My aims are usually to just make a nice sizeable empire, then once you have enough money build a gargatuan civil defence project. An ancient version of the maginot line. And then, start feeding 100,000D to all enemies of rome or poor countries, every turn. It makes for a very interesting game. I now have a border with a large Armenian empire, which is slowly expanding into northern africa. Meanwhile, i have kept the Dacians going for a while, so that they can act as a buffer zone in between me and the julii. They are a power to be reckoned with, the Dacians....