Senate missions and settlement decisions

**Blackadder V** · January 03, 2012, 07:09 PM

I bought the ultimate total war box set (minus Shogun 2) and am starting on Rome total war. I have started the imperial campaign and have a couple of questions after an hour or two of gameplay.

Is it best to do a senate mission even if it seems pointless to my needs and also if I successfully blockade is there a set time I have to blockade for?

The reason I ask is that the senate gave me a mission to blockade Syracuse which I have done and my fleet is currently there. Next thing I have been given a mission to take a Carthagian town on what I think is Corsica and I need a fleet to get to it. If I remove my fleet immediately from Syracuse will I get told off by the senate or does the game consider that mission done and won't mind if I break off?

My other question is, if I exterminate a town/city is it still mine or is it left desolate? I plan to occupy everything I take for now but a time will come where it would be best to enslave or exterminate due to unrest and I am wondering the negative after effects of being a butcher.

**detat88** · January 03, 2012, 09:40 PM

You can completely blow off the senate if you feel like it. Their missions are simply a way to get extra cash, exotic units, or get beneficial traits in the form of offices. All you have to do is blockade a port for one turn I think to satisfy that mission. When you enslave a town, you merely redistribute about half of its population to all cities with governors. When you sack it (i.e. exterminate it), you kill off three quarters of the population, destroy and/or damage some buildings, and get some cash. Early game you're going to want to simply occupy settlements because a higher population equals higher taxes and more manpower. As you take provinces further away, you'll wanna get soaked in civilian blood through plunder and arson.

**Genius of the Restoration** · January 04, 2012, 02:50 AM

I often find exterminating is better in the early game because money is harder to come by at the start. I always end up with too much by the end, but you can't have too much in the first ten turns. Good advice though

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**Grizzlebear** · January 04, 2012, 04:47 AM

Originally Posted by detat88

You can completely blow off the senate if you feel like it. Their missions are simply a way to get extra cash, exotic units, or get beneficial traits in the form of offices...

Do not forget that early on the senate will be very pleased if you fulfill the missions which have been ssigned to your side and getting a good reputation in the senate is very important. You will also be promoted more often which is a MUST for your faction leaders since they get more influence, traits and so on. Do never underestimate this function of the senate missions.
However, what is odd, is that in the late game the senate will punish you if you don't do what he want's you to do. You'll get different penalties such as unrest, bad traits etc.

Originally Posted by detat88

Early game you're going to want to simply occupy settlements because a higher population equals higher taxes and more manpower. As you take provinces further away, you'll wanna get soaked in civilian blood through plunder and arson.

I think there are some other important points to consider. It dosen't help you if you occupy a small city in the beginning when you keep getting more and more unrest there...
My tip: Look at the face-icon in the city discription bar on the campaign map by scrolling aside. If the face is blue or red, you should consider exterminating the population. If it is yellow or green, you should think about occupying it.
Next thing you need to be aware of is the town size. If you didn't spy than you can presume how many inhabitants a town has by the number of people who would be massacred if you exterminate. Another clue is the citydescription which will appear when you move your mouse cursor over it - saying capitol, metropole, village or something like that. If you have some small cities, you should consider to enslave the population from any face-icon from blue to green.

Also: Your general might pick up some really bad traits if you keep slaughtering the inhabitants over and over...

Hope that did help.
Cheers,
grizzle

**Parzival2211** · January 04, 2012, 06:41 AM

To totally confuse you: In the beginning, I prefer enslaving. Before I do that, I remove governors from all towns, but my capital so that the capital receives 50% of the population of the town I have conquered. That way, I can upgrade my capital sooner and get access to higher tier troops and buildings.

Of course, if you economy is really bad, going for cash like Genius suggested is the most reasonable choice - but rather on cities you don't plan to keep in the midterm.

**Grizzlebear** · January 04, 2012, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by Parzival2211

To totally confuse you: In the beginning, I prefer enslaving. Before I do that, I remove governors from all towns, but my capital so that the capital receives 50% of the population of the town I have conquered. That way, I can upgrade my capital sooner and get access to higher tier troops and buildings.

At least, I don't find that confusing at all. Actually it seems to be a good tactic to me and I will give it a shot in my next campaign.

Thanks for the help! Do you use it with all factiioins?

**Vindictus** · January 04, 2012, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by Grizzlebear

At least, I don't find that confusing at all. Actually it seems to be a good tactic to me and I will give it a shot in my next campaign.

Thanks for the help! Do you use it with all factiioins?

Your general gets really good traits for extermination though, as well.

To clear the confusion late game:
Usually by late game, Roman players like to expand and create huge armies. The senate likes you because you follow missions. By expanding too quickly, you gain popularity with the People, and the Senate doesn't like that.

**Parzival2211** · January 05, 2012, 05:55 AM

Originally Posted by Grizzlebear

At least, I don't find that confusing at all. Actually it seems to be a good tactic to me and I will give it a shot in my next campaign.

Thanks for the help! Do you use it with all factiioins?

I have played vanilla RTW only once, so far - with a Roman faction. But in theory, it works with all factions. Barbarians though, cannot upgrade as often as civilised cultures. There, it is a less useful strategy after reaching level 3.

Good luck with it.

**Blackadder V** · January 05, 2012, 11:55 AM

Thanks for all the advice, I removed my fleet immediately although that isn't very realistic. I wonder if any mods force you to keep the blockade up for a certain time. I have done all the senate missions although the first 2 put me at war with Carthage and the Greek Cities and now my mission is to start a war with Gaul which I am happy to do as I have caught them spying twice but that is 3 fronts and 1 army (with a 500 - 700 a month profit although if I build it is a deficite). I am concerned the senate are getting me in too deep here.

I enslaved the population of the Carthagian town as I want my populations to raise in my home towns (Julii), I cannot build or recruit troops in my new towns which is going to make it hard to defend if Carthage want to retake it.

**Bonez** · January 05, 2012, 12:27 PM

The island that the town is on from Carthage is easy to hold just stick and govenor you don't care about and 2 units of town watch in it and in my campaign at least Carthage just landed an army and kept it hanging around along with a fleet and the Greeks are so busy against the Brutii and so far away that they won't touch you for a while (unless they get a fleet over there somehow...)
What you really need to do now is keep the ones that you've captured on that front with a minimum garrison and milk them for as much cash while still owning them and then on the home from get a diplomat and get trade rights with EVERYONE that you aren't at war with or aren't going to be at war with really soon...
Also gaul is almost a complete pushover as long as you get good infantry (hastati or princpe, a town watch will do if you have to) and some equites and generals just get the guals engaged in the front with your infantry then swoop in on their backs which will cause a unit rout and if your lucky a mass route.

**Guerrerro Sabino** · April 14, 2018, 01:18 AM

If you change a roman faction into another culture, for example greeks, this faction continue to receiving missions of senate, that is so bad and i dont know how to eliminate that.