A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

gwgardner
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A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

I've been hoping for a dedicated AAR sub-forum, but couldn't wait to start my latest game playing the Romans. So this AAR starts already 80 years on.

It is now 193 BC. Rome is now a powerful nation, federated with the Massilians and various Germanic Tribes. It has ended a long off and on series of wars with the Celtic Tribes, and has now assimilated their lands in Gaul.

Here are some snapshots of the how the Republic has fared over the last 80 years.
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gwgardner
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

Our relations with surrounding countries are tense to hostile, since federation with the Germanic tribes. That places our borders directly up against the Athenians, who control the eastern Adriatic coast. Now that Carthage and Athens are in confederation, war on two fronts is inevitable.

Carthage has been attacking our trade routes to Sparta and Macedon, to the point that they are no longer profitable.

Until Rome can build a fleet worthy of the name, we have no option really but to attack the Carthagenian-Athenian alliance in Illyria. And try to make peace in Spain with the Iberian tribes.
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gwgardner
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

192

Sparta has been beaten down by both Athens and Carthage, and now holds onto its very existence with a sliver of territory in Greece, and part of Crete. It has now offered Federation, bringing little to the table. It's probably more a liability than any benefit to Rome, but the Senate has accepted their request for protection. They're already at war with Rome's enemies, so not a lot changes strategically, if anything at all.

Sparta does have a shipyard in Crete, so it could prove invaluable IF Rome can build a strong fleet.
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gwgardner
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

191

Out of the blue, Carthage proposes peace. The Senate debated whether now was the right time to continue war. A few years of peace would give the Republic a chance to focus on improving the economy, and strengthening the Spartan forces in Crete. The debate was heated, because the Carthagenian envoys seemed most insincere in their haughtiness - as if they made the offer not out of respect for Rome's power, but as a gift, and one they might withdraw just as quickly if it suited their purposes.

Nevertheless, the offer was accepted. For now.

[note: my screenshots ARE NOT representative of the quality of graphics in the game. It's simply that I'm a complete dolt about images/graphics. Why this one is black and white I haven't a clue!! I must have done something ....]
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pavelk
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by pavelk »

Really nice, your AARs of AAR are always nice to read!:)
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

While hoping for a long peace with Carthage, to give us the chance to reform the infrastructure within our lands, Rome is forced to continue fighting the Iberians.
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

Nearer Spain is a wilderness compared to Gaul. No roads, settlements few and far between. Construction of a fine Roman road is the first priority, since we can't risk sending troops and supplies by sea. Yes, the Carthagenians. We don't trust that they will keep the peace.
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gwgardner
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

Army reform is one of the improvements Rome wants to make while peace lasts. Especially the addition of cavalry units attached to each Legion. German Axemen Auxillieries will also be formed, for the expected renewal of hostilities in heavily forested Illyria.
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

10 years of peace, during which Rome has had its shipyards in full production constantly, building and training galley fleets, and we get this unsettling news:
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We still cannot find a shipwright in the Republic who can match the Carthagenian expertise building triremes. So quantity and training are the bywords at present.

At this point we have stationed galley fleets near Barium, as a tacit declaration that the Adriatic Sea at least is Roman. As far as we know, the Athenians are still building small boat fleets.
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pavelk
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by pavelk »

Your AARs are such a nice reading. It is literally like a story. I am looking forward to the next part.
Who will break this fragile peace?:)
gwgardner
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

Thanks for the kind comment.

It's 180 BC. Rome has had 11 years of peace, vis-a-vis the major powers. Only the minor wars with Iberian tribes continue. Pacifying those barbarians has required four legions and cavalry auxilliaries. It's a constant drain on Rome's gold and iron resources - those could better be spent these years on improving our infrastructure. Our engineers have now developed paved roads, and it's a priority now to build those good roads in all directions radiating from Latium.

And now we get this offer from Macedon:
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Easy to see why they want a strong alliance with Rome, since they're at war with almost all of their neighbors. If the Senate accepts the Confederation proposal, it is also accepting the necessity for waging war with the Odryssians and Dacians, not to mention possibly with the Ptolemaic-Epiran Federation.

The Senate has debated and decided: NO!
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

Good that the Senate refused the Macedonian Confederation, because Rome would be hard-pressed to wage war with both the Ptolemaic-Epiran Federation AND the Carthagenian-Athenian Federation.
No sooner had the Macedonian envoys been dispatched back to their capitol, than news arrives from Greece that Carthage has declared war on us, and quickly taken the remaining Spartan territories there!

Whether it was an assault by sea, or Athenian troops, who took the Spartan lands, we will soon find out, because the Roman fleet lying off Barium is going to scout along the Greek coast. If our Admiral finds Carthagenian triremes there, he has orders to beat a hasty retreat. But perhaps we can catch some of their transports.
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

On the advent of war with Carthage and Athens, it's likely that the enemy will use its naval superiority to land in Italy. So the well-trained Legions there must be held on defense.

While trying to build roads and improve our cities, we just did not have enough years of peace to recruit trained cavalry to join each main army, so that plan is still a long way from completion.
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

The Republic and its federated allies are relatively strong. The populace is loyal, except in the unpacified regions of Nearer Spain. But there is a long way to go in improving the land. This war is going to delay that improvement.
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

The initial naval sortie ...
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

Even as the opening rounds of war with Carthage and Athens are underway, news arrives that the Ptolemaic - Epiran Federation has grown even larger, and obviously powerful enough to take down Bospran.
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

We dug into our scarce gold reserves to pay for a spy network, and over the last year have learned a bit about the Athenian management of its empire. It's an interesting question whether their Carthagenian allies are pleased.

There are a good number of enemy soldiers facing us in Illyria, but none that we can find to the south along the coast. So we're sending two legions across the Adriatic while the coast is clear. We've scouted as far as Sicily and find no Carthagenian fleet to oppose the crossing. We'll have to take a Greek city quickly before the enemy fleet does show up and drives us away from our supply lines to Greece.

The invasion force is coming from Rome and Barium. The other three Legions in the south of Italy are deemed enough to defend the region for now.
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

The perrenial skirmishing with the Iberian Tribes is nearing its end, we hope. Opportunities abound in Spain, with some lands and cities still unaligned with any major power. Carthage has southern Spain, but we do not know yet what kind of force or development they have there.
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by eddieballgame »

Thank you for doing this.
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Re: A Brief Alternative History of the Roman Republic

Post by gwgardner »

Yes, I hope you enjoy it Eddieballgame. I certainly am, kind of role-playing a series of Roman Consuls.

174

I failed to follow the plan. Looking for a bloodless, easy victory, I decided to go for a siege of Dhyriacum, rather than doing the imperative thing - get a supply source in Greece. Now the Carthagenians have hit my forward legion with a strong punch which was barely a draw, and sent cavalry beyond my forces to cut off our supplies from the sea.

My Legions will have to scramble to regain the coast before the men rebel against my poor generalship.
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