Welcome to the Opening Moves Guide for the House of Brutii.
Some Tips:
* As a Sea trade faction a majority of your income will be through sea trade, so try to build up your ports quickly. This same advice applies to the Scipii as well, should you decide to play them one day.
* Build sewers and health care buildings as soon as possible. These help stave off the effects of the Plague. Plague and other epidemics can ruin your campaign if you are not adequately prepared or forget to quarantine the infested cities. It ruined one of my Julii campaigns, so I know from painful experience the hassle it can present.
* Do not EVER auto resolve a battle unless you are sure that you will win. By sure, I mean 100 percent sure. Chariots and a few other units you do not have will have massive bonuses on auto-resolve, so be careful.
* Build up your economy before making a HUGE conquering army.
Lets begin.
Turn#1
First off, build a shrine to whatever god you want. I normally choose Mercury as temples to Mercury increase Public order and tradable goods.
Join your two armies together and put them in the ship. Add the diplomat and your spy to the fleet. Sail them all over to Apollonia.
As the Brutii, the majority of your income will be through sea trade, so build a port in Croton and a shipwright in your capital of Tarentum. These will give you a small income at the start of the game. Queue up a trader in both cities as well.
That concludes your first turn.
Turn#2
Send your diplomat to Macedonia to get trade rights and maybe Allies. You will want them to help you destroy the Greeks- it will make killing them much easier.
Send your spy to Thermon.
In Croton and your capital you will want to recruit some equites and two units of hastati. If you cannot recruit hastati, two units of Town Watch will suffice
Now for the attack on Apollonia. It should be very easy. I normally get my velites and hastati to hurl pila, then I move my hastati up to attack the militia hoplites. By then the enemies' velites will be moving up and showering my hastati with javelins (not much of an attack I know, but I do not like losing too many men- especially at the start of the game). I move my cavalry to the left side of the city (left when you are facing forward from your starting position) and behind the velites. By then they may or may not be continuing their javelin barrage, but even so I run them down and then finish off the Militia Hoplites.
Now on the Campaign map, occupy the Settlement. Do not enslave it because again there isn't enough populace to be any use to you.
Now build a Governor's house if it does not already have one.
Move your spy into Thermon. There will likely be a General and some armored hoplites there. That is what normally awaits me when my spy enters the town. If no general is present, a captain in a unit of armored hoplites awaits. This battle will quickly be over, but you might want to wait a turn to bring over a reinforcing hastati or two from Croton and Tarentum.
Turn#3
Your government house is up. You are ready to start building some stuff and developing the town. I find this order handy:
*Shrine. (Public order buildings)
*Port. (Income buildings)
*Barracks (Military buildings)
Send a small force up north to Salona. This one I always fight on the battlefield. I made a big mistake when I played the Brutii for the first time and sent one general and one hastati. You will need two hastati at least, and some good advice would be to recruit a band or two of mercenary hoplites. I just go with the flow for this one. I counter the enemies moves and I get victory with minimal losses. Just remember to KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ENEMY. They can be tricky. Do not ignore the rest of the battlefield though- you can get the most out of your forces by coordinating your forces strengths agains tthe enmy's weaknesses. Even the smallest force with a good plan can defeat the mightiest of foes.
Do Not forget keep sending your diplomat Up North to get to Macedonia. If you reached it already GEAT job try get yourself trade rights and an Alliance.
Turn#4
Ok Keep moving your diplomat by now you would hopefully have reached contact with Macedonia if so you should have trade and a Alliance as well as Map information is best. If no Alliance then don't fret you will still conquer Greece. Ok Macedonia is past keep moving your diplomat North to get contact with Dacia,Thrace and all the other factions up there for those just get trade rights and Map information as your gonna be moving on up there soon.
Ok Salona is yours rejoice as you have another City in your hands. Ok now onto the real stuff. Salona is yours again follow the building formula. retrain your soldiers if you can.
.Happiness buildings (Shrines,sewers)
.Income buildings (ports,traders)
Military buildings (Barracks,Archery Range,Stables)
I dont really have a 'Specific' build id focus on just do what you think is best at that time. But I follow that formula until I have a steady income,people are happy and a good amount of soldiers but anyway this is about the opening moves. Ok You have some soldiers from the other turns Gather your two hastati and equites from your capital and Croton they have some defending units there anyway so you wont be needing them. Put them on a ship. If you cant move Crotons forces to the boat then move it as far as you can to it and wait another turn. add a town watch or Hastati preferable to Apollonia As In the next Turn were gonna attack Thermon!!!!!
Turn#5.
I Can feel the excitement as you get ready to attack Thermon and expand your lands it is a big thing!!!!
Ok Move your army from Apollonia With your general adjust the tax rate as required and set off for Thermon!!!!!
Move your forces from Croton into your fleet and then set your ships sail for Thermon.
Besiege Thermon.
Keep moving your diplomat up North.
End of Turn 5
What to do from here?
.Ok well Thermon is yours your at war with the Greek city states. Congratulations. Keep building up as the formula suggests.
. Conquer Greece and From then on out its up to you to make or break.....Rome
I Came I Saw I Conquered.
I am Julius Caesar I am Emperor and King of Rome.
Some Tips:
* As a Sea trade faction a majority of your income will be through sea trade, so try to build up your ports quickly. This same advice applies to the Scipii as well, should you decide to play them one day.
* Build sewers and health care buildings as soon as possible. These help stave off the effects of the Plague. Plague and other epidemics can ruin your campaign if you are not adequately prepared or forget to quarantine the infested cities. It ruined one of my Julii campaigns, so I know from painful experience the hassle it can present.
* Do not EVER auto resolve a battle unless you are sure that you will win. By sure, I mean 100 percent sure. Chariots and a few other units you do not have will have massive bonuses on auto-resolve, so be careful.
* Build up your economy before making a HUGE conquering army.
Lets begin.
Turn#1
First off, build a shrine to whatever god you want. I normally choose Mercury as temples to Mercury increase Public order and tradable goods.
Join your two armies together and put them in the ship. Add the diplomat and your spy to the fleet. Sail them all over to Apollonia.
As the Brutii, the majority of your income will be through sea trade, so build a port in Croton and a shipwright in your capital of Tarentum. These will give you a small income at the start of the game. Queue up a trader in both cities as well.
That concludes your first turn.
Turn#2
Send your diplomat to Macedonia to get trade rights and maybe Allies. You will want them to help you destroy the Greeks- it will make killing them much easier.
Send your spy to Thermon.
In Croton and your capital you will want to recruit some equites and two units of hastati. If you cannot recruit hastati, two units of Town Watch will suffice
Now for the attack on Apollonia. It should be very easy. I normally get my velites and hastati to hurl pila, then I move my hastati up to attack the militia hoplites. By then the enemies' velites will be moving up and showering my hastati with javelins (not much of an attack I know, but I do not like losing too many men- especially at the start of the game). I move my cavalry to the left side of the city (left when you are facing forward from your starting position) and behind the velites. By then they may or may not be continuing their javelin barrage, but even so I run them down and then finish off the Militia Hoplites.
Now on the Campaign map, occupy the Settlement. Do not enslave it because again there isn't enough populace to be any use to you.
Now build a Governor's house if it does not already have one.
Move your spy into Thermon. There will likely be a General and some armored hoplites there. That is what normally awaits me when my spy enters the town. If no general is present, a captain in a unit of armored hoplites awaits. This battle will quickly be over, but you might want to wait a turn to bring over a reinforcing hastati or two from Croton and Tarentum.
Turn#3
Your government house is up. You are ready to start building some stuff and developing the town. I find this order handy:
*Shrine. (Public order buildings)
*Port. (Income buildings)
*Barracks (Military buildings)
Send a small force up north to Salona. This one I always fight on the battlefield. I made a big mistake when I played the Brutii for the first time and sent one general and one hastati. You will need two hastati at least, and some good advice would be to recruit a band or two of mercenary hoplites. I just go with the flow for this one. I counter the enemies moves and I get victory with minimal losses. Just remember to KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ENEMY. They can be tricky. Do not ignore the rest of the battlefield though- you can get the most out of your forces by coordinating your forces strengths agains tthe enmy's weaknesses. Even the smallest force with a good plan can defeat the mightiest of foes.
Do Not forget keep sending your diplomat Up North to get to Macedonia. If you reached it already GEAT job try get yourself trade rights and an Alliance.
Turn#4
Ok Keep moving your diplomat by now you would hopefully have reached contact with Macedonia if so you should have trade and a Alliance as well as Map information is best. If no Alliance then don't fret you will still conquer Greece. Ok Macedonia is past keep moving your diplomat North to get contact with Dacia,Thrace and all the other factions up there for those just get trade rights and Map information as your gonna be moving on up there soon.
Ok Salona is yours rejoice as you have another City in your hands
.Happiness buildings (Shrines,sewers)
.Income buildings (ports,traders)
Military buildings (Barracks,Archery Range,Stables)
I dont really have a 'Specific' build id focus on just do what you think is best at that time. But I follow that formula until I have a steady income,people are happy and a good amount of soldiers but anyway this is about the opening moves. Ok You have some soldiers from the other turns Gather your two hastati and equites from your capital and Croton they have some defending units there anyway so you wont be needing them. Put them on a ship. If you cant move Crotons forces to the boat then move it as far as you can to it and wait another turn. add a town watch or Hastati preferable to Apollonia As In the next Turn were gonna attack Thermon!!!!!
Turn#5.
I Can feel the excitement as you get ready to attack Thermon and expand your lands it is a big thing!!!!
Ok Move your army from Apollonia With your general adjust the tax rate as required and set off for Thermon!!!!!
Move your forces from Croton into your fleet and then set your ships sail for Thermon.
Besiege Thermon.
Keep moving your diplomat up North.
End of Turn 5
What to do from here?
.Ok well Thermon is yours your at war with the Greek city states. Congratulations. Keep building up as the formula suggests.
. Conquer Greece and From then on out its up to you to make or break.....Rome
I am Julius Caesar I am Emperor and King of Rome.
[This message has been edited by KingofRome (edited 02-17-2012 @ 05:20 PM).]