Decisive Battles on the History Channel

Strategy gamers would do well to watch the new History Channel series Decisive Battles, showing on Friday nights at 9PM PT/ET beginning on July 23rd.  First of all it is a great way to get a preview of Rome: Total War.  Wait a minute, what does a History Channel series have to do with computer games?  Well Decisive Battles travels to the ancient battlegrounds of the Mediterranean and recreate the battles using technology from Rome: Total War.  The first show recreates the battle of Cannae where Hannibal's Carthaginian army outfought and outfoxed a Roman army twice its size, and gives gamers a close look at many of the game's units in action.  Hannibal's army included his famous battle elephants, Gaelic warriors,  and Libyan spearman, to name a few, and you get to see them all battle it out with a massive Roman army of Legionnaires and cavalry.  Documentaries often feature one talking head after another, but that's not the case here.  As historians provide insight into the battle, the computer generated armies battle it out on the screen.  It's like getting play by play coverage of the battle as it progresses and gives you the opportunity to learn how these ancient armies and their units were put to use by the men who commanded them.

Not only is Decisive Battles a great way to get a preview of the large battles you'll fight in Rome: Total War, it serves as a guide to the strategies of the day.  Players who watch the series will be armed with a background in ancient tactics and be ready to command their legions when Rome: Total War is released.  The Cannae episode provides an excellent tutorial on how to position your army to withstand an assault by a larger force, how to maneuver your forces to turn the tide in your favor, and finally how to effectively use cavalry to apply the finishing blow.  You may never have thought of the History Channel as a source for computer game strategy guides, but Decisive Battles is certainly an excellent source of strategies that you can take with you to the battlefields of Rome: Total War.

The following battles will be examined in depth during the series, all using Rome: Total War to bring them to life:

Cannae: In 216 BC, the great Hannibal of Carthage marched from Spain, crossed the Alps and invaded Italy. The program shows how Hannibal’s outnumbered infantry and cavalry managed to encircle the entire Roman army of nearly seventy thousand men and win the Battle of Cannae, the biggest defeat ever suffered by Rome. Premieres July 23.

Gaugamela: Viewers will see how the cavalry of Alexander the Great smashed into the quarter-million-strong army of Darius of Persia on the vast battlefield of Gaugamela in 331 BC. The stakes were high as victory at Gaugamela would give Alexander control of Persia and an opening to conquer Afghanistan and India. Premieres July 30.

Thermopylae: In 480 BC, the Persian king Xerxes invaded Greece with nearly a quarter of a million men. Viewers will experience what a sight that must have been for the 300 Spartans sent to hold them off at Thermopylae. Led by their king, Leonidas, they fought a rearguard action against the Persian army. The 300 Spartans were all killed but they won time, and their example inspired the rest of Greece to eventual victory. Premieres August 6.

Marathon: In 490 BC, the Persian Empire was expanding westward and had its eye on Greece. But, in an incredible feat of strength and speed, the Greeks defeated one half of the Persian army on the Plain of Marathon and then marched to Athens to prevent the other half from landing by ship. The program shows the 600 ships of the Persian invasion fleet and the charge of eleven thousand Greeks and how the battle was actually won. Today, this battle is best known for the story of the runner Pheidippides, who, according to legend, ran roughly twenty miles to Athens with the news of victory and so inspired the Olympic event. Premieres August 13.

Spartacus and the Slave Revolt: In 73 BC, the gladiator Spartacus led a revolt of slaves against their Roman masters. They fought their way from southern Italy to the foothills of the Alps. The Romans were terrified. If Spartacus succeeded, the structure of society would be turned on its head. The program demonstrates the strategy that Spartacus used for his slave army to break through the Roman army which surrounded them. Premieres August 20.

Chalons: In 451 AD, the Roman general Aetius, often called “The Last of the Romans,” gathered a ragtag army together to stop the fearsome Attila the Hun from invading Italy. Viewers will see how the Roman troops attacked the Hun wagon encampment in this great night battle. Premieres August 27.

Carrhae: This battle of 53 BC was Rome’s worst defeat since Cannae and brought eastward expansion to a halt. Crassus, the man who defeated Spartacus, invaded Parthia in search of military glory. Viewers will see exactly how the Parthians allowed Crassus to march deep into the desert and then used their mounted archers to encircle the Roman legions. Watch, like they did, as the skies darkened with arrows. Premieres September 3.

Adrianople: This battle of 378 AD marked the beginning of the end for the Roman Empire. Population pressure drove the Goth tribes across the Danube River in search of land. The program shows vividly how a hundred thousand Goths formed huge columns like battering rams, and attacked the Roman lines at Adrianople. Premieres September 10.

Pharsalus: In 48 BC, the Roman generals Caesar and Pompey fought a civil war for control of the Roman Empire. The program shows exactly how Caesar outsmarted Pompey as sixty thousand Roman legionaries fought to the death in Pharsalus. Premieres September 17.

Cynoscephalae: This battle of 197 BC not only removed Rome’s last rival for power in the Mediterranean, it changed the nature of ancient warfare. All the great Greek victories, including those of Alexander the Great, were won using the phalanx formation of tight packed ranks of spearmen. In the program, viewers see how the Romans fought their way through the sixteen thousand spears of the Macedonian infantry, and won the day with their more flexibly organized legions. Premieres September 24.

Watling Street: In 61 AD, Rome occupied Britain. When Boudicca, the queen of the Iceni tribe, was whipped and her daughters raped by the Romans, the British tribes rose in revolt. The viewer will be right in the middle of the action, watching how the warrior queen Boudicca led 100,000 Britons against the might of Rome. Premieres October 1.

Teutoburg Forest: Rome lost more than 10% of its entire army in this battle in 9AD – and all its territory east of the Rhine River. Journey deep into the forest and witness how three Roman legions were attacked on all sides by German tribesmen led by Arminius. A rough translation of his Latin name led to his going down in history as the original “Herman the German.” Faced with a hopeless end, the Roman general Varus threw himself on his sword. The emperor Augustus was found wailing, “Varus, give me back my legions.”

Kadesh: In 1299 BC, the Egyptian and Hittite empires fought for control of Syria. See how Rameses II drove off the Hittite king in one of the biggest chariot battles of all time.