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I had Rome – Total War lying around; I wanted to play it, downloaded it, and… didn't feel like it. :) But the desire to play returned when Arandor started posting reports from Medieval. So, here we go.
By default, it offers 3 patrician families; I started the game as the Brutus family: I liked their cozy starting location in the far south of the island and their HATRED!!11 for almost everyone around them, just like me. :) Arandor also suggested digging into the settings to make all states available for play, but I actually like Rome. (Besides, there's also an expansion pack, and I can run around as a Barbarian there.)
The Senate sent me across the Adriatic to capture rebel settlements, but I didn't really have anywhere else to go. In the very first turn, I captured the first one, and then two more to the north in a few turns. While I was busy capturing, the Senate tasked me with sending a fleet to help the Scipio family capture Syracuse, which belonged to the Greeks. That's how I got my first enemy.
I decided to focus on this enemy and started gathering troops under the leadership of the faction leader in Apollonia – the administrative center of the province bordering the Greeks. The Greeks were doing the same, and while my main forces were returning from the north, they took the initiative and besieged Apollonia. Well, I messed up a bit here; I landed a small reinforcement from the capital in front of them, the Greeks lifted the siege and attacked. The troops from Apollonia and the faction leader acted as reinforcements. In my inexperience, I didn't uncheck the "Transfer reinforcement control to AI" box, so I only controlled two units during the entire battle. :D The forces were roughly equal, and the battle was the most serious one I've had so far: a lot of casualties, and the computer even allowed the faction leader to die :mad:, but whatever. In the next turn, I gave the remaining garrison to the general who returned from the northern province, recruited mercenaries, and counterattacked: there was a fairly small garrison in the city of Fermon, led by their king. My spy, who I had sent there in advance, managed to open the gates, and I immediately started the assault. I broke into the city, and on the advance to the main square, I placed hired hoplites (a phalanx of spearmen) in front of the troops, and the Greek king, for some reason, charged at them with his cavalry. That's how I avenged our leader, although the Greek fought fiercely. And then I finished off the rest of the defenders.
I planned to bring the war with the Greeks to a logical conclusion, but the Senate, for some reason, asked me to capture a city of Gauls in a completely different direction. I ignored it and started preparing an army for further advance (healing, new equipment, reinforcements). But suddenly, the Gauls became too arrogant, started demanding tribute from me, and eventually, they started the war and besieged my city. And then, the remnants of the Greek army, defeated near Apollonia, landed near the capital for some reason. I had to send part of the reinforcements to help the besieged, but the Greek landing didn't cause any problems. The Gauls were defeated surprisingly easily.
Part of the troops was sent to the northern border, for greater security and for the upcoming northern campaign.
Finally, the army for the new campaign against the Greeks was ready. The state of Macedonia, with which I didn't have a treaty of free passage, became an obstacle to the advance; by the way, they also recently started a war with the Greeks. Finally, despite this, the sight of our legions appeared before Sparta, the Greek capital. The war between the Greeks and the Macedonians played into my hands - leaving a small garrison in Sparta, the Greeks sent an army to besiege a Macedonian city. I elegantly bypassed all this and besieged the city. The spy again helped with the gates, and I started the assault without building any siege equipment, especially since I needed to do it before the Greek army recovered. In general, it's strange – in a quick auto-battle, I had about 4 times fewer losses than in a manual battle… The Greeks are now completely demoralized; they only have a couple of provinces left. Well, in general, now the Gauls will get it. :) I'll just capture Crete, which is in the hands of rebels, and eliminate the last Greek forces on the peninsula.
Screenshots!
1. Capturing Apollonia at the beginning of the game.
2. Northern province.
3. The Greeks are attacking.
4. The death of the Greek king during the assault on Fermon.
5. Greek landing.
6. The army of the Gauls.
7. Before the battle with the Gauls.
8. Sparta under siege.
9. The assault on Sparta.
P.S. Sorry for the "long post," but these reports are more for myself anyway. And if Ar reads it, that's fine. :) But if someone decides to kill time, I'll be very grateful. :o
P.S.S. There weren't that many words after all)