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I agree 100% with all Mouzhafpierre's rules and try and follow them when they suit me :juggle2: but the only hard rule I follow is that disabling FOW is cheating.
I mean in those days people, especially Barbarians, probably thought that 2 regions away was Here Be Dragons territory, let alone seeing half the Northern hemisphere in perfect cartographical relief.
Me too :embarassed: hahaQuote:
Originally Posted by Mouzafphaerre
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Originally Posted by konny
How strange, my opinion on this is upside down: I've always considered AI better attacker than defenderQuote:
Originally Posted by Callicles
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Originally Posted by Mouzafphaerre
hehe thats why none of my rules apply to battles cuz if i were to go up against anyone aside from AI (barely on medium) i would get WTFPWND!!1 :laugh4:
Yep that's my idea as well. When they defend they just sit their and take it (at the wrong time) - or they just break rank and get cut to shreds.Quote:
Originally Posted by MiniMe
At least when they attack they have half the notion to retreat when slaughtered or to employ their cavalry in a slightly useful manner. (Other than charging head on in some pointy sticks.)
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Originally Posted by Mykingdomforanos
A balloon to you! :balloon2:
People not knowing the geography accurately is OK. It's just the FOW as a feature that bothers me; makes me feel like playing Starcraft of C&C. While I liked both and spent countless hours playing them, in TW atmosphere FOW just isn't fit to my liking. Mediaeval's featureless map showing up as you progress was much, much better IMHO. :yes:
As for cheating, it can be used against "features" that hinder realism as well. For instance, I've begun to clean up ridiculously appearing brigands and pirates with auto_win.
Brigand spawn/Pirate spawn values seem not to be save game compatible. :shame:
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I agree! However, that is unless you (when defending) have a phalanx... As the Casse, I thought I would get mauled when a roman army with pedites extraordinarii, equites extraordinarii, samnite mercs, various triarii and principes and so on attack me. At the time, I had trained 4 apea gaedotos just to try them out, and those pesky romans just ran straight into them, turn after turn, in the Alp pass north of Patavium. The battles look something like 3-25% Casse losses, 60-80% of the roman stack dead (not possible to hunt down more than 80% with so little cavalry), because many of them just run into the phalanax. Sometimes the AI was clever though, and charged only the flanks of the phalanx, and not at all the middle. I had to use my light reserves (geroas etc) to attack them, and let the middle phalanx units move out to help the flanks. But this can also be avoided by keeping the phalanx units off phalanx formation, and rushing forward to meet the advancing enemy, then lowering the pikes at the last second - that usually pins the enemy down quite nicely...Quote:
Originally Posted by MiniMe
I just had my toughest battle as Lusotan trying to capture that independent province in the middle of Iberia, where if you attack them, they call upon some magic reinforcements and have VERY large forces.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodion Romanovich
Odds 2:5
My Casualties=87%
Enemy Casualties=95%
Very tough but VERY fun battle....loved it =]
Not from my experince: Line up your phalanxes/hoplites, place some archers behind them and some medium/light infantry on the flanks and you will in a lot of cases win with only a few clicks.Quote:
Originally Posted by MiniMe
https://img101.imageshack.us/img101/3614/knowby9.jpg
It is very rare that the AI seriously tries to flank you; and even than it usually messes the whole affaire up by sending its units one by one and unsupported against both flanks and the center at once.
I can so far just recall one battle in which the AI had really impressed me: Useing Lysander's/Sinhunet's battle mod I was facing a very strong army of phalanxes with an army mainly composed of classical Hoplites. The AI has formed two lines with its phalanxes attacked me head on and maintained that formation throughout the battle (-> no real flanking possible because of the second line).
Everything else I had seen so far was more or less pathetic. An army with 5 or 6 units of Pantodapoi Phalangitai will usually win every defenisve battle against the AI, as long as the AI is not fielding the same number in elite Phalanxes.
How much better can the AI do when defending! At least useing my houserules, the battle will more become a contest between individual units; always provided the AI is forming and holding some kind of "legal" formation - a discipline in which it unfortuantly often enough manages to fail.
Set of "Ptolemaioi evil empire" house rules
1. Main armies are very good but they are stationed in Alexandria and Memphis only.
2. Only half of them can leave this area on new territory conquest, the other Imperial Elites always guard the the egypt twin capital even though noone will threaten them for the next thousand years.
3. Only heir to the throne and his brothers can command Imperial Elites. And the heir can be of royal line only, no matter how stupid he is.
4. Family members from etnick minorities are trusted to rule their homeland provinces only (Asiatikoi - in Asia minor, Kypriotai - islands and so on)
5. Immediate destruction of all etnick minorities culture buildings on capture.
6. All rebel uprisings are dealt with recruiting local scum. Never attack rebels with owerhelming forces -the more of your local scum dies the better.
7. Enslave on capture not wipe out. Ptolemaioi are kind and need slaves for their... agricultural facilities.
8. Three spies per town.
9. Highest tax rate even if this means huge garrison.
10. No trade agreements with neutral states. All egyptian trade to stay in egypt borders noone else to profit from egypt.
11. City garrisons are recruited accordingly to city social system and development. Besides lots of crappy native levies this means - no good cavalry before large agricultural estates.
12. And (finally answer to your question) regional governors are not allowed to undertake independent decisions which means - no sallys.[/QUOTE]
:idea2: Never play as romans!
Probably you should use the "pause" function more often. So you can take a good look at the battlefield and improve on your tactics and timing. Helped me a lot. The better you get, the more you can stop using "pause".Quote:
Originally Posted by Mouzafphaerre
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You're right. ~:) I've been using the pause extensively since VI days (when I began to fight myself, before that I would always auto-resolve). I admit that I outclass the AI intelligently in many battles not to need the pause. :laugh4:
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Hi All,
I just wanted to say thanks for this thread. As a newcomer to EB I discovered much useful info to make the game more immersive and enjoyable. I'll read the posts again and make my own list . . .
In my Karthagian campaign I use the following houserules for raising Poeni units:
Poeni Citizen Militia
Carthaginian Citizen Cavalry
Liby-Phoenician Infantry
Liby-Phoenician Cavalry
These represent the Phoenician militia. Every town that can raise them will maintain some of these units according to the town's size (for example Karthago herself has two units of militia, two of infantry and one of citizen cavalry). No more units of these kind can be raised and they can not be used outside their respective farther homelands (Africa, Spain or Sicily) and have to return to their hometowns immediatly after the campaign is over, so can not be used as garrisons elsewhere.
All other units, in particular the Libyan Spearmen and the Iberians can be raised unlimited (as long as the treasury can maintain them, the Poeni like to keep their money locked) and be placed and used everywhere. In the result the African army has a very strong Poeni element and only needs a few Iberians and Numidians as auxiliary and replacement garrisons. The other two armies have to relay heavyly on local forces and must even ship around units alot (Greek Hoplites to Spain, Spanish cavalry to Sicly etc).
Sorry, but what does Sally mean?
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When besieged, to attack the besieging force by the town garrison. Click your besieged town, switch to the Army tab, select the units (click any, then Ctrl+Click the rest; Crtl+A selects all) and right click the besieging army to attack.
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Basic house rules:
1. No more than 4 foor archers/slings per stack. Accidental excess must disband or flee the battle if caught reinforcing unexpectedly.
2. No HA defense/fort-diplomat defense
3. Fight every battle, must use a FM if availble in range.
4. FOW on at all times, H/H minimum.
Mad house rules
1. No stack moves without FM. Unnaccompanied stacks disband unless inside city/fort (this is a pisser of a rule, battle field accidents are incredibly serious).
2. General camera.
3. No pillaging own temples, must build up available type only.
4. Faction specific building pattern (this is a flavour thing: for me it means Romans build roads, Cartha builds docks, greeks go for theatres and gyms etc). Barracks allowed, but no barrack rush (ie must not build barracks end on end, must build others uin between).
5. Disband certain troop types between campaigns espescially large spear units traditionally drawn from agricultural classes (I'm thinking non-elite pikes and hoplites, celtic spears etc) and some others: basically non-mercs/professional soliders with better things to do with their lives. Scum and elites stand to arms, the rest go R&R
Thisd is very intense and headache producing, but satisfying too.
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Originally Posted by Cyclops
Your very hardcore my good sir
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Slight modifications have become necessary upon switching factions. Now I'm playing a Makedonia M/M (M because I don't like blitzing either with myself or with the AI).
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- Pursue the victory conditions and don't expand meaninglessly.
- Always build Type I in Makedonian homelands and Type III in previously independent Hellenic cities. Type II is for expansion into foreign culture territory. Type IV is for rich cities not meant to annex into the empire.
- Favour building up and economy over warfare. This has been delayed until after the liberation of homalands from KH and Epeiros.
- The king will be an Antigonid, or an Argeades, or at worst a Makedonian. The next choice, if necessary, will be closest blood link to Antigonos Gonatas.
- The capital will remain in Pella and not be moved until the game mechanics forces it to the point of inevitability.
- Every expedition force must be commanded by a general. Invasions can be countered by captains until a general arrives. Brigands, if spawn near ~D or :blank2: indicators are removed to Eremos. If the odds are in favour, auto_win is executed in naval battles.
- No campaigning in the winter in winter effected lands unless in defence.
- Never attack an ally before dissolving the alliance.
- Never attack a neutral faction without making/creating/inventing a diplomatic excuse, such as threats etc. (Usually I demand them to attack my foe or pay me an enormous tribute, which they naturally refuse.)
- Armies and diplomats must rest in the minor settlement tiles (mines, markets, vineyards etc.) or otherwise generals build forts, unless they mean to ambush. They can also rest in crossroads and where roads cross provincial borders, where lodging facilities are presumed to exist. Spies and assassins may rest anywhere.
- No local autonomy/local taxation. Towns without a governor are directly ruled by the King's loyal servants. Ones with governors are the fiefs of the generals.
- Train cheap levies exclusively for garrison duties.
- Maximum happiness policy in all settlements
- If you are going to keep a settlement, then;
- ~D Occupy
- :blank2: Occupy or Enslave
- ~:( Enslave or Exterminate
- ~:pissed: Exterminate
If you are raiding/sacking always exterminate. Never exterminate Western Greek culture.- (I toggle fow off but) Let your diplomats travel the world, learn about the states of affairs and build relations. Don't exploit the radar if the fow is off.
I use the force diplomacy mod extensively but scarcely fall to the temptation of exploiting it. :angel:
I don't have too many houserules; but here they are:
Seleuciea - Rules for Ruling
Strict recruitment Guidelines with three types of armies:
No Pantodapoi, No Hellenic Archers, No peasants allowed in my army . period.
Towns - All town garrisons are kept as small as possible. Defending is the reponsibility of the Garrisons and provincial armies.
Garrison forces - No general. Local levies and auxilia used for border defense in forts. Usually 6 units at most. To slow down the enemy, destroy rebels, or combine with other garrisons to form a provincial army in emergencies.
Provincial Armies - local levies and auxilia used only for defending borders.
Territorial Armies - Pezhetaroi, Mercs, and Thureophoroi used only for offensive operations
Royal Army - One royal army which consists of Hetaroi, Agyraspides, Babylonian spearmen, Syrian Archers and Thorakitai Agyrspides. Used to destroy whomever they want.
Most armies consist of the same type and amount of troops. 4-6 Phalanx, 4-6 Archers, 2-4 Flank guards, 2-4 skrimish type troops, General, and Cavalry.
-Seleuceia is Capitol of Arche Seleuceia
-Every town must have sewers built as far as it allows first, then roads, then traders, then temples.
-Tax rates are as high as possible unless it is a town that does the recruiting.
-Isolationist policy in diplomacy. I will leave everyone alone until I am attacked (except for Ptolemy), then focus all efforts into destroying the faction as fast as possible.
-Extermininate my enemies(Ptolemy, Pontus, Pahlava, Epirus), liberate my countrymen(Anatolia, Baktra, rebel provinces along my eastern and northern borders), enlave everyone else.
- 100% of the map is my goal. I won't stop this campaign until I have 100% of the map. Sadly I never follow this rule but I mean to everytime.
As the Sweboz, I never build temples to Tiwaz outside of their expansion area or the Baltics. Recruiting silver chevron Hoplitai, Samnitie Infanty or the dreaded slinger seems wrong. I also usually make Roma a client state whoever I'm playing as (except Rome obviously), because it seems like the coolest thing to do with the region.
I would make that: The capital can be under no circumstances elsewhere than in Pella, in particular not in Antiochia, Seleucia, Alexandria or any other places where the wannabe heirs of Alexander have their courts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mouzafphaerre
Only expcetion: In times of war there can be a moving court that is always in that town where the king is (or the one he has just left when he is on the march), provided the king is leading the main army.
What would a moving court look like? Maybe drawn by horses Kind of like a antiquity version of the tractor trailor in Live Free and Die Hard? :dizzy2:
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Cool! :2thumbsup: I shall consider that. :stupido:Quote:
Originally Posted by konny
Thanks! :bow:
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No no no, I usually only use basic house rules.Quote:
Originally Posted by tapanojum
Mad house rules are for when I want a really deep immersion campaign.
Oh and I never ever use the pause button in battles (except to answer the phone, or nature).
When I'm fighting a battle I want to make mistakes based on time/attention contraints and live with the consequences. Paused action looks great in the Matrix but for battlefield I want hectic sweat and nasty surprises ("oh crap, those broken gesaetae recovered and wiped the pursuing akontistai while I was veiwing close ups of my last cavalry charge!")
I find I use the "speed up" button less and less, as my brain needs little recovery phases between more intense clashes. With siege assaults theres the calm walk up to the walls, the clash on the ladders or in the breaches, and then the pursuit to the square: I usually take my time, give my boys a breather before the end-game in the square.
It has a lovely effect when an opponent sorties against my besiegers: there's not much time to pull everyone into a proper formation, so there's that neat "imperfect world" effect.
It'd be really cool if there was an "ambush" element to sorties, where the sortying force could occasionally catch the beseiger with his pants down: some units spread right out, some off-map, and only a handful actually standing to arms (in formation by the seige engines). I know, I know, "its hardcoded", I'm just saying...
My only houserule is that if the game is too easy, add money to the enemies.
I don't have any. I play for fun . I can't RP unless I'm doing an AAR . I'll admit that I play EB (and have edited it) so it's like a very realistic SPQR .
Karthago.
That one was not easy to find houserules for to find the next faction leader, who is allowed to lead armies and who should be running which town. That is first of all because it is difficult to find out how this empire was ruled in history. The city herself had a republican governement, very much like Rome but with some important differences.
The other towns were all treated in a different way. There were towns that were very independant and more allies than provinces, like Atiqa. Their constitution was very much like that of Karthago. Others were colonies founded by Karthago or minor Poeni towns that were subjugated by Karthago. Hinterland territories, for example in Central Spain, were of no interesset for the Karthagians. Some of them had to pay tribute, some had to provide soldiers, but most of the times the Poeni were satisfied with the Spanish and Numidan tribes accepting Karthagian supremacy and otherwise left them alone.
That makes the first houserule:
Provinces without access to the sea are always Level 4 ("allied"). When the puppet ruler dies a new Level 4 governement will be build to spawn a new puppet ruler.
The other towns are governed according to a) their maximum level of governement and b) the possibilty to raise Liby-Phoenician units there:
Level 3 provinces represent new conquered territory or towns with a constitution much different to that of Karthago. Towns, in which the natives run the internal affairs while the Karthagians hold a larger trading post there that is ruled by its own rights (much similar to the "Kontors" of the Mediavel Hanse League). The leader of this "Kontor" is at the same time the person who controlls that the town is runned according to Karthagos wishes, the governor in EB terms. Because the Poeni tradesmen are members of the same families that make the Senat of Karthago, they will obey the Senat's decisions. That means:
Provinces with a Level 3 governement can be ruled by any family member
The only exception is Ippone. In Ippone Liby-Phoenician units can be raised, what means that there is a Phoenician peoples' assembly that has the right to reject governors. It will do so when a governor adds unrest, accumulated by his tratis (he can have traits that add unrest as long as he has other traits that reduce the same ammount of unrest). So the governor of Ippone can only be someone who has at least a neutral ranking in unrest.
Level 2 provinces are towns with a very similar constitution to Karthago or towns in which the Poeni are also controlling the internal affairs. These towns have a Senat of their own and usually a Liby-Phoenician citizen assembly, that has the right to reject governors (see above). Because there will be at no point of the game enough FMs to make a Senat for every of these towns, these are represented by the Senat of Karthago:
Provinces with a Level 2 governement can be ruled by any family member with the rank of Senator, who does not add unrest
The exceptions are Bocchoris, Sasa and Messana. Because there are no Liby-Phoenician units to be raised in these provinces, there is no peoples' assembly who can reject governors. So the governor can also be someone who adds unrest.
The three homland towns, Atiqa, Adrumento and Lilibeo, have the same constitution like Karthago and are the most important towns with far reaching rights: Atiqa, Adrumento and Lilibeo can only be ruled by a family member who has the rank of a Judge and does not add unrest. The governor of Atiqa is always the faction heir.
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Now we need Senators and Judges.
Our Senat of Karthago has a maximum of 21 family members. The only requirement is the age of 20 and a ranking both in management and influence of at least 1. Senators are elected for lifetime, that means even when he loses all his management and influence the FM will still be a Senator.
Most of the times you will have less than 21 suitable FMs for the Senate. But when there are more than 21 the Senators vote. Voting in the Senate is done by useing the management ranking plus (or minus*) the influence of that character. Characters of the same family always add their votes and always vote for other relatives, not counting marriages and the relationship of the four starting families. Others vote for the most able characters, roleplay it whom they consider to be the best.
The Senat elects governors (including the governor Atiqa = faction heir), new Senators and Judges.
The Senat elects 7 of its members as Judges (sptm). The requirement is a accumulated Law ranking of minimum +3, and of course beeing a Senator. The 7 Judges are the 4 governors of the homeland towns and 3 Inspectors (mhsbm) that are elected by the Judges. The Judges vote in a similar way as the Senators but useing their law ranking instead of the management ranking.
The 3 Inspectors are one each for Lybia, Spain and Italy. When you conquer more land (for example Gaul or Egypt) there will be more inspectors and accordingly more (x3) Senators. The Inspectors have the right to govern every town in their region that has not assigned a governor, even when they add unrest. That is very important in the early game when you have far more towns than governors.
They also have the right to enter every town and take over the governement for one turn, some kind of internal interpoler (if an inspector can't outrule the current governor in management the governor should leave the town for that turn). That is usefull when you have an Inspector that has a high construcition ranking and something hughe has to be build in that town.
The Judges also have the right to adjudge any failed characters. These are generals that lost a battle or governors that lost a town to rebellion. The results can be:
acquittal
loss of Senatorial privileges (for lifetime)
jail (in Karthago)
banishment (Sarah)
death (the next rebell stack)
The trial works very much like an election: relatives among the judges plea for "not guilty", while the other judges vote for punishement. The higher their law ranking the higher the punishement they vote for: +3 acquittal, +4 loss of Senatorial privileges, +5 jail, +6 banishment, +7 and above death. Because their influence is added during the election, a single +7 Law lion judge can cause a death penalty if the others are all sheeps.
In all cases, save for the execution of course, there can be a revision later when the situation in the judges assembly is more in favour of the culprit.
Sessions of the Senate are every five years. All offices are usually given for lifetime/until the characters has been promoted elsewhere somehow (or fell victim of the judges).
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We have Senators, judges and governors, but we also need generals.
Unlike Rome, in Karthago generals are not magistrates with an imperium but they are elected for each campaign. Because that would be bit difficult to handle in the game, three generals are elected in every session of the senate, one for Africa, one for Italy and one for Spain. There will not always be campaign in every theatre, so they can, and should, be governors of one of the provinces in that region.
The generals are elected by the peoples assembly with the right of the army assembly to reject him. That is a character that reduces moral or has a negtive value in command can not be general.
Because in EB always the character with the highest command ranking is leading the army in battle, only those with the highest ranking in command of the governors at hand will run to become general. If there is more than one in question, for example several with 2 command stars, the one with the highest unrest ranking (that is reducing the most unrest) will be elected.
The faction leader can never be a general.
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* When a character has 0 command, management or influence, check his traits if he has not in fact a negative value in these skills.
:2thumbsup:
great set indeed, need to try some of these one day with Carthies.
EB family tree micromanagement is truly one of the best EB parts. Me too always pay great attention to my family, their positions, duties and missions that vary greatly according to which faction I play with