ROME TOTAL WAR FAQ V1.2
http://www.romewar.com
by: Tony James
tony@salehippo.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1.0 Authors Note
2.0 Controls
2.1 Campaign Map
2.2 Battle Map
2.3 Control Tips
3.0 Factions
3.1 Playable Factions
3.2 Non Playable Factions
4.0 Quick battle
5.0 Single player campaign
5.1 Overview
A. Starting a game
B. Game modes
C. Campaign Map
D. Control Panel
5.2 Families
5.3 Cities
A. Early growth
B. Money
C. Revolts
D. Temples
E. Walls
5.4 Armies
A. Creating Armies
B. Mercenaries
C. Generals
D. Gaining experience for armies
E. Managing Armies
F. Forts and Watchtowers
5.5 Battle
A. Formations
B. Flanks and Rear
C. Morale
D. Unit strengths
E. Fatigue
F. Terrain
G. After they flee
H. Attacking with multiple armies
I. Special Abilities
5.6 Navies
5.7 Agents
A. Spies
B. Assassins
C. Diplomats
5.8 The Senate
6.0 Multiplayer
7.0 Units
7.1 Roman
7.2 Britons
7.3 Carthaginians
7.4 Egyptians
7.5 Gauls
7.6 Germans
7.7 Greeks
7.8 Parthians
7.9 Seleucids
8.0 Bugs
9.0 Tips/Tricks
10.0 FAQ
11.0 Credits
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1.0 Authors Note
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version 1.2 update
-added the units section with all the units from playable factions
version 1.1 update
-added more details in the faction description
-updated formations with more details
-updated overview
-updated families
-updated tips tricks
-updated senate info
-updated generals
-updated attacking with multiple armies
-updated terrain
-updated unit strengths
-updated credits
-updated Forts and Watchtowers
This FAQ is designed to help beginners of Rome: Total War to get a head start
and learn some basics and strategy for the game. I will try to be general
in order to allow you to adopt strategies for any faction. This faq is only
the first versionand I will include many additions in the next release, please
email me with any
contributions.
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2.0 Controls
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These are the game controls which you will find in the game manual
[2.1 Campaign Map]
Option menu =    Esc
Toggle settlement labels = Ctrl+T
Toggle Character labels = Ctrl+N
Zoom to Capital = Home
Stop character walking = Backspace
AI speed up = Space
Quick save game = Ctrl+S
Quick load game = Ctrl+L
Show help window = F1
Select all units = Ctrl+A
[2.2 Battle Map]
Option Menu = Esc
Pause = P
Toggle unit run = R
Stop current orders = R
Toggle special unit ability = F
Toggle guard mode = D
Toggle skirmish = S
Toggle fire at will = A
Toggle unit formation (tight/loose) = C
Alternative attack = Alt+right mouse button
Rotate unit clockwise = ,
Rotate unit counterclockwise = .
Increase formation width = =
Decrease formation width = -
Set waypoint = Shift + right mouse button
Show unit destination = Space
Group selected units = G
Ungroup selected units = G
Select all units = Ctrl + A
Deselect all units = Enter
Select all artilery units = Ctrl+B
Select all infantry units = Ctrl+I
Select all calvary units = Ctrl+C
Select all melee units = Ctrl +H
Select all missile firing units = Ctrl+M
Send message in multiplayer = T
Zoom to general =  Home
Show Help Window = F1
[2.3 Control Tips]
-Running is useful when you want to charge the enemy with cavalry or
other units, but it also tires your troops more quickly thank walking.
I recommend that you wait until you are close to the enemy force before
you start charging.
-Skirmish mode is useful for ranged attackers; it keeps them at a distance
from the enemy as they attack with their ranged weapon. It is sometimes
smart to disable skirmish mode if you have the opportunity to flank the
enemy on the sides.
-Tight Formations are better for breaking a hole in the enemy while loose
formations are better for avoiding arrows when charging
-Formations with greater width are useful when you have greater numbers want
to surround the enemy
-You must group units in order to be able to use them in a formation, once
they are grouped and in formation, they will move overall in formation
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3.0 Factions
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[3.1 Playable Factions]
Roman Factions (Julli, Scipii, Brutii, Senate)- they have strong units of
every type and once the Marius Reforms occur; you get new improved units
which overpower most other units in the game. A benifit about picking the
roman factions is that you have three allies throughout the game until
you decide it is time to take over rome. The combined might of rome can
easily overpower any of the other factions.
Julii-This faction starts next to the Gauls, which are no match for your
Roman armies. Most of the Gaul units are light infantry. Taking over the
Gaul cities quickly gives an early boost to your econonmy and overall
growth.
Brutii-This is another easy Roman faction to play. You have the Greek
and Macedonian phalanxes to face against early in the game. If you
play to the weaknesses of the phalanx, you will have no problem quickly
growing your faction. A benifit of choosing the Brutii is the religius
structures you can build which increase the experience of units trained
in that city.
Scipii-A somewhat challenging faction to play. You have to deal with
volcanic eruptions and your expansion is mainly south towards
Carthage.
Egyptians-they have good spearman and foot archers as well as chariots
which can come in handy. They are also very strong economically and
are usually near the top of the faction lists, a very easy nation to
play. Conquer the weak Seuclids to the north before they can build
a strong army with their superior variety of units. Don't trust anyone
but keep a small army to protect your border to the west because
the neumidians may invade you. Once you start to win in the east
start attacking in the west.
Seuclids-The Seuclids have strong phalanxes and calvary as well as
elephants. Their variety of units is their strength. If you can stop
the Egyptians to the South and work on conquering the Parthians to
the West, you have a chance of surviving with this challenging
faction.
Carthage-This nation has a strong unit selection as well as elephants.
This factions strength is in its cavalry and its elephants. Use the
cavalry to surprise the enemy from different sides and destroy
the Roman legions with your elephants.
Parthians-The Parthians have strong calvary but weak infantry. Their
best units are the mounted archers and the cataphracts, which are
heavily armored cavalry. Use your mobility to your advantage
in order to win battles.
Gauls-The Gauls have strong close attack infantry but weak calvary. They
are surrounded by enemies with stronger units and have a tough time
growing. The Germans Britons and Julii are all on this factions borders.
Pontus-light infantry, heavy cavalry, phalanx, and chariots
Germans- The Germans have strong axmen but limited cavalry. Most of their
territory is covered in forests so you must use these to your advantage.
Hide armies to ambush passing enemies so you gain a strong advantage in
battles.
Greeks-The Greeks have hoplite phalanxes and missile units, but limited
cavalry. They posess one of the strongest units in the game, the
Spartians. The face the Macedonians to the north and the Roman Brutii
to the west. Your first order of business should be dealing with the
threat of the Macedonians who are right on your backs.
Britons- A strong barbarian faction with strong infantry and
chariots. This is probably the strongest of the barbarian nations because
of its units. This nation can overpower the other barbarian factions
and will become a strong power later in the game if played intelligently.
[3.2 Non Playable Factions]
Macedonians-they have hoplites and pike phalanxes. They start out near the
Greeks.
Armenians-many different types of cavalry but weak infantry
Dacians-many close combat infantry, but weak cavalry
Numidian-light infantry and camel mounted specialists
Scythians-strong cavalry, weak infantry
Spanish-mix of barbarians and organized infantry
Thracians-mix of hoplite phalanxes and barbarians, but limited cavalry
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4.0 Quick Battle
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If you want to get straight into the action, from the single player
menu click quick battle, custom battle, or historical battle. In these modes
there is no campaign map only a single battle for you to practice your
tactics. When you begin either custom battle or quick battle, you will be
able to pick the starting amount of money and purchase the units you want
to test out on the field. When you are selecting units you can pick any units
which are available for that faction. You can also choose to spend money to
upgrade units experience and weapons. It is usually smart to give your units
at least some experience so they dont flee from battle too early. Also dont
forget to recruit a general, this should help the morale of your troops.
In the historical battle, you will be given a
background story for the battle and will start as one of the factions.
You can only play certain factions in the historical battles, but there
should be mods coming out soon which will unlock the other factions.
Some of these battles are very challenging on the harder modes and
can really test your tactics against larger numbers.
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5.0 Single Player Campaign
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[5.1 Overview]
A. Starting a game
When you first start the game, you should go to single player and
click prologue to start a tutorial campaign as the Julli faction. Here you
will learn all the basics of playing the game. Once you finish the tutorial
you can choose to continue or you can quit and start one of the three
imperial campaigns. The first time you play, I suggest you leave the advisors
on, they help you understand many basic concepts about the game. At any time,
you can go to options and disable the advisor. The easiest faction to start
out as in my opinion is the Julii, because their only enemy in the
beginning is the Gauls to the north which are easy prey for your strong Roman
Army. As for the campaign difficulty, you should try medium campaign
difficulty and medium battle difficulty if you are fairly new to the Total
War series. Otherwise put it on hard/hard if you want somewhat of a
challenge. I would not recommend very hard for beginners because everything
is stacked against you economically and militarily. Once you beat either
the short imperial campaign or the full imperial campaign, you will unlock
all the different playable factions. Another way to unlock playable factions
is to destroy them in campaign mode. You start the game as one of the three
Roman factions, the Julli, Brutii or Scipii. If you chose the full campaign,
your goal is to conquer Rome and own 50 provinces.
B. Game modes
The game is presented in two modes, a campaign map and a battle map.
Most of your time will be spent in the campaign map, controlling your cities
armies, fleet, and agents. This mode is represented as a world map where you
see all your assets from an overhead perspective. Gameplay on the
campaign map is turn based. You must perform all the actions you want to
perform and are able to perform within one turn. You can perform actions
with your armies, fleet, and agents as well as govern your cities as you see
fit. In this mode you can also perform diplomatic and family actions.
C. Campaign Map
On the campaign map, you can only see locations where your armies or
other units have sight range. Settlements are represented as cities with
banners representing the ruling faction. The amount which the banner is
filled with color represents the strength of the garrison of that city.
Cities which you own have a summary beneath the name with symbols giving
you quick information. Put your mouse over these symbols to find out
what they mean. Armies are represented as soldiers with banners. Like
cities, the strength of the army is represented by how full the banner is
with color. Armies with generals have stars representing their command
ability. Use this to size up enemy armies before attacking. Fleets are
represented on the water as ships.
D. Control Panel
The control panel on the bottom right shows information regarding
the city or unit you have selected. The coins represent income, the face
happiness, the  + sign population growth, the unit symbol represents training
of units, the tools represent construction, and the gears represent
auto-management. The minimap on the bottom gives and overview of the world.
You can get information by using the mouse and hovering over cities. You
will recieve messages and events on the left through small icons; make sure
you review these messages by left clicking them, you can remove them by right
clicking on the icons. Once you have selected a unit you can also choose the
next army, fleet, agent, or settlement by clicking the arrows next to its
name in the control panel.
[5.2 Families]
Your faction starts out with a few family members. All your men
and your daughters can marry and have children. Make sure you try to
choose suitors for your daughters who have high skills or your kids will not
be as skilled as you would like. All your generals and governors are family
members. The only ways to get family members is through birth, adoption,
marriage, and bribery. Each man in your family can build up his skills and
retinue according to what he does in his life. Retinues are assistants which
affect the family members’ skills. Commanders become stronger commanders with
every victory and governors become better leaders through governing.
The stars next to commanders represent their command ability and the
scrolls next to governors represents their governing ability. Better commanders
will win more victories and better governors will be able to keep the people
happier and get more taxes. Building academies will help governors gain skills
much faster, so make sure to build these when they are available. Another
thing to remember is that you can transfer retinue between family members
when they are in the same city by dragging and dropping. Influence is also
an important skill that family members can gain. Inlfuence is represented
by wreaths on the character profile. Cities are better controlled by leaders
with higher influence and these leaders also attract more retainers. Always
remember to transfer retinue to younger family members before old generals
and governors die out. I find that 60 years old is a good time to transfer.
Your must also have a faction leader. You can determine the faction
leader and the faction heir in the family tree window. The faction leader
and heirs get a bonus in influence and mangement.
There appears to be another way to get family members: Promotion.
Three times now (all post-Marius) I've sent a small Captain-lead army out to
clean up some rebel armies that were cluttering up my provinces.  After winning
three or four fights in the same turn, a window popped up with the title
"Man of the hour".  Basically, my Captain had proven himself worthy on the
field of battle and had been promoted to Generalship with full Family rights.
It seems to be handled as a special case of adoption. -Chris Clark
[5.3 Cities]
A. Early growth
You start out with a few cities under your control. Each city can be
assigned a governor who will make controlling the city much easier. When a
city doesn’t have a governor or a lot of troops garrison it tends to have
riots or revolt, which results in many deaths. To keep publicorder, I
recommend training at least a couple of town guard. Peasants are another
option, but they won’t provide much assistance in the case of an attack and
they cost the same amount in upkeep. Early in the game, you need to grow your
population in order to build bigger and better buildings. One way is to reduce
taxes, which I don’t recommend you do because you need money especially early
in the game. The best way in my opinion is to enslave the populace of
conquered cities, this distributes most of the population of that settlement
into your cities which have a governor. Don’t forget to build farms
and other buildings which increase population growth.
B. Money
To get money quickly, you will need to build roads and ports for
trade as well as mines early in the game. You can also stunt the growth of
other nations by blockading trade ports with ships and destroying trade
buildings with your assassins. If you need money desperately you can
exterminate the populace of cities you take over, which has the positive
side effect of reducing future revolts for a time. To have a growing
economy, you need to make sure you have trade agreements with as many
nations as possible. Make as many cities as you can financial powerhouses
rather than military production cities, since you can always concentrate
military production in a few cities. Keep on conquering cities because
keeping an army costs money, a large size force can cost over 50k in
upkeep. Dont leave all your cities with auto recruit on, you may get a
lot of units which you wouldnt want to use in your army.
C. Revolts
Cities which are far away from your capital tend to revolt a lot,
this is because of cultural differences. You can fight this by placing strong
governors, holding gladiatorial games in the coliseum, by moving the capital
closer, by garrisoning troops, or by building structures which
increase happiness. Part of the game is dealing with an overextended empire.
Dont gett discouraged with the fact that your faction is so large that you
cant micromanage every city.
D. Temples
You can build temples which have different positive effects on your
city. Some temples increase happiness, while other temples such as those of
the Brutii allow you to train units which start with battle experience and
the temples of the Scipii which increase weapon strength. Similar to temples
are the wonders which you start out with or gain by capturing. These have
various positive effects such as reducing the cost of religious buildings.
E. Walls
Upgrading the walls of a city is important for cities which are
close to enemy territory. The strength of the cities walls determines how
long the enemy must lay siege before the city starves and surrenders. They
also provide protection when defending the city in an assault. Buildings
can also be damaged in an attack, repair them using the building repair
option in the settlement scroll.
F. Forts and Watchtowers
You can build forts to guard a strategic location where you can
garrison your units. However, a fort needs to have troops garrisoned or it
will fall into disrepair. Watchtowers are useful for extending your view
past your cities and armies.
[5.4 Armies]
A. Creating Armies
Armies are what keep your faction strong and growing. When you create
an army you need to take a few things into consideration. The generals command
strength which is represented by stars in his profile represents how strong
the army will be led. This is probably the most important factor in
determining the strength of an army. You should mix up your units so you have
infantry, ranged attackers and cavalry. Try to focus unit production in a
few cities so you can build up those cities more quickly than the rest of
your cities to allow you to produce the best units. Make your other cities
focus on economic development. If your units start out with experience or
upgraded weapons. they will be represented on the unit icons as chevrons for
experience and shield and weapon for weapon upgrades.
B. Mercenaries
Good generals will be able to recruit mercenaries on the field to
add to his army. This is a good way to keep an assault into enemy territory
going without having to go back and get more troops. The downside is that
mercenaries are more expensive than standard troops. Mercenaries also cannot
be retrained in your cities since your city does not usually train these
types of units.
C. Generals
Focus on training your generals to gain command stars. A very strong
general can attack a similar army with a weak general and come out victorious
with minimal losses. Generals near units raise the morale of these units and
they tend to perform better. You can use your diplomats to bribe enemy generals
into joining your army. This is expensive but is often worth the cost. Whenever
you face a battle, if you think you will be able to fight it manually, do so,
because you can protect your general better than the AI. Also be wary of
AI controlled armies helping you in a fight, don’t let the AI take control
of valuable generals. The bottom line is that you can’t let your good
generals die, they are too valuable. Armies without generals are lead by
captains, who are regular units who are given temporary command of an
army. Captains are not nearly as effective as Generals in leading an army
but they sometimes rarely be promoted to Generals after a good battle.
D. Gaining experience for armies
Armies gain experience as they fight battles. Their experience is
represented as chevrons. The chevrons go from bronze, to sliver to gold, with
each level having three ranks. A more experienced soldier has higher stats
and is much less likely to flee from battle. Generals can also gain experience
and command skills through battles and gain the most when they actually
participate in the fighting. When your experienced units grow thin, combine
them by dragging and dropping them. When you retrain a unit in a city,
the new soldiers introduced into the unit lower the average experience of
the unit. However,each soldier has its own experience level, it is not
determined by the by unit.
E. Managing armies
Armies come in groups of 20 indivirual units grouped into a larger
unit. Right click on the army or navy tab to bring up a list of all your
armies. From here, right click on a force to get more details. You can transfer
units from one army to another by selecting an army and right clicking on
another army, this will bring up an interface which lets you transfer
armies.
When you attack another army on the campaign map, a Battle Deployment
Scroll will come up which gives an overview of your armies and commanders.
If you are strongly outnumbered or face a strong general, consider regrouping
and coming back with more reinforcements. You have the option of fighting
the battle yourself or letting the computer auto resolve the battle. I
reccommend that you fight the battle yourself whenever possible because the
AI is unpredictable.
[5.5 Battle]
A. Formations
It’s pretty much common sense to come up with a good formation for
your army but the basic idea in most situations is to have your infantry
in front, ranged units behind, cavalry protecting the flanks and your general
right behind the infantry.  Having the general next to your infantry boosts
their morale. If you have larger numbers than the enemy, it’s usually a good
idea to spread your formation so you can surround the enemy. Here are the
basic formations you can use once you group
your units.
1.) Cavalry First Line: This sets your troops up in three lines:
cavalry first, followed by infantry and then missile. This is
great when facing weak infantry. You can smash them down with
your calvary and finish them with your infantry.
2.) Column: The column formation places your troops into single-file
lines, sorted by unit. This is best for defending narrow spaces
such as in a city or on a bridge.
3.) Single Line: A single line formation stretches your units into a
line without strategic positioning. This is good for quickly
surrounding the enemy, or getting into a quick defensive position
when you are caught off guard. The Sorted Single line is a better
formation in most cases.
4.) Double Line: Similar to the single line formation, a double line
simply draws your units into two parallel lines without
strategically positioning any of them. This is also good for
quickly surrounding the enemy, but the sorted double line does
a better job.
5.) Foot First 3 Line: Foot first formation places your heavy infantry
in the first line, backed up by missile in the second line,
and cavalry in the third. This is effective against cavalry
charges but is vulnerable to skirmishers and archers.
6.) Missile First Line: Puts your missile troops at the front of the
line, with non-missile infantry in the second line, and cavalry
in the third line. This formation is good when the enemy is far
away. When the enemy closes in, pull your missle units behind
your infantry to protect them.
7.) Sorted Single Line: Heavy infantry in the center, with light
infantry and missile troops stretching out of the sides and avalry
is placed at the ends. This formation is great for surrounding the
enemy.
8.) Sorted Double line: A sorted double line is identical to a sorted
single line, except your units are two rows deep instead of one.
This works well for surrounding the enemy when you have superior
numbers.
B. Flanks and Rear
The flanks and rear of any army are its most vulnerable points.
By placing calvary on the side you can help protect your flanks. When facing
an enemy, always try to attack its flanks or rear with your army, especially
your calvary. A cavalry charge to the rear can devastate any unit and lower
its morale. When facing an army unit such as Greek hoplite phalanx, you must
use the slow speed of the enemy to your advantage to flank the opponent. The
Phalanx is particularly vulnerable anywhere except the front. One tactic that
seems to work is to slowly flank the enemy is to form your troops in a slight
half circle so you can slowly surround your enemy. Never let your infantry
become isolated, try to keep them in formation in a line so they dont feel
like they are being surrounded.
C. Morale
The morale of your troops is the most important aspect of a battle.
If your troops are surrounded they will lose morale and try to escape in a
rout. Try to prevent this and use this to your advantage by surrounding troops
whenever possible. Showering arrows on the enemy army lowers its morale
Also, launching a surprise attack on an unprotected side has the same
effect. Having enemy generals near your troops lowers their morale slightly,
this is also true of your general and enemy troops. Keep in mind that more
experienced troops have higher morale. New troops will most likely rout if
your general flees.
All units on the battlefield know who is winning the battle by
observing their surroundings. If they see any unit or a general fleeing,
they are more likely to flee. Use this to your advantage; if you have
a unit surrounded and they are routing, let them flee rather than let
them fight their hardest to get out of their situation. Once other enemy
units have seen them, mow them down with your cavalry to show the other
army who is the boss.
D. Unit strengths
Each of the different unit types is vulnerable to another type.
Cavalry is vulnerable to frontal spear attacks. Light Infantry is
vulnerable to cavalry and Heavy infantry is also vulnerable to side
attacks from cavalry but is effective in hand to hand combat.
Artillery is good offensively against almost any unit but is extremely
weak defensively and dies quickly after a head on attack.
Elephants are a great unit against infantry and lower the morale
of enemy troops. They can be supressed by a large number of ranged units
and scare tactics such as incendiary pigs. Your Elephants may also turn
and attack your own troops in which case you have the option of using
the special ability where your rider executes them.
Archers are very effective against light troops and mounted
archers are a good way to harass enemy troops. Always keep archers
them away from the infantry and calvary. Put them behind your infantry
when the enemy is close and protect them with your cavalrywhen necessary.
If you have the opportunity to flank the enemy using archers,make sure
you take off skirmish mode and attack, you will catch the enemy
off guard. When the enemy is far away put the archers in the front to
shoot arrows as the enemy approaches then bring them behind.
E. Fatigue
Your units will slowly or quickly get fatigued based on their actions.
Use this to your advantage by forcing attacking armies to march to you and by
running only when necessary.
F. Terrain
Use the terrain to your advantage. When fighting near or in a forest,
lure the enemy and launch surprise attacks. Place one or two units out in the
open while you hide the rest of your army in the forests. However, remember that
archers perform poorly near trees. Also, remember that generals are not hidden
in forests. When you are fighting on a map with a slope, try to control the
higher ground and avoid an uphill battle. Units move very slowly when marching
uphill and attack much less effectively; the opposite is true downhill
If you have the option to wait out the battle and the weather doesn’t suit
your army, wait until the weather changes. Some units are better suited to
certain weather condtions than others. Read unit descriptions to find out
more details about each units ideal figting conditions.
Some terrain such as mountains is impassible to your armies. Try to
find an alternate route. Certain choke points such as bridges are important
strategic locations. Defending a bridge is much easier than defending on an
open plain. You can also hide your whole army on the campaign map in a
wooded area to launch surprise attacks on an enemy army.
G. After they flee
When the enemy starts to flee, continue the battle rather than end it
so you can use your cavalry and attack dogs to run over the fleeing enemies.
You can gain more experience for your units this way. Using your general's
cavalry to run over routing units is a quick way to gain experience and
skills for the general.
H. Attacking with multiple armies
Whenever possible, try to attack with multiple armies by surrounding
the terrain around the enemy with your forces. When one of your armies is
adjacent, the AI is in control of the army and helps in the fight. Any
type of reinforcement usually helps win the battle but be wary of the AI
poorly managing your valuable Generals and armies.
I. Special Abilities
These are special skills you can use by selecting the unit and
pressing F or clicking the special ability icon during a battle.
Catabrian Circle- This is a formation used by light, missle cavalry. Units
using this ability gallop in a way that allows archers to reload while
archers in front fire, attacking in an organized manner rather than using
single volleys. This is great for harassing the enemy and lowering his
morale.
Flaming Arrows-Archers have this special ability which can light people and
buildings on fire. Not much of a difference from regular arrows when the
overall kills are taken into account.
Phalanx-Spearmen, hoplites, and pikemen can form a phalanx. A phalanx is a
strong line of infantry which is based on strength and formation. This
formation is strong but slow and vulnerable in the flanks and read.
Rally-This is a special ability generals possess which allows them to try
and recall nearby fleeing troops back into the battle.
Testudo-An intresting formation where Roman legionaries lock shields
to form an armored shell. The legionaries can then move towards the enemy
without fear of missle fire. This is effective only against missle attacks,
and doesnt fare well against melee attacks.
Warcry-Use this ability to give your units a temporary boost to attack
strength. Activate this when your units are right on top of the enemy.
Wedge-Some types of calvary can form a wedge which concentrates cavalry
in the center of the formation resulting in a stronger split in the enemy
when the formation charges.
Chant-A barbarian ability which increases their own morale while lowering
the enemies.
Kill Elephant-the rider kills the elephant. Useful when an elephant loses
control and starts attacking your own troops.
[5.6 Navies]
Your navies play an important part in the game. Early in the game,
you can use them to fulfill the many blockade missions which the senate will
undoubtedly throw at you. Early in the game, I recommend that you build a
strong navy and attack the small enemy groups of ships you encounter to gain
experience for your navy. Ships are also extremely useful for transporting
troops. If you control the seas, you will have a big advantage over other
factions which must move troops slowly across land.
[5.7 Agents]
A. Spies
Spies are very useful in the game when used intelligently. Use spies
as mobile watch towers to get warning for an attack before it happens. Put
spies in your army to increase its sight radius. Infiltrate enemy cities
before you attack to get an idea of what is waiting for you so you can
prepare accordingly. Also, putting a spy in an enemy city gives a good chance
that he will be able to open the city gates in the case of an attack.
Even if you arent planning on attacking a city, putting a spy in it
lets you see what is going around in the surrounding areas without risking
your diplomats. Spies always risk failing a mission and sometimes die in
the course of a mission. Experienced spies are less likely to fail or die
during a mission.
B. Assassins
Use assassins to tip a war in your favor. When you first recruit an
ssassin, have him kill diplomats and captains of armies to gain experience.
A strong assassin has a good chance to weaken an army by killing medium ranked
generals. You can also use him to sabotage buildings in other cities to slow
down a faction's growth. Assassins, like spies can die during a mission, so
make sure you train a few.
C. Diplomats
Diplomats are essential to a successful campaign. Immediately after
starting the game, send out diplomats to every corner of the map to form
trade agreements with every faction you are not at war with. This will help
jump start your economy once you have trade buildings. You should also use
them to form alliance when necessary and bribe enemy generals to join your
faction. During wartime, keep a couple around to bribe away armies to avoid
a battle you don’t want to fight. You should train diplomats by bribing
small armies so later you will have diplomats with the negotiating skills
to make tougher deals with generals and other nations. Diplomats are easy
targets for assassins, so be cautious with your high level diplomats.
[5.8  The Senate]
During the game you will have to deal with the senate. Starting
from the beginning, you will be assigned missions from the senate to help
guide your campaign. You can choose to follow or not follow these
missions. Performing these missions will gain you favor with the senate
and will help you gain offices, money, and influence. I reccomend that
you do these missions if they do not overextend your army or force you
into attacking an enemy you are not prepared to attack. Sometimes these
missions give you units or money as rewards, which can prove useful
early in the game. Another reward that is important is being assigned
senate postions. Being assigned an office in the senate gives your
family members benefits which continue to show througout their entire
lifetime.
You can view the senates policy on a certain faction by going
to the senate policy screen and clicking on a faction, this gives you an
idea of how the senate wants you to treat that faction. On the senate
floor tab you can view your popularity with the senate and the people.
You will need the support of the people to overthrow the senate late in
the game.
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6.0 Multiplayer
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If you have gamespy installed you can play online. The competition
online is a lot tougher than the AI, you need to practice your tactics and
unit choice. Playing a multiplayer game is much like playing a custom battle
in single player mode. You can choose to play a historic battle or play a
custom battle. In the same way as a single player custom battle, players
choose their units and skills. The players can also choose which team they
are on by clicking on the roman numerals on the right of their name.
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7.0 Units
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Here is the unit information not included in the manual.
[7.1 Roman Units (Julli, Brutii, Scipii, and Senate)]
A. Roman Infantry
Peasants
Peasants are reluctant warriors, but numbers are useful in all armies.
Forcing peasants to fight is one way of getting lots of men in the field
quickly and cheaply. They have little tactical sense, and even less
willingness to fight - they would rather be defending their own homes
than be dragged to a battle they neither care about nor understand. If
nothing else, they are useful when there's digging to be done! They are,
however, experts at reading the land and hiding whenever there is cover.
Town Watch
The town watch are local workers and peasants given enough training to
defend their homes and keep order in the streets. They are no substitute
for fully trained Roman legionaries, but then they are not expected to
be more than a citizen militia with an interest in keeping the peace
(and possibly they might have some fire fighting duties). They do not
have much equipment, as the most they are expected to do is stand behind
their spears and shields, and then hold position when charged. By and
large, this they manage to do.
Archers
Roman archers are supporting troops for heavier infantry, very much a
secondary role in Roman warfare. They are missile troops almost
exclusively, as their lack of armour and poor hand weapons mean that
only a heartless or desperate commander would deliberately order them
to fight in hand-to-hand combat. Archery is not really a significant
part of the Roman way of warfare, but the need for some missile troops
is obvious to Roman commanders, and hence these archers are recruited
from among the peasant classes.
Archer Auxilia
Archer auxilia are supporting troops for the heavier legionary
infantry, an important secondary role in Roman warfare. They are not
expected to fight in hand-to-hand combat and are not given
the war gear to do so for long; their job is to provide supporting
fire and let the legionaries fight the main battle. Because the
Roman army is standardised around its heavy infantry legionaries
other types of troops are recruited as auxiliaries. Their training
is very nearly as vigorous as that of the legionaries and discipline
in auxilia units is certainly as harsh and uncompromising.
Historically, with the changes introduced by Gaius Marius professional
auxiliaries were recruited to serve alongside the now-professional
legionaries; a wholesale shake-up of the Roman military machine saw
the whole army being put on a full time, service-for-life footing,
with auxiliaries being rewarded with Roman citizenship at the end
of their military careers.
Velites
Velites are light skirmishing troops who screen the main battle
line of an early-pattern Legion as it advances. They are armed
with javelins and a stabbing sword, and carry a small round shield
but no other protection. It is their task to harass the enemy before
the main combat begins. Velites are recruited from younger citizens,
who lack the experience (or the money for their own gear) to fight
as hastati or other heavy infantry. Roman velites become obsolescent
after the Marius Reforms. Historically, Marius put the Roman army on
a professional footing, and abandoned all property and age
requirements in the process. Roman citizens would no longer go to
war as-and-when as a civic duty; they would fight in future as
full-time citizen- mercenaries in the Legions.
Hastati
Hastati are among the younger men in an early Republican Legion,
and form the front line in any battle. They are supposed to wear
down an enemy and hold him before the next Roman battle line
attacks and carries on the fight. They are, as a result, capable
troops in their own right. They are armed with two pila that
are thrown at the enemy at close range before they close to fight
hand-to-hand. They are equipped with a sword, a bronze helmet, a
large shield and a breastplate. The pilum (plural, pila) is a cleverly
designed spear with a soft iron shaft behind the point; it bends on
impact so that it can't be thrown back and if it's stuck in someone
or something it is a real hindrance to movement. Historically,
hastati spent their own money on their equipment and often couldn't
afford anything much better. This, along with the age and property
requirements, was why they fought as hastati.
Principes
Principes are older, more reliable soldiers who have seen some
service. It is their task to be the second line of a legion and
carry on the fight once the hastati are spent. They are supposed to
carry on the 'wearing down' fight and exhaust the enemy. They are, as
a result, capable soldiers and unafraid of combat. They are armed
with two pila that are thrown at the enemy at close range before
they close to fight hand-to-hand. They are each equipped with a
sword, a bronze helmet, a large shield and chain armour. Historically,
principes spent their own money on their equipment and, being older,
were in a position to buy better gear than the young hastati. This,
along with the age and property requirements, was why they fought as
principes.
Triarii
Triarii are tough heavy spearmen who make up the third and most
senior part of a Roman Legion before the military Reforms of Gaius
Marius. They carry a long "hoplite-style" spear (the hasta)
that is used to thrust, a long shield and a gladius. They are the
oldest veteran soldiers, and well armoured – hardly surprising,
given that they are also drawn from the richest section of society.
The triarii are the last available line in early-pattern Republican
Legions. "Going to the triarii" is a Roman saying meaning carrying
on to the bitter end, and if they are used it's a sign that the
moment of decision in a battle has arrived. Historically, triarii
spent their own money on their equipment and could afford to buy
the best of everything.
Light Auxilia
Light auxilia are skirmishers who act as a screening force for
heavier troops. They also break up enemy formations with showers
of javelins that have a longer range than the iron-shafted heavy
pila carried by Roman legionaries. These auxilia do not wear armour
and so cannot be expected to last long in hand-to-hand combat but
they can fight if they must. Their training is very nearly as
vigorous as that of the legionaries so they do not tire easily,
and discipline in auxilia units is certainly as harsh and
uncompromising.
Auxilia
Auxilia are highly disciplined and tough spearmen who provide
support to Roman legionaries in battle. They are defensive infantry,
expected to protect the flanks of the heavier legionaries from
cavalry and similar threats; their training is at least as harsh
as that of the legionaries and produces men with a similar level
of discipline and hardiness. These troops need to keep up with
other Roman forces, and so cannot be allowed to tire easily. They
are recruited from among non-Romans within the Empire, and this is
easy because Roman citizenship is far from being universal.
Historically, Roman commanders made sure that auxilia were always
stationed far away from home so that there was no temptation to
acts of rebellion. The changes introduced by Gaius Marius meant
that professional auxiliaries were recruited to serve alongside
the now-professional legionaries; a wholesale shake-up of the
Roman military machine saw the whole army being put on a full
time, service-for-life footing, with auxiliaries being rewarded
with Roman citizenship at the end of their military careers.
Early Legionaries
Roman legionaries are tough, professional troops with good armour
and superb weapons. Their hallmarks are discipline, obedience and
tactical flexibility. When approaching enemy fortifications, for
example, they can use the turtle formation, or testudo, overlapping
their shields for protection. Every legionary's chainmail armour,
the lorica hamata, is of very good quality, as is the rest of his
gear: a metal helmet and a large curved shield. They fight with
two throwing spears (the pilum, plural pila) and a short stabbing
sword, the gladius. Each pilum has a soft iron shaft behind the
piercing head that is designed to bend as soon as it hits a target,
making it impossible to pull out and throw back. Embedded in a
shield a pilum hampers an enemy. Embedded in a man, it usually
kills. Once the pila have been thrown, legionaries close and continue
fighting with the stabbing gladius.   Historically, these legionaries
only came to be after the army reforms of Gaius Marius. He abandoned
property and age requirements for the legions, and made the Roman army
into a professional force. No longer would a man have to provide his
own war gear; he would be paid, serve a term of 25 years and then
retire with enough land to give him a pension for the remainder of his
days.
Early First Cohort Legionaries
The Roman first cohort consist of well-armed and armoured infantrymen,
who go into combat carrying the symbol of Roman power, a Legionary
Eagle. This is inspirational for other Roman troops. Legionaries are
tough, professional troops with good armour and superb weapons.
Their hallmarks are discipline, obedience and tactical flexibility.
When approaching enemy fortifications, for example, they can use the
turtle formation, or testudo, overlapping their shields for protection.
Every legionary's chainmail armour, the lorica hamata, is of very good
quality, as is the rest of his gear: a metal helmet and a large curved
shield. They fight with two throwing spears (the pilum, plural pila)
and a short stabbing sword, the gladius. Each pilum has a soft iron
shaft behind the piercing head that is designed to bend as soon as it
hits a target, making it impossible to pull out and throw back.
Embedded in a shield a pilum hampers an enemy. Embedded in a man,
it usually kills. Once the pila have been thrown, the first cohort
close and continue fighting with the stabbing gladius. Historically,
these cohorts came to be after the army reforms of Gaius Marius. He
made the Roman army into a professional force. Men served a term of
25 years and then retired with enough land to give them pensions
for the remainder of their days. The best legionaries in each legion
would naturally gravitate through seniority into the first cohort.
Legionaries
Roman legionaries are tough, professional troops with good armour
and superb weapons. Their hallmarks are discipline, obedience and
tactical flexibility. When approaching enemy fortifications, for
example, they can use the turtle formation, or testudo, overlapping
their shields for protection. Every legionary's flexible banded armour,
the lorica segmenta, is of very good quality, as is the rest of
his gear: a metal helmet and a large curved shield. They fight with
two throwing spears (the pilum, plural pila) and a short stabbing
sword, the gladius. Each pilum has a soft iron shaft behind the
piercing head that is designed to bend as soon as it hits a target,
making it impossible to pull out and throw back. Embedded in a shield
a pilum hampers an enemy. Embedded in a man, it usually kills. Once the
pila have been thrown, legionaries close and continue fighting with the
stabbing gladius. The lorica segmenta armour was adopted because it
was cheaper to make and offered more protection as the earlier chainmail.
First Cohort Legionaries
The Roman first cohort consists of well-armed and armoured infantrymen,
who go into combat carrying the symbol of Roman power, a Legionary
Eagle. This is inspirational for other Roman troops. Legionaries are
tough, professional troops with good armour and superb weapons. Their
hallmarks are discipline, obedience and tactical flexibility. When
approaching enemy fortifications, for example, they can use the turtle