Tips to save the West

[Paradigmatic]

Been playing as the WRE in Attila. Except for everything falling apart and being being repeatedly forced to defend against insurmountable odds, everything is peachy!

Here's what I've learned, for those who might try their hand at saving the West:

• Don't abandon Britannia! Abandoning provinces reduces public order all around and causes no small amount of grief;
• Minor factions in Africa and Britannia are easily subjugated and can then serve as income sources through trade - try to outmaneuver their main force and take their only settlement when it's undefended;
• Right off the bat, propose to join all the wars of the ERE but make them pay you through the nose! (Yeah it's gamey, but hey on legendary you'll need all the help you can get);
• Play all battles, even ridiculous 4 garrison vs 20 invaders - Roman units are good defensively and can oftentimes destroy 1/3 to 1/2 of the barbarians!
• Priest are insanely useful - not only do they convert people to your religion, but they also raise public order which is crucial when the game starts!

All I got for now, but if anyone feels like adding more, please do! There's only so many close and pyrrhic victories Stilicho will grant me


Update:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

• Chose your start: you have to shop for a good start if you have any plans of winning with the WRE. A good start means mainly friendly African minor states. They must have traits like Admires Strong Empires, Indifferent to Empires, Reliable, Passive, etc. This will allow you to play the diplomacy game with them, gifts to raise their opinion of you, get trade goods and finally a non-aggression pact; sometimes even an alliance. You need at least 2 of the 3 states to be either neutral or on your side, 3 if better. It allows to leave Africa completely undefended while still making money and food.
  
• Destroy everything in Pannonia and Dalmatia. 1st turn everything that isn't food related, 2nd turn, everything left. Don't abandon the provinces. The hordes will mill around sacking settlements you don't care about for a good 15 to 20 turns. The garrisons will take their toll on the hordes and you can attack them with an army you keep to defend Venetia. Prevent Illyria from forming or befriend them when they do form. A strong Illyria is a pain in the ass. Additional buildings to destroy: anything that boosts pagans, training fields that are not in Liguria ad Venetia, Military Jetties that are not in Tarentum. Wasting all those buildings will net around 30,000 cash.
  
• Build wheat fields, sanitation and public order (that doesn't boost pagans). Level 1 churches in provincial capitals and minor settlements are recommended as they will ease the transition from unhappiness due to religion (in the beginning) to unhappiness due to immigrants (which happens hella fast). Note that each province needs, if possible, to produce positive food. It helps public order and prevent starvation when the weather grows colder after the first 20 turns (you won't manage everywhere, but try).
  
• DO NOT ABANDON BRITANNIA!!! I had to learn this one the hard way. Abandonning Britannia allows the Picts, Caledonians, Irish, and the god damned Viking Forefathers to sail into norther Gaul and even down all the way to Spain. Keeping Britannia has them focusing on Britannia. Better yet, make puppet states out of the 3 Celtit minors in Britannia. Also build a fleet (between Britannia and Ireland if you are at odds with the Irish), in Camulodunum once the Irish are dealt with (diplomacy can stall them for a while if they don't absolutely hate your guts - here again, check their traits; -40 relations but Passive or Admires Strong Empires can be stalled with gifts).
  
• Deal with the Suebi ASAP. Then deal with the Vandals ASAP. Then send your army to secure Britannia. For your Danubian frontier, puppet-state the Quadi quickly (or annihilate them), before they build up or the hordes are upon you. Once the Quadi are dealt with and Britannia is secure-ish (don't wait too long) start trying to make puppet states out of the Franks, Saxons, Allamanis and even further into Germania. It will be long, you shouldn't send more than a single strong army (onagers are recommanded - easily obtainable as mercs in Africa, especially in the minor states). If Britannia is safe, send the army from there (leave the fleet in Camulodunum - 6 ships suffice). The various puppets will rebel, some might need to be exterminated, but any that don't specifically hate you can make awesome allies. Look at the Sassanids' swarm of minor factions wrecking havoc on the east. Yon want in on that. Get your own German and Celtic swarm. Also, note that a relations are upgraded at the beginning of turn. If you make a puppet-state, it will hate you until the beginning of the next turn. Which means any new war until then will likely see them rebel. Note the character traits of the puppet states and watch your relations with them. A gift here and there will keep them in line.
  
• Always keep a watchful eye on Pubilc Order. You'll be securing one place after another (ideally Italy, Africa, Spain, Britannia, Gaul, in that order). Governors and Priests should rotate to the more troublesome area. Boost their Public Order and then move to the next. Just don't let rebels crop up. Try to keep everyone neutral or green. The goal is to eventually have every province churning positve public order, but that will take some time.
  
• Upgrading your military: here's what you need to know: build melee infantry, build missile infantry and especially build artillery (or buy the mercs). Forget cavalry. German mercenaries can fill that role. Also, for the mid game (50-60 turns) your army doesn't require upgrades. It can deal with everything as long as it mostly defends (tactially speaking - you'll actually need to be on the offensive most of the time in Britannia and Germania).
  
• Fleets! You need minimally 1 in Britannia around Camulodunum (though check that the Ebdanians are clearly pacified first) and 1 in the Adriatic to ward off transport fleets. 1 admiral, 3 to 6 rams and 3-4 artillery will massacre everything you come accross. It might be costly, but losing Rome or an undefended Britannia is costlier.
  
• Spies! Spies can slow down hordes. You can't deal with every horde coming at you. the recurring costs grow heavy, but 1 or 2 spies can save your life. Keep them in Dalmatia / Pannonia, Raetia et Noricum. Usually, at the opposite of where your defensive army is.
  
• Manage your expenses. 3 armies and 2 fleets can manage until turn 40-50. A fourth army might be needed after that. Armies cost the money you should be spending to keep public order in check.

So far, my 2 best games have been:

1. A game where I abandoned Britannia and went berserk in Germania, razing everything in Germania, Hercynia and Frisia. The main issue became raiding parties from Britannia and the fact that no matter how far in Germania you go, someone further away always declares war. Puppet states would've been a useful buffer. And the strain of trying to contain the Celts and the Vikings became too costly.
2. A game where I kept Britannia and got a few puppet states on the Rhine frontier, but I should've kept going while I had an advantage in Germania. I backed-off thiking I was safe for now. The Picts and the Saxons where still free and over time, they dragged in more factions against me preventing me from focusing on continuing to rebuild my provinces. Also, I did not keep religion in check, building amphitheaters and the like. Religion should be a way to easily raise public order and counteract the decrease of public order due to immigration build-up.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Here's a tip - out of the gate use your first-turn cash to assign governors to your most profitable provinces, you'll want to hang onto these and any governor is better than no governor, it will improve your financial situation greatly.

Another - your starty armies suck, really badly, unlike the Western Empire you get no free archer units so you'll want to drive that tech as hard as possible.

A third - try not to go bankrupt.

[I_damian]

My tactic so far has been to slowly build up 3 armies with troops while the rest of the empire crumbles around me. The logic here is that when I've got 3 large armies I will launch 3 large offensives and crush the enemy. General Hilarius will sweep all hairy stinkers from the German border, General Aetius will clear out all hairy stinkers from his area and Wenck will sweep in and save the day.

Unfortunately this tactic is getting me nowhere. What's clearly needed is the abandonment of one or two areas at the very start of the game so that armies can be combined. You need a large army FAST to deal with the marauding stinkers all over your empire. There's no getting around it. I'm gonna start again, abandon Britain and combine those 3 armies in Britain/Gaul in to one large army and go on the offensive. By offensive I mean... an offensive defence. Offence against all stinkers in my borders.

[Paradigmatic]

Another - your starty armies suck, really badly, unlike the Western Empire you get no free archer units so you'll want to drive that tech as hard as possible.

Hire units from neutral hordes. They're really cheap and usually complement your troops with cavalry and slingers (few archers). You can also get pike units from the visigoths.

try not to go bankrupt.

I build local industry and sheep flocks with all my cash turn 1. Forget public order, forget sanitation and especially forget religion (except for priests who get better over time and are mobile). You need to shore up your income to 3000ish + in the early turns or you're dead in the water.

What's clearly needed is the abandonment of one or two areas at the very start of the game so that armies can be combined.

My strategy was to combine the army in Spain with those in Gaul and follow around the Suebi without engaging. You can buy a few units off of them and they're not too aggressive at the start (and if you engage them later on, when the Vandals are fighting someone else, the Vandals may just leave you alone).

In Britannia, I build up a large stack and subdued the 2 minor celts in the north (the irish where friendly). With 2 puppet states on the island, I could then move my army back to the continent and they would defend against Saxons, Jutes and Franks trying to land. Camulodunum does get sacked now and then however so it might be worthwhile to station a small troop to defend it.

When inside the borders of a puppet state, you can hire units as if from a horde. Very useful if you get the Quadi or the Marcomans to be your puppet (they're situated where your armies will be anyways).

Also, get rid of useless generals standing around with no armies! They cost 320 per turn for no good reason.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

I have to say, after a while boredom really does set in - I can only play a turn before having to give up, what with needing to fight all these siege battles.

[Hooahguy]

Ive read that crossbowmen are vital to your survival as they pack quite a punch against Hunnic cavalry.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

So, any thoughts on actually catching these hordes and engaging them in battle?

I'm beginning to think I should split this big 20-unit siege army in half and plant the two parts in cities, let the hordes just batter themselves to pieces, because trying to get a good field battle going here seems to mostly be a non-starter.

So much grind guys, so much grind.

I'm actually going "screw this" and quitting mid-turn at the moment on the second turn, all these pokey little siege battle, every turn, that you have to fight because the autoresolve will always lose.