Rome Help

[Consul_Of_Rome]

I have recently started a new romani campaign and have found the starting years incredibly difficult. I can secure all of southern italy but when i move into sicily it become very challenging due to the large amounts of carthaginian troops there. Also Segesta and Bononia are very well guarded so I have trouble taking them with my consular army. Please note that I'm playing with Quintus Sertorius's guide of conduct to being a true roman house rules in terms of army composition. Thanks

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

What difficulty levels are you on?

[Consul_Of_Rome]

M/M

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

M/M

You should be OK then.

Remember, it took Rome 23 years of constant fighting to conquer Sicily historically, and 3 years to defeat the Boii and Ligurians - it wasn't a walkover for Rome, and it won't be for you either.

Don't go in expecting to win every battle - Rome always wins the last battle of the war, not the first. You have to wear the enemy down through relentlessly coming back no matter how many battles you lose.

I usually besiege enemy towns the first time with a smaller army than the garrison - that way the garrison sorties and attacks you immediately when you end the turn. Defensive fights can be easier to manage on the battlemap than trying to break into a town with a very strong garrison. I might not win this first battle, but if I can kill a lot of the enemy, they'll be weaker next time I attack - especially if I can manage to kill the enemy general. I usually leave a sacrificial rearguard behind (Triarii) while my battered army withdraws.

There's no shame in being defeated on the battlefield - only in accepting the defeat and failing to attack again as soon as a replacement army has been raised! Never make peace after a defeat, only after victory!

[Kirila the Kitten]

There's no shame in being defeated on the battlefield

Tell that to the last Samurais!

[Bob Doad]

My advice is not to play on the crazy historical settings but if you really must then do what Titus Marcellus Scato said.

[Kirila the Kitten]

A wise man told me once that a true army is the one who knows the enemy.*insert old wise man voice here* .I mean it's not necessary to be historical accurate but gameplay accurate! Good luck!

[Consul_Of_Rome]

Uh thanks.

[Consul_Of_Rome]

The historical rules aren't crazy as they're only for army composition and a few other things but not historical expansion.

[Entropy Judge]

So you're using this composition:

Camillian
The Roman core of a Camillian consular army is two legions, represented by the following units:
1 unit of Leves
1 unit of Accensi
1 unit of Rorarii
2 units of Hastati
2 units of Principes
2 unit of Triarii
Optional: 1 unit of Equites (your FM tribune/legate can count as Roman cavalry)

The two socii alae are composed as follows:
2 units of allied skirmishers (any mix of javelineers, archers and slingers)
4 units of allied infantry (two different pairs of Samnite, Lucanian, Bruttium, Ligurian or Gallic infantry)
1 unit of pedites extraordinarii
1 unit of classical hoplites
1 or 2 units of allied cavalry (Campanian, Greek, Gallic, Ligurian or anything else available, or possibly equites extraordinarii)

Plus a General, roughly?

First thing to do, is pick a direction - you're either going to take northern Italy, or Sicily. Don't try to take both at the same time, and once you've picked a direction, don't change it. I'd suggest taking the North first, it's probably a bit easier. For your allies, I'd suggest taking either Peltastai (they're javelineers ...) or Cretan Archers, if you can afford them, and Bruttians and Samnite Heavy Infantry. That gives you a solid group of heavy infantry (Samnites, Pedites, Hoplitai, and Principes) backed by capable Mediums (Bruttians, Hastati). Try to get Curepos for the Allied Cavalry - they're Mercenaries, but probably the best Light Cavalry in Europe, with a solid charge.

So, taking the northern towns can be tricky or potentially tiresome. The tricky part comes into play if you try to storm them; several of the towns have Gaesatae, which can be painful to fight in a town where you can't get missile units to flank them, which means you're going to fight carefully and try to not let anyone rout (another advantage of heavy infantry) so you don't get chain-routs. The possibly tiresome route is to starve them out: besiege the town, but don't attack it; on the last turn before they're forced to surrender, see how many units are left, and if you're not comfortable with the numbers, lift the siege and immediately start one again. It's possible to take them down to below half-strength by cheesing them like this, and sometimes they'll surrender outright when you do actually attack. Just be wary of Morale penalties if you have a General if you try to do this.