Am I expanding too slowly?

[D.B. Cooper]

I took the advice of that house rules scroll and am not expanding very much, but I can't help the feeling that I'm going too slowly. At 494 I have Italian peninsula, Genoa, and Appolonia. I'm fighting a war with Macedonia, currently besieging Ambracia. I bought Genoa for about 25K. Am I going too slow?

[Philip_II]

I just hit 500 Ab Urbe Condita and I as Macedon have all of Greece, half of Asia Minor, all of Egypt, and moving East against the Seleucids (I was going to do it completely Alexandrian but I passed up fighting the Seleucids to take out the big cities in the south first). This mod is all about fighting at your pace, honestly. I have about ten full stacks at all times being cycled in and out but I'm also a bit strapped for cash as well so we'll see. Rolling economy=must.

[Leeham991]

500 years after the founding of Rome is far too slow IMHO

[stanley86]

I don't think you're going too slow. I like to play as Rome more or less historically. If I rmember correctly around 500AUC I was still sitting in Italy, building up economy and infrastructure and slowly preparing to invade Sicily. I didn't even reach the Alps, as I was defending against the barbarians to the north. But when I started the War with Carthage I didn't stop until I have conquered all of their lands (it took me more than 50-60 years, which is not that historically). So it's more like how do you want and like to play. If you like blitzing go ahead, if you like the "turtle strategy" - no problem. But neglecting the economical and cultural buildings can cause things to go wrong, as you absolutely need more money when expanding and public order in your sarting regions.

[Legionary Titus Pullo]

yes, Stanley i agree, itend to move up and take trans alpine gaul, as quick as i can then i solidify my position and start to establish my economy, keeping my military to a minimum, always looking to expand my borders to say a river or mountain range somewhere that creates a bottleneck and is an easily defended fronteir, then build forts and watch towers to guard my borders, then when im stronger financilly , and can support more troops, i will push to the next river and so on, well thats how i like to do it, oh and i only recruit from italy at the start, and to begin with only from rome, it alows the other cities to grow.

[Leeham991]

yes, Stanley i agree, itend to move up and take trans alpine gaul, as quick as i can then i solidify my position and start to establish my economy, keeping my military to a minimum, always looking to expand my borders to say a river or mountain range somewhere that creates a bottleneck and is an easily defended fronteir, then build forts and watch towers to guard my borders, then when im stronger financilly , and can support more troops, i will push to the next river and so on,

Jumped pushes are the best way to gain territory

[dvk901]

I took the advice of that house rules scroll and am not expanding very much, but I can't help the feeling that I'm going too slowly. At 494 I have Italian peninsula, Genoa, and Appolonia. I'm fighting a war with Macedonia, currently besieging Ambracia. I bought Genoa for about 25K. Am I going too slow?

Personally, I like a slow paced well planned campaign that just kinda 'unfolds'. I don't attack other factions purposely...but if they become my enemies I'm not forgiving. I also like to just build, consolidate, beat off attacks where necessary, and let the AI get very powerful. It's just more of a challenge for me that way. So I would say there 'isn't' a 'too slow'. Just play at a pace you're comfortable with.

[mattfriend0]

if you take too long super powers form normaly egpt or macadoina in my current campain its pontis

[Philip_II]

Pontus, wow, my Macedonian campaign already has them gone by 500. I'm going back and redoing my Roman campaign better with a more Caesarean approach instead of an immediate war with Carthage.

[Legionary Titus Pullo]

" Jumped pushes " what do you mean when you say jumped ?

[Leeham991]

Jumping to the next chock point, then holding position to get ready to jump to the next.

[Bull3pr00f de Bodemloze]

that is more or less what de Romans did in real history.....
south border: Sahara
east border: desert and mountains
north border: modern day Rhine and Danube
west border: Atlantic Sea

seems quite smart to me

[Banana Jelly]

Hmm, thats really not called jumped pushes. Its called steamrolling

[Legionary Titus Pullo]

I soppose its more of a tactical push stratergy

[DoogansQuest]

Play however you like. I used to play fast, but then the game was a combination of too easy/too messy. Now I'm in like 540 AUC and I don't even have half of the map yet with Syracuse.

[Leeham991]

I never start a war, but I will damn well finish them!

Playing fast only really works if you play by the house rules. Like this war I had with Macedon, I played fast, but so did they. The 5 central cities changed hands about 15 times before a huge land battle forced us both to declare ceasefire. I got 6 of the war area cities and they got 2, guess I won? But anyway, that only happened because I held off from wars for a few years so all the factions could build up militaries.

[SonOfAlexander]

That's not too slow, though there's no such thing really. Once when I felt like it, as Pergamum I decided to conquer Seleucids, Ptolemies, Pontics and Armenians before about 510 AUC. Or on the other hand I could just as easily have done what you did. Building up your infrastructure like that DOES make it more fun, but speed up in about 5 or 10 years. Remember, 0 AD is about... 740 or something AUC, so you have plenty of time to expand at the same speed as the actual Roman empire.

[Legionary Titus Pullo]

When i play as rome i tend to only take the aggressive stance in one theatre at a time, so greece & Macedonia first, then carthage i.e Iberia and north africa, along into egypt, then gaul, taking each area 1 at a time focusing my advance in just that area, every where else i have a defensive stance, only launching punitive attacks when provoked, that way my resorces dont get stretched too thin, some times i will plan out what i am going to do campaign wise , before i even start a campaign, it makes for an interesting game sometimes rarter thatn just reacting to the AI.

[stanley86]

Balanced development and focusing on one direction of military expansion at a time is a key to succes

[♔Icebear77♔]

Balanced development and focusing on one direction of military expansion at a time is a key to succes

Thanks, this is my way too. Try to have only one frontline and not 3 or 4. I never break a alliance, if the other faction do, they will get a second chance. If they are allies again and breake it once again, sorry, then, they have a problem... no regret and good steel will be the answer...