Unification of Italy: Strategy/Tactics????

[Blathergut]

Your first target(s)? Army composition for those first targets? First improvements in your initial 3 cities?

[IainMcNeil]

I think a lot depends on which nation you play! There are 21 nations to choose from!

[scarfacetarraff]

I played the opening turns of this scenario last night, on the iPad version. I forget the name, but I captured the city just to the Northeast of Rome, at about one or two o'clock. Basically, I'm looking to build infrastructure first, as there are several citizens out of work when the game begins. I'm thinking it best to get some breathing room west of the mountains, before trying to send forces over to the east - slow going.

[Blathergut]

I think a lot depends on which nation you play! There are 21 nations to choose from!

Ahem...there is only ONE!

[macattack]

I think a lot depends on which nation you play! There are 21 nations to choose from!

Ahem...there is only ONE!

Nope, you can choose anyone you want. Just press the colored region on the map to select one.

[Blathergut]

This I know; I was being humourous: there is only Roma.

[macattack]

This I know; I was being humourous: there is only Roma.

Oops! Sorry about that.

[smmoulder]

I had the same question, but let me add to it slightly to cut off the smart aleck answers. Please give some specific recommendations on strategy and tactics for the Unification of Italy when playing Roma!!!! That IS the default choice and the one 99% of newbs will make. Thanks!

[IainMcNeil]

Get your income up by upgrading resource buildings and building new ones. Then recruit a few squads. If you can get an army of 6 or so medium squads it might be enough to take on another city. Metal is most useful for troops so grab a city with high metal production. You need a fort to upgrade to medium squads. To upgrade join the city garrison, touch view and upgrade. If you can't afford it you might have to wait. Keep troops in cities when possible as maintenance is halved.

[Blathergut]

1. Ignore who you are at war with. They probably won't come at you right away.
2. Don't target the two small states up in the mountains. It takes forever to get there, that will cost endless resources supplying the armies, and they give you very little.
3. Think historical. The Romans expanded on the western plains for a reason:
...Latins provide wood...focus them on that and growing the city larger
...Hernici provide iron...same
...don't grow more farms at Roma...you need the space for troop improvement/types...Roma recruits your armies...so build here to improve your troops and get the population up (leave people NOT working so they...uh...well...spend their idle time effectively! )
4. So...target Caere (closest,easiest target) and Falerii...main product...food
5. Once you have these two (and you first need to build some troops...don't be in a rush) then expand north or south but not west...south is probably easier, but be warned, the states will have large armies!
6. You can eventually move east, but it becomes more dangerous (harder for you to transfer troops about).
7. Don't be in a rush. I crushed Volscians but was so spread out, war was declared by the North Oscans and the Samnites and they swarmed through my initial cities before I could regroup.
8. Build only in winter. Keep armies in cities until the time you are set to invade.

(That's it for now. Have to restart and be more careful about backstabbing neighbours!!!!! Anyone: Is it possible to take a screen capture on the iPad2? I'd consider doing Unification of Italy as an AAR but have no idea how to show things happening.)

[Blathergut]

Cool...figured out the screen capture thingie.

[smmoulder]

Get your income up by upgrading resource buildings and building new ones. Then recruit a few squads. If you can get an army of 6 or so medium squads it might be enough to take on another city. Metal is most useful for troops so grab a city with high metal production. You need a fort to upgrade to medium squads. To upgrade join the city garrison, touch view and upgrade. If you can't afford it you might have to wait. Keep troops in cities when possible as maintenance is halved.

Ian, I am completely confused about squad size. I see your note about forts, but then I am also seeing Barracks and an upgrade to Quartermaster for larger squads. Which is it? Also, I don't know why I am sometimes able to build Barracks and other times not. This is in full cities, btw. Are Barracks an upgrade to Forts?

I actually did read the manual, but the relationship between Forts and the Barracks/Quartermaster was not clarified.

Thanks for the other tips. I figured out after a couple of games that I just needed to settle in and get my economy in order. It's a slow slog, but fortunately we aren't on a timeline (excepting what the enemies are doing during that interval).

[smmoulder]

1. Ignore who you are at war with. They probably won't come at you right away.
2. Don't target the two small states up in the mountains. It takes forever to get there, that will cost endless resources supplying the armies, and they give you very little.
3. Think historical. The Romans expanded on the western plains for a reason:
...Latins provide wood...focus them on that and growing the city larger
...Hernici provide iron...same
...don't grow more farms at Roma...you need the space for troop improvement/types...Roma recruits your armies...so build here to improve your troops and get the population up (leave people NOT working so they...uh...well...spend their idle time effectively! )
4. So...target Caere (closest,easiest target) and Falerii...main product...food
5. Once you have these two (and you first need to build some troops...don't be in a rush) then expand north or south but not west...south is probably easier, but be warned, the states will have large armies!
6. You can eventually move east, but it becomes more dangerous (harder for you to transfer troops about).
7. Don't be in a rush. I crushed Volscians but was so spread out, war was declared by the North Oscans and the Samnites and they swarmed through my initial cities before I could regroup.
8. Build only in winter. Keep armies in cities until the time you are set to invade.

(That's it for now. Have to restart and be more careful about backstabbing neighbours!!!!! Anyone: Is it possible to take a screen capture on the iPad2? I'd consider doing Unification of Italy as an AAR but have no idea how to show things happening.)

Thanks, this is all helpful. I have been grabbing Falerii first (easy), but finding Caere a tougher nut to crack. Not being in a rush is good advice. Advice I wish the tutorial had left me with! I was playing this like a 4x space game where you really need to be aggressive and grab territory before your enemies get too big. That is NOT what Legion is about.

[Blathergut]

Take your time. Move when ready, otherwise, if you lose a battle, it is disastrous.

I outlined the squad size in the AAR posting. Not sure of the requirement for a Barracks. It may need one or two other buildings.

[scarfacetarraff]

Get your income up by upgrading resource buildings and building new ones. Then recruit a few squads. If you can get an army of 6 or so medium squads it might be enough to take on another city. Metal is most useful for troops so grab a city with high metal production. You need a fort to upgrade to medium squads. To upgrade join the city garrison, touch view and upgrade. If you can't afford it you might have to wait. Keep troops in cities when possible as maintenance is halved.

Ian, I am completely confused about squad size. I see your note about forts, but then I am also seeing Barracks and an upgrade to Quartermaster for larger squads. Which is it? Also, I don't know why I am sometimes able to build Barracks and other times not. This is in full cities, btw. Are Barracks an upgrade to Forts?

I actually did read the manual, but the relationship between Forts and the Barracks/Quartermaster was not clarified.

Thanks for the other tips. I figured out after a couple of games that I just needed to settle in and get my economy in order. It's a slow slog, but fortunately we aren't on a timeline (excepting what the enemies are doing during that interval).

Forts provide garrison divisions. They help your garrison defend the city, if you have divisions garrisoned. Barracks et al are the buildings that make divisions larger, but only those you train after those buildings are constructed.

[smmoulder]

Forts provide garrison divisions. They help your garrison defend the city, if you have divisions garrisoned. Barracks et al are the buildings that make divisions larger, but only those you train after those buildings are constructed.

Ok, that makes more sense to me. Thanks!

[smmoulder]

You need a fort to upgrade to medium squads. To upgrade join the city garrison, touch view and upgrade. If you can't afford it you might have to wait. Keep troops in cities when possible as maintenance is halved.

Ah hah! This was the original comment that so confused me. Forts don't "enable" raising medium squads from scratch, Barracks do that. What Forts allow you to do is upgrade existing squads to medium squads.

So let me see if I have this straight now...

• - If I want to build medium squads I need a Barracks

• - If I want to build large squads I need to upgrade my Barracks to Quartermaster

• - If I want to upgrade small squads to medium squads I need a Fort, then must put the squad into the Garrison and then take it back out

Naturally I have more questions, but thanks for starting to clear the fog of war....

• - What is the pre-requisite for a Barracks? I know I need to City, but it appears I need something else as this option has not shown up in all my cities

• - Will any size Fort upgrade squads? Or is the size of the Fort only determining how many units can be upgraded at a time (since the number of units in the garrison changes with size of Fort)?

• - Does the size of the city have any impact on the size of squads? If so, how does that combine with Barracks/Quartermaster?

Thanks!

[IainMcNeil]

Fort = Medium Squads
Barracks = large squads
Quartermaster = Huge squads

Barracks requires a City Hall and a military building such as a fletcher, stables etc.

[scarfacetarraff]

Fort = Medium Squads
Barracks = large squads
Quartermaster = Huge squads

Barracks requires a City Hall and a military building such as a fletcher, stables etc.

I believe Forts proved divisions to assist in the defense of the city.

Small Fort = 1 division
Medium Fort = 2 divisions
Large Fort = 3 divisions

Unless they, additionally, add a size bonus to new divisions.

[IainMcNeil]

Yes each fort level adds one squad to the garrison force but having any type of fort increases the size of your squads to medium. So by adding a small fort to a city you go from 1 small to 2 medium squads defending the city which is quite a difference. The garrison squad is the best squad the city can produce, so if you can produce Legionaries you'll get Legionaries.