Derc Plays Through World History

[Welsh Dragon]

What the hell? Seriously? I have fallen victim to the Mandela effect.
I'll go and fix that.

No worries.

Desert Kingdoms and other 'Culture Packs' are a thing I really hate about Rome II, and ignore mostly. They are a ripoff. So I only had campaign DLCs in mind.

I disagree on Culture Packs. I've enjoyed them, they've ended up featuring many of my favourite factions, are I feel rather cost effective (around £2 per faction seems decent to me as we're talking dozens of hours of extra gameplay easily... well at least the way I play. ) and let me play the sort of underdogs I wouldn't have had the chance to play otherwise. But to each their own. One of the strength of the CA way of doing DLC is its variety, and the way people can pick and choose what they want.

Though, if you buy only one Culture Pack for Rome 2, get Desert Kingdoms. There are some really fun factions in there and they're all quite different.

Oh my god, thanks for reminding me of that achievement. Totally forgot about it, but it seems my subconsciousness did its part.

Haha. Yeah, I can't stand the tangerine tyrant in the White House, but the name of the achievement amuses me and was one of the reasons I played a full Syracuse campaign.

All the Best,

Welsh Dragon.

[Cookiegod]

If memory serves me right, the Carthaginian army got the plague (your tech research info) in the same war that saw Selinous/Selinunte destroyed. Selinunte (Doric colony, same culture as Syracuse, Corinth and Sparta) had been a bit of a bad boy, it aggressively attacked its neighbour Segesta to the north (native Sicilian, but hellenised Ionian = the same culture as Athens). So Segesta called Athens in and that's how we got the Sicilian expedition, leading to Athens downfall not only in Sicily, but over in Greece as well.

After Athens had been defeated, Selinous then restarted their war against Segesta, and Segesta this time turned west, asking the Carthaginians for help. The Carthaginians then sent a huge force under Hannibal Mago, and the Selinuntians had not expected this to happen at all. They lived right next to the Phoenician border, but they had been friendly with them. When Hannibal Mago's grandfather had tried to conquer Sicily in the first Sicilian war, they had pretty much been the only Greek city to side with Carthage.
But now this second Sicilian war starts to the surprise of all, with the grandson of the last Carthaginian general coming out of nowhere and destroyed the city with everyone who didn't run away in time. The destruction was so sudden that archeologians even found half eaten bowls. Oh right, I forgot to mention... Selinous is also known as the Sicilian Pompeii. Its city layout has been exquisitely preserved. The war then continued with Carthage roflstomping through Sicily, destroying one famous big city after the other, until reaching Syracuse, which had just now a fresh strategos at the start (who had already lost a battle against the Carthaginians and survived his first coup attempt) - Dionysios.

Hard to say how the Carthaginians hoped to take the city, when even Athens had failed before them, but we'll never know, as the Carthaginians for some stupid reason set their siege camp in a swamp and then caught the plague (the second plague they got in just this one campaign) mentioned in the tech thing. And yay Dionysios had won even though now 2/3rds of the island were under Carthaginian control, more than ever before or after.

[Kilo11]

Your text perfectly showed what the work of archeologists is like. Digging through lots of weird fantasy stuff and politicial propaganda to get some actual information. IF this information itself isn't fake in the first place. I mean... I wonder how Dionysios could've been red haired. Not a very Greek thing. Perhaps he had some ancestors from the native tribes?

I don't know about Dionysios per se, but there were definitely notable red-headed Greeks. Apparently many of the Ptolemies were ginger, and as a result of the (super awkward) inbreeding in the Ptolemaic family*, it is likely that at some point most of the Ptolemaic rulers would have been red-headed. Upshot of all that; Cleopatra did not look like an "Egyptian" queen, but rather like an Irish shop-girl
*

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Seriously, that family tree might as well be a telephone pole, it's got so few branches!

What was modern then is a classic now, and so on. Just like everyone else, Van Gogh played around with various styles. His works are often categorized as being post-impressionist. I like that style very much. Once again, some say A while others say B.

Ugh. I can understand that viewpoint, but at heart I will always be an artisan, and the simple fact is the modern art from right now does not require extensive skill. To me, that is enough to discredit it as art, as any true art, be it carpentry, singing, bridge design, aeronautical designs or whatever, must be comprised of at least skill and insight (as well as other things too, probably). Van Gogh knew his stuff, and was innovative, and so even if his contemporaries weren't fond his work, I'd still call it art (unlike anything from the MOMA).

*South American TW Title*

That would be super cool! I feel like setting it up right before the Spanish lost their handle on the continent would be really cool. There would be all the Spanish breakaway nations, the block of Brazil going independent, and at that time there could still be some small indigenous peoples too. They would definitely start small, and be really hard to play as (being so far behind, technologically), but they'd present wicked tough challenges for bold players. Plus, there could be recurrent invasions from off-map of Spanish, Portuguese, and even Dutch fleets. Definitely a solid idea for a new title, and one that I think would sell really well right now! Have you pitched this yet to CA? If not, get out your best suit. I'll swing by in 20 minutes, and we will head over to CA HQ to give them their next TW title!

[Turkafinwë]

More refugees from Greece proper arrive. Dionysios gives them one more chance, getting disappointed again.
Enough. These recent events have changed something in the young, vibrant tyrant.

Damn refugees always ruining everything. Giving slaves hope of a better life. Why can't they just accept their bad fortune and stay where they came from.

Civil war eh? Seems not everyone is ready to embrace Tyranny just yet. What an unlightened opinion. Time to put these deviants and rascals to the sword or better yet enslavement. No one defies the Tyrannos.

[Derc]

Rome II
Rise of the Republic
#3

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Recap: Dionysios tried to incite unrest along the Akragan border, but it swept over to Agyrios, growing into Syracusan dissent. The young tyrant would have to face civil war. It was nothing new for him. A great pic of a dramatic situation, and unfortunately a common sight. Greek against Greek. Brother against brother. It is of utmost urgency to keep supply lines going, by land and by sea. Problems arising from this rebellion made that especially clear. The civil war is resolved, but Syracuse faces more problems. Refugees come once again, but Dionysios has had enough. This has evolved into a widespread refugee crisis. Perhaps if the issues are solved at its source, it will stop. Syracuse was once a colony, and is now establishing colonies itself. Perhaps the refugees can be send there. That is, if it would have succeeded. Dionysios better focuses on his own journey again. Rhegion is subdued, and its land are just as fertile as Sicily. Onwards to the next one. There is an old Greek saying. "Summer, Harvest, War": In the heat of summer, you build your house, tend your field and relax, in autumn you harvest your spoils and feast, in the other times you wage war. Three major cycles in a Greek's life. It holds true. It was the last supper for Croton. Dionysios' son, creatively named Dionysios, comes to age. Dionysios consolidates his power. Syracuse has grown considerable since the beginning of his tyranny. There are now bigger fishes to fry. With exponential growth comes exponential danger. Taras will be a whole different number to take. It is therefore always nice to count on the security of the waves, conquering unhindered along the shore. Another, more secret backbone of Syracuse's army is the cavalry. Horses are expensive and weak against Phalanxes, but they are superb for flanking. Who knows, they might one day be a great help against the Persians. For now they are good for plundering Elea. Horses and ships make an interesting composition. Another crisis. This time in the west of Sicily. And it is about military experienced refugees. This escalation has reached the next level. Perhaps a chance to take Akragas, and the perfect opportunity for Dionysios' son to prove himself. It is always easy to blame someone else for your problems. This will be a great test for the younger Dionysios. Can he be as shrewd as his father?

Nice. The server is just back in time to keep up with my schedule.

Your expansion is impressive and it was a funny moment when you showed the overwhelmed Carthaginians fleeing. I look forward to seeing how you'll deal with the challenge of internal and external threats.

The defeat against Carthage and the early civil war were two welcome setbacks. Unfortunately Rome II does not make good use of that. If the AI would somehow detect that and push on, making use of its momentum, this could've turned out ugly. Instead, it lingered around, being overwhelmed a few years later. Attila did that right.

But to each their own. One of the strength of the CA way of doing DLC is its variety, and the way people can pick and choose what they want.

That's what I like about games in general. Everyone can experience them the way they like it. Sandbox games like TW especially. There are many ways to play a game, and very different roads to take. Best part is when people accept just that. Glad you guys think similar.

*Selinunte stuff and the origins of the Athenian expedition*

Very interesting read. Thanks once again. I enjoyed this ! Here's a +rep.

Hard to say how the Carthaginians hoped to take the city, when even Athens had failed before them, but we'll never know, as the Carthaginians for some stupid reason set their siege camp in a swamp and then caught the plague (the second plague they got in just this one campaign) mentioned in the tech thing. And yay Dionysios had won even though now 2/3rds of the island were under Carthaginian control, more than ever before or after.

Camping in a swamp? What could possibly go wrong?

I don't know about Dionysios per se, but there were definitely notable red-headed Greeks. Apparently many of the Ptolemies were ginger, and as a result of the (super awkward) inbreeding in the Ptolemaic family*, it is likely that at some point most of the Ptolemaic rulers would have been red-headed. Upshot of all that; Cleopatra did not look like an "Egyptian" queen, but rather like an Irish shop-girl

Poor Cleopatra. Suffering not only from an Alabama-like family tree, but from constant sunburns as well. And then there are these crazy lovers. I am dying, Egypt, dying.

Ugh. I can understand that viewpoint, but at heart I will always be an artisan, and the simple fact is the modern art from right now does not require extensive skill. To me, that is enough to discredit it as art, as any true art, be it carpentry, singing, bridge design, aeronautical designs or whatever, must be comprised of at least skill and insight (as well as other things too, probably). Van Gogh knew his stuff, and was innovative, and so even if his contemporaries weren't fond his work, I'd still call it art (unlike anything from the MOMA).

Modern art is truly art, just in a very different sense.

In a more serious tone, we live in an era with art unmatched. There are exceptional creations floating around the whole web, unfortunately most of it buried under a pile of trash.
If you would've told any historical person that in the beginning of the third millenium there would be a gigantic, free library available for almost everyone at an instant, where you could read, see and listen to almost everything, where you could create almost everything, books, music, pictures, whatever you like, they would most likely have cried. Especially after learning that people are using it primarily for viewing cat pics and to insult each other.
Luckily this is only a part of it. There are many great things too. The internet is just the perfect mirror of society. It IS the modern society. And will stay so for a long time.

That would be super cool! I feel like setting it up right before the Spanish lost their handle on the continent would be really cool. There would be all the Spanish breakaway nations, the block of Brazil going independent, and at that time there could still be some small indigenous peoples too.

Another fun coincidence: I saw a video of some Medieval II mod that covers that setting. So at least there's that.

Spoiler for Here's the video: 

Damn refugees always ruining everything. Giving slaves hope of a better life. Why can't they just accept their bad fortune and stay where they came from.

"It is not slavery, if it is not called so." - Every dictator ever

I love these events. Sometimes they are annoying, especially when they repeat, but the first time you see them, they offer quite a dilemma.
In my opinion, they teach very well why you need to be a sometimes.

Civil war eh? Seems not everyone is ready to embrace Tyranny just yet. What an unlightened opinion.

Don't worry. These were all just conspiracy theorists. The beloved Tyrannos showed them the light.

Usually civil war takes some time to become a reality in Rome II. Here it was like: "Mind if we do it right away"? The balance of this RotR is definitely more aggressive than it was in previous campaigns. Makes for a good early game.
But also for a good midgame? We shall see.

[Alwyn]

Syracuse seems to be unlucky with the dilemma events, I hope that sending food to Corinth will lead to some reward. It looks like your cavalry, skirmishers and spear infantry are an effective combination. If I remember correctly, the early game infantry in Rise of the Republic tend not to have decent armour, making skirmishers even more useful. Good update!

[Kilo11]

Hah. I love that you area already thinking about how to deal with Persia. It is especially arrogant given that Persia doesn't even come onto this map. Perfect Dionysios, thinking about how to rule places that are literally past the edge of his world.

*Art stuff*

I hadn't even thought about the tax and criminality implications of modern art. That is indeed crazy. And makes me just a little bit angry (I get angry any time someone with $10 mil to drop is worried about paying a bit less in taxes!).

Your point about the internet and the (hidden) richness of art and culture is good though. We do indeed gripe a lot about how much stuff has gone downhill, but it definitely is the case that now anyone with talent a bit of self-marketing ability can make it big. You don't have to know anyone or have any connections. You just use the internet cleverly, and you can set yourself up in the world of music, film, literature, or whatever. That is certainly a very cool thing!

[Cookiegod]

Greek against Greek. Brother against brother.

Another fun fact I'll quickly throw in is that depending on which faction rebelled you're literally fighting your own brother. It was one of the more disappointing limitations of the TW faction and dynasty system (plus the complete absense of his complete family implemented properly). Dionysios had two brothers. Leptines had his own interesting life story with a tragic end, Thearides also did some stuff though we sadly don't know too much about him.

Dionysios also had two wives: The one implemented (I think) is Doris of Lokris, the mother of Dionysios the second. He also had a first wife with a very tragic end (IIRC she committed suicide shortly before the game starts after having been raped by Dionysios' political enemies during a coup attempt), and when he married Doris, he actually also simultaneously married a second wife, Aristomache, who was drowned together with her daughter many years after Dionysios himself had already died. It shows how Dionysios likely was much better liked than he was portrayed by historians, given how later tyrants were so afraid they felt they needed to remove his offspring as a threat to their own rule.

The other opposition faction leader ingame is the father of that last wife I mentioned. He was a rich landowner who facilitated Dionysios' rise to power. His own son Dion was also the one who effectively destroyed the empire Dionysios had built by ousting Dionysios the second and starting a civil war for what clearly were selfish reasons. The ridiculous fun fact here is that he's portrayed very positively by historians even though he clearly was not a good guy. And he was also incompetent. He died after a few months of trying to be a dictator himself. But he was a friend of Plato, so he had that going for him.

*Expedition stuff*

Dionysios was a coloniser. He built a ridiculous number of cities, some of which are still important today, and very far away from Syracuse. Two examples I can mention from memory are Ancona far up on the Italian east coast, and even further up the city of Adria. The latter of which gave name to the Adriatic sea, and which is now of course much less important but still technically exists, and whose people fled and founded Venice 421 AD.

Dionysios also destroyed a ridiculous amount of cities as well, like Motya, which you conquered ingame, and which back then was basically a Manhattan. That island city had houses 6 storeys high, higher than the walls around it, and was densely built. The fact that Dionysios conquered it is not only impressive, but it was also a huge feat of engineering. Dionysios revolutionised warfare, and siege warfare in particular. The thing that we so take for granted ingame (right clicking on a city and immediately charging it with autocalc and minimal losses) simply didn't happen in the Greek world at that time. As evidenced by the inability of not only Athens, but also Sparta to actually storm walls. When not fighting in a phalanx, Greek Hoplites were downright useless. Dionysios changed all that, whilst at the same time also building the first castle and the strongest defensive works of his time. The kind that even the Romans couldn't take until they resorted to tricks, hundreds of years later.

The refugee stuff and expedition stuff is btw. where our campaigns diverge quite hard, C. Obviously mine's a long time ago and I don't remember much. But I know I always accepted refugees and can't remember a single instance of them doing damage. The expedition stuff was of course useless, I think I failed once or twice and the other times I got the trade resources that I did not need.

There is an old Greek saying. "Summer, Harvest, War": In the heat of summer, you build your house, tend your field and relax, in autumn you harvest your spoils and feast, in the other times you wage war.
Three major cycles in a Greek's life. It holds true.

This was arguably the main reason why most Greek city states never became an expansionist superpower. No one could fight long enough to actually win a war.
Sparta and Athens broke with that rule, by becoming states with a standing army at all times. Athens did so by forcing the members of its Delian League to pay for its expenses. Sparta did so by having the Helots (slaves) working the fields with the actual Spartans having no other purpose than to fight. And then of course Syracuse and Carthage, which both became empires by being rich enough to being able to pay mercenaries and fight their wars with those. Had those states implemented your "no mercenaries" rule, neither of them would have become as strong as they ultimately did.

Dionysios' son, creatively named Dionysios, comes to age.

Another guy done dirty by historians. His successor was the equally creatively named Dion. Dionysios' brother in law.

Another, more secret backbone of Syracuse's army is the cavalry. Horses are expensive and weak against Phalanxes, but they are superb for flanking.
Who knows, they might one day be a great help against the Persians.

Syracuse indeed had some of the strongest Greek cavalry. Maybe even the strongest. It cannot be understated how important they were. When the Athenians besieged the Syracusans, the Syracusans weren't able to take them on hoplite vs hoplite, but their cavalry still made sure that they controlled the countryside beyond the Athenian siege camps. It was a siege and countersiege.


Final stuff: It's quite interesting that you and I both faced a Tarentine blob in our campaigns. These guys really have a strong position. Also poor Akragas.

[Turkafinwë]

"It is not slavery, if it is not called so." - Every dictator ever

"It is not slavery, if it is not called so." - Every dictator/president/king/elected body/etc. ever

In my opinion, they teach very well why you need to be a sometimes.

The good should be a bit more and the bad shouldn't be. Then balance should be restored.

Don't worry. These were all just conspiracy theorists. The beloved Tyrannos showed them the light.

[Derc]

Rome II
Rise of the Republic
#4

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Wait, what is young Dionysios doing over there? Oh well, I assigned him to the wrong army. Then he shall prove himself against Taras. Some little town called Rome also just declared war on them. Has anyone ever heard of it? Isn't this the town that was ransacked by Gauls some time ago? It seems the refugee crisis resolved itself. The poor veterans failed to take over the city from the local population. ⚙️ Authors Note - Technical Syracusan garrisons consist of phalanxes and some levys. For a mere garrison unit these guys are completely overpowered, both in manual battles and in autoresolve. There's still a fleet patrolling western Sicily, and is has grown bored since the Carthaginians have been busy elsewhere. The blame for the refugee crisis still goes to Akragas, and the fleet sets out to talk business. Wham! Ramming may look like a simple action, but it requires a lot of technical knowledge and precision. Greeks have perfected it. Are refugees a new kind of warfare? Looks like it. Speaking of warfare, an invasion by land and by sea has been launched on the city of Taras itself. If it succeeds, hegemony over Magna Graecia is achieved. It did. That was a surprisingly fast conquest. With the sacking of Taras comes the blessing of Poseidon and full control over Magna Graecia. Almost. A few minor cities still resist. Akragas surrenders, and such Sicily is entirely controlled by Syracuse. Dionysios' goal is achieved. He has become the sole ruler not only of Sicily, but of Magna Graecia as well. There are some rebellions, but the grip of the Tyrannos has become too strong. With Taras' control broken, Italians begin seizing Greek settlements along the border. Unacceptable! It will surely lead to conflict soon. Conflict came, earlier and from further north than thought. Etruscans invade the region just as the transition of power happens. This can be no coincidence. They planned this for a long time. Dionysios kicked them out for now, but it is guaranteed that more will come. It is fair to learn, even from the enemy. So an agent is deployed in Sardinia to watch the Carthaginian conquest of the isle. Also to make sure that they are still busy. A run for the last independent cities in Magna Graecia ensues. With power over the sea, it is easy to take most of them. Preparations are undertaken. The more you know about your enemies, the more tools you have against them. Dionysios has achieved great things! Many more will come! The Tyrannos consolidates his power with charming words one one side, with ruthless force on the other. Dionysios is well versed in the play between good and evil. The Romans play their own game, it seems. Their influence merely reached over the city walls a few decades ago. Now they control most of Central Italy. Dionysios declines their offer. A short while later Dionysios got proof that it was the right decision to take. Did he hurt their pride?

Syracuse seems to be unlucky with the dilemma events, I hope that sending food to Corinth will lead to some reward.

Yeah, I was very unlucky with these events, but that in itself was very entertaining, I have to admit. The texts were funny and no matter how I decided, it ended up the wrong way. At some point I thought these events can only have bad outcomes. But no. Turns out I was just really, really unlucky.

If I remember correctly, the early game infantry in Rise of the Republic tend not to have decent armour, making skirmishers even more useful. Good update!

Yes, buffs like armor and experience make a tremendous difference in this campaign.

Hah. I love that you area already thinking about how to deal with Persia. It is especially arrogant given that Persia doesn't even come onto this map. Perfect Dionysios, thinking about how to rule places that are literally past the edge of his world.

It was originally meant to be a reference to Alexander, who flanked the poor Persians to death, but you're right, it fits Dionysios quite nicely.

I hadn't even thought about the tax and criminality implications of modern art. That is indeed crazy. And makes me just a little bit angry (I get angry any time someone with $10 mil to drop is worried about paying a bit less in taxes!).

Your point about the internet and the (hidden) richness of art and culture is good though. We do indeed gripe a lot about how much stuff has gone downhill, but it definitely is the case that now anyone with talent a bit of self-marketing ability can make it big. You don't have to know anyone or have any connections. You just use the internet cleverly, and you can set yourself up in the world of music, film, literature, or whatever. That is certainly a very cool thing!

And this is where the circle closes. As art has become more a thing created by the masses, many things have changed. Music and movies are still going strong, but I couldn't name a famous painter from the last few decades, except Banksy maybe. Paintings were the big of the last century, also and especially because the Nazis shipped lots of stolen goods to Latin America. Since the new century, digital stuff has become the new money making machine for the underworld, Bitcoin especially. Next to drugs, of course.

he actually also simultaneously married a second wife, Aristomache, who was drowned together with her daughter many years after Dionysios himself had already died. It shows how Dionysios likely was much better liked than he was portrayed by historians, given how later tyrants were so afraid they felt they needed to remove his offspring as a threat to their own rule.

If his daughter and wife were drowned, then it can be discussed if he was liked so much.

Anyway, this and the Wikipedia article were highly entertaining stuff. He married two women at the same day. Quite a player.
Dionysios wife in the family tree is Aristomache, his children are Arete and Dionysios II. I hate that the family tree needs to be political correct for CA. Or perhaps that was a technical issue. Implementing a family tree of any ruling dynasty would be... complicated.

Dionysios was a coloniser. He built a ridiculous number of cities, some of which are still important today, and very far away from Syracuse. Two examples I can mention from memory are Ancona far up on the Italian east coast...

...which was founded by people who wanted to escape him. That's... one way to become a great founder.
I love it.

Final stuff: It's quite interesting that you and I both faced a Tarentine blob in our campaigns. These guys really have a strong position. Also poor Akragas.

They defended their capital quite well, and had some decent forces lingering around, but with everyone accidentally (really!) jumping at them at once, they were dead meat. After having lost their main city, their power was completely broken.

The good should be a bit more and the bad shouldn't be. Then balance should be restored.

The philosophers back then might've thought the same, then they went on with their weirdness. It is said that if they haven't been banished in the meantime, they are still discussing.

[Alwyn]

What do you think of the migrating tribes events in Rise of the Republic? I quite like them, since of course tribes did migrate historically and they make it more challenging for a player who controls a lot of territory on the edge of the map. The declaration of war by that Italian city-state like an interesting development.

[Cookiegod]

> C: Plays the Greeks
> Unites Megale Hellas
> Calls it Magna Graecia.

The Romans have already won.

[Kilo11]

This was a good one, and I always love seeing pictures of naval invasion battles. That is something I still haven't experienced in a TW total, but it looks like such fun, to maneuver ships into a harbor and try to carve a beachhead into a city. I am really gonna have to get Rome II one of these days!

Dionysios wife in the family tree is Aristomache, his children are Arete and Dionysios II. I hate that the family tree needs to be political correct for CA. Or perhaps that was a technical issue. Implementing a family tree of any ruling dynasty would be... complicated.

I bet they could create more realistic family lines, but probably only reliably for the starting family setup. The awkward truth is just that dynastic families had super weird relations, with all kinds of weird inbreeding and crossbreeding and overbreeding and throughbreeding I think that it would hugely damage the game's stability if dynasties were allowed to develop in a more historical fashion, because there wouldn't be any simple logic gates that the coders could use to trigger or prohibit certain relations from being added. It's a sad fact, but if you marry your mom and your sister, it becomes a hard thing to code into a game

@Cook: You always knew the Romans would win anyway. Just get over it

[Cookiegod]

I bet they could create more realistic family lines, but probably only reliably for the starting family setup. The awkward truth is just that dynastic families had super weird relations, with all kinds of weird inbreeding and crossbreeding and overbreeding and throughbreeding I think that it would hugely damage the game's stability if dynasties were allowed to develop in a more historical fashion, because there wouldn't be any simple logic gates that the coders could use to trigger or prohibit certain relations from being added. It's a sad fact, but if you marry your mom and your sister, it becomes a hard thing to code into a game

Nah, it was probably hardcoded so that one general doesn't yield an infinite number of offspring. So they probably decided right at the gate: Hm, too much effort -> Let's take the one with the easier name and make her the mother of Dionysios II since he's the famous offspring.

As for the inbreeding: Remember that Dion's wife was his niece (the daughter of Dionysios I. and Dion's sister).

@Cook: You always knew the Romans would win anyway. Just get over it

Molon labe.

[Derc]

Rome II
Rise of the Republic
#5

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Syracuse got into contact with the Alerians because they had to honor their treaty with Rome, declaring war on Syracuse. They have no ill feelings against to rich Greek city however, and Dionysios, in all his trickery, convinces them to step out of the war, offering a trade agreement instead. You are Dionysios. You are Dionysios. Everyone is Dionysios! Consolidation of power is an continuous process. As Dionysios fights against the Italians, he has to be even more careful about enemies from within. The Romans seem to be shady people. This one got what was coming for him. Most Romans prefer the battlefield, however. They are able fighters, showing much potential, yet also wasting much of it. A few reforms here and there and they could be able to conquer the world. Another Roman force arrives, and although numerous, they lack the walled security of the garrison. ⚙️ Authors Note - Technical Keep calm and Barion. Haha! My god, that was bad. As is the balance between hoplites and levies. Seriously, I have the feeling that it is more extreme in RotR than in other campaigns. Garrison units became stronger and stronger, and at this time in the game they could already easily win against cheap Roman fullstacks. A rebellion rises in Sylbion. They claim to be loyal to Taras. Since Taras is now Syracusan, wouldn't that mean they are loyal to Syracuse? They don't see it that way. They are wiser now. The Etruscans arrive at the western shore. Heated battles are about to erupt. Very heated it was, indeed. They said some magic happened on the battlefield. ⚙️ Authors Note - Technical Graphic bug. Don't know what was going on. When I moved the camera a bit, the unit was gone. Dionysios has a high opinion of wise men, so he openly welcomes them. He miscalculated this time. Yet he knows that wisdom is a complicated thing, that even such failures have a meaning. At least he found a worthy candidate for his now grown up daughter. Congratulations! Have the blessing of your beloved Tyrannos! Dionysios learned. Only a fool would make the same mistake twice. Once again a rebellion at Sylbion. Romans have brought dissertion into Magna Graecia. Time to tackle that. This won't be easy. They field many troops, and Camillus himself has a legendary reputation, being dubbed the second founder of Rome for saving a troubled city that has now become a central power in Italy. Dionysios' military reforms are done, and even though he sometimes feels strange without his mercenaries, he now has something much better that will make even the Spartans blush. Still, Dionysios has to play with time. He is not ready to engage Camillus yet. Roman works in the dark are going on. They sure are evil people. Everything must be done to prevent them from expanding. A world dominated by them would be a barbaric place. While the Romans keep the pressure up on land, the Etruscans do so at sea. This Tarchunan crew has played their last flute. Syracusan troops plunder the city of Ostia, close to Rome, refreshing their trauma of having their home sacked. Tarchunan troops are quick to conquer it back. The Romans and the Etruscans are unlike allies in this struggle. Their relationship is full of feuds. Dionysios hopes to destroy their alliance by actions like this one, but it only seems to strengthen their bond. Strange. Weird times in which we live.

What do you think of the migrating tribes events in Rise of the Republic? I quite like them, since of course tribes did migrate historically and they make it more challenging for a player who controls a lot of territory on the edge of the map. The declaration of war by that Italian city-state like an interesting development.

Yeah, it adds some sense of realism and a little extra challenge. In most TW games the world outside the map simply does not exist at all. I hate that. Trade and tribes from the outside world are always welcome.
What I criticize, however, is that these events felt completely random.

> C: Plays the Greeks
> Unites Megale Hellas
> Calls it Magna Graecia.
The Romans have already won.

Naming conventions are not easy. I refer to it by its most common name. Unfortunately we live in a universe where the Romans conquered everything, so Megale Hellas is a term not known by many people anymore today. I could also call it Great Greece, but that term is tainted by more modern history. If I would do so, I would most likely summon an angry Greek or Turk talking about the Megali Idea.

TW has its fair problem with these conventions, as you see. They write Dionysius while giving him the title Tyrannos. Vercingetorix simply had the title 'King', not 'Rix' or something like that.

I once did a project where everything was named authentically. Different terms used by people from different cultures. Got criticized for that. Most readers sadly seem to find stuff like that to be very confusing. Personally, I like it. It adds a lot to immersion.

This was a good one, and I always love seeing pictures of naval invasion battles. That is something I still haven't experienced in a TW total, but it looks like such fun, to maneuver ships into a harbor and try to carve a beachhead into a city. I am really gonna have to get Rome II one of these days!

Helped your wife to decide on another Christmas present once again

Nah, it was probably hardcoded so that one general doesn't yield an infinite number of offspring. So they probably decided right at the gate: Hm, too much effort -> Let's take the one with the easier name and make her the mother of Dionysios II since he's the famous offspring.
As for the inbreeding: Remember that Dion's wife was his niece (the daughter of Dionysios I. and Dion's sister).

My guess still goes to SJW and laziness for the main reason. Rome 1 and Medieval 2 had a restricted family tree too, but it still had that limitless offspring problem you mentioned, thanks to adoptions. Pretty sure you can also do it here. Never tried. I didn't bother much about it.

Molon labe.

Tonight we dine in hell! And then we go to bed drunk. But not before beating someone up.
Ah, we did that already. In the GPOTW competitions. Well done, folks.

[Cookiegod]

Actually no, you can't circumvent the 4 child limit in M2TW with adoptions. A family member that has 4 children already, doesn't get new children and also no new adoption proposals. Adoption offers in turn are linked to the number of settlements you have vs the number of adults in your family tree. If you blob and accept every adoption proposal, the biological dynasty becomes extinct as adoptions will fill those 4 slots up faster than your guys can reproduce. Booh for not knowing that, C!

You got the elite hoplites very late. Either that or you just expanded without them. In my playthrough I deliberately spent a few years without expanding because I wanted to do the entire boot exclusively with elite armies. And this they did. Went up all of it with triple gold in all units, except those that were bribed by diplomats and had to be replaced. That might also be the reason why I never got to see Camillus.

[Turkafinwë]

Very heated it was, indeed. They said some magic happened on the battlefield.

⚙️ Authors Note - Technical

Graphic bug. Don't know what was going on. When I moved the camera a bit, the unit was gone.

Must've been Ares at the wrong place and time. "This isn't my battlefield?!" *zap*¨

Looks like the game goes a lot slower with the dense map of Italy. Though you're probably snowballed past the point that you can't be defeated at this point it doesn't feel that way like it does in other campaigns I've seen. Especially with those powerful garrisons it looks like you can quickly move on to a next target without much risk of losing the newly conquered one. I always felt the garrisons were quite bad (for certain factions) in regular Rome II unless you invested in them with buildings.

[Derc]

Rome II
Rise of the Republic
#6

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Rome comes up with all they got. No playing around anymore. Or is there? A single Syracusan fullstack has favourable calculation chances against three Roman fullstacks? What is going on? The beautiful scenery of southern Italy is full of deceit, just as the Romans are. Although fielding three time more men than Syracuse, the Romans are disunited. They distrust each other. Suspicion is deeply rooted within them. It robbed them victory that day. The Etruscans are different. They seek unity. Even if it is by force. Aleria is put into their domain more by pressure than by free will. The battles in southern Italy go on. Camillus shines. Having regrouped all troops behind him after the defeat at Casinum, he succeeds where most other failed, dealing the Syracusans some remarkable blows. The situation in Greece went sour again, with Sparta once more being the winner. Thankful for the support in the past, the Spartans send over some warriors who are still eager for more fights. Perhaps they can bring down Camillus? Having both Sparta and the gods behind them, what can stop Syracuse? ⚙️ Authors Note - Technical There are many wonders in RotR. As cool as they are, they are overpowered. Not just a bit. All those permanent faction-wide bonuses stack up. Dionysios is eager to find out. The Tyrannos has never been shy of the front, and neither is his son further east. The Carthaginians are. This might be the reason why their advancement stalled. The combined force of the Syracusan Navy along with the younger and older Dionysius and the Spartan veterans is unstoppable. Rome's control along the eastern shore of Italy collapses. Thanks to the recent successes, the young Dionysios is able to consolidate his power. He comes exactly after his father. Dionysios and his dynasty have Greek Italy firm in their hand. But Italy is not enough. Greeks are explorers, and mankind by nature insatiable. The lands at the edge of the world are said to be a brute place of savagery and barbarism. Syracuse picks up on the challenge once more. The last expedition was a failure. This time it was met with success. One family member grows particulary fond of these furry animals, seeing the perfect sacrifice for the gods in them. Rome seems to be the city associated with the god Chronos. A quick rise, a quick fall. The city is already in a terrible shape when Dionysios arrived. It felt like fighting the undead this day. Rome falls, but Dionysios conquers mostly ruins. The Capitoline Hill still stands. A sacred place for the Romans, and the place where their elite has gathered. If the Roman Republic is to be destroyed, this place needs to be taken. There's no time to starve them out. The Etruscans are on their way. Unlike the rest of Rome, the Capitoline Hill is still in great shape, and defended by Rome's finest. They meet Syracusan forces at the walls, doing their utmost to not let a Greek set foot in this sacred place. They were so determined in this that the whole battle was fought on the walls. The Roman Republic is no more. Impressed by this last stand, and wanting to show that Greeks are not barbarians, the Capitoline Hill is left fully intact, the troops forbidden from plundering anything. Rome shall be rebuild. It will become one of the most sprawling cities in the Greek world - or the ultimate city of graves, should the Etruscans arrive.

Actually no, you can't circumvent the 4 child limit in M2TW with adoptions. A family member that has 4 children already, doesn't get new children and also no new adoption proposals. Adoption offers in turn are linked to the number of settlements you have vs the number of adults in your family tree. If you blob and accept every adoption proposal, the biological dynasty becomes extinct as adoptions will fill those 4 slots up faster than your guys can reproduce. Booh for not knowing that, C!

You can still get way too many way too fast, and they can be easily replaced. I think we all agree that they are completely overpowered. Next campaign will show that. Mark my words.

You got the elite hoplites very late. Either that or you just expanded without them. In my playthrough I deliberately spent a few years without expanding because I wanted to do the entire boot exclusively with elite armies. And this they did. Went up all of it with triple gold in all units, except those that were bribed by diplomats and had to be replaced. That might also be the reason why I never got to see Camillus.

I got them that late because I was sloppy enough to not care about them that much. Once you have them, the difference is HUGE. Rome felt that. These dudes are a true steamroller. First picture of this chapter speaks volumes. CA overdid it a little bit.

Must've been Ares at the wrong place and time. "This isn't my battlefield?!" *zap*

That explains it perfectly.

Looks like the game goes a lot slower with the dense map of Italy. Though you're probably snowballed past the point that you can't be defeated at this point it doesn't feel that way like it does in other campaigns I've seen. Especially with those powerful garrisons it looks like you can quickly move on to a next target without much risk of losing the newly conquered one. I always felt the garrisons were quite bad (for certain factions) in regular Rome II unless you invested in them with buildings.

I'm not too happy with my writing skills in this chapter, and my inability to properly show how well the Romans had taken their defeat at Casinum. They led me on with some kind of guerilla warfare, sacking a few cities here and there. Then they completely burst into flames when that Syracusan-Spartan elite hoplite fullstack arrived.
At least some of the battle pictures make up for it. Perhaps I was blinded by them.

Everything definitely feels much more exponential. Or bipolar. There is either dire trouble or you can roflstomp around. We've seen the hoplites in this chapter. Watch the development of income in the next ones.

[Cookiegod]

I remember the battle of Rome. When I did the first battle, I pressed manual battle because I wanted to see the city and the moment the battle had loaded I Alt+F4d, restarted the game and made autocalc. Then I was told I needed to attack the same city again, which I did. I wanted to see the Capitoline Hills, so I pressed yes on manual battle, only to see that the loading screen had the exact same city map as before, so I Alt+F4d again. What was it again I wanted to say? Oh yes. I don't remember the battle of Rome.

[Kilo11]

As when anyone takes Rome, I have seriously mixed feelings. Good on you for taking down the lion. But then again, you have taken Rome, and I am not sure I can ever forgive you that crime!

Interesting that CA built in a "rallying the people" second battle for Rome though. I feel like that would be cool to have in more places, and linked to certain in-game elements, rather than hardcoded to settlements the developers think merit it. Like, I could imagine having it so that any city will rally if it has enough military infrastructure, and the people are above a certain happiness threshold. That would be cool, and it would make it so much harder to crack into regions that are well-governed.