Title: Julii Faction Guide
Author: Legio Italica

Julii Faction Guide This is my first faction guide, so bear with me. feel free to reply and tell me what u think of it and make suggestions if its crappy, then any moderators can close it. This guide was written by myself with a little help from other RTW players. Anyway, here goes nothing......

The Julii: A Faction Guide

This guide is for anyone who would like to learn more about the Julii, and for anyone who is having trouble playing as them or against them.

The Julii are one of the 4 roman factions on RTW vanilla. Their faction color is a bright red, and on the campaign mini-map their territories are marked in bright red with deep black outlines. They are also a favorite among TWC members. Heres some pros and cons:

Main Pros:

1. They are romans, so they have legionary infantry, and their soldiers have the renowned roman discipline.

2. They have a good starting postion and will have alot of strategic momentum in the event of civil war.

3. They begin facing relatively easy barbarian opponents

4. Their first Senate Missions are very easy to complete

5. Though powerful, the Julii's main enemy, Gaul, begins the game wrought with rebellion and are too busy dealing with rebels, not to mention Britons and Germans, to invade Italy, and thus can be kept at bay with a little skillful diplomacy (offering trade rights, money in exchange for map info) to stay friendly with Gaul without having to enter into an alliance.

Main Cons:

1. Their second city, Ariminum, starts the game "in the red" financially.

2. Though relatively easy to defeat man-to-man, the Julii's main enemy, Gaul, begins he game with overwhelming superiority, and could crush the Julii should they so choose.

3. The Julii do not have the benefit of a rich sea trade like the Scipii and Brutii, and therefore must go elsewhere for economic stimulation (such as gaining trade rights with the wealthy East and with Greece)

Unit Guide - Pre Marian

Below is a compilation of all the unique military units and places of recruitment available to the Julli before the Marian Reforms:

Building Guide - Pre Marian

Below is a compilation of all the buildings available to the Julii before the Marian Reforms:


The Julii:

The Julii begin the game with 2 cities, Arretium and Arminum. Regardless of the difficulty level, you will be asked by the Senate to take the rebel settlement of Segesta. You start the game with 2 small field armies, and Segesta is westernmost part of central Italy, as shown in the attatched picture. Send the one led by your faction leader back to your capital, Arretium, and send the other to besiege Segesta.

Segesta is a village and is very easy to take, but beginners should probably wait out the short siege rather than risk the assault. Once Segesta is captured, you will now own 3 cities: Segesta, Arretium, and Ariminum. This is the Julii heartland:

and will prove of vital strategic importance throughout the campaign.

The Gaullic War

It would now be wise to construct forts at the two Po River crossings to prevent a surprise attack by Gaul.

Once this is done you can safely begin preparations for the Gaullic War. This is the first step in the Julii's expansion, and will be one of the pivotal events in the campaign. If lost, the Gauls will sack Italy. If won, the Julii will be pole-vaulted to a positon of strength and security. It is recommended that you prepare for war by building two armies consisting of perhaps 4 Hastati, 2 Roman archers, 3 Velites, 3 Equites, 4 Principes (if possible) and 1-2 generals (if possible). This setup allows you tactical flexibilty and strength, as well as the ability to attack and retire as needed, using your two armies interchangeably. Plus, if you are able to recruit Principes, you can use the infamous Roman manipular style, which gave her a significant advantage both tactically and strategically.

Using your forts as a sort of "Great Wall," send a combined detatchment from your 3 cities (not from your armies) and take the rebel greek settlement of Massillia.

Massillia is just south of Lugdunum, west of Mediolanium, and north of Caralis. You will be able to see it if you negotiated map info from the Gauls. If not, then send a bireme from the port of Arretium to the indicated spot. This is Massillia. Send your detatchment to take Massillia while you are still friendly with the Gauls. It is of vital strategic importance that you take Massillia, as this will separate the rest of Gaul from their Northern Italian settlements of Mediolanium and Patavium, allowing you to take these cities without the Gauls being able to send aid to the besieged. If you dont take Massillia, you will have to deal with the whole army of Gaul when you attack Mediolanium and Patavium, and you will most certainly be defeated and will be faced with anihilation. For some reason, the Gauls never attack Massillia, at least not in force, so it is very important that Massillia is secured as a buffer before you attack northern Italy.

Once northern Italy is secured, you can turn your thoughts to the campaign into Gaul's interior. It is important to take their port/coastal cities (or at least blockade them) ASAP to rob them of this valuable source of income. It is also wise to have one of your 2 armies (see above) act as a field army while the other besieges cities and acts as a reinforcement army. If this is carried out in full you will have 2 experienced armies ready for another campaign once the Gauls are destroyed. There is really no strategem for defeating the Gauls, other than to remeber these things:

1. The roman equites are the worst cav in the game, and are almost useless unless available in large numbers. The infantry will do the heavy fighting, so it is important to remember to use the manipular style (see above) to wear down the fanatical Gaullic infantry.

2. Take the port cities first, then the capital, Alesia. After this Gaul will be crippled, and you can usually send small detatchments to take the remaining towns.

3. Always use 2 armies (see above)

This is how to win the Gaullic War. If you have any more questions, post in the thread.

The Spanish are hardy barbarians who occupy the westernmost peninsula of Europe. As barbarians, they have much of the same units as their Gaullic kin. However, they are the most unique barbarians in the game, and have many very unique units as well. The moral of the Spanish troops is much better than that of their barbarian neighbors, who are wont to rout if victory is in doubt. It is for this reason that the Spanish are considered by some to be a near-match for the Romans, though I myself despise them. I cant tell you how many glorious battles Ive fought vs the Spanish in which I crushed their armies - which were often 5-6 times my size - simply because the Spanish apparently cant counter a flank attack. But thats another thread. Anyway, the Spanish are, as I said, relatively easily defeated by a simple flank attack, so keep that in mind when fighting these barbarians.

The Gemans are a unique barbarian tribe not related to the Celtic Gauls or British. They are in my opinion the best western barbarians in RTW. When fighting the Germans it is important to take into account the combat effectiveness of the German warbands and screeching women. Late-game Germania also has heavy axmen and berserkers which can hack a hole in almost anything, so a stable Germania is a worthy foe for the Julii. Unless your foolish or on too easy a difficulty level you will not fight the Germans unless they are reduced to a state greatly inferior to you (which the Britons somehow manage to do - usually). For some reason the makers of RTW got it into their heads that the German spear warband could form a phalanx - which is far from the historical truth - so you will also have to employ counter-phalanx tactics when fighting the Germans. The Germans have a poor economy and can be crippled with a little skilled diplomacy on your part (getting their neighbors to attack them), so this is also something to remember. Take these measures and you will be successful; if you choose to ignore them, then I can assure you your fight will be much harder:

1. It is best to employ the 2 rotating army strategy (see above) which you used against the Gauls. The veterans from the Gaullic War will be ideal for this purpose.

2. Plot Germania's destruction early. Late-game Germania has, as I said, the best barbarian units in the game (play the Teutoroburg - sp? - historical battle for a taste of late-game Germans)

3. Use diplomacy to unite Germania's neighbors against her.

4. The spear warbands usually have poor morale, so remember to flank them early in a battle to secure an easier victory.

5. As Marcus will tell you, German screeching women greatly affect the morale of the other German troops. Getting rid of them quickly will make the rest of the fight easier.

6. And finally, the most decisive tactic: Keep extra missile troops (cav auxilla and archers are best) and melee cav on hand to deal with the German warband and cav - and perhaps their axmen/berserkers.

The Britons are Northern Celtic barbarians. They usually pull a friggin D-day on you from their home in the British Isles, conquering all of Central Europe by the time youve finished the Gauls. Their chariots, head-hurlers, and fanatical infantry usually rout your troops out of sheer terror; but Britannia is easily beaten by post-Marian Rome, so try not to deal with these brutes until after the Marius Event. But seeing as how you will probably not be able to avoid the Britons for that long, keep these in mind:

1. Britannia is looks alot scarier than she really is, so try to get that across to your effeminate, infantile troops.

2. Keep a crapload of missile troops on hand to deal with British chariots, which will drastically lower the morale of your men.

3. Equites are useless against the Brits unless you are pursuing a routed enemy, so dont try to use them like cataphracts.

4. This is perhaps the most important factor: Just as always with pre-Marian Rome, use the manipular style (see above) both for practical reasons and because your men are somehow reassured by the presence of reserves, and this is key when standing up to any scary enemy, be it chariots or elephants.

5. Try to build a large fleet(s) and blockade all British ports, especially Londinium, to cut British income and cause unrest (Londinium is the wealthiest city in Britain and her citizens are notoriously cranky). Yes, there are a crapload of pirates up there, but this is but one of the costs of total war

Remember these words to the wise and you will be successful against all your barbarian opponents.

The Marius Event

Youve seen me mention the Marius Event a few times now, and you may be wondering just what that is. Well, to put it generically, it is the very nearly the greatest and most game-altering event in RTW (its even mentioned in the manual). In relation to the Julii, or indeed all Romans for that matter, the Marius Event changes almost completely the social, political, and, most importantly, the military face of the Republic. You will now see that the old units youve fought with until now are no longer recruitable. Now you have more classic-looking legionaries to recruit, and the old manipular style of warfare practiced for so many centuries no longer applies. Everything has been revamped, in my opinion, for the better. You now have heavy cav, a variety of legionary cohorts, and your missile troops are very much improved as well. In short, the Marius Event is a dream come true for any Roman commander - and a near-worst-case scenario for Rome's enemies.

Post-Marian Units:

Post-Marian Buildings:


As you now have much better - or at least very different - units - your tactics, and at times your strategy, will change. You have no light infantry (per se.... your light auxilla can act as light infantry when their missiles are used up) and therefore your new cav takes a much more commanding tactical role. Also, you now have cheaper and more easily recruitable spearmen called Auxilla. These tough levies are just as disciplined as the old Triarii, and are just as effective vs cav. Another pleasant perk is that your general's bodyguards are now armored and are much more effective in melee combat (theyre pretty much elite praetorian cav; perhaps one could call them "urban cav"). As you now should have most of Europe conquered, it is time to start preparing for the third great event in RTW history (after the Gaullic War and the Marius Event): The Civil War.

The Civil War:

No, This has nothing to do with rebels and yanks. This is the Roman Civil War (which really did happen, give or take a few details). This will make or break the Julii, and has even deeper ramifications than the Gaullic War or the Marius Event. As you will notice there are 2, well, graphs in the "standings" scroll. One graph shows your standing with the people, the other with the Senate. Up till now youve probably carried out most of the Senate missions, so your standing with the Senate is probably pretty high, while your standing with the plebs is, well, mediocre to say the least (unless youve won lots of glorious victories and built alot of arenas/public buildings and such; the people love that). Now that you have conquered Europe and are probably not embroiled in a large war, you can focus your resources on preparations for the Civil War. If you are at war with another faction, consolidate your gains and move to a defensive strategy.

While you are preparing for civil war, shun the Senate and do all you can to please the people. Ignore the Senate's orders and focus on building lots of public buildings and arenas. While you do this watch your standings. If all goes as planned, your popularity among the Senate will fall while yours with the people rises. When your plebian popularity is high enough, you will be notified that you now have sufficient support to attack the Senate. When you have enough support, attack immediately, but follow your plans to the letter. Keep in mind that when you attack the Senate the other Romans will immediately declare war on you and fight even more vigorously than the Senate, so you will be fighting 3 Roman factions at once. Any stalling or moments of indecision will ruin you. You must constantly attack with full force and maintain the initiative, or the weight of 3 Roman factions will roll up your new empire like a dirty old rug.

When planning the Civil War it is important to remember that Italy must be taken before anything else, so any other Roman domains outside Italy must be ignored until this is accomplished. Prepare defensive postions outside Italy as a bulwark against Brutii and Scipii agression. Blockade all Roman ports, and I mean all of them. This will drastically cut their income and spread unrest in their cities (plus, when the cities get overcrowded plague will set in). You hold Northern Italy and therefore have strategic superiority on the peninsula, and this will prove very important, especially in the taking of Rome.

The first important stepping stone in the Julii's conquest of Italy is, obviously, Rome. But with a large garrison and a huge field army to defend her, not to mention her advanced buildings and huge stockpiles of supplies, one may well wonder just how he is to take such a well defended and well supplied city. You could besiege her with all your military might, but she can hold out for nine turns and her field army, as well as several armies from the Brutii and Scippi, will certainly come to her aid, and the Tiber will run with your blood (ouch!). In the words of the great strategist, Sun Tsu, "Perfection is not achieved by winning many battles, but by defeating your enemy without fighting him at all."

This you will do, in a sense, but of course you must fight Rome; the trick is to defeat her without a siege. Despite all appearances, this is actually relatively easy to do, and is a welcome alternative to a long, bloody siege. As you will notice, the Tiber River runs just outside Rome and Northeast through Northern and Central Italy. Despite being loved and held sacred by the Romans, this river actually holds the key to her downfall. As you control Northern Italy, you can take control of the two Tiber crossings, one of which is just outside Rome, without fear of being cut off from supplies and reinforcements. It is vital that you take control of these crossings in force (see attatched file for pics) to force SPQR and hopefully Brutii and Scipii as well to attack you on your own chosen ground: the Tiber crossing just outside Rome.

The purpose of controlling the Tiber is, as you may well have guessed, to force the Romans to be fed into a "meat grinder" as they try to force a crossing. Any experienced RTW player knows the deliscious defensive qualities of a river crossing, and the Tiber crossing just outside Rome is an ideal place for the Julii to deal with their lesser bretheren once and for all.

When defending a river crossing, it is best to do it with a phalanx, as phalanxes dominate in defensive positions. If you can, buy some mercenary hoplites and heavy peltasts in Greece and use them to defend the crossing along with some of your own cohorts. Phalanxes and missile units wreak havoc in a bridge battle, and combined with your cohorts, archers and heavy cav they will be nearly invincible.

Its not that Rome has to attack you at the crossing, its just that if you use a small but well equipped army, the AI will not be able to resist such a vulnerable-looking target (Ill upload my Tiber battle and post a link here soon).

When Rome does attack you, place your hoplites right in front of the crossing with the peltasts immediately behind them and your cohorts (you may wnat to put them on fire at will mode at some point, preferably just as the pelatasts run out of ammo) and cav in close support. Then place your archers on either side of the crossing and tell them to light their arrows. Then just sit back and watch those retards come running across the river to their doom as theyre showered with flaming arrows.

Even if you dont have hoplites or peltasts, just do the same thing with a slightly larger army.

When this epic battle is done, you can take Rome without a fight. Hopefully some Scipii and Brutii joined in the fun and you managed to cut a few stacks off their roster Also, now that youve taken Rome you can train the Early and regular Legionary First Cohorts in your larger cities. These cohorts are basically the flag bearers of the Roman army. They are equipped with the best weapons and armor available (plus the unit is given 50% more men than the standard cohort) and charged with carrying the eagle standard into battle. The eagle standar is the "flag" of Rome, only much more "sacred." The presence of the eagle on the battlefield inspires the Romans near it and any general (and therefore faction) who loses an eagle will become extremely unpopular among both the patrcians and the plebs. The First Cohorts are the varsity of the Roman army and at times their mere presence can mean the difference between victory and defeat, so use them wisely

Now that you have taken Rome, you can now prepare to take Italy's second city, Capua. In most campaigns Ive done, the Scipii take Sicily and then start spamming out stacks around Capua by 260 BC as if they know there's gonna be civil war. Anyway, there's most likely going to be several stacks around Capua, so defeating the Scipii and taking Capua will actually be harder than taking Rome.

Throughout the following process it is very important to keep the terrain in mind, taking advantage of it when possible: Have a few of your own stacks ready south of Rome, as well as some forts to try and draw the Scipii away from each other and from Capua. Construct onagers and balistas in northern Italy and send them south to your armies, as they will come in handy when a huge clump of Scipii legions come charging at you

Whatever you do, do not directly engage the Scipii if at all possible. Your blockades should be causing them to have to disband some of their units because of upkeep costs, but some how upkeep never bothers the AI, so I wouldnt base any plans on this fact. Like I said, keep a network of forts and armies as a sort of Maginot Line south of Rome, and try to get the Scipii to spread out and attack this line. The blockade of Sicily and Capua should keep the Scipii navy in port (or hopefully at the botom of the Mediteranian), so it would be a good idea to take Sicily (do not weaken you Line for this) to cut the Scipii economy further and to use as a jumping off point for the invasion of Southern Italy.

If you do take Sicily, Base some stacks there (again, never weaken your Line). Retrain and re-equip if necessary, then prepare to invade Southern Italy.

To cut the Brutii off from the Scipii, build forts with large garrisons between Capua and the South (this will encircle the Scipii, forcing them to either attack your forts or your Line - or just sit there). The Scipii may attack these forts, but let the seige play out and only sally if necessary to buy time for your invasion. The Brutii are usually too busy in Greece and the East to worry about the Civil War until its too late, so Tarentum and Croton will probably be lightly garrisoned. Nonetheless, keep a ring of ships around Southern Italy to keep Brutii reinforcements from reaching the peninsula. Send some stacks to besiege both Tarentum and Croton at once, and assault as soon as conditions are favorable.

Once the South is taken the Scipii will be utterly cut off from their allies, and you can surround them with a giant ring of armies and destroy them

Thus your conquest of Italy is complete, and the Julii are now the most powerful faction in the world. You may or may not have your 50 territories, and you may or may not choose to continue playing, but chances are there will still be many more powerful factions left to defeat after you take Italy. So whatever you do, remember this:

Legio_Italica's Tried and True System to
Defeat a Strong Enemy:

1. Convert to a defensive war on all other enemies and focus on the one.

2. Blockade all ports, thus cutting the enemy's income and the morale of his citizens.

3. Send spies and asassins (diseased if possible) to wreak havoc on the enemy's interior

4. Let the effects of this soak in. Dont invade until you are absolutely ready.

5. Once you attack, blitz your enemy. Never allow him any respite. You are attacking, so maintain the initiative. Fight on your terms and only your terms. Anything else spells defeat or Pyrrhic victory.

6. Utterly destroy your enemy. Leave no trace of him anywhere in the world; wipe him from the history books to ensure he never rises again to haunt you.

In the words of Sun Tsu: "Heed my words; employ me, and you will have victory. Do not heed them, and even if you did not employ me you will be ruined."