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Reinforce Africa. Italy is already softened due to poor Roman commanders and their North Africa expedition. We should strive for as long as possible to deny Rome control of the sea.
This game looks very, very cool. Must have been hard making an AI that is simultaneously challenging, historical and able to adapt to unexpected player strategies.
I still vote for Sicily, even if just to open that theatre for later (unless I misunderstood and you need approval in the turn you want to invade not at any time earlier). Its quite obvious that we wont be able to take Italy proper right now and also that we are de facto rulers of Cisalpine Gaul which means that new areas of conflict need to be opened.
Invading Sicily will require a massive fleet construction but that is already under way. Following this plan will also mean forcing naval battle with Romans, here I am not sure if faster or more cautious approach is better. Rome seems to be gearing up on seas too so if an opportunity where they split their fleets presents itself waging a somewhat risky battle may be the answer. Worst case scenario we can still reinforce via Genoa and Spain so it wont be so tragic.
So my advice: force a naval engagement if you make out your chances to be around 60% of victory with goal of attacking Sicily.
Defending Spain seems to be pointless honestly, while it is a valuable area it hag big enough recruitment rate and good enough general there to be able to defend by itself.
Hannibal, having decided on what he considered to be, the optimal course of action, sent a message to Carthage, advising the senate to allow the reinforcement of Spain as the goal of the next campaign season. Now all he can do is wait for their decision...
(After sending the messenger, Hannibal received two messages from back home from friends in high places, giving their input on the current state of affairs. Oh well he thought, it was to late now. It's not like the senate ever listens to him anyways)
Those fat fucks...
Well.. at times like these Hannibal wonders why he didn't get involved in politics, then he looks at the hot chick who's been hanging out with him and comes to his senses. Whatever, when the senate gives you lemons, you make bloodshed anyways.
The decision isn't completly stupid. Having a general in Gaul will allow us to recruit an extra unit during recruitment season. Perhaps the senate isn't so bad after all.
Btw you do not have to do what the senate has authorized. You are simply allowed to do so, and nothing else (regarding moving troops form one theater to another except from anywhere to Africa, which is always allowed)
Apparently the destruction of our agricultural centers has had an impact. We are only able to raise a single unit in Carthage this season and are only alloted enough resources for three command phases. I'm sure if the senators weren't spending all their checks on grapes, we could get this whole, unimportant, 'Rome' thing over with in no time.
As we are currently being attacked by Romans, we raise a single African Infantry in Carthage
Available Options
Roman Senate
The situation in 217BC
Our city militias in the conquered north have grown back to maximum strength. Our destroyed Agricultural centers in Carthage have also been repaired during the lull in fighting. Apparently the Romans didn't have the balls to stay in the field and guard them, and instead decided to retreat to Utica.
The spaghetti eaters have a large army forming up in Rome.. This could be dangerous for Spain. Or really, dangerous for anywhere, considering the Romans current control of the sea.
The decisions have become much more difficult this campaign season. We are in a good position, but it is imperative that we keep the upper hand.
We have only three commands this season. We are also facing a wide variety of options. We should probably set up a camp in Gaul, given that the senate has authorized us to do so, but who should lead the army up there? Hannibal will definitely be staying in Italy to further our efforts there so the decision lies between his brother Mago, who is currently accompanying him (And very jealous, seeing that he doesn't have some sweet Gallic ass), and Hasdrubal who is stationed in Spain.
The problem is this: Either we send Hasdrubal to Gaul and leave Spain without defense, or we split Hannibals army, and allow Mago to go get himself what he so desires. However Hannibal wants to completely conquer northern Italy, and to do so he must take two heavily fortified cities and he needs all the troops he can get. To make matters worse, if Gaul is to be secured by Mago, he would have to decide on how large of a force he should split from his main army now. Before attacking those cities.
When you assign a general a command phase, he must finish what you have planned, then pass on command to somebody else. you can not use two commands on one geenral per turn. Also any generals who are with him may not be assigned command either. In short: If I want to move Mago (and any troops to accompany him), I must do so first, before moving Hannibal.
The only half competent general was Fabius, who had been elected consul. He was currently seated in rome, where the republics largest army was also stationed.
"This sucks", he said.
And suck it did. Even if Hannibal was to split his army, and take the rest of northern Italy, he will likely be quite weakened. He would rather not face a large army led by one of Romes few competent generals at that point.
Seeing that his general was not yet sure of his mission, a lieutenant spoke up and pointed out that Fabius is known to be competent... but a coward...
Hannibal nodded, retreated to his tent, fucked his galbitch, and started drawing up plans for the coming season.
Here are the results:
1. Mago
a) Head, with a token force, up to Gaul and get your galbitch. Pray that the Romans don't head up there, by ship, with anything stronger than what I give you... shithead.
2. Hannibal
a) Head with what you have, down to Genua. Capture the city, so as to create a direct link between Csalpine Gaul and Spain.
b) Capture Placentia. If this goes as planned we will have complete control over northern italy, granting us a bonus unit during recruitment.
c1) In the off chance that both assaults go extremely well, head to Ariminum to establish a beachhead for a future campaign in Umbria-Samnium. This part of the plan will depend on whether or not we have enough troops to spare, for defense of both Genua and Placentia. It is unlikely to happen.
c2) If c1 is not possible, use discretion. either camp on field in C.Gaul, or garrison up in Genua.
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In Africa, Syphax was just chilling in his pool when he received word that the Romans had landed in Zeugitania. Now Sypahx wasn't really all to down with the brothagians, but he really didn't like the dumbfuck Romans either.
Well he also had a shitty alliance with Carthage. May as well try to impress them. He quickly drew up some campaign plans to drive the shitheads off. He would need the help of some Carthagian troops to pull it off though.
3. Syphax
a) Head to Zeugitania and meet up with the Carthaginian legions stationed in Carthage.
How badly are we outnumbered by the Roman army chilling at Rome? Since the AI is supposedly historical we can probably go nuts in north Italy while Fabius fortifies central Italy.
In order to make an informed decision we would need to see how different are Italian theatres and what do they offer. Judging from map proper Italy can be divided in up to three provinces (Latium-Umbria-Apulia). Perhaps capturing Umbria or Apulia could serve us better for now.
That having said I still think focusing on Sicily could work well, if not by naval means then by force marching from Cisalpine Gaul. Three extra units is nothing to sneeze at.
As I said before, Sicily does not give three units, and only gives any units when you control Syracuse, which we are NOT going to be able to take at this time without a 5 year siege.
Also it is not possible to walk to Sicily. It's an island..
How badly are we outnumbered by the Roman army chilling at Rome? Since the AI is supposedly historical we can probably go nuts in north Italy while Fabius fortifies central Italy.
No massive Carthaginian fleet tho? That's what they were famous for and the Romans learned some harsh lessons before finally trumping them on the waves.
Carthage had a superior fleet during most of the first Punic war, but didn't have many ships during the second one, from what I remember.
It's indeed a pity : since most of italian cities are next to the coast, having a large fleet to carry our troops would be very nice. But it doesn't seem like we'll be able to overcome roman naval superiority anytime soon.
No massive Carthaginian fleet tho? That's what they were famous for and the Romans learned some harsh lessons before finally trumping them on the waves.
Carthage had a superior fleet during most of the first Punic war, but didn't have many ships during the second one, from what I remember.
It's indeed a pity : since most of italian cities are next to the coast, having a large fleet to carry our troops would be very nice. But it doesn't seem like we'll be able to overcome roman naval superiority anytime soon.
Nope. They have the seas locked down this game. I'm not to sure i'll ever catch up at this point, unless i win a lucky battle.
But every naval squadron they buy is one less land unit at least.
I would have liked to at least combined our navies this turn but with only 3 command assets, that wasnt gonna happen
I like cards in this game - could change whole strategy, but still you have to play them wisely. Battle screen reminds me old polish (?) board game Hannibal Ante Portas, but it sold so badly that it's hard to find any info about this game.
They don't allow you to play as the Romans because that would make the game too easy.
Seems you're going for quite an aggressive approach. Me like. Will mean that you'll need to reinforce Hannibal like mad though. Especially as Roman recruitment should (historically) ramp up quite fast now.
Wierd? AJE was made by an entirely different developer. One who only signed a deal with Matrix to publish it when AJE already was on the market. Apart from the setting the games have nothing in common.
It isn't that old. It's from 2010 or 2011. And matrix is a publisher, not a developer. I'm not sure though about slitherine. They seem to have some weird connection and it may be that they are owned by the same people. I'm not sure
But matrix doesn't make games afaik
Anyways it seems like everybody wants to get in on the actual strategy. Makes sense, especially since the senate is hard to convince anyways (although that changes according depending on your success on the battlefield)
Also with the way I'm doing things now, i think it take away from just how meaningful, and difficult, decisions are in this game. You see me post plans and play them out and it just looks like fluff, when really, the plans are almost mandatory (although you can obviously do them in your head without using paint)
So I'll start letting you get in on the actual tactical/strategic side. My next update (should be in a few mins i think) will be mid turn and you can let me know what you think should be done
My main issue with this game is that it seems very repetitive due to how limited theaters of operations are. You cant really reach Sicily, you have to go through the northern Italy to get in, opening moves are the same no matter if Hannibal starts in Italy or Iberia. Perhaps further in the game picks up with some combat in Iberia/Africa too some glimpse of which we have already seen.
My main issue with this game is that it seems very repetitive due to how limited theaters of operations are. You cant really reach Sicily, you have to go through the northern Italy to get in, opening moves are the same no matter if Hannibal starts in Italy or Iberia. Perhaps further in the game picks up with some combat in Iberia/Africa too some glimpse of which we have already seen.
From my limited experience the game plays out quite differently then you may think. The theaters etc may be repetitive (its the main reason i took so long to purchase it) but the decisions are not. The map is just a facade. The real game play lies in trying to outsmart the Romans so that you stand a chance vs their larger army.
Also I was worried about the opening always being the same, and although it is true to an extent, a lot of possibilities passed through my mind as i have been writing this LP. It's not as limited as it seems (but yes it's not like a lot of sandbox games obviously)
This game is actually completely different from my first game. In that game the Romans overwhelmed spain immediately and the entire game was me struggling to take it back. And I did end up taking Sicily.
Hannibal has weighed the odds and given Mago a single Gallic Cavalry and sent him up to Gaul, on recruitment duty. The Gauls now treat the Brothagians with respect, however they still despise the Romans. Why would the Romans risk heavy attrition to capture, what is essentially a hostile region that offers them nothing at all?
After parting with his bro-ther, Hannibal sets off towards the first major strategic objective of the war. Genua. The control of Genua allows troops to cross into Northern Italy from Spain, without needing to detour through Gaul, and risk the ire of a people who can't handle some moderate innuendo.
As the city comes into view, Hannibal has his men line up in the mountain pass. The tension can be felt in the air...
And...
Hannibal wins, AGAIN, without losing a single fucking unit. The troops rejoice at what seems to be the beginning of another incredible campaign season, but is it perhaps too early to be sucking each others cocks?
Off to Placentia.
Hannibal, happy with his previous assault, decides to use the same lineup as in Genua
The men, still with their cocks in eachothers mouths, failed to realize that these guys in Placentia are apparently not of the same degenerate stock as those in Genua. After some scaling of walls, killing of men, and shaking of spears, they find that their army is not quite as strong as it once had been
Both a Gallic and an African infantry unit had fallen..
The men decided to stop the cock sucking and do this shit, in the words of one of the soldiers who was there that day, fo' real dawg.
A Spanish cav and a Spanish inf just couldn't stop the cock sucking. Yes a Spanish cav. You never seen a horse scaling a wall getting its cock sucked by a dirty Spaniard? Well fuck you then. this is Hannibals army.
Well anyways, now that the hopeless fags have been weeded out, the rest of the battle goes as it should: Without further, hetero, casualties.
Hannibal may have lost some men but he has achieved what he set out to do: Bring northern Italy under his control, and with that, more recruits.
Hannibal had previously thought about keeping up the momentum and pressing on to Arminum, but that would leave nobody to recruit from C. Gaul (it is part of Umbria Samnium), unless he risked attrition (or used his extended move card) to move back into C. Gaul after the battle.
In any case he is rather short on troops after the battle of Placentia and it may be dangerous to be too aggressive.
Now the question remains as to how he should arrange his remaining troops for the roman counter attack that may come.
Here are some possible Roman approaches:
Some things of note:
a) Fabius may be cautious (aka a coward) but Hannibal has only proven himself once, against one of the worst commanders in the game. He may not yet consider us a threat.
b) Rome belongs to the province of Latium Campania. To attack anything in C Gaul, it would require either:
b1) The use of boats, eating up naval trans capacity for their turn
b2) An extended move, meaning a risk of attrition OR the use of a card by the Romans
c) Mago is in danger. But as reasoned above, I'm not sure of attacking him would benefit the Romans in any real way.
d) It is possible for the Romans to travel through the Liggurian Appennines to avoid having to storm a level 2 city. This will however cost them attrition (unless they have some kind of card against it). This means that if i place all my units as garrisons, there is an off chance that the Romans still cross the mountains and wreak havoc behind my lines.
d) Going through Arminium is just as far as going through Placentia or through Genua
e) No matter what we are potentially fucked, if the AI decides on a good attack plan. However I'm not sure if it even has any interest in taking back northern Italy. It may well be (like oscar pointed out) they just turtle.
f) Remember that at the end of our turn, before the Romans get to act, we should be receiving some reinforcements that will be handed to Hannibal.
g) They could always ignore Hannibal and head to Africa (where Syphax still hasn't completed his plans. So at the end of this turn he will likely be besieging Utica) or Spain... I'm actually rather scared of them attacking Spain (although that would, again, mean less troops in Italy
h) I'm new to the game so I hope I'm getting all mechanics right.
Thoughts?
edit: Here are the relevant forces
Hannibals Army
Army stationed in Rome
The Romans also have 2 Latin Infantry in eastern Italy
Defend Genua its the most important point in the whole of Italy (other than Rome of course). Losing one or two other cities wont harm you as much since it doesnt force your hand - you dont HAVE to recapture them after all.
Also defending Genua makes you able to reinforce Iberia if necessary.
For some long term prospects I recommend combining Iberian troops with Hannibal's army and moving down south while keeping a general both in Iberian and Cisalpine Gaul to recruit.