The Year of The Four Emperors: Ongoing!

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This campaign is a very relaxed, friendly, and slow-paced campaign game with The Year of The Four Emperors scenario for three players (Vitellius versus Otho versus The Flavians) from the Imperium Romanum II board game, using somewhat simplified rules and adapting land battles to Field of Glory II:Ancients. Most of the communication will be made in a Discord server specifically set up for this campaign, so if you want to follow it there, please PM me and we may add you. This thread will be updated with the different phases on an ongoing basis.

May 69 AD (round 6)

Vitellius (Aetius39)
Imperator: Vitellius.
Treasury level: 17.
Morale: 94.
Tax value: 16.
Controlled provinces: Aquitania (1), Baetica (2), Baleares (0), Belgica (1), Britannia (2), Gallaecia (1), Germania Inferior (1), Germania Superior (1), Lugdunensis (2), Lusitania (1), Mauretania Caesariensis (0), Mauretania Tingitana (0), Narbonensis (2), Tarraconensis (2).

Otho (kronenblatt)
Imperator: Otho.
Treasury level: 5.
Morale: 100.
Tax value: 13.
Controlled provinces: Africa Proconsularis (3), Alpes (0), Cisalpina (3), Corsica (0), Italia (3), Melita (0), Noricum (0), Numidia (1), Rhaetia (1), Sardinia (0), Sicilia (2).

The Flavians (carpenkm)
Imperator: Vespasianus, with Titus as his successor.
Treasury level: 7.
Morale: 101.
Tax value: 20.
Controlled provinces: Aegyptus (3), Arabia Petraea (0), Asia (3), Bithynia & Pontus (2), Cappadocia (2), Cilicia (2), Creta (0), Cyprus (0), Cyrenaica (1), Galatia (1), Iudea (1), Lycia & Pamphylia (1), Rhodus (1), Syria (3).

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Download of clean high-resolution map HERE.



Starting point

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pdf file of version 1.6 of rules (as of February 24, 2024) downloadable on MediaFire HERE.

Rounds and phases

• Each round constitutes one month; thus, there are twelve rounds in each year cycle.

• Once the twelfth and last round in a year cycle is done, another year cycle starts anew, with January.

• A round consists of six phases:
  1. Taxation and Mobilization (only March, June, September, December): receiving tax revenues, mobilizing armies and fleets.
  2. Diplomacy: exchanging talents, checking for activation of non-player powers.
  3. Army and Fleet Movement: merging and splitting armies and fleets, obtaining movement points, providing movement instructions, executing movement, resolving naval battles.
  4. Supply: checking supply, reducing and eliminating armies and fleets out of supply.
  5. Battles: playing out land battles and assaults as Field of Glory II:Ancients games, and naval battles simplistically.
  6. Administration: moving armies and reducing army size after battles, managing sieges, changing control over towns, cities, provinces, adjusting Morale.

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Vitellius

• Tax revenue of 16 talents, bringing Treasury to 17 talents.

• Army VI raised to size 3.

• Army VII created and raised to size 3.

• 9 talents left in Treasury.

Otho

• Tax revenue of 13 talents, bringing Treasury to 16 talents.

• Army IV created and raised to size 4.

• 8 talents left in Treasury.

Flavians

• Tax revenue of 19 talents, bringing Treasury to 24 talents.

• Army V created and raised to size 4.

• Fleet XII created and raised to size 4.

• 8 talents left in Treasury.

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• Parthia: d10 roll of 9 + modifiers of 14 = 23. No activation (requires modified d10 of 4 or lower).

• Danube Legions: no roll, since will start only on the earlier of April 69 AD, the death of Otho, and the death of Vespasianus.

• Barbarians: only Boiohaemum, Caledonia Citerior, and Germania Magna applicable.
  • Caledonia Citerior: Britannia contains Vitellius Army II with 2 units. No roll.
  • Boiohaemum: d10 roll of 8. No activation (requires 3 or lower).
  • Germania Magna: d10 roll of 6. No activation (requires 3 or lower)

• Corn Rebellion: d10 roll of 7. No rebellion (requires higher than 10, due to Otho's province control).

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With the current movement instructions all ARMIES (with three exceptions) are fully in supply, either through army foraging (as per the chart above) or through being within 4 MP from a(n eligible) port. The three exceptions are:

• Vitellius Army IV, with size 5 in a hex (Rough) that only provides supply of 2 (Germania Inferior, being Wild) during Winter. => consuming 1 Supply Point from its Baggage Train.

• Vitellius Army V, with size 4 in a hex (Rough) that only provides supply of 2 (Germania Superior, being Wild) during Winter. => Adjusting movement to instead go to the City of Augusta Treverorum and the Cultivated province of Belgica.

• Vitellius Army VI, with size 3 in a hex (Rough) that only provides supply of 2 (Germania Superior, being Wild) during Winter.=> Adjusting movement to instead go to the Cultivated province of Lugdunensis.

Supply considerations for FLEETS involve the following:

• A fleet that begins the round in a sea hex (not containing a controlled port) and does not end its movement in the hex of a controlled port is eliminated.

• In addition, a fleet that in a winter month ends its movement in a deep sea hex is eliminated.

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The siege of Hierosolyma by Flavians Army V (size 5)

• The town of Hierosolyma has a Defense value of 12 at the start of the campaign, reflecting the Jewish Rebels size-2 army implicitly being located within its walls.

• A sieged town or city will in the beginning of the Administration phase get its Defense value reduced by half of the current size of the sieging army (if needed, rounded upwards to integer value).

• Hierosolyma's Defense value is reduced from 12 to 9, by 3 (5 divided by 2 equalling 2.5 and rounded upwards to 3).

Morale Adjustment

• Otho receives +2 from controlling the Imperial Capital of Roma.

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• Parthia: no roll since modifiers amount to 8 and activation requires modified d10 of 4 or lower.

• Danube Legions: no roll, since will start only on the earlier of April 69 AD, the death of Otho, and the death of Vespasianus.

• Barbarians: If a province that is controlled by an active Roman faction and adjacent to Boiohaemum, Caledonia Citerior, Dacia, Germania Magna, Iazygia, or Sarmatiadoes not contain at least two Roman army units, roll a d10 for each Barbarian province adjacent to the Roman province. Danube Legions are not (yet) active, why only Boiohaemum, Caledonia Citerior, and Germania Magna are applicable.
  • Caledonia Citerior: No roll since Britannia contains Vitellius Army II with 2 units.
  • Rhaetia and Noricum are controlled by Otho with insufficient armies, why rolls are to be made for Boiohaemum and Germania Magna.
  • Boiohaemum: roll of 8. No activation (requires 3 or lower).
  • Germania Magna: roll of 1. Activation of Barbarians there! (requires 3 or lower).
  • A size-3 Barbarian army is spawned and controlled by carpenkm, the most distant Roman faction, placing it in 3212.

• Corn Rebellion: no roll, since Otho is controller of the Imperial Capital of Roma, and controls Africa Proconsularis 2, Sicilia 2, and Sardinia 1, with 5 corn symbols in total, requiring a d10 roll of above 10.

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All in full supply.

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Otho Army I is adjacent to Barbarians Army I, thus

Otho Army I strength = 1 (size) - 1 (number of battles) = strength 0.
Barbarians Army I strength = 3 (size) - 1 (number of battles) - 1 (crossing River) = 1.
=> Strength difference = 1 - 0 = 1 in Barbarians' favour (1600 + 30 x 1 versus 1600 - 30 x 1).
=> Map terrain (centred around Otho Army I, having spent the fewest MP). Random value = 7 => hex of army.

Otho Army I (1570 FP) (Otho (Roman) army list, kronenblatt) versus Barbarians Army I (1630 FP) (Germans army list, carpenkm) on North European Wooded terrain.

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Otho Army I (1570 FP) (Otho (Roman) army list, kronenblatt) versus Barbarians Army I (1630 FP) (Germans army list, carpenkm).
=> Barbarians Army I wins 67-56.
=> Otho Army I eliminated plus Otho's Morale adjusted by 0 (-2 for losing battle, -2 for reducing 1 own army size, +4 for reducing 2 enemy army size).
=> Size of Barbarians Army I reduced by 2 (60% of 3 = 1.8, rounded upwards to 2), from 3 to 1.

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The siege of Hierosolyma by Flavians Army IV (size 8)

• The town of Hierosolyma has a Defense value of 9 at the start of the campaign, reflecting the Jewish Rebels size-2 army implicitly being located within its walls.

• A sieged town or city will in the beginning of the Administration phase get its Defense value reduced by half of the current size of the sieging army (if needed, rounded upwards to integer value).

• Hierosolyma's Defense value is reduced from 9 to 5, by 4 (8 divided by 2).

Morale Adjustment

• Otho receives +2 from controlling the Imperial Capital of Roma.

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• Parthia: no roll due to Flavians Army IV size 8 in Iudea with +8 modifier, making minimum adjusted outome 9 (4 or lower required to activate Parthia).

• Danube Legions: no roll yet (only the earlier of April 69 AD or death of Otho or Vespasianus, and Otho will live a long and healthy life...!).

• Barbarians: no roll due to no potential Barbarians applicable, since Danube Legions are not (yet) active, why only Boiohaemum, Caledonia Citerior, and Germania Magna can be rolled for, and Britannia contains Vitellius Army II with 2 units so no roll for Caledonia, Rhaetia and Noricum contains one size-2 Othonian army each so no roll for Boioheamum, and Germania Magna is already active.

• Corn Rebellion: no roll, since Otho is controller of the Imperial Capital of Roma, and controls Africa Proconsularis 2, Sicilia 2, and Sardinia 1, with 5 corn symbols in total, requiring a d10 roll of above 10.

=> Extremely boring Diplomacy phase. But next one...!

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Situation

• Flavians Fleet X and Otho Fleet X encounter each other and fight a battle (at Actium!).

Strength before die rolls

• Flavians Fleet X: 6 + 1 for leader Carpius (A, +1) = 7, before die roll.

• Otho Fleet X: 5, before die roll.

Die rolls

• Flavians Fleet X: die roll = 3

• Otho Fleet X: die roll = 10

Outcome

• Flavians Fleet X: 6 + 1 + (3/2=1.5=2) = 6 + 1 + 2 = 9.

• Otho Fleet X: 5 + (10/2=5) = 5 + 5 = 10.

=> Otho Fleet X is the winner with 1 difference.

Casualties at difference of 1: 20% for winner, 40% for loser.
=> Otho Fleet X = 20% x 5 = 1 => new size 4.
=> Flavians Fleet X = 40% x 6 = 2.4, rounded upwards to 3 => new size 3.
=> Flavians Fleet X is moved to the least distant controlled port (Danube Legions counting), i.e., to 4923, merging into Flavians Fleet XI.

Morale adjustments

• Flavians: -2 for losing naval battle + 2 for reducing Otho fleet by 1 - 4 for own casualties of 2 = -4 => New morale of Flavians = 100 - 4 = 96.

• Otho: +2 for winning naval battle + 4 for reducing Otho fleet by 2 - 2 for own casualties of 1 = +4 => New morale of Otho = 84 + 4 = 88.

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The siege of Hierosolyma by Flavians Army IV (size

• The town of Hierosolyma has a Defense value of 5 at the start of round 3.

• A sieged town or city will in the beginning of the Administration phase get its Defense value reduced by half of the current size of the sieging army (if needed, rounded upwards to integer value).

• Hierosolyma's Defense value is reduced from 5 to 1, by 4 (8 divided by 2).

Morale Adjustment

• Otho receives +2 from controlling the Imperial Capital of Roma.

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Vitellius

• Tax revenue of 16 talents, bringing Treasury to 25 talents.

• Army III raised by 2 (@4 talents).

• Army IV raised by 1 (@2 talents).

• Army V raised by 1 (@2 talents).

• 17 talents left in Treasury.

Otho

• Tax revenue of 13 talents, bringing Treasury to 21 talents.

• Army II raised by 4 (@8 talents).

• Army III raised by 2 (@4 talents).

• Fleet XI raised by 2 (@4 talents).

• 5 talents left in Treasury.

Flavians

• Tax revenue of 19 talents, bringing Treasury to 27 talents.

• Army VI created and raised to size 4 (@8 talents).

• Fleet XII created and raised to size 4 (@8 talents).

• Baggage train built with Army III (@4 talents).

• 7 talents left in Treasury.