@SCENARIO @width=660 @title=LOST LEGIONS version 1.0 % ^^LOST LEGIONS version 1.0 ^^A pseudo-historical scenario based on a comic strip by Jacques Martin ^^By Cyrion and friends ^ ^^ == USE THE DOWN ARROW KEY FOR EASY SCROLLING == ^ @listbox=20 @options | HISTORICAL BACKGROUND | In 54 BC Marcus Licinus Crassus (the richest man in Rome) was fed up of Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompey getting all the glory in the First Triumvirate. He decided to lead a military expedition to not only surpass the triumphs of Caesar and Pompey but also those of Alexander the Great. Crassus’s opinion of his military abilities was vastly over-inflated (partly due to his ego and minor part in putting down Sparticus’s slave revolt). Because of this, Crassus asked the Senate and Caesar for permission to lead an army to Mesopotamia to defeat the Parthian Empire. | In the spring of 53 BC Marcus Licinus Crassus marched to Parthia with seven legions (30-40’000 heavy infantrymen), 4’000 cavalry, a quarter of whom were Gaulish troops lent by Julius Caesar, and a similar number of light-armed infantry. | Refusing advice and support from the King of Armenia, Crassus marched down the Euphrates River, incorporating devastated Roman winter garrisons along the way, and crossed it at Zeugma without resting at any of the garrison towns; against the advice of his legates, he then pulled away from the river and marched inland. | On June 9th 53 BC, the Roman army met the Parthians. Their commander, Surena, led about 10,000 soldiers (9,000 horse archers and 1,000 Cataphracti heavy lancers) and a huge train of camels heavily loaded with arrows. | The battle began and the static Roman squares were being slaughtered by the horse archers. Crassus sent his son Publius on a desperate counterattack with 1’300 cavalry (including the Gauls), 4,000 legionnaires and 500 archers. The Parthians retreated at first to get them away from the main army, and then they began to ride in circles around the Romans, kicking up lots of dust, blinding the Romans. Then the horse archers began to fire on the group, on occasion the Cataphracti would charge into the Romans. | The Gallic cavalry on loan from Caesar managed the closest thing to a genuine Roman success in the whole sorry campaign. The fierce Celts were able to seize the cataphracts' lances and drag them to the ground, where the Parthians' heavy armour rendered them helpless. Some Gauls disembowelled and crept under the Parthian horses, which they disemboweled, unhorsing the riders. Those tactics, however, could only delay the inevitable and Publius was killed along with many Roman soldiers. | The Parthians then rode back to the main Roman army with the head of Publius Crassus on a spear. Thereafter the main body had to defend themselves as best they could for the rest of the day under the constant hail of missiles. The battle lasted for two more days, with the Romans being slaughtered during their retreat, and ended with Crassus surrender and death. | Of the entire force, twenty thousand are said to have been killed; ten thousand were captured and deported to distant Margiana for hard labour and slavery. Thus ended the disastrous Roman campaign of Carrhae. | | THE GAME | And here stops history and begins the scenario: in it, most of the Gauls have survived, and the Parthians have been so impressed by their savagery and valour that they are willing to pay for the Romans to send them back home with their families | As Rome doesn't want a defeated army of "near-barbarians" to travel over Roman land (too risky), they drop them on the coast of the Black sea and they have to go back to Gaul (i.e. west) while staying north of the Roman border. | The scenario is NOT historical, the map has NOTHING to do with anything realistic: it's just a matter of bringing your units west while under near constant attack from the local tribes; there is no city building, no tech: nothing, except time pressure... | | GAMEPLAY | PLAYABLE : Only the Gauls are meant for playing NOT FOR PLAY : All other Civs RECOMMENDED LEVEL: King level should be hard enough! | HOUSE RULES No ship-chaining No using of the CTRL-N to protect the rafts from drowning | | HINTS Be quick, otherwise you're dead! Protect your Pioneers: you will need them | SCORING At the end of the game, you'll be asked to count your units. Your score (in percent) will be determined with the following value for each surviving unit; Iorus and Hortalus: 3 percent each, Cavalry and Infantry: 2 percent each, Pioneer: 2 percent each, Treasure: 10 percent, Civilians: 6 percent each | <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<*>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> | @end