RTW noob questions

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Hullo again

Is it always the player who starts the civil war? Do the other factions ever attack the player to start things off?

It's rare for them to start it themselves, but yes, when the conditions are right, they occasionally do. The senate also sometimes outlaws other Roman factions. This can also trigger the beginning of the war without your intervention.

The conditions for the other Romans to declare war are fulfilled when the faction has about eight people popularity shields. The faction is at risk of being outlawed by the senate when they have two or few senate popularity shields.

2) In terms of strategy, I want to wait a while, my army is mostly hastati, Brutii have a lot of Principes and gladiators. Scipii lots of velites!
But if I fight now, I can hold my own in Italy against Rome.
As for Scipii, my navy is big enough to blocakde all Sicily and in Africa I hope to defend the bridge south of Carthage against the Scipii stacks while sneaking my other stack in behind them to Thapsus afterwards. Is this a good strategy? I am expecting they will go for Carthage right away. Can the AI go for Tingi or Nepte instead?
Brutii I can divert the Crete expedition to Greece and take the undefended and rich cities there and then set up some sort of blocking position on the isthmus I think. The Dacian province I dont care about, so I plan to retreat to Segestica or Patavium shortening my line and borders and hold them there. Then deal wiht them properly after Scipii and Rome are dealt with.

Comments?

It sounds like a very wise and well though out strategy. The AI may go for one of your other provinces first though, as you have suggested, so you may wish to be cautious around that area.

I do think though you may be considering the civil war a little too early. You only have to worry about it when senate popularity falls lower than two shields for any faction, or popular support rises to about eight shields for any faction. Things could change dramatically between the current situation and the beginning of the civil war - probably resulting in a completly new tactic having to be devised.

3) Civil war will make trade income plummet right? What sort of cash reserve do you try and take in with you? At the moment I have a balance of about 10,000d a turn but almost all of that is used up every turn retraing units and building stuff (ports, temples etc at the 3,200d level).

Oddly, for me at least, it never seems to fall too dramatically - more income is typically lost from other Romans blockading your ports than from actually loss of external trade itself. By the civil war stage your own ports/markets usually have the ability to trade to a sufficient level with each other anyhow, which probably explains the very small falls.

4) Pontics and Scythians also refuse all diploamtic efforts. Every contact is refused by "Your generosity fools no one! What are you upto?" (Ponts) and "Thats very genererous and we wont be known as thieves" (Scythia) what gives? I am finding it much harder to get money by selling maps on H/H than on M/M. Even teh Senate and the other Roman factions when I ask them to donate offer me 1,200 d but demand tribute of 400d ofr 10 turns (ie 4,000d back).

That's the curse of the Hard and Very Hard AI - fair diplomatic treaties can be almost impossible to get your hands on, despite the logic there may be behind them.

5) Is there a shortcut to the armies/ cities/ agents scroll? At the moment, I have to hit "O", then the little button on that scroll, then the tick to remove it so that I cna see half the map and the list at the same time. Annoying and tedious, especially as using a diplomat takes the list scroll away.

Not that I know of. Sorry

6) Some of the Barbarian temples are really good for bonusses to weapons and experience. Do any of you keep them? As long as loyalty is above 80% (70%) there arent any riots from what I have seen. So the culture penalty might be worth it I feel.

I always use them for a turn (sending nearby troops in for the bonus) and then bulldozering them, although not due to the culture penalty they inflict, but more due to my obsession with "law" temples.

Temples which provide benefits to law combat the most annoying factor in R:TW - distance to capital penalty. This has contributes to corruption (which provides income deductions) and negative happiness. Unlike all other factors, law removes two problems in one go, providing a richer and happier settlement.

7) All the guides refer to bribery. I havent succesfully bribed anyone, even the one decent rebel I cam across wiht one unit of peasants and one barbarian cavalry demanded 4,800d (my entire treasury)! Is this something prepatch 1.5?

No, although 4,800 denarii is a fairly low cost for a bribe. Bribes of large forces with captains cost about 20,000 denarii, while bribes of a typical large force with a family member ups it to closer to 100,000 denarii or more (depending upon traits).

Early on though, bribes cannot usually be afforded by any factions - its only when the treasury really begins to expand (about 20 - 25 regions or more) do bribes become a truly viable option. On even later stages in the game's progression, by the time the treasury is almost infinite, bribes can become a day to thing and can frequently be used without the risk of money problems. By this stage, bribes are an invaluable tool against anything any faction can throw at you and, under some circumstances, can replace the usage of an extra force to conquer and defend against the enemy.

8) Does the location of the faction leader matter in terms of loyalty or is it just the capital?

In R:TW it's just the capitals location which effects overall loyalty and levels of corruption.