216 B.C: Cannae

In the aftermath of the First Punic War, Rome has stood for decades as the greatest power in the western mediterannean, aquiring land and slaves whilst the defeated state of Carthage struggles to pay tribute to their victorious rival. Not all Carthaginians are so ready to admit defeat however, as the brilliant young general Hannibal Barca, sworn as a child to destroy Rome, leads his army of Carthaginians, Spaniards, Gauls and Elephants into Italy, crushing the Romans for two years consecutively at the battles of Trebia (218) and Lake Trasimene (217). Now Hannibal stands ready for another battle at Cannae, where historically he inflicted on the Romans one of the worst massacres in their history. Will you take Hannibal's place, and crush the Romans out of existence, or will you fight against him, trying to gain the fame and power that comes with being the saviour of Rome? Will you be a barbarian that turns the tables on those Romans who once thought temselves your betters, or a proud Roman who finds themselves at the whims of foreign conquerors?