Too hard for me without your help... and a question

[FFJean]

Dear all,

Julian is one of my favourite emperors and I have started with him as Caesar in 355AD, in Lutetia. I have started once on M-M (impossible for me, I know I am not an excellent player, but really too hard for me, and especially because I always try to develop my economy first, which is obviously wrong here). As this was impossible for me, I have stopped it and tried the Franks, but they are very, very easy to play with (M-M again). So I started as Julian again, on E-M (I know, please, forgive me, I have sworn to try M-M as soon as I understand how not to be wiped out in a few turns, always deep in red).

Could somebody give me some hints at what to do? Which cities should I leave, if any? (the 2 easternmost in Africa are clear candidates for me, as is Augusta Vindelicorum). What are the first tactical targets and even more importantly, what are the medium-term strategic objectives?

I would really appreciate some hints from this community, because I woul love to play the whole scenario, at least until I have recovered Gaul and taken over Italy.

I have one additional question, nothing to do with the first: should I play on Large or Huge, or more appropriately, is the mod supposed to be played on Large or Huge, as per the city growth? My computer lags on Huge, but I will play Huge if this is what is supposed to be, because I hate it when development of cities starts to be out of hand due to this.

Please, forgive my English for any mistake I made, and I will be very grateful for any input.

FFJean

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

I wish I could help you but I have yet to play the 355 AD campaign and have no idea how to approach it. I do believe that it is perhaps the hardest of the 3 campaigns!

[Diocle]

Dear FFJean, I played the 355 campaign many time ago, a true nightmare! I carry even today the psychological wounds of that glourious experience, I'll try to be of some help:
If I remember right, keep your infantry in Gallia do not disband any troop, defeat the Germans as soon as possible, they look invincible but they aren't, kill them all!! Then take Italy, good resources cities and good bonuses when the conquest is completed; the next objective will be Illyricum, great Legiones and Auxilia, kill Contantius II and his traitors, for the survivors: "Damnatio ad bestias"!!
And then the great question: The Persian or strengthen the western part of the Empire? In that campaign, my choice was for strengthen the West, now I repent having deprived Julianus of his great dream, but his heirs, I remember, annihileted the Sassanids in the final stages of the campaign!! so to you the choice!!
The money: a nightmare! if I remember corrctly I lost some city in Spain and North Africa, disrupt some building for the money, do not reclute new troops!! Go on with the men that you have, they are all great men, they'll make you Augustus, the only Imperator!!
For me the compaign is won when you take the Illyricum from that moment it was all more easy.
Now I will say a thing that will attract on me discredit and contempt from all the good people in these forum: Cheat!!!! I'll repeat, cheat "add_money ....." but do not give up!!! This mod is too great,it is better, the first times, to give yourself some help, understanding the complexity of this wonderful mod, than to leave and deprive yourself of this magnificent gaming and yes, why not? cultural experience!!!

[michell]

Try to install and activate forced diplomacy submod - it makes game easier.

[crlane]

The 355 campaign as Julian is hard, but not impossible (I do it with M/M settings). On the first turn, here's what you should do with your military playing as Julian:

1. Get Julian himself along with his elite legionary army moving toward the alemanii occupying gaul, and defeat them. Use the manuballistarii and vexillationes sagitarii units in his army to advantage; they'll punch holes through the alemanii ranks and be especially useful against berserkers and axemen!

2. There is a large hill on the border between Julian's lands and the Franks, and there will be a frankish army near it. Scout the area with a spy/assassin; there will be another army in ambush. Send Florentius Flavius to the hilltop right next to the two frankish armies with a good army to defeat them (let them come to you, the franks will tire going up the hill). Here's the army I used; its light (provincial), but the units are within a short distance, and with good strategy, it can beat the two immediate frankish armies and kill their king with minimal casualties to you!
-1 general's bodyguard (Florentius)
-1 equites scutarii bodyguard (Gnaeus Macrinus, good to have a command type unit that doubles as heavy missile cavalry).
-1 Equites scutarii (heavy)
-3 Equites scutarii (light)
-2 equites sagitarii
-2 miletes sagitarii (2 experience)
-6 legio ripeness legio III secundae aduitrix
-3 auxilia cohorts limitanii
-1 auxilia praeventores

3. Move Sallustius along with a strong legionary army to follow near Florentius’s route to Frankia to support him after his force takes on the brunt of the Franks.

4. Get Tiberius Secondus out to the field with a large field army (with the brittish legions included) and defeat the Saxons in Brittain immediately.

5. Combine the best units from the armies of Nevitta and Barbatio, and send the 2 generals and the remaining units to Milan so they can garrison and won’t rebel. Have loyal frontier general Gaius Macrinus get command of this new army, and position it in the swiss pass. Use this army in conjunction with Julian’s to roll up the alemanii and take their cities, coin, and womanfolk!

6. Move Verenianus Flavius out to the field in Spain and give him a large army of Spanish legions, miletes infantry/spearmen, and mauri cavalry from the armies and cities around. Move this army to Africa for defense against the berbers; the equites mauri will be a critically important force here. If he takes a city he will be a good governor and have a matching religion (Christian).

7. Move Valentinianus Flavius to Lutetia to be governor (he’s Christian and a good tax collector).

Tips:

-Overall, heavy infantry (legions) won't be your best friend against the franks in open battle, as they are scared of the francisca-armed infantry which are often of high effect against legions. The Frankish have the heavy infantry advantage in this game. Use instead light missile cavalry, light infantry, and archers to defeat the main armies, then legions to mop up and take the cities. A good strategy is to lure one enemy unit away from the rest of the army with missile cavalry, then surround and destroy it with missile fire. Missile cavalry will be the bane of the Franks if you use the units well. Use good strategy always, and beware the franciscas!

-The Saxons have little to no cavalry or missiles. Take advantage with your own.

-Keep a good standing army in Brittain, as the Saxons and Picts will keep coming. Also, build walls at least minimal walls around every settlement in Brittain to keep the barbarians from swiping a city from under your nose.

-Use hills and good strategy to the fullest extent possible. You’ll need all the help you can get!

-Don’t abandon cities, especially those you described in Africa. Build temples that increase happiness (especially those that can be built in 1 turn), increase frequency of games, move governors to the settlements (especially those with matching religions) and increase garrisons, either with new units or those moved in from forts. Vigiles urbani take 0 turns to recruit; you can fill a recruitment roster with them and they’ll all be done next turn. You can make it through without losing any cities in your first turn if you really try.

-No matter what you do, your finances will go negative on the second turn. You may as well use the cash you get on your fist turn to build/recruit anything you need. Put multiple buildings in a construction browser your first turn; all will keep on building through turns you have no cash because you will have already paid for them on the turn previous. Your finances will improve in a few turns as you gain settlements, free your lands of occupying barbarians and rebels, buld economical buldings, and lose troops through battles. Repair any damaged buildings on the first turn, and construct buildings that improve the economy and can go up quickly, especially the temples to Mercury and Ceres.

-Constantius won't attack you for at least 3 years; he's too busy with the quadi, lazyges, sassanids, and rebels ravaging his own lands and armies. More likely, you'll betray him first.

-If you take Ravenna and the rest of Italy is under Constantius's control, you instantly obtain all of Italy!

-If you are sure to activate the script on your first turn, an army will be recruited and assembled by the script for you, for free, near the Frankish border to bolster your ranks.

-Put disloyal generals in settlements where they can gather taxes and won’t rebel.

-All barbarian factions form hordes here if their last settlement is taken. To avoid this, kill all their family members without taking their last settlement; this will eliminate the faction and make their remaining armies rebels.

-Get Colonia Aggripina back before 358 AD if possible. If you do, you’ll get a free frankish foederati army and foedus there sometime during that year.

This should get you off to a good start. Go forth, conquer, Carpe Diem!

-PS, I like using the "large" unit scale.

[FFJean]

Dear Diocle and Clarne,

Thank you very much for your inputs. I will try my best along these lines. Indeed, I thought I could maybe develop a pure Equites Sagitarii army (well, at least gather all these units in Gaul and fill the recruitment of Argentoratum with such units), what do you think about it? Btw, is there a place in Britain (Great Britain ;-)) where I can develop Sarmatian archers cavalry? I feel that Saxons are easy meat for this kind of army, as they seem infantry based, only. And I guess that Celts are mostly infantry too, if not only.

Still regarding units, I have the feeling that the best garnison forces for cities deep behind the front lines are Equites Auxilia (Large 72 men per unit, Upkeep cost 180) rather than Vigiles Urbani (40 men, Upkeep 220) which appears odd to me, is this meant like this? I have the impression that there is a number or rather odd things Upkeep cost wise, do you know if all this is on purpose?

Regarding buildings, I have noticed that many cities are in fact still deeply Pagan (I mean, majority of the population is Pagan) whilst the city itself - due to a Christian church - is Christian, do you agree that I should destroy the Christian churches in these cases and build Pagan temples instead? I have noticed in Spain 2 Jewish temples, which is amazing to me, is this historical? Should I destroy them?
Regarding the cheat "add money", how do I do to use it? I have the feeling I will try to get some more money, at least as Diocle said, to allow me to play and not quit directly.

Thank you again very much for your detailed inputs, and best regards,

FFJean

[julianus heraclius]

I have noticed in Spain 2 Jewish temples, which is amazing to me, is this historical?

There were Jewish groups in southern spain at this time.

[Diocle]

For FFJean: No do not destoy the Christian churchs, for now, wait until you stabilize the situation, after that....., destroy the christian churchs and build Pagan temples beginning from the cities in which the public order is better and slowly advance with a complete plain of reintroduction of Paganism in the whole Empire, remember for the christians the best solution is: "Damnatio ad Bestias"!!!!!
But remember you will never be able to completely eradicate the christians from the Empire (this is the only point that I don't understand in this wonderful Mod and which annoy me very much!!!!!) so you'll ever have some christian character; about the Jewish temples, let them survive, I built some small Jewish temple in some oriental city, I belive they may be useful to contain the christians, but I'm not sure about this.
Cheat: open the console and write: add_money ........ (the number you like, but I think it give you 40000, I'm not sure, in case repeat the script)
in any case search in the forums, for sure you will find treads about cheats in RTW-BI. About the troops in the cities: PER ASPERA AD ASTRA!



For crlane, you wrote the best guide/manual about the romans I ever found!! congratulations!!
You could, if you have the time, write about some other faction and ask julianus heraclius if he can insert your great suggestions in a apposite new tread! it would be a wonderful help for the players new and old!! +rep

[FFJean]

Dear Julianus,

Thank you for your answers re Jewish temples in Spain. What about the Upkeep for Vigiles Urbani? Is it meant to be like this?

Thank you again, and thanks Diocle,

FFJean

[Diocle]

FFJean, can I advance my opinion? If you are speaking about the upkeep costs of the Vigiles, yes maybe they are a little high!but if you build and menage your towns well, you should be able to sustain their cost!
But if you are speaking about the fact that in some cities you can find, in the recruitment window, only Vigiles, well, this is a feature of the Mod, You cannot have the best troop everywhere, in the ends remember, we are in the Late Empire, an age of crisis!!

[FFJean]

Dear Diocle,

Thanks for your feedback, I agree with you, we are in late empire, so facing odds That are much tougher than before, amongst which the fact that elite units can not be recruited everywhere. However, as compared to other units, my opinion is that the Upkeep cost of Vigiles is icredebly high (usually, you can also recruit horsemen that are less costly and more numerous, which I find doubtful!). I am playing currently and I will give my few cents opinion in a dedicated thread, hoping that it can only improve a mod which is already great.

Yours sincerely,

FFJean

[Flavius Vegetius Renatus]

Here, checkout few testimonies by other players. It should help u with your 355 campaign. http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...=259129&page=3. Crlane tips are also v. good. Remember, river crossings, forts and well prepared city defenses in sieges are your friends. Use small decoy units to seperate Franks and Alamanni in open field as they usually attack u with 2 or more stacks. One on one is better then 3 against one. Also protect your elite units as u wont be able to recruit or replenish them for awhile. Try hit and run tactics with all cavalry stack. Well played battle with those deadly archers and heavy catafracti can result in 80% losses to your enemy on M/M.