Friends, Romans, Countrymen...An RTW Dynasty

[Chief Rum]

In the Year of Rome 483, the great city of Rome controls the length of the Etruscan Peninsula, as well as the northeast end of Sicila. The Great Republic is surrounded by potential enemies. The unruly Gauls to the north, the mighty and learned Greeks to the east, the powerful Carthagianians to the south, the tattooed Thracians as well.

Against this, the Senate of Rome relies on the power of three patrician families, the wealthy and cultured Scipii, the traditional and social Brutii, and us, the Julii, defenders of the frontier and heroes of the plebeians. The Scipii and Brutii hold sway over much of the southern end of our mighty land, leaving us to Erutria and Umbria, and a border shared with dangerous heathens. We are outcasts among our own kind, but one day, Rome will be ours, and with it, the world as well.

-- Chiefius Rumnii Julius

[sachmo71]

I wanna be a general!

[Chief Rum]

This is the return of the mighty Total War dynasty, an effort I championed in Medieval: Total War to perhaps my greatest and most widely acknowledged dynasty here at FOFC. I said I would start one when I got the game and, having passed my early inspection for being worthy of the treatment, I have begun that game.

We will be playing as the family Julii of the Romans, which, as Chiefius Rumnii Julius suggested, currently control a band of modern day Italy just north of Rome. Our lands include Erutria, along west and central Italy in and around the modern day location of Florence, and the thin, Adriatic Sea province of Umbria, which stretches from just south of Venice to just northeast of Rome itself.

I am the head of the family, but this is a 284-year game, so I will soon be dead. It is for my family to continue to fight for the future of the Family Julius, and that, like in my past dynasty, is where you all come in.

Up for grabs are positions as sons and generals, spies, diplomats and assassins. You might even find yourselves as ancillary retinue servants, as needed, or who knows who else (an enemy general? head of another faction? one of the two consuls? a captain? an admiral?). I will first work to fill the family Julius, but if there is enough interest, I will be glad to include others.

Other than offering up your names, you will not be making decisions, nor any further participation even required. Simply, this is for you to follow along in your own history among the Julii, and the gods forbid, that of greater Rome as well.

My plan is to write some of this from the perspective of the players themseleves, and sometimes I will pull out and write in other manners (historical remebrances of passing individuals, for instance; or neutral observations of mighty battles). I'm not going to detail further how else I will write, because I myself don't yet know--I have yet to play a full game, and can't even begin to tell you what I will run into (we will learn together, I guess ).

The year is 270 B.C, which is the Year of Rome 483, counting up from the mythical founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus in 753 B.C. The people of this time, of course, do not yet know of Christ, so that is not how time will be told here. The game goes to the year 14 A.D., or the Year of Rome 767.

In real life, by that time, Rome had advanced to the era of the Roman Empire and become the most dominant world conqueror of ancient history, with lands stretching from the far reaches of Briton to the ancient tombs of Thebes, and from modern day Portugal almost to the very edge of India itself.

In 270 B.C., though, the Republic of Rome (then run by two consuls and a Senate, as well as plebeian--lower class--office holders) held most of just southern and central Italy, and were about to embark on the first of the three Punic Wars with Carthage in modern day Tunisia.

If I get any real life historical facts wrong, I apologize. Blame them completely on me, my lack of research or my old history teachers.

If you're interested in being a part of this, post here. It's first come first serve.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

I wanna be a general!

That didn't take long.

sachmo has first dibs. But I am certain there will be plenty of room for more, especially in the early going.

CR

[kingfc22]

I want to be a general.

[Blade6119]

Ill take heir to the throne if you dont mind

[Fonzie]

Sign me up! I'll be a general or a son, whatever you think would make it more interesting for you from a storytelling perspective.

[Calis]

I am definitely in!

Was waiting for someone to do this. I thought about doing it myself, but this is just one of those games I'd rather just play.

Lets slaughter some Barbarians!

[daedalus]

'Bout time we get another Chiefie Dynasty. I just want more post, please!

[DeToxRox]

I'd love to be your offspring.

And no I won't rephrase.

[Chief Rum]

I am Chiefius Rumnii Julius, the faction leader of the Family Julius. I am 47 years old.

The three pirmary traits of any named individual in Rome: Total War are Command, Management and Influence. Command measures ability to command an army and inspire fighting men, Management relates to one's ability to manage the day-to-day affairs of a settlement (city, province, etc.), and Influence is exactly what it sounds like--that person's influence in the world's state of affairs (as related to both his personal power and character traits). All of these and many other personal traits are measured on a 10-point scale.

Chiefius Rumnii is by and large an average man. He has four Command points, four Management points, and five Influence points.

As in M:TW, I am blessed and cursed with a number of traits. The leading one is Faction Leader, which merely signifies that I am the faction leader of the Family Julius (duh). This gives me some bonuses, including +2 INF, +1 COM and +3 to personal security (protecting me against assassination plots).

I have three Command related traits, Good Commander, Command Talent, and Confident In Defense. Good Commander basically means I have demonstrated good command in the field (+2 COM). Command Talent indicates I have an innate ability to command men (+1 COM), that has been present from birth. And Confident In Defense means that, when defending, my calm decision-making gives me an additional +1 COM.

I am also a Consummatre Politician, which provides a ton of benefits. My mastery of the political arts gives me +3 INF, gives me a 15% bonus in my popularity in the Senate, and also improves the chances I may be elected to a Senatorial office.

At home, I am a Skilled Beauracrat with my city managing skills, giving me +2 MAN and +2 LAW (which helps me keep public order in cities, and keeps the people happy and less likely to revolt). I am also Stern, because of a conservative, unyielding lifestyle, giving me +1 MAN and a 100% increase in any needed bribes (not that I am truly bribeable as a faction leader).

Judging from all this, I would say that Chiefius Rumnii Julius is a regal looking gentleman with a strong, commanding presence and an able mind in most matters. He is not a great fighter, though, and can sometimes come off as arrogant. He is very stern with his family, people and men, and believes in black-and-whites more than grays, but he is very able to turn on the charm and sweet talk with other patricians, particularly Senators.

In my retinue is an aged retainer, an elderly gentleman who attends to me and privately offers advice on any number of subjects. He gives me an additional +1 MAN and +1 in personal security. My bodyguard consists of 44 spear-carrying cavalry (and to my knowledge, that type of soldier is the basic protection of all military patricians).

I am married to Faustina, 48. I have three sons and five grandchildren, including four boys. My eldest is Sachmius Julius, 31, and he is followed by Kingfcius Julius (29) and Bladeii Julius (28). None of my grandchildren have come of age (15 for girls, 16 for boys). Sachmius Julius opens the game anointed as my faction heir.

In the Senate, as you would suspect, I am fairly popular, and a small number of Senators seem to think I am destined for greatness. Still, very unbecoming of the head of the family known for being the Protector of the Plebs, the people dislike me strongly for some reason, to the point of hating me and anyone around me.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Thanks for the terrific interest, guys. As I said, I stuck with first come, first serve, so the first three respondents got my first three sons.

It is likely the rest of you will become my grandsons when they come of age (some are close). Sorry if I am not immediately able to satisfy any requests, but I will try to do so where I can.

Congrats sachmo on the early nod to being the faction heir.

kingfc, you get your wish.

Blade, you are an heir to the "throne" (head of the family), but you're going to have to kill off your brothers first (or wait until they get themselves killed). I think you'll find if I am dissatisfied with my heir, I may choose to simply toss him into heavy battle rather than naming a new one (which isn't as much fun). I figure my heir will either learn under fire--or he'll die.

Fonzie, in Rome:Total War, generals are sons (for the most part).

Calis, lucky for you, I am needy for attention, so I like to do these dynasties. Plus, it gives me the opportunity to explore the game rather than racing through it (which doesn't even seem possible anyway).

daedalus, thanks for the vote of confidence. More posting coming.

DeTox, you likely won't be my immediate offspring (unless my 48-year-old old maid of a wife is still spitting out eggs ), but you'll probably be somewhere in the Julius line.

More to come.

CR

[Chief Rum]

The Julii Sons

Here is a look at my three sons, Sachmius, Kingfcius and Bladeii.

Sachmius Julius (+1 COM, +6 MAN, +3 INF)

Sachmius is 31, and currently listed as my faction heir.

As the Faction Heir, Sachmius gets some small bonuses from this position of power, including +1 INF and +2 Personal Security. He has some of the characteristics of his stoic father, including Confident Commander (+1 COM) and Politician (+2 INF, 10% bonus to popularity in Senate, improves chances of being elected to Senatorial office), which are both smaller abilities in skills Chiefius has. Where he bests his father is in management. He is a Superb Administrator (+3 MAN, +3 Law), making him an ideal governor (more on that in a second).

His most interesting characteristic is he is Very Lively-- he detests laziness in his underlings, and can't abide by sloth. He gets +2 MAN, 20% bonus in army Movement Points, can force-march his army, and gets a 10% discount in Construction costs.

From this, I would say that Sachmius takes much after his father in appearance, as a taller, regal man who is nonetheless not all that skilled a fighter. He is very smart, though (handling bureaucratic problems with an ease that amazes Chiefius), and can command and sweet talk when he needs to. Where he sharply differs from dear ole Dad is while Chiefius is measured and relatively quiet, Sachmius is a workaholic and a literal bottle of energy. He both inspires awe from his underlings with his skill in running a province, and fear in that he will find their work unsatisfactory or, Jupiter forbid, slacking off on the job.

To aid him in these tasks, he is attended by a Freeman Clerk in his retinue, with +1 MAN and a 10% bonus to tax revenue attached to the overworked, under-appreciated secretary of Sachmius.

Sachmius is currently the Governor of Arretium, the capital city of the Julii faction, and the central settlement of the province of Erutria.

He is married to Poppaea, 29, and they have three children. The eldest, and the apple in his eye, is his daughter Fadia, 13, but of more importance to the family are his two sons, Fonzius (7) and Calisius (3). If Sachmius holds onto the heir position and anoints his own firstborn son as heir to the Julii one day, Fonzius is in line for big things.

Kingfcius Julius (+3 COM, +1 MAN)

Like Sachmius, Kingfcius has some of the same skills as Chiefius, but he is a different sort of fellow than his older brother.

Kingfcius, 29, appears to be the most naturally talented commander of men currently of age in the Julii. He is a Natural Born General (+3 COM) and a Confident Attacker (+1 COM when attacking). Taking somewhat after his brother, though, he is Lively, like an average between Chiefius and Sachmius. This gives him +1 MAN, 10% bonus in army Movement Points, can force-march his army, and gets a 5% Construction cost discount.

Kingfcius is a naturally bigger man than both his older brother and his father and is somewhat handy with his glavius (Roman sword). He has a commanding presence, and his men are comforted greatly by it. He is an able commander and delights in devising plans to take out an unwitting foe. He has an energy about his as well, although it's a friendly liveliness, whereas his brother's overbearing agitation is a little much for people to take in over the longhaul. His brother is the natural administrator, while he is the family's best general in the making (Chiefius beats him on experience alone, really).

Kingfcius further hones his armies with a Drillmaster in his retinue. The fierce taskmaster can turn green recruits into hardened vets. His presence with the general gives Kingfcius an additional +25% bonus in army Movement Points (wow, those boys can move) and a 10% discount in unit training.

Kingfcius is currently the Governor of Ariminum, the central settlement of Umbria, just to the east of Arretium.

The second son is married to Alypia, 29, and they have one child. Their son is Daedalus Julius, 13, the oldest of Chiefius's grandsons. He will soon be of age.

Bladeii Julius (+1 COM, +3 MAN, +2 INF)

The youngest, Bladeii at 28, is a gentle hodgepodge of skills his brothers and father have to an extent.

Like Sachmius, he is a Confident Commander (+1 COM). Like Chiefius and Sachmius, he also has some political savvy, with Politician (+2 INF, 10% bonus to popularity in Senate, improves chances of being elected to Senatorial office). Like Chiefius, he is a Skilled Bureaucrat (+2 MAN, +2 Law).

His standout skill from the others is an Understanding of Mathematics (+1 MAN, 5% bonus in trade income).

Bladeii is shorter and slighter than his brothers and father, but he may be the most naturally gifted, intellectually. He certainly did take to his education better than his elder brothers, which is why he is so gifted with math and numbers. He has a very able mind, allowing him to both deftly manage a settlement and play the role of the silver-tongued politician when needed, although he isn't nearly so gifted there as his father.

In his retinue is a Merchant, who encourages him to emphasize trade in his settlements. The tradesman gives him a 10% additional bonus in trade income.

He is married to Claudia, 28, and they have a son. DeToxii Julius is 10, and pretty low on the family totem pole at the moment.

CR

[kingfc22]

CR - Thanks for letting me a part of your dynasty. I can't wait to see what happens.

[Izulde]

I'd like to be a grandson

[Chief Rum]

No prob, Kincfius.

Izulde, I am plum out of grandsons at the moment, but all three of my sons are at prime "production" age. I'm sure we'll see another grandson or two somewhere along the way here, and if nor, you can be a great-grandson.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Family Julii Faction Overview

Agents

Aside from our family members and various attached peoples, we also have some specialized members of the faction.

They are Diplomat Sextus Antio, Spy Decius Curtius and Admiral Oppius.

Sextus Antio has the Diplomat (+3 INF) skill, and that is his lone qualification at the moment. He is currently in Erutria, not far from Chiefius Rumnii's army.

Decius Curtius seems to be a very able spy, with the Expert Spy (+4 Skill, +4 Line of Sight) skill. The first part of that goes with his general subterfuge skills (+4 overall), while the second is a reference to his ability to see the enemy. He has a +4 advantage in doing so, although I don't know yet what that actually translates to, game-wise. Decius Curtius is currently in Umbria.

Admiral Oppius, as his title suggests, runs our trade fleet, currently off of the coast of the fishing village and port in Erutria (not far off from Arretium). He doesn't seem to have any solid qualities at all, which is worrisome.

All three agents are 29 years old.

Diplomacy

We are currently allied with three other factions, none of whom should come to you as a surprise: the Brutii, the Scipii and S.P.Q.R., which is a Latin acronym for the Senate.

S.P.Q.R. actually refers to a Latin term that means something like the Roman people or something like that. S.P.Q.R. is like a fourth faction, although they are not playable (like the Pope in M:TW).

Armies

The full extent of the Julii armies at the moment is as follows:

120 spear cavalry (serving as the bodyguards for the four Julii patrician noblemen)
480 Hastati (6 units of 80; javelin-carrying quick attack light infantrymen)
80 Velites (1 unit; javelin-hurling missile throwers)
82 Triarii (1 unit; armored Roman spearmen)
80 Roman archers (1 unit; self-explanatory)
160 Town Watch (2 units of 80; town militia/policemen trained from the local populace)

Finances

The Julii treasury currently has 5000 dinarii.

The net profits per turn (six months) are currently listed as -306, but our projected profits for the turn is 226. I don't know why that's different.

Taxes, set to Normal, the middle tax level, throughout the two Julii provinces, are bringing in 1813 dinarii, with Farming bringing in most of the rest.

Army upkeep is taking the bulk of the expenditures (2330 dinarii).

Population

The overall population of the Julii is 7500, split between the two settlements of Arretium and Ariminum. The overall population growth is +2%.

Both settlements are Large Towns, the second lowest designation in the game for city-aize.

Arretium and Erutria

Arretium, the crown settlement of both Erutria and of the Julii, is the faction's capital. It has 4000 residents, and is currently governed by Sachmius Julius.

The settlement is 2000 short of advancing to the next stage in city-size.

Sachmius, being a very strong governor, has the Public Order (resident happiness) at +150% (100% or lower can lead to rioting). The settlement currently has an overall income deficit of -72 dinarii per turn.

Arretium is the biggest city under Julii control. It has a Governor's Villa (allows the training of peasants and recruiting of diplomats), a Wooden Palisade (lowest level of city walls), Militia Barracks (second level of barracks, allows training of Town Watch and Hastati), a Port (with one trade fleet available, trains Brireme, which seems to be some sort of boat), Land Clearance (first step in farm improvements) and Roads (improves roads, of course, and, more importantly, trade).

Erutria, as I said, is in the Florence area of modern day Italy, on the western side of the peninsula, just north of Rome. In fact, Arretium is likely to actually be Florence. There are a lot of high mountains in the middle of the Etruscan Peninsula, and some of them are at the back end of Erutria, blocking it partially from the eastern coast and Umbria.

There is only one natural resource, and that is marble. Aside from Umbria to the east, Erutria is bordered by the rebel-held Liguria up along the northern coast of Italy, and the rest of the province's border is with the Gallic-held Venetia, with whom we have a significant length of border. The south border of Erutria is with the S.P.Q.R. province of Latium--the home of Great Rome.

Ariminum and Umbria

Ariminum is only slightly behind the Julii capital in overall size with 3500 residents. As Kingcfius is a better general than he is governor, the people of Umbria are slightly less entrhalled with Julii rule, at +125% Public Order.

In perhaps a related note, the income deficit here is also lower, at -234 dinarii.

Similar to Arretium, Ariminum must reach 6000 residents to ascend to the next level of city size.

Ariminum has no buildings Arretium doesn't also have, and in fact is missing a couple the bigger city currently has. Ariminum has the Governor's Villa, the Wood Palisade, the Land Clearance, and the trade-bearing Roads, but it has no Port, and its Barracks are a step below the Militia Barracks in Arretium (and only train Town Watch as a result).

There is no obvious modern day city to equate to Ariminum, although it does appear to be roughly in the area of the little country of San Marino, completely contained by Italy along the Adriatic Sea coast. Umbria is largely farm land along the coast, with the mountains in the middle of Italy bloacking somewhat from both Erutria and the more southern Lattium. It is a very thin, long province, giving up most of central Italy to Erutria.

The only "natural" resource appears to be pottery, just outside of Ariminum. Umbria is the only Julii province connected to all three of the other Roman factions. Aside from Erutria and Lattium to the west and southwest, it also shares southern and southwestern borders with the Brutii-held Apullia and the Scipii-controlled Capua. The small northern border is all Venetia.

CR

[Chief Rum]

The Other Factions and the Senate

Here's a quick look at the other Roman factions.

Family Brutii

The Brutii have been a part of Roman history since, reputedly, Romulus himself. They first truly reached power after the rise of the Republic in the Year of Rome 244, and served as the first Praetors before the two-consul system of rule was adopted.

They are regarded as the oldest and most traditional Roman family, with a rich history in Rome's political past and a dominating presence in its social circles.

They control the entire southern end of the Etruscan Peninsula, with the provinces of Apulia and Bruttium. The easternmost Apulia has the city of Tarentium, while Bruttium has Croton. The two Brutii cities stare at each other from heel to ball of the Italian "foot".

The Brutii are the only family to open with a member as part of the Senate's six-man ruling council, with Brutii faction leader Tiberius Brutus, 52, holding the Qaestor position, the lowest of the six positions.

Family Scipii

What the Scipii lack in the Brutii's traditional connections and power, they more than make up for with supreme wealth. They, too, are an old family, but not nearly as old as the Brutii.

They control the southwestern province of Campania, and the northeastern tip of Sicila, the region of Sicila Romanus. Because of the location of that last region on an island split between Romans, Greeks and Carthaginians, they are quite concerned about foreign relations.

The central settlements of the Scipii are Capua in Campania, which lies just south of Lattium and Rome, and Messana is the central town of Sicilia Romanus.

The Senate

The central ruling power of all of Rome is the Senate, based, of course, out of Rome. The Senate only controls Rome itself, and the province of Lattium around it. As noted, they go by the acronym S.P.Q.R.

The Senate regularly hands out missions to the other factions and generally rules over the entire Republic, with the aid of its six-member ruling council. The top five members of the council are all S.P.Q.R. dignitaries.

The most powerful office is that of consul. In history, there were two consuls, but there is only one proposed here. S.P.Q.R. faction leader Decius Maxentius, and by all accounts a worthy individual, is currently Consul of Rome. The 60-year-old is the chief officer of the state, proposes legislation to the Senate and leads Rome's armies in defense of the Great City.

His son and heir Marcus Maxentius, 30, is the Censor. He, of course, handles the census, in addition to public works and the Republic finances. He is also the guardian of public morality. He also seems to be quite capable, taking after his father.

The Pontifex Maximus is the very influential Servius Maxentius, another member of the S.P.Q.R. faction family tree. He is 36 years old. This office is the chief religious officer of the state.

S.P.Q.R. has unfortunately put two significantly elsser talented individuals in two of the other offices. The 31-year-old Julianus Murena serves as the Prateor, while Kaeso Pullius, just 27, is the Aedile.

The Praetor serves as the head judge and law officer of the state, controlling the judicial end of affairs, while the Aedile controls maintenance and handles public order.

Tiberius Brutus is also a very capable man, and a good choice for Qaestor. The Brutii faction leader shouldn't take too long to take over one of the other, higher positions, as the Qaestor is the lowest-ranked position on the ruling council. The Qaestor is in charge of the treasury and of record keeping.

CR

[Katon]

Put me in the queue for family members.

[Icy]

Nice, i just got the game today and as soon as i get done the work i need to finish i'll start to play it. Will follow this dynasty to learn from you

BTW, are you using the mods to slow down the battles? the default speeds is said to be so fast and unrealistic. There is also a mod to unlock all factions so you can play all them.

[Chief Rum]

Sure thing, Katon.

Icy, you'll probably quickly pass where I am. Feel free to learn what you can, though.

I haven't modded the game at all, although it's good to know they have that available now. One of the ultimate pruposes of this game here was to unlock the other factions, but since I found the Romans just as interesting, I figured it doesn't hurt to start a dynasty with them.

As for the speed (I assume you mean the battle speed), I have played several battles already in the Prologue (which you can keep playing for some time, actually), and they seem fine to me. They might not if I forced myself to not use the Pause button, but, really, that's what it's there for.

I'll put you on my list, so you can have another reason to follow the dynasty after you pass me up.

CR

[Coffee Warlord]

Beat me to the dynasty!

Coffeius Warlordium wishes to lead your armies!

[Travis]

You mentioned assassin, if you're not just teasing, please sign me up!

Either way, this one is on the must read list, great stuff.

[Wolfpack]

Sounds interesting. I'm game for a future grandson spot. "Wolfpackimus" or "Packimus", I guess will be the kid's name.

[mrkilla22]

Put me in the queue for family members also please. You are doing a great job so far Chief!

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

S.P.Q.R. actually refers to a Latin term that means something like the Roman people or something like that. S.P.Q.R. is like a fourth faction, although they are not playable (like the Pope in M:TW).

Senatus Populosque Romae, IIRC (latin was a long time ago)

The Senate and the People of Rome

From some webpage: "It was emblazoned on the standards of the Roman legions and was the official name of the Roman Empire. It also appears in the coat of arms of today's city of Rome."


I'm reading along, and would like to have some part in the dynasty, does not matter what. Good luck!

[illinifan999]

I'd like to be a general. I'll be reading.

[Roberto]

I'd like to join the family too, please.

[Neuqua]

Chief, buddy, pal, comerade.

I'd like in whenever you get a chance.

[SirFozzie]

Count me in .. however you need

[Chief Rum]

Hmmm...I should have seen this coming.

That's a lot of people, and I don't want to keep you all waiting, so unless you specifically said you want to be a general/son, I will probably start putting you guys in other roles, too (such as diplomats, spies, assassins, admirals, who knows, maybe even enemy generals ).

CR

[DeToxRox]

Chief: I changed my mind. Can I be an assassin?

Detoxous Roxous is ready.

[Chief Rum]

Sure thing, Detox. To that end, the DeToxii now no longer exists, and is replaced by Izuldius, now the lone son of Bladeii.

I have decided I'm not going to make anyone a diplomat or an admiral, for the simple reason that one is boring, and the other doesn't do much (even the battles are autoresolved). Well, I will if someone wants me to, but I am guessing most of you will want to be doing more exciting things than negotiating trade rights or shipping my armies around the Mediterranean. If any individual in game attains some higher status, I may then make one of you guys him.

But spies and assassins are open game. Toward that aim, I am making my spy (in game, he is Decius Curtius) Icius for Icy (the first FOFC member to not specify to be a general).

Travis, I do not yet have the capability to generate assassins, but I will, and you will be first in line for one. DeTox, you will be second.

I am keeping the enemy generals/faction leaders in reserve for now, because I won't want to do that unless I am sure I will be facing that person a lot such as if the Gauls have a young faction leader when I embark on a lengthy war against them). My goal with those spots will be to only use them where I am reasonably sure I will be able to keep your characters in the game for a while.

CR

[jfbbis]

Senatus Populus Quirites Romae, I would say. Quirites were the citizens while in the army as opposed to Populus, citizens during peace. I would gladly be a spy if such a position is available.

[Chief Rum]

The Senate Gives Us A Misson

It doesn't take long for the Senate to determine a use for us.

They have decided that we should be controlling the small town of Segesta, the central settlement of Liguria. Liguria is just to the north of Erutria, along the western coast, and covers the curve of the end of the Etruscan Peninsula and along toward the western Gallic coast. I believe Segesta is in the modern placement of Genoa (without bothering to look it up to be sure anyway).

Judging from afar, it appears that the town is lightly guarded, and that the peasants are revolting. It should be easy pickings.

The Ligurians are a rebel faction, and so they present little longterm threat, but the Senate is anxious to expand.

Personally, I don't have much issue with taking Liguria, as it is certainly in the way of further expansion to the west and northwest. That said, I believe that will significantly expand our border with the Gauls, and I am pretty sure we will be in conflict with them soon. So that will make guarding my territories a little more difficult.

But it wouldn't do to upset the Senate so early.

Most of my armies are already gathered at the borderwith Liguria, and they are under the control of Chiefius Rumnii and third son Bladeii. That doesn't make much sense to me, as Baldeii is much more of an administrator than a general, so I will send him to Ariminum to replace Kingfcius as governor there, and will have my second son come join me. Kingfcius is the best general of my sons (and the worst administrator).

This will also give me a chance to send Icius into Liguria to scope out Segesta.

CR

[DeToxRox]

are you going to be able to post screens? just wondering

[ntndeacon]

I would like to be in the game too. whether as a general or wherever i can get into it.

[Swaggs]

If it isn't too late, I'd like to be your trusted assassin.

[Chief Rum]

Autumnal Equinox, Year of Rome 483

Although a dark winter harkened a mere few months away, the Etrurian coastlands still held on fiercely to a long Mediterranean summer. Chiefius Rumnii stared at a setting sun and soft waves lapping at the sand from his position on the highlands overlooking the coast. He could hear the Julii banner flapping from a brisk ocean wind. Gods be praised for giving us such a glorious land, Chiefius thought to himself.

A young hastati guard broke him from his reverie.

"My Lord Julius, a messenger approaches," he said, with slightly lowered eyes in deference to his general's rank. "It is believed to be Icius."

"Send him to my tent when he arrives," Chiefius ordered, sending the guard away.

Icius did not take long to reach the tent. Icius is a man Chiefius has found many uses for. Unlike the more traditional spies, Icius has quite a skill for insinuating himself in a crowd, such as in an enemy city, and making himself as one with the locals. This allows him to see things normal spies can't.

"Icius, you are right on time," Chiefius said. "Are you prepared to move on to Segesta?"

The look on Icius's face made Chiefius's voice falter a bit. There is bad news, he saw. He motioned for his bodyguards to leave, as well as his attendees, leaving just his aged retainer Mercius and his newly arrived son Kingfcius. Icius waited in deference as the tent was cleared.

"My Lord Julius, I have come upon ill tidings for Erutria along my course to you and onward to Liguria," the spy said. "I caught wind of a group of armed men along the road from Ariminum. Fearing Gauls, I went to bear witness upon them. From afar, I saw they were not heathen barbarians, but a rather large local band of brigands. On closer inspection, I have seen some former henchman and mercenaries of the Family Julius, disgraced men of treachery whom have a grudge against your Lordship. They are 240 strong, hastati by style, and look to be a possible threat upon Arretium and the countryside. I have sent messenger to Lord Sachmius to make him aware, but I thought you should know as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Icius," Chiefius said. "Please, feast with us tonight--your contributions to the Family will not be forgotten. I still wish you to move on to Segesta on the morn."

"Aye, my Lord," the spy said, giving a short bow before retreating from the tent.

Kingfcius turned to Chiefius after the spy left.

"Father, Sachmius does not have the command wherewithal nor the manpower to withstand such an attack," Kingfcius advised.

"I am aware of that, Kingfcius," Chiefius said. "We are close to ready for an assault on Segesta, but this is far more serious. We will need to deal with it immediately."

"Father, with your permission, I would take a contingent of our force myself and deal with this," Kingfcius asked.

Chiefius nodded his assent.

"I feel you are ready to do so. Take what forces you need," the Lord Julius said. Kingfcius immediately left to make preparations.

Why must our path always be fraught with distractions?, Chiefius thought to himself.

CR

[Chief Rum]

DeTox, I would like to, but I haven't fully explored that yet. I have a new keyboard, with a lot of nice new functions, but it's not so straight forward to figure out the print screen button (which appears to be a second function on a key here, rather than its own key).

Then I have to make sure I am capturing the image right (I don't have much experience with that).

And then I have to find web site space to post the screen, don't I? I don't currently have a Web site, although I might have some space set aside by my cable provider (I thought I read that somewhere).

Anyway, it's something I want to do, but there are some steps I need to take first, and I don't know if I want to dive into that just yet. Any help or advice or recommendations, of course, would be appreciated.

ntndeacon and Swaggs, you guys have been added to the list.

CR

[JeffNights]

Hey can i be a senator?

[Izulde]

Whoot! Go Izuldius!

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by JeffNights

Hey can i be a senator?

Sure, although they don't list senators specifically. I can make you a part of the S.P.Q.R. faction, though.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Chasing Down Brigands

I have found in my early playing that, usually, when a band of brigands shows up, it's just a bunch of peasants or naked fanatics or other low end warriors. Seeing three groups of hastati for this one was a significant difference, so I was prepared for a tougher fight than usual from brigands.

Kingfcius and his 500 men (4 80-man hastati units, 1 80-man Roman archer unit, and 1 80-man velite unit, along with Kingfcius's 20 spear-cavalrymen bodyguards) marched to the brigand army from the west. The rebel army was under control of a Captain Nero (obviously leading a hastati group).

We met up with them just outside of Arretium. It was pretty flat, clear terrain on a clear day. The central mountains that occupy much of Erutria formed a background to the north, and there was some thick forest up there as well, but there no trees near us at all.

The strange feature of this battlefield was an odd rock jutting out of the plain, like some kind of creepy alien rock. It was a tall rock, like a small hill, although the ridges were so sharp you couldn't actually go up it. Judging from where I was set up, I anticipated that the brigands would be just to the north of the rock. I sent Kingfcius and a unit of hastati off to the right, hoping to moving them to the other side of the rock and come around on the enemy. Then I set up the other units in a pincer movement, with a hastati unit on each end, a hastati unit in the middle, the archers in the gap between the hastati on the right, and the velites in the gap on the left.

When the sun rose and we got a good view of the enemy, we saw the three enemy hastati units were arranged in a column of back to back units.

Here's a basic attempt at the battlefield breakdown.

RH= Roman histati
RA= Roman archers
RV= Roman Velites
RG= Roman general and cavalry bodyguard

BH= Brigand histati

*****

				 X
	BH			The
	BH		    X Rock X
	BH			 X



RH	RH	RH				RH	RG
    RV      RA

I sent the histati on the ends wide of the enemy battle column, and advanced the middle units. I sent Kingfcius's unit and the fourth histati on a run to the south of the rock.

The brigands weren't so anxious to wait for us, so they started advancing, with the two front units appearing to pick out hastati opponents, while the third one, led by Captain Nero, advanced in reserve. Their approach was faster than I liked, so I ordered all of my hastati in the main group to attack the front two units. I had my velites focus on the front group, and the archers on the captain's group at the back end. And I hastily ordered the fourth hastati to rush at the enemy from the side, although from the other side of the rock, it might take a bit. Then I ordered Kingfcius to circle aorund the rock and come at the enemy from behind.

Once the front columns of the enemy saw that we were advancing and fell under fire from javelins thrown by our velites, they faltered a bit. Then they turned around and ran! By then, my general and his cavalry had a step on the back end of the column, coming around the rock. Kingfcius and his cavalry slammed into and really, through, the brigand captain's columns, riding down Captain Nero himself almost immediately. By then our hastati had caught up with the other two columns and were beginning to put a hurt on them. That's when the battle was called.

It was an amazingly domiannt victory, even against a lower end opponent. Just one man--one!-- fell from the Julii ranks, one of Kingfcius's cavalrymen. We killed half of the enemy force, a full 120, and dispersed the rest.

In triumph, Kingfcius marched his army back to the side of Chiefius Rumnii.

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[JeffNights]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Sure, although they don't list senators specifically. I can make you a part of the S.P.Q.R. faction, though.

CR

Sweet/ " )

[sachmo71]

Can I kill my younger brothers??

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

Can I kill my younger brothers??

Thats not fair, i cant defend myself with my crappy combat skills....just let me run my province till i die

[Jesse_Ewiak]

I'll be a son/grandson/etc., whatever opens. Hell, I'll even be an enemy leader if that means my family lives on! :-)

[General Mike]

General Mike needs to be a general

[Chief Rum]

Assault On Segesta

Kingfcius defeated the rebel brigands so fast that he was able to quickly return to the main army and immediately prepare to march on Segesta before the weather was to turn to cold.

A fortnight's march and we were beginning to approach Segesta. As Chiefius did his job, so did Icius. We received word that Segesta was a small town that was not guarded by a wall. Any lack of a wall is one less obstacle that we have to face.

The forces arrayed against us brought even better news. Icius reported that just 240 men, led by a Captain Vellocatus, were standing in our way, one 120-man unit of Warband warriors, and a similarly-sized group Barbarian peasants.

We arrived at Segesta and prepared for battle.

The Assault

With no wall around Segesta, there is no need to wait a turn to build seige equipment, and I saw no advantage in waiting. So I immediately set to planning the assault.

The city seemed to be built on a series of small, flattened rises, with three main roads running through it to a center square (imagine a Mercedes logo).

Altogether, I had 627 men under my command, with four 80-man hastati units, one 82-man triarii unit, one 80-man velites unit, one 80-man Roman archer unit, and the two cavalry guards for our two generals, a total of 63 horsemen.

I split up my forces into two hastati, the velites and Kingfcius's cavalry unit in front of one road entrance, and the rest of my forces, led by Chiefius at another road entrance.

Once the battle started, it was clear the enemy was intent to make a last stand in the courtyard. They had all 240 man crowded there, and didn't make any aggressive moves toward us at all, even as my units began to move their way into the city.

I thought that I had numerous ways into the city, marching along the sides of buildings and such, but it turns out you could only go along the roads. In the end, I ended up just doing a mad rush. I sent a hastati unit from each group at each of the enemy units, so that they would both have to face two such units. I also aimed the velites at the warband warriors, whom I thought would be tougher than the barbarian peasants.

By sending in Kingfcius and his group a little earlier, I was able to draw the enemy's attention his way, allowing me to swing in my triarii down the other road to catch them from behind. Kingfcius's hastati reached the units first, though, and a tough battle ensued, as we were outnumbered 240-160.

The velites missiles were finding their mark, though, and I charged Kingfcius inot the fray to help out the struggling hastati fighting the Warband warriors.

That evened things up a little, and that's when the triarii arrived from behind. The slaughter was on. The warband warriors were trapped and falling in droves, while the barbarian peasants were merely biding their time before their own demise.

We swept across the courtyard, killing Captain Vellocatus, and winning the day in dominating fashion.

The slaughter was complete. No warrior who bore arms against us this day lived to see the sun set, with all 241 meeting their end. We lost just 37 men, with the bulk of the damage coming from the first hastati group that charged into the courtyard.

The Spoils of War

The first is the most obvious. With the brilliant defeat of the Liguruians, Segesta and all of Liguria fall under our sway. Despite it's small size, Segesta seems to be in a fairly strong economic area, as it already looks to bring in more income than either Arretium or Arinimum.

We enslaved much of the populace and filtered them out on the roads to our other two cities to ease public disorder in the newly conquered realm, and add helpful working hands to the other two regions.

It's clear, though, that the remaining populace is not likely to remain content under rule for a while, so most of the army will likely stick out the mild Italian winter here.

Both Chiefius and Kingfcius came out like bandits in this one, both adding a Command star to their talents for this victory. Chiefius also added True Roman to his list of attributes, which is similar in effect to the Consummate Politician. It adds another point of Influence, increases his popularity in the Senate (5%), and improves his shot at a Senatorial elected office.

As if that wasn't enough, Chiefius also added an Exotic Slave from the Ligurian populace. The game doesn't go into much detail, and hints only that the presence of someone who is "different" lends to Chiefius's own mystery and appeal, increasing his Influence. What I noted is the picture is of a not unattractive woman and, given my own interpretation of exotic (not much different from 'erotic' ), is that Chiefius might have attained for himself a concubine.

No one tell beloved wife Faustina, okay?

The Senate also acknowledged our completed mission and awarded us with a new brireme, increasing our navy to three ships. All three are under the command of Admiral Oppius and are awaiting orders off of the coast of Erutria.

CR