Where to go?

[butterfingers158]

Hello!

I am playing my first ever campaign on this wonderful mod (1.2 version) as the Romans and am seeking some advice from you more experienced players.

I control all of Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. My economy is booming ( i think i have like 200k mnai sitting around). I am not currently at war with any factions, and am allied with the Germans(Sweboz i think?) the darker green gauls (Audei or something) Epeirus, and Egypt.

I have just recieved the Polybian reforms and would like to know where you think i should expand?

My options are( as I see, there might be more) :

East into Greece
Northwest into the Arverni (who besieged Bononia 2 years ago, but have since accepted peace)
Northeast into some rebel territories
South into Africa


What do you think i should do? Also what is a good army composition (historical or otherwise)?


Thanks!!

[Mjolnir]

I would suggest going for Iberia, but that's just my opinion. I love those Iberian mines.

[-Praetor-]

Destroy Carthage!!!!

[duncan.gill]

Head west into Iberia. Take out the Brown folk and also you can expell Carthage from Spain (forcing them to fight the yellow death if they want to expand. Also when you conquer that area you can garrison it with cheap troops and you are protected by the sea (heading east you will have to get to Inida before you have that luxury).

[Macilrille]

Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

[desert]

Are you threatening Carthage, Master Cato? :whip::skull:

[Aemilius Paulus]

I agree with Iberia as well, if that is a valid choice for you. Those mines are exceedingly useful, and the lands are fertile. You can also continuously hire Balearic Slingers there, which is what I do in my current 1.1 Romani campaign. Although Greece is more of a challenge, and more fun of course. Greece is also close to Italia, so I suggest you go there first and then to Iberia. However, if the Balkans seem heavily defended, and your treasury is not too hefty, then go to Iberia so you will be prepared for a long campaign in Greece.

North is not alluring at all in comparison, the least of your options. Africa is actually a pretty decent hunk of real estate, with great naval trade possibilities, but I just have a thing against African expansion, since I have a strong dislike for provinces with deserts. Greece is more interesting for me.

[athanaric]

Iberia is good, but you should also consider taking the Dalmatian coast early on. The province of Dalmatia alone can give you an insane income if you build mines there. With fully upgraded mines, it makes 5000 mnai per turn from mining alone. Same goes for Makedonia.
You want to ensure a "balance of powers" in the Balkans anyway lest Makedonia become too powerful.

A very entertaining and profitable strategy might be to conquer all islands in the Mediterranean (even Kypros). This will increase your income as well as ensure naval hegemony. Plus the islands serve as excellent bases for raids on Ptolemaioi and Qarthadastim cities.


I would prefer playing a hellenic faction and destroying the filthy Romaioi though...

[A Very Super Market]

Gaul is empty, full of asshole Celts who just love to ambush, and full-stack alpine rebels. Iberia and Greece are better choices. Africa is also nice, but requires you to use a navy, which are annoying to control.

[johnhughthom]

Also what is a good army composition?


My Polybian two legion stack:
General
2 Velites
2 Hastati
2 Principes
1 Triarii
FM as cavalry.

Allies
1 Missile eg Toxotai
2 Skirmisher eg Akontistai
1 Light infantry eg Ligurian
1 Heavy infantry eg Samnites
1 Elite infantry eg Neitos
1 or 2 Cavalry

[kekailoa]

Don't go northeast. Whatever you do, don't go that way. You will be annihilated by full-stack Celto-Germanic gold chevron armies.

I would do a double pronged expansion. Go west along the Mediterranean, taking all the coastal cities until you get to Iberia. Then drive Carthage out, taking all the east coast in inland as far as you can without attacked the Luso. At the same time, go eastward and try to dominate the Adriatic, driving whichever Greek power owns the area at the time down into the Macedonian/Greek heartlands. Try to pacify the region as much as possible.

Then blitz the crap out of the Luso and take control of Iberia. With that money, you can eliminate any European Greek resistance in the Balkans and Greece. With your new found money and experienced armies, crush Carthage. The Gauls might attack, but putting forts on the key border points will deter them from attacking. I find this works very well with holding back the Sweboz in my Gallic campaigns.

Or, just for kicks, build an army, send it all the way eastward and attack the Saka. :yes:

[Antinous]

Go to Carthage, they will keep attacking you if you take Iberia first.

[Mulceber]

Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

Concino, Patres Conscripti. Carthago inimica gravissima est. Censeo ut legiones duus per Sicilam mittamus statisque Carthaginem oppugneamus. -M

[butterfingers158]

ok, so i think i'm going to wage a campaign in spain as per your suggestions. Then i will invade greece.

does macedon usually get really strong? Cause Eperius seems to be kicking their butt this game.

[A Very Super Market]

With the AI, usually one of KH, Epeirus, or Makedonia will get knocked out early, and then one gets really strong.

[butterfingers158]

With the AI, usually one of KH, Epeirus, or Makedonia will get knocked out early, and then one gets really strong.

Just happened actually, KH are gone, and suddenly Makedonia has made Epeirus a client state :dizzy2:

Update on me though: the Germans betrayed me and brought like 4 full stacks down on Medialodium(don't think this is right but you know what i'm talking about). so i sent my full stack that was about to board the boats up there, and am sending my next stack as soon as its done to fight them off and teach them some respect (i hope).

[Aemilius Paulus]

Hmmm, you might want to "nerf" the most powerful faction in Hellas, just in case it gets too powerful. It is never fun to fight against endless AI stacks of the same antions, over and over again.

Oh, and by "Greece" I actually meant all of Southern and Central Balkans. So yes, Dalmatia and Illyria are very alluring pieces of territory. Especially Dalmatia, with its settlement, Dalminion, which has two mines, giving it unprecedented income in mines. BTW, just some advice: build Temples of Jupiter to reduce corruption if you find any. Temples of Ceres are useless. Their trade bonus is minuscule, and they provide much less happiness. Temples of Jupiter save you thousands of mnai redeemed from corruption and give you much happier settlements. If you haven't discovered this yourself yet, of course.

[Maion Maroneios]

I'm not really a Romani fan, but I think it would be a good idea to pump out several fullstacks, since you got that much cash. So about 3-4 would be good. Don't blitz, go slowly. Iberia with it's mines would be good, then you can emulate the Roman expansion and go for Carthage, then Illyria and Greece.

Maion

[-Praetor-]

Update on me though: the Germans betrayed me and brought like 4 full stacks down on Medialodium(don't think this is right but you know what i'm talking about).

Cimbrian wars!

[butterfingers158]

I'm not really a Romani fan, but I think it would be a good idea to pump out several fullstacks, since you got that much cash. So about 3-4 would be good. Don't blitz, go slowly. Iberia with it's mines would be good, then you can emulate the Roman expansion and go for Carthage, then Illyria and Greece.

Maion

i've been working on it, my cities just got their polybian MIC's built, so now they're ready to pump out troops.

Fought a couple of easy battles against the germans so far, destroyed a full stack and a half stack. Now they seem ready to attack my army with 3 stacks(2 full, one at about half strength), should be a good battle.

[Ardri]

Playing as Rome I enjoy sending an army through Gaul just pillaging away, capture the cities and loot them just to move on and let them rebel back to their previous owners. Pretty good way to get a large amount of experience for your generals as well. Also, I think the best approach to invading Greece is to hit Sparte and Korinthos at the same time and work up the peninsula. I like having a declared front to advance along.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Go after Rebels if you're not at war with anyone else.

Take the two settlements in Illryia, take over the whole southern coast of Gaul, including Massilia, then go down the coast into Iberia until you hit the Carthaginian border in southern Iberia.

That should soon lead to war with someone.

[Ardri]

Once you have captured Massilia, Medolenium (sp?), Patavium, and Bononia (sp?) you are really well set to block the passages through the Alps with forts and establish solid borders from which to launch campaigns out into the 'more barbaric' regions of the map. I always like to create defensive lines of watch towers and forts along my empire's borders when I play as Rome as part of my house rules. Adds to the fun of recreating the Roman empire.

[Tiberius Claudius Marcellus]

I also suggest that Greece be your first target - after which you can use their phalanxes to fend off the Ptolomies who will ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS attack you once you get Lepki (again, ALWAYS). Your regular troops will take care of the carthaginians just fine.

Use your newly acquired ports and much closer army recruiting areas to immediately hammer the Ptolemies after you consolidate Carthage. By doing this you won't fight a losing battle one army at a time trying to keep Lepki, and you won't have to march reinforcements halfway across the Sahara for 3 years just to not be enough of a force.

Again, Take Greece, Carthage, then Egypt in that order with Egypt being immediately followed by Carthage and you will be unstoppable. In fact, if you hit Egypt fast enough you can possibly save the AS from extermination and they can, in-turn fight the Ptolies on the other end of their yellow blob.

After that, feel free to mop up the world.

[Tiberius Claudius Marcellus]

sorry, this posted twice. Can't find the delete button!

[Reno Melitensis]

Invade Epirus, teach the sons of that bastard, how to invade and conquer. Take Ambrakia and Epidamnos, and forge an alliance with KH. If Massalia is still a free city, capture it, in the future it can be a good base from where to invade Iberia.

Cheers.

[IrishHitman]

I advise that you don't build up multi-front wars for your own sake.

[rootje]

As rome you gotta love those multiple front wars! I myself have been fighting greece(who've expanded into the getai homelands and slaughtered epiros and makedonia), the two gallic tribes,carthage and the lusotani all at the same time for a while now on the Alex.exe and very hard campaign: nothing more fun than fighting stack after stack instead of just sniping them up one by one :beam:


By the way, something I noticed on a different topic: I've always played Very Hard campaigns in all total war games and normally auto resolve was suicide, now however, with a balanced roman legion lead by a proper consul, autoresolving when the odds are slighly in your favour or balanced sometimes leads to glorious victories(still losing about 30% of the troops tho, when a human general would probably lose 10-15%), a nice touch to keep balance in your armies[lose some troops once in a while] and to prevent having to fight 10 sieges every turn; iff you want to play a good roman campaign(or a good campaign in general)-->get the alex.exe!

[Nachtmeister]

Go after Rebels if you're not at war with anyone else.

Take the two settlements in Illryia, take over the whole southern coast of Gaul, including Massilia, then go down the coast into Iberia until you hit the Carthaginian border in southern Iberia.

That should soon lead to war with someone.


Invade Epirus, teach the sons of that bastard, how to invade and conquer. Take Ambrakia and Epidamnos, and forge an alliance with KH. If Massalia is still a free city, capture it, in the future it can be a good base from where to invade Iberia.

Cheers.


I advise that you don't build up multi-front wars for your own sake.


IrishHitman is right - and moving westward along the mediterranean coast is going to get you into a very bad multi-front situation. If you take Massalia, you are going to get wave after wave of Arverni attacking Massalia. It is just far enough from your nearest proper recruitment cities (Arpi, Roma) that it makes having a fleet necessary and it will tie down more troops than it's income can afford.

Plus, it has stone walls. This means wall battles - something the Arverni are deadly at as soon as they get their sword infantry. Curoas, Bataroas, Deadly-Roas... And Tindanotae. They will eat you for breakfast and counter-offensive is ill-advised if you cannot exterminate them rapidly or afford four full armies constantly shuttling back and forth between their territory and Arpi - and remember the ridiculous forests of gaul. A lengthy war there is absolutely no fun at all, never mind history, this is about real computer-game frustration and keyboard chewing because you are suddenly forced to literally play from your general's perspective. All the time. Nice for ten battles. Really annoying for over a hundred battles. And gaul is big. You can't just fight them at their settlements - those in the north have stone walls so their swords will lacerate even your heavy infantry. Actually, of your native troops, hastati fare best against them.

The best way to deal with Gaul *after* you have taken care of Hellas and Sicily and Iberia is to have a max level regional MIC in Mediolanum and recruit your wall-fighting units from there. Have a Gaul auxilia when fighting the Gauls. You also get your first proper cavalry (Brihentin) from there.

[Dayve]

With the Polybian reform your armies should fight as the Romans historically fought. A line of hastati in front, with two similar units of light infantry allies on either flank. A line of principes behind, with a similar unit of heavy infantry allies on either flank, and triarii behind, ready and waiting to pounce should your first two lines crumble. The Romans always advanced slowly and kept their best and most experienced troops in reserve. Not only is this realistic but it's effective and fun.

As for expansion... why not expand as Rome historically did? When Rome reached the point you are at now, the wars in Spain began, defeating and conquering Cartheginian holdings there, and tribes loyal to Carthage. Take the south and east coasts of Spain, then go to work on the west coast of Greece. As time goes on, slowly conquer further west in Spain, and further east and south in Greece. After that, simulate the third punic war. Eliminate Carthage from the game by conquering north-Africa from them. After that, move into modern Turkey, but only the west coast. At this point you should get the reformed legions... and you can continue on to conquer the rest of the world, including Gaul, Egypt, all of Turkey...

Bsically just google a map of the Roman empire and carve it out what you haven't already got with your new Marian legions.

[desert]

Or refer to Quintus Sertorius's Romani guide (if you follow Davye's advice).