Babies, Babies, Babies, I've got No BABIES!!

[This message is being broadcast to you from the Siege of Pativium....]

Hey, I was perusing my Family Tree, and I must carry and passed the sterile gene or something.

My Grandchildren have not had ANY children, and their wives are respectively, 41, 36 and 39.

Like in life, is there an age where women stop having children? As I think this lack of grandchildren is going to be a problem for my heir. He's not going to have enough Relatives for use as Govenors.

My Faction Leader is in his late 60s, so his days are numbered, I chose an excellent and YOUNG heir, so the family's leadership is secure for some time to come, but where are my heir's nieces and nephews???

[We now take you back to the Siege of Pativium, where ToranagaSama is about to, FINALLY, send the Gauls to holy hell where they belong....]

I had this problem in one of my games as the Julii - my heirs just wouldn't make babies! You'd think they'd need it after all the warring...

I think it's fairly random how many children they have, as in some games my faction has more children than sense, and in others I'm struggling to get a gov for my capital. I considered the possibility that generals don't have babies on campaign, so maybe if you keep plenty generals just governing they may have more children? I could be wrong, as I haven't tested it...

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Originally Posted by rayoftoul

I considered the possibility that generals don't have babies on campaign, so maybe if you keep plenty generals just governing they may have more children? I could be wrong, as I haven't tested it...

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Nope I had a glut of generals so quite a few have spent 30 years as governers. I endured a 25 year baby drought though they've got the message recently I've now got 10 junior members soon to further my power ~D

You can get extra family members relatively easily. Even if you sit back and do nothing its likely that your existing family member will occasionally offer to adopt people into the family. You can also try to force the issue by letting a captain take charge of an army for a few battles (eg: fighting against rebels) after a few wins or even just on good one you should get a 'man of the hour' event and you can then adopt that captain. Finally, you can always bribe your rivals family member, though if you want someone decent, that can cost a bit. Tried this with a Greek general one time, and he came over relatively cheaply. Of course he also developed the minion vice within two turns... Guess that was to be expected! ~;)

Child production is a random thing but I seem to see more heirs produced when I play very aggressively and attack more.

I had the same problem in my Julii campaign. They eventually started producing babies in their early to late 40s. I got so frustrated I did some saving and loading for babies. ~:)

I've never had any adoptions, though, just people marrying daughters.

buy them. Put a diplomet by every capitols and just wait for the 18year old punks to come out. They go cheap and you can make them into good man. Plus, they will be around for a while. And your diplomets will get high ratings too.

USMCNJ, that's an interesting tactic.

Hambut, I've pretty settled on adoption as the preferred method.

Faction Leader considering candidates for adoption:

"Captain, how is your Semen, and you taste for 12 year olds?"

;)

i wonder if the ceres temple or whatever one you can use to produce population growth could also affect your family member to have more kids if they live in that settlement?

and usmcnj,
i'm glad to see you finally got the game working and didn't spend all that money on a computer needlessly.

Somewhat off topic, I try to take out Patavium ASAP. That city is like the most fertile I've ever seen. If the Gauls keep it they'll soon overwhelm middle Italy. The other nice thing is that you can jack up taxes to Very High and STILL have 4.5% growth rate or better. I always help keep the population in check by using Patavium as a source of settlers. I'll pump out Peasants or Town Watch and send them to underpopulated cities (like Segesta or Caralis), then disband them to artificially boost population there. Also, I think when you train a unit and disband it, turning the troops back into civilians, they are ROMAN civilians, and as such, help dilute the negative Culture affects of newly-occupied cities.

I've started three campaigns, the first two were just feeling the game out camps.
In this one, I'm finally getting a grasped re the Economy.

Yes, playing as the Juii (sp?), (the Gauls and particularly) Patavium is a PITA. Most of the time it has a FULL stack garrison, and hadn't been a very inviting target, for my few troops and meager economics.

I noticed that last night, taxes very high w. 4.5 or better growth, but even better were the huge population that I enslaved, and the existing buildings helping me to create uber troops.

The thing of it is that I was a bit miffed at the game once I took the city. The Gauls had such advanced buildings, second level armory, etc., yet they didn't build/re-train any of their troops. Actually, the AI never sent any troops from Pavatium at all. Hopefully things get better as up the Difficulty.

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I'll pump out Peasants or Town Watch and send them to underpopulated cities (like Segesta or Caralis), then disband them to artificially boost population there.

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I've got to start checking this out, as it takes FOREVER for those two cities to populate.

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What worked for me in this game was that early on the Gauls, asked for a Trade Agreement. In a previous campaign, they had done the same and a few turns later attacked me. So, I wasn't really impressed and recalled that in STW, such ovetures were a precusor to war for some factions. In STW, it was best not to accept Alliances, as I believe it showed weakness to the AI, and you would soon be attacked.

Well, Trade Agreements aren't Alliances, but I thought I'd take the same mindset. I wasn't going to accept, but then I decided to play with them, demand 1000 in return. To my surprise, they gladly accepted! Cool. I thought about it for a moment, they can't have much money so early in the game, just a couple turns later, either they or I (forget) initiated a second offer (don't remember what, map information?), and again I demanded 1000, and they PAID!

THIS I believe is what game me an edge, not such much my use of the money, but the Gauls being deprived of its availabliity. I decided to bleed them thinking they'd run short of money and consequently troops. So, I build up a large Army, leaving just enough troops for a minimum garrison in my few cities, and attacked every Gaul army I encounted, immediately. My aim was to annihilate each one, causing the Gauls to expend cash for replenishment.

I gradually wore them done, Pativium was the last *large* city, and now its just a mop up operation with most the remaining cities depleted. The two southern cities to the west along the coast, Milliasa (??) and the other were fairly easy pickings with Pavitium being the hardest nut----and the most fun battle I've had in RTW.

Taking the City was total chaos. I felt like the *real* Gauls when took Rome, I was awed by the size and buildings of the city, it being the largest I have seen so far. Very impressed with the graphics!!!

Well, that's my Gaul campaign, I still have a huge stack in a the city to the north of Pavatium thru the Pass. Though the Army has left the City and I believe is headed back to its Homeland territory. If so, then I just might take some time to consolidate and ask for a True. Then again, they have a city right in the middle of spain, that's tempting, but might be a bridge too far. Right now, I've got all my cities connected with Roads--yeah!

Sorry, for going onnnn....

A possible bug I have heard mentioned before is that one's family tree suddenly becomes entirely and completely sterile after bribing a rebel general to become part of your faction.

Those of you who have suddenly seen no more babies, did you do this? Bribe a rebel general?

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Originally Posted by USMCNJ

buy them. Put a diplomet by every capitols and just wait for the 18year old punks to come out. They go cheap and you can make them into good man. Plus, they will be around for a while. And your diplomets will get high ratings too.

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Damn - that's just brilliant. Best advice I've seen yet for the game - so obvious now that you mention it, but I never thought of it. Thanks for that!

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Originally Posted by khelvan

A possible bug I have heard mentioned before is that one's family tree suddenly becomes entirely and completely sterile after bribing a rebel general to become part of your faction.

Those of you who have suddenly seen no more babies, did you do this? Bribe a rebel general?

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I was in a baby drought when I bribed a general, eventually it broke and now I have 15 ish kids though 10ish are female so the sex ratio is very skewed. Though I do have a problem in the short term in that I've alot of old generals dieing of old age and no one to replace them yet, so I'm losing their retinues. So the next generation is going to have to do without the combat expert followers and will have to make do with the brainy followers produced in acadamies

crap, I hope that bug's not real, cause I just bribed several brit generals (useless blokes the lot of them). However, I haven't yet checked to see if they're now in my family tree. Is that what happens when you bribe generals? Do they become adopted into your family, or are they like eunics, never breeding and just die off.

I dont think it is a real bug, in my game at the moment I have bribed heaps og generals, rebel and other factions, and all the generals wives are churning out babies left right and centre. There always seems to be a drought for about 15 years or so, then they all go off like crazy. It might have something to do with difficulty setting though, I seem to get more generals in a normal game than a hard game.

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Originally Posted by Servius1234

...Is that what happens when you bribe generals? Do they become adopted into your family, or are they like eunics, never breeding and just die off.

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No, they get married and have kids, just like any other faction member. I think the bribed faction members actually become whatever culture they are adopted into, so their kids show up as Roman if you bribed them into a Roman faction, or as "Barbarians" if you bribed them into the Dacians or Gauls, etc.

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Originally Posted by Tamur

I think the bribed faction members actually become whatever culture they are adopted into, so their kids show up as Roman if you bribed them into a Roman faction, or as "Barbarians" if you bribed them into the Dacians or Gauls, etc.

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Yep, that's what happens. I bribed a Seleucid general as the Egyptians and when he ended up in a battle, which was the same turn if I recall, the he was in his chariot with his funky Egyptian gear on.