Alexander's World Tour

[Marathon]

Coenus had rewarded my faith in him by capturing the second objective. The third and final objective is to loot the Persian camp. I keep my attention on Arsities but glance to the west and wonder why is Arrabaeus retreating? My answer comes when Aorang rises from behind the hills. I learned later that Aorang had come to the aid of Memnon before the Greek and his hoplites could be eliminated. Signaling Demetrius, he joins me and I inform that I will lead our cavalry towards the Persian encampment, bypassing Arsities.

Coenus: My mens' sacrifice is rewarded when they capture the second objective. I watch as Kallias loses 400 more men to Spenta before Calis' could chase them down and force them to retreat.

[Marathon]

Arrabaeus acts smart and makes all attempts to distance himself from the two remaining Persian infantry units. Demetrius and I avoid Arsities and head northward.

Coenus: My troops kill 400 more archers and drive them into the path of Calis who kills 200 more. Kallias get some measure of revenge for their enormous amount of casualties by erasing Spithridates cavalry and Acacius adds more Persian dead.

I play my three Health cards on Calis, Philotas (who still not has rallied), and Craterus. Calis rewards me with 400 more dead archers.

[Marathon]

Major victory over the Persians! I travel further into the heart of the Persian Empire.

[Marathon]

Darius uses his knowledge of the terrain to circle behind me. My makes and about-face to meet the Persians at near Issus. This passage is border by the Mediterranean and mountains and the small size negates the numerical superiority of Darius' army.

I buy 3 Health cards, 2 Fire Arrow, 1 Rally, 2 Shield Wall, 1 Poison and 2 Fear. My army doubles in size by new re-enforcements; 3 light cavalry, 1 heavy cavalry, 4 infantry and 1 archer. These units will have to be trained through battle.

[Marathon]

This time, I have to defend one objective while trying to capture another. My elite cavalry, Kallias and myself, with some infantry support will defend objective two while the rest of my army, under the command of Nicanor, will destroy the isolated Persian defense around object 1.

Persian cavalry wastes no time heading straight towards my position. Kallias gets the battle off to a good start with 100 less Persians I have to kill.

Nicanor: Most of my soldiers are heading into battle for the first time so I can complicate my orders or ask push them too far. I will use my infantry to fix the Persians and use my cavalry support to penetrate their lines.

[Marathon]

It will take a few minute for my Companion infantry to reach my right flank. This will undoubtably fool the Persians into believing this is a weakness, in my lines, which they will attempt to exploit. So, I let them think that and use a small reserve, until my infantry arrives, to limit gains while I lead charges on the weaker Persian far right flank.

My bodyguards drive Arsities back with 400 less horsemen. The coward will not escape this battle. This charge carries into Abadan, who also loses a great number of his men. Demetrius does not have my luck. He and Sh*thrite slam into each other cause a great deal of casualties to each other. Arrows bring Demetrius to half strength.

Nicanor: Still deploying for the frontal feint as my cavalry moves quickly towards the gap around the Persian defenses. I notice that archers stationed in some of higher foothills.

[Marathon]

Calis charges to relieve the pressure on Demetrius and pushes Sh*thrite' cavalry back with heavy losses. Heavy infantry, in the form of Craterus, closes the gap in my center. Craterus also pounds Vaumissa backwards and he staggers into the spears of Parmenio. Vaumissa's cavalry will bother me no more. I kill the rest of Abadan's unit but now my bodyguards have lost half their brethren. Arsities shaken command sees Abadan's demise and routs.

Nicanor: My soldiers are closing in when Borzu breaks from the Persian defensive position and heads towards me.

[Marathon]

I breaking the Persian right and begin to curl around to slash them from behind. Demetrius is in trouble again to Myrander's light infantry who have a flanking position of him. Philotas drives back Myrander but them half his unit decimated due to archers. I order both him and Demetrius, down to his last 100 men, to withdrawal to the rear. Calis then adds to Myrander's misery by running down 400 more artisbara. Coenus punishes Oranthythes for making a frontal charge against his heavily armored phalanx.

Nicanor: Borzu's forward progress is stopped by my own infantry. His hasty movement has left a gap in the Persian defense that can be exploited.

[Marathon]

Three cavalry units are less than half their allotted manpower and the battle is still young. My infantry will have to pick some of that offensive slack. Calis slaughters a thousand more Persian infantry while suffering very minor losses himself. Oranthyres' cavalry is stricken from the Persian order of battle with his suicidal charge at Coenus. Arsities rally his men and sends them at Arrabaeus with no affect. Meleager charge kills 500 more Persian cavalry. Kallias' archers cannot match the Persian archers who kill 900 of my men.

Nicanor: My cavalry swings around the swings around the enemy flank and gets a glimpse of the Persian reserve. I send my swordsmen into the line and are stopped. Ptolemy hits the flank of Borzu but his green infantry is pushed back with 300 dead.

[Marathon]

I immediately play Shield Wall on Calis who is about to be attacked and he one of last cavalry units capable of offensive operations. This works as Vivana is routed by the defense of Calis. Arrabaeus reaches the Persian archers and deals out some much needed revenge that pushes Sarafraz away. Utana's cavalry is then eliminated by through the combined attacks of Arrabaeus and Craterus. Arrabaeus good fortune is short lived as Rheomithries inflicts 300 casualties. Kallias' archers aim is too keen for Arsities as his command is reduced to nothingness.

Nicanor: I order my infantry to hold position while my own unit, with the Poison card, attacks. They defeat the charge of Borzu and rout him but the Persian archers make it a sanguine victory. Asclepiades' swordsmen engages Nekdel's infantry and forces them to retreat. I create another gap in the enemy's line and surge towards the archers. They are pushed out of the foothills but with minor losses.

[Marathon]

Sh*thrite is in my rear but due to his weaken status, he is no threat. I order Philotas to deal with him. Some of my troops have reached the small depression that runs along battlefield from north to south. It is a good place to regroup and defend against a possible Persian counter-attack. Arrabaeus smartly maneuvers out of the way of a charge before he could bloodied some more. Coenus' phalanx routs Hadr without losing a single man. Craterus then adds Rheomithries to the stampede to the Persian rear.

Nicanor: The Persians are splintered. I sent the cavalry towards the objective and I follow them while my infantry holds firm. My light cavalry unit commanded by Agathon has to fall back due to all his losses. Hepaestion has his hands full. His Thessalian cavalry routs kills 400 of Borzu's men and routs him. The Persian archers then inflict 300 dead on him in return. Hespaestion then charges into the flank of Nanus, again without losing a single soldier. He is then attacked by Nekdel and is effectiveness is cut in half.

[Marathon]

We are making good progress and pushed the Persians back into their reserves. I order a general halt, except for Coenus, to regroup and examine for any possible weaknesss. Coenus continues his pursuit of Sarafraz's archers with deadly aggressiveness. Sarafraz routs after losing 1000 more men. Coenus' blood lust finds the advancing Lycaon who is also pushed back after a great number of this Apple Bearers. Calis successfully defends against the last charge by Sh*thrite's unit but Calis is now at half strength along with most of cavalry.

Nicanor: Hephaestion executes a tactical withdrawal to avoid being charged from the flank. I order Protocachus' and Asclepiades' Prodromoi to seize the objective and to any archers that stand in their way. This leads to Spenta losing 600 more of his men and objective 1 is ours!

[Marathon]

My men continue to halt at the ravine while I direct my weakened cavalry to scout behind the Persian lines. The only enemy offensive action was taken by Vindafarnah who runs his horses into the spears of Craterus and routs. Stupidly, Lycaon tries the same method against Coenus, with the same result. I receive word that objective one has been taken. As soon as my rear has been cleared of the enemy, the second objective will be mine.

Nicanor: I leave the two light cavalry units to clean up around the objective while I lead my swordsmen into a melee with Nanus. His men do not have time turn around before we are hacking them to pieces. Nanus leaves 700 men at my feet, before he flees the high ground, I now occupy. From the vantage point, I view the rest of my infantry engaging the Persians that remain. Behind me, Spenta's archers are broken upon the rocks.

[Marathon]

Arrabaeus drives the routed archers away from my army. The infantry settles into defensive positions only awaiting my command to begin the final assault on the Persians. Kallias sends almost a thousand more Persians to the grave with several well aimed volleys. Philotas drives the rest of Vivana's routed men into the sea which wins me the second objective. The third and final objective appears behind the Persian defenses.

Nicanor: My men kill more of Nanus' men, driving them into th awaiting arms of my infantry and archers. I then turn my attention the bigger threat of Nekdel's infantry behind me. Several messengers find me. First, Asclepiades' light cavalry cannot finish off Borzu. Even though they are routed, Borzu's men are hiding in the higher foothills Asclepiades cannot afford the death toll. Secondly, Amyntas routs Vanus but half his men are gone. Thirdly, the best news is last as Ptolemy's hoplites eliminated Mehr.

[Marathon]

I let Arrabaeus continue to cause misery on the Persian right flank. He does not disappoint me, killing 400 more of Rheomithres' troops and Rheomithres himself. That idiot Vindafarnah charges my heavy infantry again and the ground is covered with his dead soldiers. Lycaon's panicked men stumble into Craterus who takes the opportunity to decimate them and succeeds. Kallias and Acacius kill more of the enemy but they do not budge one way or the other.

Nicanor: I send the messenger back to Asclepiades telling to break of his attack of Borzu. I task Hephaestion Protomachus and myself to deal with Nekdel. Hephaestion is afforded the first opportunity when he charges Nekdel's rear with good effect. Nekdel's confused men change facing and Protomachus strikes his rear again from another direction. In those few minutes, Nekdel casualties approach 1000 men while mine are very light. Bapuji's light infantry tries to melee Antiochus but his unencumbered archers nimbly avoid any hand-to-hand contact. Andromenes' peltast take advantage and plunge into the flank of Bapuji that stuns the Persians.

[Marathon]

I continue my scouting adventure, along with Calis, around the Persian right. Arrabaeus breaks off his attack to regroup for the final push. Kallias and Acacius continue their barrage. The archers finish off Vindafarnah and Rheomithries while the slingers kill off the rest of Hadr's command. The Persians archers that remain have been strangely silent as my missile units continue to soften up the enemy.

Nicanor: One final charge, by Protomachus, forces Nekdel's shaken men to surrender. Andromenes pushes back Bapuji with a relentless attack. Off to the west, the Persian reserve stirs as Iraj's Scythian light cavalry begins to move.

[Marathon]

The final objective is in sight but so is Darius. He is surrounded by chariots, rumbling towards the Persian line. To the north, three previous unseen infantry units also march forward to bolster the enemy's defense. One of them is another mercenary Greek heavy infantry phalanx commanded by Memolaus. Darius must be desperate.

Nicanor: Even if the Persians are weak and hanging by a thread, they still delay me from supporting Alexander. My men finish off the last remnants of Bozu hiding among the rocks. Ptolemy and Asclepiades work in tandem to finally eliminate Nanus' infantry. They work together again to crush Bapuji with support from Antiochus' archers. Hespaestion sends me an urgent message for help, stating that he now has two Persian cavalry units harassing him; Iraj and Xshatrita. They must be dealt with swiftly.

[Marathon]

My opportunity to challenge Darius in combat has arrived. Riding at the head of my bodyguards, we aim for his chariot. Meanwhile, the Persians renew their offensive actions by marching towards my exposed right flank. This was not unexpected. If all goes to plan, the units holding my left flank should begin our assault. My bodyguards are stalemated by Darius' chariots and he escapes. Memolaus charges Meleager but has to retreat. My intelligence was correct when it stated that his unit was not nearly as strong as Memnon's.

Nicanor: I use my cavalry to spar with the fresh enemy cavalry while I order my infantry to press to support Alexander in an capacity he needs. Hephaestion goads Xshatrita into attacking which leaves the Persian with a bloody nose.

[Marathon]

I am forced to withdraw and tell Calis to do the same. My cavalry is basically finished except for Arrabaeues, who chases down more Persian archers. Hegelochus is driven back by Purgau's infantry and his firepower is reduce by a quarter. Iphis charge into Coenus does very little damage and even after playing the Shield Card, Coenus still loses 200 men. Memolaus crash into Meleager and surprisingly, the mercenaries rout. The Persian re-enforcements might tip the tide of battle if things do not go better on my right flank.

[Marathon]

Nicanor: Asclepiades mistakenly charges Iraj and 300 more of my men die. I do not know if I can handle these two cavalry units with my exhausted troops.