The Rise of Rome (R:TW)

[sabotai]

I've been playing Rome: Total War a lot again, and I've installed the Rome: Total Realism mod. This gets rid of the houses and it's just you and the Senate. Plus, they scale it back to 280 BC (instead of 270 BC) and you start with 2 cities, Ancora and your capital, Capua.

I pretty just just installed R:TW, patched it and installed the mod so it's hard for me to really tell what is different, other than the obvious difference in starting cities and lack of houses. I do know they elimated some military units that never existed, created some not included in the game, reworked the unit recruitment to be based on zone instead of faction and renamed factions and cities, added cities and zones for historical accuracy.

I will be presenting this in history book/documentary style. So I'll be talking about people, places, battles, etc. in the 3rd-person and in past tense. I will also be drawing maps and such for the battles. For a lot of the battles, I'm not going into detail about. I'll give a mention of them, but if I have 3 Principles fighting 1 barbarian unit....that's hardly worth a battle map and a detailed description.

Let's get to it.

[sabotai]

280 B.C.

In Italy the fledgling Roman Republic is growing, stretching its influence outside of just Latium. Pyrrhus of Epirus, a distant relative of Alexander the Great has just landed an army in Magna Graeca (the southern portion of Italia) to crush and bring the Romans under his control. With only two Republican armies in his way, will the Romans be able to stop a massive Greek force, augmented by War Elephants from the east?

Under the guidence of the Roman leader, Quintus, the Roman army has been split in two. With a large greek army slowly advancing forward, Quintus decides that he has time to fortify the north from attack from the Gauls by taking the Etruscan city of Arretium.

He has left his heir, Publius Laevinus in the south with a sizable army to defend against any Greek attacks.

(Map - Aqua lines show the movement of the armies)
Arretium is in the upper left.
Corfinium is a Lucanian town, the Greeks advance on it.

Map of 280 BC

[sabotai]

The Battle Of Arretium (280 BC)

Quintus marched on Arretium looking to use the city as a fortification against the aggressive Gauls while the Romans had to deal with Pyrrhus of Epirus in the south. Not wanting to waste any time before his main army turned back south, Quintus employeed spies to infiltrate the city and open the gates so the overwhelming Roman army could walk right into Arretium and slaughter the Etruscan army.

When Quintus arrived, he found the front door open.

The Roman easily ran over the Etrucians, outnumbering them by more than 3 to 1.

Now with a cushion to his north, Quintus turns his army back south leaving a small garrison in Arretium. By the time Quintus finished his business in Arretium, Pyrrhus of Epirus was at the gates of the Lucanian town of Corfinium. It was only a matter of time before the two met on the battle field.

The Roman army was set up outside of Corfinium by 278 BC and ready to strike.

Map of Armies in 278 BC

[sabotai]

278 BC

The army of Pyrrhus of Epirus is without aid or adequate reinforcements. The bulk of his army rests in Corfinium while a small contingent tries to take the city of Paestum in the south. If we strike now, Pyrrhus will have only two choices. Fight or retreat. He will not retreat however. Therefore, we must strike now before any reinforcements can be sent If we can defeat him now, all of Magna Graeca will wide open and ours for the taking.
Quintus - Letter To the Roman Senate

In 278 B.C., Quintus split his army into two portions. Quintus commanded the northern force of nearly 6,000*, moving along the coast of Italy, while Publius Laevinus commanded a force of over 7,000 through the mountains to the south of the city. In Corfinium, Pyrrhus of Epirus sits with his force of nearly 9,000, including a couple dozen war elephants.

Quintus' plan is simple. Either Pyrrhus will divide his army and fight on two fronts, no doubt leaving both front out manned, or pick on front, leaving the other wide open.

Quintus laid siege to the city in the summer of 278 BC. Pyrrhus saw no point in waiting. He, of course, also knew he had no reinforcements available. The fight was on him and he would respond.

* - I am taking the number of soldiers I have and multiplying it by 10. Saying I have an army of 600 and one of 700 against an army of 900....who cares? That's not a big battle by a long shot. So, all army sizes get multiplied by 10. That still probably doesn't do the real histroy justice, but...it's something.

[sabotai]

The Battle of Corfinium(278 BC)

Quintus faced an army bigger then his. Out of the gates of the city of Corfinium, Pyrrhus of Epirus lead his army onto the battle field. Quintus as not equiped for a full assault, but Publius Laevinus, commanding a larger force to the south would soon be by his side. All Quintus had to do was stall Pyrrhus long enough for Publius Laevinus to get there.

Quintus held strong against Pyrrhus' initial assault, but he took a lot of casualties. (Initial Assault ) The initial assault was clearly won by Pyrrhus. However, Quintus pulled his forces back and met up with Publius on top of a hill outside of the city (Feign Retreat and Reinforced ). From there, the Romans would turn the tide of the battle.

Pyrrhus marched his Hoplites into the Romans and tried to flank their sides with their calvary, however, the march was disorganized.. The Roman javalin throwers chased off the weakened calvary and the skilled Principles and Hastagi of the Romans were able to out manuever the Hoplites using a series of feign retreats to confuse the Hoplites. Had the Hoplites all marched in one line, they might have had a chance, but they were outmanned and out flanked. The disorganized chase of Quintus' army allowed for their flank to assaulted (Disorganized March and Flank Exposed ) and opened the Hoplites to be easily destroyed using the following technique:

Hoplite Move 1
Send one or both units out of the path of the Hoplites.
Hoplite Move 2
The unit that the Hoplites continue top march towards keeps matching away, while the ignored unit stops and attacks the Hoplites from the side or from behind
Hoplite Move 3
The Hoplites are un prepared and slow to turn. Once they focus on the attacking unit, stop your marching unit and attack the Hoplites, surrounding them.
Hoplite Move 4
The Hoplites will be completely destroyed and will rout very quickly. The power of the Hoplites are in their frontal assault. Using this manuever, the Romans were able to eliminate the frontal attack of the Hoplites. Without that frontal attack, the Hoplites are reduced to poorly armed, very slow units.

After the Hoplites were routed, the armies of Quintus and Publius Laevinus reformed and marched on the fleeing troops of Pyrrhus. Doing so allowed Pyrhhus to reform his army for one last chance, but the Roman generals were not concearned. They now easily outnumbered the remaining forces 4 to 1 and were taking their time so they did not fall into the same trap that Pyrhhus was led into by Quintus.

The last engagement was a short one. Pyrhhus was quickly cut down (Death of Pyrrhus) and his forces retreated into the city. From there, the Roman army took up their battering rams and knocked down the front gates. The leftover army of Pyrhhus, exhausted and discouraged, barely put up a fight as the Roman army poured into the city.

Pyrhhus' army was nearly obliterated. Only a few hundred of nearly nine thousand soldiers survived. The Roman army also took a lot of casualties, but most of them occured during the initial assault. Nearly 7500 soldiers died for Rome that day, and it is estimated that 4000 occured during Pyrrhus' first strike. Quintus correctly guessed that if he held on long enough before retreating, Pyrhhus' army would rush the apparently retreating army in a disorganized manner. "His army is many", wrote Quintus, "but his skill is lacking."

[sabotai]

278 BC - 273 BC

Over the next 5 years, from 278 BC to 273 BC, Pulius Laevinus would march his army on the two remaining Greek cities on the Italian pennisula, Tarentum and Croton. Both would fall after long sieges that left the defending Greek armies tired and impatient.

In the battle for Tarentum, the Greeks launched a poorly planed assault on the seiging Roman army. Pulius hid his army in the forests outside of the city and easily ambushed and destroyed a Greek army of 4000 while only losing a handful (~200) of his own soldiers.

The battle for Croton was also an easy battle for the Roman general. By now, the Romans had perfected their technique against the Greek Hoplites and execute it without effort. The nearly 3000 Greek Hoplites (and 1500 slingers) quickly fall on the battlefield. However, in this engagement, the Romans would lose nearly 2000 of their own.

Now free of the Greeks on their home land, the Roman general Publius Laevinus turns his attention to the last two remaining cities in Magna Graeca (the southern portion of Italia), Paestum and Rhegium, which are controlled by Campanian rebels.

[sabotai]

273 BC - 270 BC

After the fall of Croton, the Greeks knew they were no match for the powerful Roman army. They quickly sent a diplotmat to the Romans and asked for a ceasefire. Looking to turn their attention to the rebel cities and the Gauls to the north, Rome agreed to the ceasefire.

Publius Laevinus set his army onto the city of Rhegium in the year 273 BC. There, he met a sizeable, yet unskilled, force. A relatively easy battle for the general, however, after several military engagements, his army had grown weak and tired. They needed both rest and supplies.

Publius did not want to leave a single town in southern Italy not under the control of Rome, and therefore turned to the open fields for help. He hired 4000 former Campanian and Greek soldiers as mercenaries to assist in his taking of Paestum.

To the north, Quinos wanted more cushion between Rome and Capua from the barbarians. He sent a small army under the command of a very young nobleman general by the name of Manius Aemilius to capture the city of Ariminum. He succeeded with little effort. The city held by rebels fell quickly in the year 271 BC.

Just as Ariminum fell, Publius Laevinus started his siege on the city of Paestum. His army was made of over 4000 mercenaries and 2500 Roman soldiers. In the summer of 270 BC, Paestum fell with hardly any resistence when Publius sent his mercenary army into the city and destroyed the last Campanian army. He lost only 500 men that day in destroying an army of over 5000.

No, Rome ruled all of the Italian Pennisula.

[Buccaneer]

This gets rid of the houses and it's just you and the Senate

Sab, can you explain this more? Factions I understood but not sure what this change means.

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Sab, can you explain this more? Factions I understood but not sure what this change means.

Instead of having the Roman Senate and the three Houses of Rome (Julii, Butii, Scipii), it's just your house and the Roman Senate in control of Rome.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Sab, can you explain this more? Factions I understood but not sure what this change means.

Basically what Neon said. When you start the game normally, you have to choose between 3 different houses. The 3 houses plus the Senate makes up "Rome". Each house acts as a different faction, but you 3 make up "Rome". In the Total Realism Mod, it's just the Senate and "The Romans". No more houses.

[sabotai]

270 BC - 265 BC

To the north, the Gauls grow restless. We have secured the pennisula from the Greeks and now must secure the north. As I write this, the Gauls have been forming armies between the Alps and our border. We must push those savages into the mountians and the forests beyond.
Quintus - 270 BC

For years, the Roman scouts have noticed a lot of movement on their border with the Guals. Around 270 BC, as the Romans finished their war with the Greeks, the Gauls have grown in numbers and the scouts have noticed an increase in movement. Diplomats warned that the Gauls had their eyes set on Ariminum and would not be pleased if we took the city before they could sack it. After the capture of Ariminum in 271 BC, the Gauls grew angry with the Romans and were planning to attack.

Quintus decided it was best to attack defending barbarians then it was to defend against attacking barbarians. He devised a plan that would create 3 armies and storm the cities of the Guals, pushing them back into the Alps and if possiple, to extend even farther into the forests beyond the mountains.

While the Romans built up 2 of the armies, Publius Laevinus (now called Publius Victor in Rome) would take his army and take the settlements along the western coast that were controlled by the Ligurans. He took the towns of Luna (269 BC) and Genua (268 BC) with little resistence.

Now that Rome had the western coast controlled, they could execute Quintus' plan. He would send Publius Victor's army up the west coast, an army controlled by Manius Aemilius up the east coast, and one army control by Marcus Laevinus (son of Publius Victor) straight up the middle.

In the summer of 266 BC, the Roman armies were ready. After a few, short skirmishes, two of the Roman armies (Marcus Laevinus and Manius Aemilius) would collide with 2 large Gaul armies outside of Bonoria.

The Battle of Bonoria (265 BC)

Marcus Laevinus had laid siege on the city of Bonoria in the winter of 266 BC. Inside the city, an army of 7000 Gauls waited. Right behind Marcus Laevinus and his army of 8000 was Manius Aemilius and his 7000 soldiers.

Manius Aemilius had come up in support of Marcus Laevinus when scouts spotted an army of over 13,000 Gauls headed straight for Bonoria. In the summer of 265 BC, the Roman and Gual armies would clash in, what would be at the time, the biggest battle in Rome's history. (Start of Battle )

The battle was almost a polar opposite at the end of the two flanks at the start. The Romans had contained and pushed back the Gauls on the East flank, but to the West, Gausl had some of the Roman units dominated. (The Initial Attack). Once Manius Aemilius arrvied with is army, the Romans completly destroyed the Gauls on the East Flank. (Manius Arrvies)

Manius then sent his army north a bit. Not to attack the incoming reinforcements, but to give the impression that he was attacking the incoming reinforcements. Marcus had aligned his remaining units to match up with the Gauls (The Setup). Once in position, Manius turned his army back and the Romans had the remainder of the Gaul's main force completely surrounded. The calvary of Manius Aemilius' army struck first and packed the soldiers in. They started routing at once, but in their attempt to turn and flee, they were met with 4000 javalins and a rush of Roman soliders. The only Gauls that escaped were the ones that saw the incoming calvary. Not many did.

Now, the Romans had to deal with an army of 6000 Gaul reinforcements. This would prove to be a more difficult then hoped for the Roman as the Gaul reinforcements attacked right when they were finishing the battle with the main force. The Romans had left their backs bare.

They lost a lot of soldiers during the rush from the reinforcements, but Marcus Laevinus and Manius Aemilius regrouped their armies quickly. They started by taunting the Gauls with their calvary. The horsemen would ride up to a unit, and then quickly turn and gallop away. This would cause the unit to stop and turn, giving the Roman Principles and Hastati enought time to form up, launch a javalin and rush the distracted unit. As soon as the Hastati or Principle was engaged with the barbarians, the calvary would then rush the Gaul unit again. This time they wouldn't stop.

The Romans routed the reinfrocements. Very few were able to get away. In an army of 20,000, 19,000 would die in this battle. The Gaul's army was completely destroyed, leaving Bonoria empty to Roman rule. Marcus Laevinus would take his army into the city and rest them as he took by far the bigger blow. Of his 8,000 men, 3200 would be killed. Manius Aemilius lost 1500 of his 7000 men. He would stay a short while to heal, but was quickly on the move again. He was head for Patavium, a lightly defended Gaul city on the eastern coast.

(battle maps to come after I eat dinner EDIT: Ok, I lied. I'm going to play WoW some. Then I'll make maps.)