Strategy for Playing E/W Roman Empire in BI

[Marshal Murat]

For the Western Roman empire, I would build forst along the Rhine border, and as far down the Danube as possible. Then Establish some very strong bases in nearby cities, with a strong foot force, with some cavalry and artillery.

[kataphraktoi]

As for E Roman Empire strategy for uniting the empire and taking Rome?

Yeah, I'll wait for ther barbarian invasions to hit the West even if they hit the Ballkans first, I can afford to use peasants to slow the barbarians down. But my plan to attack the West would have to be piecemeal and drawn out.

Like Justinian, I'll have to attack the important parts first which means Carthage will be on the hitlist as well as Sicily.
Using Africa and Sicily as a secure naval, military and economic base I'll use the resources there to snare naval outposts in the Balearics, Sardinia and Corsica. Hopefully I'll be able to launch Amphibious attacks on major Italian cities.

But as eveyrone knows, plans are one thing, execution is another

[Doug-Thompson]

Years ago, I had a board game called "Imperium Romanum" that covered the same period of time. I played the Eastern Empire a lot.

I tried to juggle and balance the first couple of games, then realized my problems would be a whole lot simpler to solve if the Sassanid Empire was wiped out first. It was always threatening to declare war on me. You had to roll a die for it every turn. If I wiped it out instead, conquering the rest of the map was a snap.

The same preemptive plan might work here.

[econ21]

The same preemptive plan might work here.

Yup, in Total War, wiping out factions early is usually the most effective (and least exhausting) strategy. I wonder if I will have the stamina to simply try to "hold the line" as the W. Roman Empire and not move into other lines? I like turtling and this might be one set up in which such behaviour is historical.

[Doug-Thompson]

@SA

One interesting aspect of the "horde" option might be to make "blitz" openings less practical for the Western Empire. If you blitz some barbarians, they'll just turn into a horde and reestablish themselves somewhere else, either in your territory of somebody elses.

If so, that would be interesting and an improvement.

[econ21]

Yes, the "horde" feature sounds interesting, although it sounds more like something that will help barbarians biltz (no real estate to garrison) rather than protect them from pre-emptive blitzing themselves. I don't understand it completely, but from what I gather it does not seem to stop the player wiping out a barbarian faction in the few provinces it initially possesses. Kind of like defeating the Golden Horde on the turn they arrive in MTW (or indeed, stopping the Mongols early in MI). On the other hand, the over-stretched Romans probably aren't in much of a position to go charging into barbarian hordes in the early game (unless katank is leading them!) .

[Kralizec]

I simply don't see how such a rush would be feasonable. Like said, the WE consists of stretched, barely loyal provinces. If the game follows history reasonably well, most of these have to be abandoned. I'm probably going to ship all troops in Gaul to Brittain and fight the Saxons over it