Roman: Brutii

[crazybastard]

Is it just me or is it that the Romans have the best all-around infantries? Take for example, the hastaii and later, the cohorts, which with their decent missile attack, pretty darn well defense, and not bad attack can chew up other factions' units up in no time. And don't even get me started on Praetorian Cohorts...they are truly savages. The only infantries that can really face off with Roman infantry are (I think) German axemen and berserker. (Chosen axemen and night raider SUCK)

[orcorama]

its you ......
j/k
well if you dont count phalenxes maybe
they do have very very good infantry but i dont know about claiming the best all around infantry i would say it depends on situation
against eastern infantry yes definately the romas would win against a human player with phalenexes, other infantry, archers, and some good calvery the romans would get whooped

the germans have very good infantry and the high carthage infantry is pretty good
also thrace has falxmen which im told are pretty good also
the greek cities have sparten hoplites which are extremely good with swords

but....
i havnt played the romans after the marian reforms and i only got about to hasati and some pricipes so....
what do i know
most of this is based upon other's observations not my own experience

hope this stirs up some discussion among some of the better players than I
orcorama

btw: the german chosen axmen have an attack of almost 30!

[crazybastard]

I'm currently very popular with the Senators. Four of my family members are holding top-notch offices in the Senate (Profineus Maximus, Praetor Concuil...) but the "People" doesn't like me very much. I wonder why? Perhaps I need to conquer more lands?

[Viking]

btw: the german chosen axmen have an attack of almost 30!

Actaully it`s "only" 18, unupgraded.

Berskers are better than Chosen Axemen `cause they have better attack stats and 3 hitpoints while the axemen only got 1.

Moreover Bastaerne(sp?) is a better unit than Falxmen `cause of their HP`s and attack stats.

I think the best non-phalanx unit ingame is either Urban Cohorts or Berserkers.

[Craterus]

First Legionary Cohort = Best unit in game.

[katank]

Chosen axemen most definitely don't suck. They get armour piercing attack which is most useful against legionares. With warcry, they can beat urban cohorts and get so much bonus from armour piercing that their attack does work out close to 30. Ideal flankers as when they crash into a flank/rear, they can negate shield and defence effects, only against armor which they get a bonus against.

night raiders are fast and have balanced stats. they also scare infantry and thus make for pretty good flankers.

[Rome's Total Ruler]

also thrace has falxmen which im told are pretty good also

They just slautered my Hastati, it was a Tracian army with almost only falxmen.
They're army was a little larger than mine.
I don't know how, but after the battle my 4 units of Hastati had routed and my Principes, who had fought far more then my Hastati, had almost zero losses.
I won with only 3 units Pricipes left, the rest had routed.

[antisocialmunky]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but you really can't evaluate a unit until you've seen a human rip you a new one with it.

[katank]

But if the AI rips you a new one with it, it's even more impressive as it means the unit is so godly that it can suffer absolute tactical incompetence and still come out on top.

[Ianofsmeg16]

But if the AI rips you a new one with it, it's even more impressive as it means the unit is so godly that it can suffer absolute tactical incompetence and still come out on top.

AGREED!!! fervently

[crazybastard]

I'm about 20 years into my Brutii campagin. I'm on H/H. The Greeks are kicking Macedon's ass with their armoured hoplites, (tough mother *&%**&) so I decieded to join in and ally myself with the Macedonians. The Greeks still slaughter like fully 3/4 of our (me and the Macedonians) troops with only half of their units lost. But I still manage to beat them a couple of times, earn my faction leader the "Legendary Hero" and "Conqueror" thingy (yay) and now all my troops have a +4 morale and 25% more valour. LOL. But I'm still waiting for the freaking Gaius Marius Reform. Goddamn it's taking its sweet time. I can't hold off much longer with only hastaii and principii. Wish I can speed up the process somehow and get the reform done and go oblierate the Greek Cities.

[Rome's Total Ruler]

I'm 220BC now and I haven't seen a Marius reform yet.
Although I already have an Imperial palace (Some say that when you build one the Marius reforms begin).

[Craterus]

Please take note.

v 1.0/1.1 - Marius Reform happens as soon as you have an imperial palace.

1.2 - You need: Imperial Palace on Mainland Italy and date has to be after 220BC. There is a random trigger as to when the reforms happen. It could happen in 219BC, or it could happen as late as 175BC. Maybe even later, but 175 is the latest that I've ever heard.

[IliaDN]

I'm 220BC now and I haven't seen a Marius reform yet.
Although I already have an Imperial palace (Some say that when you build one the Marius reforms begin).

This topic was discussed in the coluseum , so you may check there.

[katank]

In RTW 1.2, the region needs the Italy resource which includes all starting Roman cities as well as the Gallic regions in North Italy and all of Sicily.

It's random after 220. It can often take place at late as 200 or even 180 when you have a palace by 220.

[crazybastard]

On H/H, I own the senate basically. all the positions of power in the SPQR governement are under my family rule: Prontifex Maximus, Aedile, Praetor...all six (or seven) of them. The Julii and the Scipii are busying themselves with meager and hard-to-hold provinces while I'm slaughtering the Egyptians and taking their rich-ass lands. I have about 30 provinces and still, "I don't have enough support" to attack the other Romans. I wonder why?

[Garvanko]

Someone mentioned just how good Legionary Cohorts are. Roman infantry are pretty incredible, but not as good as well marshalled phalanxes. But the support they get from Legionary Cav, Archers etc is unbeatable, post-Marias reforms.

Playing Scipii on hard/hard, and reforms happened by 235 BC. Taken Carthage, destroyed Greece and Macedon, taken Memphis, Thebes and Alexandria, blockaded all the other Egyptian ports (just to rub it in) , and am now looking to finish of Pontus.

My popularity with the poeple is good, and the civil is only a few years away I suspect.

[katank]

Legionaries are better due to maneuverability. Their pila is also deadly.

Even the AI cannot mess up too badly while playing with Roman infantry. The pila storm alone can often send 2-3 units packing and many attrited.

[Deus ret.]

Even the AI cannot mess up too badly while playing with Roman infantry.

true. most times, though, it just decides to rush you due to superior numbers & unit stats (often). Romans ARE powerful....and not easily outmaneuvred.

[katank]

The AI rarely flanks and often just busts through your center and with pila, massed Roman infantry are very good at this. I've intentionally made multishot lines only 3 units wide just to cope with this type of situation.

[BoloBouncer]

I bought RTW two days ago and am, surprisingly enough, still on my first campagain. I chose the Brutii just out of the blue (or the green, if you will) and took Apollonia and the other city far north of it, Segestica, on the coast and then Thermon to the south. So essentially I took the whole coast to the east across the sea from me. That's sound enough. This is where it gets strange.

The Senate asked me to blockade Sparta, so I did. This is before I learned that the Senate has this tendency to blockade-invade. So, I took Sparta. The Greek garrison there was small and I'm glad most of my tactical knowledge from MTW carried over. So I had Sparta.

Well, then they got it in their heads that I should blockade a city in Asia Minor: Pergamum. So, I take that place. Then they send me to Rhodes, and I eliminate the Greeks.

You can imagine what my faction's territory looks like right now, and I can tell you that it's far from consolidated. I declared war on Pontus, took Nicomedia to the north, and then the Senate ordered me to blockade-invade Sinope. So, I did. This is where things go from weird to sour.

I occupied Sinope just like I'd occupied every city up until this point. Only, my army wasn't nearly enough to quell the locals. What's worse, the season after I took Sinope, the Senate ordered me south to take the capital of Mazaka. Well, I'm far from home I think. I checked my history, and I'm sitting in places that historically Rome wasn't even thinking about until a century later, so I figure I'll abandon Sinope without destroying buildings (I was already rich and thought that I'd come back later and wouldn't want to rebuild). I march my men from Sinope south and siege Mazaka. Then the armies of Pontus emerged.

They sent a large army into Phrygia, 800+ men (I only had about 500 in Pergamum), and they sent another 800+ to siege Nicomedia. They sent a relief army to lift the siege on Mazaka, and that's when I started to not feel welcome. And so now to end this and tell you where I am:

I have Bruttium, Apulia, Dalmatia, Epirus, Aetolia, Laconia, Crete, Rhodes, Phrygia (their army is just sitting there half a move from Pergamum), and Bithnyia (I broke the siege). The one kick-in-the-pants I was able to give them happened on the plains between Mazaka and Sinope where their King happened to be marching alone with his contingent after they lifted my siege on the capital. I took my last remnant there, which I was planning to put on the long march back to Pergamum, and killed their King. This really didn't make them happy and the remaining bodyguard routed and slaughtered my men.

This whole time the Senate has been preaching about how Macedonia is the greatest thing since the stain-free toga, but now I have the feeling I should have just taken all of Greece and stayed out of Asia Minor. So, it's Winter 244BC.

[StoneCold]

I occupied Sinope just like I'd occupied every city up until this point. Only, my army wasn't nearly enough to quell the locals. What's worse, the season after I took Sinope, the Senate ordered me south to take the capital of Mazaka. Well, I'm far from home I think. I checked my history, and I'm sitting in places that historically Rome wasn't even thinking about until a century later, so I figure I'll abandon Sinope without destroying buildings (I was already rich and thought that I'd come back later and wouldn't want to rebuild). I march my men from Sinope south and siege Mazaka. Then the armies of Pontus emerged.

They sent a large army into Phrygia, 800+ men (I only had about 500 in Pergamum), and they sent another 800+ to siege Nicomedia. They sent a relief army to lift the siege on Mazaka, and that's when I started to not feel welcome. And so now to end this and tell you where I am:
.

I think this large army is from your revolted city Sinope. In RTW, when a city revolted, either they becomes rebels or go back to the civilization they are from, in this case, they return back to Pontic and created a large army in the process.

If you want to avoid this, just give the city back to Pontic, then there will not be a garrison in the city, or at worst a city full or rebel forces not forces loyal to the Pontic.

[katank]

Bad idea to go so far withough consolidation.

I definitely recommend taking Macedon out and then you can move your capital to Athens before you head far into Asia Minor. Athens gives nice traits to govs due to academy and low capital penalty is good.

[crazybastard]

Hey, @Bolobouncer one good way is to exterminate the population and the squalor will be press down...for a while. And don't build farms if you don't want the pop. growing like a mofo. Oh and do not take Carthage even if your life depends on it. Its growth rate is 7-8%...go figure. And destroy their temples and replace them with your own. Temple of Juno cuts the culture penalty by half.

[Dark_Magician]

I can't hold off much longer with only hastaii and principii. Wish I can speed up the process somehow and get the reform done and go oblierate the Greek Cities.

you have to use archers to initially equalize the situation. Generally, they run much faster than hoplites walk. You just have to have lots of them.

[katank]

Massed archers they cannot deal with. Use some cavalry, preferably cav auxila to run back and forth distracting the enemy. This way, you can keep them under your archers' umbrella of death while they don't charge your archers, being distracted with the cav.

[Garvanko]

I bought RTW two days ago and am, surprisingly enough, still on my first campagain. I chose the Brutii just out of the blue (or the green, if you will) and took Apollonia and the other city far north of it, Segestica, on the coast and then Thermon to the south. So essentially I took the whole coast to the east across the sea from me. That's sound enough. This is where it gets strange.

The Senate asked me to blockade Sparta, so I did. This is before I learned that the Senate has this tendency to blockade-invade. So, I took Sparta. The Greek garrison there was small and I'm glad most of my tactical knowledge from MTW carried over. So I had Sparta.

Well, then they got it in their heads that I should blockade a city in Asia Minor: Pergamum. So, I take that place. Then they send me to Rhodes, and I eliminate the Greeks.

You can imagine what my faction's territory looks like right now, and I can tell you that it's far from consolidated. I declared war on Pontus, took Nicomedia to the north, and then the Senate ordered me to blockade-invade Sinope. So, I did. This is where things go from weird to sour.

I occupied Sinope just like I'd occupied every city up until this point. Only, my army wasn't nearly enough to quell the locals. What's worse, the season after I took Sinope, the Senate ordered me south to take the capital of Mazaka. Well, I'm far from home I think. I checked my history, and I'm sitting in places that historically Rome wasn't even thinking about until a century later, so I figure I'll abandon Sinope without destroying buildings (I was already rich and thought that I'd come back later and wouldn't want to rebuild). I march my men from Sinope south and siege Mazaka. Then the armies of Pontus emerged.

They sent a large army into Phrygia, 800+ men (I only had about 500 in Pergamum), and they sent another 800+ to siege Nicomedia. They sent a relief army to lift the siege on Mazaka, and that's when I started to not feel welcome. And so now to end this and tell you where I am:

I have Bruttium, Apulia, Dalmatia, Epirus, Aetolia, Laconia, Crete, Rhodes, Phrygia (their army is just sitting there half a move from Pergamum), and Bithnyia (I broke the siege). The one kick-in-the-pants I was able to give them happened on the plains between Mazaka and Sinope where their King happened to be marching alone with his contingent after they lifted my siege on the capital. I took my last remnant there, which I was planning to put on the long march back to Pergamum, and killed their King. This really didn't make them happy and the remaining bodyguard routed and slaughtered my men.

This whole time the Senate has been preaching about how Macedonia is the greatest thing since the stain-free toga, but now I have the feeling I should have just taken all of Greece and stayed out of Asia Minor. So, it's Winter 244BC.

Thats a shocker of a first campaign. Im surprised you didn't run out of money running around like that. I largely ignore any unreasonable Senate requests, especially, when all they offer is a new unit.

The most unreasonable request I got however was to blockade the Port in Petra (Egypt), after I'd taken Thebes, Alexandria and Memphis with Scipii. Problem was, Petra was protected by a massive uber-fleet, and I only had five turns to complete the mission. Of course I failed, was investigated for financial irregularites, and got fined 90,000 d. Needless to say I was not a happy chappy, and relations with the senate deteriorated to the point of no return shortly after.

[orcorama]

just so you know you can blockade from the land by moving and army into the port spot

[sockerconny]

Anyone have any tips about taking on Egypt, I just started my invasion of them? Supposedly heavy infantry get tired in the desert, does that mean I have to go with only hastati??? And cavalry are no good against chariots so what do I counter them with???

[crazybastard]

watch out for pharah's guard and pharoh's bow men. They are tough mofos.
Get a bunch of cohorts (legionary is better than early legionary btw) and run up to the Egyptians and turn on testudo mode. They Egyptians have a lot of missile units, and imho, they actually have the most diverse and balaned missile units in RTW. So anyway, by locking your cohorts in testudos will save them from Egyptian missile fire, and waste up all their ammos, although you might still lose quite a few men if you're up against pharoh's bow men. As for the chariots...auxila and plain cohorts will do the job. Just make sure you keep your missile and cavalry units (especially your general!) out of their crazy-two-wheeled son-of-a-gun and you'll be fine.
Oh and turn on fire at will for your cohorts when against massive chariots. Chariots have low defense and are vunlerable to pila.
May the force be with you, sockerconny