"...The Year of the Consulship of Marcus Aemillius Drusus and Quintus Aurelius Gracchus began with ill omens: War across the Mediterranean; Strife in Italy; Dispute in Rome.

The Helvetii had raided deep into Roman territory, and the citizens were crying out for retaliation against the Gallic tribes. Across the sea, the Numidian chief Jugurtha had overthrown the Senate's appointed client king and cast off allegiance to Rome. Far in the East, the Parthians had captured and burnt several Roman border forts before disapperaing back into their deserts. Panic was spreading in Italy as slaves were murdering their masters and flocking to join the gladiator Spartacus. He had crushed the local militia and taken control of southern Italy. Across the straits in Sicily, his servile rebellion spread.

The Roman Senate scrambled to deal with these various challenges. Even in their own ranks, though, there was dispute. The results of the elections were clouded. It was not known for sure which of the consuls had polled more votes and was the senior. To their credit, Drusus and Gracchus worked together to solve the threats against Rome first, foregoing electoral disputes. The only sign of discord was the acidic way each referred to the other as "my junior colleague." It was decided that Gracchus would take three legions to bring Jugurtha to heel, while Drusus would move against Spartacus with a similar sized force. They sent instructions to the Praetor of Gaul to subdue the restive tribes, while his counterpart in Asia was ordered to defend Rome's honor in the East..."

Thus began our "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" campaign, set in the 1st Century B.C. Jason Mirosavich, Joel Sams, Allen Sams and I were the four participants, the rules being written to require no game master. The initial set up listed four starting positions, each with a respective mission, for us to choose between. These were:

1. Consul, Italy. Crush the Slave Revolt in Campania and Sicily.
2. Consul, Africa. Punish the Numidians (defeat them at least once in battle).
3. Praetor, Gaul. Punish the Gauls (defeat them at least once in battle).
4. Praetor, Asia. Punish the Parthians (defeat them at least once in battle).

We rolled dice and made our selections. Jason (Gracchus) chose Africa, Joel (Flavius Annius Tauruscrania) took Asia, while Allen elected to follow in Julius Caesar's footsteps and campaign against the Gauls. I (Drusus) was given the taske of subduing the slaves. A couple turns into the campaign, I noticed that I had not designated which of the two consul positions was "senior." It meant nothing in game terms, but started Jason and my rivalry.

Early Spring (Year One of the campaign)

Drusus

I knew that once I moved south to Campania to tackle Spartacus, the doorway to Italy, Cisalpine Gaul, would be left wide open. If they rolled well enough, the other players could activate barbarian raiders to threaten my province. So, I ordered four of my 12 Strength Points north to watch the Gauls, Germans and Illyrians. I marched the remaining eight SPs south into Campania -- Spartacus' stronghold. The campaign handles the slaves like a barbarian region you are attempting to conquer. You roll a die and their size is determined in relation to yours (i.e., either one SP smaller, same size, or one to three larger).

I rolled up a "1 SP larger." My 24 elements of Romans faced off against a slave army of 27 elements. Roman armies in De Bellis Antiquitatis (DBA) consist of about 25% cavalry, a minimum of skirmish foot, and the remainder of well-armed legionaries (Blades, in DBA terms). The Spartacans were a mix of Blades (gladiators), Auxilia (light infantry -- slaves) and skirmish foot (shepherds, etc.). My legions performed like veterans, chopping through the slaves like firewood, destroying nine elements and losing none.

One of the players' goals in the campaign is accumulating Presige Points. For example, completing the set up mission scores one bonus point. The way to rack up big points, though, is through margin of victory in battle. The more complete the triumph, the more popular you are in Rome, and the more Prestige Points you earn. With my 9-0 victory, the name of Marcus Aemilius Drusus was trumpeted throughout Italy.

The campaign was off to a good start for me, but what of my rivals?

Gracchus

The junior consul (sorry, Jason!) sailed in early Spring to join his army in Libya. His legates had the legions ready to march, so they set off immediately for the Numidian border. There they encountered a lightly-armed force of Numidian cavalry and foot. Gracchus had the advantage of numbers, 36 elements to 33 Numidians.

The tribesmen's swirling, encircling style of warfare baffled Gracchus' legionaries, who chased off their light horse time and again, only to have them return. Roman losses mounted, though, and it was only through sheer force of numbers that Gracchus broke Jugurtha's army. Each side had lost 11 elements, which was the Numidian break point (the Roman break point was 12).

Gracchus retired to camp dissatisfied with his laurels. His army had suffered losses (one SP - victor's strategic losses were destroyed elements divided by six, rounded down). He knew his and Drusus' overwhelming victory would be contrasted. In Rome, his supporters endured the jeers of how his legions were nearly defeated by "half-naked men riding flea-bitten ponies." Jugurtha would pay, Gracchus vowed.

Incitare

Panic began to die down among the citizens of Rome after news arrived of the two consuls' victories. However, fear of the Gallic bogeyman always lingered in the back of Roman minds. The terror of the Gauls plundering of the city, generations ago, still lived. So, when couriers galloped into the city with news of the Praetor Incitare's encounter with the Gauls, fear sprang up again throughout the city.

Incitare's invasion had begun well enough. He detached forces to secure Narbo and Transalpine Gaul on his flanks and marched from Massilia with the rest of his forces. Once inside Gaul, he was met by a coalition of tribes. Numbers were equal, but Celtic ferocity defeated Roman discipline as the warbands' charge smashed through Incitare's ranks. The Praetor's army suffered heavily from the pursuit by the Gallic noble cavalry. It was a sorely depleted force that straggled back into Massilia, having lost nearly an entire legion's worth of troops (three SPs lost in the 10-5 defeat).

It would be summer before Incitare dared stir outside his province, again.

Tauruscrania

The governor (or praetor) of Asia, Tauruscrania, spluttered when he received the Senate's instructions to "uphold the honor of Rome." He paced his atrium, fuming. Well, he would show those Mother Hens back in Rome who ruled in Asia!

Tauruscrania ordered a legion into Lycia -- one of Rome's client kingdoms -- and demanded its immediate surrender. The Lycians had no choice but to comply, but the blow to Rome's reputation was enormous. Tauruscrania's supporters in the Senate were shunned, and his prestige suffered.

Undeterred, he ordered another legion to Bithynia and his third to Pergamun. Gossip among the legionaries in Bithynia held that they were there to be closer to the Parthian border, but why were all the engineers and decurions surveying the road south instead of east? Tauruscrania's legionaries in Pergamun grumbled as they were drilled aboard Asia Province's fleet. What was the old man up to?

Meanwhile, the Senators in Rome began to wonder the same thing. They blamed each other for sending a wild card like Tauruscrania to a province so far away and as wealthy as Asia.

Our first evening of the campaign had produced three battles -- two Roman victories and one barbarian one. At the end of Early Spring, Drusus held a commanding lead with nine Prestige Points, to Gracchus' two (Jason also earned one for playing the Gauls and savaging Allen), Incitare's zero, and Tauruscrania's negative one. Next issue sees fleets a-sail on the Mediterranean in Late Spring and Gracchus' chance for revenge.

More 1st Century BC Campaign

Turn 1 (Herald 42)
Turn 2 (Herald 43)
Turn 3 (Herald 44)
Turn 4 (Herald 45)
Turn 5 (Herald 46)
Turn 6 (Herald 47)
Turn 7 (Herald 48)
Turn 8 (Herald 49)