Roman: Scipii

[CMcMahon]

Here's what I did (some might be wrong, but this is pretty much what I remember):

1) Load a general and another hastati onto your fleet and send them towards Messana. Send your diplomat to Rome. Send one of your generals and units directly to the west of the Carthaginian border on Sicily. Train a bireme on your mainland city (I forget the name), build a barracks in Messana, and expand your mainland farms.

2) The Carthaginian army should be in Greek territory now. Join up your second general and your extra hastati, and break into Carthaginian territory towards Lylcaneum (sp?). Train hastati on the mainland.

3) The Carthaginian army should be seiging Syracuse now. So put a siege on Lylcaneum. Train hastati in your exisiting cities, build up your farms in Messana, and build a Temple of Jupiter on the mainland.

4) The Carthaginian army should have given up its siege of Syracuse to go back towards Lylcaneum. Take over Lylcaneum, exterminate the populace, repair anything that's damaged, destroy the temple, build a Temple of Jupiter, and train velites. In your other cities, train more hastati.

5) The Carthaginian army should be close now, so take them out, and send a general and units towards Syracuse. The Greek general should be the only unit in the city, with the rest of the army roaming around somewhere; they're not at war with you yet, so your objective is to take the city before they have a chance to attack you. Load your ships with hastati and send them to Messana. Send your hastati from Messana to siege Syracuse. Train more hastati on the mainland, a diplomat in Messana, and velites in Lylcaneum, build a port in Messana, and build roads on the mainland.

6) Join up your general and his units with the hastati sieging Syracuse, and proceed to kick ass and take names, and then enslave the population. Send your diplomat to the remaining Greek army, and offer a ceasefire and trade rights, which they should accept (this will keep their army from devastating your land, and - although still on Sicily - prevents them from attacking any of your three cities, although their diplomat on the island will keep trying to bribe your faction leader in Messana until the day he dies). Build up another bireme on the mainland, train hastati in Messana and Syracuse, and more velites in Lylcaneum. Build stables in Lylcaneum.

7) Carthage should have just dropped off a faction heir and some soldiers right next to Lylcaneum. Kill them. Send your ships to Messana, load up tropps from all your cities, and build. You should have gotten a mission to capture the Carthaginian city south of Carthage (once again, I forget the name - sorry). Keep training hastati and velites. Build to expand trade.

8) Join your ships together just south of Lylcaneum; train equites there, expand your farms, and load all your velites onto the ships. Keep training just like before.

9) Put your equites on your ships, send your ships south of Carthage. Train equites and hastati for later. Practice range in Syracuse, roads in your other cities.

10) Unload your troops, siege the city, and blockade the harbor. Buy mercenaries. Keep training like in #9.

11) Take over the city, exterminate the populace, destroy the temple, build a Temple of Jupiter, and train velites. Send your ships back to Sicily. Keep training troops and building up your trade there.

12) Load up on Sicily, and send them towards your troops in North Africa. Keep training and building like before.

After this, it's pretty straight forward: Take Carthage (3 turns), kill the populace, destroy their temple, build a new one for Grandpa Jupiter, train train train, ally and get military access from Numidia for trade rights and map information. Send ships from Sicily loaded with troops to the small island south of Gaulic territory. Send assassins into Numidia and wreak havoc while moving your own troops right next to their unsuspecting cities, and then take them out in just two or three turns. At this point, ally with Egypt, and send a force into southern Spain to take out the last Carthaginian stronghold (which should have, oh, one or two units in it due to them geting beat up so badly by both you and Spain, who you should also ally if possible).

edit: I forgot to mention this, but after you have a secure hold on Carthage, make it your capitol. Your old capitol will be pissed for a few turns on the mainland, but whatever. Screw 'em.

[crazybastard]

Playing on H/H as Scipii, I realized several things.

First, that the chance of SPQR electing one of your family member to be part of their little circle of power in Rome is microscopic. So far only my heir has been elected as the lowest rank (Praetor or something concerning $) and is kicked off the next year, only to be replaced by the Brutii.

Second, equites are pretty useless against long shield cavalry

Third, I think it's best to delay your mission to conquer Carthage for as long as possible. Carthage itself grows like a mofo (+8-9% pop. growth each turn) and doesn't have much of an income, and soon the squalor also increases like a mofo and the income drops like a mofo. I guarantee that it'll start losing 3000 denrarii in no time. I'm having trouble with maintaining it myself. Tried the leave-the-city-then-reconquer-it-and-slaughter-all-those-sorry-asses-inside plan but it backfired. (Carthage returns to Carthigian with full stacks of elephants and Poeni's and long shields)

But if you're good enough, you should be able to re-massacre Carthage over and over and over and over again till those sorry asses stop complaining.

Anyway here's how I did:

Take Syracuse. This seems obvious but move all your units and slaughter the Greeks inside the city, enslave it (to boost income...mmm...denrarii...good) and meanwhile build a milita barrack in Messana to train additional hastaii. Hastaii are your secret weapon in the early game. But Principii are just as good if you can get them.

Then build up an army loaded with Hastaii and your best general, and conquer Lilbayeum (or something) and again, enslave the pop to boost your income.

And now the senate would probably ask you to blockade a few Greek or Macedonian ports over at Asia minor. DO IT. You want the Senate to like you. To love you, to...(go figure)

Meanwhile gather a few hastaii and ship them over to Caralis, the big island just west of your Italian capital (Capua) and besiege it. Take it over. Put a governor in it if you want to make money fast. This island is very crucial to your state finance since when it grows it'll obtain ports and dockyards which in turn will connect trade routes to Capua and Sicily and boost up your economy like a mofo.

Then at this time, the Senate will asks you to conquer the Carthiginan city of Thapsus. Do it. Enslave or masacre the city. (Up to you; I enslaved it) and build pave roads or highways IMMEDIATELY. Africa is vast so you need to save time by moving your legions on highways, not just ordinary roads.

Build up your legions and ship them over to Africa. The Carthaginians will constantly send troops to harass you. Build watchtowers if you like.

If you're lucky, the senate will asks you to conquer Lepics Magna before going onto Carthage. (I wasn't so lucky though) Take it. Late build port to monopolizes your Mediterrean sea trade. (mmm....($)($))

Then it's the final ho-down with might Carthage. Get your best general, get as many hastaii and roman archers and any other experienced troops you can spare, and besiege the city.

Usually with a hugh city like Carthage it'll take it 8 full turns to surrender. HOWEVER if there are roaming carthaginian armies outside the city they might attempt to break up the siege and attack you. This is to your advantage. Use it wisely. I found out that my hastaii and principii are no match even against their Libyen Spearmen on the wall. So it's better to pepper the living shizs out of them with pila and missiles out on the open and THEN slaughter them.

After Carthage is yours, just sit back and relax for a bit. (I'm still coming up wit the second half of this strategy, heheh)

Peace

[katank]

@crazybastard, are those Libyans experienced?

On H/H, if you use siege towers, principes can take on Libyans without much problem at all. Make sure you keep a steady stream of units up the tower though.

[crazybastard]

those libeyan spearmen were in fact three or two bronze chevroned, and I guess spearmen have an advantage combating on walls.

[Garvanko]

Playing on H/H as Scipii, I realized several things.

First, that the chance of SPQR electing one of your family member to be part of their little circle of power in Rome is microscopic. So far only my heir has been elected as the lowest rank (Praetor or something concerning $) and is kicked off the next year, only to be replaced by the Brutii.

Second, equites are pretty useless against long shield cavalry

Equites are pretty useless against anything IMO.

As for the senate offices list, I held all the offices except Consul a couple of turns back last night. As long as you keep you faction leader and key generals conquering...

[katank]

Spearmen have no advantage on walls. Their superior experience is the thing. Also, you may not be streaming guys up steadily. Your troops need many buddies coming up behind to not panic.

Defenders always has a slight advantage on the walls just from attrition due to towers on approach, fatigue, and also that even siege towers doesn't necessarily deliver the whole unit at once.

[Deus ret.]

Equites are pretty useless against anything IMO.

don't underestimate them. Historically, Romans were a very infantry-heavy faction, as were the Greeks; now compare Equites to Greek cavalry (which is one level higher) and I bet you're lucky to have them. Of course, their usefulness is rather limited, but then again wait for the post-Marian units.... awesome. and extremely unrealistic.

[katank]

Not true. Equites are quite overpowered for the Romans. They already have killer infantry and equites aren't much worse than longshields in stats.

They can eat greek cav and roundshields. Romans should not have access to such good cavalry. Realistically, the Roman cav should be their native heavies with something like Gothic cav mercs available at very steep price.

[nameless]

Not true. Equites are quite overpowered for the Romans. They already have killer infantry and equites aren't much worse than longshields in stats.

They can eat greek cav and roundshields. Romans should not have access to such good cavalry. Realistically, the Roman cav should be their native heavies with something like Gothic cav mercs available at very steep price.

Unfortunately the Romans need some sort of calvary unit in the game. Roman Legions are good but their not that good, they need help when it comes to dealing with phalanx units and calvary/chariots. THey don't have anything else that can run after fast units(Arcanis are expensive and long to make) Spartans and Sacred bands can still beat back legions themselves. One time I had 4 Hastati encircling a Spartan unit and they lost alot of men despite circiling them.

Though regardless of the situation I always keep a good number of calvary anyways. They basically determine the outcome of most of my battles.

On M/M in my Scipii campaign I found myself a little overstretched with Corinth, Carthage, Thapsus, Scilli island, Athens, and Sparta and Crete in the first part of the game. Not sure if this has been noted but is it a good idea if you have infantry set to loose formation when dealing with calvary, chariots and elephants? I tried javeliners at times but it just doesn't work, chariots move way too fast for the javeliners to track and elephants just rampage through them. I'm beginning to think Fire/Archers are the only way and maybe wardogs and pigs.

I think the romans should've been given a unit that can lay down obstacles that ruin chariots, at least that's what I heard they did back then.

[crazybastard]

nameless, force attack your infantries (alt+right click) on the chariots and elephants w/ at least groups of three of four principii (or cohorts at a later game) and cross your fingers and pray. Or bring your best general behind your infantries and they wouldn't rout that easily.