How to save the WRE?

[Legio Comitatenses!]

Hey guys,

after finishing my campaign as the ERE and the Alans, I decided to give it a go with the legendary state on the map - the failing and crumbling Western Roman Empire.

As I expected, the first turn the Saxons invaded, and several other germanic tribes declared war. I struggle to keep every single city, heroically defend against 3 stack hordes with nothing but... a unit of Cohors and Limitanei. What should I do? Should I fight for each and every city or pull back to Italy and risk a civil war?

I do not want my empire to fall in rebellion and civil war,
so I heroically defend every outpost of the empire to the last Armigier Defensore (or in my case sadly Limitanei).

I was wondering is there a compromise, a magicalthing todo in orde to save the empire?

[Theo]

Either works on any difficulty really. If you are committed and fight out every battle, and never lose full stacks, you can win even after making some egregious mistakes (like allowing separatists to take a whole province).

[master88]

Things to do on turn one:

1) Destroy all Tabernae in Spain, Africa and Magna Grecia (To remove negative penalties from the building)
2) Diplo with Franks against saxons
3) Hire Mercs and vassal the Alamans, Ebandians and Quadians with trade agreements (yes you can do that in turn one! Becareful the ERE will hate you in the long-run)
4) Disband Mercs except onagers (you may need them later)
5) Put governors in the most rebellious places
6) Research Cometisetnse spears
7) Disband Foderati Spears or merge them into one unit

Things to do in turn 2

1) With your new wad to cash build capitols n farms in Spain and Africa and sanitary in Italy
2) Get spearmen and wait for Ostrogoths that are going to attack Illyria


You sound like a pro so Im sure you can win that with ease

[Legio Comitatenses!]

Things to do on turn one:

1) Destroy all Tabernae in Spain, Africa and Magna Grecia (To remove negative penalties from the building)
2) Diplo with Franks against saxons
3) Hire Mercs and vassal the Alamans, Ebandians and Quadians with trade agreements (yes you can do that in turn one! Becareful the ERE will hate you in the long-run)
4) Disband Mercs except onagers (you may need them later)
5) Put governors in the most rebellious places
6) Research Cometisetnse spears
7) Disband Foderati Spears or merge them into one unit

Things to do in turn 2

1) With your new wad to cash build capitols n farms in Spain and Africa and sanitary in Italy
2) Get spearmen and wait for Ostrogoths that are going to attack Illyria


You sound like a pro so Im sure you can win that with ease

Sounds like a recipe of epicness... That's the secret then! The unwashed taberns that produce unwashed booze for unvashed provincials! The unwashed must be cleansed from the empire!!!

master88 is on the right track - diplomacy screen is your most powerful tool during the first 10 turns.

This... but I'm to lasy to sit in the dickplomacy screen,....

[Ritterlichvon86]

master88 is on the right track - diplomacy screen is your most powerful tool during the first 10 turns.

This strategy here by Omegazxi does work - 15 turns in, I still hold all my regions and my front to Germania and the Balkans seems safe. Currently fighting in Africa for it to remain that way:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...rn-1-Offensive

Only one army lost in battle (in Mauretania), which is the only reason North Africa is in trouble right now.

[Geronimo2006]

I've managed to hold onto most of my provinces on Hard setting. The barbarians mostly don't occupy cities but rather loot them and go away. Some of the provinces have big walled cities with lots of towers and I've found they have helped me hold on in the face of larger armies in places like Lugdunum, parts of Spain and parts of North Africa. I've appointed my governors to troublesome provinces because sometimes that is supposed to improve public order. I've used the Christian Mission edict to try to reduce the religious part of public order penalties. I still hold onto part of Britain though I'm abandoning what I can to save money.

[Aenima]

If you're looking for a general plan I'd tell you to hold what you have, fortifying either with garrison buildings (-10 food but the extra unit of spears and swords are worth it, more with higher levels and with a garrison in there you're even better off) or forces as necessary.

I station a fleet of 3 ramming ships in Segontium and Camuludonum, can defeat pretty much any attack of 2 stacks that the barbarians send at me because I'm able to sink most of their ships, general included, on the way.

Hordes have to be dealt with but they need to be contained, ideally in Pannonia, so again garrisons and army defences come in there.

Taxation I set to high, since very high gives you much worse P.O. for not a great deal more cash. Revolt is inevitable, but it needn't be brought on so soon for not much gain. Destroy all churches on T1 for an extra 1K per turn from the maintenance costs. Merge the Gallic armies and disband the cav/onager/foederati, and consider disbanding the skirmishers. Then shadow the Suebi and recruit Romans/levy from them until they fight you, crush them. Similarly consider disbanding 1 of the Pannonian/Norican skirmishers, the armies of which you keep on the frontier to crush barbarian hordes. In Africa be ready for war with garrisons.

Building-wise I'm focusing on Italy, stabilising food, public order/sanitation and then money, in that order, and branching out to the nearby provinces.


Good luck, and may you be luckier than Augustus and better than Trajan!

[Bakerzoid]

There is more info in this thread in the strategy and tactics subforum:

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...ost-your-ideas

Like people have said above, play around with diplomacy, don't worry about spending thousands on deals, make/break deals as needed. Fight every battle, don't give up settlements without a fight. Play around with opening moves, you can eliminate caledonians, picts, quadanians, suebians in turns 2 - 3.

Oh and another thing. About the victory conditions for a 'minor victory', unlike in ROME II where you had to meet all the objectives by the start of the new turn, in Attila you only need to meet the objectives in the turn you are currently in. So, for example, in Attila, on turn 125 I have 79 settlements of the 80 needed, I conquer one more settlement and the moment I occupy it I get the campaign completed screen. Whereas in ROME II I would have to end the turn and hope during the AI turns I didn't lose any settlements.

[craziii]

pulling back is the easiest way. and the money you get from pulling back is very, very substantial.