Dara 530AD Scenario

[kilroy1]

In 530AD a Persian army of approximately 50,000 men advanced towards the Roman frontier city of Dara in northern Mesopotamia. The Roman general Belisarius with barely half as many men deployed his troops behind a network of trenches south of the city. The Persians attacked piecemeal and as a result suffered a humiliating defeat losing 8,000 men with very few casulties for the Romans.

This is based on the article in "Ancient Warfare Magazine".

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7xepllal3i5uc ... 2.zip?dl=1



kilroy

[Scarz]

Looks good, am downloading for a go!

[Scarz]

Well very close game as the Romans, I was able to win on turn 13 with one break point to spare. I tried to shoot it out with the Persians for the first 3-4 turns, but that looks like a sure way to lose this one. So, with nothing left to lose I sent the cavalry charging forward. The game turned into a swirling cavalry fight in the middle, with the Romans trying to come to grips with the Persians. The Persian levy foot was routed fairly quickly, but as the Romans chase the Persians around, they really get chewed up by the horse archers.

Thanks for the neat scenario, a hard battle for the Romans!

[maximvs]

Much the same experience as Scar. On first play as the Romans I sat back too long until finally venturing out into contact. Was just about to gain a victory when the turns ran out!
Re-played and, like Scar, found the Persians break quite quickly even without softening them up. Very enjoyable scenario.
I'll have a go as the Persians tomorrow, but I think they'll struggle to win (especially with me in charge!)

[omarquatar]

the romans would need 4 extra units to protect their flanks, their line is overstretched
in multiplayer i find the scenario decidedly biased pro-persian

[kilroy1]

the romans would need 4 extra units to protect their flanks, their line is overstretched
in multiplayer i find the scenario decidedly biased pro-persian

The key to winning this as the Romans is not to engage in a prolonged missile exchange. The Romans should withdraw their left flank three or four hexes by turn three or four and temp the Persians to cross the ditch (which they will if playing against the AI). Once they are across the ditch they will be in range of the Roman foot archers and their right flank will be vulnerable to a charge from the Herul cavalry led by Pharas. Also, the Persians will most likely have advanced into the center which will leave their left center "open".

I struggled with the balance on this one for a long time, but I didn't want to fudge it to make it work. In the actual battle the Persians pushed back the Roman left flank, which allowed them to be outflanked and driven back with the loss of 3,000 men. The Persians then committed their reserve of 10,000 Immortals (Zhayedan) to an attack on the Roman right flank, which was also driven back and then the Persians were again outflanked with the loss of a further 5,000 men.

In multiplayer no one is going to launch a piecemeal attack as the Persians did. The Romans should use the terrain to their advantage, by withdrawing their flanks, the Persians are drawn into a funnel shaped valley where they cannot bring their superior numbers to bear.

kilroy

[omarquatar]

then maybe the solution is to lower the persians' quality

[kilroy1]

then maybe the solution is to lower the persians' quality

The scenario has been revised, the quality of some of the Persian units have been lowered. Let me know what you think.


kilroy

[TheGrayMouser]

Just had time to play this last nite vs the AI Persians (not sure which version as downloaded a week ago) it was very tough although I squeeked in a win.... I initially intended to hold the trneches but after two turns of getting hammered by bow fire realized was a losing proposition.... What saved me was driving the persian cavalry back on their own heavy foot and disordering/fragging them
Good cavalry fun, apreciate you making these, cheers!

[kilroy1]

Just had time to play this last nite vs the AI Persians (not sure which version as downloaded a week ago) it was very tough although I squeeked in a win.... I initially intended to hold the trneches but after two turns of getting hammered by bow fire realized was a losing proposition.... What saved me was driving the persian cavalry back on their own heavy foot and disordering/fragging them
Good cavalry fun, apreciate you making these, cheers!

I'm glad you enjoyed it. The latest version is Dara 530AD r1.

kilroy

[kilroy1]

This scenario has been updated and includes units from Romans Triumphant.

kilroy