175CE
Spring
Rome senses a major swing in their fortunes. They play Lectisternium and end the barbarian turn.
This allows us to deploy Maximus and with an attack force the Quadi to retreat yet again. Unfortunately, the Marcus, sensing a potential opportunity to bring the war to a quick close. He challenges the Quadi leader to single combat.
Marcus bring his gladius to the guard position and crouches behind his shield. He fights silently, feinting, bashing the boss of his shield against the taller and heavier Quadi leader. He carries a lighter shield and a heavy long bladed sword. Blood is spilled eventually. Marcus lies on the ground…panting. He drops his sword and his shield and smiles.
The leader hesitates in his kill stroke. “Roman, why do you smile? He asks. Marcus replies ” I see death smiling at me, there is nothing I can do but smile back”…
The Leader laughs…”Ok Roman, you are a warrior. I will not slay you today. But leave these lands. I will own the lands to the Danube. ” He says.
Marcus struggles to his feet, and looks the warrior in the eye and says. ‘aye, we will fight no more today, but I will be back if you attack an existing fortification, settlement or Roman citizen, South OR North of the Danube.” With that he turned his back and walked away… This battle costs Marcus Aurelius two prestige points.
Summer
The barbarians siege and attack all the forts across entire front. The forts across the board suffer heavy losses and hunker down.
Winter
Iazyges again conclave seek to break their oath, but cannot again reach a consensus. The Quadi drift south and the Marcomanni take out more forts. [The Number of forts and Legions is what prevents the enemy from Oath Breaking.]
176 CE
Spring
Rome gets to reshuffle and plays harsh winter.
The spring thaw comes late for the Barbarians. This limits their action this year. Meanwhile the Romans enhance their reputation via a card and generate 2 much needed prestige for the Marcus.
Who uses this positivity to launch a daring raid against the Marcomanni homeland. He beats their army [12 vs 11 after die rolls ]. Gaining 1 Prestige. Maximus keeps the pressure up on the Quadi who have attacked settlements, but he fails to win and sends one legion home for full refit after heavy losses.
Summer
A surge ensues for the barbarians. Marcomanni conclave but fail to break their oaths due to the heavy presence of fortifications and patrols by the Roman empire.
However…not all is well up north as the Iazyges after two years of peace break their oath. Their fierce horseback soldier race across the open plains to attack fortifications and settlements in a frenzy of violence.
Maximus attempts to quickly subdue the Quadi. He challenges the leader as his emperor did, but also fails.
Winter
Quadi move closer to the Danube and demolish a fort. Plague strikes Rome again. Pushing down to the Prestige to 3. At zero Marcus forfeits the game. Another surge occurs, but the MM do not break their oath thanks to heavy leadership, Legion and fort presence.
[Game play note, we miss two years of Late war cards. ]
177CE
Spring
It appears the tribes seek a time to regroup. All Quiet plays again. The Romans use this time to reinforce the forts in the Marcomanni territory. They also leverage Maximus Decimus a Late war card in battle and knock out the Iazyges army. Who surrender meekly, wondering why the hell they revolted anyway. The Romans are harsh in their justice to traitors and many are slain, and the leaders crucified.
Summer
Plagues affects the Rome and reduces Prestige back down to three. Forts are placed via historical actions in a desperate move to keep the MM pacified.
The Quadi leave their home land again… and the Romans miss their chance to knock them out for once and all again.
Winter
Forts fall across the board despite surrender of two of the three tribes… so someone aint playing nice.
178 CE
Spring
Quadi move south. The Romans hold a few cards, looking for the right combination and rebuild forts. Marcus does attack forcing the Quadi back to their home land and picking up 1 Prestige due to a 6 being rolled on the attack.
Marcus places one fort in Homeland. The plays another card to make it a 2.
Marcus then attacks using an ambush card. However Marcus is rebuffed again. A Legion is beyond decimated. So close!
Summer
The Quadi shake off losses and advance again into the zone south of their homeland in advance of any attack by the Romans. With a 2 level fort Marcus elects to attack again. This time he brings the Barbarian Auxilia . yet even this is not enough.
During the Winter both sides recover wounds and losses.
179CE.
The Romans play Harsh Winter shutting out action by the Barbarians who are in essence asleep in their huts. Marcus using fresh forces, and using the fort, the barbarian auxiliary and 6 Legions. The raw results 13 vs 13 mean it all comes down to a die roll. Marcus rolls a 5! The Quadi roll a 2.
Fires burn, bodies are gathered, weapons stacked and burned. Hostages taken. Marcus surveys the carnage and muses. –
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
He looks down at the Quadi leader from his saddle, bound and bowed. “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” Says Marcus. “you have lived nobly and fought well. Now let us set this aside, you and your family are now bound to me. Come and learn and end this slaughter.”
END.