Hi
I have played 2 game (-219 scenario) as romans against AI (level tribun) and usually, Pharos is falling after 4 or 6 months of siege and naval blocus.
Well!
Now, i am in a PEBM with Sval06 and we have chosen the same AI.
After 1 year (!) of siege and naval blocus, Pharos still holds, in spite of 3 breachs, each of them being immediately reparaired (!!).
Because of Hannibal's arriving in Cisalpine Gaul, i have been forced to retreat the Legions and i continue the siege (and naval blocus of course) with mercenaries hoplites.
My hope is Pharos will fall by lack of supply.
But 1 year later (so we are at the beginning of -217 !!!), Pharos is still in Démétrios hands (!!!!) and this one is beginning to attack my hoplites (!!!!!).
Here is the first screen of the attack:
Now, 1 month later, one more attack:
My question is: do you see a difference in Démétrios forces between the 2 screen?
No, no differences in spite of the fact these forces suffer losses and elements losses during the first attack.
So, there is a king of spontaneous generation here (!!!!!!).
At contrary, my hoplites are suffering real losses.
At this stage of our game, Sval06 and I decided to stop the PBEM and i continue it alone against AI only and concentrate myself on Pharos trouble.
I began to decrease the AI level from Tribun to Centurion (just in case).
And with Hannibal's army (in AI hands now) doing nothing in Cisalpine Gaul, i was able to send back 2 Legion/Alae at Pharos, in the hope of making breachs.
Do you guess what has happened?
2 years later (so we are in -215 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), Pharos still holds but for the first time since 3 years, a new breach has be made.
But as my consul was not activated, i wasn't able to launch an assault.
And, of course, 1 month later, my consul was activated, ready for attack, full of determination to exterminate and exterminate again this silly illyrians, ... but the breach has been repaired once again.
As we say in France "shortest jokes are the best one's!!"