SPQR guide : How to survive the first fifteen turns.

[czePowerslave]

Who teach you that trick.

The Gauls? Well I bet community did, + I realized some new things on fighting them.

[Hesus de bodemloze]

It is all in taking territory. If you take the city next to nicea thy will lose there grip on there steam role.

[Raglan]

is there a game mercanic that compares troop numbers cause i noticed that when i increased my legions from 4 - 8 in prep for my iberian invasion they stoped bothering me (i've had one battle in about twenty turns) despite the fact my troops are nowhere near the boarder

[Hesus de bodemloze]

If thy think thy can beat you thy will attack you. So if you put like 8 legions in one province bordering them thy won' t attack you until thy have the same amount of troops or more troops.

[czePowerslave]

is there a game mercanic that compares troop numbers cause i noticed that when i increased my legions from 4 - 8 in prep for my iberian invasion they stoped bothering me (i've had one battle in about twenty turns) despite the fact my troops are nowhere near the boarder

ACtually, that is quite right. I noticed such thing on my gallic border, when they will not attack 4 full legions, unless they can pack really greatly more troops.

[saienga]

I've noticed this trend also. It seems the AI responds to three big things:

1) The number of troops you have in total
2) The number of troops you have directly in their way
3) Where your backup is (aka, in which provinces)

In starting the campaign over several times (thanks Hannibal) I found that if I moved Flavius and Quintus over the border into Calabria, at the very least Theophanes would come straight for me, if not Hannibal, too. If I left them just on my side of the border, Theophanes would hover and Hannibal would beeline for Reghion.

Same with the Gauls (in my now running campaign) Vibius Julius is up in Umbria, and while he had 90% strength in his legion, two and a half stacks of Gauls stayed up in Venetia, just across the border. After a battle with a Gaulish family member and a big stack, Vibius lost a little strength, and the flood gates opened. The daffy Gaulish captains came charging down into Umbria and I had a serious fight on my hands (Update for the AAR coming on that today, hopefully).

So yeah, they calculate where you are, how strong you are, and what your potential reinforcements look like. [So far as I can deduce, anyway.]

[czePowerslave]

Despite I dont know any formula to calculate that, basically it is correct. More troops you can afford to station at the place, safer you are. But I even saw gauls attacking me at the place where I had 3 full legions and a strong garrison.

[saienga]

Hey, if they want to hand you 4000 kills on a silver platter, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

[czePowerslave]

There are certain stacks builds, that can turn your day into a real nightmare.

[saienga]

Yes. When the gauls manage to patch together 3 units of cavalry and 2 or 3 units of spearmen...Look out, son!

[czePowerslave]

A full 20 unit stack, with a strong general, 3-5 heavy cavalry and rest of chosen swordsmen and spearmen, can be REALLY but REALLY tough to beat.

[Hesus de bodemloze]

Don' t forget there experience this makes it even harder to get them rounting so thy will fight longer and harder.

[Raglan]

as much as i'm enjoying this has it not gotten slightly off topic

i've been considering creating a chat thread or simular for these interesting but off topic side thread - what do you all think cause then we can carry on these posts but in a more meaninful and less random way

[Hesus de bodemloze]

Sure make one, i won' t close it if you pick a nice title for the thread.

[czePowerslave]

Hesus, you think that after consolidating one´s position, where is it better to go? Carthage, Greece? Macedonia? Egypt?

[Hesus de bodemloze]

Euhm, well i try to play historicaly. So i first whent for sicilia and sardinia. After taking them i went to Iberia and captures all carthaginian settlements and two that can recruit legions tarraco and the other one. At the same time i invaded greece i have 3 of there cities, i still need to capture sparta, athens and an other one. I trained 2 to 3 fresh legions in sicilia and south italie. I withdraw 3 legions from the borders with gaul to take part of the invasion of africa and changed them with 3 legions of green recruits.

This is how i prepared and played my game till now.

[czePowerslave]

Interesting My progress is nowhere of history I recall taking Carthage as a first off-Italy settlement

[Hesus de bodemloze]

Yes well i like to play it historically. If i finish my campaign i will start a new one and take cities random.

[Raglan]

i've ignore sardinia and the mediteranian islands and gone straight to iberia - the islands seem impractical to defend and don't offer enough money or access to elsewhere to make it worth while

i want the city of Carthago to be the last place to fall though so they will get captured at some point

and as this is no longer about the first 15 turns how about moving to the side topic's thread

EDIT
i've restarted this in the side thread

[czePowerslave]

This is more of a continuance to first turns, as you need to decide what you will do next. It might tho depend much on how good you did on your first turns