Need help with becoming Consul

[Spoony]

Hi, so I'm trying to get one of my family member to become Consul, in order to trigger the Marian reforms. How does a general become a Consul?
I searched in the Traits FaQ and even went through all the help documents about the traits and ancillaries, but all that is listed about the Consul are the bonuses one gets.

Thanks!

[beatoangelico]

from the little I know, the character must be over 50 years old, have very high influence (9-10 I think), at least 1 command stars and the "ex-praetor" trait. Having the traits "patrician" and/or "nobile" helps but is not required.

[fahrenheit]

The requirements are that the influence must be 5 or higher, command greater then one, ex praetor and must be summer.

edit: Oh, and the person being a patrician and plebeian makes no difference.

[antisocialmunky]

IMHO, luck has alot more to do than anything. I've had old farts taht exterminated whole peoples never get Consul.

[bigmilt16]

very true, and here's another important tip (I had to learn the hard way). The reformer, is more than likely going to be a pleb and not a patrician. The popularis trait is also required for the reformer and only plebs get that trait ("popularis" is the opposite of "optimas", which only patricians get). I assume that popularis is essentially a populist (one for the betterment of the people) and optimas are modern-day wealthy elitists (who tend to want power centralized for themselves).

Regardless, you only start the game with two plebs (Denatrus, and Cotta), and one of them dies before the first year is out; thus, you only start the game with ONE PLEB! This means that every opportunity you get to adopt a pleb TAKE IT (even if the character is not that great, it increases the chance of having a smarter, healthy son who can be reformer.).

[beatoangelico]

once I've seen a patrician turning pupularis at about 60 after a life spent in support of the optimates

[Mediolanicus]

It's weird that so much people seem to have problems with getting a consul... In the Romani game I played when 1.0 was just out, every single of my FM's became consul! Only the ones who married into the "family" or were adopted at an old age, did't get so far in their cursus honorum...

[Reno Melitensis]

He has to be a worshipper of Ceres, a Consul, and a pleb. I thing I am missing something, for more info see the EB faq.

Cheers

[antisocialmunky]

once I've seen a patrician turning pupularis at about 60 after a life spent in support of the optimates

Maybe the old rich fart got visited by the spirit of Saturnalia past.

[Imperial Fist]

I recognized that my consuls(i had only 5 in 100 years) were always army leaders. The prob was always to get stars. Most generals i use are sharp/char/vig and become local and decorated heroes, vanquishers of something aso and even an imperator was among them, but stars are rare(not that i really care, only cause of the reformes).
At the mom i am in 171bc and a bit pissed off. My princeps is such a general and he is pleb and has or at least had all requirements to reformate the army.
But for some reason he lost popularis around 180bc.

[beatoangelico]

I recognized that my consuls(i had only 5 in 100 years) were always army leaders. The prob was always to get stars. Most generals i use are sharp/char/vig and become local and decorated heroes, vanquishers of something aso and even an imperator was among them, but stars are rare(not that i really care, only cause of the reformes).
At the mom i am in 171bc and a bit pissed off. My princeps is such a general and he is pleb and has or at least had all requirements to reformate the army.
But for some reason he lost popularis around 180bc.

the "worshipper of ceres" helps a lot afaik. Try to get the character into a city, then destroy the local temple and build one dedicated to ceres. He should get the trait

[konny]

I assume that popularis is essentially a populist (one for the betterment of the people) and optimas are modern-day wealthy elitists (who tend to want power centralized for themselves).

Using modern terms the Populars would be the Left (Socialists, Democrats, Social-Democrats etc.) and the Optimates the Rigth (Conservatives, Republicans, Nationalists etc.) of the Roman politics.

Regardless, you only start the game with two plebs (Denatrus, and Cotta), and one of them dies before the first year is out; thus, you only start the game with ONE PLEB! This means that every opportunity you get to adopt a pleb TAKE IT (even if the character is not that great, it increases the chance of having a smarter, healthy son who can be reformer.).

For roleplay reasons, nobile daugthers like Cornelias or Aemillias should not marry the Plebs; may be not nobile branches like Sulla or Cinna would do so. In my games it always turns out that Cotta becomes an outstanding faction leader with 10 management and 10 influence; and a lot of sons. Unfortuantly these sons are often useless, but have in return themselves a couple of children while the nobile families (due to the above restriction) tend to die out after about 100 years.

[marodeur]

Hi, I had the same problem. It solved itself, but you can look up some advice / motivational speech in the old thread "How to become CONSUL? Marian Reforms needed!" (link: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...ghlight=consul )
Heads up! Somehow it will all be good in the end.

[Imperial Fist]

Hmm. I didnt care about the family relations until now. Maybe i should.
Although i have to say that i have some 10 man 10 inf guys every now and then. At the mom have 1 sitting in Syracuse. This guy is making me really angry. He is 25 or 26 years old(i have to look it up), has already 10 inf and 10 man
and has 3 stars, although he hadnt fought even 1 battle yet.

On the other hand i have my faction heir, also with 10 inf but only about 4 or 5 man, currently kickin ass in iberia, who defeated 3 full stacks of lusotana and i dont know how many quarthadast armies(there was at least 1 heroic vic and the guy calls himself the vanquisher of the carthaginians etc). I am trying to make him the reformator, but the prob is he the thing with stars .
Well, ill keep trying.

[Atilius]

For roleplay reasons, nobile daugthers like Cornelias or Aemillias should not marry the Plebs;

No, this doesn't reflect Roman custom. I have little doubt that, all things being equal, a patrician family would prefer to marry its daughters to other patricians, but all things are never equal. Patrician women certainly married plebeian men often enough. Starting with the two gens you mention:

• Cornelia Africana (daughter of Scipio Africanus) married the plebeian Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (consul in 177 and 163); their children were the famous Gracchi brothers Tiberius and Caius.
  
• The plebeian Marcus Porcius Cato (the son of Cato the Elder) married Aemilia, the daughter of Lucius Aemilus Paullus Macedonicus and sister of the famous brothers Scipio and Fabius Aemilianus.
  
• Tiberius, the elder of the plebeian Gracchi, married the patrician Claudia Pulcheria.
  
• The plebeian Aulus Atilius Calatinus married the daughter of the patrician Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus.
  
• Most famously, the plebeian Caius Marius married the patrician sister of Caius Iulius Caesar's father.

[konny]

I have little doubt that, all things being equal, a patrician family would prefer to marry its daughters to other patricians

That's what I wanted to say.

Certainly there had been exceptions, but none, that I know of, that usually happen in EB "offers for marrige". Examples from your list:

Cornelia Africana (daughter of Scipio Africanus) married the plebeian Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (consul in 177 and 163); their children were the famous Gracchi brothers Tiberius and Caius.

Gracchus was twice consul, so was his brother and his grandfather (once). That would make the family certainly part of the nobility, even though beeing plebeian. I would not reject a suitor for a Cornelia with the Nobile trait in EB, but have jet to see one who is plebeian in game. So, I make the Patrician trait the minimum requirement for suitors to marry into a nobile family.

Tiberius, the elder of the plebeian Gracchi, married the patrician Claudia Pulcheria.

Beeing nobile by both his mother and his father, he shouldn't have any problems to do so.

Most famously, the plebeian Caius Marius married the patrician sister of Caius Iulius Caesar's father.

Now, that would be someone: age 49, 5 command stars, a good row of scrolls and laurels, traits of Ex-Praetor, grizzled, wealthy, possible reformer, character traits all positive. I think in this case I would be tempted to overlook the fact that he is plebeian when he is offered to marry into a patrician, but otherwise unimportant, family.

[Atilius]

Certainly there had been exceptions, but none, that I know of, that usually happen in EB "offers for marrige".

There is no way for the trait system account for the age of a character. Therefore, we can't give a suitor or potential adoptee a trait (Military Tribune, ex-Praetor, etc) that can't be held by a 16 year-old. This means that no suitor of any age will be very accomplished. But this is caused by an unavoidable shortcoming of the RTW trait system. I would not (and do not) let this prevent me from marrying a patrician woman to a plebeian men if he appears to have potential.

We ought to be able to do better on this score with EB2.

I would not reject a suitor for a Cornelia with the Nobile trait in EB, but have jet to see one who is plebeian in game.

Roughly 40% of plebeian families in the game will have the Nobile trait. We also consider all families represented in the game to be prominent ones.

[konny]

There is no way for the trait system account for the age of a character. Therefore, we can't give a suitor or potential adoptee a trait (Military Tribune, ex-Praetor, etc) that can't be held by a 16 year-old. This means that no suitor of any age will be very accomplished. But this is caused by an unavoidable shortcoming of the RTW trait system.

Yes that is a problem. For that reason I usually reject suitors above 25 because internal counters might consider them to be much younger.

I would not (and do not) let this prevent me from marrying a patrician woman to a plebeian men if he appears to have potential.

I see. I am trying to roleplay a class in which familiar linkage often plays a higher role in such decissions than personal achievements. Because I can't see the familiar background of suitors I use these traits to seperate the "acceptable" from the "mob".

Roughly 40% of plebeian families in the game will have the Nobile trait.

Unfortuantly, I usullay have all Plebeians of the other 60%, most of them Aurelii, Papirii (in particular the Turdi keep hunting me with cruel and corrupt characters) and Atillii (but no Regulus). I have altered the chances to be elected a little what should give my characters better chances to become homo novus and so nobile.

[beatoangelico]

Yes that is a problem. For that reason I usually reject suitors above 25 because internal counters might consider them to be much younger.



I see. I am trying to roleplay a class in which familiar linkage often plays a higher role in such decissions than personal achievements. Because I can't see the familiar background of suitors I use these traits to seperate the "acceptable" from the "mob".



Unfortuantly, I usullay have all Plebeians of the other 60%, most of them Aurelii, Papirii (in particular the Turdi keep hunting me with cruel and corrupt characters) and Atillii (but no Regulus). I have altered the chances to be elected a little what should give my characters better chances to become homo novus and so nobile.

In my game I have a lot of Papirii with good stats, my current princeps is one of them