first time

[MajorFreak]

well, i must say i'm overjoyed i can finally count on my triarii (hope i spelled that right) to not die, since vanilla RTW consisted of me trying to keep the damn things safe because the afterbattle healing was weighted to replenish the cheaper units (whether that was psychological or not didn't matter)...now, they're so damned tough i don't really have to worry about throwing them into the fray when i need the extra umph - and not worry about attrition.
That's the biggest plus.

For the con? well, i LOOOOVE breeding generals. It got to quite a science stacking those juno priestesses, physicians, herbalists and topping it off with a chirugeon. Then there was the morale ancillaries like soothsayer/haruspex, armourer and comedian, plus travel stuff like quartermaster, drillmaster and intrepid explorer (got really good and manufacturing all that before 200bc)
So, yeah, not being able to stack medics really pisses me off. lol. although, it's really moot now. =)

I think the biggest worry right now what to attack next after securing the peninsula...do i go up against those freaky nekkid guys who tend to rout my forces, or try my luck with carthage? Maybe i should do what i usually do with Brutii in vanilla - go for the juicy trade center of greece.

My biggest fault finding with EB is my new trikki ninja tactic of switching out the siege general at 2 turns till city falls. Course, i was a bit miffed in my last siege that the enemy didn't sally forth at the 11th hour.

The whole "missile nerf" thing is exciting...mostly my vanilla game had devolved to a pike/archer set up where i only needed a couple merc elephants to complete the uberwin army. now? I dunno...the only archers i have access to at the moment are some celtic guys with LOUSY attack rating. I hope not...this new system really pushes me to use ancient tactics to their full (repeated cavalry charges; skirmishers for flankings; resting echelons)

there's one unit i'd love to get now...i hated buying sarmatian knights cuz even though their charge bonus ruled, they tended to die enmasse during a charge from simple contact with the enemy...now? *droolz*

[fomalhaut]

this new system really pushes me to use ancient tactics to their full (repeated cavalry charges; skirmishers for flankings; resting echelons)

mission complete
:) :) :)

[vartan]

Since you are playing as Rome, which era are you at currently? If you're still in the peninsula, you are pretty much stuck with Roman and Celtic slingers, and Celtic archers. If you have N. Africa, get Numidian archers. If you are present in the Near East or around that area, you may get anything from Cretan archers to Caucasian, Syrian, Mardian and Persian (depending on how east you go). I consider the missiles of the West laughable, but that's only because I play from the East if those are the geographic terms you'd like to use!

[FinnishedBarbarian]

well, i must say i'm overjoyed i can finally count on my triarii (hope i spelled that right) to not die, since vanilla RTW consisted of me trying to keep the damn things safe because the afterbattle healing was weighted to replenish the cheaper units (whether that was psychological or not didn't matter)...now, they're so damned tough i don't really have to worry about throwing them into the fray when i need the extra umph - and not worry about attrition.
That's the biggest plus.

For the con? well, i LOOOOVE breeding generals. It got to quite a science stacking those juno priestesses, physicians, herbalists and topping it off with a chirugeon. Then there was the morale ancillaries like soothsayer/haruspex, armourer and comedian, plus travel stuff like quartermaster, drillmaster and intrepid explorer (got really good and manufacturing all that before 200bc)
So, yeah, not being able to stack medics really pisses me off. lol. although, it's really moot now. =)

I think the biggest worry right now what to attack next after securing the peninsula...do i go up against those freaky nekkid guys who tend to rout my forces, or try my luck with carthage? Maybe i should do what i usually do with Brutii in vanilla - go for the juicy trade center of greece.

My biggest fault finding with EB is my new trikki ninja tactic of switching out the siege general at 2 turns till city falls. Course, i was a bit miffed in my last siege that the enemy didn't sally forth at the 11th hour.

The whole "missile nerf" thing is exciting...mostly my vanilla game had devolved to a pike/archer set up where i only needed a couple merc elephants to complete the uberwin army. now? I dunno...the only archers i have access to at the moment are some celtic guys with LOUSY attack rating. I hope not...this new system really pushes me to use ancient tactics to their full (repeated cavalry charges; skirmishers for flankings; resting echelons)

there's one unit i'd love to get now...i hated buying sarmatian knights cuz even though their charge bonus ruled, they tended to die enmasse during a charge from simple contact with the enemy...now? *droolz*

Yes the vanilla units took casulties at horrible pace, but try arverni/aedui/casse and you will see 70% of your troops getting healed with druidic training and ancillaries. At EB only units that can cause quickly tremendous casulties are roman units armed with pila and high lethality/armor piercing weapon units like Kluddargos (casse unit wielding two-handed sword) Thraikioi Rhomphaiaphoroi (thracian elite unit). These units can cause horrible casulties even for units that have high defence skill/high armor rating.

Playing as Romans you should put your units to defensive stance and watch them hold against almost any opposition, romans have only one good shock cavalry unit = equites extraordinary, they aren't comparable to eastern factions heavy cavalry but in europe they dominate the battlefield (mostly because AI doesn't know how to use cavalry).

If you want suggestions for army compositions this works on medium battle difficulty = 1 accensi,1 leves,1 rorarii, 2 hastati, 2 principes 1 triarii, 2 equites romani and general. You can add also pedites extraordinary and equites extraordinary, but these are elite units that should only appear on consular armies. I tend to restrict myself because campaign would be quite easy to complete by spammin principes.

Send your northern army against the ligurians if you win you gain decent province if you lose your army's upkeep will drop so = win/win situation. Besiege taras because those trecherous swinehunden allied themselfs with pyrhos that's enough reason to take tarentum and enslave the population. If you go for sicily beware the carthages elephants (leves will be usefull because they have bonus against elephants), after you crush one fullstack of carthies you can easily take lilibeo. (unfortunately at the medium campaign difficulty the carthage never sends enforcements to sicily).

[Brennus]

The best advice (IMO) at this stage in a Roman game is to secure Sicily first as it is a great source of income and secures your southern flank from a Carthaginian invasion and also take Cisalpine Gaul as it will open up the Polybian reforms for you. Just make sure you keep at least one stack on the border, the Sweboz can appear like a nightmare.

Following that try and take Iberia. You will probably have a real fight on your hands. Iberia's terrain is difficult to begin with and if the Lusitanians have managed to expand then you will be wading through treacle trying to subdue them. Also make sure you don't leave the Carthaginians for too long as they can become very strong. Greece can usually wait, Hellenistic formations led by AI are quite easy to beat if your a human Roman player.