Sicilia

Introduction

My intent was to create a mod which changed only what was necessary to make the mod playable and aesthetically pleasing, a mod that can be played in a couple of weeks and still be enjoyable. To that end, you won't find an extensive trait system or be drowned by complicated building systems, it is to all intents and purposes a big mac of the mod world rather than a three course gut buster.

There's a lot of room for expansion so please consider 'Sicilia' an 'open beta' and available to any who wish to tweak, add to or overhaul in any manner you wish. If people like your changes I'll add them as official patches, my only rule is that you test any additions and make sure they work.

Hs..:)

Discription

By the middle of the 3rd century BC the Romans had secured the whole of the Italian Peninsula and the enemies which had once threatened their very existence had been overcome. Over the course of the preceding one hundred years, Rome had crushed every rival that stood in the way of their domination of the Italian peninsula, first the Latin league was forcibly dissolved during the Latin War, then the power of the Samnites was decisively broken during the three prolonged Samnite wars, and most dramatically the Greek cities of Magna Graecia who were unified under the powerful and ambitious Pyrrhus of Epirus finally submitted to Roman authority at the conclusion of the Pyrrhic War.

Carthage considered itself the dominant naval power in the Western Mediterranean. It originated as a Phoenician colony in Africa, near modern Tunis, and gradually became the center of a civilization whose hegemony reached along the North African coast and deep in its hinterland, covering large parts of the islands of the Western Mediterranean and influencing the Iberian peninsula. The conflict began after both Rome and Carthage intervened in Messana, the point of Sicily closest to Italy.

Beginning

In 288 BC the Mamertines -- a group of Italian (Campanian) mercenaries originally hired by Agathocles of Syracuse from 317 to 289 BC -- occupied the city of Messana -- modern Messina-- in the northeastern tip of Sicily, killing all the men and taking the women as their wives. At the same time a group of Roman troops made up of Campanian "citizens without the vote" also seized control of Rhegium, which lies across the straits in Italy. In 270 BC the Romans regained control of Rhegium and severely punished the survivors of the revolt. In Sicily the Mamertines ravaged the countryside and collided with the expanding regional empire of the independent city of Syracuse. Hiero II, tyrant of Syracuse, defeated the Mamertines near Mylae on the Longanus River and besieged Messana.

Following the defeat at the river Longanus the Mamertines appealed to both Rome and Carthage for assistance, and acting first the Carthaginians approached Hiero to take no further action and convinced the Mamertines to accept a Carthaginian garrison in Messana. Either unhappy with the prospect of a Carthaginian garrison, or convinced that the recent alliance between Rome and Carthage against Pyrrhus reflected cordial relations between the two, the Mamertines petitioned Rome for an alliance, hoping for more reliable protection. At first, the Romans did not wish to come to the aid of soldiers who had unjustly stolen a city from its rightful possessors, and were still recovering from the insurrection of Campanian troops at (Rhegium, 271).

Most likely unwilling to see Carthaginian power spread farther over Sicily and get too close to Italy, Rome responded by entering into an alliance with the Mamertines. In 264 BC, Roman troops were deployed to Sicily (the first time a Roman army acted outside the Italian Peninsula). Under the command of Appius Claudius Caudex two Roman legions were transported across the straits on pentekonters (ships with 25 oars on each side) and triremes borrowed from allies in Southern Italy. Following minor skirmishes, during which Hiero withdrew back to Syracuse, the Romans sent both consuls and two more legions to Sicily in the years 263 and 262 BC. The arrival of these troops influenced many towns to defect to the Roman side and eventually even Hiero decided to conclude a peace with the Romans. Under the initial 15 year agreement Syracuse was allowed to stay independent under the rule of Hiero but was forced to pay an indemnity of 100 talents (according to the historian Polybios). Soon enough the only parties in the dispute were Rome and Carthage and the conflict evolved into a struggle for the possession of Sicily.

Futures

Playable factions;

Romani (Roman Republic); The Republic! a rising power to be feared by all. The Romani war machine has stained the Italic peninsular with blood and now turns it's gaze upon the riches of Carthage. Long held treaties have been torn to shreds, the dogs of war unleashed. The Romani must adopt a policy of total annihilation of the Carthaginian's to gain victory, and this in the shadow of the powerful rulers of Syrakousai who will be waiting for a sign of weakness to make their own claim to Sicilia!.

Karthadastim (Carthage); Karthadastim is the true power house of the Western Mediterranean. Her armies have crushed the tribes of north Africa and southern Iberia to give Karthadastim a strangle hold on all Mediterranean sea trade. Now a new threat has arrived on her boarders, the upstart Romani have turned their gaze upon the children of Aeneas. Your Generals are some of the best the world has known and their experienced mercenary armies will prove a powerful force in war for Sicilia!.

Syrakousai (Syracuse); Of all the Greek city states Syrakousai is perhaps the most precariously placed. Isolated from the mainland her position in the heart of the Mediterranean has made her rich. A succession of ruthless and often tyrannical rulers has seen Syrakousai become a powerful influence among the Greek city states and, her allies of Corinth and Sparta gives her rulers confidence enough to be slightly complacent. However the threat posed by the war like Carthaginian's is very real and now the Romani fresh from victories against the tribes of northern Hellas have made a grab for power. It will need a cunning leader to keep a firm grip on Greek holdings on the island and chose the perfect time to make their own claim to Sicilia!.

The Team

Halie Satanus/Satanea Juda; All unit models and textures, 2d artwork and coding.

Uranos; A revised version of the unreleased Hegemonia Sicily map.

Aradan; Untiring support and help (as well as tweaks I know nothing about) .

Open source contributions;

Riczu; for his strat map http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=36584ship mod which is excellent.

Pinarius; http://home.arcor.de/berzelmayr/pinarius-horses.zip realistic horses, first time I've used them and they are beautiful.

SigniferOne; http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=27015 animations pack. 0.8, excellent pack which really makes a difference..

HouseOfHam; Big thanks for the http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=169852 turns per year script generator..

Major thanks to team 'EB' and specifically those who contributed to their http://www.europabarbarorum.com/web site, a supremely wonderful resource in itself, which I used as a basis for my unit names and descriptions.

History

Sicilia Patch V0.1 Sicilia on TWC [1]

Included Mods

So here it is the Sicilia mini mod on the Wiki page.

http://www.twcenter.net/wiki/Released_Mods

Here is the Sicilia mini mod on TWC.

Sicilia