How do you role play EB?

[Conan]

Hi guys,

Sorry if this is a bit of a silly question but I've seen this term mentioned a lot in post ect..

So how exactly do you role play in EB?

Thanks

[Mediolanicus]

There are multiple ways...

You look at the character traits and act like those characters would. For example selfish generals would attack a city just because the plunder will make them rich. Disloyal general shouldn't do important tasks unless he has traits that justify otherwise (e.g. he can talk the hind legs of a donkee, so he talked you in giving that important task).
Act like the senate or some other body gives you orders. Role play your wars and don't blitz, but seek reasons to invade and role play intelligent diplomacy with FD.

The possibilities are endless really... Take a look at the AAR section, there are lots of very good examples of role playing EB.

[Laza]

Roleplaying is great but it really sucks when u have to roleplay the defeat of endless half stacks or a big/huge empire. Roleplaying 30 FM's is no fun anymore. D:

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Roleplaying is great but it really sucks when u have to roleplay the defeat of endless half stacks or a big/huge empire. Roleplaying 30 FM's is no fun anymore. D:

This is when u switch to a small group of FMs to RP as ur main chars. The rest are servant or minor lords/generals that u delegate shit to

[SwissBarbar]

yep, some are your beloved main chars, and the others you can feed to the sweboz or sth

actually not only roleplaying a familiy but also the faction(s) is fun. Don't try to win every battle, make ralistic armies or don't expand like a virus, but keep your empire of 20 regions (f.e.) and defend it. If someone declares war upon you don't annihilate him, but go and sack his cities or so. but leave them to him.

[We shall fwee...Wodewick]

You dress up in armour whilst playing! DUH!

[Olaf Blackeyes]

You dress up in armour whilst playing! DUH!

quote for lolz

[Megalos Danielos Psychopatos]

As I noticed, all the experienced players play without pause options during battle. I always play so far with the pause;in the game unit behaves as programmed robot, works without their own volition. In fact, even without orders in real battle they would act adequately to situations ;such as heavy infantry unit standing in an open field would change it's front in the direction of charging heavy cavalry, even without an order. It should be noted, moreover, that in addition to leader-in-chief of the army is also a lot of "smaller" officers, so leader-in-chief don't have to do everything himself, see everything, decide about every little aspect of battle. That's why I choose to play with pause.
I would like to know what do U think about this? I want to derive maximum enjoyment from the game while being in line with reality.Help me.

Question: When grouping units in bigger formations (alt+number key) U can give AI control of such group. How it's look like? whether it really in some degree relieve player, works as far as reasonably, simulating the activities of smaller commanders?

[Silence Hunter]

I think playing without pasing gives a small bonus to the AI which is very incompetient. Not pausing also leads to interesting situations simetimes. For example you are busy on the left wing while your right wing wins the fight and starts the pursuit, but gets isolated by the enemy. It makes a battle more interesting as you have to send a relief force. It's historical also - men are in battle frenzy and pursue enemy without even listening to orders, common for barbarians.

As for the giving the control to the AI it is a risky business. AI is not very reliable, but if you want to give control to the AI at least keep the units in a group of the same type (infantry, cavalry) it help a bit. Some players who play with general camera have no other choice but to give control of some units to the AI as it's very hard to control large armies with general camera on.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

As said above, roleplay generals according to their traits - aggressive, brave, loyal, selfish, cowardly, lazy, etc.

BUT always bear in mind that YOU are the king/emperor/chief, and all subordinates have to obey your orders.

Traits allow you to roleplay their actions, but their actions will have to be within the parameters of your orders.

Very rarely will you have to roleplay a FM who deliberately disobeys your orders - they would have to be extremely rebellious to do that, because they know you can send an assassin to kill them at any time!

So a general might be over-eager and attack prematurely, or be over-cautious and 'beg you' to send him more troops before he attacks, but he won't outright refuse to attack unless he's tired of living!

An over-eager general might force-march his troops. A lazy one might dawdle and use only half his movement points.

An over-confident general might not bother building a fort. A cautious one might build forts all the time.

A brave general might be eager to fight personally in every battle, using his bodyguard to good effect. A cowardly or cautious one might just watch from a hilltop, and perhaps even run away when threatened by an enemy unit.

With barbarian generals you can have more leeway. Each barbarian family member is a 'sub-chief' in his own right, leading his own little tribe within your faction. So he is going to be more independent-minded than a 'civilised' general would normally be.

You can also 'play internal politics' with generals. Suppose the general of one army is threatened by a stronger hostile force, and you send a second general to the rescue at the head of a relief force. Now suppose the general of the relief force is selfish, and has different traits to the general of the first army. In this case, the second general might strongly dislike the first general, and want him dead. So the second general might dawdle on the way to the rescue, trying to ensure that his rival is attacked, defeated, and hopefully killed by the enemy, before the second general arrives.

This can also happen when an ambitious and selfish second in line to the throne wants the faction heir dead, so that you will make him the new faction heir!

Efficient governors will tax high. Lazy ones will tax low. Corrupt ones will tax high, generous ones will tax low.

This is some of what you can do with 'roleplaying'.

[Maion Maroneios]

Those are some really good examples of roleplay you got there, Marcellus. A balloon for you:

Maion

[Dutchhoplite]

Has anyone ideas for the KH ethnicities?? I was really "struggling" with those during my last KH campaign.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Thank you!

Another good one is to roleplay assassination attempts against your own faction leader! A disloyal family member can't use your own army against you, but if he's corrupt as well, then he can afford to bribe one of your own assassins to kill you!

Unpopular, corrupt, harsh, or even lazy faction leaders should have several assassination attempts against them - by your own assassins - during their reign. Even a popular faction leader might have one or two, hired by a jealous family member.

Even a failed assassination attempt might lead to an investigation, and revenge on the culprit - or who the faction leader thinks the culprit it. (He might get it wrong and execute an innocent man!)

Family members who hate each other can hire assassins to kill each other too. You could roleplay a feud between two family members and have them try and assassinate each other continually until one succeeds.

[julius_caesar_the_first]

I thought that you couldn't use your own assassins to kill FMs. Is it possible?

[Mediolanicus]

Nope it isn't. Only your own diplomats and stuff (alt+click). So I doubt Titus follows his own role playing rules... at least not that part.

[Fixiwee]

It's possible to write a script to kill you character. At least that's what I read when I searched endlessly through the forum here.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Sorry! Didn't know you can't assassinate your own FM's.

I never use assassins myself, just seemed like a good idea to write down.