When does the civil war start?

[Archer]

I'm still playing my first campaign game (been almost a month) of this incredible game. It's 160 BC and the only other non Roman faction left with more than two cities is Egypt. My popularity with the people is 9 out of 10 and with the Senate is 4 out of 10. I've got 43 regions and lots of cash. Do I just attack Rome? I assume then I'll have the other 2 Roman factions to deal with then.

I was kind of hoping there would be some other way to win without actually attacking my fellow Romans like getting all your guys in the Senate offices and doing a coup or something but I guess this is the way it happened historically.

[Zalmoxis]

No, you have to stop following the porders the Senate gives you.

[Seagrave]

I don't know exactly what heppens when you eliminate all the non roman factions and the senate hasn't gotten mad at you yet. With your standing being that high with the public I'm sure you've gotten the message "the people love you and would welcome you in rome" or somthing to that effect. You can either trigger the war by staging your army in another roman faction's land that you don't have military access to, and stay there after the senate orders you out. That might make them out law you and start the fight, or you could just make a preemptive strike on Rome it's self. That is GUARUNTEED to start the war.:)

[Monarch]

Hmmm, well usually just wait until the Senate gives you missions, and ignore them.

Until then you might as well work on your province count and get it up to the 50, then once you attack Rome you will win the game (going for Rome before you have 50 means you have to hold it from ther other houses, potentially tricky.)

[Ludens]

No, you have to stop following the porders the Senate gives you.
But you can also try to get the people's favour at ten; then you can start the civil war yourself (or do both).

Incidentally, Zalmoxis, the story in your signature is a widely-believed urban myth. Even one of my professors course recounted it as a true story. But it isn't. Both Americans and Russians used pencils initially, but out of safety considerations and to prevent broken-off of points from short-circuiting equipment, the Americans switched to a pen with an inbuilt-pump. (Link to Snopes (http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp).)

[Archer]

Ok thanks. Haven't got a mission from the senate in a while come to think of it. The last one was to take Siwa from Egypt but I had to keep falling back cause he had too many troops down there and I failed. The vast majority of my forces were up around Turkey and I didn't feel like going all the way down there. My popularity with the people is a 10 now, Senate is a 4.

[Zalmoxis]

But you can also try to get the people's favour at ten; then you can start the civil war yourself (or do both).

Incidentally, Zalmoxis, the story in your signature is a widely-believed urban myth. Even one of my professors course recounted it as a true story. But it isn't. Both Americans and Russians used pencils initially, but out of safety considerations and to prevent broken-off of points from short-circuiting equipment, the Americans switched to a pen with an inbuilt-pump. (Link to Snopes (http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp).)
Irrelevant, it's a funny story, just like the one about the lighthouse and a US carrier.

[icanus]

Hi, First post here, though I've been lurking for a couple of weeks.

I'm currently in the middle of the civil war as the Julii in my first campaign. I started the war very politely - once I had enough popularity with the people I sent a diplomat to rome and withdrew military access and the senate outlawed me immediately.

Do the AI factions ever start a civil war? It'd be interesting to defend rome against one of the other families.

[Zalmoxis]

Not likely, sometimes they will be outlawed if you do their mission for them.
Welcome to the Org.

[x-dANGEr]

Why does it differ if you have people popularity or not? What does people popuarity profit anyway?

[Ludens]

Irrelevant, it's a funny story, just like the one about the lighthouse and a US carrier.
I see. Because you didn't put up a disclaimer I thought you believed it.

[Monarch]

Why does it differ if you have people popularity or not? What does people popuarity profit anyway?

Perhaps public order? If Julii invade Rome they probably won be needing as big garison.

[icanus]

Why does it differ if you have people popularity or not? What does people popuarity profit anyway?
The game doesn't seem to let you take any aggressive action against the other Roman factions at all unless you have enough popular support.

Public order in Rome hasn't been a problem for me so far (about 30 years since I took it) - It was so well developed by the time I took it that it had 200% public order even at very high tax rate with a garrison of 4 archer units.

To actually win do you just need 50 provinces + Rome, or do you have to eliminate the other families too? I'm about 8 provinces short, but the brutii have a vast empire stretching from northern greece right around the black sea, wo wiping them out would be a real pain

[shadowarmy75]

To actually win do you just need 50 provinces + Rome, or do you have to eliminate the other families too? I'm about 8 provinces short, but the brutii have a vast empire stretching from northern greece right around the black sea, wo wiping them out would be a real pain

Why don't you just defend from them and capture rebel cities or other factions' cities.

[Monarch]

The game doesn't seem to let you take any aggressive action against the other Roman factions at all unless you have enough popular support.

Public order in Rome hasn't been a problem for me so far (about 30 years since I took it) - It was so well developed by the time I took it that it had 200% public order even at very high tax rate with a garrison of 4 archer units.

To actually win do you just need 50 provinces + Rome, or do you have to eliminate the other families too? I'm about 8 provinces short, but the brutii have a vast empire stretching from northern greece right around the black sea, wo wiping them out would be a real pain

Nah you do not need to wipe out other families. Just 50 provinces including Rome.

[Alexanderofmacedon]

The war starts for me when I disobey the senate. i.e attacking allies and when the senate says stop, I still continue:laugh4:

[x-dANGEr]

So it effects public order in Rome only?

[Zalmoxis]

I see. Because you didn't put up a disclaimer I thought you believed it.
It's temporal until I find something better.

[Ludens]

So it effects public order in Rome only?
Not as far as I know. You simply cannot attack them. You get a message that you are not popular enough and that's it.

[Archer]

Well I had 55 regions and was up to about 156 BC and I still had 5 popularity in the senate but was maxxed on the people. I loaded up 3 huge armys next to Rome and 2 quick auto-resolved battles later had taken it and won the game! Kind of an anti-climatic finish to my first campagin that's been going for almost a month. There really was no civil war! There definitely needs to be some kind of events that decrease Senate popularity faster and pushes you towards civil war as you get more powerful. I had failed the last 4 senate missions and didn't lose any popularity. I guess it was because I was rolling over Egypt which was in line with the Senate's policy.

[Ciaran]

Same with me, after two campaigns (Julii and Bruti) where I started the civil war myself by cancelling treaties with my fellow Roman faction I wanted it to start itself on my go-round with Scipii. I own everything in a half-circle from Ireland to Arabia, Julii have most of what later will be Germany, Bruti are slightly east of that, only Parthia, Scythia and the Seleucid Empire remain of the non-Roman factions. Needless to say I´m way beyond my 50-province requirement, so I just could take Rome and be done with it, but that´s a bit cheap to me. I´d rather had the Civil War erupt when you´ve still got a way to go to winning, say when you´ve got about twenty-five to thirty provinces. So you really have to fight the other Roman factions (and maybe use non-Roman allies to help you against them).

[Avicenna]

Other ways of starting the civil war are ignoring Senate orders to commit suicide (your faction leader) or failing an assassination attempt on a Roman family member, and having your assassin caught and killed.