Military campaign without military

[jellyfish]

I just finsihed the Republic military campaign without ever building any military units. Not even one!

When enemies invaded I bribed them and when Rome requested/demanded military support I ignored them.

what was that all about???

[JadeDragon]

Diplomacy? JD

[Vercingetorix]

Originally Posted by jellyfish

what was that all about???

It's all about getting your getting your a$$ whipped in the Empire Military campaign if you try that again. Unless, of course, you can afford to pay Dn 13,000 consistently. In Empire, you will need 5 to 8 cohorts.

But, to each his own. It's called the "Military Campaign", not the "Pay Tribute" campaign.

Also, you can ignore REQUESTS, but you must provide for DEMANDS, or else Favor will fall. Oh, and if you send cohorts to Caesar and the battle is lost, then your cohorts are destroyed and you are reminded that Caesar will not be pleased. That means, even if you satisfied the Demand/Request, the loss will cause you to lose your cohorts and Favor. Therefore, you will need to send 4 to 6 cohorts, which may leave you undefended. You can time things out a bit so that just after you fight the invaders, you can then satisfy the Demand/Request.

In some scenarios, sending military is the ONLY way to gain Favor. That said, during the last 3 or 4 maps in the Empire Military Campaign, Caesar never Demands/Requests troops. But you'll deal with upto 4 simultaneous invading armies at once. That's lots of fun. Some of those Armies have 8 units.

Try to buy them all off, and you'll go broke.

Millions for defense, not one cent in tribute...

[jellyfish]

Okay.

I should also mention that the victory requirements for the Republic military campaigns are quite low, especially after having completed the economic campaign first.

So I was like "I'll just build this arena and then see about getting a military industry up and running"... and then suddenly up pops the victory screen.

In some of the scenarios there was not even enough time for Caesar to make even one request or for even one enemy invasion to take place. And since favor starts out already very close to the requirement, it can be reached with some gifts.

Now I know some of you like setting your own house rules to make the game more challenging. Like you are not allowed to miss even one request/demand from Rome or you are not allowed to bribe invaders. So here is a nice little mini-house rule to keep you occupied. Every time you see the Denarii display on screen ending with the digit 7, you must reformat your hard drive . See how long it takes you to finish all 4 campaigns that way. And don't be shy about posting your results here so you can compare with your friends.

Have fun.

[jellyfish]

The previous post pushed my post count up enough so that I graduated from 'clerk' to 'deputy'. Very fitting. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Also it is worth mentioning that during the good ol' COTN days, the lowest tier of posters, (whom I may now look down upon with derision from my new lofty position) were all 'vagrants'. Then when C4 came out, they were all instantly converted to 'clerks'. Now thats progress!

Oh, and let us please try to stay on topic here.

[Vercingetorix]

Dear Most Honorable and Illustrious Excellency, Lord High Deputy Jellyfish,
Congratulations on your promotion. As a Magnate, I...commend you. Yes, I believe that's right and proper.

Originally Posted by jellyfish

So here is a nice little mini-house rule to keep you occupied. Every time you see the Denarii display on screen ending with the digit 7, you must reformat your hard drive . See how long it takes you to finish all 4 campaigns that way.

Ah...if only I could. The problem, is that I've already finished all 28 maps of the Economic and Military campaigns. If I restart, I'll bide by the rule. Promise.

[Cartpusher]

All good points, V.

I'm at level 3 empire and I only had 4 cohorts for the previous invasion. They all died because of my poor tactics. The invading bastards only left the city when they got bored with killing prefects and the heat from burning buildings became oppresive. I have eight cohorts now and the next invasion will be dealt with harshly.

Republic military scenarios are for experimenting and learning how to use a military force.

My observations. If you group several cohorts of different types together, the AI seems to use them properly. Heavy infantry in the front line, light infantry held back until they can be sent in against a weakened enemy, archers behind the line and going into skirmish order to hunt down fleeing enemy. Cavalry are the exception. Because they are so fast, they get to the enemy first and charge unsupported. I have to micromanage them. I hold them back until I see where the battle will be fought, then send them into a flanking position. When my heavies start their charge or are charged by the enemy, I send the cavalry into the rear of the enemy line. Enemy heavies can stand up to my heavies pretty well. With cavalry hitting from the rear, they just melt away.

I have only recently noticed this, and it may be succession of coincidences, but if you just point (with the sword) at the enemy, it appears that the heavies will move to intercept the enemy and occupy high ground to wait for an enemy charge uphill. I'll try to get some screenies next time. Ulpia Traiana is a cool map for military exercise. Lots of hills to fight on.

Also, I have never had an invasion near the "entry point". It may appear that there is a better place to build a city, but defense will be easier if you build the city near the entry point.

[Rnett]

I didn't like being a deputy.

[Cartpusher]

I didn't like being a vagrant.

[MarkDuffy]

Editor's Note: Jellyfish won quickly & did not continue play or the story would be quite different.

Also, some of the Demands for troops carried quite a stiff Favor drop. Someone musta also pulled a Carthago in Hippo Regius.

You should have used the Republic Campaign to gain experience, Jellyfish. Life is about to suck for you, I hear.

PS ~ What's a Vagrant?