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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.

Excellent.  Looking forward to more! 

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

Very nice beginning.  Geek, you are inspired.

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. ;)

"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.

Lookin' good, geek! 


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

Quote from: Martok on December 23, 2013, 12:09:44 PM
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

[/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

  Fantastic!  My favorite RTWII AAR/DAR ever!

Nice battle.  Thank goodness for Mago and his elephants! 

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.....................

... more later


aka accidental double post

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.) 

Quote from: Martok on December 31, 2013, 06:18:34 AM
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

Nice.  Looking forward to seeing how you dealt with them.  :) 

are the pictures too small?

Lookouts rush to the north wall and Baal gate to track the movements of the enemy army


Hannibal orders the whole garrison army to run for the Baal gate as it begins to burn in the distance...........


......the Edetani have arrived at the Baal gate and begun to set fire to the sturdy doors


The fire destroys the gate just as Hannibal's army gets into position


Hannibal heads to the battlements for a better view of the Edetani composition


The Baal gate is flung open and the enemy pour through


The stout defenders hold the superior swordsmen back with their spears...................


.........but the Edetani's better training and skill begins to pay off


Using the intelligence gained from the heroic sailors and his own view of the enemy, Hannibal moves his elephant troops into position


The Edetani have made the fatal error of not bringing any spear troops to defend against mounted men. Screaming the name of the sunken naval squadron Hannibal charges his elephants into the face of the enemy


The Edetani front line are no match for the beasts


Vengeful Carthaginian spearmen fill the gaps left by the marauding elephants and take the attack to the Edetani outside the gates. Seeing the enemies backs in the open space before the city walls, Hannibal orders his elephants to stampede - the animals crush everything before them whilst the garrison stay just behind them in case of a rogue


Battered and exhausted the Edetani turn and run for their boats - none shall leave the shadow of Carthago Novo. Writing his report to Hanno, Hannibal notes that of 4000 Edetani, 3780 litter the battlefield, the remainder were lost in the forests to the North or are still swimming out to sea. He begs for permission to advance on the Edetani capital and put the remainder of the foe to the sword.

As I read this report to my Lord he is both elated and furious. His reply to Hannibal's request is to have him immediately sent back to Carthage, for what i do not know

Great battle, geek!  Elephants definitely seem to be war-winners when utilized properly. 

Quote from: undercovergeek on January 01, 2014, 02:40:42 PM
are the pictures too small?

No, I'd say they're just about right, actually.  I'd meant to comment (and compliment you) on that.  :) 

Thanks martok.... the elephants do come in handy but can get in a spot of bother if surrounded by spears

Not to derail the thread, but how valid do you think the points are that are raised in this video?

I haven't purchased R2TW yet.  I mainly play for the tactical battles and from what I see here and have read elsewhere, the tactical battles are a big step back for the franchise.  Do you find this to be true?

Personally, my two main critiques where combat is concerned is the too-fast pace (unit movement and kill speeds), and the "blobbing" effect where a battle line loses most/all cohesion once troops get into melee range. 

As I understand it, the former problem can be addressed (at least to an extent) with mods, but the latter can only be fixed by the devs. 

Sdr - haven't had chance to watch it yet, should be tomorrow and I'll let you know

The pictures are just the right size.  I don't have to scroll to the end of the post to move the pic over so I can see all of it.  And nice save by Hannibal.

Cool that's what I was aiming for - more later

I clattered into the Imperial throne room, my arms full of brushes, quills, and pots of ink and colours - my Lord Hanno had requested me to record the meeting with Hannibal. So preoccupied with not dropping anything and detangling myself from the curtain that was drawn across the doorway into the room I did not notice the two men there. One was a bear of a man, far taller and wider than any man should be, he stood there with his arms folded, arms criss-crossed with pale battle scars, a look of disdain on his face as he surveyed this clerk stumbling about. The man's legend preceeded him, Krastus, Hannibal's captain and head of the General's bodyguard. He said nothing, simply allowed his scornful gaze to follow me around the room as i placed the pots and brushes at my desk, a permanent frown upon on his face. And there next to him, almost as tall but nowhere near as large, General Hannibal, a kinder face but no less intimidating for it, he seemed to have fared better than Krastus in his battles and was much less scarred. Both of them looked hewn from stone, stood with easy confidence, waiting for Hanno. The heralds announced his imminent arrival and both Krastus and Hannibal went down on one knee, their right arm crossed over their breast, their fist clenched. I bent to my knee as Hanno entered the room, wafting his hand and dismissing a number of scribes and advisers crowding round him.

A curt nod in my direction let me know to be seated and commence taking notes.

'To the Great Hanno, I must with all haste pursue our enemy to the mountains and rid this land of the Edetani once and for all?' recited my Lord from memory. 'Maker of war policy are we now great General? Shepherd of my armies and guiding light to our countrymen?'

'Lord, I only thought..........' interrupted Hannibal. Hanno raised his hand slowly,

'There will be no thinking Hannibal Barca of Gades, son of Hamilcar. I can arrange for you to tend sheep on the hillsides if you wish, or maybe you'd like to chat to Rasfer, that most deplorable of Carthage's servants, down there in the torture chambers.'

I glanced up at the creaking of leather as Krastus clenched his fists at the very mention of Hannibal's presence in the dungeon. Were it not for my Lord's hard of hearing, he would definitely be on the way there now.

'You forget 'Dido's Faithful' belong to me General. Do you understand?'

'Yes sire' conceded Hannibal.

'You are not here to be punished General, nor admonished, you are here because i require great things from you. A task so large I would entrust it to noone but my most beloved General.' Hanno nodded to Hannibal, 'Please, arise, and your great ape you have there'.

Krastus and Hannibal stood up and towered above my frail Lord, Krastus able to snap him like a dry stick.

'The Edetani were left no option to attack, they had promised to defend their allies as we had ours, only their allies and brothers have more sense and infinitely more dignity than ours. Those idiots in the North brought trouble on themselves and almost lost us our greatest city beyond Carthage. As I speak Syracruse sharpen their spears against us, Rome has eyes on our lands, thankfully slowed by a war with our friends the Etruscans, and all the tribes of Iberia wish to march against us. All this, ALL THIS, brought about by those fools in the North, and now, even worse, our brothers in the South, Libya, stir the same problems with those damned Egyptians.'

Hanno closed his eyes and gripped his cane to bring his temper under control,

'Brother or no brother Hannibal, son of Hamilcar, I will not stand idle while these petty nations nibble at our dignity and greatness like a pack of mangy hyenas around a noble Lion'. He turned to look at Hannibal, 'I send you to Libya, and to Libya's lands General, from Thapsus in the north to Macomades in the south'

'What would you have me do my Lord?'

'Wipe them from the face of the world my son'

I've had gruntlements about the blobbing and speed ever since Rome1, too, although I've wondered how much of the blobbing is due to a lack of doctrinal training on the part of various armies (and so, is it historical, and if so intentional or an annoying but accurate side effect of the engine)? Put another way, were formations in Shogun and Medieval 1 too neat?

The speed is just as bothersome but more tweakable by various methods.

This reminds me, I think UGeek said so earlier, but I've forgotten: are you playing with any mods on, U? (I'll be curious about your reflections on the video, too. Rome2 and its DLC was the last thing I bought last year, and I figure it'll be modded up to snuff eventually one way or another, but I bought it partly because it seems like it may be worth playing already...)

Quote from: JasonPratt on January 07, 2014, 04:49:46 PM
I've had gruntlements about the blobbing and speed ever since Rome1, too, although I've wondered how much of the blobbing is due to a lack of doctrinal training on the part of various armies (and so, is it historical, and if so intentional or an annoying but accurate side effect of the engine)? Put another way, were formations in Shogun and Medieval 1 too neat?

The speed is just as bothersome but more tweakable by various methods.

This reminds me, I think UGeek said so earlier, but I've forgotten: are you playing with any mods on, U? (I'll be curious about your reflections on the video, too. Rome2 and its DLC was the last thing I bought last year, and I figure it'll be modded up to snuff eventually one way or another, but I bought it partly because it seems like it may be worth playing already...)

Blobbing - i wasnt there, and im sure most of us weren't (maybe Bob), but when i order 160 men with swords it means i want 160 men with swords to start attacking the unit ive clicked on, if this means a clamour among the 160 to get into combat then fine, id rather see a blob of 160 men desperate to find a way to fight the enemy than the old problem of having just your front line attacking whilst the next 6 rows of your men stand there holding their spears watching the fight over the shoulder of those in front. For me personally blobbings a non issue - i dont consider it a problem

Im using the Radious total war mod that does everything i need, there are others that do similar but its much of a muchness and does me fine

The video i had to stop at 12:33 - i couldnt take any more - the guy has decided he is not going to like anything and then make a 35 minute video explaining to everyone else why he doesnt like it. Like all of us, im sure we have a certain way of playing a game, the angle, the way we set up our armies, the way we attack, the way we view the battle - im a big supporter of diversity and a game that can cater to that - oddly, the way this guy plays the game bears no resemblance whatsoever to the way i play mine, and i have no sympathy with him because he wants the game to do it exactly his way, it doesnt - hence 35 minute video complaining - it is the visual equivalent of the whining bitches on totalwar.com pissing and moaning because the game doesnt do what they think it should. Dont like the new feature of the strategic map? fine, dont use it, dont spend 3 minutes highlighting why you dont like it expecting me to agree with you.

I dont like the UI a lot either, id rather see a unit flag that says 129/160 men instead of a green power bar, but you know what, i want to play the game, ill live with the progress bar, i get 5 more hours fun out of the game, while he spends 5 hours making a video squeaking like a little girl that the power bar is ruining his life.

In short, im either apathetic, and am willing to see the good behind the bad, the diamond amongst all the coal, or hes right and i should write a strongly worded letter to CA and complain that they didnt make the game exactly how this guy wanted it to be. In the words of the oft complained about admin at Battlefront - if you want the game to do that and think you can make one, go write it son, see how you get on

Oh, it isn't just 30 minutes, he has a part 2. And it lasts ONE HOUR EIGHTEEN MINUTES! And another half minute. Yeesh:



Blobbing, I think I see the guy's point on this, there's too much penetration between groups, probably because the groups assign man-to-man fights and then warp them into place to do cool sync-kills (after some dice roll). (He admits this worked well-enough in Empire after the bugs were hashed out for the Nappy followup, because hand-to-hand wasn't a big factor there.) On the other hand, his complaints about optimization would be nothing if they had tried to go back to the old pre-Empire system where each soldier was a more-or-less autonomous unit who fought whoever was around him, which was more realistic. So I understand the tradeoff from a programming perspective.

I think his comments about the zoom-out strategy map (called "tactical map" by the devs from what he said) were more along the lines of it could have been more useful and instead seemed like a gimmick. Do you use the strategy battle map when fighting?

The power-bar replacing the unit counter probably wouldn't have bothered him so much if it hadn't been on top of the art change, which looks "cool" in a period-appropriate way but to his eyes was too stylish and too similar to easily distinguish one kind of unit from another, plus the rotating status symbols at one second intervals. I guess that hasn't bothered you any?


One thing I haven't heard from him yet (having finished the first video) is how this really compares to Shogun 2 which he called the best of the series and had high praise for. The only two direct comparisons he's made are that the graphics aren't quite as good (and he calls out CA for faking a lot of pre-release footage), and the man-on-man sync-kill issue was also a problem in Shogun.

Quoteoddly, the way this guy plays the game bears no resemblance whatsoever to the way i play mine, and i have no sympathy with him because he wants the game to do it exactly his way, it doesnt

It seems like then there's a way to play the game which the presentation and UI doesn't support well (his way) and a way to play which works better (yours). I wondered while watching if giving orders while paused would circumvent a lot of his complaints, even though that isn't immersive. Is that how you play?

You may not have gotten far enough, but he does spend a minute or so saying that while he doesn't like the unit-speed issue he does understand why CA did it and thinks it ought to be in the vanilla game, though also thinks modders shouldn't have to set that up for CA, it ought to be an option for some people out of the box. But he seemed okay with it being something only available to modders, too. (Then he went back to his vulgar screeding. ;) But he wasn't utterly pissing on CA, he was fair to their design choices at one point even though he preferred the modded versions.)

Quote from: JasonPratt on January 07, 2014, 06:25:59 PM
It seems like then there's a way to play the game which the presentation and UI doesn't support well (his way) and a way to play which works better (yours). I wondered while watching if giving orders while paused would circumvent a lot of his complaints, even though that isn't immersive. Is that how you play?

It is indeed, probably no pausing at all until the forces are about to physically crash in to each other, then (i have to admit this, but thats how i like it) some micro managing of each group, their stance, their job, their position and then running for maybe 1 minute and pausing again to see how everyone is getting on!

Yep, that's how I used to do it in Rome 1 (never played Medi2 enough to get a feel for how best to run the tacticals). I'm not sure why I almost never had to do it in Sho1 or Medi1, though -- probably the unit speed factor, because even with only a few companies I felt like I had to do it in Rom1 (and Medi2 for my little playtime), whereas I only had to do that with large armies in the first two games.

I've noticed the Reynold Sanity reviewer, even in the first review, and moreso in the second, mostly complains about changes from previous games. He complains about other things too, but a lot of his complaints are along the lines of "Didn't Empire do that better? Seriously? EMPIRE?!?" -- and then demonstrating with experimental video. (He talks more in the second video about why Sho2's strategy game is vastly superior to Rom2, and even Rom1, Medi2 and Empire before Nap, although by the nature of the topical thrust I still haven't seen any way the tactical battles were better in Shogun. Except for the artillery making more sense in Sho2, he did show some demonstrations there, come to think of it.)

A theory just occurred to me: the strategy game in Shogun (any version) works so well because it was ripped directly off from based on a classic strategy board game (one that I've seen rank high in lists of all-time great board games); one I used to own myself back in high school when my brother and I played such games, so I can easily recognize the features when I see them in TW games.

And the closer any TW stays to that model, insofar as its features are based on that model and designed to complement that model, the better the strategy game not only becomes, but the tactical game, too (insofar as the strategy level affects what can and does happen at the tactical level).

This still Active?

it is indeed - therell be an update tonight - thanks for reading

That was quick I was expecting to be waiting until tommorow at least!

Keep up the good work!

With the sun setting over the roof tops of the city, it was my favourite time to walk from the port back to my quarters after having conducted some trade business for my Lord. The white walls of the homesteads turned a warm pink, the heat of the sun dissipating, and the streets were less busy, small children playing outside their homes, the women of the city going about their chores, the population worry free under the umbrella of safety provided by Hanno.

I stepped into the shade of my doorway only to hear the sound of busy footsteps above me in my living quarters.

'Hello?'

The footsteps did not stop, but at least they advanced to the top of the stairwell. Two soldiers were coming down the stairs, one carrying my pots, colours and inks, all bundled up in cloth. The other was carrying my bedroll, and some of my clothes.

'Ah, scribe,' said the first soldier from behind my ink pots 'i hope you like sand'

'Sand? Why? Why should I like sand'

'and elephants. Sand and elephants' said the second soldier

'Ele.... what? Why? Where are you going with my things?'

'Orders from Krastus scribe, you're going on a journey, it will be vast', continued the second soldier

'and sandy..... with elephants' said the first.

'But... wait, stop, hold there!'

The two soldiers bundled past me, my sad collection of belongings scooped up in both their arms, and they set off toward the south of the city. I set off after them.

'Where am i going? What is this all about? Does my Lord know you're taking me?'

My questions continued to wash against the impassive back of the soldier in front of me. No mention of my Lord, my status, or my intention to stop immediately and simply return to my home made any difference, they simply continued to march silently to the city limits with me hopping and jogging to keep up behind them. In the distance was the Mago gate, the southern exit from the city where trade with the Libyans and the desert tribes came into Carthage. The more the two soldiers marched, the more this looked like our destination.

'Now look here, I've had enough of thi.....................', the words died in my mouth. In formation, maybe half a mile beyond the gate stood Dido's Faithful. Swollen by recently recruited mercenaries and new companies raised in the muster fields, four thousand men stood to attention in the cool early evening. Corraled beside them one hundred horses, for what purpose I did not know, and beyond them the elephants of Hannibal's personal bodyguard unit. Tents were set up towards the front of the lines, proud pennants of each company commander atop them, fluttering in the breeze. It was a magnificent sight, the power and majesty of Carthage's first army ready to go to war, surely no foe could stand before a force like this. My two escorts continued to march toward the army lines, my questions muted.

After awhile we reached the tent area. The soldiers unceremoniously dropped my things by the entrance to a large tent, the pennant on top light blue with a golden elephant with two stars underneath it displayed, the insignia of General Hannibal. The second soldier remained outside the tent, the first quickly lifted the flap and disappeared inside. The flap was soon pulled aside once more and the imposing figure of Krastus stepped out of the shadows within.

'Little scribe! I'm glad you're here, camp is about to break and we march this evening while its cool. General Hannibal is inspecting the last of the mercenaries, murderous crowd of bastards they are, and we'll be away'

'Why am I here Captain? I don't understand'

'The great and glorious Hanno, Baal praise him, has decided that you would be better served writing about his great deeds from atop the General's elephant. Get a bit more perspective and see some real action, Little Scribe.'

'I... but.... what? I'm no soldier, no warrior, what can I do?'

'You will sit next to the General and witness the coming of a new age. History will be made from this day forward and you will be there to set it down, so that thousands of years from now people will read your story of Carthage, Hannibal, Hanno the Great, and the handsome, undefeatable, pleasurer of women Captain Krastus'

Thanks for writing me into the narrative, geek.  I've never been a Captain before :)

Quote from: MetalDog on January 12, 2014, 11:35:25 AM
Thanks for writing me into the narrative, geek.  I've never been a Captain before :)

Lmao well played MD - I had to have a re-read to see where you were, found you right at the end!

Good thing it was only three pages then, eh geek? ;)

Quote from: MetalDog on January 13, 2014, 07:04:17 AM
Good thing it was only three pages then, eh geek? ;)

im going as fast as i can  :P

No hurry.  I just post'em and put a little explanantion on'em.  You write a whole story.  Much appreciated and enjoyed :)

The silence went on and on. After so much noise and chaos, the absence of it now made him think he had gone deaf. It was the sound of the camel next to him that broke the silence, an odd noise with an enquiring tone, almost like it had just asked him if it was over.

'I think so my old friend, i think so', Fezzan patted the camels neck affectionately.

He rolled back the rock from the cave entrance, a flurry of sand poured on him as the gap widened. He spat and brushed the sand from his face, blinking at the sunlight. The storm was raging off to the west, a wall of blackness heading towards his home of Garamantia, but there was nothing he could do about that now. The camel slowly emerged from the cave, smelling the air and blinking like Fezzan. They had stopped at the oasis of Wadi al-Ajal, to rest and top up on water, both man and camel. They had been tracking the Carthaginian army for weeks now, scouting for the main body of the Garamantian army, down the coast from Carthage itself towards the Libyan provinces of Thapsus and on towards Lepcis when the skies blackened. With no notice at all the storm came out of the desert and swept over the oasis and stretched out toward the coast where the enemy army was. In the increasing blackness and deafening roar of the wind Fezzan had seen the small outcrop of rocks and sprinted toward them before the sand scoured the flesh from his bones.

Still spitting sand out of his mouth and brushing it from his hair he made his way back down towards the small oasis. His throat felt like parchment after sitting in the cave for a day, a night and most of the next day listening to the wind and sand batter against the rocks. He knelt by the side of the pool and allowed himself to fall in face first, he gasped at the impact of the water and drank deeply, frantically rubbing his hair with his hands, and rinsing the sand from ears and nose. He rose, water cascading down his face and chest, to his right the camel drank quietly and slowly and Fezzan chuckled at the animal's dignity compared to his own. Refreshed and clean Fezzan puffed out his cheeks and slowly exhaled, looking around him at the detritus and flotsam the storm had blown before it, tangled now in trees, bushes, wrapped around trunks and flapping in the palm tops.

The nearest litter to him was a cylindrical leather case, half buried in the sand. As long as his arm, with a strap for carrying over a man's shoulder it was obviously a case for parchments or maps of some kind. He undid the ribbon around the top of the case and upended it, several drawings and documents slid out onto the sand. He looked around, he doubted there would be any sign of the Carthaginians, they would have headed into cover just as he had. The camel was still slowly filling itself with water, long gurgling sounds like a barrel filling up eminating from somewhere inside the beast. He picked up the first of the documents, it was a letter written in a language he couldn't comprehend, as all men do, he scoured the page of strange symbols and script to see if there were any words he recongnised..............

'My dearest Samina,

I am on a wonderful and unbelievable journey of glory and dreams! My Lord has chosen me to accompany the army of Carthage, to ride with Hannibal Barca and his men and to record the great victories of Hanno and Carthage!

We left about three months ago and marched South into the desert. Ahh the desert, so beautiful but so dangerous Samina, unbearably hot during the day, and freezing cold during the night. The army marches between dusk and dawn, I ride on an elephant! A huge beast with a platform on his back. I ride there with Krastus, the captain of Hannibal's army, he has taught me about the different formations of the army, the seperate companies and the tactics that Hannibal employs on the battlefield so I better understand the terminology to help record the glorious days of Dido's Faithful.

The battlefield, Samina. The battlefield is not as glorious as history tells us, it is not a place of heroic poetry and fine deeds. It is a shocking, haunting bloodbath of death and pain, afterwards the streams and rivers run red, men scream in pain and agony and women and children cry in the streets. I was there at the battle of Thapsus and i have witnessed the slaughter of men in the midst of the desert. Carthage is on a great path to glory and I am here to accompany her but it is a long and horrible path my love. I will not see things the same as I once did, I will be a changed man when we are together again. I will write when I can

Your love,

Gisco'

Fezzan could make nothing of it, there were no words or symbols he recognised. He put the letter to one side and unrolled the next parchment. It was a magnificent drawing coloured with inks -


Underneath the drawing were more words he did not recognise, 'As we approach Thapsus, Hannibal orders the cavalry javelin men to harry the front line of the Libyan's defence. They are ideally suited to this task, they can throw hundreds of spears into the midst of the enemy and quickly retreat if the enemy counter attacks'.

Fezzan raised his eyebrows at the next drawing, the artist had captured the chaos of melee battle perfectly, and studying the helmets and shield designs Fezzan began to suspect these were pictures of the Carthaginians at war. The odd script lay beneath the picture again,



Fezzan's suspicion was confirmed with the next picture. These were pictures of the Carthaginian army, the artist had captured the charge of Carthaginian elephants into the enemy lines, and with a sense of recognition he realised this was Thapsus he was looking at. He had witnessed this battle! He had seen the smoke from the battle from two miles away as he shadowed the enemy to report on their movements, and now here it was depicted in artwork, why? Who would do this?



Fezzan had given up trying to decipher the words underneath the pictures and instead studied the artwork. Here was intelligence on the enemy that his General would appreciate for the attack on the Carthaginians.




Fezzan grimaced at the next picture, clearly capturing the fall of Thapsus and a victory for Carthage.

I reallyi do enjoy your little narrative "tricks", geek.  Very clever!