Broke Brit seeks investment

I'm playing as the Brits (H/H) and moving towards the end-game. I've conquered Iberia, Gaul and most Germania and secured my Eastern borders. I've swept the northern seas clear of ships all the way around to the Gibraltar straits. I'm ready to march down into Italy.

But I'm broke. Stony. Skint. Cleaned out. Brassic. Penniless. And I don't have any money.

I've built every fundraising option I can find: markets, temples, ports. I've evacuated my drunken, layabout Generals and sent them to live in the countryside. I've enslaved fellow barbarian factions and exterminated those who talk funny. I've swapped trade rights with everyone I haven't killed.

Yet more and more of my regions are falling into negative equity. I'm barely breaking even each turn and all my money goes on bribing rebels. Stacks of them appear every turn in Gaul and Germania so I can see that my citizens aren't happy.

What do I do? Send my governors on a training course? Try to negociate some protectorates (shudder)? Focus my energies on conquering some profitable territories? What are the most profitable territories? Can anyone lend me a few quid?

All contributions gratefully received.

1. reduce your army/navy through a) battle or b) disband

2. sell some of your buildings in certain types of cities a) cities that are secure and don't need stables and archery place and infantry place b) cities that are insecure and prone to rebel, just sell everything in there and then you're only faces with peasent revolts.

3. move your capital around and see what effect that has on corruption in the settlement tab of various cities.

4. selll cities that a) that you have difficulty keeping or b) that you can easily recapture.


my guess is that your empire is too big in terms of barbarian faction cities and too poor in terms of civilised cities. my advice: pull completely out of iberia razing and destroying all your buildings in your cities there and let it go rebel. if some other faction wants to spend their hard earned denarii taking it over and rebuilding the infrastructure, let them. then use that grand iberian army and march 'em towards the eastern mediterranean italy, balkans, syria, egypt. at least make a save and try it as an expedient.

say to each country pay or i'll attack its good for 10,000 denarii eac turn for 10 turns long

Here are some things that help me. First, the things that i mention i learned mostly the hard way... I also had financial problems the first few go's. I play on the 1.2 patch, no mods (except unlocked factions) on VH/VH. These financial stratagems work in general for most factions, but especially for the barbarians (whom I play almost exclusively).

1. Limit the Family. I use very few governors. Unless they have high management qualities, they are wasting time in your cities. They are an enormous drain (just check where it lists wages under financial and you'll see how much your family and agents are draining from your economy) and tend to pick up bad habits sitting around being beuracrats. At the mid-game (15 to 20 regions), I normally have 2 or 3 governors, and then only in high money production cities. I try to keep just one leader in each military territory, I send the worst ones on suicide charges into rebels.

2. Territories. By my definition, A territory is the largest area that one Army or QRF (Quick Reaction Force) can control. For example, Brittania proper is one territory, one half stack army can keep down any rebels/bandits and hold off or delay any landing. All cities will be garrisoned with inexpensive troops. Territory borders are defined by geography, choke points at mountain passes, bridges, etc. and how much enemy activity you expect along the border of said territory. Any of the barbarian factions in the west end up having to control the same general areas, you learn over time how to break these up. The area from the Rhine river to the sensible border to the East of Germania is broke up into two large territories (this is all north of the Danube).
Gaul can be broken up into 3 with Alesia and Trier as one, the West two cities as another, and the 3 southern cities as the last. Dacia can easily be broken up into 3. The key (for me) is to fort every pass and choke point i can, watch tower every where in between and keep a small mobile force (half stack or less) to patrol that area. I normally use a General, 2 or 3 barbarian cav units, 1 missle unit, and 1 war dog unit. Often I augment these forces with Illyrian mercenaries, one of the best early game units ever for the price. The only cities that should have standing armies are those that develope armies for the front or that are so key as to require keeping several missle units in them for an expected siege.

3. The Po Valley. All my campaigns in the West center on this little area of two vital cities. As Dacia, Gaul, Germania, Brittania, you expand in a half-circle around this area, in the end, you must take it. I wait to take it in the mid-game so that others can build those cities up for me and to avoid gaining the negative attention of Rome. They are good money makers with excellent grain/growth rates, and are the defensible gate way to Rome. History backs this up, From Hannibal to Alaric and between. By the end of the mid-game, he who controls the Po Valley will be gaining the upper hand.

4. Placement of your capital is critical. It could be a Hamlet in the middle of no-where forest, but it needs to be the closest to center of your kingdom as possible.

5. Diplomacy. Ah, well...several others have written great guides on this. In my experience, it is very simple for the early barbarian. Ally with Rome as soon as possible and dont have any dealings with any group that Rome doesnt like. Rome will eventually attack, delay this as long as you can, deal with all others 1 or 2 at a time and it will allow your war economy breathing space.

6. Base your early armies on cost effectiveness. You are a logistician as well as a general. For example, I use almost no heavy cavalry, high experienced barabarian cav. massed with 1 or 2 general units is a devastating force on the field. 1 or 2 warbands are normally all the back bone you need in the early game. Any missle units or missle mercenaries are golden, especially cheap ones. The enemy in 1.2 use war dogs. I limit myself to one per army, but they are very economical and fun!

7. City management. I almost never exterminate and rarely enslave. Within the barbarian areas, there is little reason for it. Keep small towns small with high taxes and attrition from peasant production, expand producing cities and keep them happy. Ports, ports, and ports again. Upgrade those ports, go to markets in all big towns as soon as you can.

I probably wrote many things you already knew, but perhaps there are some gleanings in there that help.

For all those who desire a genuine challenge, try Dacia on 1.2 VH/VH. I am a veteran of the early STW days till now and it took me 6 trys before I survived with Dacia to the late middle game. ~;) :bow:

Thanks guys. Some great ideas there which I tried out last night.

The extortion route seemed suitably barbaric to me, but I've had little success so far - neighbouring factions are either too poor (Dacians, Germans) or too powerful (Romans) to bully.

I'm having more luck with stabilizing my barbarian economies. Previously I had tried to sustain growth across the board which was limiting my tax incomes. Now I'm stacking troublespots full of peasants and hiking taxes to the max.

Relocating standing armies to territorial muster points is a winner. Half a stack in a fort can patrol the space between 5 cities. In fact I'm using forts now everywhere - they're more cost-effective than they appear.

Playing as the Brits means cavalry is very expensive - I've only found light mercenary cav so far. The attrition rate is high so they never rack up many exp points and they're expensive to replace. I'm going to have to modify my fighting style.

I love the suicide generals idea - it works beautifully with Brit chariots. I sent a lone general to besiege a Roman town. Sure enough a relief army comes steaming up with two generals. Immediately the battle starts I send my guy full tilt around the side of the infantry where he starts mincing horses merrily. Of course as soon as the triarii turn around he gets skewered, but he takes both Romans out with him.

My general was a bribed Roman to start with, so I got three for the price of one :D

1) First of all, DON'T exterminate. You need those people to get your settlement to the next level. Not sure if Barbarians can build Shipwrights and Dockyards (only played Romans so far), but you need those for more lucrative trades.

Occupation is the best, unless the city is way too big (20,000+) and underdeveoped, then enslave it. ~:)

Finally, don't forget to build roads, farms and mines. ~:)