Hi,
I'm a game developer from Turkey and I really want to make game something like Chivalry/Mount & Blade/Kingdom Come Deliverance but only based on Sicily (cant do whole mediterranean due to budget issues). I'm looking for Syracuse, Carthage and Rome being factions on the island but somewhat adding epirus too. But from what I can see from http://geacron.com/ rome did not settled on island until 259BC. But I dont believe thats the case, even some small town, village or something maybe under high roman influence/occupation.
So what I'm looking from you dear historians is some spicy timeframe to begin the game but also not make the player wait for 20 years to see rome. Maybe there was a time when epirus syracuse carthage and rome was there. And any additional information/points to care beyond question are appreciated.
I'm afraid your research is correct; Rome and Pyrrhus never interacted on Sicily. Rome didn't even have a fleet at the beginning of the First Punic War; I can't imagine them getting involved in Sicilian politics before that.
You might look at the Mamertines. These were Italian mercenaries from Campania that Agathocles hired to fight against Carthage, and after his death in 289 they seized the city of Messana. Syracuse appealed to Pyrrhus for help against the Mamertines; they appealed to Carthage, and eventually tired of Carthage, they appealed to Rome, which began Punic 1, well after Pyrrhus died.
Mamertines were not Romans; they were Italian (probably Oscan speaking) mercenaries gone rogue. We hear about other Campanian adventurers who deserted from the Roman army to take Rhegium. You'll have to do more research to be sure, but it seems to me likely these Campanian guys were fighting in the Oscan style Rome adopted from the Samnites.
This feels weird, but I'm sorry your research gave you the right answer? I hope this is a workable alternative.