Overview
The
Imperium Romanum: Part I - the Rise campaign focuses on the expansion of Rome throughout the centuries, starting in the late fourth century BC, at a time when Rome started to dominate central Italy, and with an open end, depending on when the player has exhausted the expansional momentum or '
Virtus' of his Roman empire.
Each player represents Rome on his own map, attacking adjacent provinces in attempts to expand. The attacks are resolved in
Field of Glory 2: Ancients, with the opponents being the other players in the campaign (in this case, representing the provincial defenders).
The campaign uses the
TT Mod v1.5.32b by
paul59, the specific army lists depending on the actual time period of the attack and (with respect to the defenders) on the province being attacked.
End of campaign and victory conditions
The end of the campaign occurs when the
Virtus level of all players at the end of a round are zero or lower. The winner of the campaign is then the player with the highest sum of (i) controlled provinces and (ii) won battles as defender against Roman attacks on other players' maps, and, if a tie, the player who has won the most battles as defender against Roman attacks on other players' maps. If still a tie, the player wins who controls the province farthest away from Italia (calculated as the shortest route of number of provinces in between).
Map
The map consists of 41 provinces, connected to each other by land or across sea (as shown by dark grey lines).
Each player has his own map, showing his expansion and controlled provinces as highlighted by color. In part I: the Rise, control over provinces can only be gained, never lost.
Every province uses its own map terrain (1 or 2 different, depending on province), applied in the battles in Field of Glory: Ancients.
Virtus
Virtus (from Latin
vir, "man") was a specific virtue in ancient Rome, carrying connotations of valor, manliness, excellence, courage, character, and worth, all perceived as masculine strengths. As such, it was a frequently stated virtue of Roman emperors, and was personified as a deity.
In the
Imperium Romanum campaign,
Virtus represents the vitality and vigour (as opposites to decay and decadence) of the Roman empire. The higher the level for a player, the larger the FP adjustment available to the player's battles and the opportunities to make several attacks in the same round.
Virtus will irrevocably, as part of 'time decay', drop by 1 for all players at the beginning of every five rounds (i.e., rounds 5, 10, 15, etc.).
The
Virtus FP adjustment can in each round be divided up into
equal parts of minimum 20 each, allowing attacks on that many provinces in the same round. For example, a
Virtus level of 8 results in a FP Adjustment of 80, which can be divided into up to four equal parts, allowing for up to four attacks on different provinces that round (but he can still decide to e.g. make only one attack with his +80 FP all concentrated to that attack and battle, or make two attacks at +40 FP each). Once the
Virtus level is 3 or lower, only one attack is allowed per round, and once a player's
Virtus level is below 0, he is not allowed to make any attacks at all for the remainder of the campaign.
Starting point
At outset, round 1 (340 - 290 BC), every player controls only the province of Italia, has a
Virtus level of 10, and can make only one attack.
Rounds
Every round corresponds to a certain time period, which will determine which army lists that are available and (as part of 'time decay') which additional FP adjustments that apply to all attackers in battles in that round and whether
Virtus will drop irrevocably for all players by 1 at the beginning of the round (see table below).
Each round consists of the following three phases:
1.
Attack declarations: All players announce at the same time which attack or attacks that their Roman empires intend to make.
- A player can only make as many attacks as the lower of what is allowed by his Virtus level at the beginning of the round (see Virtus above) and the round in question (see table below):
- Thus, in the first round, a player can only make one attack, in the second round, a maximum of two attacks, and is never allowed to make more than five attacks in any round, always subject to the limitation imposed by his Virtus level.
2.
Battle resolutions: All battles will be simultaneously played and completed in
FoG2:Ancients during a period of four weeks.
3.
Administration: changes of province control and adjustment of
Virtus levels.
Attacks
- An attack involves the player (the "attacker") making an attack from one of his controlled provinces upon a connected uncontrolled province (the "defender").
- A player's attack declarations must include the following information:
- The Roman army list (and allies, if any) used by the player in his attack.
- The province attacked.
- Only provinces connected (by land or sea) to already controlled provinces can be attacked.
- A player may attack a specific province not more than once each round, thus if making several attacks in a round, each attack must be made on a separate province.
- If a player has lost two battles in attacks upon a certain province, he is not allowed to attack that province anymore for the remainder of the campaign.
- The player's Virtus FP adjustment for the attack (basically his total Virtus FP adjustment divided by the number of attacks that he is making that round).
- The map terrain, if he (as attacker) decides to make that selection.
- The player to be his opponent as defender.
- Any of the other players can be chosen (whether such players can still make attacks of their own or not), but that player can not be chosen again until all other players thereafter have in between been chosen as opponents too (if possible, please also choose opponents who haven't yet been chosen that round, in order to distribute games evenly among players in each round).
- Example (for round 3, 240 - 190 BC): Roman 199 - 106 BC attacks Lugdunensis. +60 FP. North European Wooded. Aetius39 as opponent.
Army lists
Main army
- The attacker selects a Roman army whose time period overlaps the current round's.
- Example: In round 3 (240 - 190 BC), Roman 280 - 220 BC, Roman 219 - 200 BC, and Roman 199 - 106 BC are all permitted.
- The defender selects an army whose time period overlaps or (if no such overlapping time period exists) succeeds the current round's and whose geographic location fits the attacked province. If no such army is available, he will use the same Roman army list as the attacker as part of a civil war battle.
- Example: In round 3 (240 - 190 BC), Germanic Foot Tribes 105 BC - 259 AD would be allowed for Germania Citerior, since there are no earlier army lists available for that province, but since this army list exists, Germanic Foot Tribes 260 - 599 AD and Germanic Horse Tribes 260 - 492 AD are not permitted.
- Example: In round 6 (90 - 50 BC), no non-Roman army list is available for Apulia since historically already conquered by the Romans, why the defender's army will be the same as the Roman player's army (i.e., Roman 105 - 25 BC).
- Please use a generous, friendly and constructive approach, both when it comes to selecting army lists (especially as defender) and when it comes to approving or disapproving such army lists (especially as attacker).
- In the unlikely situation that agreement on a selected army list can not be made between the attacker and the defender, the other players in the campaign will vote as part of adjudication, and if needed, with the campaign administrator holding the casting vote.
Allies
- The attacker is allowed to choose any allies, whose time period overlaps the current round's and whose geographic location fits a province he has already conquered.
- The defender doesn't use any allies.
Battles
- The defender creates the challenge (with himself as Side B) in the FoG2:Ancients Multiplayer Lobby.
- The attack will take the form of a Custom Battle:
- Force size: Large (1600 FP) force size for both attacker and defender, however for the attacker adjusted cumulatively as follows:
- The FP adjustment from the round in question (e.g., -20 FP for round 8 (10 BC - 30 AD)).
- The FP adjustment from the attacker's Virtus level (as divided in equal parts among all his attacks that round).
- -30 FP if the attacker has specified the map terrain (and more than one map terrain is available for the attacked province).
- +30 FP if the attacker hasn't specified the map terrain (and more than one map terrain is available for the attacked province).
- Map type: the map terrain as specified by the attacker (if in the attack declaration) or (otherwise) as selected by the defender, among the alternatives available for the attacked province.
- No map re-rolls will be made.
Outcomes and effects of battles
General
- The player routing the enemy is considered the victor.
- If neither player routs the enemy, it is considered a draw.
- Battle outcome, once resolved, is posted by the victor or the player inflicting the highest casualties, in a post in the campaign thread.
Attacker
- Each lost battle reduces the attacker's Virtus by 1 (draws and wins do not reduce Virtus).
- A won battle results in the attacker gaining control over the attacked province.
- Two drawn battles in attacks upon a province (whether in consecutive rounds or not) results in the attacker gaining control over that province.
- Two lost battles in attacks upon a province (whether in consecutive rounds or not) results in the attacker being prohibited from attacking that province again for the remainder of the campaign.
Defender
- Every four won battles benefits the defender (as Roman player on his own map) through increasing his own Virtus by 1, up to a level (but not exceeding) of 10 minus the Virtus 'time decay'.