Alrighty then, I'll sign up as a Senator (minister for bread, circuses and hedonism). I have attached my mugshot:
I'll vote for both Iceni and Rome, if I can have a second preference. If I can only have one vote, then Iceni.
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FaranguI am a beardy manWith a beardy planRegistered Userregular
I'll probably be doing the first update at some point today, which will serve to introduce new players to the game mechanics, and vets to our particular starting situation. For those military leaders interested in fighting their own battles, please send me a PM with your email address, and the better times to send you the file so you can get the fight accomplished in a timely manner.
Also, seeing as the starting culture vote is tied, I, as Glorious Leader, shall break the tie in favor of...The Gallic tribe of the Arverni!
FaranguI am a beardy manWith a beardy planRegistered Userregular
edited September 2013
Update #0 - We are Gauls! Look at our tiny little huts!
We start with a brief rundown of the current state of our civilization. Most of them follow the same basic speech: List the one country we start at war with, who dislikes us, who we might ally with, glory be to us, etc. Its only real benefit is showing us where the people we are at war with are in relation to us.
Speaking of us:
Not the most impressive right away, I'll grant you. But give it time. So here's what we're looking at:
The bottom right is our minimap, obviously. Above it are tabs that show recent messages sent this turn, and info about all of our military groups, all of our settlements, and all of the factions we have met. Below the minimap, from left to right, is our current treasury, our projected income for next turn, our food production, and the current year. Ordinarily a year passes with each turn, but we're playing with a mod that brings it back to the original two turns per year.
The center panel and left panel are information about whatever we have selected at that point in time. I have nothing selected right now, so they are empty. The four buttons to the right of the center bar are our objectives, our finances, our technology, and our diplomacy. Technology has an exclamation point because we are currently not researching anything, which is something we should look to fix soon.
The button next to the “End Turn” brings up a more tactical view of the world:
Here we see the world as we know it, which is not much currently. This also shows us where the capitals of each region are in the circular icons, where are armies and agents are, and if any regions have strategic resources, like the half of Provencia below us, which has olives. This is handy because it has a bunch of filters that can show regions that have low public order, or wealth, but only if they're ours, so we can't use this to plan the order of our conquest.
So let's look at our faction currently:
This is a super handy screen. It'll show us who the big players in our tribe are, and how much support we have of the tribal council. Support is nice for when we want to start promoting and favoring our tribe, and slandering/killing other Gauls. This is also where we can get a quick glimpse of our important stats, such as how many armies and fleets we can have at our current influence levels, and our diplomacy at a glance. Currently, we're at war with the Aedui immediately to our Northeast, and we are both trading with and defensive allies of the Pictones immediately to our Northwest. Defensive allies means that if we are the target of a declaration of war, they will come to our aid, although they won't necessarily help us if we are the aggressors.
We should also take a look at our town:
So we currently possess the settlement of Nemossos, in the region of Aquitania. It currently has built a town hall type structure(orange) and some agricultural fields(green). The left panel shows a relatively neutral public order, but that it will increase a bit each turn, which is good. Don't want revolts super early. It's also producing our only food so far, and a modest income. The floating hammer above the settlement means that we have enough surplus population to expand the city, and turn that white square in the settlement window to another spot that can hold a building. If we control all of the settlements in a region, we can issue an edict that will emphasize certain parts of government, and will make them more efficient and productive.
A major change in Rome II is that more importance is placed on the capitals of regions: they can house more buildings, and they are the only towns that get defensive walls. This is nice in that we don't have to wait to build siege equipment as often as in previous games. Looking at our region, we see that to complete it, we need to take the regions of Lemonum and Burdigala, which is further West. The holders of Burdigala – the Vivisci – are neutral to us currently, but Lemonum is held by the friendly Pictones, so we'll have to decide how to handle that down the road.
Finally, the tech tree:
Technology works kind of differently in this one. There are two main branches of research, military and civic. Each branch is further broken down into three trees, which is different between each culture. So our first major choice is whether or not we want to immediately focus on military or culture, and once we open the initial research, we have more options. The number next to the hourglass in the upper left of the icon is how many turns it will take to research it.
But enough talk: if we're at war, we need some intelligence. Fortunately, we start with a spy, agent Retaba.
For some reason he's calling himself Lugios
When you select an army or agent, their movement range is shown on the map with the yellow outline. Units can move anywhere within this outline, and can be ordered to move past that, they will just continue the move their next turn. We also see some more info in the left side panel of the particular character, and we see their main characteristics underneath their portrait: Authority, Cunning, and Zeal. From what I've seen so far, generals use these as resistances against agent interactions, while actual agents can have these numbers influence their actions and chances of success. So looking at Retaba:
We see that he's good at spying territory, but a bit more costly than average. So we move him to take advantage of his sight:
And we see that Birbacte has a small garrison inside of it. You can get a quick estimate of the strength of an army by counting the number of horizontal bars starting at the bottom of an army's flag. Here we see that, even though we don't know the exact makeup of the enemy army, they are not currently much of a threat.
And that's the first update! So at this point, I would typically list a couple of goals to accomplish, but the first turn is really quite simple: Crush your neighbor for more money. To that end, I plan to send out the Northeastern army group, led by 2nd Lt. @Frei, to conquer Birbacte, since he is more prepared for immediate action. The second army group, lead by 2nd Lt. @Nerfthatman, can make good headway towards Burdigala:
Military details:
Frei's army group contains 1600 men:
800 levied spearmen (poor quality troops, usually meat shields but can kill some people)
120 Celtic slingers (low damage, long range)
240 Celtic youths (javelin troops, good damage at medium range and can throw flaming spears)
plus his personal cavalry bodyguard.
Meanwhile, Nerfthatman's army is more limited:
Just 320 levied spearmen, and the general's cavalry.
Both generals can requisition the following units:
Levied spearmen, 310 per unit
Celtic Warriors, 460 per unit(average swordsman unit, decent damage but pricey)
Since we are in a friendly area, we can also recruit some factional mercenaries available only to us:
2 units of light horsemen, 285 per unit (decent attack capability, only horsemen we will have until we research some cavalry fields)
1 unit of Celtic mercenaries, 260 per unit (identical to Celtic warriors, but much cheaper)
Every unit we recruit will cost that much up front, and also add to our military upkeep, which will further drain the amount of money we receive each turn. Up to three units can be requisitioned per turn, but if the army drafts units before moving, they cannot move that turn, so it would be wise to move before recruiting. Frei's army can be in attacking distance of the Aedui next turn. Also, both leaders should say what their armed bands should be called.
While Frei's army is mobilized, the Senate should discuss on whether:
A – Nerfthatman should muster his forces at Nemossos, thereby continuing to provide a boost to public order and acting defensively
B – Nerfthatman should muster his forces while marching towards a destination to be specified later, setting us up for rapid military conflict
C – Nerfthatman should act under his own initiative, but a third army should be raised as soon as possible, dipping into the cash reserves to do so.
D – Hold on military development until the results of Frei's campaign are known.
And also:
1 - @Retaba should advance to Birbacte and sabotage either the Aedui encampment or garrison, using a small stipend
2 - Retaba should begin scouting and meeting other civilizations
3 - Retaba should act on his own, using his best judgement
AND:
! - Military should recruit forces using the individual general's best judgement, to maintain a strong military
@ - Military should recruit forces according to Senate decree, to avoid overspending
Finances:
We have a decent reserve, but recruitment will eat into it fast, and construction faster still. Therefore, it would be prudent to decide: Reinforcing the army groups, especially Nerfthatman's, will get us a bit closer to grabbing more land, but will slow our cash influx even further. Developing Nemossos, on the other hand, will sap our reserve quickly(the average building costs anywhere from 850-1200), but it will bring in more food, money and public order in the long term, and can also lead to us recruiting different types of military units faster.
Also, we are currently taxing our people at a medium level. We can choose to increase taxes, nation wide, for more money, but this also limits growth, and can have large negative influences on public order. Decreasing taxes flips that previous sentence around.
So the Senate should discuss:
A – Focus on Army Recruitment
B – Focus on Economic Construction
C – Focus on Military Construction
D – Conserve money for later
1 – Leave taxes the same
2 – Increase taxes
Research:
For now, research is limited to either starting the military or civic trees. Both give (minor) benefits: The military focused Supply Gathering enables champions to be recruited, which are agents that can increase recruitment and can interfere with enemy armies and agents, and also enables construction of a blacksmith. The civic focused Cattle Systems give 1% to all wealth that stems from agriculture, and enables construction of higher quality cattle farms. Both take 2 turns to research.
The Senate should vote, after @Stilts makes his recommendation:
A – Research Military
B – Research Civics
Diplomacy:
Only two factions currently dislike us – The Aedui, with whom we are at war, and the Volcae, directly South of us. We are defensively allied with our neighbors to the Northwest, the Pictones, and trading with them.
Red circular arrows means we cannot trade with them yet, while grey means that we can, but are not currently doing so. Trade options will go upward significantly once we obtain a sea port and meet more people, but currently we can only attempt trade with two other civilizations. Attempting trade is always a good thing, as it brings in more money, so I will attempt to do so whenever possible. The bigger question: Should we attempt to be nice to some other tribes around here, or leave off on diplomatic relations until later?
Senate -
A – Attempt to foster positive relations with select neighbors in the hopes of forming an alliance
B – Do not negotiate with anyone past trade agreements, as we will conquer them anyway
Sorry for the length and relative boring-ness, but a lot needs to be covered in the first updates to get everyone on the same page. Ideally, the next updates will have a bit more meat and less explaining to them, and will go longer than just 1 turn. Also, if anyone has any questions, please let me know.
Military: A – Nerfthatman should muster his forces at Nemossos, thereby continuing to provide a boost to public order and acting defensively
B – Nerfthatman should muster his forces while marching towards a destination to be specified later, setting us up for rapid military conflict
C – Nerfthatman should be under his own initiative, but a third army should be raised as soon as possible, dipping into the cash reserves to do so.
D – Hold on military development until the results of Frei's campaign are known.
1 - Retaba should advance to Birbacte and sabotage either the Aedui encampment or garrison, for a small fee
2 - Retaba should begin scouting and meeting other civilizations
3 - Retaba should act on his own, using his best judgement
! - Military should recruit forces using the individual general's best judgement, to maintain a strong military
@ - Military should recruit forces according to Senate decree, to avoid overspending
Finance:A – Focus on Army Recruitment
B – Focus on Economic Construction
C – Focus on Military Construction
D – Conserve money for later
1 – Leave taxes the same
2 – Increase taxes
Research:(Stilts's recommendation will carry more weight) A – Research military
B – Research Civics
Diplomacy: A – Attempt to foster positive relations with select neighbors in the hopes of forming an alliance
B – Do not negotiate with anyone past trade agreements, as we will conquer them anyway
Frei and Nerfthatman should tell me what they want their armies to be named, and what times work best for them to play their battles if they choose to do so.
Of course, these are not the only options available. If the Senate wishes to follow a course of action I have not listed, simply write it in.
Although anyone can add their voice and opinion, only the Senate and advisers will have their votes counted. I figure that a few days should be enough for the Senate and leaders to debate the pressing issues of the day, so we'll see what positions are reached in that time. Majority vote will determine what I do. In case of a tie, I shall break it.
Lugios is my deep cover name, we don't want to tip off our enemies that such an elite agent is working in the field! :P
I haven't done it as of yet but I understand agents (maybe not spies) can inspire unrest so when we need to get rid of the friendlies, perhaps we could secretly inspire a revolt? Also, I should poison the wells of the garrison to make it easier for Frei to break them. Unless there is a better opportunity to do something else.
Also, perhaps having Nerfthatman on the defensive while also mustering a few new forces so that if Frei takes a beating we aren't left at the mercy of time?
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FaranguI am a beardy manWith a beardy planRegistered Userregular
edited September 2013
I believe it is dignitaries that can inspire unrest. So first we would need to research them, and most agents aren't cheap.
Agreed, but if we want to conquer (and we do) we're gonna need dignitaries. Just a thought for the future on how to possible unseat our friends and claim their land as our own.
Since we seem to be in a comfortable position in this war, I suggest we first focus on researching Civics to give ourselves an economic edge as early as we can.
FaranguI am a beardy manWith a beardy planRegistered Userregular
While these are reasonable stances and positions, we must first meet those people in the world to interact with them. We have seen nothing of Rome, Carthage, or the Etruscan League yet, let alone Egypt and the Greeks. Until we have established more scouts or (ideally) a port and navy, we will have to settle for diplomacy with the Celts in the area.
FaranguI am a beardy manWith a beardy planRegistered Userregular
Also, please let me know if the update's style is to everyone's liking. I plan to not have that much of an infodump in future updates, but does the format agree with everyone? More screenshots or fewer? More narrative style? Too many decisions for people or not enough? How many turns should I go through before stopping and getting Senate opinions, etc.
firewaterwordSatchitanandaPais Vasco to San FranciscoRegistered Userregular
Votes:
Military:
C – Nerfthatman should be under his own initiative, but a third army should be raised as soon as possible, dipping into the cash reserves to do so.
3 - Retaba should act on his own, using his best judgement
! - Military should recruit forces using the individual general's best judgement, to maintain a strong military
Finance:
B – Focus on Economic Construction
1 – Leave taxes the same
Research:
B – Research Civics
Diplomacy:
B – Do not negotiate with anyone past trade agreements, as we will conquer them anyway
With that out of the way, I have orgies to attend.
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
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FreiA French Prometheus UnboundDeadwoodRegistered Userregular
edited September 2013
The Light of Belenos is a good name. We'll stick with that.
You go ahead and play the battle, as it should be a simple affair.
A note to the senators - my levied men will take this first town, but they will not do for long. I will need stronger sword arms and hardier men for the battles to come. An extreme focus on civic research means I'm stuck with peasants in rags, so you'll be able to be all prim and proper talking about your civic advances while sitting on the ruins of our cities.
Long-term economic growth is essential. A strong economy means stronger armies in the future, therefore I vote for
- economic construction
- research civics
- taxes should remain the same to encourage growth
Military recruitment must remain the business of the Senate! Though perhaps we can establish a budget for the individual commanders that they can use
Nerfthatman should muster his forces for an attack, an early show of strength should make our neighbours think twice about invading. We are already at war, we should conclude that first.
Retaba should scout the immediate area before doing anything else
As foreign policy adviser, I'd suggest that we consolidate our position in Southern Gaul, before making a move upon the Roman scum.
My lord, while it is the natural right of our people to rule over all of Gaul, the Romans will prove a threat sooner or later.
An alliance with the Carthaginians to the south could be helpful, as they have no desire upon our territories (yet).
War between these two powers is inevitable, and our alliance with Carthage would assure us to be on the winning side. And the Italian provinces would prove a valuable source of wealth for our long term goals.
Of course, the Etruscan stand between us and Rome. While long term our goal should be conquest of northern Italia, an alliance might serve use better in the short term, as they can aid us against both Rome and our fellow Gauls.
Should Rome conquer Carthage, our position would be dire indeed.
Also, trade should be established with the Eastern powers of Egypt and the Greek states, as well as Carthage. Their distance will not only bring in exotic goods, but will ensure stable relations.
I would not trust our brother Celts unless we have strong wall and a large army between us and them.
These are all fine points, but what business is it of ours to get involved in mediterranean politics? Carthage will fight for Carthage, and we will fight for Gaul!
Safeguarding our prosperity should be our first and only priority! In case I do not have the opportunity to join in further debates, here are my preliminary votes.
Military: B – Nerfthatman should muster his forces while marching towards a destination to be specified later, setting us up for rapid military conflict
2 - Retaba should begin scouting and meeting other civilizations
! - Military should recruit forces using the individual general's best judgement, to maintain a strong military
Finance:B – Focus on Economic Construction
1 – Leave taxes the same
Research:(Stilts's recommendation will carry more weight)
B – Research Civics
Diplomacy: A – Attempt to foster positive relations with select neighbors in the hopes of forming an alliance
Prosecute this war as quickly as possible and then turn south to acquire a port on the Mediterranean. The Volcae hate us already, so them. Additionally, we can fortify that region heavily to defend against the Romans while we conquer the rest of Gaul and beyond that unify the various Celtic peoples.
As such:
Military: B - Nerfthatman will muster his forces while heading towards our southern border to conduct campaign against the Volcae in the future.
3 - Agent Retaba can conduct his own operations, though we suggest he moves towards Germanica in the hopes of finding some long term allies.
! - We'll allow the generals leeway for now, but with Senate oversight to return to this question in the future.
Finance: C - Short term goal for now, let's recruit some extra men to attack the Volcae with
1 - Leave taxes as they are for now
2 - In the slightly long term we're going to want to build an economic base, so let's do civics research.
Diplomacy: B - neighbors are for conquering. Form better relations with non-Gallic peoples.
The idea that your vote is a moral statement about you or who you vote for is some backwards ass libertarian nonsense. Your vote is about society. Vote to protect the vulnerable.
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FaranguI am a beardy manWith a beardy planRegistered Userregular
If we are in standby or are not senators, would it be appropriate to give an opinion of what we could do for current affairs?
I would say so, yes. Also once our situation stabilizes, I will do what I can to get your army out. If you wish to switch to another position to minimize wait, that's fine too.
FaranguI am a beardy manWith a beardy planRegistered Userregular
Also in one day we've had 80% of our Senate weigh in. If Mr Ray happens to weigh in soon, I can actually get the next update underway earlier than expected.
KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
edited September 2013
What reports of the Brittanians do we have concerning their naval activity? (IE, how many naval invasions do they usually partake in, and do they usually end up as naval powers?)
Kadoken on
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FaranguI am a beardy manWith a beardy planRegistered Userregular
edited September 2013
I don't think we have to worry about the Brits for quite some time. By the time we can even reach them usually, we will have grown in size and power.
Summation of Senate votes:
Give Nerf some leeway, raise a third army - firewaterword
Send Nerf to position for future conquest - Vic, enlightenedbum, Phyphor
Let Retaba use his own judgement - firewaterword, enlightenedbum
Have Retaba scout - Phyphor, Vic
Allow generals to recruit with limited to no Senate oversight - firewaterword, Vic, enlightenedbum(for now)
Maintain Senate oversight on recruitment, create military budget - Phyphor
Military construction - enlightenedbum
Economic construction - firewaterword, Phyphor, Vic
Keep current tax rates - firewaterword, Phyphor, Vic, enlightenedbum
Research civics - firewaterword, Stilts, Phyphor, Vic, enlightenedbum
Some positions have the majority behind them, and I will enact them now, such as not raising taxes, setting our first research to the Cattle System, and allowing the generals to recruit more units if they so desire(@Frei, @Nerfthatman). However, the most important decisions - where Nerf's army goes, and what Retaba should do - are deadlocked. Those shall need to be decided by Mr Ray.
Also, we are fortunate in that our construction choice is made simple - we can construct Artisinal Lodges that will bring in an additional 80 denari per turn, while allowing us to recruit better trained spearmen and Celtic Skirmishers. It will be finished in 2 turns, and will cost us 1200 denari.
Military:
B – Nerfthatman should muster his forces while marching towards a destination to be specified later, setting us up for rapid military conflict
2 - Retaba should begin scouting and meeting other civilizations
! - Military should recruit forces using the individual general's best judgement, to maintain a strong military
I find in this kind of game an early land grab tends to work out well. Grab the two territories we want most, hold them, and then consolidate and build a real army with units that aren't from the bottom of the tech tree.
Finance:
B – Focus on Economic Construction
1 – Leave taxes the same
We want to maximize growth early-on, it'll pay back dividends later.
Research:(Stilts's recommendation will carry more weight)
B – Research Civics
Not knowing the ins-and-outs of the tech tree its hard to make a decision one way or the other, but I'll go with civic.
Diplomacy:
B – Do not negotiate with anyone past trade agreements, as we will conquer them anyway
You can never have too many trade routes! I doubt anyone important will want to be our friends just yet anyway.
I'd like to name my army the Rhone River Roughnecks. Or Rhone Roughnecks, if that won't fit.
I'm not very familiar with the tech tree/army composition of this game and culture, but I'd give my preference towards recruiting heavy infantry for now.
FaranguI am a beardy manWith a beardy planRegistered Userregular
Alright then. Nerf shall be sent to the South, and be ready to further expand our realm. Heavy infantry isn't quite in our realm yet, @NerfThatMan - the available forces were listed in the earlier update. What we currently have are mercenaries, and poor quality farmers. Do you want any of them?
My mistake! I see now. If it's not too much of a drain on our resources I'd like the cheaper Gaelic Warriors, but I'll defer to the Senate if that's out of our budget this early.
PSN: corporateshill
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FaranguI am a beardy manWith a beardy planRegistered Userregular
After the settlement we have 3800 left, I'm sure we can swing the 260 for the warriors. Although it's nice of you to defer judgement; I'm sure that will come back to pay dividends in later campaigns.
Posts
I'll vote for both Iceni and Rome, if I can have a second preference. If I can only have one vote, then Iceni.
Also, seeing as the starting culture vote is tied, I, as Glorious Leader, shall break the tie in favor of...The Gallic tribe of the Arverni!
Chicago Megagame group
Watch me struggle to learn streaming! Point and laugh!
Speaking of us:
Not the most impressive right away, I'll grant you. But give it time. So here's what we're looking at:
The bottom right is our minimap, obviously. Above it are tabs that show recent messages sent this turn, and info about all of our military groups, all of our settlements, and all of the factions we have met. Below the minimap, from left to right, is our current treasury, our projected income for next turn, our food production, and the current year. Ordinarily a year passes with each turn, but we're playing with a mod that brings it back to the original two turns per year.
The center panel and left panel are information about whatever we have selected at that point in time. I have nothing selected right now, so they are empty. The four buttons to the right of the center bar are our objectives, our finances, our technology, and our diplomacy. Technology has an exclamation point because we are currently not researching anything, which is something we should look to fix soon.
The button next to the “End Turn” brings up a more tactical view of the world:
Here we see the world as we know it, which is not much currently. This also shows us where the capitals of each region are in the circular icons, where are armies and agents are, and if any regions have strategic resources, like the half of Provencia below us, which has olives. This is handy because it has a bunch of filters that can show regions that have low public order, or wealth, but only if they're ours, so we can't use this to plan the order of our conquest.
So let's look at our faction currently:
This is a super handy screen. It'll show us who the big players in our tribe are, and how much support we have of the tribal council. Support is nice for when we want to start promoting and favoring our tribe, and slandering/killing other Gauls. This is also where we can get a quick glimpse of our important stats, such as how many armies and fleets we can have at our current influence levels, and our diplomacy at a glance. Currently, we're at war with the Aedui immediately to our Northeast, and we are both trading with and defensive allies of the Pictones immediately to our Northwest. Defensive allies means that if we are the target of a declaration of war, they will come to our aid, although they won't necessarily help us if we are the aggressors.
We should also take a look at our town:
So we currently possess the settlement of Nemossos, in the region of Aquitania. It currently has built a town hall type structure(orange) and some agricultural fields(green). The left panel shows a relatively neutral public order, but that it will increase a bit each turn, which is good. Don't want revolts super early. It's also producing our only food so far, and a modest income. The floating hammer above the settlement means that we have enough surplus population to expand the city, and turn that white square in the settlement window to another spot that can hold a building. If we control all of the settlements in a region, we can issue an edict that will emphasize certain parts of government, and will make them more efficient and productive.
A major change in Rome II is that more importance is placed on the capitals of regions: they can house more buildings, and they are the only towns that get defensive walls. This is nice in that we don't have to wait to build siege equipment as often as in previous games. Looking at our region, we see that to complete it, we need to take the regions of Lemonum and Burdigala, which is further West. The holders of Burdigala – the Vivisci – are neutral to us currently, but Lemonum is held by the friendly Pictones, so we'll have to decide how to handle that down the road.
Finally, the tech tree:
Technology works kind of differently in this one. There are two main branches of research, military and civic. Each branch is further broken down into three trees, which is different between each culture. So our first major choice is whether or not we want to immediately focus on military or culture, and once we open the initial research, we have more options. The number next to the hourglass in the upper left of the icon is how many turns it will take to research it.
But enough talk: if we're at war, we need some intelligence. Fortunately, we start with a spy, agent Retaba.
For some reason he's calling himself Lugios
When you select an army or agent, their movement range is shown on the map with the yellow outline. Units can move anywhere within this outline, and can be ordered to move past that, they will just continue the move their next turn. We also see some more info in the left side panel of the particular character, and we see their main characteristics underneath their portrait: Authority, Cunning, and Zeal. From what I've seen so far, generals use these as resistances against agent interactions, while actual agents can have these numbers influence their actions and chances of success. So looking at Retaba:
We see that he's good at spying territory, but a bit more costly than average. So we move him to take advantage of his sight:
And we see that Birbacte has a small garrison inside of it. You can get a quick estimate of the strength of an army by counting the number of horizontal bars starting at the bottom of an army's flag. Here we see that, even though we don't know the exact makeup of the enemy army, they are not currently much of a threat.
And that's the first update! So at this point, I would typically list a couple of goals to accomplish, but the first turn is really quite simple: Crush your neighbor for more money. To that end, I plan to send out the Northeastern army group, led by 2nd Lt. @Frei, to conquer Birbacte, since he is more prepared for immediate action. The second army group, lead by 2nd Lt. @Nerfthatman, can make good headway towards Burdigala:
Military details:
800 levied spearmen (poor quality troops, usually meat shields but can kill some people)
120 Celtic slingers (low damage, long range)
240 Celtic youths (javelin troops, good damage at medium range and can throw flaming spears)
plus his personal cavalry bodyguard.
Meanwhile, Nerfthatman's army is more limited:
Just 320 levied spearmen, and the general's cavalry.
Both generals can requisition the following units:
Levied spearmen, 310 per unit
Celtic Warriors, 460 per unit(average swordsman unit, decent damage but pricey)
Since we are in a friendly area, we can also recruit some factional mercenaries available only to us:
2 units of light horsemen, 285 per unit (decent attack capability, only horsemen we will have until we research some cavalry fields)
1 unit of Celtic mercenaries, 260 per unit (identical to Celtic warriors, but much cheaper)
Every unit we recruit will cost that much up front, and also add to our military upkeep, which will further drain the amount of money we receive each turn. Up to three units can be requisitioned per turn, but if the army drafts units before moving, they cannot move that turn, so it would be wise to move before recruiting. Frei's army can be in attacking distance of the Aedui next turn. Also, both leaders should say what their armed bands should be called.
While Frei's army is mobilized, the Senate should discuss on whether:
A – Nerfthatman should muster his forces at Nemossos, thereby continuing to provide a boost to public order and acting defensively
B – Nerfthatman should muster his forces while marching towards a destination to be specified later, setting us up for rapid military conflict
C – Nerfthatman should act under his own initiative, but a third army should be raised as soon as possible, dipping into the cash reserves to do so.
D – Hold on military development until the results of Frei's campaign are known.
And also:
1 - @Retaba should advance to Birbacte and sabotage either the Aedui encampment or garrison, using a small stipend
2 - Retaba should begin scouting and meeting other civilizations
3 - Retaba should act on his own, using his best judgement
AND:
! - Military should recruit forces using the individual general's best judgement, to maintain a strong military
@ - Military should recruit forces according to Senate decree, to avoid overspending
Finances:
We have a decent reserve, but recruitment will eat into it fast, and construction faster still. Therefore, it would be prudent to decide: Reinforcing the army groups, especially Nerfthatman's, will get us a bit closer to grabbing more land, but will slow our cash influx even further. Developing Nemossos, on the other hand, will sap our reserve quickly(the average building costs anywhere from 850-1200), but it will bring in more food, money and public order in the long term, and can also lead to us recruiting different types of military units faster.
Also, we are currently taxing our people at a medium level. We can choose to increase taxes, nation wide, for more money, but this also limits growth, and can have large negative influences on public order. Decreasing taxes flips that previous sentence around.
So the Senate should discuss:
A – Focus on Army Recruitment
B – Focus on Economic Construction
C – Focus on Military Construction
D – Conserve money for later
1 – Leave taxes the same
2 – Increase taxes
Research:
The Senate should vote, after @Stilts makes his recommendation:
A – Research Military
B – Research Civics
Diplomacy:
Only two factions currently dislike us – The Aedui, with whom we are at war, and the Volcae, directly South of us. We are defensively allied with our neighbors to the Northwest, the Pictones, and trading with them.
Red circular arrows means we cannot trade with them yet, while grey means that we can, but are not currently doing so. Trade options will go upward significantly once we obtain a sea port and meet more people, but currently we can only attempt trade with two other civilizations. Attempting trade is always a good thing, as it brings in more money, so I will attempt to do so whenever possible. The bigger question: Should we attempt to be nice to some other tribes around here, or leave off on diplomatic relations until later?
Senate -
A – Attempt to foster positive relations with select neighbors in the hopes of forming an alliance
B – Do not negotiate with anyone past trade agreements, as we will conquer them anyway
Sorry for the length and relative boring-ness, but a lot needs to be covered in the first updates to get everyone on the same page. Ideally, the next updates will have a bit more meat and less explaining to them, and will go longer than just 1 turn. Also, if anyone has any questions, please let me know.
So to recap, the Senate(@Phyphor @Vic @enlightenedbum @firewaterword @Mr Ray) needs to debate and rule on the following issues:
Military: A – Nerfthatman should muster his forces at Nemossos, thereby continuing to provide a boost to public order and acting defensively
B – Nerfthatman should muster his forces while marching towards a destination to be specified later, setting us up for rapid military conflict
C – Nerfthatman should be under his own initiative, but a third army should be raised as soon as possible, dipping into the cash reserves to do so.
D – Hold on military development until the results of Frei's campaign are known.
1 - Retaba should advance to Birbacte and sabotage either the Aedui encampment or garrison, for a small fee
2 - Retaba should begin scouting and meeting other civilizations
3 - Retaba should act on his own, using his best judgement
! - Military should recruit forces using the individual general's best judgement, to maintain a strong military
@ - Military should recruit forces according to Senate decree, to avoid overspending
Finance:A – Focus on Army Recruitment
B – Focus on Economic Construction
C – Focus on Military Construction
D – Conserve money for later
1 – Leave taxes the same
2 – Increase taxes
Research:(Stilts's recommendation will carry more weight) A – Research military
B – Research Civics
Diplomacy: A – Attempt to foster positive relations with select neighbors in the hopes of forming an alliance
B – Do not negotiate with anyone past trade agreements, as we will conquer them anyway
Frei and Nerfthatman should tell me what they want their armies to be named, and what times work best for them to play their battles if they choose to do so.
Of course, these are not the only options available. If the Senate wishes to follow a course of action I have not listed, simply write it in.
Although anyone can add their voice and opinion, only the Senate and advisers will have their votes counted. I figure that a few days should be enough for the Senate and leaders to debate the pressing issues of the day, so we'll see what positions are reached in that time. Majority vote will determine what I do. In case of a tie, I shall break it.
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I haven't done it as of yet but I understand agents (maybe not spies) can inspire unrest so when we need to get rid of the friendlies, perhaps we could secretly inspire a revolt? Also, I should poison the wells of the garrison to make it easier for Frei to break them. Unless there is a better opportunity to do something else.
Also, perhaps having Nerfthatman on the defensive while also mustering a few new forces so that if Frei takes a beating we aren't left at the mercy of time?
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Champions are actually unlocked by the first military research option, not by Civics.
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I know, I just meant after we unlocked Dignitaries which requires 3 (?) I believe.
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C – Nerfthatman should be under his own initiative, but a third army should be raised as soon as possible, dipping into the cash reserves to do so.
3 - Retaba should act on his own, using his best judgement
! - Military should recruit forces using the individual general's best judgement, to maintain a strong military
Finance:
B – Focus on Economic Construction
1 – Leave taxes the same
Research:
B – Research Civics
Diplomacy:
B – Do not negotiate with anyone past trade agreements, as we will conquer them anyway
You go ahead and play the battle, as it should be a simple affair.
A note to the senators - my levied men will take this first town, but they will not do for long. I will need stronger sword arms and hardier men for the battles to come. An extreme focus on civic research means I'm stuck with peasants in rags, so you'll be able to be all prim and proper talking about your civic advances while sitting on the ruins of our cities.
- economic construction
- research civics
- taxes should remain the same to encourage growth
Military recruitment must remain the business of the Senate! Though perhaps we can establish a budget for the individual commanders that they can use
Nerfthatman should muster his forces for an attack, an early show of strength should make our neighbours think twice about invading. We are already at war, we should conclude that first.
Retaba should scout the immediate area before doing anything else
These are all fine points, but what business is it of ours to get involved in mediterranean politics? Carthage will fight for Carthage, and we will fight for Gaul!
Safeguarding our prosperity should be our first and only priority! In case I do not have the opportunity to join in further debates, here are my preliminary votes.
Military: B – Nerfthatman should muster his forces while marching towards a destination to be specified later, setting us up for rapid military conflict
2 - Retaba should begin scouting and meeting other civilizations
! - Military should recruit forces using the individual general's best judgement, to maintain a strong military
Finance:B – Focus on Economic Construction
1 – Leave taxes the same
Research:(Stilts's recommendation will carry more weight)
B – Research Civics
Diplomacy: A – Attempt to foster positive relations with select neighbors in the hopes of forming an alliance
Prosecute this war as quickly as possible and then turn south to acquire a port on the Mediterranean. The Volcae hate us already, so them. Additionally, we can fortify that region heavily to defend against the Romans while we conquer the rest of Gaul and beyond that unify the various Celtic peoples.
As such:
Military: B - Nerfthatman will muster his forces while heading towards our southern border to conduct campaign against the Volcae in the future.
3 - Agent Retaba can conduct his own operations, though we suggest he moves towards Germanica in the hopes of finding some long term allies.
! - We'll allow the generals leeway for now, but with Senate oversight to return to this question in the future.
Finance: C - Short term goal for now, let's recruit some extra men to attack the Volcae with
1 - Leave taxes as they are for now
2 - In the slightly long term we're going to want to build an economic base, so let's do civics research.
Diplomacy: B - neighbors are for conquering. Form better relations with non-Gallic peoples.
I would say so, yes. Also once our situation stabilizes, I will do what I can to get your army out. If you wish to switch to another position to minimize wait, that's fine too.
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Summation of Senate votes:
Give Nerf some leeway, raise a third army - firewaterword
Send Nerf to position for future conquest - Vic, enlightenedbum, Phyphor
Let Retaba use his own judgement - firewaterword, enlightenedbum
Have Retaba scout - Phyphor, Vic
Allow generals to recruit with limited to no Senate oversight - firewaterword, Vic, enlightenedbum(for now)
Maintain Senate oversight on recruitment, create military budget - Phyphor
Military construction - enlightenedbum
Economic construction - firewaterword, Phyphor, Vic
Keep current tax rates - firewaterword, Phyphor, Vic, enlightenedbum
Research civics - firewaterword, Stilts, Phyphor, Vic, enlightenedbum
No negotiations beyond trade - firewaterword, enlightenedbum
Maintain friendly relations - Vic
Some positions have the majority behind them, and I will enact them now, such as not raising taxes, setting our first research to the Cattle System, and allowing the generals to recruit more units if they so desire(@Frei, @Nerfthatman). However, the most important decisions - where Nerf's army goes, and what Retaba should do - are deadlocked. Those shall need to be decided by Mr Ray.
Also, we are fortunate in that our construction choice is made simple - we can construct Artisinal Lodges that will bring in an additional 80 denari per turn, while allowing us to recruit better trained spearmen and Celtic Skirmishers. It will be finished in 2 turns, and will cost us 1200 denari.
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Apologies, I misread. Switched. He will muster and move to position for future conquest.
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Military:
B – Nerfthatman should muster his forces while marching towards a destination to be specified later, setting us up for rapid military conflict
2 - Retaba should begin scouting and meeting other civilizations
! - Military should recruit forces using the individual general's best judgement, to maintain a strong military
I find in this kind of game an early land grab tends to work out well. Grab the two territories we want most, hold them, and then consolidate and build a real army with units that aren't from the bottom of the tech tree.
Finance:
B – Focus on Economic Construction
1 – Leave taxes the same
We want to maximize growth early-on, it'll pay back dividends later.
Research:(Stilts's recommendation will carry more weight)
B – Research Civics
Not knowing the ins-and-outs of the tech tree its hard to make a decision one way or the other, but I'll go with civic.
Diplomacy:
B – Do not negotiate with anyone past trade agreements, as we will conquer them anyway
You can never have too many trade routes! I doubt anyone important will want to be our friends just yet anyway.
I'm not very familiar with the tech tree/army composition of this game and culture, but I'd give my preference towards recruiting heavy infantry for now.
Retaba shall broaden our contact list, heading South.
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Oh dear.
Senators and Lt. Frei, please prepare for an emergency deliberation.
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