Brutii Start-up Guide

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A Word for New Brutii - Clad in zealous green, the Brutii are one of the three playable Roman factions, the unplayable Roman faction being S.P.Q.R. (The Senate and People of Rome). The Apulia and Bruttium regions, located on the heel and toe of the Italian peninsula, are where the Brutii call home. As the Brutii, you control the settlements of Tarentum (your capital) in Apulia and Croton in Brutiium when the game begins. This is an ideal location from which to launch an invasion of Greece and further on into Asia. Basically, the “bottom of the boot”, so to speak, is the ideal launch-pad for an invasion of the East, which beyond Macedon and Greece, which are decently formidable in themselves, contains some relatively weak civilizations such as Pontus and Armenia, while it also has the powerhouse of Egypt to the southeast (what a pain in the backside). Now, the most important aspect of the game as the Brutii is the unfathomable swaths of coin to be made by controlling trade in and around the Aegean Sea, which means control over Greece and its islands, parts of Macedon, and the western seashore settlements of Turkey (comprehensive conquest of the settlements in the area is not necessarily required). By conquering the Greeks and Macedonians you will gain great wealth by the sea trade you will inherit. To further increase your trade revenue: 1) improve ports 2) improve roads 3) seek trade rights with other countries such as Egypt. Soon enough you’ll have so much gold you’ll be using 24-carrot golden toiletries! As you ponder what actions to take on your first few turns, remember your objective – the quick and efficient wiping of Greece and Macedon off the map as soon as possible to grab hold of those trading spots, the most valuable ones in the entire RTW campaign. Regarding the question of who to attack first – Greece or Macedon – that is a question of the situation at the time. Normally, you should (must) take the town of Apollonia in the region of Epirus, which is a short boat ride across the Adriatic from your capital of Tarentum. Often times, as an added bonus, the Senate will assign a mission to take Apollonia anyway along with a nice 5000 denarii reward for doing so. Furthermore, this allows you to set a foothold in Greece, although it may be small, it will work as a secure point at which to disembark your forces as you feed more troops into Greece for your upcoming battles. Usually, it is best to let the Macedonians and Greeks bleed each other out a bit in Peloponnesus (lower Greece) before you attack. After allowing for about 3-4 turns of army build-up for yourself, employ the full weight of your force to attack Thermon (owned by the Greeks initially), of course while leaving some troops (peasants or town watch will work) garrisoned in Apollonia for basic defense and to maintain public order. If you haven’t gone to war with Macedon yet, when you do end up doing so in the near future, you can count on violent, sometimes quite large-scale, attacks by Macedonians into Epirus through the mountain passes which originate in Macedonia up near the Macedonian capital – Thessalonica, which is undoubtedly producing the troops that are assaulting your town of Apollonia. You may feel the need to shut that route down by training an additional army (possibly full-stack) to counter these raids, if your finances permit, but don’t forget your attention in central Greece, at the heart of the action, is imperative in order to accomplish your goal of domination in the Aegean.