Your EB Empire

[QuintusSertorius]

Nice campaign going on Quintis. Can I ask where you got your information on the realistic expansion of the Roman empire? Because I might want to do one in the future, but also just to know in general.

Besides some helpful stuff on the first page of this thread, I've been using a range of sources such as Adrian Goldsworthy's The Fall of Carthage. That's got loads of great info on when things happened and who the Romans were warring with.

I'm finding in some respects the slower expansion actually makes the game easier; you rarely get overstretched when you're not taking settlements every year. Although Spain is proving more difficult, the first army there has basically ground to a halt trying to keep Arse pacified.

Also, are you basically giving away all the money you have to other factions? You seem very poor.

I actually cheat for the handouts. I don't play on VH precisely because AI factions get a blanket 10,000 mnai bonus, which doesn't give any advantage to the smaller, weaker ones as I'd like. As well as enabling them to spam you with stack after stack (since they can't go into the red, and don't lose population when they recruit).

Right now the Arverni, Seleukids, Sauromatae and Saka are on income support, with occasional help to the Makedonians and Getai.

For those I give regular tributes to, that comes from my own treasury.

Otherwise I don't leave money lying around. I'm extremely wary of hitting that 50,000 trigger where your family members start getting negative traits to do with being too rich. Most provinces are usually building something, and sometimes I recruit an additional army just to soak up cash. For example I have a stack in Sicily doing nothing, and one in Cisalpine Gaul which I keep using for reinforcements to those on the fronts (then replenishing it at my leisure).

I currently have five full armies now; one in Sicily, one in Cisalpine Gaul, one in Illyria, one in Spain and one on the way to Spain to speed things up there. I may recruit another one to sit outside Capua if Spain proves to zing the treasury up some.

[johnhughthom]

I don't think the 50k in the treasury giving you negative traits is in EB. I read that somewhere over at the org and tested it myself, I had a Ptolemaic campaign going where I had that much money coming in I found it difficult to come in at under 500k a turn never mind 50k and checking my families traits closely turn after turn revealed no obvious negative effects from a large treasury. With EB it seems buildings in a city, sitting around too much and the dull/charismatic/langorous etc sets of traits are likely to be the reason for gaining vices.

[QuintusSertorius]

I don't think the 50k in the treasury giving you negative traits is in EB. I read that somewhere over at the org and tested it myself, I had a Ptolemaic campaign going where I had that much money coming in I found it difficult to come in at under 500k a turn never mind 50k and checking my families traits closely turn after turn revealed no obvious negative effects from a large treasury. With EB it seems buildings in a city, sitting around too much and the dull/charismatic/langorous etc sets of traits are likely to be the reason for gaining vices.

I thought it was one of those hard-coded things?

In any case, I'd rather be spending the money on something than having it sitting around. Queuing buildings gives governors good traits like Builder and other administrative things.

And backup armies ready to swing into action at a moment's notice can come in handy.

[King Arthur]

Can I ask where you got your information on the realistic expansion of the Roman empire? Because I might want to do one in the future, but also just to know in general.

I would certainly check this site for any reference material:

http://www.unrv.com/

I use this as a main source of inspiration and it's very useful for when I script in major events, as it gives you all the Generals etc names, so my campaigns have an added 'realistic' feel to them.

[QuintusSertorius]

201BC:



I've fallen behind the times a little with my Second Punic War; still haven't had a decisive battle in Africa, nor indeed secured all of Spain. Not long now, though. My second army finally arrived and is on it's way to take Gader. All three other settlements now have their client rulers and local garrisons.

Although the lack of mercenaries in Spain is proving troublesome for raising troops to look after my client cities.

Segestica and Dalmanion now have upgraded mines and churn out silly amounts of money. I'm guessing once Spain's mines are also online, they'll be adding lots of funds. I think I'll station two consular armies in Spain permanently. Which means I'll need to raise my sixth one soon.

Oh, and I'm temporarily holding Epidamnos, but will give it back again soon.

[Archlord]

This is my Roman Republic. its 247 B.C. and i have already had my punic war against carthage with resulting in gaining the islands of corsia and sicily. Now i have 2 legions marching towards epiroes for the war that will result in gaining the illyrian provences and a nice foothold on greece.

[Kubelwagen]

Here's my Bactrian "empire."


I created a Grand Armée (a fun medley of normal hellenic units and HA and Iranian inf) and marched out to clear the rebels out of the western half of my lands...then I marched to the southwestern enemy rebel lands, defeated a half stack, and beseiged the city there.

Then an earthquake came and killed 300ish troops and I was forced to withdraw as I lacked the strength to take the city. You can see that force on its way back home to retrain now. . . (in the fort)

I'm gifted with an incredible faction leader (still the same as when the game started) and an even better heir (who won the Olympics! ) but I'm trying to get my other family members some good combat traits for the future.

[GaivsSejanvs]

This is my roman Empire. I'm playing with rtw.exe, 192 BC.




Other Regions coming soon...

EDIT:

[QuintusSertorius]

Egypt ascendant! That's why I take pains in my game to stop any one faction getting too powerful, even if it takes "cheating" with Force Diplomacy.

[Korlon]

By the way, the 50k treasury giving bad traits thing is not a hardcoded thing. Just do a ctrl + f for treasury in the character traits file and you'll see that it's linked to some bad traits. 100k gives a 1.5x more chance of getting said bad traits. 150k doesn't seem to change things though.

Also, Quintus, I think you know that gifting the cheated money all the time does make your relations with the respective factions better than it should. At least I think it would. There's a way to give money directly to factions without the need of a diplomat. Simply use "add_money factionname, moneyamount." Without the quotations nor the period at the end of course. The only problem is that you need to use the original faction names for each faction. Second problem is that they're not usually what you think they are. For example, the Romans are actually the Seleucids in the file. So you'd have to do add_money seleucid, 40000 to give the Romans 40000 mnai.

Edit: Nevermind, it seems you already knew about this last paragraph.

[QuintusSertorius]

Yep, doing it with the console nowadays, which is quicker and less logistical effort, as well as not artificially improving my relations. Now the only money I give them are small amounts of regular tribute to smaller factions.

[Kubelwagen]

Current Baktria campaign as detailed in my AAR. The Seleucids are approaching from mulitple directions with full stacks. If I can beat them off I reckon I've got them, but I think I'm going to ask for a ceasefire for the time being, I've been at war for forever. Playing on VH/M.

Spring 236 BC, and the Seleucids haven't been at war with anyone but me for the past 20 years. :/

[Kodiac]

Playing as Aedui VH/M with darth formations.

Had a tough time taking out Arverni, when they were down to thier last city I was surprised to see them with 3 full stacks. They left me alone for awile but, now the Romans are coming and it was just none stop couldn't even build up my cities to try out some new units. So I took one stack and went striaght for Rome to see what happens. I think playing at VH/M is way to much coin for the ai, seems to be no balance in play at all.

[QuintusSertorius]

EB 1.1, H/M using rtw.exe, at 270BC:

[Companion Cavalry]

I'm tired of looking at near-identical Roman empires, so here's my Epirote empire so far:



I'm very rich and am busy building improvements to all cities. My next target is Rome, then Aitolia (still unconquered due to the huge rebel garrison).

Last in my near-future conquests are the Makedonians. When I kicked them out of Europe, they started building an empire in Asia Minor and are having great successes attacking the Seleukids and falling back to Mytilene, their capital, when need be.

[icydawgfish]

Thanks, something fresh. Do you people really never play any faction besides Rome? Rome's great and all but it does get a bit boring after awhile.

[Companion Cavalry]

Thanks, something fresh. Do you people really never play any faction besides Rome? Rome's great and all but it does get a bit boring after awhile.

I haven't played Rome even once. I want a more challenging starting position so I try a variety of factions.

[QuintusSertorius]

Thanks, something fresh. Do you people really never play any faction besides Rome? Rome's great and all but it does get a bit boring after awhile.

I don't play any other faction. I never get bored either.

[icydawgfish]

Well, do you ever yearn to reinvent history and create a grand barbarian kingdom, or revive Alexander's empire with a successor faction, or recreate the Persian Empire with Pontus, Pahlava, or Armenia? Or what about do what the Carthaginians couldn't and win the first and second Punic wars and impose the same injustices on them they did to the Carthaginians. And once Italy and Spain are secured, you could expand into the rest of the Mediterranean coast.

[Companion Cavalry]

Well, do you ever yearn to reinvent history and create a grand barbarian kingdom, or revive Alexander's empire with a successor faction, or recreate the Persian Empire with Pontus, Pahlava, or Armenia? Or what about do what the Carthaginians couldn't and win the first and second Punic wars and impose the same injustices on them they did to the Carthaginians. And once Italy and Spain are secured, you could expand into the rest of the Mediterranean coast.

Believe me, I have done every single one of those, and yet more