SwordsMaster's guide to playing Rome

[Megalos]

I play as Rome in a very similar manner, with a few differences with my units...

...the rules I set for my units are as follows:

1. Retraining Troops at a barracks is forbidden. Only merging is allowed.

2. Only non professional soldiers may make up a garrison.

3. Local non-Roman troops are not allowed to be garrison troops.

4. Mercenaries can only be employed for three battles, where it is considered they have earnt their money. They must be disbanded immediately after their third battle.

5. Mercenaries can only enter the battlefield as reinforcements commanded by the A.I, unless the commander who hired them has the "mercenary captain" ancillary, in which case they can enter the battle along with the regular army (It is assumed the captain at your gens side is commanding them).
If the general who hired them doesn't have the above trait they must follow behind him and not remain as part of the regular stack.

6. If a mercenary army is attacked whilst it is not in a stack with a Roman general, the battle must be auto resolved.

4. I can train as many units as I like from hastati down except local non-Roman units, which are only allowed to form a third of a stack of any particular army.

5. A single unit of pricepes can only be trained when I have a 'FULL' Hastati unit with three bronze chevrons. The Hastati unit must travel to the city where I am going to train the unit of pricepes and there be disbanded. The unit of pricepes can only be trained once the Hastati unit is disbanded.

6. A double unit of pricepes can only be trained when I have a 'FULL' unit of pricepes with three bronze chevrons. The experienced pricepes unit must travel to the city where I am going to train the two units of pricepes and there be disbanded. The two units of pricepes can only be trained once the experienced pricepes unit is disbanded.

7. A unit of triarii can only be trained when I have a 'FULL' unit of pricepes with three bronze chevrons. The experienced pricepes unit must travel to the city where I am going to train the unit of triarii and there be disbanded. The unit of triarii can only be trained once the experienced pricepes unit is disbanded.

8. 6. A double unit of triarii can only be trained when I have a 'FULL' unit of triarii with three bronze chevrons. The experienced triarii unit must travel to the city where I am going to train the two units of triarii and there be disbanded. The two units of triarii can only be trained once the experienced triarii unit is disbanded.

9. A unit of Roman cavalry (does not include local ethnic units) can only be trained when I have a 'FULL' unit of triarii with three bronze chevrons. The experienced triarii unit must travel to the city where I am going to train the unit of cavalry and there be disbanded. The unit of cavalry can only be trained once the experienced triarii unit is disbanded.

10. The training of a double unit of Roman Cavalry is never permited.

11. When a reform comes along, the higher end units take their respective positions under the reform. e.g Camillan pricepes can be trained as Polybian pricepes after they have been disbanded.


Well if you managed to get through all that without falling asleep you have done well!

I find this style of play very rewarding as you very rarely end up with stack upon stack of "elites".

Try it out...It's not easy I can tell ya! ;)

[LorDBulA]

Wow thats pretty harsh rules of unit training.
Battle in which your experienced core is whipped out must be really terrible news in Rome. Any screens from your Campaigns, i wonder how you are doing.
I think i will try it out.

[Megalos]

Wow thats pretty harsh rules of unit training.
Battle in which your experienced core is whipped out must be really terrible news in Rome.

Yep those harsh battles are a real nightmare!

That's why I tend to spread out my more experienced units.

As for the loss being heavily felt in Rome, is exactly how it should be! ;)


Unfortunately I get an error whilst i'm on this webpage which prevents me from putting images or smilies on my posts, so i'll put some links up to screenies a bit later perhaps (with a little expalnation to go with them).