Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
I know that I have stopped many Romani campaigns because I learned of an outstanding houserule which brought a new element to my game. I know that there are some factions which require a certain style of play, fighting, recruitment, goverment strategy, etc. and they can all have a big impact on how easy things go for you down the line.
What are your hardest learned lessons?
Re: Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
With the Romans I usually try to make the game harder as it would be, if I rushed, or only would send stacks etc.
1. Rule - Settings
Play on Very Hard (Campaign) / Medium (Battlefield) settings.
Why? Because on Battlefield anything beyond "Medium" is unrealistic. On VH the Enemy's peasants slaughter your heavy infantry. That may be an challange, but it is so unrealistic, that to me it is no fun. VH on the Campaign map is ok, because also the Eleutheroi can attack you, and the AI is more agressive.
2. Rule - Don't blitz.
Do not try to mass-conquer without thinking. Attack peoples only, if they give reason to you. Start with Epeiros and free the city of Rhegion, which renegade Legions occupied (This tells you the advisor). Don't go to Sicily. Carthage will attack you soon enough on VH. If southern Italy is yours go north.
It's not your goal to get the Reforms as early as possible. They will come soon enough.
3. Rule - Army composition
Muster Legions. 1 Legion is a Halfstack. For defense of your lands, and most military expeditions send single legions. For great offenses in real wars against Factions, send armies*. Of course, if you start a huge war later in the game, you can send far more than 1 army.
*1 army is composed of 2 Legions like this:
Roman Legion Camillan (C) /Polybian (P)
1 x Legatvs (FM)
1 x Tribvnvs (FM)
1 x Accensi
2 x Leves (C) / Velites (P)
2 x Hastati
2 x Principes
1 x Triarii
Socii (Italic/Greek example, of course the units descend from where the Legion is recruited.)
1 x Tribvnvs (FM)
1 x Akontistai / other skirmishers
1 x Peltastai / other skirmishers
1 x Toxotai / other archers
2 x Hastati Samnitici / Pezoi Brettioi / Gaemile Liguriae / other light or medium Inf.
1 x Pedites Extraordinarii / Samnitici Milites / Hoplitai Haploi / Hoplitai / other Heavy Inf.
2 x Eqvites Campanici / Liguriae Epos / other light cav.
1 x Eqvites Extraordinarii / other heavy cav.
(Notice that the Socii usually field most of the cavalry)
4. Rule - Familiy members in armies
Most of your armies have 1 General. But in my Romani-Campaigns the young Roman nobles have to prove themselves in battle first, if they want to go the political way. So my amies (Camillan / Polybian) are Composed like this
Legatvs: The General of the amy is at least 35 years old and has fought at least 10 battles, 3 of them in the offensive on enemy territory and 3 have to have been sieges. He has been in Roma and was in a lower political position, and now aims for higher positions, like Praetor or Consul.
Tribvnvs Laticlavivs: A young man of at least 25 years, who still has to serve his 10 battles. After the Legatvs, he's the highest officer in the army. He has not much political experience yet. If the second Tribvnvs is younger than 20 years, he is the one, who leads the Socii Legion in battle. If not, he's the one who commands the Roman troops, while the Legatvs watches him and gives orders.
Tribvnvs: He's at least 16 years old and has no political experience at all. When he's 20 years old, he might lead a Socii legion into battle, under the watchful eye of his Legatvs.
5. Rule - Familiy members in politics
Let your imagination play. You can imitate a senate, where different "gens" try to get more power, by weakening the power of others. Let them have other priorities. Some will want to trade with oder peoples, some want to conquer Greece, others maybe extinguish the Celts... make them act according to their traits.
6. Rule - War
Savage tribes attack your borders. Don't go an blow them off the map. Invade their territory, defeat their armies and then force them to peace. If they attack again, conquer the capital and kill the king, force them to peace and make their capital a client kingdom (imitating the whole faction to be a client kingdom). If the opposition of the former Kingdom tries to reconquer the capital and replace your client king by their own, THEN make this people vanish and conquer the rest of their cities.
Being in war with a great nation like the Ptolemaioi, who maybe have conquered most of the former Seleukid Empire (or the other way round), asks for other strategies. While fighting at the boders, send an army to their homeland, where their greatest cities are, and conquer one after another, enslave all people in there, destroy all buildings (not the wonders!!!) and then go on to the next city with your army. Leave no city guards back, they can reconquer the city if they want. It will be very, very expensive for them to rebuilt their huge cities, which will ease the situation at your real frontline in this war.
Refill your lines with mercenaries. The FM, who was the leader of the army will become fabulously wealthy. Consider this in your future roleplay.
Many more rules....
Last edited by SwissBarbar; 10-14-2009 at 08:22.
Balloon-Count:x 15
Many thanks to Hooahguy for this great sig.
Re: Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
What other rules do you have... sounds great!Originally Posted by SwissBarbar
Re: Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
1) Settlements that take part in armed rebellions will be exterminated. Those who defy the imperium will not be tolerated.
2) Do not kill retreating enemies. It is dishonorable to kill a man behind his back.
3) Garrison every city. It is rare that the enemy sneaks behind the frontier but it can happen. Always protect every settlement you have unless you are conducting the scorched earth policy.
4) Do not camapaign during the winter months.
5) Show respect for the enemy culture. Brutulising the subject people is not a good way to earn their loyalty. Leave all enemy buildings standing unless you wish to replace the administration.
6) The firstborn prince will always assume the purple. Also, do not adopt foreigners or family members of a family who has previously been bribed.
7) Generals who loses 2 major battles or 1 army (at least 1800 strong) will be executed. They will charge the enemy line and die fighting in battle or be put on a ship and sunk.
8) Make extensive use of spies and diplomats. A good general will scout the way ahead and not rush blindly into things. Make sure to maintain good relations.
9) Instate puppet rulers over cities which are friendly and have been hostile because they were following orders from their king.
10) You cannot adopt anyone from the royal family. If the royal family dies out then the next most powerful family takes over. Then they cannot adopt anyone who have the new royal family name.
I usually play parthia so ive made houserules to fit their gameplay.
Re: Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
Ok, some more ^^
7. You're Rome - not some Kingdom, so you have no "royals". The faction leader is the most respected senator or consul or whatever. The best man has to be his heir, not necessarily his son. This is only a theoretical position, because it's integrated in the gameplay. You can ignore the "Faction leader" because in fact you have senatores, consuls, praetors etc. who all together are "the faction leaders". The most respected senator is the "faction leader" because as FL he get's some good traits, which fit with his position as great senator.
Important: you have to install "Forced Diplomacy Minimod" if you want to follow the war - rules I posted first"
8. If you conquer an enemys settlement, don't exterminate it, except of course in the situation I described in the 6. rule or if the enemy was extremely cruel to your people (f.e. exterminated one of your cities or completely destroyed one of your armies - but even then exterminate 1 city of this faction, not all)
9. fleaza's Rule of not killing retreating enemies is interesting, but I would tie it to your commanders traits. If he's a brute, a killer, aggressive or stuff, he should slaughter his foes without mercy. If he's nice, a philosopher or honourable, you should not kill retreating enemies. You can make it even more interesting, if your commander and his tribunes have different traits. If your commander orders to kill all enemies, but your honourable tribunes show mercy in battle, this can be potential for internal conflicts. The commander could even kick the young tribune out of the army, and the tribune has to search a political foe of his commander, in whose army he could continue his military education.
And a mercyless commander can be rebuked by the senate, who is concerned about the good reputation of the republic.
10. Fix a certain rule of how your city garrisons have to be composed. Example:
2 Roarii/Velites or Hoplitai Haploi for settlements up to 6000 people
2 Roarii etc. and 1 Skirmishers/Archers for settlements up to 12'000 people
2 Light Inf. + 1 Heavy Inf. + 2 Skirmishers/Archers from 12'000 people upwards.
besides that:
1 FM per settlement if possible, of course only if they have deserved it (f.e. they have to have been commanders of an army and after that politically successful to get a city to govern).
Even settlements near dangerous borderlines don't have more garrison. If it's too dangerous station a legion near the city or at a strategically important point, by building a fort.
11. Client Rulers in Type IV Governements are Kings, and therefore have an army of their own, whicht must fight for Rome whenever the Senate calls. There you are free how these armies have to look like.
12. Like fleaza said: Do not camapaign during the winter months, at least in the north. In Egypt or the Sabean kingdom, it might be possible. Always camp in forts if possible. Roman armies build camps after every march.
13. Romans adopted sons quite often. But make sure you don't adopt idiots like dumb/uncharismatic etc. And don't let your daughters marry such idiots too.
14. Also like fleaza had the idea: Generals who lose x (put in a number) important battles, or a whole army should return to rome and be punished by the senate. Since roman citizens are not to be punished by death – except they are traitors – they mostly are banished to somewhere. Send this man to a city far away, where he remains for the rest of his life in shame, or even a client kingdom, where he can serve a client king of rome in this king’s army, as a second officer or so, but be must never again fight in a regular legion or army of Rome. (Of course you can roleplay a cool story, of a general who was banished, but in times of great danger, they beg him to return etc.... ;-) )
15. Don't always retrain your army. Units can be retrained when they have lost not less than 50% of their soldiers. Historically armies had their full theoretical strength only rarely.
16. Every legion has 1 Spy and 1 Diplomat (they can be integrated in your army, as you know, they don't take away the slots of your soldiers). Armies (2 Legions have 2 Spies and 2 Diplomats)
17. Mercenaries can only be hired by a decision of the senate in Rome, in desperate situations. The General of course has to inform the senate first, that he needs to hire mercs. He has to send a messenger (spy) to rome, who after that has to return to the general with the decision of the senate. Since you will have many spies at the borders of your empire, an intelligent general can use a "chain". He can send a spy to another spy, and this one to the next spy again, and therefore bring his message faster to rome.
18. Notice: After the Marian reforms, the Legions are tied to the General, not to the senate. So a very wealthy man (this is a trait) can hire mercs without asking the senate. After Marian reforms also civil wars and even the change to an emperor is possible, if one is mighty enough.
Last edited by SwissBarbar; 10-14-2009 at 11:03.
Balloon-Count:
Many thanks to Hooahguy for this great sig.
Re: Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
I barely have time left these days...But whenever I play EB (and Stainless Steel) I make it a must that I completely destroy Barbaropolis.
I think that counts as a houserule doesn't it?
"ΜΗΔΕΝ ΕΩΡΑΚΕΝΑΙ ΦΟΒΕΡΩΤΕΡΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΔΕΙΝΟΤΕΡΟΝ ΦΑΛΑΓΓΟΣ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΚΗΣ" -Lucius Aemilius Paullus
Re: Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
when i play rome i use entirely different rules. these rules are for when playing kingdoms. and the 'dont kill retreating units' only applies to enemies who have similar culture/ethnicity to your own. i also garrison settlements according to their needs. for example. id garrison cities which were a safe distance behind the frontier with a couple of decent troops. on the frontier id garrison them with decent troops, around 5-10 units and id garrison powerful/historically important cities like antioch with decent troops + 1 elite.
Re: Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
with Pahlava:
1) dude! you can not conquer AS with bunch of starting horse-archers without going insane
2) do not (i repeat: do not) raze cities to the ground and then retreat: you'll need them sooner or later! AI won't rebuild them for you (you'll be back before it do that), and you probably wont have money to do that yourself
3) in newly conquered regions build barracks first, and then go for markets/justice improvements, roads etc.
4) do not attack armies in woods with horse archer army
5) always kill everything when you conquer a city
6) and my newest discovery: living is much more easier if you destroy Baktria as soon as possible
Last edited by Jebivjetar; 10-13-2009 at 14:37.
Re: Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
I only play the Romanii as I don t know why I feel its not right to play the others, even when I tried I stopped after a couple of turns.
I use the 'Accurate Timeline' link from the search. There it explains nearly everything. Apart from those I keep all my other family members in rome and never blitz and use historical time conquests only. Read it out and you have it all.
Etienne
Re: Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
- slow expansion
- historical or at least balanced armies (elites only in king's or prince's armies, city specific armies as KH, factional core units + regional levies and specialists), I like to make reforms, like Thorakitai and Thureophoroi armies as Helenes, more organised armies as "barbarians" after many years of contact with "civilised" peoples
- FM roleplaying, giving them duties they are supposed to do, like vigorous ones have to be active, blooded and naturally born commanders command armies, peace lovers are managers, give them education - academy (or whatever you have), than commanders fight rebels, managers (by that time they already have few traits determinig their fate) start developing smaller cities, than they move to larger armies/cities, roleplay some internal strugles
- with RTW AI it is difficult but try acting diplomatically wise
my balloons
Re: Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
I am playing as the Sweboz at the moment, and due to Northern europe, in our time frame being "only just" in the throngs of the advanced Iron age I have been playing very slowly.
First off.. Most of my early army would consist of the "youth" skirmishers.
After each battle my army would be sent to its corresponding Home pronvince and disbanded, due to no real standing professional germanic army anywhere untill maybe post AD (correct me if im wrong)
Majority of my pronvines are ruled with type 4 or type 3 governments With a High king and lesser kings.
It wont be untill very later in my campaign that more type 2 and then type 1 governments appear.
Taxes are on low most of the time and then raised while a war is being fought.
Buildings are built in a quasi-technological order. once i had built mines i could then build blacksmiths, with black smithers the traders were upgraded to market places. larger ports where then built.
After the early wars and then acess to mines I could then validate myself into building larger barracks which could produce the "Dugunthis(sp)"
After a loss of a major battle with serious causlties or a win with serious causlties. I cant raise another large army untill 8-10years later to try to simulate a large loss of the 15-40 age range of the male population.
Family members fight in the battle line, I pretty sure this is correct many germanic leaders being just petty chieftans, in the eyes of romans, were only in control due in some part to fighting prowless. Im aware that up untill maybe the 11th century AD germanic leaders still fought in this way. Most notably Harold Godwinson of the English.
Also i fight in either single line in guard mode or just as mass of units to simulate the mindset of the northern germanic fighter from the late BC period.
Of course I RP, with the aphistemnoi(sp) and yes this occansional bandits or pirates as neighbouring units from neighbouring pronvinces. E.G i did not take on the cimbri or goths of scandanavia untill pirate fleets were pilthering trade from the southern Baltic.
Oh, I havent built any soap makers yet, because i wasn't sure that germanic tribes at this point had it. So i would not build them untill comming into contact with celtic peoples (in game this means sharing a border with one of the gaulic factions. Please tell me if there is evidence they do.
overall since im playing the campaign on very hard. having no standing professional army untill i feel i have, in theory, created enough stability and technology, not to mention economically, IT will be a very hard game because the A.I is going to go stack crazy at me once i share another border with a faction.
Currently im role playing that the sweboz want to control the coastline around the baltic since Over land travel in northern europe is so slow and dangerous.
Last edited by Shylence; 10-14-2009 at 20:06. Reason: terrible command of english from a native english speaker, Oh the shame!
As I walked through the Glenshane Pass I heard a young girl mourn
The boy form Tamlaghtduff 'she cried 'is two years dead and gone'
How my heart is torn apart this young man to lose
Oh I'll never see the likes again of my young Francis Hughes ....
Re: Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
I only have three real rules.
1. Never put taxes on more than "high".
2. Only family members can lead an army.
3. Never start a war for conquest only. There must be good political reasons for doing so.
If Im playing an easier faction I add some other rules to make it harder
Re: Share your Roleplaying/Houserule lessons
I have noticed that govt. types have pros and cons...
1. building the highest govt. type available when you conquer a new city
Pros:
-gives you tons of cash
-lots of mid-advanced level structures available; hence, enhanced stability and cash from better developed structures.
-if you can get a FM into the settlement, you will make even MORE cash because it will be governed AND advanced.
Cons:
-many of your settlements/provinces go without a governor; hence, you don't make as much money and have as much stability in your settlements
-serious chance you may run low on FM's to command an army should a big time war break out
-it takes anywhere from 1-6 years to stabilize a newly conquered settlement (including time to build the government and get a basic military barracks up)! THIS IS HUGE because this can cripple an invasion and/or turn your generals into "attuned governors" while they sit in a new province
2. building type IV's in every newly conqured settlement
Pros:
-every settlement is governed.
-guaranteed stability in every new settlement
-endless supply of generals
-the BEST local troops (great in Gaul!)
-attacking army doesn't get bogged down in nation-building every new settlement.
Cons:
-you are stuck with a local king/tyrant/warlord, for better or worse, for at least 40 years. That's a looong time
-you cannot build ANY advanced civic structures
-you have to pay a hefty, regular bribe to keep the alliance in tact
The biggest trade-off is advancing your society for local military capacity. Stability is going to come either way, but you honestly should not build a Type IV unless you genuinely need the local military capacity from the region. As Romans, this is most needed in the Gallic and African provinces.
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