Hannibal, son of Hamilcar - A Rome II Total War Carthaginian AAR

[undercovergeek]

Hanno, some called him 'the Great', stood atop his palace rooftop garden in the Quartier Magon district of Carthage city, as the dawn faithfully raised the sun once more. He watched it intently, his wrinkled features studied it with interest as the heat haze began to distort the golden horizon. This palace was the throne of power which ruled the Carthaginian empire, stretching from Iberia, across the Mediterranean to Sicily's west coast. I noted that he had a peaceful aura about him, standing as he was at the foot of the statue of Baal in the centre of the gardens, his court musician playing an old Phoenician melody behind a veiled doorway. From the way he stood beneath the magnificent statue I could tell he was leaning hard against the cane his chirurgeon had given him - an old wound from the Pyrrhic war.

As I wrote about his character he caught me off guard as he addressed me.

"There are never enough ships Gisco, never enough. It has always been this way, it will always be this way."

I said nothing.

"I have come to a decision. I am a man of tradition. A warrior and descendant of the feared tribes of Tyre!"

His words seemed to echo slightly. The musician began to play a more mellow tune

"The Carthaginian empire is in danger, Gisco. I have watched over our lands as rebellion has reached an all time high, we sit precariously on the brink of widespread revolt. We are strong, but we are a shadow of our former might. My ministers and I have allowed ourselves to grow fat and lazy over the past decades, the Greeks have left us less than that which we were. They envy our trade, our navy and our lands and they will come again, have no doubts. We do not have the military capability to crush them...... yet. Most of our friends to the east have left us, fearing reprisals from the envious Greeks'

I continued to write, peering up from my scroll every now and then to see if Hanno had stopped his pacing.

"But Gisco..... that is not the worst of it! Romans! They come and claim lands which they have no business to. Men such as these Romans are to be feared. I fear they will come to pick apart our Empire whilst they sense it is weakened. Look to the east! Syracruse, and Sicily... We would be fools to ignore them too. No... as I said, I am a man of tradition. I would not see our ancient homelands fall to these men and their legions.'

Hanno leaned into his cane a little more as this burst of energy caused a series of spasms across his back. I was fascinated. My name is Gisco Magoniod, I am a young scholar of proud Phoenician descent. I studied in Karalis until I returned to Carthage, where I had found myself honoured to be requested to write a biography of sorts of Hanno the Great, Carthaginian king. Little did I know I would be witness to the embarking of a great journey for the people of Carthage. I was lodged in Hanno's palace and was relayed battle reports and letters from all corners of the Empire, in order to collate them and write out the legacy of Hanno 'Magnus' II.

[Martok]

Excellent.  Looking forward to more! 

[MetalDog]

'Geek, I salute you!  I have the ambition to AAR, just not the drive.  I look forward to another of your fine stories.

[besilarius]

Very nice beginning.  Geek, you are inspired.

[JasonPratt]

I sense that the adventures of the Moose have come to an end. Ah, well, he had achieved what he was seeking, more or less. Graphics are better in this game anyway. ;)

[undercovergeek]

"Here, here is our secret weapon Gisco..... Carthago Novo, here lies our foothold on Southern Europa. The navies of Rome and Greece will see our forces launch from Africa and Sicily and harry our glorious armies until they land..... that is not the way Gisco"

He tapped his cane on the map, some called it Qart Hadasht, believers in the might of Carthage called it New Carthage, across the mediterraenean the most important settlement of our empire.

"I will build vast training grounds for our troops, employ our Generals and Captains to scour the continent for their best men, spears and pikes from the African tribes, elite swordsmen from Libya!!!! We will crush all the petty war leaders and tribes in our way, and clear a path to Gaul and the Northern reaches of Rome"

He tapped his cane once again on the map, "...and here is where it shall begin Gisco"

I squinted at the map, the marker there was of a golden beast on a sea of orange, the Turdetani. Long standing enemies, they raid the caravans of Carthago Novo, loot outlying villages of the city and steal our people for slaves. Some time ago, in the library at Karalis, I read scrolls from the Greek historian Strabo, he wrote that the Turdetani are the most civilised of all men on this 'Iberia'. He is wrong and Hanno will prove him so, his plans for the training grounds were already underway and the beginnings of a new army were taking shape across the sea.

As i speak of the sea I am reminded that Hanno summoned 'him'. The one they all talk about around the tables, at the stalls at market, they whisper his name in the theatres..... Hannibal, Hanno's chosen one, our greatest General. The main roads to Carthage were still lined with over a thousand heads, cut from the men of the 'The Butchers', an army of robbers and thieves who had terrorised the outskirts of the city, strangled trade until the caravans had all but stopped, and stolen a fortune from the coffers of Carthage, and above the cities main gate was the head of Shufta, their leader. Hannibal had been sent into the desert by Hanno to bring a stop to Shufta and his army, it had taken over a year but he had returned to a heroes welcome not so long ago.

He had met with Hanno who had dispatched him to Carthago Novo aboard the Breath of Baal, the flagship of the Navy, so that he could muster an army and take Iberia.

My tasks are many, the piles of work on my desk are in danger of collapse - Hanno may be old but he is relentless in his search for the betterment of Carthage. Trade agreements have been made with our new friends the Etruscan league, we share a common fear and loathing of the Roman and they have begged for Hanno's name on a defensive alliance against them - i am reading the contract now, but it will be done before the day's end. With the ending of the stranglehold the Butchers had on the city, more trade flows freely, and our neighbours Libya enter a trade agreement with us too.

"Before I go to my bed Gisco, know that mercenary armies even now flock to Carthage's banner in Iberia. General Mago there is my first choice to sweep the Turdetani from the map, and Hannibal will follow in his wake, when the navy and the Breath of Baal return, Admiral Gisgo will have many, many payments for you to make to these Numidians. Please have the documents ready - haste is of the essence now, we must strike quick before the Turdetani know what it is coming''

Mago was almost as famous as Hannibal. Not from the ruling clan of the Barca he would never be able to rise to Commander of the Armies of Carthage but he was as brave and as reckless as his brother in arms. He was Hannibal's right hand man during the war with the Butchers and was at Carthago Novo now to train new recruits for those lost during the war.

[Martok]

Lookin' good, geek! 


Question (since I've not played Carthage yet):  Do they get any sort of advantage with mercenary troops?  Just curious. 

[undercovergeek]

Lookin' good, geek! 


Question (since I've not played Carthage yet):  Do they get any sort of advantage with mercenary troops?  Just curious.

They get a 5 percent discount at mercenaries R us

[undercovergeek]

The Battle of Kartuba

[/b]

Preparations for the siege of Kartuba were well under way when scouts from the southwest advised Mago that reinforcements were heading to the city. Bolstered by fresh troops, the defenders of Kartuba rushed from the gates and engaged Mago on the plains of Baetica.

As the enemy formations come into view Mago shifts his swordsmen to the left flank under the cover of a wooded mound, and his spearmen to the centre to hold the line

Elements of the enemy forces can be seen sneaking through the village. The opposing forces couldnt be more different from Mago's - they are mostly made up of javelin armed skirmishers and cavalry, whereas Mago has brought swordsmen and spears. The spears can easily contain the cavalry but will be at the mercy of the javelins throughtout the battle

Taking Mago completely by surprise the enemy switches their axis of attack - the cavalry swarm over the wooded mound and attack the swordsmen who are pitifully armed to fend off horsemen and the skirmishers begin picking off the spearmen from distance

The spearmen shift to rescue the outmanouvered swordsmen............

.....but in doing so, expose their flank to the skirmishers who now charge the vulnerable spearmen

Mago takes matters into his own hands, steers his elephants around and charges the flanks of the massed skirmishers swarming over the spearmen

The enemys resolve is immediately broken and the elephants trample the broken troops

Simultaneously the swordsmen/spearmen mixed group break the cavalry line and drag the Turdetani leader from his horse - his body is later found with uncountable stab wounds

Mago spurs his elephant riders on as they clear the battlefield of stragglers.

Later he will march through the city gates and claim Kartuba - the crows will clear the plains of 1400 dead Turdetani and 600 dead Carthaginian heroes

[MengJiao]

  Fantastic!  My favorite RTWII AAR/DAR ever!

[Martok]

Nice battle.  Thank goodness for Mago and his elephants! 

[undercovergeek]

I winced for at least a third time as more cups and plates smashed around the Imperial throne room. Despite the cane and the advancing years, Hanno could still put a lot of energy into his rage. Captain Veradis of the 'Walls of Byrsa' company, tasked with the garrison of Carthage had only just left the room after delivering the papers and notifications that were now on my desk and appraising my Lord of the situation in the North - hence the rage

Hanno's father, a long time ago had subjugated the tribes of Libya and Novo Carthage and they had sworn fealty to his Empire. But they were small, pseudo powers with no real authority and no real responsibility, primarily granted their freedom for the service they could provide - that service been to maintain and project the power of Carthage beyond its core provinces, and maintain some border control. Left to rot at the end of the long arm of the Empire their governors and leaders became restless and impatient, hungry for power. They often warred amongst themselves, occasionally biting off more than they could chew when a large ally turned up to show them who the real regional power was, and when that happened they would come running back to Carthage for my Lord's assistance, diplomatically or sometimes militarily.

Concerned with Iberia and quelling the uprisings in Sicily and Corsica my Lord, his advisors and myself had not really taken notice of the small battles taking place backwards and forwards between our client states and their paltry neighbours, but it seems a wasp's nest has been poked too many times in the north. Small pleas and subsequent agreements for assistance in border wars have gone unnoticed, and the consequences of who and what my Lord was supporting has been ignored, the embodiment of that ignorance was now off the coast of Carthago Novo itself, the huge invasion fleet of the Edatani

Coast watchers estimate 4000 enemy troops aboard the ships...........

....... the small garrison naval force bravely sacrifice themselves to harras the landing force and report back with enemy numbers and composition

Their deaths will not be meaningless - the enemy numbers and make up of their forces have been signalled to General Hannibal ashore.

Spearmen of General Hannibal's 'Dido's Faithful' company watch helplessly as the Edetani navy looks for weak spots in the city's defence

At least four heavily loaded transport ships sail into the undefended harbour. The ships run aground and the elite swordsmen of the Edetani leap over the sides and attack the vital strategic point. Within minutes the shore is packed with enemy troops, General Hannibal orders his men to abandon the walls and race to the beach - the harbour cannot fall.

Hannibal attacks each landing force in turn, sweeping up the beach with a phalanx of spearmen, a wall of spears slowly marching along the surfline, pinning the swordsmen back. With forces to spare Hannibal sends his own swordsmen around the back of the attackers and cuts them down from the rear - the beach is saved.

Caught up in the heat of battle, Hannibal is unsure where the rest of the Edetani forces are. He signals to one of the lookouts in the towers - the reply chills his blood. The remaining enemy forces, approximately 3500 are already ashore at the North Wall and advancing on the unmanned, undefended entry to the city at the Baal Gate, the battle is far from over.....................

[undercovergeek]

... more later


aka accidental double post

[Martok]

Good descriptors as always, geek.  8) 

So had the Edetani really caught you with your pants down?  (I'm always delighted when the AI manages to pull a fast one on me.) 

[undercovergeek]

So had the Edetani really caught you with your pants down?  (I'm always delighted when the AI manages to pull a fast one on me.)

Totally, as mentioned in the tale there was a flurry of 'your client state has declared war on blah blah and needs your support' and i never really took notice of who was fighting who  :-\

i normally view these appeals for help as an opportunity to refuse, break the alliance and go beat the crap out of them and steal their land as the request usually comes in when theyre losing - i thought id RPG it properly and aid my allies but the trouble starting bastards upset everybody and dragged in the Edetani and i clicked on offer help without looking again not realising they have quite a sizable force. The invasion fleet appeared out of the fog of war and landed outside Carthago Novo

As for the battle i got really engrossed in the beach landing having never seen one, and expected the AI to have waited offshore with the rest of the forces to see how the beach landing went - as soon as the beach was clear i panned back to see themajority of their army setting fire to the gate - no defenders, no nothing in situ - i was very impressed