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"...The omens were ill for Rome's new senior consul, Flavius Annius Tauruscrania. His decision to ignore the invading Parthians last year had only lured more wolves into Rome's Eastern lands. Armenians and Mediterranean pirate fleets massed near vulnerable coasts, while the Parthians continued their ravages.

"In the West, the Iberian tribes boiled out of the northwest and overran Spain. The closest Roman army, that of junior consul Omnius Candere Incitare, was marching the other direction towards the German border. Neither of the ex-consul's armies seemed interested, either, intent instead on staking out their claims in fresh lands... "

Our second year of the campaign began with some hot dice rolling by the players, activating two new barbarian hosts (in addition to Winter's activation of the Iberians by Joel). Allen activated the Mediterranean Pirates, targetting Cyprus in Joel's new province of Syria. I was able to spur the Armenians towards Roman Asia to harass Joel on his way out of the province. My small invading band of Parthians turned south to await Joel in Syria, too. Joel's Iberians seized central Spain, although none of us was sure who that move was directed against. There would be only one battle this turn as Allen decided to test the German's mettle.

Tauruscrania

The citizens of Nicomedia and Sardis were in an ugly mood. The consul's legions cowered behind the walls in those cities while the Parthians disappeared south, ravaging farmland and sacking towns. Tauruscrania fumed. It was impossible for him to march on the Parthians until he confirmed the Armenian invasion. If his army were trapped between the two, the entire East could be lost. Meanwhile, the coastal towns of Cyprus were clamoring for protection as the plague of Mediterranean pirates continued to collect into larger fleets, all the while menacing Syria. Tauruscrania only response was to order his legionary commanders to drill the new recruits that had filled out his ranks this Winter.

Gracchus

Alexandria rioted when it heard that six cohorts of Roman legionaries were marching into the town. The citizens were outraged that Rome - - their supposed protector -- had taken control of their capital in the Nile Delta. When the protest puppet Egyptian king reached the Senate in Rome, Gracchus' actions were officially censured. There was little Egypt could do, though, as the rest of Gracchus' army was massed on their borders.

Drusus

The new praetor of Macedonia, Marcus Aemilius Drusus, ordered two legions north through the Alpine foothills to his new province, while the remainder was to go by sea. The Campanian ports offered the shortest crossing, something Drusus insisted upon doing. His family had a long distrust of the sea, and he dreaded its dangers more than another Gaulic invasion.

Incitare

Although the final conquest of Gaul was in the offing, the Consul Incitare decided the Germans would be a bigger threat to his new province of Italy. His engineers battled spring floods to wrestle a bridge across the Rhine. On the other side, Incitare's reinforced legion was met by a larger coalition of tribes. Used by now to victory over the barbarians, his legionaries scattered the Germans, securing a bridgehead (6 SP of Romans defeated 7 SP of Germans, 74, netting Allen three prestige points).

As his string of victories continued, Incitare's popularity soared in Rome, eclipsing that of both his senior partner Tauruscrania and the proconsul Gracchus.

Although a quiet turn as far as battles, Early Spring saw plenty of plotting and marching by the players. Joel faced an uphill battle this year securing his new province of Syria with Parthians, Armenians and Pirates all in his path. Meanwhile, Gracchus was up to something in Egypt and Drusus was heard raving about ripe Illyrian and Thracian lands...

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)