Campaign update: 240-230 BC

Quite a lot has been happening in our Empire campaign; I just haven't had the time to document it until now.  The first thing to report is that the Macedonians finally took Illyria (ie Gordon beat me).  I took photos and saved them to my laptop, and then promptly lost them.  It's a bit of shame, since it was a good game and a close one.  On a constricted field, the Macedonian phalanx punched through the Illyrian defensive hill line, which was composed of medium hoplites from the coastal city states and some wild warbands.  Every phalanx was badly damaged, but the weight in the centre won the day.

Secondly, we rolled for the Indians, and they took Bactria.  We incorporated the Indians into the game so that we could see Simon's lovely army on the table.  However, he hasn't been well, so we left their shot until the end of the turn.

Summary of events this turn:

1:  Bactria rebels from Persian control
2:  The Persians reconquer Persia
3: The Egyptians conquer Syria
4:  Carthage takes Iberia
5:  Rome takes Sicily from Carthage
6:  The Macedonians conquer Illyria
7: The Indians conquer Bactria

The most surprising thing about this is the success rate of the Great Powers: usually they are rubbish, but in this turn they have excelled themselves, each winning in their active phase.  First time that has ever happened!

At the start of the new turn, the Thracians rebel from Macedonain control and the Ptolemies attack a Macedonian field army in Asia Minor.  This time, I forgot my camera altogether, but it's probably just as well since I ended up effectively umpiring.  I didn't get the time to take any photos anyway.  It was another extremely close battle.  Billy and Willie ran the attacking force, while I set up the Antigonid defenders and ran the weak left flank.  David had our central phalanx on a nice ridge line, and Paul had our right wing.  Billy steadily forced me back on our left.  Stalemate for a while in the centre.  Willie eventually broke through our right at great cost, but was finished off by excellent shooting from Paul's Cretan archers.  Eventually we won in the centre due to the hill.  A great game.

The current map situation:

This is a composite of two scans, which didn't align exactly, but it does give an idea of the strategic view:

Carthage controls Carthage, Numidia and Iberia.
Rome controls central and southern Italy, and Sicily
Macedon controls Macedonia, Greece, Illyria and Asia Minor
Egypt controls Egypt, Syria and Armenia
Persia controls Parthia and Persia
India controls Bactria and India

Next up is a Carthaginian probe into Gallia.  Methinks the Barcid war party is getting restless in Spain...