Greetings!
Chapter V: Invading Britain
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Pg. 42.
"When Caesar arrived back in Brittany in the spring of 54 B.C., he found he now had twenty-eight warships and more than six hundred new transports at his disposal, built from local timber, their sails and tackle brought up from Spain."
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It always amazes me that in contrast to the often bewildering, unpredictable, and unreliable travel networks during the Dark and Middle Ages, here in the Roman Republic, the merest of things like ship-sails and tackle, let alone something very valuable, can be so easily and assuredly transported over hundreds of miles--from Spain to northern France--to Caesar, waiting for it eagerly for his fleet. This example, like the fleets shipping grain in mass quantities and on regular schedules from Egypt to Rome, as well as regular mail and newspapers, just continues to impress me on how far more organized and capable were our ancestors than is so often believed. In the game, the Dark and Middle Ages are always held up as somehow the defining paradigm of all that is achievable, when again and again, the achievements of the ancients, like the Romans, is often of far greater level in scope, skill, and glory.
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Pg. 43
"Since daybreak they'd been watching the horizon fill with hundreds of sails, and been dazzled by the thousands of flashing oars. The previous year the Britons had seen little more than 80 Roman vessels off their shores. Now they were staggered to see 800. As the hours passed, the Dover Strait darkened with brown hulls. Never again would an invasion fleet as large as this come to Britain's shores. The Spanish Armada of 1588 would comprise only a paltry 130 vessels, carrying little more than 19,000 troops."
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800 ships! Hello! Let's see--that's the 10th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 12th Legions--some 50,000 and more soldiers!--with more in France if Caesar needs them! That also includes perhaps over 2000 cavalry! Damn! Imagine all the engineers, support troops, archers, and so on--that supported the powerful legions. This enormous invasion force--which actually represented only a fraction of what was available to all of Rome--after all, Caesar did not have all of the Roman Legions under his command--Pompey, and other generals had many more legions under their own commands. Still, this powerful invasion force hits the coast of Britain like a storm!
The Spanish Armada looks weak by comparison! 130 vessels, and 19,000 soldiers? Compared to Caesar's mighty legions, that is more like a scouting expedition! This is just staggering! In game terms, people often claim that 5000 men is a huge army! Please! It becomes more and more apparent with study how powerful and skilled our ancient ancestors were--and it also puts into perspective, contrary to the opinion of some historians--that there was indeed a "Dark Ages." European civilization, glory, and power clearly and decisively declined for 1000 years and more after the fall of the Roman Empire. Interesting, 54 B.C.-1588 A.D. is *FIFTEEN-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR YEARS* and Europe still couldn't achieve what Caesar had commanded. Something else, I'll tell ya!
Imagine the unknown terror among the Britons! Imagine them trembling in fear as the sea itself disappears under the hulls and sails of 800 warships! It must have simply been unimaginable to them!
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Pg. 44
"Throughout his career, Julius Caesar made a habit of marching in the early hours of the morning to catch his adversaries off guard, and a little after midnight, leaving his least experienced legion, the 12th, together with three hundred cavalry, to guard the new camp under the command of General Quintus Atrius, Caesar marched into the night with his four Spanish legions and seventeen hundred cavalry."
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Really, look at this. Just after midnight, Caesar marches off into the night with four legions and 1700 cavalry! Caesar does this kind of bold command and assault on a routine basis. He just doesn't quit! Keep in mind, Caesar is pushing fifty years old here, and he is always in front, always in command! In the game, it seems that many are perplexed by any characters or generals, doing anything so bold as this. I can hear the shouts now--"That's not possible. That's not realistic. That many troops would get lost. They can't march like that in the dark. They can't possibly stay organized. Surely they would get lost!" and so on!
Here, Caesar shows us all how it's done!
What courage and daring on his part, heh?
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Pg. 45
"Toiling around the clock, with oil lamps burning through the night at the repair sites and work teams rostered in shifts, the damaged vessels were all repaired within ten days. The ships were then hauled up onto the beach, all 760 of them, and enclosed on three sides by fortifications extending down to the water's edge from the camp."
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Here is another massive achievement! In ten days? Hello? Then also notice that Caesar's legions built a fortress that enclosed the entire port! Fortified naval bases in ten days! Damn, these Romans are incredible! This is very inspiring stuff! Imagine, if the Romans could do these great feats with only strength, sweat, discipline, and iron will, --what could a similar group accomplish in the game with magic?
I love fortified ports! That is so cool.
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Pg. 48
"The stronghold was full of warriors and cattle, and Caesar wasted no time sending the legions against it. They attacked from two sides, the ferocity of their assault sending the defenders fleeing over a third wall in terror."
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Imagine the Roman legionaries streaming into the fort, swords hacking, spears stabbing, with growling and clenched teeth as the men struggle to the death! Imagine the blood spattering on the shining armour, and the shouted curses as the Roman soldiers leap to the slaughter, cutting down the barbarians as they seek to flee! The smell of burning wood, blood, and the terrified cattle running about as bodies lay everywhere, and smoke begins to rise from the burning fortress! Then, the exultant cries of the victorious Roman soldiers as they cheer their centurions! What a sight indeed!
MMADSEN, this is just fantastic! The visuals and ideas are so vivid and striking!
The inspiration for the game is very cool! I like the idea of using standards and different kinds of magic as you mentioned. Imagine that, as well as their tattoo-magic of the barbarian warriors! There are so many cool ideas swimming through my mind! Roman weapons, armour, war machines, Roman priests, War magic, Celtic Druids, tattoo magic, magical paints, magical standards, enchanted music and horns, the list just goes on and on!
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
are rumored to have sent a party to search for the ancient Great Bull, a battle standard carried by an ancient emperor and dedicated to the god of the minotaurs. History says that armies carrying this standard have never been defeated. The PCs must find the standard before the minotaur heroes or recover it before they can bring it to their army.
