Rome almost defeated

[Rilder]

Slinger abuse is fairly pathetic. 1-2 units in a stack is OK, but more are both uneccessary, unrealistic (there were not huge numbers available at any one time) and even boring (there's little point in fighting an 'epic battle' where 75% of the entire enemy force is gunned down because the AI is poor at dealing with ranged attackers).

If that's the way you really want to play the game, you can do so, but it isn't the way it was meant to be played.

Exactly, in my book, its an exploit (don't take this as an insult), I tend to limit myself to at most in my armies 2 slinger units or less, and I tend not to lose...

[antisocialmunky]

I use four missile units in a stack. Slingers or not. The only time it becomes horrendously broken is when I'm shooting at tons of light infantry(at which point they will die anyways) or less than four units.

Whole stacks full of Celtic levy spearmen or Numidian Skirmishers and stacks of three Elite Carthaginian units are doomed against a half stack of crazed Romanii anyways.

[L.C.Cinna]

What's up with your economy??? On the screen you posted you are not building in most towns and you still have simple roads around in 220?!?

Build happyness and economical buildings everywhere, roads are your friends, get traderights and peace with carthage if you haven't done that yet.

When you capture a town like mediolanum and want to use it as a boarder town build a stonewall quickly. Always make sure your towns grow. If you don't have enough money to make plus per turn stop building in towns like Roma and Capua which are at a quite high level and pretty expensive anyways. Recruit as much as possible in Roma, Capua, Arretium which have high populations and let the other towns grow. I usually have at least 100.000 on my account by 240 on VH so shouldn't be a problem on medium. then you have enough money for mercs and armies.

Oh and stop wasting your generals!

[DMu]

I would build stone walls if it allows me.
It's a little difficult doing so when the town gets besieged every other turn.
Stone walls take at least 4 turns to build.
When the town get besieged, the construction stops.

Update:

I lost Milan.
Segesta and Patavium changed hands several times.
I got peace with Carthage, Trade Rights
Trade rights with Carthage, Ptolemies and Iberia.

War with Sweboz.
Took Iuva, this time I plan to hold it. with 2 consular armies in the vicinity.

I have 1 legion in a fort guarding the border with Arverni (ceasefired).

I'm starting to build again, with income of 10k per turn.

I have 1 general with cognomen of Germanicus. who is alive.

I have another general with cognomen of Germanicus who died.

etc.

It's difficult to build improved roads when the towns are only 400 in pop.

[GneavsClavdivsCapito]

I would consider using spies to make your enemies cities rebel, in my current Romani campaign I have managed to get nearly the whole of Eqypt and Libya to kick out the AS, keeping them from wiping out Carthage and keeping a balance of power until I get involved later (forward strategic thinking!). If the Sweboz and Gallic tribes are attacking, try and distrupt their provinces, they will be preoccupied with retaking them, and if a neighbour takes them a war could start between them giving you some breathing space.

Never give up, never surrender!

[vonsch]

If you need to buy time to build walls, look for spots to build forts in the incoming path (choke points, if possible) and dump a sacrifice unit in the fort. Each fort can usually slow the incoming by two turns unless the army has good siege gear. A couple of those serially and you have your four turns. When desperate, I save some fractional units for this duty. A few men to put up a bit of a fight, slingers or archers of some sort will kill more than their own number, doesn't hurt to take a small bite out of the stack too.

I find playing EB I have a LOT more battle losses due to delaying tactics like this. No general is involved with the fort cases, but my HA delayers usually have a general and I don't see many negative traits (though I have seem some damage to morale in a case where the general in question was very young).

[Imperator]

You have to love it when you've got a campaign that actually requires strategy and thinking!
I'm in a similiar position in my campaign, it's 230 and I'm fighting a war with Aedui over Cisalpine Gaul. They had me on the ropes, taking back my towns of Banonia and Segesta and even threatening Arretium, but I was able to repulse them and have them on the defensive, trying desperately to capture Mediolanium from them.

I know it's off topic ( ) but I just thought I'd use this as a chance to say that this is a PERFECT example of why people should ALWAYS play slowly, role-play in EB. The game is balanced enough that even by 200 BC not too many factions are destroyed (some are just banished to islands and wastlands- but they might rise again) and you can actually fight a tough enemy. The AI actually fields tough, balanced armies given the chance and fields enough to actually threaten you! My navy has been running itself ragged trying to fight off the constant Macedonian invasions (full of phalangites with a handful of peltasts and occasional cavalry) from southern italy (which is TOTALLY undefended). I love the realism of it all- I NEED to win battles, because if I can't end the war quickly in Cisalpine Gaul, my navy will fail and I'll certainly lose southern Italy. But if I rush, I'll just wind up fighting the Aedui again later on- probably when I don't have 2 consular legions in Cisalpine Gaul). And Carthage is starting to leer at me with its navies...

if you want a fun, challanging and realistic campaign: SLOW DOWN, WAIT, AND PLAN!!! I pity those who reconstruct the Roman empire by 170 BC. Anyone can beat the AI, but if you take it slow, you'll actually get satifaction from your victories!

ok sorry...rant over

[alatar]

I know what you mean, I finnished the first punit war the year it historical started, and felt bad, so I sent a consular army into gaul, I'd take a settlement from the arveni, and give it to the auedi, after a few turns of this they betrayed me, and kept doing it,so I took cisapline (sp) gaul.

Now both galic factions are equal, I haven't expaned outside taly (save sicilly and sardinia, corsia). And Pontos died, and the Ptolmies have one settlement left!

Macedonia took most of grese then headed north, surronding the getai empire on all fronts, and still they move one.

The Saka are down to one province, the samaritns are moving west, the partians (sp) and clinging on, and Bakiria and the AS are racing for the indian provinces.

And the lusitions Have most of spain, no rebels. Carthage is in spain aswell, and the arveni. Casse are taking more of britian.
My first full Polbian army is sailing to grease to stop the Macedonian empire at it's heart, or maybe to stop the AS.

When I do start keeping the provincies I take (in 220 I think) It will be hetic, the sweboz had some trouble expaning so I gave them alot of cash and now there scary...

[CaesarAugustus]

I lost Milan.

Take it back and build a stone wall. It is important that you secure italy. You can spare one of those consular armies from Iuva to re-take and protect it.[/QUOTE]

I have another general with cognomen of Germanicus who died.

I hope that was from natural causes and not in battle. Remember that you should not throw generals away. I know that he might have been in an un-escapeable seige battle with few units in the city, but that is why I always keep the armies of valued generals wherever they are. Make sure that they are always well guarded. Try not to take risks with your best generals in other battles too.

As soon as you take Mediolanum from the Sweboz then you will no longer be on the defensive. That might be the right time for a legion to make a strike into the sweboz homeland.

[ZaxStrife]

Hey DMu ive downloaded your saved game and had a quick few turns on it and im going to give some suggestions on it

-u have alot of men garrisoned in a city around 10-15 units in some cities i suggest having 5-6 units in each city 3 ranged uniots 2 or 3 miltia type unitsi usually go for 3 slingers and 2 Roarii or 3peltast and 2 miltia hopilites in greek italian areas only increase when needed in newly conquered territory

-this frees up alot of men to form new legions my legions usually consist of 4 hastati 3 principes and 2 triarii 2 cav and 4 mercs (optional) and 2 slingers + general with adequate military traits

-be defensive on the battlefield hold ground set defence on and let them come to you (choose ur battlefield for this flat terrain or better a hill on ur side of deployment) let them tire themselves out agaisnt the defensive wall of soldier by the time their worn out completly ur men should be only warmed up giving u the chance to route with flanking attacks by cav (fight bridge battles if ur attacked by the enemy at a bridge easy victory for little loss)

-set auto manage on cities to finicial and tell them to auto construct not auto recruit (intervene when u need to to get some roads built and happiness)

-Kill their generals crush their morale Morale is the key!!

-try to get a ceasfire with carthage offer map info money and trade rights hopefully the wont block ur ports for awhile give u some extra income

- also try taking cities along the coast of southern gaul like Massilia until u get to the spanish boader to get some developed cities and have a army guarding the pass through the alps towards germania

Hope this helps