Aphistamenoi: who are these jerks?

[Ricardo the Patriot]

Alright, so I am playing a Rome campaign on Very Hard, and these guys (rebels of somesort) keep showing up once or twicece a year with rather powerful armies in the understaffed middle of Italy (I am not very far). Who are they, and where do they come from? I assume they are being randomly spawned, because my borders are pretty well defended and they appear all of a sudden.

So, anyway to deal with these guys other then forming another army every time they show up? Do they have a source? Will strengthening my city garrisons help?

[eggthief]

They represent independant states, the best way to stop em is to make them a bit less independant.

[Tellos Athenaios]

They are the brigands from RTW Vanilla; renamed to Aphistamenoi (or Rebels in English).

So no, you can't get rid of them once and for all: it's something the game likes to do ever so often. You can reduce the rebel-spawn rates by increasing some number in the descr_strat though.

[eggthief]

Turning campaign difficulty on Hard seems to make em a lot more passive.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Also, leaving them alone to their briganding business will prevent them spawning again.

[QuintusSertorius]

Also, leaving them alone to their briganding business will prevent them spawning again.

Although then if they're straddling trade routes they'll take a slice of your income.

Besides they're good practice for young generals.

[PershsNhpios]

Give them a-phisting..

Ha ha ha ha ha.. Or turn them off in Descr_Strat - I did - it works the same way as natural disasters.

[Xurr]

Just have a stack of about 6 units and a general in Roma or some place central, that you want to give experience to. Every time they spawn send your little stack out and auto resolve the battle. The troops and the general will get some decent experience. I do this to get a nice experienced core of units to create a full army/legion with later on.