Cheezy the Wiz
Socialist In A Hurry
I am SO screwed in RTR.
Here's the deal.
I am the Germanic Tribes. The game is Hard AI and Hard Battles, Long Imperial Campaign. It is the summer of 190 BC.
This game has already proven itself to be THE FUNNEST RTR game I have ever played. The long wars to establish myself against great hordes of foes tried my commanding capabilities in tactics, strategy, and grand strategy. After dispatching the local barbarians and the Gauls, I became involved in a slugging match in northern Italy with the Roman Republic, which, after many years and innumerable casualties on both sides, resulted in my retreat from Italy, to more defensible positions in the Alps. At the same time, I was forced to fend off the Thracians, who invaded from the Eastern steppe into Prussia, the Spaniards who invaded Narbonensis and Lugdinensis (southern and central France), and the Illyrians, whom I fought in Pannonia, Illyria, Histria, and Delmatia. After a very very long time, some very risky moves, and some fantastic victories, I siezed my chance, and ran a quick and devastating blitzkrieg down the boot and took Rome. The rest of the peninsula soon fell, as did the Republic, and Spain soon after that. After I turned the tables on the Illyrians and drove them from Delmatia, their allies, the Macedonians, joined the conflict. Now the Allies include Illyria, Macedon, and Thrace.
The Macedonians are without question THE power to be reckoned with. Though I control 60 provinces and all of Western Europe, they control more provinces than I, have a much larger economy, and, most importantly, can draw on a vastly larger population. For all my fantastic victories and immense power, even I am dwarfed by their potential.
I have never seen the AI do this.
The Macedonians control Greece, Anatolia, Syria and Iraq, Judea, Egypt, and part of the Pontic Steppe. From this, they are capable of creating epically huge armies. Even I, in my Macedonian games that stretch from India to Tunisia, have never been able to create an army the likes of which you will find in this screenshot:
The average Macedonian army has, in my experience, around 2000 men. Using this number, we can estimate known Macedonian strength to be in the area of 80,000 men in the field, plus 4,000 Illyrian, and at least 5,000Thracians near the mouth of the Dniester River.
Assuming my average army fields 1700 men, and I have nine armies in this theater, we can estimate my forces present to number at 15, 500 or so.
This means total Germanic strength in the Illyrian Theater of Operations: 15,000 men.
Total Allied strength in the Illyrian Theater: 89,000 men.
This does not include, of course, the 10,000 I have dedicated to the Carthaginian Theater, or the 5,000 in the Northern Theater fighting the Thracians. Even with them included, I have only 30,000 in the field, against a known 89,000 man force. I am still outnumbered 3:1, and that is only known Allied forces.
The conquest of the massively huge Carthaginian cities has given me new monetary strength, permitting me to que the training of an additional 20,000 men over the next four turns, though it may be as many as 15 additional turns before they reach the front lines.
Despite this vast numerical inferiority, I have managed a string fo stunning victories, for my men are battle-hardened and experienced, led by capable, veteran generals, including my ten command star Faction Leader. I am averaging only 15% of the casualty rate of my opponents in each battle, losing perhaps 300, yet liquidating entire Macedonian armies. Yet no matter how many I cut down, there are always new armies rushed to the front. I imagine this must be how the German generals felt on the Eastern Front, capably trained and led, but hopelessly outnumbered. I am lucky that the Macedonians do not fall on me with their full force of numbers, and only allow a trickle into Illyria, though it is still enough to outnumber me 2:1.
I cannot keep this up forever.
This is the present situation:
I am forced to retire four armies to Italy for refit, with only two armies arriving to replace them. Though I command a superior position to the north of the Danube, I do not hold the bridge I so desire to. Though Segestica is newly liberated (it was mine before the war, taken long ago from the Illyrians), its purpose as an anchor for the line there is minimal; if my front folds, it will be there, not in Pannonia.
I wish I had more men.
No matter how many battles I win, there are always more Macedonians rising to take their place. It is a game of time. I must hold them back until I can refit those armies, and rush the new ones to the front. I must finish this conquest of north Africa quickly, for I need both the men there and the cities' production capacity. I need to win every battle I fight. I need to survive.
I need more time.
However, I have a plan for a diversion.
While truly epic numbers of men await me in Macedonia, the Pelopponesus and southern Greece are virtually undefended. With their cities quickly becoming infested with Germanic spies, it will only be turns before a raiding force arrives and siezes several of Macedonia's most populous cities, richest provinces, and threatens their flank, as well as the rest of Greece. If I pull this off, it will be one of the greatest turning movements in RTR history; if I don't, there can be no hope for the Germanic Empire.
Never has the fate of so many rested on the actions of so few.
Here's the deal.
I am the Germanic Tribes. The game is Hard AI and Hard Battles, Long Imperial Campaign. It is the summer of 190 BC.
This game has already proven itself to be THE FUNNEST RTR game I have ever played. The long wars to establish myself against great hordes of foes tried my commanding capabilities in tactics, strategy, and grand strategy. After dispatching the local barbarians and the Gauls, I became involved in a slugging match in northern Italy with the Roman Republic, which, after many years and innumerable casualties on both sides, resulted in my retreat from Italy, to more defensible positions in the Alps. At the same time, I was forced to fend off the Thracians, who invaded from the Eastern steppe into Prussia, the Spaniards who invaded Narbonensis and Lugdinensis (southern and central France), and the Illyrians, whom I fought in Pannonia, Illyria, Histria, and Delmatia. After a very very long time, some very risky moves, and some fantastic victories, I siezed my chance, and ran a quick and devastating blitzkrieg down the boot and took Rome. The rest of the peninsula soon fell, as did the Republic, and Spain soon after that. After I turned the tables on the Illyrians and drove them from Delmatia, their allies, the Macedonians, joined the conflict. Now the Allies include Illyria, Macedon, and Thrace.
The Macedonians are without question THE power to be reckoned with. Though I control 60 provinces and all of Western Europe, they control more provinces than I, have a much larger economy, and, most importantly, can draw on a vastly larger population. For all my fantastic victories and immense power, even I am dwarfed by their potential.
I have never seen the AI do this.
The Macedonians control Greece, Anatolia, Syria and Iraq, Judea, Egypt, and part of the Pontic Steppe. From this, they are capable of creating epically huge armies. Even I, in my Macedonian games that stretch from India to Tunisia, have never been able to create an army the likes of which you will find in this screenshot:
The average Macedonian army has, in my experience, around 2000 men. Using this number, we can estimate known Macedonian strength to be in the area of 80,000 men in the field, plus 4,000 Illyrian, and at least 5,000Thracians near the mouth of the Dniester River.
Assuming my average army fields 1700 men, and I have nine armies in this theater, we can estimate my forces present to number at 15, 500 or so.
This means total Germanic strength in the Illyrian Theater of Operations: 15,000 men.
Total Allied strength in the Illyrian Theater: 89,000 men.
This does not include, of course, the 10,000 I have dedicated to the Carthaginian Theater, or the 5,000 in the Northern Theater fighting the Thracians. Even with them included, I have only 30,000 in the field, against a known 89,000 man force. I am still outnumbered 3:1, and that is only known Allied forces.
The conquest of the massively huge Carthaginian cities has given me new monetary strength, permitting me to que the training of an additional 20,000 men over the next four turns, though it may be as many as 15 additional turns before they reach the front lines.
Despite this vast numerical inferiority, I have managed a string fo stunning victories, for my men are battle-hardened and experienced, led by capable, veteran generals, including my ten command star Faction Leader. I am averaging only 15% of the casualty rate of my opponents in each battle, losing perhaps 300, yet liquidating entire Macedonian armies. Yet no matter how many I cut down, there are always new armies rushed to the front. I imagine this must be how the German generals felt on the Eastern Front, capably trained and led, but hopelessly outnumbered. I am lucky that the Macedonians do not fall on me with their full force of numbers, and only allow a trickle into Illyria, though it is still enough to outnumber me 2:1.
I cannot keep this up forever.
This is the present situation:
I am forced to retire four armies to Italy for refit, with only two armies arriving to replace them. Though I command a superior position to the north of the Danube, I do not hold the bridge I so desire to. Though Segestica is newly liberated (it was mine before the war, taken long ago from the Illyrians), its purpose as an anchor for the line there is minimal; if my front folds, it will be there, not in Pannonia.
I wish I had more men.
No matter how many battles I win, there are always more Macedonians rising to take their place. It is a game of time. I must hold them back until I can refit those armies, and rush the new ones to the front. I must finish this conquest of north Africa quickly, for I need both the men there and the cities' production capacity. I need to win every battle I fight. I need to survive.
I need more time.
However, I have a plan for a diversion.
While truly epic numbers of men await me in Macedonia, the Pelopponesus and southern Greece are virtually undefended. With their cities quickly becoming infested with Germanic spies, it will only be turns before a raiding force arrives and siezes several of Macedonia's most populous cities, richest provinces, and threatens their flank, as well as the rest of Greece. If I pull this off, it will be one of the greatest turning movements in RTR history; if I don't, there can be no hope for the Germanic Empire.
Never has the fate of so many rested on the actions of so few.