Imperium Constantini is very HARD

[Syagrius]

In my first campaign in Ruina Romae I played the Western Empire on medium difficulty, as it is stated that in the campaign screen that the difficulty playing it is hard. I managed to win around 486, so I said to myself nextime I will play at Hard, however I wanted to try the Imperium Constantini first at hard. Yikes, this campaign should be rated at Very Hard! : the Franks and the WE are beating the crap out of me (they send armies after armies at me) before I can manage to build a decent force (as the starting IC army is of very bad quality).

Should I play this campaign on medium or keep trying it on hard? Any good strategies for the IC?

[JackLong69]

Some campaigns are very hard in IB. U dont beat em up easily because its far from history to survive the frankish invasion. U need to trick the ai to turn the situation. Use every tactic u know to beat the enemy 1 to 10 or 20 with superman generals until u have the money and troops to play fair against the AI.

[Ihatemonday]

The most beautiful thing about IB is the challange as playing Rome.You have to find a way which Romans couldnt and save the empire.It is not impossible as i finished succesfully a camp with WRE but really i was kicked hard.My hardest battles ever from beginning.

[jermagon]

The most beautiful thing about IB is the challange as playing Rome.You have to find a way which Romans couldnt and save the empire.It is not impossible as i finished succesfully a camp with WRE but really i was kicked hard.My hardest battles ever from beginning.

yes as long as you have good generals,and you know how run your economy you''ll be victor

[Syagrius]

Yes with the Western Empire, with the ressources of Italy and Africa you can manage to improve and build a good army (which is realistic because historically the WE never recovered from the loss of rich Africa to the Vandals) But the Imperium Constantini is limited to the small cities of Gaul which provide limited revenues. Ho well, I will keep trying with different strategies.

[seriousbusiness]

hahahahaaaa
suffer!

I beat it on VH/VH, but it took forever to do it. I don't remember the year but it would have been after 500, probably. My key was using forts and 1 cheap garrison unit in them on every frontier while my professional armies blitzkreiged one enemy at a time (in the order WRE, Romano-Brits, Vandals/WRE in Iberia). In the early stages of the game I destroyed the Franks, Burgundii and Saxons by assassinating their leaders (eventually the Allamanni too).

When facing the WRE in Italy you MUST choose your battles extremely carefully and exterminate as many of their troops as you can in medium-size stacks where possible (while taking minimal casualties) then take a city, defend it hardcore-ly, move on taking another, repeat. The key lies in both delaying your enemies with forts, using foederati/mercenaries to quickly defend troubled settlements and propping up the economy as best you can (generally by taking settlements out of the way that are weak but won't be attacked, eg. Scandinavia, Britain and Aleria/Caralis/Palma are good examples. Cheaply maintained and a free 1000 denarii you badly need)

Make sure to have a spy and 2 extreme assassins at all times. They quickly pay for themselves if you can knock an enemy or two (or three; I was very lucky) early on.

The best faction in my opinion because you have to think so carefully about how to manage everything - Economy, battles are very tough. You have to macromanage a campaign at large and micromanage the economy to the last denarii. Really makes you think.

[Pompeius Magnus]

perhaps you can explain how you build dozens of forts as WRE.
After the first turn is finished you have negative income.

[seriousbusiness]

perhaps you can explain how you build dozens of forts as WRE.
After the first turn is finished you have negative income.

Imperium Constantini, not WRE.

cheat...*cough*

lol, tempting


Use up all of your foederati troops ASAP by blitzing Franks. After WRE the most dangerous enemy but easily enough destroyed. You can afford 1-2 stacks of troops. Micro the economy as much as you can. The key is that you will have probably eliminated an enemy or 2 early on, before the difficult clash with the WRE. The vandals usually attack, but if you've eliminated the Franks losing a province or two is acceptable in the short term.

As soon as you have the money build forts along the Rhine. Staff them with small, depleted and cheap troops (ideally <40 denarii upkeep) since the fort is there to delay them, nothing more. Buying 3-6 turns on an invasion gives you time for your army to not only get there, but gather strength (if possible) as well. Kamikaziing your low-grade family members is also strongly advised since if used properly in the context of a cheapo foederati army they can do huge damage to most enemies. Which reminds me, use your 0-turn troops where possible. Having a crappy population doesn't matter if you can keep the province. If you do things right any provinces you lose will be only temporary.

Luck plays a huge role too. In my game the Allamanni and Visigoths were effectively destroyed and when the Burgundii arrived they were easy to deal with (only 1/2 stack). Presto, 4 enemies gone and the entire eastern border free for many turns (before the Huns eventually moved in), giving me time and finances to deal with those pesky WRE stacks I had been desperately delaying again and again (with mercenaries, cheap depleted units and forts). Bar only my Pictish VH/VH campaign, the hardest I have played.

[Jingles]

cheat...*cough*

[Stanimir the pessimistic]

cheat...*cough*

I would love to but,for some reason pressing the `~ button does nothing.Does it sound like I need to re-install:hmmm:or something else.There are alot of factions I'd love to play but most are impossible without cheating.I do not have a problem with cheating as long as it is single play.Would sincerely appreciate some help on this.
Cordially,
Stanimir the not at all confident

[Ironic Honesty]

i can't play. my game always crashes randomly. it's too unstable.

[RPK]

I would love to but,for some reason pressing the `~ button does nothing.Does it sound like I need to re-install:hmmm:or something else.There are alot of factions I'd love to play but most are impossible without cheating.I do not have a problem with cheating as long as it is single play.Would sincerely appreciate some help on this.
Cordially,
Stanimir the not at all confident

What layout do you have on your keyboard? On my board(Which is Swedish) I press the §-button in Rome, and the Ö-button in M2. Good luck.