SMZ
07-02-2005, 22:26
This is a repost from a post I made within Frog's Guide thread. I was hoping to see what people thought...
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Firstly when asked this question one must consider the differences between the factions beyond them each wearing different color tunics. (Although it bears note that the red Julii tunics are much sexier than blue or green.) These differences can be summarized as follows:
1. Economic Position.
2. Strategic Military Position.
3. Temple Bonuses.
4. Gladiator Type.
I have listed these in descending importance according to how I view them.
"Economic Position" refers to the provinces a faction starts with and will conquer most easily. Denarii are the basis of your empire, without them you will be a mild nuisance to be swept aside by a greater power. No matter how strong your armies you must have the infrastructure to support them. Thus having a strong economy is one's first priority. Sea trade is by far the most profitable form of collecting capital. Land trade and farming are adequate for survival but not to thrive. Mining is a dependable source of income but will always be the icing on the cake not the means of filling your treasury. Sacking cities will also gain you a tidy sum if you avail yourself of the "Exterminate" option. However, depending on this can become problematic as it becomes a circular quandary. (You will need to take a city to fund your army, you will need an army to take the city.)
Finally you can barter state secrets (map information), trade rights and alliances to the highest bidders for another nice boost to your cash flow. Once again however this method should not be your central strategy towards gaining wealth. Firstly, because there are only so many factions to sell these goods to and once sold you must wait for a change in the political currents before they may be sold again. Furthermore as the game progresses and factions are eliminated you will find fewer and fewer potential customers. Secondly, the computer controlled factions will spend their denarii as fast as they can get it, meaning that usually any prospective negotiations will be marked by them asking you for money and not the reverse.
So with these principals in mind it becomes obvious that the Brutii occupy the favored position with their missive to conquer the extremely prosperous Aegean Sea provinces. In general the eastern provinces as a whole are more profitable, as civilization has existed for many years in Persia, Egypt and Greece. Thus the Brutii, seeing as they lie the easternmost of the Roman factions, have the advantage in capturing these provinces. Second, the Scipii also have a good position in that they are tasked with subduing Carthage which is well known for it's trading empire. Where there is wealth for one, there will be wealth for another. By securing Iberia, the various western islands and perhaps moving across Africa into Egypt the Scipii can easily become an economic juggernaut as well. Lastly the Julii. While there is great fame to be gained in beating back the barbarian peoples there is certainly less monetary reward. The Gauls, Germans, Britons, Dacians and Spaniards are mostly poor peoples with underdeveloped settlements due to their stunted technology trees. This is not a recipe for disaster however! With careful planning and diligence the Julii can still have a healthy treasury. The Romans as a whole have an advantage in their use of highways, automatic trade rights with each other, Senate rewards, etc... By combining the above listed strategies into a strong economy the Julii will be able to support a powerful war machine.
Lastly, it bears note that as mentioned earlier once a faction begins to maintain a treasury in excess of 50,000 denarii from turn to turn, their governors begin to exhibit deviant and poor moral traits. Thus while in the early game it will certainly be your priority to squeeze every last coin out that you can, by the mid-game you should be in a strong financial position. Before reading frog's guide I often kept treasuries above 500,000 denarii by the time I had about 15-20 provinces. So while this point is vastly important, with proper management it soon vanishes into obscurity. Any of the factions can do well financially and should.
Conclusion: Advantage Brutii, Second Scipii, Third Julii
"Strategic Military Position" refers to the enemies you will face and your ability to hinder your rivals expansion while pursuing your own safely.
The Brutii will face the Greeks and Macedonians initially, followed by a push thru Thrace, Pontus and the Seleucids with the possibility of a conflict with Egypt. A particularly expansionistic ruler may seek to dislodge the Dacians, Scythians and Armenians but the rewards of such are less clear. A clash with the Parthians will occur eventually but many other foes must be defeated first. The Greeks rely heavily on phalanxes, which while powerful, are easily countered. Especially since they will be your first enemy, most likely they will field mostly Militia Hoplites and Hoplites. Both of which can be crushed by a simple flanking maneuver in a way which the later Armored Hoplites and Spartan Hoplites will defend well against. The Greek cavalry is weak and their ranged weapons ineffective. They are ripe for the plucking.
The Macedonians on the other hand feature both halves of the powerful hammer and anvil stratagem. They also field phalanxes but a Brutii leader who delays slightly will find himself facing Phalanx Pikemen instead of Militia Hoplites. This is quite significant since Phalanx Pikemen have both a greater range (four men engaging instead of two) and lack the morale penalty the Militia Hoplites do. These troops are literally a meat grinder for your infantry and suicide for your cavalry. They will not break from a simple flank attack either but debilitating missile attacks followed by repeated charges may be necessary. Fortunately, like all phalanx based armies, once one portion of the line falls the rest is soon to follow. The Macedonians prevent this by fielding powerful light cavalry. Their horses are fast, moving to the point of crisis easily and yet still capable of a strong charge. Protracted melees will defeat them but with their greater mobility they will seldom allow themselves to be caught in this position easily. The one chink in the Macedonians armor is their lack of strong missile troops. In an engagement with a Macedonian army it is vital to avoid their slow phalanxes as long as possible while you pelt their entire army from a distance. If they attempt to end the bombardment with a charge, have your infantry ready to receive the separated cavalry elements and then bring your own cavalry in on their rear; trapping and destroying them. One must exercise caution however that your cavalry does not become pinned in turn by their advancing phalanxes. Only after you have robbed them of the crucial hammer element to their force should you pick the phalanxes off at your leisure. Always expend your missile units complete stock of weapons against them first, then mob their separated and weakened units; striking first from the rear and then when they turn, striking them with another unit in their newly exposed rear.
After dealing with the Greeks and Macedonians you will be well prepared to face the Seleucids. That is if one attacks them quickly. If one were to wait excessively he would find that the Seleucids field an extremely powerful army. In fact the Seleucids field the most balanced and powerful combination of troops of any non-Roman faction. A quick attack is highly recommended. A late game clash will find that the Seleucids can train Silver Shield Legionaries. These men are identical to Legionary Cohorts (the unit which will form the core of your army) other than a 1 point lower charge bonus. However in addition they will have Silver Shield Pikemen which compare to your Auxilia about as well as a mastiff compares to a poodle, therefore giving them a decided advantage as far as infantry troops. Their Companion Calvary and Cataphracts will outmatch your cavalry in an even engagement. They bring Scythed Chariots and War or Armored Elephants to the table while your unique units are Gladiators and Arcani. Hardly an even trade, ehh? However you will still have the advantage of pigs, dogs and superior artillery as well as missile troops. It makes for a definite challenge. Far better to nip this potential powerhouse in the bud and burn their cities while they still face you with Levy Pikemen and Militia Calvary.
However, the Thracians and men of Pontus field a different form of army. The Thracians will train various forms of riff raff in addition to more powerful units of the Falxman type. While formidable, these units will be no match for your troops, seeing as the Romans also specialize in flexible heavy infantry and your more powerful cavalry, and missile troops will quickly turn close victories into heroic triumphs.
The Pontics have the potential to field Phalanx Pikemen and Bronze Shields but rarely do, more often relying on weaker units to form their infantry core. Their danger comes in their javelin bearing cavalry and their chariots. Pontic Heavy and Light Calvary will regularly beat your own cavalry forces in even matches without close supervision. Chariots can destroy an entire army, by sending your men into a rout if a player does not know how to counter them. Rather than attempting to chase their cavalry from the field initially (an often futile exercise) attempt to counter them with foot archers who's greater numbers and range can quickly destroy entire units. As always be ready to receive a charge in protection of your missile troops. The best method to counter chariots is to put your men into a deeper formation. If it looks like a square you will be ready. Then tell a second unit to stand in the same space as the first. This provides a stalwart wall of bodies which will sap all the inertia from the chariots charge. It is not necessary that you engage the entire line of the chariots. Once even one of the men in a chariot unit is stopped the others will mill slowly about instead of breaking free and repeating the charge. When the chariots stop moving they are dead. (Defense of 1) Never attempt to counter charge chariots with your cavalry. When a chariot attacks a heavy infantry unit most of the men are knocked down but few casualties are taken. I have played games where I may rout an enemy unit and then proceed to chase them down and still have a third of them escape, merely because my chariots continually knock the infantrymen down but do not kill them. However, a horseman does not have the option of being knocked down and getting back up. Hence the chariots will decimate your cavalry unit in mere moments. Even charging them from the rear is extremely dangerous. If you must use cavalry, swarm them with four or five units at once. Sometimes the mere press of bodies can destroy them before they inflict too much damage.
Egypt relies even more heavily on chariots, and their Desert Axemen and Desert Calvary can be dangerous due to their speed. By the time you move in their direction however you should be equipped to deal with their forces. The men of Pharaoh have a powerful and well balanced force but the key is their cities. Rather than attempting to beat them into submission in the field, send a few mid-sized armies out to distract and harass them. Then strike for their heart by seizing the vital cities of Memphis, Alexandria and Thebes. (In that order.) Once you have seized the prosperous heartland of the Egyptians they will be unable to resist you much longer. While you may press on for complete domination, a mere war of attrition will see them vanquished sooner rather than later.
At any point a quick raid into Carthage's provinces of Northern Africa can reasonably expect success and destroy any hopes the Scipii might hold for their families ascendance. The Julii are not so easily countered and a strategy of using your superior wealth to support the Gauls can help them to contain the Julii much longer than usual.
The Scipii will be responsible for dealing with Carthage initially with prospects against the Numidians and Spaniards as well. A Scipii leader will generally end up pursuing a two prong attack at some point as his forces in Iberia begin to meet the corresponding push by the Brutii in Gaul and he then must look to Egypt for further expansion. Conflict with the Parthians and Seleucids will follow, with the Armenians, Pontics and Scythians falling last. The first priority for any Scipii leader should be to secure the western portion of the Great Sea. This can be accomplished by sending a raiding party to grab Corsica, using your army to pacify Sicily and then moving on to crush Carthage. Carthage if left alone can produce strong troops. Their cavalry will be generally somewhat weaker than their Roman counterparts but their phalanxes can become a force. The Sacred Band is stronger than the Greek Armored Hoplite which should indicate its potency. Additionally, their trump card is elephants which, although always formidable, presents a particularly great challenge in the early game. Hand to hand engagement with elephants is never recommended. One can swarm them if you must, but you will take heavy losses. If you can manage to trap the beasts inside a city you siege, then the narrow streets and ability to put your archers on the walls while capturing towers can give you a chance at near bloodless victory. If you must meet them in the field a steady barrage of missiles can have effect eventually, however this requires a massive amount of arrows or javelins and you will most likely not be able to devote this amount of attention to one unit while ignoring the remainder of their forces. Incendiary Pigs are effective but it will require some time before you can bring these creatures with your army. The best early counter is to purchase Mercenary Hoplites and stack these men two or even three times. Even elephants cannot easily charge thru such a bristling wall of spear points, although do not think that such a formation is invincible. Occasionally because of a precise angle or a slight slope or some such factor the elephants may push thru even such a force. However, the percentages favor you greatly.
Once the Carthagians are dealt with the Scipii will find little challenge. The Numidians are complete riff raff and the greatest obstacle to their defeat is the number of turns it takes to move from one settlement to the next rather than anything they are capable of assembling and calling an army. The Spaniards too do not offer much in the way of competition. The Romans took many of their ideas for their troops from the Spaniards and built on them. This means that the Spaniard troop lineup mainly looks like a weakened version of yours. By the time you reach the Gauls they will already be under assault from the Julii and may in fact already be conquered. If they are not, they will be severely weakened, and you will find little to prevent you from taking their last few provinces as well.
The Scipii will thus not find a challenge again until their armies march upon Egypt. The strategy outlined in the Brutii section will work just as well for the Scipii. From there they should continue their push thru the Seleucids before any settling is done. By continuing the fight to the Parthians, Pontics and Armenians the Scipii can find that they have an empire with few borders. A small border on the north of Iberia and an equally small one running between the Black and Caspian Seas. With their superior navy this equates to a very strong position for the endgame.
A savvy Scipii leader will snatch at least a portion of Greece before the Brutii may. The extreme southern portion with its easily defensibly isthmus and extremely useful Wonder beckons invitingly. The eastern islands also make key assets to a Scipii plan. Securing the rebel Byzantium as a launch-point for your future wars as you return from conquering the eastern world shows forethought and discretion. It is essential that the Scipii seize Corsica before the Julii. Not only does this give you complete domination of the seas but it prevents the Julii from using Corsica as a stepping stone to interfere with your campaigns in Africa. As with the Brutii the easiest way to slow Julii expansion without overextending yourself is to pump money into the Gallic and later British or Dacian economies. Only very rarely will the Germans manage to beat back their attackers on all sides enough to warrant supporting them.
The Julii are responsible for dealing with the Gauls, followed by expansion into the Spanish, German and British realms. Further conquest can be pursued against the Dacians, Thracians and Scythians. If the other two factions are extremely tardy in their expansion a move against the Armenians, Pontics, and Seleucids may be possible.
Gallic armies rely on masses of Spear Warbands supported by Naked Fanatics and Barbarian Calvary. None of which will present a particularly dangerous threat to your troops. The danger comes just as it did for historical Rome; yes you may destroy the barbarian horde, but afterwards what have you gained? If the Gauls are left alone eventually they will produce Forester Warbands which thanks to their temples will arise as hardened troops. Seeing as this unit is already the best foot archer in the game it can make a conquest of Gaul much more difficult, although by itself it will not turn the tide of war. The Spanish as outlined above will present little problem also.
The Germans can be dangerous as they at least have a balanced force with specialized troops. Their Spear Warband can assume a phalanx formation thus making them far superior to comparable barbarian infantry. Additionally their various forms of Axeman while weaker on defense than your troops possess powerful attacks. Generally speaking if you can weather the initial charge and a secondary push by them then your troops will win the day. Their Warhounds are particularly savage with greater stats than their Roman counterparts and greater numbers than any other faction except the Scythians. Their Gothic Calvary is capable of competing with similar Roman forces and their Screeching Women can have a powerful effect on morale. If they are allowed to prosper, their armies will be well balanced and strong. Conflict will rely on your tactics and superior numbers for victory. The German force has no clear weakness to exploit. Perhaps the best method for victory lies in destroying their poorly guarded settlements rather than meeting them in the dark forests of Germania. Barbarian factions cannot build walls stronger than a stockade. You can take advantage of this with a lighting fast string of attacks which will leave the German armies without a homeland and dispersed as pockets of rebel resistance. By purchasing a unit of Mercenary Elephants (which can bash wooden gates down) you can assure that you never have to wait to break straight into a settlement and pillage the surroundings. Otherwise you can bring a Ballista or Onager unit along although this will reduce your troop movement points.
The British have a small but unique selection of units. They will use Warbands, Woad Warriors and Druids as the bulk of their army with a strong force of both speedy British Heavy and Light Chariots accompanying. These Chariots arrange themselves in smaller formations than their eastern counterparts but are particularly suited to their surroundings and fast moving, meaning that if they decide to charge your heavy cavalry you will most likely find yourself with no heavy cavalry. Head Hurlers when used properly are an extremely powerful missile unit with a missile attack of 17 which is effective against armor. However the computer will usually bring Slingers to the battle instead and if it does train Head Hurlers it will seldom use them effectively. Thus meaning you will possess the clear advantage in missile troops and infantry. This should be enough to allow you to secure the British Isles.
Dacian and Thracian armies possess Falxmen and are otherwise completely unremarkable. Your infantry as mentioned will be capable of beating the Falxmen back and their other forces will merely serve to give your men experience chevrons. The Scythians are a horse people and their armies when controlled by a human player can routinely slaughter foes when outnumbered by as much as 3-1 with minimal losses. The Scythian Horse Archers are more powerful and have greater stamina than other faction's. The Scythian Noble Archers are a more powerful version of the Persian Calvary although the Armenian Cataphract Archers occupy their own niche. Scythian Noble Women combine the more powerful missile attack of the Noble Archer with the speed of the Horse Archer, sacrificing only a smaller unit size. The Head Hunting Maidens are fast moving as well and effective against armor, thus making them a highly mobile and powerful force. The Scythian Nobles have an extremely high charge bonus of 17 as they wield a two handed lance. All this combines to mean that an infantry force can be fired upon at will until it is severely weakened and then descended on by some of the best cavalry forces in the game. Meanwhile almost no cavalry force is capable of catching the fleet Scythians and those that can will quickly wish they hadn't. A human player can also stymie missile troops by adopting the Cantabrian Circle formation and thus becoming extremely difficult to target. In short the Scythians possess a world conquering force which while potent in the forests of Germania and deserts of Africa is almost invulnerable on their home steppe. This may sound disheartening but you have two things working in your favor. First, the computer will make errors on the battlefield that a human player would not and second, the Scythians are poor. Merely maintaining the army they begin the game with will bankrupt the Scythian economy and thus conquest will not be too difficult. Couple that with the computers failure to use the Cantabrian Circle and you have a reliable equation to dealing with them. A large force of archers will destroy their Horse Archers in no time and a few purchased Mercenary Hoplites or even merely using the heavy Roman infantry will prevent their cavalry from charging home to your archers. Without the ability to weaken your units first from the fleet Horse Archers their charges will be largely ineffective and you will be victorious. You should only bring enough cavalry to secure your flanks as attempting to flank them in turn will almost always be a futile effort. No, the strength of your army must be your archers. The Scythians have good foot archer units as well and their Axemen are not the weaklings you might suppose but they will rarely be able to afford to train these units.
If a Julii commander wishes to he can prevent both Scipii and Brutii conquest by merely holding the Gallic forces off while grabbing Corsica and from there attacking Carthage and sending a second force thru Dacia and into Macedonia from the north.
Lastly I will say that for a strong position it is of the utmost importance that you hinder at least one of your rivals expansion. Because of the size of the Gallic faction this becomes prohibitive as the Scipii or Brutii and thus it is recommend that a player not seek to oppose the interests of the Julii. As the Julii maintaining a border and interfering with both your rivals is much easier although this may require neglecting some Senate missions and the penalties thereof. It is further a bit easier to attack Greece as the Scipii than Carthage as the Brutii. As a Scipii player you will find that the Brutii have their hands full with Macedon and Greece and will usually make little progress beyond the first two settlements initially. While on the other hand by taking Carthage and Thapsus the Scipii player cripples Carthage and can then turn his full attention to the Greek world. A Brutii player on the other hand will not be able to crush the Greeks and Macedonians quickly and then turn to Carthage. Rather, he will have to ignore Senate instruction and hurry his men across a distant stretch to hopefully arrive at Carthage before the Scipii, or even possibly, a meddling Julii.
Conclusion: Clear Advantage Julii, Second Scipii, Third Brutii
"Temple Bonuses" refers to the diverse deities the three factions get and their respective bonuses. It bears note that each deity has an accompanying Priest ancillary character, of which I have not recorded the complete effects. Thus while a temple to Ceres may not seem particularly beneficial, by comparison, the Priest (or Priestess, I am unsure) of Ceres may make building at least one of these structures worthwhile. Even further, certain temples encourage the acquisition of various traits upon your Governors. I have not studied these effects in full either. In all cases I will consider the end result of these buildings as that is what matters in the long run.
The Brutii worship Juno, Mercury and Mars.
Juno: 25% happiness, 25% health, level 1 trade increase, +2XP
Mercury: 25% happiness, 10% health, level 5 trade increase, +1XP
Mars: 25% happiness, 10% health, level 1 trade increase, +3XP, +1 moral, Arcani
Juno thus provides the greatest bonus to public order for the Brutii and is useful for troublesome settlements. Mercury provides a significant trade bonus and gives a real boost to the Brutii economy. Mars ensures that Brutii troops are well prepared and provides the Arcani special unit.
The Scipii worship Saturn, Neptune and Vulcan.
Saturn: 25% happiness, 25% law, +1 weapons and armor, Arcani
Neptune: 25% happiness, 10% law, +1 weapons and armor, Corvus Quinquireme, Decere
Vulcan: 25% happiness, 10% law, +1 weapons and armor, +2XP
Saturn is useful for those hot spot cities and gives the Arcani unique unit. Neptune gives the Scipii complete mastery of the seas, (Normal Quinquireme 50 men, 10 attack, 5 defense; Decere 60 men, 16 attack, 8 defense) this is particularly important as naval engagements are outside of the players realm of control, all a player can do is try to make sure he has more and bigger ships at a battle. Deceres will smash a force of Quinquiremes when outnumbered 2-1 reliably. Vulcan gives the Scipii in my opinion the best troops in the game. The Brutii forces balance an additional point of XP and a point of morale against a point of weapons and a point of armor. The difference to me is that XP can be gained easily in game by simply using said troops. While no amount of use will improve Brutii troop weapons. Thus it seems to me to boil down to a point of morale against a point of weapons and a point of armor. This may still tip the balance in the Brutii favor, I am unsure as it would require a person who knows how to mod morale bonuses to compare the two bonuses perfectly. However morale is an invisible aspect, I can't see it. I can however see my troops lit up with pretty gold icons and so I prefer this.
The Julii worship Ceres, Bacchus and Jupiter.
Ceres: 35% happiness, 10% law, 2.5% growth
Bacchus: 50% happiness, 10% law, 1% growth
Jupiter: 35% happiness, 10% law, Arcani
Ceres gives a substantial public order bonus and a large growth bonus. The issue with this is that after about the 6000 population mark I find my cities growing faster than I can build to satisfy them anyway. Perhaps a plan of building temples to Ceres until the population begins to boom and then destroying them to build another would be effective? Too large of a population causes unrest and encourages plague. A city of 25,000 hardly needs an extra 2.5% growth tacked on. Bacchus gives the highest overall public bonus of any Roman faction and is thus particularly suited to dealing with rebellious peoples, the slight growth bonus might create some problem but compared to Ceres, Bacchus seems completely favorable. Jupiter provides a decent public order bonus as well and allows for recruiting the Arcani special unit. All in all the Julii gods seem uninspiring to me. Saturn does the same thing as Jupiter except he provides 5% more happiness and +1 to weapons and armor, significant bonuses. Ceres's growth bonus is counterproductive which leaves Bacchus as being the only useful one of the lot.
Thus it becomes a matter of comparing Mercury's trade bonus with Neptune's naval power. I always, as in the case of comparing Vulcan and Mars, consider attributes in the light of supply and demand. Denarii are limitless, with many ways to obtain them. Corvus Quinquiremes and Deceres are a Scipii monopoly. While Economic Position and Strategic Military Position are more important factors at their base. The deities strongly influence a factions ability to act on those factors. In particular the Scipii's Pantheons allowing superior troop production across the board is noteworthy.
Conclusion: Clear Advantage Scipii, Second Brutii, Distant Third Julii
"Gladiator Type" refers to the difference in the type of gladiator each faction gets. Additionally, they receive the gladiator unit at different stages of the game. With the Brutii getting their Gladiator from the Arena, the Julii getting theirs from the Amphitheatre and the Scipii getting theirs from the Coliseum. I list this merely because it is a difference. In actuality it carries little weight.
The Julii have the Samnite Gladiator with these stats:
Attack: 14
Charge: 4
Defense: 14
HP: 2
Excellent Morale, Very Good Stamina, Charge w/o Orders, Sap
The Brutii have the Velite Gladiator with these stats:
Attack: 12
Charge: 7
Defense: 14 (Shield 5)
HP: 2
Excellent Morale, Very Good Stamina, Charge w/o Orders, Sap, Fast, Bonus vs. Elephants & Chariots
The Scipii have the Mirmillo Gladiator with these stats:
Attack: 12
Charge: 7
Defense: 14
HP: 2
Excellent Morale, Very Good Stamina, Charge w/o Orders, Sap
Overall the Samnite seems to be the best, however the Mirmillo in situations where a downhill charge is possible will perform better. The Velite has both benefits and drawbacks. Their benefits being their use in engaging the always troublesome Chariot and Elephant units and performing better against such than any other unit. Additionally, their speed means they have greater mobility than either of the others. The drawback is that unlike the others a good chunk of their defense comes from their skillful use of their shields. Thus an attack to their flanks or rear, be it by missile or hand-to-hand units, will be especially traumatic to them whereas the two other gladiator units seem to generally work well regardless of the direction they are facing.
Conclusion: Advantage Julii, Second Brutii, Close Third Scipii
Synopsis: The Scipii occupy the middle ground as respects to both Economic Position and Strategic Military Position. The Brutii hold the advantage in one respect and the Julii a clear advantage in the other. The Scipii hold a clear advantage however in their Pantheons while the Julii lag awkwardly behind. In the lesser difference of gladiator type The Julii have the advantage with a unit with better stats and earlier availability.
Overall Conclusion: Advantage Scipii, Second Brutii, Third Julii
I hope this is of some assistance.
- Nate
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Firstly when asked this question one must consider the differences between the factions beyond them each wearing different color tunics. (Although it bears note that the red Julii tunics are much sexier than blue or green.) These differences can be summarized as follows:
1. Economic Position.
2. Strategic Military Position.
3. Temple Bonuses.
4. Gladiator Type.
I have listed these in descending importance according to how I view them.
"Economic Position" refers to the provinces a faction starts with and will conquer most easily. Denarii are the basis of your empire, without them you will be a mild nuisance to be swept aside by a greater power. No matter how strong your armies you must have the infrastructure to support them. Thus having a strong economy is one's first priority. Sea trade is by far the most profitable form of collecting capital. Land trade and farming are adequate for survival but not to thrive. Mining is a dependable source of income but will always be the icing on the cake not the means of filling your treasury. Sacking cities will also gain you a tidy sum if you avail yourself of the "Exterminate" option. However, depending on this can become problematic as it becomes a circular quandary. (You will need to take a city to fund your army, you will need an army to take the city.)
Finally you can barter state secrets (map information), trade rights and alliances to the highest bidders for another nice boost to your cash flow. Once again however this method should not be your central strategy towards gaining wealth. Firstly, because there are only so many factions to sell these goods to and once sold you must wait for a change in the political currents before they may be sold again. Furthermore as the game progresses and factions are eliminated you will find fewer and fewer potential customers. Secondly, the computer controlled factions will spend their denarii as fast as they can get it, meaning that usually any prospective negotiations will be marked by them asking you for money and not the reverse.
So with these principals in mind it becomes obvious that the Brutii occupy the favored position with their missive to conquer the extremely prosperous Aegean Sea provinces. In general the eastern provinces as a whole are more profitable, as civilization has existed for many years in Persia, Egypt and Greece. Thus the Brutii, seeing as they lie the easternmost of the Roman factions, have the advantage in capturing these provinces. Second, the Scipii also have a good position in that they are tasked with subduing Carthage which is well known for it's trading empire. Where there is wealth for one, there will be wealth for another. By securing Iberia, the various western islands and perhaps moving across Africa into Egypt the Scipii can easily become an economic juggernaut as well. Lastly the Julii. While there is great fame to be gained in beating back the barbarian peoples there is certainly less monetary reward. The Gauls, Germans, Britons, Dacians and Spaniards are mostly poor peoples with underdeveloped settlements due to their stunted technology trees. This is not a recipe for disaster however! With careful planning and diligence the Julii can still have a healthy treasury. The Romans as a whole have an advantage in their use of highways, automatic trade rights with each other, Senate rewards, etc... By combining the above listed strategies into a strong economy the Julii will be able to support a powerful war machine.
Lastly, it bears note that as mentioned earlier once a faction begins to maintain a treasury in excess of 50,000 denarii from turn to turn, their governors begin to exhibit deviant and poor moral traits. Thus while in the early game it will certainly be your priority to squeeze every last coin out that you can, by the mid-game you should be in a strong financial position. Before reading frog's guide I often kept treasuries above 500,000 denarii by the time I had about 15-20 provinces. So while this point is vastly important, with proper management it soon vanishes into obscurity. Any of the factions can do well financially and should.
Conclusion: Advantage Brutii, Second Scipii, Third Julii
"Strategic Military Position" refers to the enemies you will face and your ability to hinder your rivals expansion while pursuing your own safely.
The Brutii will face the Greeks and Macedonians initially, followed by a push thru Thrace, Pontus and the Seleucids with the possibility of a conflict with Egypt. A particularly expansionistic ruler may seek to dislodge the Dacians, Scythians and Armenians but the rewards of such are less clear. A clash with the Parthians will occur eventually but many other foes must be defeated first. The Greeks rely heavily on phalanxes, which while powerful, are easily countered. Especially since they will be your first enemy, most likely they will field mostly Militia Hoplites and Hoplites. Both of which can be crushed by a simple flanking maneuver in a way which the later Armored Hoplites and Spartan Hoplites will defend well against. The Greek cavalry is weak and their ranged weapons ineffective. They are ripe for the plucking.
The Macedonians on the other hand feature both halves of the powerful hammer and anvil stratagem. They also field phalanxes but a Brutii leader who delays slightly will find himself facing Phalanx Pikemen instead of Militia Hoplites. This is quite significant since Phalanx Pikemen have both a greater range (four men engaging instead of two) and lack the morale penalty the Militia Hoplites do. These troops are literally a meat grinder for your infantry and suicide for your cavalry. They will not break from a simple flank attack either but debilitating missile attacks followed by repeated charges may be necessary. Fortunately, like all phalanx based armies, once one portion of the line falls the rest is soon to follow. The Macedonians prevent this by fielding powerful light cavalry. Their horses are fast, moving to the point of crisis easily and yet still capable of a strong charge. Protracted melees will defeat them but with their greater mobility they will seldom allow themselves to be caught in this position easily. The one chink in the Macedonians armor is their lack of strong missile troops. In an engagement with a Macedonian army it is vital to avoid their slow phalanxes as long as possible while you pelt their entire army from a distance. If they attempt to end the bombardment with a charge, have your infantry ready to receive the separated cavalry elements and then bring your own cavalry in on their rear; trapping and destroying them. One must exercise caution however that your cavalry does not become pinned in turn by their advancing phalanxes. Only after you have robbed them of the crucial hammer element to their force should you pick the phalanxes off at your leisure. Always expend your missile units complete stock of weapons against them first, then mob their separated and weakened units; striking first from the rear and then when they turn, striking them with another unit in their newly exposed rear.
After dealing with the Greeks and Macedonians you will be well prepared to face the Seleucids. That is if one attacks them quickly. If one were to wait excessively he would find that the Seleucids field an extremely powerful army. In fact the Seleucids field the most balanced and powerful combination of troops of any non-Roman faction. A quick attack is highly recommended. A late game clash will find that the Seleucids can train Silver Shield Legionaries. These men are identical to Legionary Cohorts (the unit which will form the core of your army) other than a 1 point lower charge bonus. However in addition they will have Silver Shield Pikemen which compare to your Auxilia about as well as a mastiff compares to a poodle, therefore giving them a decided advantage as far as infantry troops. Their Companion Calvary and Cataphracts will outmatch your cavalry in an even engagement. They bring Scythed Chariots and War or Armored Elephants to the table while your unique units are Gladiators and Arcani. Hardly an even trade, ehh? However you will still have the advantage of pigs, dogs and superior artillery as well as missile troops. It makes for a definite challenge. Far better to nip this potential powerhouse in the bud and burn their cities while they still face you with Levy Pikemen and Militia Calvary.
However, the Thracians and men of Pontus field a different form of army. The Thracians will train various forms of riff raff in addition to more powerful units of the Falxman type. While formidable, these units will be no match for your troops, seeing as the Romans also specialize in flexible heavy infantry and your more powerful cavalry, and missile troops will quickly turn close victories into heroic triumphs.
The Pontics have the potential to field Phalanx Pikemen and Bronze Shields but rarely do, more often relying on weaker units to form their infantry core. Their danger comes in their javelin bearing cavalry and their chariots. Pontic Heavy and Light Calvary will regularly beat your own cavalry forces in even matches without close supervision. Chariots can destroy an entire army, by sending your men into a rout if a player does not know how to counter them. Rather than attempting to chase their cavalry from the field initially (an often futile exercise) attempt to counter them with foot archers who's greater numbers and range can quickly destroy entire units. As always be ready to receive a charge in protection of your missile troops. The best method to counter chariots is to put your men into a deeper formation. If it looks like a square you will be ready. Then tell a second unit to stand in the same space as the first. This provides a stalwart wall of bodies which will sap all the inertia from the chariots charge. It is not necessary that you engage the entire line of the chariots. Once even one of the men in a chariot unit is stopped the others will mill slowly about instead of breaking free and repeating the charge. When the chariots stop moving they are dead. (Defense of 1) Never attempt to counter charge chariots with your cavalry. When a chariot attacks a heavy infantry unit most of the men are knocked down but few casualties are taken. I have played games where I may rout an enemy unit and then proceed to chase them down and still have a third of them escape, merely because my chariots continually knock the infantrymen down but do not kill them. However, a horseman does not have the option of being knocked down and getting back up. Hence the chariots will decimate your cavalry unit in mere moments. Even charging them from the rear is extremely dangerous. If you must use cavalry, swarm them with four or five units at once. Sometimes the mere press of bodies can destroy them before they inflict too much damage.
Egypt relies even more heavily on chariots, and their Desert Axemen and Desert Calvary can be dangerous due to their speed. By the time you move in their direction however you should be equipped to deal with their forces. The men of Pharaoh have a powerful and well balanced force but the key is their cities. Rather than attempting to beat them into submission in the field, send a few mid-sized armies out to distract and harass them. Then strike for their heart by seizing the vital cities of Memphis, Alexandria and Thebes. (In that order.) Once you have seized the prosperous heartland of the Egyptians they will be unable to resist you much longer. While you may press on for complete domination, a mere war of attrition will see them vanquished sooner rather than later.
At any point a quick raid into Carthage's provinces of Northern Africa can reasonably expect success and destroy any hopes the Scipii might hold for their families ascendance. The Julii are not so easily countered and a strategy of using your superior wealth to support the Gauls can help them to contain the Julii much longer than usual.
The Scipii will be responsible for dealing with Carthage initially with prospects against the Numidians and Spaniards as well. A Scipii leader will generally end up pursuing a two prong attack at some point as his forces in Iberia begin to meet the corresponding push by the Brutii in Gaul and he then must look to Egypt for further expansion. Conflict with the Parthians and Seleucids will follow, with the Armenians, Pontics and Scythians falling last. The first priority for any Scipii leader should be to secure the western portion of the Great Sea. This can be accomplished by sending a raiding party to grab Corsica, using your army to pacify Sicily and then moving on to crush Carthage. Carthage if left alone can produce strong troops. Their cavalry will be generally somewhat weaker than their Roman counterparts but their phalanxes can become a force. The Sacred Band is stronger than the Greek Armored Hoplite which should indicate its potency. Additionally, their trump card is elephants which, although always formidable, presents a particularly great challenge in the early game. Hand to hand engagement with elephants is never recommended. One can swarm them if you must, but you will take heavy losses. If you can manage to trap the beasts inside a city you siege, then the narrow streets and ability to put your archers on the walls while capturing towers can give you a chance at near bloodless victory. If you must meet them in the field a steady barrage of missiles can have effect eventually, however this requires a massive amount of arrows or javelins and you will most likely not be able to devote this amount of attention to one unit while ignoring the remainder of their forces. Incendiary Pigs are effective but it will require some time before you can bring these creatures with your army. The best early counter is to purchase Mercenary Hoplites and stack these men two or even three times. Even elephants cannot easily charge thru such a bristling wall of spear points, although do not think that such a formation is invincible. Occasionally because of a precise angle or a slight slope or some such factor the elephants may push thru even such a force. However, the percentages favor you greatly.
Once the Carthagians are dealt with the Scipii will find little challenge. The Numidians are complete riff raff and the greatest obstacle to their defeat is the number of turns it takes to move from one settlement to the next rather than anything they are capable of assembling and calling an army. The Spaniards too do not offer much in the way of competition. The Romans took many of their ideas for their troops from the Spaniards and built on them. This means that the Spaniard troop lineup mainly looks like a weakened version of yours. By the time you reach the Gauls they will already be under assault from the Julii and may in fact already be conquered. If they are not, they will be severely weakened, and you will find little to prevent you from taking their last few provinces as well.
The Scipii will thus not find a challenge again until their armies march upon Egypt. The strategy outlined in the Brutii section will work just as well for the Scipii. From there they should continue their push thru the Seleucids before any settling is done. By continuing the fight to the Parthians, Pontics and Armenians the Scipii can find that they have an empire with few borders. A small border on the north of Iberia and an equally small one running between the Black and Caspian Seas. With their superior navy this equates to a very strong position for the endgame.
A savvy Scipii leader will snatch at least a portion of Greece before the Brutii may. The extreme southern portion with its easily defensibly isthmus and extremely useful Wonder beckons invitingly. The eastern islands also make key assets to a Scipii plan. Securing the rebel Byzantium as a launch-point for your future wars as you return from conquering the eastern world shows forethought and discretion. It is essential that the Scipii seize Corsica before the Julii. Not only does this give you complete domination of the seas but it prevents the Julii from using Corsica as a stepping stone to interfere with your campaigns in Africa. As with the Brutii the easiest way to slow Julii expansion without overextending yourself is to pump money into the Gallic and later British or Dacian economies. Only very rarely will the Germans manage to beat back their attackers on all sides enough to warrant supporting them.
The Julii are responsible for dealing with the Gauls, followed by expansion into the Spanish, German and British realms. Further conquest can be pursued against the Dacians, Thracians and Scythians. If the other two factions are extremely tardy in their expansion a move against the Armenians, Pontics, and Seleucids may be possible.
Gallic armies rely on masses of Spear Warbands supported by Naked Fanatics and Barbarian Calvary. None of which will present a particularly dangerous threat to your troops. The danger comes just as it did for historical Rome; yes you may destroy the barbarian horde, but afterwards what have you gained? If the Gauls are left alone eventually they will produce Forester Warbands which thanks to their temples will arise as hardened troops. Seeing as this unit is already the best foot archer in the game it can make a conquest of Gaul much more difficult, although by itself it will not turn the tide of war. The Spanish as outlined above will present little problem also.
The Germans can be dangerous as they at least have a balanced force with specialized troops. Their Spear Warband can assume a phalanx formation thus making them far superior to comparable barbarian infantry. Additionally their various forms of Axeman while weaker on defense than your troops possess powerful attacks. Generally speaking if you can weather the initial charge and a secondary push by them then your troops will win the day. Their Warhounds are particularly savage with greater stats than their Roman counterparts and greater numbers than any other faction except the Scythians. Their Gothic Calvary is capable of competing with similar Roman forces and their Screeching Women can have a powerful effect on morale. If they are allowed to prosper, their armies will be well balanced and strong. Conflict will rely on your tactics and superior numbers for victory. The German force has no clear weakness to exploit. Perhaps the best method for victory lies in destroying their poorly guarded settlements rather than meeting them in the dark forests of Germania. Barbarian factions cannot build walls stronger than a stockade. You can take advantage of this with a lighting fast string of attacks which will leave the German armies without a homeland and dispersed as pockets of rebel resistance. By purchasing a unit of Mercenary Elephants (which can bash wooden gates down) you can assure that you never have to wait to break straight into a settlement and pillage the surroundings. Otherwise you can bring a Ballista or Onager unit along although this will reduce your troop movement points.
The British have a small but unique selection of units. They will use Warbands, Woad Warriors and Druids as the bulk of their army with a strong force of both speedy British Heavy and Light Chariots accompanying. These Chariots arrange themselves in smaller formations than their eastern counterparts but are particularly suited to their surroundings and fast moving, meaning that if they decide to charge your heavy cavalry you will most likely find yourself with no heavy cavalry. Head Hurlers when used properly are an extremely powerful missile unit with a missile attack of 17 which is effective against armor. However the computer will usually bring Slingers to the battle instead and if it does train Head Hurlers it will seldom use them effectively. Thus meaning you will possess the clear advantage in missile troops and infantry. This should be enough to allow you to secure the British Isles.
Dacian and Thracian armies possess Falxmen and are otherwise completely unremarkable. Your infantry as mentioned will be capable of beating the Falxmen back and their other forces will merely serve to give your men experience chevrons. The Scythians are a horse people and their armies when controlled by a human player can routinely slaughter foes when outnumbered by as much as 3-1 with minimal losses. The Scythian Horse Archers are more powerful and have greater stamina than other faction's. The Scythian Noble Archers are a more powerful version of the Persian Calvary although the Armenian Cataphract Archers occupy their own niche. Scythian Noble Women combine the more powerful missile attack of the Noble Archer with the speed of the Horse Archer, sacrificing only a smaller unit size. The Head Hunting Maidens are fast moving as well and effective against armor, thus making them a highly mobile and powerful force. The Scythian Nobles have an extremely high charge bonus of 17 as they wield a two handed lance. All this combines to mean that an infantry force can be fired upon at will until it is severely weakened and then descended on by some of the best cavalry forces in the game. Meanwhile almost no cavalry force is capable of catching the fleet Scythians and those that can will quickly wish they hadn't. A human player can also stymie missile troops by adopting the Cantabrian Circle formation and thus becoming extremely difficult to target. In short the Scythians possess a world conquering force which while potent in the forests of Germania and deserts of Africa is almost invulnerable on their home steppe. This may sound disheartening but you have two things working in your favor. First, the computer will make errors on the battlefield that a human player would not and second, the Scythians are poor. Merely maintaining the army they begin the game with will bankrupt the Scythian economy and thus conquest will not be too difficult. Couple that with the computers failure to use the Cantabrian Circle and you have a reliable equation to dealing with them. A large force of archers will destroy their Horse Archers in no time and a few purchased Mercenary Hoplites or even merely using the heavy Roman infantry will prevent their cavalry from charging home to your archers. Without the ability to weaken your units first from the fleet Horse Archers their charges will be largely ineffective and you will be victorious. You should only bring enough cavalry to secure your flanks as attempting to flank them in turn will almost always be a futile effort. No, the strength of your army must be your archers. The Scythians have good foot archer units as well and their Axemen are not the weaklings you might suppose but they will rarely be able to afford to train these units.
If a Julii commander wishes to he can prevent both Scipii and Brutii conquest by merely holding the Gallic forces off while grabbing Corsica and from there attacking Carthage and sending a second force thru Dacia and into Macedonia from the north.
Lastly I will say that for a strong position it is of the utmost importance that you hinder at least one of your rivals expansion. Because of the size of the Gallic faction this becomes prohibitive as the Scipii or Brutii and thus it is recommend that a player not seek to oppose the interests of the Julii. As the Julii maintaining a border and interfering with both your rivals is much easier although this may require neglecting some Senate missions and the penalties thereof. It is further a bit easier to attack Greece as the Scipii than Carthage as the Brutii. As a Scipii player you will find that the Brutii have their hands full with Macedon and Greece and will usually make little progress beyond the first two settlements initially. While on the other hand by taking Carthage and Thapsus the Scipii player cripples Carthage and can then turn his full attention to the Greek world. A Brutii player on the other hand will not be able to crush the Greeks and Macedonians quickly and then turn to Carthage. Rather, he will have to ignore Senate instruction and hurry his men across a distant stretch to hopefully arrive at Carthage before the Scipii, or even possibly, a meddling Julii.
Conclusion: Clear Advantage Julii, Second Scipii, Third Brutii
"Temple Bonuses" refers to the diverse deities the three factions get and their respective bonuses. It bears note that each deity has an accompanying Priest ancillary character, of which I have not recorded the complete effects. Thus while a temple to Ceres may not seem particularly beneficial, by comparison, the Priest (or Priestess, I am unsure) of Ceres may make building at least one of these structures worthwhile. Even further, certain temples encourage the acquisition of various traits upon your Governors. I have not studied these effects in full either. In all cases I will consider the end result of these buildings as that is what matters in the long run.
The Brutii worship Juno, Mercury and Mars.
Juno: 25% happiness, 25% health, level 1 trade increase, +2XP
Mercury: 25% happiness, 10% health, level 5 trade increase, +1XP
Mars: 25% happiness, 10% health, level 1 trade increase, +3XP, +1 moral, Arcani
Juno thus provides the greatest bonus to public order for the Brutii and is useful for troublesome settlements. Mercury provides a significant trade bonus and gives a real boost to the Brutii economy. Mars ensures that Brutii troops are well prepared and provides the Arcani special unit.
The Scipii worship Saturn, Neptune and Vulcan.
Saturn: 25% happiness, 25% law, +1 weapons and armor, Arcani
Neptune: 25% happiness, 10% law, +1 weapons and armor, Corvus Quinquireme, Decere
Vulcan: 25% happiness, 10% law, +1 weapons and armor, +2XP
Saturn is useful for those hot spot cities and gives the Arcani unique unit. Neptune gives the Scipii complete mastery of the seas, (Normal Quinquireme 50 men, 10 attack, 5 defense; Decere 60 men, 16 attack, 8 defense) this is particularly important as naval engagements are outside of the players realm of control, all a player can do is try to make sure he has more and bigger ships at a battle. Deceres will smash a force of Quinquiremes when outnumbered 2-1 reliably. Vulcan gives the Scipii in my opinion the best troops in the game. The Brutii forces balance an additional point of XP and a point of morale against a point of weapons and a point of armor. The difference to me is that XP can be gained easily in game by simply using said troops. While no amount of use will improve Brutii troop weapons. Thus it seems to me to boil down to a point of morale against a point of weapons and a point of armor. This may still tip the balance in the Brutii favor, I am unsure as it would require a person who knows how to mod morale bonuses to compare the two bonuses perfectly. However morale is an invisible aspect, I can't see it. I can however see my troops lit up with pretty gold icons and so I prefer this.
The Julii worship Ceres, Bacchus and Jupiter.
Ceres: 35% happiness, 10% law, 2.5% growth
Bacchus: 50% happiness, 10% law, 1% growth
Jupiter: 35% happiness, 10% law, Arcani
Ceres gives a substantial public order bonus and a large growth bonus. The issue with this is that after about the 6000 population mark I find my cities growing faster than I can build to satisfy them anyway. Perhaps a plan of building temples to Ceres until the population begins to boom and then destroying them to build another would be effective? Too large of a population causes unrest and encourages plague. A city of 25,000 hardly needs an extra 2.5% growth tacked on. Bacchus gives the highest overall public bonus of any Roman faction and is thus particularly suited to dealing with rebellious peoples, the slight growth bonus might create some problem but compared to Ceres, Bacchus seems completely favorable. Jupiter provides a decent public order bonus as well and allows for recruiting the Arcani special unit. All in all the Julii gods seem uninspiring to me. Saturn does the same thing as Jupiter except he provides 5% more happiness and +1 to weapons and armor, significant bonuses. Ceres's growth bonus is counterproductive which leaves Bacchus as being the only useful one of the lot.
Thus it becomes a matter of comparing Mercury's trade bonus with Neptune's naval power. I always, as in the case of comparing Vulcan and Mars, consider attributes in the light of supply and demand. Denarii are limitless, with many ways to obtain them. Corvus Quinquiremes and Deceres are a Scipii monopoly. While Economic Position and Strategic Military Position are more important factors at their base. The deities strongly influence a factions ability to act on those factors. In particular the Scipii's Pantheons allowing superior troop production across the board is noteworthy.
Conclusion: Clear Advantage Scipii, Second Brutii, Distant Third Julii
"Gladiator Type" refers to the difference in the type of gladiator each faction gets. Additionally, they receive the gladiator unit at different stages of the game. With the Brutii getting their Gladiator from the Arena, the Julii getting theirs from the Amphitheatre and the Scipii getting theirs from the Coliseum. I list this merely because it is a difference. In actuality it carries little weight.
The Julii have the Samnite Gladiator with these stats:
Attack: 14
Charge: 4
Defense: 14
HP: 2
Excellent Morale, Very Good Stamina, Charge w/o Orders, Sap
The Brutii have the Velite Gladiator with these stats:
Attack: 12
Charge: 7
Defense: 14 (Shield 5)
HP: 2
Excellent Morale, Very Good Stamina, Charge w/o Orders, Sap, Fast, Bonus vs. Elephants & Chariots
The Scipii have the Mirmillo Gladiator with these stats:
Attack: 12
Charge: 7
Defense: 14
HP: 2
Excellent Morale, Very Good Stamina, Charge w/o Orders, Sap
Overall the Samnite seems to be the best, however the Mirmillo in situations where a downhill charge is possible will perform better. The Velite has both benefits and drawbacks. Their benefits being their use in engaging the always troublesome Chariot and Elephant units and performing better against such than any other unit. Additionally, their speed means they have greater mobility than either of the others. The drawback is that unlike the others a good chunk of their defense comes from their skillful use of their shields. Thus an attack to their flanks or rear, be it by missile or hand-to-hand units, will be especially traumatic to them whereas the two other gladiator units seem to generally work well regardless of the direction they are facing.
Conclusion: Advantage Julii, Second Brutii, Close Third Scipii
Synopsis: The Scipii occupy the middle ground as respects to both Economic Position and Strategic Military Position. The Brutii hold the advantage in one respect and the Julii a clear advantage in the other. The Scipii hold a clear advantage however in their Pantheons while the Julii lag awkwardly behind. In the lesser difference of gladiator type The Julii have the advantage with a unit with better stats and earlier availability.
Overall Conclusion: Advantage Scipii, Second Brutii, Third Julii
I hope this is of some assistance.
- Nate