Roman: Scipii

[Craterus]

Velites and some Libyan skirmishers..

Carthage will have elephants early on VH campaign! Duh! Makes it harder? Yes. On Medium, they don't build the beasts until later on.

[dismal]

Velites and some Libyan skirmishers..

Carthage will have elephants early on VH campaign! Duh! Makes it harder? Yes. On Medium, they don't build the beasts until later on.

Well, OK then. Believe it or not, imparting information such as this is entirely the point of having a Scipii strategy guide!

When I first landed near Carthage I encountered a full-stack Carthaginian army with no less than 3 units of elephants. Arrow shooting elephants to boot. You need to be prepared to beat them. If you plan on doing it with Velites, they better eat their wheaties.

[pezhetairoi]

The only elephants I have EVER encountered in the game (believe it or not) in all my campaigns are the single unit of pathetic low-tech elephants that Carthage fielded to defend their capital, which were promptly taken apart by my blue hastati without much significant loss. Hm. So much for elephants. *thumbs nose at Carthage*

However, that's not to say I don't have problems. Do you have any idea how annoying it is when you have two armies bribed out from under your nose, and a city with it? I don't know how much Carthage was spending, but I got a little pissed off and switched to Germania after Carthage bribed a) Thapsus in turn 10+ with 10 units still in there preparing to move on Leptis Magna, and b) Carthage 4 turns later with an almost-full stack in there waiting to embark for Sparta! *screams*

I thought the AI diplomats were supposed let themselves get bribed and just stand around doing nothing. Hmmmph.

[Diadochoi]

I've conquered about 75% of the world as the Scipii... I never once saw an elephant unit fielded against me by carthage, although I defeated them early on (by 250 bc or so) so maybe thats why.

In fact, the only two elephant units that I've seen in the game at all were the two I was able to hire as mercs, only 1 available in Africa, and one near Damascus. Really cool to use, although I made the mistake of using the elephants to storm a city once and they ended up panicking and taking out a huge cut of my own troops

[tibilicus]

Both the factions that can train Elephants NEVER last long in campaigns. Ever noticed that? That may make you ask whats the point in even giving them elephants.

[katank]

Actually it does not matter the campaign difficulty level. Carthage gets a unit of forest elephants in their army in Sicily. Just see the descr_strat file.

It makes a big difference if the human is Carthage or if you are plaing Romans on VH battle difficulty. The former makes the Carthaginian blitz strat possible by using the elepant as mobile ram for spectacular smashing ability up and down the Italian penisula. The latter makes certain that the ele actually wouldn't rout from falme arrows before hitting your battle lines and will actually plow through. However, with reasonable tactics, the ele will still die relatively quickly.

[Beefy]

I;m loving the Scipii Campaign, most fun out of all 3 roman factions

you get to fight Carthage, Numidia, Eygpt, and spain all with different styles!

At the moment its 190BC and i have All of africa down to Alexandria, i ahve Sparta Rhodes and Crete all of Spain and of course sciliy!

ITs sooo much fun! and theres shed loads of money in the Scipii way of life!

[tibilicus]

Dont forget killing spain aswell. I have curently although not played this campaign for ages. Sout greece, all original carthage provinces, nearlly all the Numidian ones i think, most of spain and im to populer with the senate not reached egypt yet allthough they attaked me i will sort them out. Any way having acsess to such a good Navy and being tiped on Sicly from the start theres so many possible routs to win and it very easy to overshadow your fellow Romans glory aswell. dont know why they play so bad as the A.I. So i agree with you Beefy there fun to play with, very fun to play with.

[Craterus]

I;m loving the Scipii Campaign, most fun out of all 3 roman factions

I haven't played Brutii but I think Scipii is more fun than Julii.. I had fun with them anyway..

What's their elite boats called?

[pezhetairoi]

Decere? Corvus quinquereme?

[Craterus]

Is there two? Cool.

[Beefy]

yeh its the Corvus quinquereme then the Decere which are both nigh unstopable!


Is it me are do the Scipii produca a lot more kids?

[tibilicus]

Nope just you lol. Im always short of generels as them.

[Craterus]

Take care of your generals? Or charge them head-on with spearmen? lol

[Imperator]

You get the Corvus Quinquereme frome the Awsome Temple to Neptune and the Decere frome the Pantheon to Neptune.

[pezhetairoi]

Decere (drool).

But I'm not a very naval person so my fleets are usually Biremes. Hoowee. Hmm, I think generals reproduce best when you let them know beforehand that they'll be imminently sent into a charge at a spear phalanx the next battle round. XD

[katank]

Brutii are better as their temples are superior. Giving 3 xp and morale bonus is significant for combat. Although the Scipii's Vulcan pantheon with xp and armor/weapon bonuses is also good. Mercury also gives loads of money. Juno proides health and I believe halfs the culture penalty.

I also managed in my Brutii game to beat the Julii to Caralis, the Scipii to Lilybaeum and Syracuse as well as the other factions to Carthage and Thapsus while expanding into Greece.

Scipii have a harder time expanding in all directions. The best they can manage is beat the Brutii to Thermon when I played them.

The unique Scipii ships are cool though but they require a dockyard in addition to the temple requirements.

[Imperator]

This question may be totally out of context, but does anyone know if you can modify what units you start out with? If so, how?

[pezhetairoi]

In the descr_strat file in the /data/world/campaign/imperialcampaign. The part of the file that details your faction defines what units they start out with, how much their starting treasury is, and what cities and economic assets you have. Change those, and you change the game.

[crazybastard]

I've just recently conquered Cathrage, the heart and capital of the annoying Carthgenians. But when I look at the city details, I was, in fact, shocked. The population growth rate is freaking 8.5%!! Even though I exterminated the original population when I first arrived, I soon have a pouplation of 10,000 in no time! AND the public order is dropping like shiznits because there's simply too much people and the squalors (the little mice thingy) are increasing like crazy!!!! What should I do?!?!?!?

[orcorama]

build sewers/baths
then turn up the tax level
if it gets too bad then move all your soldiers out of the city and turn the taxes up to very high
then wait for it to revolt then you can take the city again and exterminate

[crazybastard]

Right now I'm the Scipii and it's 230 BC and the Marius reform hasn't taken place yet! Why is that? When I was Brutii and Julii the reform started like at 245 BC or something...(confused major)

[Craterus]

Reforms shouldn't take place until you have an Imperial Palace on mainland Italy and the year is after 220BC.

[orcorama]

Reforms shouldn't take place until you have an Imperial Palace on mainland Italy and the year is after 220BC.

in the 1.2 patch
in previous patches (1.0 and 1.1) you just need an imperial palace anywhere

[cunobelinus]

i think they should have more reforms like they did in history they just didnt suddenly reform they had a few small reforms and on big one that should be included in the game .

[Virtute71]

Marian reforms kicked in 214BC for me.

I've faced elephants in Sicily and in Carthage. The hard part is having a AI General in an elephant unit waiting for you in the town center. I took out Carthage and their last province was in Palma. Carthage is gone but Numidia is a thorn on my side. I can't wait to fight Egpyt. Not sure right now though. I might go up to Spain first.

[Garvanko]

As soon as I took Carthage and Thapsus, I made an Alliance with a very weak Carthage. They'll keep Numidians humble for the next few years I suspect.

[katank]

@Virtute71, how did they have an elephant general? Was it a captain?

[CMcMahon]

Here's what I did (some might be wrong, but this is pretty much what I remember):

1) Load a general and another hastati onto your fleet and send them towards Messana. Send your diplomat to Rome. Send one of your generals and units directly to the west of the Carthaginian border on Sicily. Train a bireme on your mainland city (I forget the name), build a barracks in Messana, and expand your mainland farms.

2) The Carthaginian army should be in Greek territory now. Join up your second general and your extra hastati, and break into Carthaginian territory towards Lylcaneum (sp?). Train hastati on the mainland.

3) The Carthaginian army should be seiging Syracuse now. So put a siege on Lylcaneum. Train hastati in your exisiting cities, build up your farms in Messana, and build a Temple of Jupiter on the mainland.

4) The Carthaginian army should have given up its siege of Syracuse to go back towards Lylcaneum. Take over Lylcaneum, exterminate the populace, repair anything that's damaged, destroy the temple, build a Temple of Jupiter, and train velites. In your other cities, train more hastati.

5) The Carthaginian army should be close now, so take them out, and send a general and units towards Syracuse. The Greek general should be the only unit in the city, with the rest of the army roaming around somewhere; they're not at war with you yet, so your objective is to take the city before they have a chance to attack you. Load your ships with hastati and send them to Messana. Send your hastati from Messana to siege Syracuse. Train more hastati on the mainland, a diplomat in Messana, and velites in Lylcaneum, build a port in Messana, and build roads on the mainland.

6) Join up your general and his units with the hastati sieging Syracuse, and proceed to kick ass and take names, and then enslave the population. Send your diplomat to the remaining Greek army, and offer a ceasefire and trade rights, which they should accept (this will keep their army from devastating your land, and - although still on Sicily - prevents them from attacking any of your three cities, although their diplomat on the island will keep trying to bribe your faction leader in Messana until the day he dies). Build up another bireme on the mainland, train hastati in Messana and Syracuse, and more velites in Lylcaneum. Build stables in Lylcaneum.

7) Carthage should have just dropped off a faction heir and some soldiers right next to Lylcaneum. Kill them. Send your ships to Messana, load up tropps from all your cities, and build. You should have gotten a mission to capture the Carthaginian city south of Carthage (once again, I forget the name - sorry). Keep training hastati and velites. Build to expand trade.

8) Join your ships together just south of Lylcaneum; train equites there, expand your farms, and load all your velites onto the ships. Keep training just like before.

9) Put your equites on your ships, send your ships south of Carthage. Train equites and hastati for later. Practice range in Syracuse, roads in your other cities.

10) Unload your troops, siege the city, and blockade the harbor. Buy mercenaries. Keep training like in #9.

11) Take over the city, exterminate the populace, destroy the temple, build a Temple of Jupiter, and train velites. Send your ships back to Sicily. Keep training troops and building up your trade there.

12) Load up on Sicily, and send them towards your troops in North Africa. Keep training and building like before.

After this, it's pretty straight forward: Take Carthage (3 turns), kill the populace, destroy their temple, build a new one for Grandpa Jupiter, train train train, ally and get military access from Numidia for trade rights and map information. Send ships from Sicily loaded with troops to the small island south of Gaulic territory. Send assassins into Numidia and wreak havoc while moving your own troops right next to their unsuspecting cities, and then take them out in just two or three turns. At this point, ally with Egypt, and send a force into southern Spain to take out the last Carthaginian stronghold (which should have, oh, one or two units in it due to them geting beat up so badly by both you and Spain, who you should also ally if possible).

edit: I forgot to mention this, but after you have a secure hold on Carthage, make it your capitol. Your old capitol will be pissed for a few turns on the mainland, but whatever. Screw 'em.

[crazybastard]

Playing on H/H as Scipii, I realized several things.

First, that the chance of SPQR electing one of your family member to be part of their little circle of power in Rome is microscopic. So far only my heir has been elected as the lowest rank (Praetor or something concerning $) and is kicked off the next year, only to be replaced by the Brutii.

Second, equites are pretty useless against long shield cavalry

Third, I think it's best to delay your mission to conquer Carthage for as long as possible. Carthage itself grows like a mofo (+8-9% pop. growth each turn) and doesn't have much of an income, and soon the squalor also increases like a mofo and the income drops like a mofo. I guarantee that it'll start losing 3000 denrarii in no time. I'm having trouble with maintaining it myself. Tried the leave-the-city-then-reconquer-it-and-slaughter-all-those-sorry-asses-inside plan but it backfired. (Carthage returns to Carthigian with full stacks of elephants and Poeni's and long shields)

But if you're good enough, you should be able to re-massacre Carthage over and over and over and over again till those sorry asses stop complaining.

Anyway here's how I did:

Take Syracuse. This seems obvious but move all your units and slaughter the Greeks inside the city, enslave it (to boost income...mmm...denrarii...good) and meanwhile build a milita barrack in Messana to train additional hastaii. Hastaii are your secret weapon in the early game. But Principii are just as good if you can get them.

Then build up an army loaded with Hastaii and your best general, and conquer Lilbayeum (or something) and again, enslave the pop to boost your income.

And now the senate would probably ask you to blockade a few Greek or Macedonian ports over at Asia minor. DO IT. You want the Senate to like you. To love you, to...(go figure)

Meanwhile gather a few hastaii and ship them over to Caralis, the big island just west of your Italian capital (Capua) and besiege it. Take it over. Put a governor in it if you want to make money fast. This island is very crucial to your state finance since when it grows it'll obtain ports and dockyards which in turn will connect trade routes to Capua and Sicily and boost up your economy like a mofo.

Then at this time, the Senate will asks you to conquer the Carthiginan city of Thapsus. Do it. Enslave or masacre the city. (Up to you; I enslaved it) and build pave roads or highways IMMEDIATELY. Africa is vast so you need to save time by moving your legions on highways, not just ordinary roads.

Build up your legions and ship them over to Africa. The Carthaginians will constantly send troops to harass you. Build watchtowers if you like.

If you're lucky, the senate will asks you to conquer Lepics Magna before going onto Carthage. (I wasn't so lucky though) Take it. Late build port to monopolizes your Mediterrean sea trade. (mmm....($)($))

Then it's the final ho-down with might Carthage. Get your best general, get as many hastaii and roman archers and any other experienced troops you can spare, and besiege the city.

Usually with a hugh city like Carthage it'll take it 8 full turns to surrender. HOWEVER if there are roaming carthaginian armies outside the city they might attempt to break up the siege and attack you. This is to your advantage. Use it wisely. I found out that my hastaii and principii are no match even against their Libyen Spearmen on the wall. So it's better to pepper the living shizs out of them with pila and missiles out on the open and THEN slaughter them.

After Carthage is yours, just sit back and relax for a bit. (I'm still coming up wit the second half of this strategy, heheh)

Peace