Assuming this is where I can post my Macedon play test?
Either way, here it is — finally!
A quick note before I begin: I will be referring the factions as they are called in the current build (i.e. Macedon instead of Antigonids, and Egypt instead of the Ptolemies, etc.) Also, I've commented on certain things that are not necessarily relevant to the mod's current beta state -- things that will in all likelihood get seen to sooner or later.
I somehow misplaced my screenshots from the beginning of my campaign, so I'll have to summarize the first turns.
campaignTo begin, I can say that Macedon starts in a very good position, both financially and strategically. This could be made more precarious by lessening the start treasury (which I think is 5000), but it's maybe ok, since it reflects the somewhat centralized power of the Antigonids at the time.
(I will refrain from commenting on the roster at this point, since the names are still vanilla, and I will make some notes about stats when I discuss the battles.)
The capital, Pella, starts with walls and a decent garrison, and having Thessalonica and Larissa within easy travelling distance makes for a strongly centralized position.
However, Macedon's two isolated outposts — Corinth (in the Peloponnesus) and Chalkis (off the coast of Athens) are immediately problematic, since the player must decide whether or not to spare the resources to maintain them.
I decided early on that I would fortify Corinth against potential threats from the Greeks in order to exploit its rich trade (much as Antigonus Gonatas did historically).
Reasoning that I would not get attacked within the first ten turns or so, I started by disbanding several units of levy hoplites throughout my empire (except in Corinth). This had the double effect of boosting my city populations and saving some money off my overhead.
I focused on building mines and a port in Thessalonica and barracks and armouries in Pella and Larissa. (I was never in the red, having more than enough money to continuously upgrade my cities.)
In the first or second turn, I sent a small force north to take the lightly defended rebel city of Bylazora, which became yet another spoke in my great Macedonian wheel.
Since, I was having very little problems with unrest in my cities, and could afford to keep a large force in the field, so I decided on a blitz against the Thracians, hoping to eliminate them quickly and take their cities — notably the mining town, Philipopolis.
My leader, Antigonus Gonatas, won a heroic victory outside of Philipopolis and decimated the Thracians, killing several family members in the bargain.
Here is a picture of the marker:
I besieged Philipopolis but, as you can see, I was unable to follow up on my victory, because the Egyptians attacked me in Chalcis, forcing Antigonus to sail to the city's relief. (The Thracians accepted peace after paying me 2000 dinarii.)
The Egyptian raiders were few and easily dealt with, but it was an interesting development. Initially, I thought that they had landed from a fleet, which put a great big smile on my face, since, as we all know, the AI has traditionally avoided naval invasions. Then I realized that they'd actually island-hopped across the Aegean on land bridges.
While I can see how the land bridge ensures an early (and historical) conflict between Macedon and Egypt, I wonder if it would be better to have some Egyptian possessions in Thrace (perhaps Lysimacheia) to represent the encroaching power of Ptolemy Keraunos, or else have him represented as a strong rebel force (as in RTR VII).
Anyway, thanks to their magic stepping stones, the Egyptians were theoretically able to raid Chalcis at will, but refrained from doing so after I pushed them out that one time. Instead, they gathered a lot of highly threatening skirmisher armies around Naxos and did absolutely nothing besides.
A historical alliance is concluded between Macedon and the Seleucids against their common Egyptian enemy.
Neat to see this guy hanging out just outside Athens, on holiday, it seems. Quite the collection of ancillaries!
Another interesting thing happened on Chalcis, when small rebel army, consisting of some Rhodian slingers and cretan archers — ka-ching! — spawned. Given my massive financial resources, I attempted to bride them — and they accepted!
They supplied my garrison on Chalcis, and I looked forward to unleashing the Cretans on some unsuspecting Nubians. Sadly, the Egyptians weren't biting.
In 266, my finances were very good, and I was able to resume my war against the Thracians.
BattleI'll give a quick run-through of my battle against the Illyrians.
Since they attacked me, I positioned myself on some rough terrain and waited for the assault.
My generic Greek archers, with sliver missile upgrades, are cheap units that pack a punch.
There was nothing subtle in the Thracian battle plan. It was an all out charge.
My levy hoplites and pikemen, granted they were upped in both armour and experience, simply stood still and devoured the oncoming falxmen. I was always under the impression that falxmen are to be feared by pikes, but these guys crumbled like cardboard cutouts. At the same time, had they attacked from the flank rather than head-on, the results might have been different.
It was only a matter of time before the general charged my ranks and died.
Annoyingly, the garrison in Philipopolis stayed put, so I wasn't able to take the city this turn. Oh, well. I took it next turn:
As you can see, I've got another army (commanded by my faction heir) advancing on the last Thracian city, Oresteia. The gig is almost up for Thrace. And yet, in a massive strategical fail, they have a massive stack on vacation up in Dacia. If that stack had descended on me at Philipopolis, things might not have been so peachy.
Luckily, my faction leader thought to fortify the bridge crossing against such a possibility.
[Overview]Playing on hard/hard has proven smooth sailing so far. That said, I haven't faced the Romans or the Greeks yet, so that may change.
Elsewhere in the world, the Carthies are doing what they should in Spain:
And wrestling with the Scipii on Sicily:
Meanwhile, the Brutii are encoreching from the west and it looks like they might come to blows with the Greeks soon.
And, in the North of Spain, Atlantis is rediscovered:
(The glitch went away next turn.
)
Well, that's all for now. WIll report back with more when I've had a chance to face some Romans!
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Thanks, ahowl, for including me in this project. I'm from Ontario, Canada, and my passions include creative writing and history (I went to school for the former, and a bit of the latter). My interests are pretty wide ranging, so I'll just say that I'm most at home in European ancient-to-medieval timeframe with a healthy dose of early modern and nineteenth century. So, yeah. Like Jubal, I've long been interested in the Byzantines. I've also been an avid Total War player from the early days. Rome Total Realism 6 was my first experience with a mod, so I'm thrilled to have a part in the making of this latest incarnation, even if it's only a small part. My strengths are mostly in the text-editing and research departments, but I'd like to learn some basic coding and/or scripting. I'll also hopefully contribute an AAR or two as the game evolves. 