khelvan
12-26-2005, 00:40
As Qarthadast, your goals should be simple: Profit and Protect.
Your first step upon beginning a campaign, or reloading, should be to activate the background script that will give you the full EB experience, with 4 turns per year and special events. To do this, click on one of your settlements. The advisor will appear. Click on his portrait, and he'll ask you to click the "Show Me How" button (circled in the image below). Click "Show Me How" and the advisor will disappear, activating the script. This is very important!
https://img320.imageshack.us/img320/3002/01showmescript5rb.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
1. Profit
Your actions should be chosen with this in mind. Before taking an action, ask yourself, "Will this increase my profits somehow?" If not, why take the action? At the beginning, especially, you should focus on getting your republic profitable. The most important way to do this is to cut your military budget in half. If you don't do this immediately, you may get so far in debt you can never recover! There is major upkeep at the start for your armies:
https://img525.imageshack.us/img525/486/1218076qarthadast0013tt.th.jpg (https://img525.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1218076qarthadast0013tt.jpg)
https://img475.imageshack.us/img475/8476/02shipupkeep8gn.th.jpg (https://img475.imageshack.us/my.php?image=02shipupkeep8gn.jpg)
You should quickly decide if you want to demobilize them to save money, or start a massive invasion and put them to use (or at least get them killed off). As a general rule, you should disband forces you won't use within a year or two, since a year's upkeep is about the same cost as mustering the unit. This is especially true for your navy (each fleet is 2500 mnai upkeep!), and your forces in and around Kart-Hadast. You should disband most of your fleets. They will be an enormous drain on your economy if they're just sitting around. Use them or lose them as one of your first actions. Ships need to be in a port to be disbanded, so that rules out your northern fleet near Alalia. I recommend moving it south and disbanding it next turn. Or you can provoke the First Punic War by attacking Rome's Admiral Oppivs Brvccivs!
https://img363.imageshack.us/img363/3594/1218076qarthadast0027px.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Your starting mnai should be spent wisely; you will probably go into debt your first turn and may not see profit again for a while if you mess up at the beginning. You should concentrate your money on getting the most profitable buildings started. Crucial buildings are your naval ports that produce trade fleets, roads for trade, and trader buildings. Anything else should be secondary, since most of your settlements will have high happiness levels, even with high taxes. Save a few hundred mnai to recruit a spy or two later in your first turn, after you've started all the buildings you can.
https://img208.imageshack.us/img208/4379/05port4is.th.jpg (https://img208.imageshack.us/my.php?image=05port4is.jpg)
Set your cities to Automanage, and make sure to set the slider bar to save, or you'll find your auto-governors building sewers and other useless buildings with your precious cash. Alternately, you can manage everything yourself, but I prefer to make it a bit more difficult for me, by requiring a governor's presence for recruiting and building the specific buildings I want. With 10 settlements, it may be a little too much to micro-manage, but it's a good idea at the start to keep a tight leash on your auto-governor. Use the "F" key on your keyboard to bring up your financial report. Compare your Projected Total Income with your Projected Total Expenditure to see how you're doing.
https://img475.imageshack.us/img475/1791/03auto9hm.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
You have a diplomat Annibas, who should be sent, via ship, to Italy. Add some troops, and you're well on your way to conquering Sicily! Historically, Carthage got involved on the side of the Mamertines, mercenaries who decided Messana was a nice place to relax.
https://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7098/04diplomat2uv.th.jpg (https://img220.imageshack.us/my.php?image=04diplomat2uv.jpg)
In Italy, Annibas can acquire trade rights with Rome and Epeiros, and from there, the Gauls. Try to get money in exchange, in all your dealings. An alliance with Epeiros might also be profitable. Pyrrhos, who Hannibal Barca considered the second greatest general (after Alexander the Great), is on the rampage and might take care of your future Roman problems for you. You may want to recruit another diplomat to work in Hispania, but if not, it should only take your first diplomat a couple of years to get there. An alliance with Iberia might free up some forces for Sicily, but once they've gobbled up Sucum-Murgi, they may look at your weak outpost on Gader as an easy target!
https://img208.imageshack.us/img208/725/06alliance6as.th.jpg (https://img208.imageshack.us/my.php?image=06alliance6as.jpg)
2. Protect
You should focus on protecting and preserving what you have. To that end, you need to use your remaining starting cash to recruit spies and diplomats to scout your borders, and build a few watchtowers as a type of "Early Warning System". Your neighbors will be probing your defenses, so make sure your borders are secure. When enemies get close to your border, move a sizable army into view as a deterrent force. Treaties and alliances aren't enough. If your neighbors spot weakness, they'll attack!
https://img230.imageshack.us/img230/8822/07lilibeospy3po.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
https://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9466/08sicilywatchtower7lm.th.jpg (https://img208.imageshack.us/my.php?image=08sicilywatchtower7lm.jpg)
Make sure you save your game every turn! This is a beta, remember? Also, if you reload a game, you need to click on a settlement and restart the script, just like when you began the campaign.
https://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5999/09saved1yd.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Pyrrhos will be busy in southern Italy, and may come to blows with the Romans. Only a few years before our game starts, he was fighting Rome in Italy and Carthage in Sicily. Historically, he was killed in 272 BC, and his forces withdrew from southern Italy the next year. But in the game, anything can happen. Count on Pyrrhos attempting another invasion of Sicily unless he meets with disaster in southern Italy.
On hard and very hard difficulty, count on the Eleutheroi and brigands to provide some disturbances in Iberia and Africa.
https://img219.imageshack.us/img219/7406/10brigands1ep.th.jpg (https://img219.imageshack.us/my.php?image=10brigands1ep.jpg)
Your western provinces are poorly-defended at the start, and also have more corruption and loyalty problems than in your heartland. Consider assigning a general or two to govern these troublesome areas. Don't forget that desert regions will cause problems for your generals in summer, that will restrict their ability to carry out campaigns. It might be best to stay in town during summer in the desert. You'll see a trait "Summer Campaigning Restricted" that will alert you to this situation.
Once you've consolidated your holdings and are making a profit, you can afford to finance expansion.
https://img224.imageshack.us/img224/6485/11profit9in.th.jpg (https://img224.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11profit9in.jpg)
This is where Carthage got into trouble with Rome, historically. In 264 BC, Rome attacked Messana, and Carthage sent aid. Hiero of Syrakousai supported Carthage at first, but switched to Rome, and by 241, Carthage had been defeated on land and sea. A rebellion of unpaid mercenaries kept Carthage so busy that Rome was able to snatch Sardinia and Corsica, leaving only Iberia open for Hamilcar Barca's ambitions. You don't want Romans laying siege to Kart-Hadast and enslaving everyone who survives that, do you? So don't let this happen to you! Profit in all you do, and protect your holdings!
Your first step upon beginning a campaign, or reloading, should be to activate the background script that will give you the full EB experience, with 4 turns per year and special events. To do this, click on one of your settlements. The advisor will appear. Click on his portrait, and he'll ask you to click the "Show Me How" button (circled in the image below). Click "Show Me How" and the advisor will disappear, activating the script. This is very important!
https://img320.imageshack.us/img320/3002/01showmescript5rb.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
1. Profit
Your actions should be chosen with this in mind. Before taking an action, ask yourself, "Will this increase my profits somehow?" If not, why take the action? At the beginning, especially, you should focus on getting your republic profitable. The most important way to do this is to cut your military budget in half. If you don't do this immediately, you may get so far in debt you can never recover! There is major upkeep at the start for your armies:
https://img525.imageshack.us/img525/486/1218076qarthadast0013tt.th.jpg (https://img525.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1218076qarthadast0013tt.jpg)
https://img475.imageshack.us/img475/8476/02shipupkeep8gn.th.jpg (https://img475.imageshack.us/my.php?image=02shipupkeep8gn.jpg)
You should quickly decide if you want to demobilize them to save money, or start a massive invasion and put them to use (or at least get them killed off). As a general rule, you should disband forces you won't use within a year or two, since a year's upkeep is about the same cost as mustering the unit. This is especially true for your navy (each fleet is 2500 mnai upkeep!), and your forces in and around Kart-Hadast. You should disband most of your fleets. They will be an enormous drain on your economy if they're just sitting around. Use them or lose them as one of your first actions. Ships need to be in a port to be disbanded, so that rules out your northern fleet near Alalia. I recommend moving it south and disbanding it next turn. Or you can provoke the First Punic War by attacking Rome's Admiral Oppivs Brvccivs!
https://img363.imageshack.us/img363/3594/1218076qarthadast0027px.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Your starting mnai should be spent wisely; you will probably go into debt your first turn and may not see profit again for a while if you mess up at the beginning. You should concentrate your money on getting the most profitable buildings started. Crucial buildings are your naval ports that produce trade fleets, roads for trade, and trader buildings. Anything else should be secondary, since most of your settlements will have high happiness levels, even with high taxes. Save a few hundred mnai to recruit a spy or two later in your first turn, after you've started all the buildings you can.
https://img208.imageshack.us/img208/4379/05port4is.th.jpg (https://img208.imageshack.us/my.php?image=05port4is.jpg)
Set your cities to Automanage, and make sure to set the slider bar to save, or you'll find your auto-governors building sewers and other useless buildings with your precious cash. Alternately, you can manage everything yourself, but I prefer to make it a bit more difficult for me, by requiring a governor's presence for recruiting and building the specific buildings I want. With 10 settlements, it may be a little too much to micro-manage, but it's a good idea at the start to keep a tight leash on your auto-governor. Use the "F" key on your keyboard to bring up your financial report. Compare your Projected Total Income with your Projected Total Expenditure to see how you're doing.
https://img475.imageshack.us/img475/1791/03auto9hm.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
You have a diplomat Annibas, who should be sent, via ship, to Italy. Add some troops, and you're well on your way to conquering Sicily! Historically, Carthage got involved on the side of the Mamertines, mercenaries who decided Messana was a nice place to relax.
https://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7098/04diplomat2uv.th.jpg (https://img220.imageshack.us/my.php?image=04diplomat2uv.jpg)
In Italy, Annibas can acquire trade rights with Rome and Epeiros, and from there, the Gauls. Try to get money in exchange, in all your dealings. An alliance with Epeiros might also be profitable. Pyrrhos, who Hannibal Barca considered the second greatest general (after Alexander the Great), is on the rampage and might take care of your future Roman problems for you. You may want to recruit another diplomat to work in Hispania, but if not, it should only take your first diplomat a couple of years to get there. An alliance with Iberia might free up some forces for Sicily, but once they've gobbled up Sucum-Murgi, they may look at your weak outpost on Gader as an easy target!
https://img208.imageshack.us/img208/725/06alliance6as.th.jpg (https://img208.imageshack.us/my.php?image=06alliance6as.jpg)
2. Protect
You should focus on protecting and preserving what you have. To that end, you need to use your remaining starting cash to recruit spies and diplomats to scout your borders, and build a few watchtowers as a type of "Early Warning System". Your neighbors will be probing your defenses, so make sure your borders are secure. When enemies get close to your border, move a sizable army into view as a deterrent force. Treaties and alliances aren't enough. If your neighbors spot weakness, they'll attack!
https://img230.imageshack.us/img230/8822/07lilibeospy3po.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
https://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9466/08sicilywatchtower7lm.th.jpg (https://img208.imageshack.us/my.php?image=08sicilywatchtower7lm.jpg)
Make sure you save your game every turn! This is a beta, remember? Also, if you reload a game, you need to click on a settlement and restart the script, just like when you began the campaign.
https://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5999/09saved1yd.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
Pyrrhos will be busy in southern Italy, and may come to blows with the Romans. Only a few years before our game starts, he was fighting Rome in Italy and Carthage in Sicily. Historically, he was killed in 272 BC, and his forces withdrew from southern Italy the next year. But in the game, anything can happen. Count on Pyrrhos attempting another invasion of Sicily unless he meets with disaster in southern Italy.
On hard and very hard difficulty, count on the Eleutheroi and brigands to provide some disturbances in Iberia and Africa.
https://img219.imageshack.us/img219/7406/10brigands1ep.th.jpg (https://img219.imageshack.us/my.php?image=10brigands1ep.jpg)
Your western provinces are poorly-defended at the start, and also have more corruption and loyalty problems than in your heartland. Consider assigning a general or two to govern these troublesome areas. Don't forget that desert regions will cause problems for your generals in summer, that will restrict their ability to carry out campaigns. It might be best to stay in town during summer in the desert. You'll see a trait "Summer Campaigning Restricted" that will alert you to this situation.
Once you've consolidated your holdings and are making a profit, you can afford to finance expansion.
https://img224.imageshack.us/img224/6485/11profit9in.th.jpg (https://img224.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11profit9in.jpg)
This is where Carthage got into trouble with Rome, historically. In 264 BC, Rome attacked Messana, and Carthage sent aid. Hiero of Syrakousai supported Carthage at first, but switched to Rome, and by 241, Carthage had been defeated on land and sea. A rebellion of unpaid mercenaries kept Carthage so busy that Rome was able to snatch Sardinia and Corsica, leaving only Iberia open for Hamilcar Barca's ambitions. You don't want Romans laying siege to Kart-Hadast and enslaving everyone who survives that, do you? So don't let this happen to you! Profit in all you do, and protect your holdings!