Strategy and Tactics#

Strategy and Tactics

Grand Strategic Principles#

Principle One: Attack by Defending#

Public order falls
Supply lines stretch out
New border threats appear

Therefore, building a solid defensive line matters more than blind expansion. Use natural terrain such as rivers and mountains to construct your defensive line and let the enemy wear itself down attacking into it.

Principle Two: Economy First#

At least 3 provinces reach full economic development
Trade agreements cover the surrounding friendly factions
Food surplus is kept above 20%

Principle Three: Know Yourself and Know the Enemy#

Check the diplomacy panel regularly to learn the attitude and strength of the factions around you. Use spies to obtain military intelligence on the enemy and avoid fighting under unfavourable conditions.

Faction-Specific Strategies#

Roman Empire Strategy#

Phase	Time	Objective
Consolidation	Turns 1-20	Stabilise internal order and build a defensive line
Choosing a direction	Turns 21-40	Pick one direction and break through with concentrated force
Expansion	Turns 41-80	Conquer the target provinces systematically
Consolidation	Turns 81-100	Stabilise the new territory and restore the economy

Key defensive lines

The Rhine line
The Danube line
The eastern Mediterranean coast
The North African coast

Nomadic Faction Strategy#

Strategy	When to use it	Effect
Lightning raid	When the enemy main force is far from the border	Raid 1-2 settlements quickly, then withdraw
Relentless pursuit	After defeating one enemy army	Chase down routers and expand the result
Guerrilla harassment	When the enemy has a clear numerical advantage	Harass on several axes and split the enemy’s attention
Outflanking manoeuvre	Before a decisive battle	Bypass the main force and strike the rear settlements/supplies

Battlefield Tactics#

Basic Formations#

Formation	Suitable unit types	Advantage
Line formation	Regular infantry	Maximises firepower output, flexible to adjust
Square formation	Elite infantry	Defends on all four sides, hard to surround
Wedge formation	Cavalry charge	Strong breakthrough, concentrates attack on one point
Crescent formation	Mixed infantry and archers	Archers protected by infantry, can form an encircling arc of fire
Echelon formation	Multi-pronged attack	Commits forces gradually, keeps a reserve
Skirmish line	Light infantry, archers	Maximises range and field of view

Classic Tactical Combinations#

1. Hammer and Anvil#

Step	Action
1	Infantry pins the enemy infantry from the front
2	Cavalry moves around to the enemy flank or rear
3	Cavalry launches its charge and forms a pincer with the infantry
4	Enemy morale collapses; chase down the routers

2. Luring the Enemy Deep#

Step	Action
1	Send out a weak unit and pretend to retreat
2	The enemy pursuit force separates from its main army
3	The main force outflanks the enemy pursuit force from both sides
4	After annihilating the pursuit force, turn against the enemy main army

3. Archery Volley Tactic#

Step	Action
1	Deploy archers on high ground or favourable terrain
2	Infantry forms a protective line in front
3	Wait for the enemy to enter range, then concentrate fire in a volley
4	When the enemy falls into disorder, the infantry launches its charge

Commander Abilities#

Skill tree	Core abilities	Suitable tactics
Attack	Increases charge damage, morale shock, pursuit efficiency	Offensive warfare, wars of annihilation
Defence	Increases defence, positional warfare, counterattack ability	Defensive warfare, settlement defence
Command	Increases unit morale, movement speed, fatigue recovery	Mobile operations, long-distance raids
Strategy	Increases supply efficiency, ambush success rate, vision range	Guerrilla warfare, ambush warfare

Supply System#

Supply States#

State	Effect
Supplies sufficient	No negative effects; units keep morale and combat effectiveness
Supplies insufficient	Morale -5, loses a small number of troops each day
Severe food shortage	Morale -15, loses large numbers of troops each day, plague risk increases
Desperate straits	Morale -25, large-scale routs, high plague risk

Ways to Obtain Supplies#

Method	Effect
Garrisoned in a settlement	Supplies recover automatically
Near your own territory	Supplies recover slowly
Raiding enemy territory	Temporary supplies obtained through raiding
Building a supply camp	Establishes a supply point far from settlements
Transport by river	Rivers can serve as supply routes

Tactical Summary#

Battlefield Decision Tree#

Situation	Best action
The enemy greatly outnumbers you	Choose favourable terrain to defend, wear them down with archers, then withdraw
The enemy slightly outnumbers you	Use terrain and formation advantages and look for a flank opportunity
The two sides are evenly matched	Concentrate force on one point and try to break through
You have the numerical advantage	Encircle on several axes and annihilate quickly
The enemy has a cavalry advantage	Infantry forms up tightly, archers suppress the cavalry
The enemy has an archer advantage	Close the distance quickly and avoid long exposure to arrow fire

General Tactical Principles#

Principle	Explanation
Strike first	Attacking on your own initiative is usually better than defending passively
Concentrate your forces	Commit overwhelming strength at the decisive point
Stay flexible and mobile	Keep a reserve to deal with the unexpected
Maintain constant pressure	Give the enemy no chance to catch its breath; keep up the offensive
Preserve your strength	Avoid pointless casualties and keep your elite units intact

Siege Tactics in Detail#

Step	Action	Explanation
1	Scout the walls	Find the weak points in the defence
2	Build siege equipment	Catapults, siege towers, battering rams
3	Suppress with archers	Destroy the archers on the walls
4	Breach the wall or scale it	Choose the best way in
5	Fight for the gate	Control the gate and open the inner city
6	Clear the streets house by house	Clean up street by street and building by building
7	Capture the objective	Take the town centre to win

Battlefield Commander Abilities#

Ability type	Effect	Cooldown	Strategic use
Rally morale	Restores the morale of nearby units	60 seconds	Preventing a rout
Swift march	Temporarily increases movement speed +30%	90 seconds	Quick pursuit or withdrawal
Regroup	Rallies scattered units to reform	120 seconds	Reorganising the formation
Inspire	Increases nearby units’ attack and defence +15%	90 seconds	Pushing hard at the critical moment

Recovery After a Defeat#

Situation	Recovery method	Time required	Resource needed
Army badly mauled	Replenish troops	3-5 turns	Money
General killed	Appoint a new general	Immediate	None
Settlement lost	Counterattack to retake it	5-10 turns	A full army
Morale collapsed	Training and rest	3-8 turns	Food

Strategic Points on the Map#

Point type	Strategic value	Meaning of control
Port settlement	Trade income + naval deployment	Maritime supply lines
River confluence	Controls waterborne transport	Supply advantage
Mountain pass	Defensive bottleneck	Blocks invasion
Plains fortress	Strategic depth	Rapid reinforcement
Capital city	Economic and cultural centre	Must not be given up lightly

Settlement Defence Tactics in Detail#

Defending settlements is a compulsory subject for Western Roman Empire players; facing barbarian hordes that outnumber you, making sensible use of the walls and the terrain inside the settlement lets a small force beat a large one. Holding the walls by sectors and keeping a unit in reserve is the basic skill of settlement defence, and once the walls are lost it is the street fighting and the defence of the plaza that decide the outcome.

Point	Explanation
Keep a unit in reserve	Hold one elite unit on the walls to deal with a breach by the enemy
Hold the walls by sectors	Divide the walls into several sectors and assign suitable forces to each
Ambush at the gate	Place archers and heavy infantry inside the gate to create crossfire
Use the streets	After the walls are lost, shift to street fighting; narrow streets blunt the enemy’s numerical advantage
Defend the plaza	The town centre plaza is the last strongpoint; always keep your freshest troops for it

Common Mistakes in Settlement Defence#

Mistake	Consequence	How to improve
Spreading forces evenly	Weak everywhere and lost everywhere	Concentrate force on the critical sectors
Abandoning the walls too early	The enemy quickly takes the high ground	Hold at least one stretch of wall until reinforcements arrive
Charging cavalry down off the walls	Cavalry is useless in street fighting	Keep cavalry as a counterattack force outside the settlement
Neglecting the gate	Once the gate is broken you are attacked from front and rear	Place heavy troops and archers behind the gate

Ambush and Night Attacks#

Ambush is an important way for the weaker side to win big with small means, and suits nomadic and barbarian factions especially well. Forests, river valleys and bends in mountain roads are all ideal ambush sites; hiding your units in the terrain and striking from the flank once the enemy has passed can often turn a battle around.

Ambush site	Tactical value	Suitable factions
Forest edge	Hide units and strike from the flank once the enemy has passed	Barbarians, Huns
River valley pass	Use terrain to seal off the enemy’s retreat	All factions
Bend in a mountain road	A blind spot for vision, ideal for ambushing a marching column	Nomadic factions

The night attack tactic requires a general with the “Night Battles” trait; attacking at night denies the enemy reinforcements and disrupts their deployment. The morale bonus of night-battle units effectively suppresses the enemy, and it is a common tool of advanced players.

General Skill Point Recommendations#

General type	Priority skills	Approach to spending points
Field battle general	Charge enhancement, morale shock	Focus on attack and movement to rout the enemy quickly
Settlement defence general	Wall attack and defence, defence endurance	Focus on defence and inspiration to hold out until reinforcements arrive
Siege general	Siege equipment, siege efficiency	Focus on sieging ability to shorten siege times
Garrison general	Public order, corruption reduction	Used to manage newly conquered provinces and stabilise the rear

Unit Counter Relationships#

Attacker	Countered by	Explanation of the counter effect
Heavy cavalry	Archers, light infantry	Charges can punch through light-armoured unit lines
Spearmen	Cavalry	Can effectively stop a cavalry charge when engaged head-on
Heavy infantry	Spearmen	Relies on equipment and formation advantage to overpower them from the front
Archers	Heavy infantry	Uses ranged firepower to grind down slow-moving armoured units
Light cavalry	Heavy infantry	Fast outflanking, strikes the weak points at the rear and flanks

Common Tactical Misconceptions#

Misconception	Correct approach
Charging cavalry blindly right from the start	Wear them down with ranged fire first, then look for a flank opportunity
Ignoring elevation differences	Units on high ground have a clear advantage in both range and accuracy
Committing the whole reserve to the front line	Always keep one mobile unit that can turn the battle around
Pursuing too deep and scattering the formation	Reform promptly after the pursuit to avoid being encircled in turn

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