The Most Epic Thing I’ve Ever Done in a Video Game: Part Three

The final enemy faces me now. The Western Roman Empire. The real thing. The heirs to Caesar and Trajan. There are fewer of them than there were of the Gallo-Romans, but I have only a few men left now. They have 2850 men to my 1120, and although I’ve taken on worse odds I now have very few men left who can handle a melee fight. In addition, those men that I do have left are tired, their sword arms are aching and sweat is streaming down their faces. They can just about stand, let alone fight, and now a large Roman force, fresh into the battle is coming for them. But the Saxons are a hardy people, and they fight valiantly.

As we have done continuously until now, my archers and everyone able to hold a javelin hurls death down on the attackers. But there are few of them left, and only a relatively small number of Romans die as a result of the missile bombardment. By now I’ve managed to throw up a new barricade, and one of my warlords and his guards is stood in front of it, with javelineers atop it, blocking the Romans’ advance. On the other side of the hill my other warlord is awaiting the advance of the Roman legions.

The Emperor’s troops hit them almost simultaneously. The warlord in front of the barricade fights like a demon, and even succeeds in breaking the Romans in front of him. As they run, disheartened by this display of superhuman fighting prowess, my other warlord is struck down by Roman blades. But even though he dies my men fight on, and although now the Romans taste victory, and are coming like wolves to a wounded deer, my warriors fight back as fiercely as they did when the Vandals first showed themselves. Hundreds of Romans die, and every one of my soldiers kills at least one of the foe. But, in the end, it is not enough. The Saxons are killed to a man, and the Romans carry the day.

Final numbers: 0 Saxons, 940 Romans.

So there you have it. My 2340 Saxons fought 14,000 enemy soldiers, killed 11,320 of them and fought to the last man. It was a battle worthy of the skalds, and even though I ultimately lost it is the single most epic thing that I have ever done in a video game.