Questions about the economy

[Easterner]

Up against the wall.

Have read thread and thank players for pointers. ROME: I'm way over garrisoned (came to this on my own but comments here useful for focus), yet occasional landings let those mega-bodies respond to and defeat the landing with ease and no need for central govt relief. except 1x on Sardinia. Rome is massively open to seaborne attack as has no inland cities.

However my problem is "the other guys" if not hard pressed I'd have slowly expanded (220BC owned Italy, Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and Baleric Is: no Blitz)Everytime I expanded I noted my money improved, sitting around building garrisons and it grew worse. However the Spanish arrived with 2 full armies and 5 small ones. This morphed over 10 years to a dozen full armies and 20 some little ones. I cut them to pieces and am still getting over run. forced to cheat money and after spending easily a million bucks am still in same position with a few extra troops (109,000 in maintenance) yet Sp owns Port, Sp, Fr and Alps. Aedui gone to 1 Hungarian city, other Gaul seems wiped out. No matter how many defeats Sp returns over and over hitting me now from 5 directions. Where does it get this limitless manpower from?

Epirotes also on rampage but no sign of limitless armies, though they have alot. They went elsewhere and ignore Rome after 2 small wars.

Playing through BI as R:TW unstable with CTD. AI makes peace then re-attacks on same or next turn which is annoying.

Tried as Epirotes once but Taras started as -5000 bucks a turn. I evacuated city, got armies killed and still was negative and couldn't get enemies to take the black hole city off my hands for free!

So anymore Economic 101 comments or tips on unstopable factions?

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

@Easterner: What difficulty levels are you playing on?

[Ludens]

Have read thread and thank players for pointers. ROME: I'm way over garrisoned (came to this on my own but comments here useful for focus), yet occasional landings let those mega-bodies respond to and defeat the landing with ease and no need for central govt relief. except 1x on Sardinia. Rome is massively open to seaborne attack as has no inland cities.

I'd say you do need a central quick-response force (or two) so you can dispense with those oversized garrisons. In EB garrisons often do not make up for the increased taxes you can levy, so you should use the minimum (and cheapest) possible garrison. Use spies to anticipate enemy troop movements and fleets to block your lanes so your quick-response force is already moving towards the invaders before they have even landed (but be aware of the enormous upkeep on ships).

The problem is that the A.I. of R:TW is dumb. Do not expect reasonable diplomacy: it hates the player and will often ignore everything in order to get you. It also recruits way too many units, so it gets cash bonuses and population discounts to prevent it from crippling itself. Don't get into a war of attrition with the A.I., as it can easily win that. Go back on the offensive and take out their economical and recruitment centers. You may want to consider a naval invasion in Iberia (modern Spain and Portugal) itself. Pay special attention to provinces with mines: these are the most easy source of income in EB.

Welcome to the .Org, and to EB.

[QuintusSertorius]

I'm going to chime in and agree with those who say your armies and garrisons are too big (and too focused on cavalry and expensive heavy infantry). More lighter infantry and skirmishers, and less cavalry in your main armies would save a lot of money. Local levies for garrisons (a couple of infantry, a couple of skirmishers is usually sufficient).

Both for added difficulty (since you have to send armies to trouble-spots) and cost-savings (smaller garrisons and fewer troops all round), I never use my field armies as garrisons, they are always a separate and distinct force. I have one or two per administrative region, with garrisons made of local troops who never do anything. If a settlement is attacked, I mobilise a proper army to defend it.

Along with slower development so you can get the money-producing facets of each province working. Unless you've got roads, markets and ports as a minimum in a province, then it's too soon to move on to conquering the next.

[vollorix]

You also might try to utilize your family members ( FM ) efficiently, letting them govern your settlements with perhaps 1 additional "light infantry" unit ( like "Leves" = 120 men, low upkeep ), if needed, to boost up public order and profit from their management abilities, their positive influence effect, and, of course, their traits and ancillaries, wich can bring you lot´s of money. Example: your mining income would grow with a FM as governor in a while due to their "miner" = 10% and. later, "superior miner" = 20% ( so if a mine brings you 600 income, you´d get 660/720 instead; and imagine this with real rich mines upgraded to the second tier, with additional % of "Inventor" or/and "Mining Engineer" ancillaries ).
And do not pay attention at the "nominal" income of a settlement, instead take a look into the settlements details and see that it´s your armies, who those rich cities are paying maintance for, that´s why they seem to generate negative income.

Spain and Southern France are full of mines, wich explains the economical powerhouse Lusotania! They also control the whole trade on the coasts, so you might blockade their ports to cripple it and, at the same time, profit from those "rides" ( see it in your financial scroll once you start using piracy to your advantage :) ).
You can also use spies to incourage some unrest and force the AI to lower the taxes, and also keep track of enemy armies movements, so you can spot some pour defended towns and raid them with you troops, looting their cities and destroying the infrastructure. A plague is always a funny thing to cause some economical drawbacks on your foes.
You might retake some celtic settlements and give them back to the remaining gauls, forging an alliance with them, or try and involve Germans into a bloody war with Lusotanians.

The options are plenty, but it is a doom of the player, if one lets the AI really develop and steamroll it´s neighbors. Then you have to deal with one or two superpowers, like Lusos in your campaign definetly are, instead of several smaller factions, waisting their resources on fighting each other. Btw: it was a roman policy per exellance to devide and then counquer the weakened oponents, not to let a mighty empire on its boarders emerge and fear the extinction ;)

Good luck!

[Taedius]

You also might try to utilize your family members ( FM ) efficiently, letting them govern your settlements with perhaps 1 additional "light infantry" unit ( like "Leves" = 120 men, low upkeep ), if needed, to boost up public order and profit from their management abilities, their positive influence effect, and, of course, their traits and ancillaries, wich can bring you lot´s of money. Example: your mining income would grow with a FM as governor in a while due to their "miner" = 10% and. later, "superior miner" = 20% ( so if a mine brings you 600 income, you´d get 660/720 instead; and imagine this with real rich mines upgraded to the second tier, with additional % of "Inventor" or/and "Mining Engineer" ancillaries ).

I was wondering about this: He holds Dalminion and Pella, yet his mining income is less than stellar.

Stick a young FM in a city with a temple of Minerva. He will gain mine boosting retinues there. Give him a good education in a developed city. In my Romani campains, Athenai usually gets a fully developed academy, plus it has the Minerva temple line. Perfect. Now, I don't know the OP's feelings about shifting retinues between FM's, but I'm not too strickt with characters I deem to be professionals. As a result, retinues alone can increase mining income with 50 %.

[Easterner]

Difficulty is at default so Average I believe.

I was pondering on this and remembered the Romans leaped into Spain early causing 2nd Punic War. So moving there early and Balkans too might keep Sp & Epies down though leaving Gauls as possible problem as Northern Italy will have to wait.

Mobile response force seems like good idea.

I used locals as garrisons but left 1 Leg each in Segestica and Syracuse as counters to Eps & Carthage.

Oh, all my FM are INTERLOPERS!!!

[vollorix]

Let me guess: you´ve built Gov Type IV and put your FM to govern those settlements, instead of recruiting a local "Client Ruler"? ^^

[Easterner]

I've mixed govt and assign FM randomly. Did send a mine exper to Rheguim. But have not paid attention to FM as so few to pass around.