Julii (RTW Faction)

House of Julii Faction Symbol.

The Julii are one of the three playable factions in Rome: Total War that are playable from the beginning (the other two, of course, being the other Roman Houses, the Brutii and Scipii).

Gameplay

Being one of the three Roman families, the House of the Julii will receive missions from the Senate, and will be forced to deal with the consequences of not completing them.

At a certain point during the game, the Senate will demand that your faction leader commit suicide. If you accept their demand, the heir will become the faction leader and the process will be renewed several years later. If you refuse, you will initiate the Civil War, a gameplay mechanic unique to the Roman factions. It should be noted that, once your popularity with the people is high enough, you can simply initiate the Civil War by attacking another Roman faction. Also, if you are playing as another faction the Civil War will not take place.

Starting Position

Julii Starting Position (Click to enlarge)

The Julii are originally based in northern Italy. They hold two settlements, Ariminium and Arretium (their capital city).

Victory Conditions

• Long Campaign: Hold 50 provinces including Rome.
• Short Campaign: Hold 15 provinces and outlast or destroy Gauls.

Units

House of Julii General's Bodyguard.

All of the Roman factions share the same unit roster. The Roman factions are unique, however, in that once you construct an Imperial Palace in any of your Italian cities you will receive a message informing you that the Marian reforms have taken place. The Marian Reforms introduce a more powerful roster of heavy infantry units (such as the Legionary Cohort), which replace your older-style legions. Any older units will not be automatically replaced, they will simply continue to exist, but you are not able to train any more.

• Pre-Marian Units
  • Infantry
    • Peasants
    • Town Watch
    • Hastati
    • Principes
    • Triarii
    • Samnite Gladiators
  • Missile
    • Velites
    • Roman Archers
    • Ballistas
    • Scorpions
    • Onagers
    • Heavy Onagers
    • Repeating Ballistas
  • Cavalry
    • Equites
    • Cavalry Auxilia
  • Special Units
    • Arcani
    • Wardogs
    • Incendiary Pigs

• Post-Marian Units
  • Infantry
    • Auxilia
    • Early Legionary Cohort
    • Legionary Cohort
    • Praetorian Guard
    • Urban Cohorts
    • Early Legionary First Cohort
    • Legionary First Cohort
    • Arcani
  • Missile
    • Light Auxilia
    • Archer Auxilia
  • Cavalry
    • Roman Cavalry
    • Legionary Cavalry
    • Praetorian Cavalry
    • Armoured General's Bodyguard

Unique Units

Samnite Gladiators: Every Roman faction has its own unique type of gladiator. Samnite Gladiators are can be recruited once you build an Amphitheatre in a settlement.

Arcani: The Arcani are a unit unique to the Julii. They are able to hide anywhere on the battlefield and can have a frightening effect on enemy units. They are also powerful warriors, though units of Arcani include very few soldiers, as a result.

Urban cohorts: They are the strongest sword unit in the game with great defense and stamina. If you use these for flanking actions you will win against any phalanx unit. From the front against you dont use their full potential. Urbans are so strong that when they are upgraded that they can counter almost any infantry in a head on figt.

And when attacking enemy flanks or rear they are even more deadly!

Legionary first cohorts:These cohorts bring more men to the battlefield than the other cohorts and as a result have higher firepower punch than the other cohorts. They also inspire other units to stand firm longer they have also more men this unit is ideal pila fodder in loose formation. The reason they are ideal pila fodder is because they are ordinary legionaries not urbans or preatorian cohort. However the pila is still deadly and you can kill better men with lesser men.

Praetorian cavalry Praetorian cavalry are the best roman cavalry available to the romans. These units can take on almost any other cavalry unit in the game other than the superior cataphracts. When they have infantry cohorts in support they are almost invincible in a 1 vs 1 head on cavalry fight.

However, flanking actions kill and rout the enemy cav faster so it is advisable to not select all cav units you have, and click on 1 unit, because if your opponent holds back and flanks you, that will put you in trouble.

Praetorian cohort Praetorian cohorts are almost as strong as urban cohorts, with almost the same pila damage as urbans; use this unit to kill legionary first cohorts or use them to exchange pila with opposing urban cohorts, saving your own urban cohorts, giving you superior infantry quality compared to the other roman player.

Strategy Guide

A campaign strategy guide for the House of Julii written by morble can be found here.

Occupy small towns enslave large towns.

Have cheap garissions 4 townwatch. be aggressive with the army you have by in the beginning combine all experienced troops into 1 army and then go for Gaul!

Make sure to have a govenor in every town and to develop your trade before you go to war.

Be patient and build up your economy recruit peasants from Ariminum and disband them in Arretium to speed up your development and get acess to better troops.

Your early army should consist off 2 familymembers they are a lot stronger than equites and retrain themself for free!

Lots of hastati and remember velites can also figt well in melee if they attack the flank or you can use them as distraction.

Later when the Marius reform arrives replace your infantry with legionary cohorts and introduce archers and when availible heavy cav and a few artillery pieces