Carthage - Detailed Starting Guide for new players

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

A good guide!
Although, I usually conquer Sicily first and then move to Iberia and Numidia. Leaving those two Sicilian cities to stay rebel will only cause problems when Romans are starting sending stack after stack to besiege Messana.

Rome is 'the sick man' of Europe in EB, their expansion under the AI is always pathetic compared to the historical Roman timeline. I find that leaving Rome alone initially makes all non-Roman campaigns more fun later. Give the Romans time to expand a little before interfering with them.

In EB, Rome, under AI control, is more interested in expanding northward in Cisalpine Gaul than in Sicily - at least initially. Which, for Carthage, is just fine - she can expand in north-west Africa. In EB, the First Punic War is likely to start when Rome invades Corsica. (Using the BI engine, this is very likely indeed). Otherwise it will take Rome about 10 years to take Messana, she has to take Taras and Rhegion first.

[athanaric]

Nice one. Probably I'll take some inspirations from this, for my own guide(s).

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Mods:

Could this guide please be added to the stickied 'Gameplay Guides' thread at:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...ameplay-Guides

Thanks!

[xypherx]

... hmmm one thing i don't like - getting killed my mobile rams^^ ..... - i think elephants in those stage are quite overpowered - so why don't use 'em.... ? In my last campaign i was able to smash epeirus right in the beginning just a couple of turns ,they just moved in the makedonian capital which i captured later after finishing off the romans (they wanted tarent -.- so i had to interfere)- thanks to the elephants and my cavalry i was able to conquer half of italy quite fast - no need to siege and the frightening effekt+the hitpoints are worth it, and since i am a cavalry fan they came just right to help me with those damn samniti, princepes and triarii - they really suck if you don't own them.

[-42-]

Just focus on Africa, it keeps cost down, gets you some nice light/medium units, and I had a good 450,000 in the bank by the time the Romans and Lusitanians finally attacked. More than enough to steamroll both.

Another quick word of advice, even though they are well developed, don't be squeamish about sacking or exterminating Roman cities. Italian regionals aren't much more than filler, public order shouldn't be a priority, you can always use the easy cash and any long term war with the Romans is bound to drag on if you don't move fast.

[Archon]

I tend to have levels of taxation that are dependant on the type of settlement. I put Carthaginian colonies on normal taxation, Allied and client states on high/very high. Poorly developed regions epanded into that are by the coast always become Carthaginian colonies, highly developed regions become Allied/Client states (especially enemy faction capitals).

This makes expansion and army recuitment much much harder due to poor levels of tax revenue (most of your regions are carthaginian colonies and therefore most of the tacation you are getting per season is 'normal'), but I think for a trade-based faction like Carthage, its a much more 'proper' way of playing them. I also think from a pseudo-roleplaying perspective, the races and tribes that fought for Carthage were so wide spread and of dubious loyalty (they not having any real equivalent of Romanisation) that low levels of taxation keep certain elements 'sweet' to the Elders.

Any views on this method and how to improve it further?