worrying, but probably not nearly so much as Egypt. At the very least, you're safe from immediate annexation (though I think you were already a while back; the threshold for full annexation in Rome is 3 provinces or fewer, right? At least that's what I think I remember -- it's been a while since I've played).
A good read so far. It's nice to see a new AAR in Rome... right after I finished reading this I remember how much I love this game and had to fire it up right away!
Well the Cretans have an army of about 33k, so they are fairly powerful.
Having a large navy is a good idea. Especially as I can afford it now. The Egyptians still have a truly massive number of ships so it will take some time before I can hope to defeat their navy.
It is 2 so I was never in the risk of immediate annexation, although losing provinces at start would have made it very unlikely to make any sort of comeback.
Glad you like it.
Between A Rock and a Hard Place
Things are actually going pretty well
The Parthian League is quickly reduced to just Persepolis (and is half a decade later annexed by Parthia). As I spend the first year training a local army for Greece (as well as building some more ships) the manpower reserves are almost drained, in fact taking out a few nasty rebellions in the new provinces (mostly Achaea as rebels in the Sparta province doesn't get quite as numerous) leaves us with no manpower but only for a very short time. As it turns out the new provinces have doubled the amount of manpower we can have so when it recovers it will be much more impressive then before (almost 60K!).
Things are pretty peaceful and the Carthaginian civil war ends, although they soon end up in another one, just as we get the event to decide the style of building. Obviously I pick that buildings must be beautiful, after all extra bonuses are great, trying reduce costs are in my opinion unnecessary as it isn't like buildings are that expensive to begin with (especially not for a despotic monarchy like us as we already have -33% cost).
So in the year 560 AUC the world is as can be seen on the above map. Rome have expanded. The Cretans had a brief populist civil war, first time I have seen the Cretan rebels, that we got involved in (as Macedonia attacked the rebels). Colchis is still occupied by Pontus and the Bosporan kingdom.
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you definitely are benefitted from the Carthaginian's taste for civil war ... and Rome's willingness to take advantage. Good also that the less than lucid Selucids have staged something of a recovery to at least keep some threat/pressure on the Egyptians.
suddenly your small vulnerable state looks like it may have a future after all
suddenly your small vulnerable state looks like it may have a future after all
Well, well, well... Carthage is looking down on its luck and you continue to pounce! I agree with loki's assessment: your Cyrenaica might actually have a future! Now, how long a future, and how eventful... That remains to be seen.
Nicely done. And your alliance with Crete and the Seleucids should keep Egypt off your back for quite a while.
you definitely are benefitted from the Carthaginian's taste for civil war ... and Rome's willingness to take advantage. Good also that the less than lucid Selucids have staged something of a recovery to at least keep some threat/pressure on the Egyptians.
suddenly your small vulnerable state looks like it may have a future after all
Indeed.
Well, well, well... Carthage is looking down on its luck and you continue to pounce! I agree with loki's assessment: your Cyrenaica might actually have a future! Now, how long a future, and how eventful... That remains to be seen.
I think there may be some interesting events.
And hopefully it will be a bright one.
Don't forget Macedonia (and Pontus, although that alliance will be less important due to, well you'll see)
Between A Rock and a Hard Place
Three Kings for the Price of Two
The Carthaginian rebels manage to occupy Sabratha, Phazania and Cinithii, which is used as an excuse to invade and bring order. Well, it is a shameless landgrab and Sabratha is conquered, the Carthaginian armies were on their way and I didn't want them to take the provinces (as they are in a civil war I think they only need to walk into the provinces to take control of them, which would prevent me from taking them). A small army is left in the west to quickly deal with any rebellions.
We get the event to decide the form of our nobility, I go with keeping a closed caste, because why not. And Ephron dies at the age of 65, so our new king is the Grand Vizier Helladius (Sosiclid), a 47 year old man that is married to Ephrons second daughter, Airlea. He is generous but also narrowminded and cruel. He is a good general (8 martial) and pretty decent otherwise (charisma 5, finesse 4).
And after 35 or so years of war there is peace between Colchis and Pontus, Colchis paid a very, very small sum. Just after that king Alcyoneus of Macedonia decide he wants Euboea back and declare war on Egypt. King Nicias of Egypt calls in the Armenian king Ara on his side, while Alcyoneus can count on the support of his allies, king Antiochus of the Seleucids and Helladius of Cyrenaica. Ariobarzanes of Pontus remains neutral as he is not only allied to Macedonia, but to Egypt as well (also allied with me, Bosporan Kingdom and the Seleucid Empire).
The first battle goes really well, 26,000 very poorly led Egyptians after having occupied Argolis invade Achaea where the smaller local army is led by a very capable general and defeats them.
The slaves in Cyrene rebels and king Machares is killed. Ameinias (Sosiclid, not directly related with the previous king), the plainspeaking, pious and somewhat reckless governor of Africa, becomes king and unfortunately isn't going to be able to lead our armies as his skills lies in other areas (martial 4, charisma 6, finesse 7). Instead Nicocrates is called home from Greece and takes command, although he is unable to deal with the Egyptian army. After two years of fighting the Seleucids sign peace giving the Egyptians gold, Pisidia and perhaps most importantly, the province of Cyrenaica. It is a terrible blow but we can manage, we get iron from trade (and Sparta) and our conquests have increased our income and manpower enough so that the amount lost isn't that significant.
The last few years of the decade is spent recovering. We also become able to build first harbours (immediately constructed in Cyrene and Barca) and city walls (constructed first in Achaea and as the harbours finish in Cyrene and Barca as well). So how does the world look in the year 570 AUC?
Well Macedonia is having some odd-looking expansion to the north and Egypt expanded. Rome is doing well, but the same can't be said of Carthage, although they are atleast not suffering from a civil war at this moment (but I wonder how long that will last).
The good news is: you survived yet another war with the Egyptians. The bad news: they can still beat you with numbers. It's not a death blow, but it continues the depressing trend that the Egyptians are stronger than you and hostile towards you. Does this mean that they no longer have cores on you, though?