User:Jainslie/sandbox

Rome Total War (or RTW) is a PC strategy game developed by The Creative Assembly and was put on the shelves on the 22nd of September 2004. This page is a strategy guide to help new and experianced players learn more about all the intricate techniques of all aspects of the game. In Rome there are several types of campaign; firstly the short one where a player must control 25 regions and Rome to win, in the long game you must control 50 regions and Rome to win. However you can set your sights on world domination and take the entire of Europe, North Africa and the Near East. To start off, the player must choose his desired faction to play as; these are the different nations which populate the campaign map at this time in history. If a player has never played before you can only choose one of the three Roman factions and then as you destroy other nations in the campaign, you can play as them. Once you have chosen which faction you will play as, your main goal must be to build up your armed forces and to construct new buildings which will help you in your conquests. For example, build a new barracks to obtain the possibilites to train better troops or build a blacksmith to improve your forces' weapons and armour. At a lower difficulty you are able to sit at your leisure to build up these forces but on harder difficulties it is a completely different game where you have to build walls to keep out the marauding hordes of enemies which come knocking at your gates before you are ready.

Roman - Julii
All three playable Roman houses have exactly the same set of units to choose from, however they differ in location and therefore difficulty and style. The Julii are the northernmost family who border Gaul and the Roman factions: the Senate and the Brutii. Therefore they have a relatively safe starting base controlling the settlements Arretium, Ariminum and Etruria with an almost unpenatrable barrier of the other Roman factions below them. However towards the North, the barbarians are massing, and the Julii are usually the faction picked for Gaullic, Germanic and other central European destruction. Many players find that this makes them the hardest of the three Roman factions as once they advance north their territory is up for competition with many nations on all sides. Its units are compromised of a good selection of infantry, cavalry, missile troops and with a good bunch of seige equipment - after the Marian reforms, the Roman units become more stylised on Heavy infantry and Heavy cavalry with less strong light units or missile troops.

Roman - Brutii
Once again this faction is "cusioned" by the Scipii and Julii so to start with they are relatively safe on all sides bar the East. The Brutii start with the cities of Croton and Tarentum which are close to each other and are both naval cities. To play as this faction one must usually have naval dominance over the reigion as Carthage, Macedon and the Greek Cities (your main starting rivals) have large areas of coastline just waiting to be blockaded. This civilisation is largely considered the easiest to start on, however because it does not directly border any hostile states each competitor must get through your navy to land. The usual direction taken with this faction is either east to control the Greek isles, a strong powerbase in the centre of the map or south to the coast of Africa. Its units are comprised of a good selection of infantry, cavalry, missile troops and with an effective set of seige equipment - after the Marian reforms, the Roman units become more stylised on Heavy infantry and Heavy cavalry with less strong light units or missile troops.

Roman - Scipii
This faction is widely considered to be the middle difficulty faction within the Roman trio as its settlements contend with several immediate adversaries as well as having a small safe haven on the south coastline of Italy. The Scipii family start with control of Capua on the mainland and Messana on the nearby island of Sicily. Messana is the usual starting point from an offensive point of view as there is both a Carthaginian and a Greek presence on the island. Once taken, Sicily is a very useful powerbase with three large, close settlements on an island fortress close to your allies, however to take it you have to start a war on two fronts with the powerful Carthage and the influential Greek Cities. Once again it is suggested that the player has a good naval dominance so his troop movement is not disrupted, and this family does attract the ambitious player. Its units are compromised of a good selection of infantry, cavalry, missile troops and with a useful bunch of seige equipment - after the Marian reforms, the Roman units become more stylised on Heavy infantry and Heavy cavalry with less strong light units or missile troops.

Gaul
This is the first of the "Barbarian" factions playable in RTW and start with many settlements (Alesia, Condate Rodonum, Patavium, Lemonum, Medolanium, Narbo Maritus and Numanthia) spread over modern day France and Northen Italy, bordering the Julii to the South, Spain to the South West and Briton to the North. This large position makes them a fragile empire with you having to fight on three initial fronts and a fourth with nearby Germania if diplomacy is not quickly used. At a hard difficulty spreading your troops and keeping your land might be a problem so diplomacy is very important. However the units are compromised of a large selection of lightly armoured troops which are heavily armed. They focus on heavy and light infanry with a few powerful missile units but with a poor selection of cavalry or naval units as well as having absolutely NO siege units. They are a popular faction for the experienced or novice player who is up for a challange.

Germania
Germania are another "barbarian" faction who hold a strong position in modern Germany and Scandinavia with Damme, Mogontiacum, Trier, Batavordum and Vicus Marcomanni under their control. These are all close together and even though they are bordered by Gaul and are close to Dacia and the Roman units, they control an easily defensible area. Their units are not held back by the limits of the Galic infantry but are comprised of a magnificant range to choose from. They retain the savage heavy infantry units but swap the strong swordsmen units for many units based on fear. Their screeching women and unique night raiders as well as the immense berserkers are all used in fear tactics however all lack strong armour. They are also supported by heavy and light cavalry and a good selection of missile troops however are let down by a poor navy and once again, NO siege units. This faction is often loved for their diversity and fun gameplay because of the ability to make your enemies run at the sight of your savages; however, their lack of a navy limit their ships to be at the mercy of Mediterranean powers so Southern expansion is limited.

Britannia
The Britons are the last of the "barbarian" factions who inhabit the Island of Britain and control one settlement on the North coast of France. Their island settlements, Londinium, Eburacum and Deva are all safe and secure but Samarobriva in France is in a more precarious state. This nation is usually played by utilising Samarobriva as a frontal base after capturing Ireland from the rebels, this allows for expansion however it might be slower going after a while as you are literally conquering Europe from a foreign powerbase. However, it is a very stratigically safe faction only attackable from naval landings from nearby Europe. Their units are compromised of a similar arragement to the Gauls, heavy defensive and assault infantry with the welcome addition of a more capable cavalry force: Chariots. British light and heavy chariots as well as new head hurlers are unique units which give the army a more rounded feel. But the navy still leaves much to be desired as well as once more having NO seige units. This faction is enjoyable to play with several new units as well as the dependable old however it is VERY far from the far east and therefore the player must have more patience for world domination.

Greek Cities
The Greek Cities are a spread out group of cities which are based in mainland Greece but are also stationed on "colony" spots in Asia Minor and other islands. The Capital, Sparta, and the city Thermon are on mainland Greece and border Macedon which is your principal enemy early on in the game as you engage it in a fight for control of all of Greece. However its other cities, Syracuse, Rhodes and Pergamum are further afield. Rhodes and Pergamum are nearer Asia Minor and border with the large Seleucid Empire. Syracuse is on a very perilous footing on the island of Sicily. This faction could be very difficult to play if diplomacy is not utilised to good effect. With Carthage, Macedon, all three Roman states and the Seleucids to deal with sooner rather than later players are advised to make war with caution. Their units include strong anti-cavalry infantry and a moderate cavalry force of their own as well as having superb missile troops with a good navy and a set of siege units. A Greek player is usually very fond of his/her infantry however for the "barbarian" players this army might not be for you as other than peasants there are NO close combat troops other than slow moving pikemen. However, these spearmen if used well (especially as defensive troops or placeholders) can be some of the strongest units in the game to form a fun, versatile army to play with.

Carthage
Carthage is an interesting civilisation to play as because of their placement and role in real history with Rome. They start out with a settlement, Lilybaeum, on Sicily where they come in direct contact with both the Roman factions and the Greek cities. They also own Carthage and Thaspus on mainland Africa which forms a core base to expand from, as well as small settlements on Caralis and Palma which could bring one into contact with the Spanish on harder difficulties. To expand, Carthage can move in almost any direction however anyway they go, they meet with tough opposition. Rome to the North is a constant struggle against a hard and co-ordinated foe, Numidia to the West soon turns to Spain and mainland Europe if a campaign is played out long enough and to the East Egypt and the Seleucids form a tough barrier to the Far East. Their units are a good compromise between several of the nearby nations as well as having some of their own trademark men. Their infantry is mainly constituted of spearmen as with the nearby Arab nations however they also have an early unit of the Iberian infantry which balances this out. Their cavalry is pretty advanced with the Sacred Band cavalry to complement their spearmen suppliments and the welcome addition of the mighty elephant. Finally, they have a good naval force to deal with the coastal location of their nation but their seige and missile units are fairly basic. All in all, Carthage is a force which can take you anywhere on the game map which appeals to all walks of players. They are fun to play for the variety of units as well as having several unique units all to themselves.

Egypt
The Egyptians are in the lucky position of controlling not one but TWO cities with wonders, as they begin the campaign. They control Alexandria as their capital, Memphis and Thebes in Africa as well as the island naition of Salamis and Jerusalem and Sidon in modern day Israel. Egypt are a wealthy nation with closely situated settlements and less competition than could be expected from such a powerful faction. The Seleucids always struggle to hold their huge but fragile empire together so once beaten you only have to contend with small factions such as Armenia and Numidia in the nearby vacinity, exepting Parthia which is a constant niggle until it is wiped out. The Egyptian units feature a mix of spear and heavy combat infantry with another mix of heavy cavalry and light missile cavalry however none of these are top of their game appart from the Pharaoh's Guard but there is a light at the end of the tunnel: the much feared Chariot units, Egypt has plenty so do not fear. This brings me onto their excellent missile troops with the Pharaoh's bowmen which are some of the best in the game. Their navy and siege units are as expected: average at best but this is no major problem. Egypt is a faction which is relatively easy to play but can be great fun with the chariots and strong missile troops for those who love hit and run tactics or missile decimation.

Seleucid Empire
This large Empire is in an unfortunate position at the start of the game, it is surrounded on all sides by potential enemies, Pontus, Egypt, Parthia and Greece. To boot, your cities will all be really far away from each other meaning that concentrated defense is difficult and your troops will be more widespread. However there is an upside, like Egypt you control two of the seven wonders of the ancient world which hugely help your civilisation and a whopping four more are within striking distance. Also your in the lucky position of having a very good economy so money shouldn't be too much of a problem when starting out. The Seleucid units are something rather special, the Seleucid empire in the real world was part of Alexander the Great's and therefore your units are a mix of Roman, Greek and Eastern decent. The infantry are rather basic until the player unlocks the Silver Sheild Pikemen and Legionary units which can form a phalanx and Testudo respectively. The Seleucid cavalry are in many player's opinions, the best in the game as they can utilise the mighty elephants, the defensive cataphracts and both light and heavy chariots as well as light, heavy and missile mounted units. Wow. However they only can use one siege unit and their ground missile troops are minimal to say the least. All in all the Seleucids are an interesting challange to play as, especially to more advanced players; they offer an incredible cavalry playing style backed up with infantry which is good but not excellent with strong enemies to fight on all sides.

Parthia
The Parthian faction is an interesting desert set of people. They come from the very Far Eastern parts of the map with the starting towns; Arsakia, Susa and Campus Sakae. These settlements are all incredibly far away from each other! One is the most North East region in the game and the others are either side of a mountain range. As a desert power, their infantry units are incredibly minimalistic however cheap and numerous, it is their cavalry which is their power. The cavalry units are mainly missile units and the Parthians use these to deadly effect however you also can have the option of including one of the three elephant types, the war elephant, as well as the incredible cataphracts and a unique unit, camel cataphracts. The other thing to mention about Parthian units is that their general units are also cataphracts so they add even more punch than ususal! To conclude this section, Parthia is a power based on fast cavalry with light spear infantry however they have the awesome power of the cataphracts to back them up. Many players find that this can be a hard army to play but once a foothold is established and the techniques learned they become much more smooth.

Roman before the Marian Reforms
Peasants

This unit is the first and worst unit any army can train. Every single faction has their own version of this unit however the Roman one is joint worst of them all with an attack and defense value of 1. This unit has very little use in battle as they have awful morale and so will run when charged by almost any other unit and they are truly a last resort force. However they do fulfil one role in the game which is as a cheap and easy population movement; basically if one trains a unit of peasants in one settlement then sends them to another settlement and disbands the unit then that second town's population will increase.

Roman after the Marian Reforms
Peasants

Auxillia

The Auxillia are a new type of unit to the Roman legion. They replace the old Triarii as spearmen and have a good defensive value for their level as well as being cheaper than their old counterparts. These units are best used against light cavalry as they are not strong enough to take on most heavy cavalry units where units like the Praetorian cohort do a much better job.

Gaul
Peasants

Warband

Swordsmen

Chosen Swordsmen

Naked Fanatics

Druids

Barbarian Cavalry

Barbarian Noble Cavalry

Barbarian Warlord

Skirmisher Warband

Forester Warband

Wardogs

Germany
Peasants

Screeching Women

Spear Warband

Axemen

Naked Fanatics

Night Raiders

Chosen Axemen

Berserkers

Barbarian Cavalry

Barbarian Noble Cavalry

Gothic Cavalry

Barbarian Warlord

Skirmisher Warband

Chosen Archer Warband

Wardogs

Britannia
Peasants

Warband

Swordsmen

Chosen Swordsmen

Woad Warriors

Druids

Barbarian Cavalry

British Light Chariots

British Heavy Chariots

Briton Warlord

Slingers

Head Hurlers

Wardogs

Greek Cities
Peasants

Militia Hoplites

Hoplites

Armoured Hoplites

Spartan Hoplites

Greek Cavalry

Militia Cavalry

General's Unit

Peltasts

Heavy Peltasts

Archers

Rhodian Slingers

Cretan Archers

Ballistas

Onagers

Heavy Onagers

Incendiary Pigs

These pigs are used as a terror unit to run amongst the enemy and make them catch on fire. They especially scare Elephants and troops with low morale, good for use in cities where confined space will mean huge casualties of enemy forces, if used properly.

Carthage
Peasants

Town Militia

Iberian Infantry

Libyan Spearmen

Poeni Infantry

Sacred Band

Spanish Mercenaries

Round Shield Cavalry

Long Shield Cavalry

Sacred Band Cavalry

General's Unit

Numidian Mercenaries

Elephants

War Elephants

Armoured War Elephants

Skirmishers

Slingers

Balearic Slingers

Onagers

Heavy Onagers

Egypt
Peasants

Nubian Spearmen

Nile Spearmen

Desert Axemen

Pharaoh's Guards

Nubian Cavalry

Desert Cavalry

Egyptian Chariots

General's Unit

Camel Arches

Egyptian Chariot Archers

Skirmishers

Slingers

Bowmen

Pharaoh's Bowmen

Onagers

Heavy Onagers

Seleucid Empire
Peasants

Militia Hoplites

Levy Pikemen

Phalanx Pikemen

Silver Shield Pikemen

Silver Shield Legionaries

Greek Cavalry

Companion Cavalry

Cataphracts

Scythed Chariots

General's Unit

Militia Cavalry

Elephants

War Elephants

Armoured War Elephants

Peltasts

Archers

Onagers

Parthia
Peasants

Eastern Infantry

Hillmen

Cataphracts

Cataphract Camels

Eastern General

Horse Archers

Persian Cavalry

War Elephants

Bedouin Warriors

Arabian Cavalry

Bedouin Horse Archers

Slingers

Archers

Onagers

How to use them
Light Infantry

Light infantry are often the core of a desert army or starting power, these units should be used as a quickly avaliable block either to hold a line, lock an opposing unit in place or to harrass a stronger enemy unit. They should not be depended on in an all out fight with heavy infantry or a cavalry charge, they usually have a weak defense and so will not hold out long in the face of a stronger opponant however they do have their uses. Light infantry can be used to form a "horde" army where weight of numbers pulls down even the elitest of enemy troops. However you must be sure to keep these units together so they can't be picked off one by one. Another thing is that they can be used to form a purposeful weakspot in your defensive line; for example in this line of defense if you want the centre to cave in then place light infantry there with heavy either side. This way if an enemy attack is made, they will be drawn towards your "weaker" area and then you are free to spring whatever trap you have in mind for them. For example, hiding cavalry in a wood behind this line and charging out to destroy their locked units once they have broken through your light infantry. But it is strictly unadvisable to leave these units unguarded or alone, almost any cavalry can run them down and sometimes even if they are a spear unit. Also if they are caught up in a feirce melee battle with their low defense and low morale they can quickly break and run.

Heavy Infantry

Heavy infantry have several key roles in any army. They can be the armoured fist to punch a hole in an enemy line, the could be used to hold a street in a town against cavalry or infantry charge or indeed as a unit to lock down enemy heavy cavalry or infantry. The difference between these men and those of the light infantry is that they are better armoured, equipped and skilled. This means that in a fight these men should come out on top with any enemy light infantry they come across as well as being able to stand up to a cavalry charge. They are often used as reserves to block a hole in the player's battle line where the fighting is fiercest or to bring the fight to the enemy where the light infantry cannot go. This unit catagory includes Principes or Chosen swordsmen and the swordsmen especially are known for their ferocity. However, leaving these in the open without support can lead to a rout or annihalation of your unit as however strong they are, if attacked from all sides by many units (especially heavy cavalry) they will get slaughtered.

Spearmen

Spearmen are an odd catagory of men who are often light infantry like the Desert Infantry unit but who have a significant advantage. Their spears may not be as good as pikes however they are enough to deter light cavalry and sometimes even heavy cavalry. If they are used correctly by facing the foe and standing still these spears can rout enemy cavalry charges however do not let them fall under too much pressure, they are not usually built for close quarter fighting and will break if they are outmatched. Also once they have been engaged by the cavalry after a charge, their spears are useless so they will result to the sword, and could get cut to pieces. An excellent use for them is on the flanks of an army as if an enemy tries a flanking manovure your spearmen are agile enough (unlike pikemen) to change the way they are facing and take the cavalry charge on their spears. Also there are better spear units like the Libyan Spearmen or Triarii which can hold out even in close quarters which can be used to take down the heavyer cavalry units as well!

Pikemen

Pikemen are the ultimate anti-cavalry force, if any sort of cavalry charges head onto these spears they will crumple and even elephants will die with ease if they cannot fully engage the unit. The best Pikemen in the game are the Spartan Hoplites but other great examples are the Sacred Band spearmen of Carthage or the Egyptian Pharaoh's Guard. However there are several disadvantages to these units, firstly: once occupied in hand to hand fighting the pikemen lose the ability to wield their pikes at such close quarters and will draw their swords. This is a quick way to get worse quality pikemen slaughtered by heavy infantry or cavalry so if you can get these guys to use their pikes as much as possible. Also if they are charged in the rear by cavalry their pikes are of no effect and they can easily rout, so keep their rears and flanks covered. Another thing is their speed when in phalanx formation, lets just say: very slow, so they are unwieldy to turn or run meaning that they can be caught off guard by cavalry and are slow enough so that reforming takes precious seconds of battle time. But even though so much could go wrong, pikemen are brilliant if used effectively, infantry and cavalry alike find it very difficult to penetrate their defenses.

Missile Infantry

Light Cavalry

Heavy Cavalry

Missile Cavalry

General Units

Seige Units

Other Units