The Little Greek Islanders That Could - An Epigoni Mod AAR

[CJL78]

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Macedonia. And this kingdom was at war. Two egotistical jerks (one was named Ptolemy, the other Antigonus, but that doesn't matter) were fighting for the throne.

But this story isn't about Macedonia. It's about the Islanders who lived off the coast of Macedonia, who decided they'd had enough of these silly Macedonians and declared independence on January 1, 474 AVC, as the Romans call it.

They named their little country the Nesiotic League, and a Mr. Helladius Zosimid was elected its first Archon.

Mr. Helladius called together the first 'Senate' to discuss what the Islanders should do. The Senators found the gods had blessed the Islands with a multitude of men skilled in the military arts.

So Helladius appointed them to lead the army and the navy, which consisted of a grand total of 1000 Archers and 1 Trireme. With these grand military forces, Helladius insisted that the Islanders not waste their military expertise and promptly sack and conquer somebody.

Sparta was suggested, as it would provide the Islanders with 1000 Heavy Infantry on top of their already astounding 1000 Archers, but Helladius said no. Somebody else thought Pergamon was a pleasant country to build a mansion in. And a delusional maniac was yelling about conquering something called a "yellow blob", to which Helladius responded quite favorably, until it was discovered that noone knew where this yellow blob was. Finally Ariston Zoticid said, "Say, what about Rhodes? They have rebellions going on in their country - something to do with having '-3 stability' whatever that means, and they're already an island like us."

And so Rhodes it was. Ariston's ship landed Ikesios Omirid's 1000 Archers on the island's southern shores and simultaneous naval and land battles broke out. It was a tough fight between identically huge-ish militaries, but the Islanders' military leaders made the difference. After a long siege, the gates of Rhodes were opened, and the Nesiotic League had made its first conquest.

And so, after one year, the little Islanders' new nation not only still existed, but had doubled in size. Helladius looked across the waves for other possible conquests, but for now he had to rebuild his twice-as-large nation from the devastating war.

 

[Qorten]

Some serious good martial skilled people in your entourage! Use 'em well, you run out of 'em before you know it.

 

[CJL78]

Some serious good martial skilled people in your entourage! Use 'em well, you run out of 'em before you know it.

Very true. When playing an OPM, it helps to be doubly lucky:

 

[CJL78]

Ikesios Omirid spent several years on the island of Rhodes, putting down two insurrections against Islander rule. Apparently the Rhodians favored their pompous Aristocratic rule over the Islanders' representative confederacy. Oh, well, like all great democracies, we must bring freedom to the world... by force.

Eventually, Helladias' 4 year reign as the first Archon was coming to end, and he had really grand designs for his legacy. So as his final act in office, he secured an alliance with the large kingdom of Pontus to the north, and looked for somebody else to conquer. Helladius declared that the Thracian chief was too childish to rule, so he sent Ikesios to conquer him. Turns out he was a child. A very rich and spoiled child who was a bit abrasive. That probably made him extremely childish even for a child.

Soon after laying siege to Byzantium, Ikesios was elected Archon.

Apparently, the Macedonians feared Ikesios' and the Islanders military might, so they declared war only 8 days after the election. And thier allies, Sparta and Paonia did too.

Ikesios, I dare say, probably shat his pants. Or possibly on a turtle. But if he did, he didn't show it, and made the courageous decision to... abandon Euboea and call in the Pontians to save his @$$.

Ikesios kept up the siege of Thracia while the Macedonians and their allies laid siege to Euboea. Pontus took their time in mobilizing their army, but eventually they marched across the Propontis and stormed into Macedonia from the east.

The real battle, however, was at sea. The Macedonian fleet outnumbered the combined fleets of Pontus and the Islanders, and the intial battles proved fruitless. The Allies' fleets retreated to port while the sieges took their course. Eventually the Macedonians split their fleet - one navy supported units into Euboea while the other blockaded Pontic ports. The Allies jumped at their chance to divide and conquer, and after several battles, the Macedonian fleet in the Black Sea was destroyed. Then the Aegean fleet was battered and it fled to port, leaving the Allies in control of the seas.

Eventually Euboea fell to the Macedon and their cronies. But by then, the Islanders had annexed Thracia, sacked Pella, and controlled the sea. The Pontians had subjugated the Paionians. The large Macedonian and Spartan army was trapped on Euboea while Ikesios ravaged the Achaean countryside.

In time, Sparta fell and the great Ptolemy Keraunos had no choice but to accept the Islanders' demands unless he wanted to just be King of Euboea.

A simple conquer and colonize mission to Thracia ended up turning into a 3 year struggle through the heart of Greece. But in the end, the Islanders' mastery of the seas put them on top. The Athenians and Spartans were liberated from cruel despots and welcomed into the League.

Ikesios was a hero to all of the Islanders. It was expected that he would accomplish more great things in a period of peace.

 

[Hardradi]

Nice work. I never imagined such an empire when I was creating the mod. There are still plenty of greeks to be liberated.

Do you have the Paninoic League decision available ?

 

[unmerged(152202)]

I love this type of game.. good luck.

 

[JDMS]

This looks interesting, a needed change from the normal Rome and other large blob AARs.
Good luck!

 

[CJL78]

Nice work. I never imagined such an empire when I was creating the mod. There are still plenty of greeks to be liberated.

Thanks; yes, I hadn't intended to start liberating the mainland yet but Macedonia forced my hand. I got lucky defeating their 15k army with my 4k army and a forcelimit of 3 just by controlling the sea. Now I have a forcelimit of 12 so we'll see what I can do.

Do you have the Paninoic League decision available ?

Yup, I'll use it when I need to.

I love this type of game.. good luck.

Thanks.

This looks interesting, a needed change from the normal Rome and other large blob AARs.
Good luck!

Precisely why I chose it, blobs were getting too easy and frankly, kind of boring.

 

[CJL78]

But Ikesios Omirid didn't do a whole lot more with the rest of his Archonship. He did start the rebuilding process, and after seeing his Greek brothers in Aetolia fend off an invasion attempt by the Ptolemies of Egypt, he secured an alliance with them. Macedonia would think twice before attacking them again.

Then Aeacides Omirid was elected Archon.

Aeacides could have been a pretty suave leader. But after Macedonia allied itself with the Islanders' biggest ally, Pontus, he countered by securing an alliance with the weak Greek colonies of Milesia on the Black Sea. Then he made the mistake of supporting Pontus in its war against Lesser Armenia. The thinking was that with Macedonia and Pontus allied, losing the Pontic alliance could lead to a two-front war against these powers in the future. Whether that would have happened or not is debatable, but Pontus took years to defeat the Armenians' Atropatene allies to win the war, and in the meantime, the Islanders' grew extremely weary of not fighting. Many rebellions had to be put down.

Aeacides did recognize that with the acquisition of so much mainland territory in the Macedonian War, mercenaries were no longer needed and he passed laws eliminating their role in the army. He also greatly increased the size of the navy, giving the League naval superiority in the Aegean.

The next Archon was Lydiadas Sosiclid.

He brought the tributary state, Paionia, fully into the Nesiotic sphere of influence by signing an alliance deal. He also sent more Greek colonists to the area of Triballi in the north of Thrace. But most importantly, in 488 AVC, the Senate decided the last major Greek island needed to join the Nesiotic League, so he ordered Ikeisios Omirid to once again lead their glorious army in an invasion of Crete.

The battle and siege were quick, and Crete joined the League. However, much like Rhodes, for some reason many Cretans didn't seem to like being in the League, and a couple revolts had to be suppressed.

After that the Censor and Admiral, Ikesios Philonid, was elected Archon. This dude was truly blessed by a god.

And Philonid was tested early in his term. The small Greek states of Olbia and Bosporan Kingdom, on the north shores of the Black Sea, attacked the Milesian colonies. The Milesians came to the League for help, and Philonid did not disappoint. Leading the navy himself, he quickly destroyed the small Olbian fleet in the Propontis. Then he landed the aging Ikesios Omirid in Panticapaeum.

Omirid's skills had only sharpened with age. With the support of Philonid's superior navy, he routed two Bosporan armies sent against him and Panticapaeum fell after a yearlong siege. The Bosporans were not convinced, but after the fall of the capital at Phanagoria, the Kingdom conceded defeat.

With its larger ally bowing down to the might of the League, Olbia soon surrendered as well. The two Ikesios had brought greatness and fame to the League from around the Greek world for their bravery in selflessly defending the Milesians.

During the war, Meleager Lagid usurped his brother's throne in Macedonia after a brief civil war. Meleager's relations towards the League were decidedly more cordial.

Unfortunately, also during the war, the Ptolemies once again attempted to invade Aetolia. The Aetolians insisted the League come to their aid, but being busy in the north, and confident that they could defend against Ptolemy on their own once again, Philonid regretfully made the decision to abandon his allies. The alliance was ended, at least for now.

 

[Qorten]

Good gains. Macedonia is a non-entity by now really. A picture of the Black Sea region or maybe the whole Eastern Mediterranean would be welcome to see the situation.

EDIT\ Oh, and you mistakingly put up the wrong screenie of the second Sosiclid archon.

 

[CJL78]

Good gains. Macedonia is a non-entity by now really. A picture of the Black Sea region or maybe the whole Eastern Mediterranean would be welcome to see the situation.

EDIT\ Oh, and you mistakingly put up the wrong screenie of the second Sosiclid archon.

Fixed, thanks for that catch.

The Macs army isnt too powerful but they still have an alliance with Pontus which means I'd have to take them on entirely by myself on two fronts. The map in Black Sea the only difference is Pontus conquered Scythia and Lesser Armenia (the mustard yellow and greenish blue respectively in first map). That and Rome is slowly moving into Gaul, and Dardania's expansion as in last screenie are only differences I think. I will definitely post another world map with the next update, which I'm already playing right now

 

[JDMS]

Nice gains. A question though: did you not want any territory from the Bosporan Kingdom?

 

[CJL78]

Ikesios Philonid was strong and popular after those wars. A confederacy allows its member states some freedom, but that lack of unity can also make it weak. He toyed with the idea of abolishing it and proclaiming himself dictator and protector of the Greeks. Ultimately, his principles got the better of him and he allowed the election of

The League's aging first Archon was elected to his historic second term. In fact, he was so old, that he died six months later before he could even do anything.

He was succeeded by his younger relative, Kleandros.

Kleandros reaffirmed the alliance with the Aetolian League. He also improved relations with the two Diadochi empires, securing military access deals with both the Seleucids and the Ptolemies.

He also passed two major laws during his term, one establishing courts capable of prosecuting governors to cut down on corruption in the colonies, and another allowing the state to better provide for the slav... I mean, poor.

But Kleandros is best remembered for conquering the Black Sea coast. Tylis and Gatae were both nominally tributaries of Dardania, but the Dardanians wisely chose not to interfere in the League's affairs. The elderly Ikesios Omirid, at the ripe old age of 70, came out of retirement to once again lead the army and quickly conquered both tribes, with the help of the Milesian Greeks. Two months later he died of old age as well. With his death, the founding generation mostly came to an end.

Kleandros' term came to an end with the election of Aristonous Therid.

Aristonous declared war on Macedonia, citing a border dispute in Thrace.

The Aetolians and Paionians came to the League's aid, and Ikesios Philonid conquered Thessaly with the help of the brother League. The bright young general Lysimachus Zoticid invaded Macedonia from the north, taking Maedi after a long siege. The Macedonians fled the armies of the Leagues, and captured the Nesiotic tributary, Paionia.

After the fall of Paionia, Thessaly, and Maedi, all forces met at the Macedonian capital. Twice the armies of the Greeks met the Macedonians outside Pella, and twice they were pushed back. But in the third battle, Meleager was driven from the field.

With Pella under siege, Aristonous sent harsh terms to Meleager, who grudgingly accepted. All Thessaly was ceded to the Aetolians, and Macedonia's colonies were given up to the Nesiotic League. Paionia would remain in Macedonian hands.

The Nesiotic League in 500 AVC

 

[CJL78]

Nice gains. A question though: did you not want any territory from the Bosporan Kingdom?

Heck no. At least not yet

Too far away and I'm spread out enough as it is. I'm plenty happy letting them pay for my army maintenance plus some :rofl:

 

[JDMS]

Nice job, though with the ceding of Thessaly, are you worried about a potential future rivalry with the Aetolians?

 

[Hardradi]

Interesting times ahead. Locally, the Dardanians in the west are looking strong. If they take Dalmatia they should form into Illyria.

The big four are still both in place and Rome and Carthage are starting to spread. Need a good civil war for the Ptolemies or Seleucids so you can bite off a few stategic chunks.

In the north I am glad to see Aremorica has formed. Can you do a screeny of the manpower levels ?

 

[CJL78]

Early in 501, the Achaean League tried to pick a fight with the Nesiotics, making totally bogus claims on Sparta. Archon Aristonous wanted wanted to teach them a lesson in manners, but the Senate, largely controlled by the Religious faction, with the support of Civics and Populists, barely managed to block Aristonous' declaration of war.

Before he could convince the Senate otherwise, the Egyptians declared war on Achaea and promptly landed 40,000 men in the tiny country. The superpower now had a foothold in Greece, which sent shockwaves around the Mediterranean.

The Aetolian League panicked and broke their alliance with the Nesiotic League, fearing it would put them in the Ptolemaic crosshairs. They hoped to forge a deal with Egypt, whose new Pharoah was a former Aetolian himself, Alexander Aetolus. Aristonous warned them Alexander would rather conquer his homeland, but they ignored him.

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In November of 502, Mitrodoros Zoticid was elected.

Mitrodoros was extremely concerned about the Egyptian threat, and tried to build up relations with the Seleucids in hopes of an alliance. The Seleucids were not yet prepared for an alliance with an independent Greek league, but in the meantime Mitrodoros secured an alliance with the Bosporan tributary state. He also tried to convince the Milesians to the pay the League to protect them, and when they pompously refused, he revoked the alliance with them.

In December, civil war broke out in the Empire and Mitrodoros tried to curry favor with both sides. But in January of 504, Pontus declared war on the rebels.

Mitrodoros had tough decisions to make.

Pontus had been a stalwart ally for 30 years, but this intervention in Seleucid affairs was unacceptable and provided him with a causus belli to break the alliance and invade Pontic territory. The Bosporan allies could also invade Scythia while the League handled the Pontian military in the south.

Mitrodoros also wondered about the state of the Confederacy. The League could use a more stable and powerful government, and with many wars possibly looming in the future, he had the political capital to reorganize the League as an Aristocratic Republic.

The Nesiotic League in January 504 AVC

As per request, a comparison of all major and regional powers (sorted by research)

 

[Lofman]

Things are going well I see.

 

[Enewald]

OPM = omnipotent potential monster.

 

[CJL78]

Things are going well I see.

Um, kind of, but Egypt is a huge threat. You'll see in forthcoming update.

OPM = omnipotent potential monster.

Sometimes, yes