Invasion of Macedonia 220 BC

[Mike Porter]

My buddies and I, whom I have been teaching the game, decided to start a small campaign yesterday. The enemies are anachronistic, but close enough to their actual historical enemies to make the games reasonable. The date is arbitrary. I am the Macedonian player.

Region is basically Macedonia and Thrace.

Rome (Marian) invades from the west (From Corcyra); Thrace in the east, and Macedonia (Antigonos Gonatas) in the middle.

###Spring 220 BC###

Rome: Field army in Appalonia. Declares war on Macedonia, invades Berea. Macedonians initially struggle with the extended Roman line, but are able to form up with terrain features on both flanks whilst attacking the Roman flanks with knights and cavalry. Romans barely escape annihilation, losing 1/2 their cavalry, half their light troops, and one fourth of their heavy infantry. The Macedonians lose no troops.

Macedonia: Declares war on Rome. Field army in Thessalonica moves to defeat Roman army at Battle of Berea.

Thrace: Field army in Phillipopolis does nothing.

###Summer 220 BC###

Rome: Roman army rallies in Appalonia.

Thrace: Declares war on Macedonia and invades Amphipolis. Thrace does little better than Rome facing the Macedonians in a pitched battle on open ground. A fierce battle in the center turns into a near rout of the Thracians as the Macedonian pikes turn the flank while the elephantry breaks through the center. The mounted contingent of the Macedonian left wing takes heavy casualties as the general races ahead of his Thessalian escort, who are destroyed by the light Thracian troops. After the battle, the Galatian mercernaries are given first choice of spoils by the Macedonian general for holding the army’s left flank against 2 to 1 odds for the entire battle.
Thracians lose half of their light horse, half their psiloi, and a third of their light troops.

Macedonia: Declares war on Thrace and defeats the Thracian field army at the Battle of Amphipolis. Only casualties are Thessalian cavalry.

###Fall 220 BC###

Rome: Proposes the Romano/Thracian Alliance of 220 B.C.; moves field army to Dyrrachium.

Macedonia: Dismayed by the new alliance formed by Rome and Thrace, Macedonia invades Phillipi, hoping to create a buffer/frontier against the Thracians, and to cut into Thracian conscription abilities. The Battle of Phillipi is a bloody battle of attrition, with the decisive action taking place in the woods and hills. Thrace’s defense of the city is bolstered by the appearance of several cohorts of Roman legionaries. Macedonia loses all of its light troops and half of its Galatians, with the Thracians losing 3/4 as many troops. Macedonia retreats to Amphipolis.

Thrace: Spurred on by the victory at Phillipi, the Thracians invade Amphipolis. The Macedonians retreat to Thessalonika, placing their hopes in the onset of Winter to disrupt the Thracian besiegers. Unfortunately, the retreat of the Macedonian army leaves Amphipolis’ citizens with a feeling of despair, and not wishing to suffer through a siege, they throw open their gates to their new Thracian masters.

###Winter 220 BC###

All armies retire to Winter quarters.

[Sleech]

Dead cool. Thrace better keep a close watch on those Galatians - give them an inch and they'll take a mile. They be calling Thrace a traditional homeland soon. But perhaps this is part of the Roman ploy in making a treaty with Thrace - encourage the Thracians to rely on those eastern Celts and let them do the dirty work of destroying the country until it's just right for 'liberation' by Rome.

[Mike Porter]

Updated the above with the Fall action.

[Xavi]

Bloody hell! Quite an action-packed campaign!" Keep it coming

Xavi

[Mike Porter]

Things are about to get a lot more bloody, as the armies have recruited and already begun the Spring campaign season. We had to stop with a game in progress actually. Rome with Thracian allies vs Macedonia. Here is where we stopped, right after the Thracians crossed the River. Check out the pic (taken by a camera phone).



From left to right. The Romans are easy to spot, we have, on the Macedonian left, double-ranked 2x4Wb., 1x3Cv, 2x4Pk, 2x4Pk. Just behind, waiting to cross the river: 1x3Kn (Gen), 2x4Ax (in column), 1/1El (Crossing the river. The River is ordinary (100 paces). On the right of the El is a column of Thracian Ax and Ps (facing the wrong way as the El makes a break across the river to stomp the Roman Cv general at the top right. If the Cv runs away, the El has a straight shot at the Roman camp. One Roman Ps is in the woods, the other is defending the river bank opposite the Macedonian Ax.

It's the Macedonian turn. Any bets as to who wins this fight? Normally, I don't want to line up in pitched battle like this, but the Roman player made it quite clear that he was going to simply defend the river bank-I couldn't let that happen of course!

[philistinejim]

The Macedonians will win .... Because they are Mikes Models!..... and the R*m*ns are uhm Scum!

Jim K

[Mike Demana]

Sounds cool, Mike! And one of the coolest things about it, for me, is I visited many of the places you mention in your battle accounts, on my recent trip to Albania...!

Dyrrachium - Albanian Durresi
Apalonia - Albanian Appollonia

Keep the account coming...