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  1. #1
    the angry, angry elephantid Member wooly_mammoth's Avatar
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    Default Re: Germania

    Hmm, I don't think what I do qualifies as a blitz. I think blitzers literally go on a non-stop rampage and massacre everything everywhere no matter the odds. On vh/vh. In contrast, I actually like to take my time, develop my economy and get a balanced army out, but if you just sit back the AI bloats up stupidly and with no regard to the rules, turning the conquest into a repetitive chore against endless doomstacks of crappy troops.

    With Germania, unless you go full banzai against the romans right from the start (a popular strategy if you look through the topic) it is imperative that you strike first against Gaul and Britannia. Alesia is a lovely city that can serve as the capital of your fledgeling empire as it expands wesward and south. Samarobriva is usually guarded by a huge brittish force but you always have a great advatange when attacking from the south: the area is heavily forested, so if you lay siege from that direction and a relief force attempts to break it, you will always have a thick forest where to lie in ambush. This is how I prevailed both in the gaul and german playthrough. A good ambush not only breaks the morale of their superior numbers like a domino, but the thick forest bogs down the chariots, making them easy pickings even if you don't have spear warbands.

    Now, with regard to spear warbands, I don't like them to be honest :(. I think that if you put 20 stacks of spear warbands in phalanx and line them up in column formation, a roman general can moonwalk through all 20 of them stright through the spears, that's how bad they are. I've literally seen big general units trash three phalanx formations in quick succession through frontal charge right into the spears. Given that they are the closest thing to balanced infantry that these guys can field, the rest being shock troops and flankers, I think I will actually have to adopt a different strategy from my usual playstyle if I give up on spear warbands entirely and hence on the idea of a strong core to fix the enemy: strong cavalry charge with archer fire cover to break the first ranks, followed by withdrawing the horses and crashing a tidal wave of frenzied axemen, berserkers and whatever other maniacs may be available. Hopefully, this will be enough to score a rout. Otherwise, there's no way to win a drawn-out fight given that these guys have 0 defense.

    As for the economy, I'm actually doing fairly well. As long as I train troops efficiently, not oversizing your garrisons or training too many elite units, I can build up my infrastructure forward and still get a small profit. When money starts pilling up I usually spend it on buildings. There is no need to hoard a vast treasury and get bad traits for your generals. Also, I keep my tax levels quite low. Very low for towns and normal for large towns. I crank them up when I get cities, even if it means throwing a few extra units for garrison.

  2. #2
    Requin Member Vincent Butler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Germania

    Quote Originally Posted by wooly_mammoth View Post
    Hmm, I don't think what I do qualifies as a blitz. I think blitzers literally go on a non-stop rampage and massacre everything everywhere no matter the odds. On vh/vh. In contrast, I actually like to take my time, develop my economy and get a balanced army out, but if you just sit back the AI bloats up stupidly and with no regard to the rules, turning the conquest into a repetitive chore against endless doomstacks of crappy troops.

    strong cavalry charge with archer fire cover to break the first ranks, followed by withdrawing the horses and crashing a tidal wave of frenzied axemen, berserkers and whatever other maniacs may be available. Hopefully, this will be enough to score a rout. Otherwise, there's no way to win a drawn-out fight given that these guys have 0 defense.

    As for the economy, I'm actually doing fairly well. As long as I train troops efficiently, not oversizing your garrisons or training too many elite units, I can build up my infrastructure forward and still get a small profit. When money starts pilling up I usually spend it on buildings. There is no need to hoard a vast treasury and get bad traits for your generals. Also, I keep my tax levels quite low. Very low for towns and normal for large towns. I crank them up when I get cities, even if it means throwing a few extra units for garrison.
    I was just wondering about the speed, because in 40 turns you have Britain, Spain, and into Italy. Although it seems that I tend to hoard money, I could be faster, but I try to turn a profit almost every turn, so I don't build much unless it is a financial building or a needed military/public order building. At least at first.

    Break up enemy formations with berserkers, then hit with cavalry. In essence, use the berserkers like chariots, except obviously you can't run through formations because you lose control of them. Or Night Raiders instead of Cav, I know my brother loved them. The Chosen Axemen are too vulnerable to missile fire, but they are great on a wall.

    I keep my taxes fairly high to limit population growth, because population growth leads to squalor, which leads to riots. And barbarians cap out at 12,000 to improve a city, so it maxes out quickly.
    Last edited by Vincent Butler; 06-24-2015 at 23:14.
    Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: Psalm 144:1

    In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
    As modest stillness and humility:
    But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
    Then imitate the action of the tiger;
    -Henry V by William Shakespeare

  3. #3
    the angry, angry elephantid Member wooly_mammoth's Avatar
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    Default Re: Germania

    Actually they cap at 6.000. 12.000 is the next tier.

    I have conquered the whole of Italy, begun the invasion of Siciliy and I hold east and central Spain. The Julii still had the islands in the western med, but for some reason decided it would be a good idea to land their last general back on the home beach with only a rable militia force. Interestingly enough, after noticing the strange trade lanes and faction rankings, I realized that the Scipii never invaded Carthage. It's very strange, they couldn't possibly be down to the two cities they still have in Sicily. I've only once seen them do something like this. Back in my Julii imperial campaign, I followed the senate's orders and attacked the carthaginians asap, at which point the Scipii turned eastward and helped the Brutii in the conquest of Greece. I imagine something similar to that may have happened now. This may be Carthage's chance to become badass on the African coast, but unfortunately they'll only have me to fight instead of punny romans.

  4. #4
    Requin Member Vincent Butler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Germania

    Quote Originally Posted by wooly_mammoth View Post
    Actually they cap at 6.000. 12.000 is the next tier.
    That makes it even worse for public order.

    I followed the senate's orders and attacked the carthaginians asap, at which point the Scipii turned eastward and helped the Brutii in the conquest of Greece.
    Probably, it seems they do that more often than I am used to, then they launch into Turkey. Could be they are just slow, too. That happens occasionally.
    Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: Psalm 144:1

    In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
    As modest stillness and humility:
    But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
    Then imitate the action of the tiger;
    -Henry V by William Shakespeare

  5. #5
    the angry, angry elephantid Member wooly_mammoth's Avatar
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    Default Re: Germania

    I'll be in Caen for the next three weeks, so I found a bit of time to say goodbye to rtw for now.



    In summary, I saved myself from bankruptcy by demolishing non-vital military buildings in the westernmost provinces of the empire (practice ranges and smithies mostly). Now I'm getting much needed money and public order with the greek trade routes and the statue of Zeus. The big race will be for Larissa, because the city is close to reaching 24k and I'd like to delay the reforms as much as possible, since at the moment I field a single army of elite german units.

    I've had some really nice battles with this army against the romans. The basic strategy is to have archer warbands fire at will with flaming arrows as chosen axes wind up for the charge. Then follows the tidal wave of armor piercing infantry and heavy cavalry pours from the flanks into anything that doesn't break straight away under the pressure. I've ploughed through 3-4 roman stacks like this with very little casualties even when fighting uphill near Thermon (Brutii tried to reclaim it, and when besieging from the north they get a big mountain to sit upon). So far I've had no need for any other special units except gothic cavalry.

    Apollonia is actually the first time that I recall having to make a tactical withdraw. I had occupied it with a spare spear warband army, but then moved this force to hold Thermon as the crack troops hopped into a boat and landed in Peloponessia. The Brutii are not much of a threat, I do not think they hold territories further north than Paionia. The Scipii are invading Anatolia, but I hope to hamper their efforts once they lose Athens, Crete and Rhodes. I need only 8 provinces to win, and if I don't go bankrupt until then I don't think I'm in for any unpleasant surprises.

    By the way, I managed to get a zero-point growth and good public order in some major barbarian cities, but roman and greek cities are a bit more complicated.

  6. #6
    Requin Member Vincent Butler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Germania

    Quote Originally Posted by wooly_mammoth View Post
    I'll be in Caen for the next three weeks, so I found a bit of time to say goodbye to rtw for now.


    By the way, I managed to get a zero-point growth and good public order in some major barbarian cities, but roman and greek cities are a bit more complicated.
    Yeah, I know how that goes, at 12,000 with High taxes, still 5% growth rate in the Roman cities, really annoying. Taking Corinth helped with the public order, though. If public order in those towns becomes an issue you could always move your capital closer. Then again, that may make your other towns unhappy, though hopefully not too much so. I haven't played much Rome lately, I went to Battlefield Vietnam.

    Never been to Caen, I don't think, though I have been to Normandy. I don't remember where all we went, I was eleven at the time, and not paying attention to all the locations that were not immediately associated with the landing beaches. I remember Bayeux and Ste. Marie Église for away from the beaches, and of course Arromanches/Gold Beach, Omaha (our lodging overlooked Omaha) and Utah Beaches, and Pointe du Hoc.
    Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: Psalm 144:1

    In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
    As modest stillness and humility:
    But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
    Then imitate the action of the tiger;
    -Henry V by William Shakespeare

  7. #7
    the angry, angry elephantid Member wooly_mammoth's Avatar
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    Default Re: Germania

    And finally managed to win the German grand campaign. It surely has been the most difficult campaign yet, solely due to economic reasons. Some rare moments excluded, I've been on the edge of bankruptcy for most of the 50 years of the campaign. Spear warbands + light cavalry, with the occasional flanking assault from regular axemen has been the way to go, though I did have one elite army (chosen axes & archers + noble cav) with which I conquered the Balkans. I used screeching women for support throughout, but never found any time or need for berserkers/nightraiders/gothic cav. Maybe next time. Though the Scipii survived and started an invasion of Egypt, the romans never made it to the Marian reforms.

    Britannia is next. I expect it to be much easier, due to the motherload of trade temples I will build, chosen swords that are an excellently balanced heavy infantry unit and chariots.

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