Whats the best roman faction in RTW? [Archive]

Telys

04-07-2006, 02:37

Everyone gets them. Well I'm not sure about the Brutii, but I'd guess they'd have 'em too. In my Scipii campaign I can train them in cities which have an awesome temple of Saturn.
Well I've only really played as the scipii once and I dont think the brutii can recruit them but hey, what do I know, absolutely nothin.

My favorite roman faction would have to be the julii, even though they dont have the best location, I find they are more interesting to play as than the other houses. If I had to choose between the brutii and scipii I would have to choose the scipii for their ships.

x-dANGEr

04-07-2006, 08:01

Arcani are recruitable for all the Roman factions (At least in Custom Battles they are 0-o).

Though, I take 'best' as 'most exciting' and for that I'd pick Carthage.

Dutch_guy

04-07-2006, 14:58

Well the Best roman Faction would be the one with the most advanced gladiator unit - since other than that they are all the same.

So it would turn out like this, from best to ''worst''

-Scipii
-Julii
-Brutii

:balloon2:

Drusus Magnus

04-07-2006, 15:25

We should also consider the temple bonuses. The Julii bonuses are somewhat useless in my opinion, but the Brutii can pump out better units with better morale if they build a temple to Mars, and they can increase their already outrageous trade income in the Aegean by temples to Mercury.

The Scipii also have some improved units with Vulcan, and a very good ship, the Corvus Quinquereme(sp?).

So in terms of military might:

Scipii, followed very closely by, or even tied with, the Brutii.
Julii.

But I think the differences are neglectable.

teja

04-07-2006, 19:20

The best are Scipii and Brutii
Julii suck most of them.

Anyway I prefer other nations but the romans

Severous

04-08-2006, 00:34

Hi

Im playing Brutii and have played Julii. Both seem exactly the same to me.

Prefer the red colour of Julii and it contrasts better against the green of grass battlefields.

More seriously...the preference is not so much about your own troops but which enemy you want to fight ?

Ive enjoyed both Julii and Brutii as they have taken me in different directions and against different opponents.

lars573

04-08-2006, 04:58

The best Roman faction is the eastern empire.

kburkert

04-08-2006, 06:40

In RTW not BI

teja

04-08-2006, 12:30

All Roman fractions in RTW are nearly equal. They differ most in what kind of temples they could build. Second to that are some few, very specific units.
I love temples that improves trade and experience more but some + X % increasing the growth of population. I also enjoy the mighty Scipii ships some temple offers. So in that contest the Julii suck more but others.

The enemies of the Julii are almost barbarians. Those have very light, but numerous armies. The cities you will conquer are almost low populated the more north you move. Slavery is the answer. But I love it more to have some fine basic buildings I can conquer in more improved Nations. The Greek cultures and the fine Cartagians offer more loot and goods but in northern Europe. Fighting in the woods can also be a pain.

So, that are the reasons I love Scipii and Brutii more but the Julii. :2thumbsup:

kburkert

04-08-2006, 13:24

In colour wise it would proberly be the Scipii or the Julii, the green for the brutii to me is a bit bright.

Alexanderofmacedon

04-08-2006, 15:21

I'd say Brutii for position and who they have to attack first. It's very direct. I like it best.:2thumbsup:

lars573

04-09-2006, 04:51

In RTW not BI
BI is RTW, RTW is BI. They are the same.

Viking

04-09-2006, 13:38

BI is RTW, RTW is BI. They are the same.

BI is RTW:BI, RTW is not necessarily RTW:BI.

Grumfoss

04-10-2006, 15:12

Me I would always go for the Julli - yes they do not always have the great temple bonuses but they do wear red - Proper Roman colour!:2thumbsup:

Nebuchadnezzar

04-11-2006, 09:49

The Brutii get experience and morale boost with the Mars temple or an increased trade with the Mercury temple to supplement their already outrageous income. They also can recruit Gladiators on the first level arena's where as the other roman factions require third level. For those that as yet have not discovered there importance, they are the most effective unit the romans have in dealing with chariots.
Look out for a Macedonian Artemis temple to upgrade missile attack to +3. The Brutii are also the easiest faction by far to play.

The Scipii get gold upgrades with the Vulcan and great ships with Neptune.

The Julii offers the most challenging because of there lower income levels, but surprisingly have access to the very best temples in the game. Keep a look out for Gaul or Spanish Abnoba sacred circle for +3 missile attack. Most importanly watch for Epona sacred circle which romans can upgrade to pantheon giving +5 experience (double silver chevron). Thats got to be the best the game has to offer.

Mithras

04-12-2006, 10:36

It bassicly comes down to Temples gladiators and the difficulty of your main early foe. I'd go overall with the julli as best all round. with the scipii as most powefull.

Personally any law temple clenches it for me.

Taurus

04-12-2006, 11:24

The Scipii in my opinion.

UltraWar

04-21-2006, 21:37

if the question was non-roman faction it would be Thrace...
anyway i would say that the Roman Julii faction is the best faction on Rome:Total War as it has a good position to expand and doesn't have the drawbacks which the Scipii has (the volcanos) but it doesn't have very good access at the start to getting any of the 7 wonders of the world

Craterus

04-21-2006, 22:13

It's the Brutii. Just because of their intended route which leads them to all the Wonders.

Viking

04-21-2006, 22:33

It's the Brutii. Just because of their intended route which leads them to all the Wonders.

Not stupid... I think I`ll have to agree with that. You`ll also get more trade than the Julii thanks to the coast lines.

Ciaran

04-26-2006, 10:42

Temple-wise I consider the ranking as follows:
- Scipii (armour upgrades, Corvus Quinquimere, Law bonus)
- Bruti (Experience, Trade, Health)
- Julii (Law, Happiness, Growth)

Since Health and Growth produce more problems than they offer solutions in the long run I never use them, that leaves the Bruti and Julii with only two useful temples each. Trade is nice, especially early in the game, but later on you´ve got more money than you can reasonably spend, so a trade temple can be problematic, too, if you pay attention to your family members´ Vices and Virtues.
Both Law and Happiness are good as they keep the population content, which is especially important in conquered cities. Armour and Experience are very usefull in the home provinces to boost the efficiency for units from the potentially most developed cities. The Corvus is nice but not crucial, in my opinion, to get to it takes quite a while, and chances are that by then the extra edge provided by it isn´t really needed anymore.

Zalmoxis

04-28-2006, 03:42

I'm gonna go with Brutii.

Avicenna

04-28-2006, 11:20

They're the same, but the Scipii have the best troops. They have a difficult first mission though, Syracuse.

Grumfoss: the red was just made up. There is no evidence to suggest that the Romans would colour their shields, and even if they did it wouldn't be red. Along with purple, red was one of the most if not the most expensive dye. Purple was so expensive that it was worn only by the richest.

Alexanderofmacedon

04-28-2006, 14:12

Well apart from gladiators, they all have the same units. It just depends on preference, since the AI is just too stupid for you to be able to lose from it. Anyone with an IQ over 50 should... no, let me rephrase: anyone with brain activity should be able to win a campaign. It doesn't matter what factions you'll be up against.

That's true, but sometimes there is positioning that's a lot better for some of the campaigns.

If I'm not mistaken, Scipii only has one settlement and is right in the middle of Italy. In my opinion, that's not the best position. The Julii have an alright position, at the north and fighting the Gauls. The Brutii, have the best position with two settlements and they are perfect to expand.

Squid

04-28-2006, 16:46

If I'm not mistaken, Scipii only has one settlement and is right in the middle of Italy. In my opinion, that's not the best position. The Julii have an alright position, at the north and fighting the Gauls. The Brutii, have the best position with two settlements and they are perfect to expand.

The Scipii like all Roman factions have 2 settlements, 1 on the southwest part of Italy proper, and 1 on the northeast part of Sicily.

Garvanko

04-28-2006, 17:14

Brutii is the best balanced. Their position in the map means they will benefit from the vast wealth of the Med, while their temples generally provide the benefits that are required in a campaign.

Scipii obviously for weapons upgrades and sea trade. Close second

Julii has the best temple for traing Generals and Governors - Jupiter. But their growth and happiness temples are only good either early in the game or late.

Avicenna

04-29-2006, 13:21

What's wrong with Ceres or Jupiter in the early or late game? Ceres temples give you can edge over the rival Romans, due to fast-expanding cities because of farming bonuses. Jupiter can be used to keep the barbarian settlements tamed. Nothing wrong with them midgame, in my opinion.

Also, you can expand wherever you want and ignore senate missions. Any faction should try to go for Carthage and Greece, being the rich provinces they are.

Ciaran

04-29-2006, 19:51

cunobelinus

04-29-2006, 20:22

In my opinion it is the Brutii they have best posistion and i think they get best bonuses and are genreally better.

Garvanko

04-29-2006, 20:36

Once you´ve reached the 24000 mark growth is the last thing you want - it gives way more problems than can reasonably be solved and leaves you begging for a good plague. The Bacchus temple isn´t bad, a big happiness boost and the priests give one Influence and two Management. I´m not sure about the Jupiter or Ceres priests, though - or any of the other Roman priests, for that matter.
Jupiter will create great Governors and Generals - Must have them in Arretium and Ariminium.

Ceres is for growth, but you only need it at the start - in Patavium especially, it will grow fast and trigger the marius reforms. Bacchus is useful late in the game, when you're conquering far-off provinces - good for quelling rebellion.

So in terms of usefulness over the course of a whole campaign, Im afraid the julii temples (Jupiter aside), have a fairly limited role.

Ciaran

05-01-2006, 11:56

You´re telling me.
No need to worry about the Marius Reform when playing Julii, though. I´ve just started a new Julii campaign (hard campaign/medium battles) and all of the sudden the Marius reform popped up in 245BC, thanks to the Scipii. Damn fast that was, my own cities are still in the Minor City phase, so I don´t even have a chance to train even Early Legionaires anywhere but in Arretium. I suppose to grow fast like that, the AI Roman factions must enslave as a default when capturing a settlement. And they´ve captured big ones, for the Scipii didn´t go for Carthage, but followed the Bruti to Greece.

The Bacchus priest isn´t half bad, either, he gives two Influence and one Management (I was wrong a post above), so when you need good governors instead of generals that´s what you´ll want. And the happiness bonus the Bacchus temple line gives can´t go wrong, either.
Or give a character both a Jupiter and Bacchus priest, that´ll get you a lot of Influence and Management, with a bi of Command thrown in as a bonus. More Commands stars are easy enough to get, after all.

Ludens

05-01-2006, 12:14

The Bacchus priest isn´t half bad, either, he gives two Influence and one Management (I was wrong a post above), so when you need good governors instead of generals that´s what you´ll want. And the happiness bonus the Bacchus temple line gives can´t go wrong, either.
Or give a character both a Jupiter and Bacchus priest, that´ll get you a lot of Influence and Management, with a bi of Command thrown in as a bonus. More Commands stars are easy enough to get, after all.
The problem is that temples of Bacchus (or any other temple of fun for that matter) are very bad for your governors. They tend to give all sorts of indulgence-traits. The ancillaries the temple provides are a mixed bag too. The priest is good, and cooks are decent as well, but drinking companion, pet idiot and slubberdegullion are all too common for my taste. So, I stick to Jupiter when I play the Julii.

Krauser

05-03-2006, 05:20

I think the Brutii are probably the best because they get so much money. They don't have to worry about money whatsoever whereas the other roman factions don't get rolling for a little bit longer.

Matthew-p

01-07-2010, 12:52

well its a though 1 i think it the brutii they have 3 xp shenron 4 for trarii but they have to take on greeks macedon and eastern factions scipii have gold gold sword and shield julii are me fav but they take on germans with axemen and berskers and the britons with head hurdlers and they dont route forever so yea oh and u only need the iq of a spade to beat the ai

Matthew-p

01-07-2010, 12:56

arcani are for all the roman factions

gollum

01-07-2010, 18:20

Welcome matthew_p to the org, enjoy your stay.

This is a bit of an old thread, but yes you are right that the AI is not of the highest order and there are many overpowered units in vanilla RTW.

The Julii are the only Roman faction that give a semblance of a challenge. Brutii and Scipii are way way too easy as they become too rich too fast. As the julii i try to conquer northern Greece and Asia Minor and Carthage faster than the Scipii and Brutii can in order to limit their expansion and secure a challenging mid game and an easier end game. The barbarians can always be converted later.

Fighting the Britons is indeed a pain, by virtue of the hugely overpowered head hurlers (that throw armor piercing! heads with missile attack 17!) and their chariots of course that have more lives than a persian cat (too many hit points for the chariot horses when cavalry horses have none). The germans are a nuisance at best however - the AI does a really bad job of their phalanxes as they dont affect the autocalc results between AI faction battles.

All these problems can be somewhat resolved by home modding or by using one of the many mods available for RTW.

:bow:

Lord Reid of Britannica

01-10-2010, 05:01

I like the scipiians the most, mainly because I like their colour the most. But secondly because their starting position allows them to go anywhere they want if you dont follow the senate's commands.

Shieldmaiden

01-10-2010, 13:51

I like the scipiians the most, mainly because I like their colour the most. But secondly because their starting position allows them to go anywhere they want if you dont follow the senate's commands.

I'd pick Scipii too. I find their traditional Campaign enemies great fun and I like the "exotic" feel of Romans in Africa - plus Scipii Temples give you interesting options (unique ships, etc).

But the best Roman faction is a defeated one! :viking:

gollum

01-10-2010, 22:46

Originally posted by Shieldmaiden
But the best Roman faction is a defeated one!

Especially when its the last one remaining ;)

Shadow Dragon

01-11-2010, 05:04

My favorite Roman faction is House Scipii. After taking Sicily and Carthage, it's pretty easy to ship an army into southern Greece to get their best cities before the Brutii. Though after dealing with Carthage, you can basically go wherever you want from there. Plus, I love the temple of Saturn. It's public order bonuses work great to counteract squaler and distance penalties, plus the priest of Saturn bonus to officers gives them a nice influence and managment bonus.

Andranik

01-11-2010, 15:27

Juli Rulez !

red is cool on the map :D

gollum

01-11-2010, 15:35

Welcome to the org shadow dragon and andranik, enjoy your stay.

Red is cool on both maps actually, strategy and battle - not to mention that its more historically accurate.

Green and blue Romans?:inquisitive:

gah!

Quirinus

01-11-2010, 16:00

But the best Roman faction is a defeated one! :viking:
Quoted for truth. :skull:

Julii and Scipii are good for variety, but the Brutii are easily the best. Trade temple on coastal settlements + exp. temple on the others = unlimited money and superior troops. Not to mention the expansion route of the Brutii goes through the richest region-- Greece and Asia Minor. Even the civil wars tend to be pretty easy because of the superior troops you can churn out in a war of attrition. And the AI hardly engages in any other kind of war. :beam:

gollum

01-11-2010, 16:10

Most of the people that like the Brutii and Scipii simply equate the best with the easiest.

That alone speaks volumes for all you Scipii and Brutii exploiters of Temple bonuses and easy expansion routes out there...:beam:

ReluctantSamurai

02-03-2010, 02:40

I would have to agree with a previous poster.....the best Roman faction is a dead one:yes:

I never play them any more as all are overpowered and overly easy to play.

I do like killing them by the thousands in the deserts of North Africa though........:thumbsup:

Slug For A Butt

02-08-2010, 00:20

How about the Julii's potential access to the Awesome Temple Of Horse? Certainly makes for a powerful military. I only ever got one, but as you can imagine it became my recruitment centre (+5 exp).
I find the Scipii boring because of the large distances involved in travelling around Africa.
I love the military opposition of the Brutii, fighting against strong phalanxes early game is more interesting than fighting spear warbands I feel.

But as has been mentioned already, all the Romans are a little too powerful and similar.
I'm loving my Thracian campaign atm, phalanxes and falxmen are strong early on. But I'm wondering how they'll bear up in later game (not good I fear).

Quirinus

02-09-2010, 07:16

How about the Julii's potential access to the Awesome Temple Of Horse? Certainly makes for a powerful military. I only ever got one, but as you can imagine it became my recruitment centre (+5 exp).
Yea... but if your one temple is located somewhere inconvenient like Samarobriva or the like... besides, as the Julii, the Gauls are the very first target. Plus Britannia and Germania sometimes join the party... in my Julii games the Gauls rarely last long enough to build a sacred circle of Epona (that's what the Awesome Temple of Horse needs, right?).

I'm loving my Thracian campaign atm, phalanxes and falxmen are strong early on. But I'm wondering how they'll bear up in later game (not good I fear).
imo the Thracians are not very rewarding to play, your high-tier units have nothing on the high-tier units of other Greek factions, not to mention the Romans. iirc the stats of the Bastarnae (I think) you get are even lower than that of the merc version. Do not want. D:

But that's me personally. If you're loving it don't let me rain on your parade. :)

Rahwana

02-09-2010, 14:55

imo the Thracians are not very rewarding to play, your high-tier units have nothing on the high-tier units of other Greek factions, not to mention the Romans. iirc the stats of the Bastarnae (I think) you get are even lower than that of the merc version. Do not want. D:

But that's me personally. If you're loving it don't let me rain on your parade. :)

Afaik, the Bastarnae has 2 hp... they are rewarding anyway...

Slug For A Butt

02-10-2010, 22:19

Yep, I think the Thracians will struggle later, so I'll have to go for the Romans soon.
But I think they'll be fun against other Phalanx nations except Seleucids who'll be just too strong if they last.

Fadly

02-17-2010, 10:00

I conquered the whole Europe except for one territory and (and a few rebellious provinces which i immedietly crushed in a few turns). after you destroy the senate and conquered 50 provinces, the game automatically end. to prevent this, first i choose one of my remotess, least strategic territory and present it as a gift to the Senate faction.wait until they send one of their family member there and then I took Rome, eliminate the other houses and proceed on rampaged of conquest, leaving only the one helpless SPQR territory to be.

gollum

02-17-2010, 10:07

Hello Fadly, the game ends after you conquer 50 cities and Rome, but you are given a choice to continue playing anyway. There is no need to gift the Senate anything.

Myth

05-25-2010, 15:01

Back on topic, Brutii for obvious reasons stated by me in other threads and by 5+ posters in this one.

ReluctantSamurai

05-25-2010, 21:56

I'd be inclined to agree...the Brutii. Once the Julii get past Mediolanium and Patavium, it's nothing but piss-poor barbarian country and other than a naval end-around, there's only the one pass with a road back to Italy.....past Masilia. The Scipii have quick access to one of the largest cities at the start in Syracuse, and a quick hop across to Carthage, but North Africa is too spread to count on many multiple training centers, and everything has to rely on naval power, which is the Scipii strong suit (the Corvus is way beyond cool along with the potential of getting 4-star admiral's).

Tabuu

06-06-2010, 17:40

I agree. Brutii all the way. The only thing they have to worry about is the greeks which should be a shoe-in. Plus, they can capture many coastal cities making their treasury as vast as the Roman Empire at its height. Scipii is good with early naval power, but they also have to deal with sailing down to Carthage which, historically, poses a challenge, not to mention the Numidians right behind the Carthaginians. Julii.......they have an advantage with their close proximity to Rome, but they are the ONLY lifeline for Rome in terms of northern invasion by the Gauls.

Talimze

06-24-2010, 14:17

I'd have to say that the Brutii are definitely the easiest Roman faction, but my favorite is the Julii. The reason is kind of weird: when the civil war comes, I don't have to fight the Julii. When I play as the Scipii or Brutii, I dread having to fight the Julii. Like the other factions, they expand virtually unopposed, and take territory like madmen. However, the territory they take is crap. When you have to fight them during the civil war, all of that fighting is just not worth the crappy territory. Much better to fight the Gauls or Germans for it. As the Julii, you still have to put in a lot of effort to defeat the Brutii and Scipii, but at least you get some nice land out of it.

Of course, there are differences between the factions other than starting position, like temples and gladiator units, but I don't consider these big enough differences to bother about.

Myth

06-25-2010, 09:29

The temples make all the difference. Plus, by the time the civil war starts you should be rich/developed enough to not care what territoris you will gain.

Talimze

06-26-2010, 05:00

The temples make all the difference. Plus, by the time the civil war starts you should be rich/developed enough to not care what territoris you will gain.

I'd say that starting position makes a bigger difference than temples. It basically decides who you will fight and when, and what territories you will take first. But, maybe you could enlighten me? Like I said, I don't much bother with temples. I avoid any with health bonuses as a rule, and I alternate between ones for order and ones for armor/morale bonuses, but I really don't see how the game would be that much different for me if I just used the order temple for every city.
Also, I suppose the problem with fighting the Julii is not so much that their lands are crap, but that it's annoying to have to take all of it. By the time I get to fighting them, they usually have Gaul and Germania, and they always take the longest to beat.

Myth

06-28-2010, 12:58

Yes starting positions are vital. They are:

1. Brutii: Easy access to the lands of GOLD aka. the Peloponnese peninsula. Sparta, Athens and Corinth are top tier cities so long as you don't slaughter their populace. Thessalonica, Buzantium, Halicarnassus and Rhodes are a stone's throw away and will secure your gold income and troop production permanently.
2. Scipii: They can sail towards the ladns of gold fairly early as well, but they cannot spare the troops, least they loose the battle for Syracusae. However, they can get the nice island towns, Carthage and Cordoba fairly early, and then stomp on the twin Egyptian cities. Sea trade will be chasing down the Brutii though, unless you count the temples. More on that later.
3. Julii: They do get good starting stacks, with both Roman Archers and Triarii. However, their boats can take them only towards the small islands in the Mediterranean and the desolate Gaulish coast. They could try beating the Scipii to Spain, but that will leave their Italian cities exposed to the Gauls early on.

So the Brutii are top dogs as far as starting position is concerned.

Temples:

1. Brutii: They get the overpowered temple to Mars, which grants experience and at the last level, weapon/armour upgrades as well. Experience is very powerful in RTW as it grants not only morale bonuses, but direct stat boosts to your units as well. Combined with a high start general these just skyrocket. The temple to Mercury can make the Brutii so rich they actually end up wondering what to do with their denarii, as a smart player always keeps his treasury below 50k to avoid the nasty corruption traits for the good ol' family. I choose not to make them anymore, simply because i can't spend the money even if i fill all the building ques/recruitment ques. If for some reason, a Brutii player finds himself in need of gold, these trade temples can make their lucrative provinces in to literal goldmines.

2. Scipii: decent equipment temples, one that grants a marginally useful boat (at this point in the game you should own the sea battles simply due to numbers anyway) and the third one is meh.

3. Julii: A fertility temple which is marginally useful early on. A law temple which is OK for making good governors and useless from a military perspective. The third one is a no-no unless you plan to never ever spend the night with a general in that city.

So in both scenarios the Julii are the underdogs. I've never actually played trough the civil war, it's simply too tedious and my laptop is ever so slow. However, once you take the two Julii cities on the Italian peninsula, coupled with Mediolanum and the other large northern town, you can just leave them be IMO. The Scipii hold better settlements anyway.

yutterh

07-03-2010, 22:23

I believe the scipii are the easiest. They have the best way to spread out. Brutii is relly slow in getting thermon. In my canmpaign i succesful destroyed carthage, took greece while killing macadonians and thrace (the GCS ran to the islands and went east to destroy the pontiacs) By doing this i made the brutii expand up top with the julii. the julli pretty much is takign over gaul and the brutii is taking over dacia but they really are split liek the first two cities julli are supposed to have got split up. The julii took medilanium and the brutii to patavium they then sprea out seperatly. of course this is also a scenario of really weird events >_> ill try to name them

1) the julii took caralis instead of expanding into gaul. actually in fact they were at peace with the gauls for the longest time before they moved anywhere.

2) Me getting thermon was actually a complete and total accident. After taking syracuse The greeks sent a diplomat to ask for a cease fire. I then changed it and asked for the city for thermon in exchange. They gave it to me O_O So with that i expanded into greece cutting the brutii off from ever getting to it.

3) the greeks are expanding on the pontic pinnensula >_>

yutterh

07-03-2010, 22:26

Sorry i was gon fix some stuff up but the scroller got stuck and kept sticking to the center of the message. but both julii and brutii are both in the same area so im sure when the civil war happens ill be able to surround them with praetorians, urban cohorts, and praetorian cavalry.

Myth

07-05-2010, 09:48

Lucius Verus

07-12-2010, 19:11

I think Scipii is the best roman faction, their gladiators are the best unit when fight against cavalry

Morgoth101

12-28-2010, 19:57

Personally, I like the Scipii, although they don't have the greatest position of settlements to start with. The Brutii have an amazing income, which you can increase with their temples of Mercury. The Julii are kinda OK in my opinion. They don't have properly developed settlements to capture in the north, unlike for the Scipii, who have Carthage and Thaspus, and the Brutii, who have Athens, Sparta and Larissa, even though they often get plagues.

Morgoth101

12-28-2010, 20:40

On the whole, the best faction would depend on how you want to play. All factions have the same units, obviously. The Brutii is quite easy. You have a cool income, and cities with a cool income as well ahead of you. The Julii is kinda easy too. The Gauls don't have the ability to train units that are tough to deal with early in the game, so you can quickly eliminate them before they can. The Scipii are kinda challenging, as your starting units are not that good. But if you can capture Carthage early on, you can get pretty decent units. Ususally, when I capture Carthage, I can train Triarii (its usually before Pre-Marius reforms). I played S.P.Q.R once, which was kinda fun. All I had to remember to do was to keep Rome gaurded with a strong garrison, as the other romans would attack in the future!
For non-roman factions, the Seleucids are quite challenging. Your starting units are bad compared to what your neighbours can bring(who will all most likely attack in the first few turns!). But if you survive the initial attacks, you could capture the entire map. Their Scythed Chariots are godlike! For Carthage, you CANNOT lose Carthage, Lilybaeum, or Caralis, as it would mean those who took it (usually the romans) can eventually take all your cities and destroy you.

Morgoth101

12-30-2010, 19:29

yuyyerh you do realise that the Brutii can sail to Greece on turn #1 and take Appolonia on turn #2? By turn 5 or 6 they can hold Sparta. If the Scipii dedicate troops and ships early on to beat them to the punch, Carthage and Greece will have a field day back on Sicily.
The Brutii do capture Appolonia in 2 turns, but once they didn't for some reason. There were more rebels than there normally are - about 6-7 units. They were too strong for the Brutii, who just hung back and captured it around 10 - 15 turns later. I was the Scipii. I controlled all of Sicily and Carthage was mine by this time and I had Thermon, Sparta and Athens. I just sent a force of 10 units to take Appolonia. By the time I was ready to fight Rome, the Brutii had only Tarentum and Croton :-D. But they had full 20 -unit garrisons.

Morgoth101

12-30-2010, 19:31

The Brutii do capture Appolonia in 2 turns, but once they didn't for some reason. There were more rebels than there normally are - about 6-7 units. They were too strong for the Brutii, who just hung back and captured it around 10 - 15 turns later. I was the Scipii. I controlled all of Sicily and Carthage was mine by this time and I had Thermon, Sparta and Athens. I just sent a force of 10 units to take Appolonia. By the time I was ready to fight Rome, the Brutii had only Tarentum and Croton :-D. But they had full 20 -unit garrisons.

This happened quite a few times in my games.

Myth

01-06-2011, 12:24

That's because the AI is inferior to human commanders. When I play the Brutii I can take Appolonia and then head south with my initial stacks and grab everything, starting by landing next to Sparta and luring the Spartan Hoplites out. If cooperative campaign play was possible I'd bet money you can't beat me to Greece with the Scipii. More likely than not I can beat YOU to one of the two settlements in Siciliy.

ReluctantSamurai

01-06-2011, 16:48

More likely than not I can beat YOU to one of the two settlements in Siciliy.

That'd be a fun bet to take:laugh4:

Seriously, the game mechanics are truly abysmal concerning sieges (which is the only way to get walled cities like Syracuse and Corinth). If you were in command of a Roman army with a handful of light Hastati infantry and Velites skirmishers, I dare say you'd get your head handed to you, literally, if you tried to siege cities of that size.

Another area where the designers chose to ignore some basic rules of engagement...here, concerning the size an army needs to be to siege a city. [end of rant].

Ibn-Khaldun

01-06-2011, 18:33

Another area where the designers chose to ignore some basic rules of engagement...here, concerning the size an army needs to be to siege a city.

That is an interesting idea! It would be nice if it takes at least 4-5 units to siege a city and even more if the city is large/huge.

ReluctantSamurai

01-06-2011, 19:05

I know it's still a bit off-topic but....

I've always thought it laughable in RTW to view a siege on-map being depicted by a ring of stakes around a city. A little common sense (and a grade school level of math) should tell you that it would take more than a few hundred soldiers to lay siege (read as: nothing gets in---nothing gets out) to a walled city consisting of thousands of inhabitants and a standing garrison.

So yes, every size of city, town, or village should have needed a minimum size to a force attempting to siege. And if the settlement has port facilities, the port would need to be blockaded to cause manpower losses to the garrison.

Morgoth101

01-09-2011, 05:44

The AI makes sieges look weird in my game because of this- in my Julii games, the Gauls usually send in 1 general- only 1, and no other troops:shrug: - to attack Segesta after I take Mediolanum from them. By this time I usually have 1000-1500 men defending the garrison. It seems weird that 10-12 men stop around 3000 citizens and 1500 soldiers from moving out of the town.

ReluctantSamurai

01-09-2011, 16:26

It seems weird that 10-12 men stop around 3000 citizens and 1500 soldiers from moving out of the town.

Exactly what I'm referring to about RTW sieges being, often times, nonsensical. With a minimum unit and/or size requirement for the besieger, such scenes would not be possible. But...as it's a hard-coded thing, nothing can ever be done about it. Let's just hope they get it right when the time comes for a RTW sequel......

Motep

01-09-2011, 20:48

Exactly what I'm referring to about RTW sieges being, often times, nonsensical. With a minimum unit and/or size requirement for the besieger, such scenes would not be possible. But...as it's a hard-coded thing, nothing can ever be done about it. Let's just hope they get it right when the time comes for a RTW sequel......

Or really any other total war game. I dont think this an issue that has ever been resolved, but I cannot say for sure as I have not played anything more recent that Medieval II.

Myth

01-10-2011, 16:32

That'd be a fun bet to take:laugh4:

Seriously, the game mechanics are truly abysmal concerning sieges (which is the only way to get walled cities like Syracuse and Corinth). If you were in command of a Roman army with a handful of light Hastati infantry and Velites skirmishers, I dare say you'd get your head handed to you, literally, if you tried to siege cities of that size.

Another area where the designers chose to ignore some basic rules of engagement...here, concerning the size an army needs to be to siege a city. [end of rant].

True true. If I was commanding Sparta and it's garrison no way would some Veities and Hastati take the city from me. Two units of Spartan Hoplites in the crammed space inside would murderize the whole attacking army.

Spartan

02-23-2011, 18:56

Julii, because of their temple that gives bonus population :deal2:

dakar97BG

02-25-2011, 12:16

I think the best one is Brutii:juggle2: but its alot more fun and interesting:book: to play with the Julii and the Scipii is kinda them both in one

Napoleon The Emperor Of Europe

03-10-2011, 11:56

I think the best one is Brutii:juggle2: but its alot more fun and interesting:book: to play with the Julii and the Scipii is kinda them both in one

I say the Juli is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!For I will be Emperor!!!!!

Myth

03-10-2011, 15:22

Really is there a need for 30 exclamation marks? What are you, twelve?

Galvanized Iron

03-10-2011, 16:01

The Brutii knows what is best for Rome, what more can you ask?

gollum

03-10-2011, 16:45

Brutti have the best position for expansion into the richest area of the map and the best bonuses. Scipii kind of run ut of steam if you go only for Carthage and neglect take from the Greece turf. Julii by far the most interesting from gameplay. Overall, Romans way to easy, as is the whole game of course.

ReluctantSamurai

03-10-2011, 19:47

As always, the best Roman faction is the one you have the most fun playing....:shrug:

Myth

03-10-2011, 21:51

Purely mechanically speaking there can be no argument against the Brutii. The Julii are red though and we've been spoon fed that Roman=Red, despite red dye being very costly and scarce at the time.

I should say though, that Carthage's roster is formidable. Their Sacred Band Hoplites are superrior to any other phalanx unit apart from perhaps armoured Hoplites or Spartans. The Sacred Band Cav is decent, although no Cataprhact, and they get elephants. Ultimately the Seleucids will have a slightly better roster but if Carthage manages to take Sicily for itself it can become much stronger much faster.

gollum

03-11-2011, 02:36

If you rush with them Carthage is one of the easiest factions, even easier than the Romans perhaps. The trick is to take Tingi and then Numidia proper while allying with the Greek Cities and attack the Scipii stack that besieges Syracuse and crash them in battle over and over. Just crush the Romans outside Syracuse a few times so they don;t get Syracuse till you get your Spanish armies on Tingi and the Numidian capital (about 10 tunrs max), after which you can take Messana and Syracuse and you are set for world domination with huge trade profits from the Spain/Balearics/north africa/carthage/Sardinia/Sicily trade routes. Invade Italy from the South and crush the Romans before they reach the reforms while finishing off the Numidians - which is pretty easily accomplished. By the time you reach Arretium you can begin a second campaign either in Spain aiming for Gaul to get rid of the pesky barbarians or over to Egypt, but can leave Egypt for later too.

I refrain from training Elephants as the battles are a fiasco with them on. The only time i did (very hard /very hard) i had 2 units of armored elephants and a bunch of round and long shield cavs. The elephants charged and the cavs game behind to mop up - every battle took something like less than 6 minutes against full Roman and Gaulish and Spanish stacks. Since then, i've never trained elephants again.