An interesting investment - the power of bribes

[Akka]

Considering the insane amount of money you can get in the game (I usually count my denarii by millions), it'll be hard to make bribes TOO expensives...

[Doug-Thompson]

One thing I like about bribing: It brings the game to a swift conclusion.

Face it: The interesting portion of the game is the opening moves and on through big battles in mid-game. After that, we're all trying to administer empires while conquering the required 50 provinces, including Rome.

Some folks like administration, but they don't really get the option. If they play a Roman faction, the Senate keeps giving them missions that get them into wars. If they're not Roman, they are usually fighting against Romans who have missions from the Senate that get them into wars. The game's pacing is much more action-oriented than M:TW.

Once your empire's established and you're rich enough, you can bribe your way to victory. That's fine by me, but I wish the game had some "Glorious Achievment:"-type options for players who want that sort of thing.