Roman: Julii

**Craterus** · 10-03-2005, 16:09

Never seen it happen.. I doubt it would. You have to beat the Senate in battle, they can't be beaten otherwise...

**GreatEmperor** · 10-03-2005, 19:15

Ok, thanks

But I find it's very good to sabotage the forum because it drops the population increase (to -0,5 in my case), so the Senate can't get to their highest tech level. They can't recruit the best soldiers now while I can.

**Craterus** · 10-03-2005, 20:17

Good point, but the Senate are very rich and will buld another forum quite quickly. Sabotage is great for training up assasins.

**GreatEmperor** · 10-04-2005, 14:34

Hmm... are you sure? In my game (Julii 198 B.C. H/N) I've been sabotaging the Senate for ages but still they aren't getting experience. So if I want to train them I'll let them kill Rebels.

**GreatEmperor** · 10-04-2005, 14:37

Are you sure? Because in my game (Julii H/N 198 B.C.) I've been sabotaging the Senate for ages but still they won't get experience. If I wanna train my Assassins I'll let them kill off some rebel.

**Ariplatostophanes** · 10-04-2005, 22:29

So, war in Germany has gone well. I had been distracted there (I was planning to move into Spain). Germany has settled down after I've taken 4 regions and are sending fewer and smaller armies. I have a Senate mission to take a fifth but I don't think I will follow thru. It's 232 BC and my Senate standing is still pretty good. It is only for a "minor exotic unit" that will appear in my capital, miles away from any front line. I'm going to siege the German town, then force a ceasefire. I plan to offer two of the conquered regions to my ally Britain, giving me a nice buffer between a now neutral (yet probably hostile) Germany and Julii red Gaul. Then I'll pull those two armies south and head back towards Spain.

Meanwhile in Greece, I apparently defeated the last Greek family member when he sallied out of Sparta. After his defeat, their 4 remaining regions went rebel and I got the faction eliminated message. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough and Thrace took Larissa before I could get there. Now I'm sieging the city in the SW (the one just south of Appolonia). The army that took Rhodes is now sieging the rebel province in the SW of Turkey (The one with the wonder. Sorry, no map here to recall the names). Then he'll move north by sea to take the other rebel region across from Byzantium (which is owned by Thrace).

Now to my latest question: my next logical expansion is north from Greece into Thrace. If I do this, it won't leave much for the Brutii. Neither of my Roman brothers have distinguished themselves so far. The Brutii, contrary to what I've seen in other posts, have big stacks all over their Italian regions and very little across the Aegean. It wasn't like I charged into Greece early on. I gave them a good 25 years to do something there before I moved in. I need some suggestions for getting the Brutii out of Italy in the near future without having to give up conquesting the Thracian towns. I've been putting off building my final level palaces so I can get good use out of my standing armies, particularly against Spain. But squalor and pop is building up quick in Patavium and Carthage. Once I swoop thru Spain I will be dangerously close to the magic Civil War number. Help me get the Brutii out of Italy

**GreatEmperor** · 10-05-2005, 15:29

If you've got 30 provinces, the civil war won't be declared immediatly. I've got 41 provinces now and still my standing with the senate is very good, no signs of the civil war starting has been given (except for the message that you can attack Rome now). At first, Brutii and Scipii had a lot of armies swarming through Italy, but now they've been gone. Just wait long enough 'till they are gone or get 49 provinces and attack Rome then.

**GreatEmperor** · 10-05-2005, 15:38

If you've got 30 provinces the Civil war won't start immediatly. In my game i've got 41 provinces now and still no sign of the Civil War has reached me (except for the message that I can attack Rome now). My standing with the Senate is high, there was a time when there were full stacks of Brutii and Scipii everywhere in Italy, but after a while they dissapeared. You've actually got 3 choices:
1. Wait for them to leave Italy and then attack their homelands.
2. Bribe them all away.
3. Get 50 provinces and then attack Rome.

**Ariplatostophanes** · 10-05-2005, 19:09

And another question: Last night I got the "People are sick of the old men and ready for you" message. Any thoughts on this. I am pre-Marius at the moment but I'm playing 1.0 and just started building the final palace tech level in Patavium, so my understanding is the reforms will occur when that is complete in six turns. I am at 24 provinces after giving two to my British ally so Civil War hasn't begun. Should I wait or should I storm Rome now? What conditions would make a difference?

**Seamus Fermanagh** · 10-05-2005, 20:17

At least two schools of thought on this.

1) With only 24 provinces, you should delay civil war while building yourself up to the point where smashing Italy gives you the win. Your opponents will build up, but your overall econ base should be bigger and stronger.

2) If the Brutes and Skips aren't built up too much then blitz the whole place. This should leave you with 35-40 provinces and a relatively simple war against the Germans or Dacian/Thracians for the win. This is riskier, however, if the Senate cripples your field armies (win or lose) and sets up a good Brute/Skip counter.

Seamus

**Garvanko** · 10-05-2005, 21:00

Wait six turns for the reforms. Build up your army. Wait to be outlawed.

**Sand** · 10-05-2005, 22:37

Id say go for it. You dont get any benefits from taking Rome (other than a nice city obviously) but why wait? Once you get the Marian reforms your army will be obsolete ( wont be able to retrain Hastatii etc) so use them up taking Rome/Italy over the next 6 turns and then replenish your legions with the brand shiny new Marian troop types. Also it increases the challenge of fighting and defeating the Senate army, which should be a highpoint of the game rather than overkill.

And for your first question, I wouldnt encourage the Bruttii to get out of Italy. Easier to beat them when they only have two cities. The AI can break down when you leapfrog their objectives. I took Libyeuam and Syracuse as Julii, before the Scipii did. They sat in their cities for the rest of the game, most likely because holding Libyeum was a condition for invading North Africa.

**Ariplatostophanes** · 10-06-2005, 14:52

Aye, thank you one and all for some great replies.
Sand, you're definately and emphatically partially right (just prodding you friend

) on the second point. I stole Carthage and Thapsus from right under the Scipii's noses in about turn 5-6. Carthage was particularly a tough fight but I held on. That left them Sicily, which they took pretty early from Carthage and Greece. Since then they've just been sitting around, inhaling lava fumes. But the Brutii, I just don't know. They had years to march thru Greece and Thrace but never did. So they have their starting two and Appolonia. I may have created a problem for them early on by allying with Macedonia. The Macs have somehow held on. Last night, after a turn, Cyrene in N Africa turns Mac orange and black. It was like yeah, go little Mac go. They had been down to just one region along the Aegean coast for years.

I'm also realizing that I currently don't have a requisite army to take Rome anywhere nearby. I would either have to build one, which seems silly being now 4 turns away from the reforms. Or I need to ship one over, which screws up my other bigger plans. I think I will ride it out for awhile as Garvanko and Seamus suggest. It's only 229BC so there's lots of time.

How about encouraging the other Romans to attack Egypt? It would give them something to do and something to spend their money on. I only have one small border with Egypt in Asia Minor so I'm not too worried about invasion in my own lands. Egypt is already at war with Numidia, Seulucids, and Parth I think. To be frank, they are tho only faction I have any fear on these days.