Opening Moves – Scipii

By Adder.

This tutorial was written on the hardest difficulty level. It applies to all difficulty levels, however.

For your first turn you will want to build a Shrine of choice in both of your cities. Build a Peasant garrison in both your cities as well. Move your spy on Sicily into Syracuse. Merge your two armies on Sicily together and hire a unit of Mercenary Hoplites. Lay siege to Syracuse. Adjust taxes as needed so a revolt is prevented. Move all your units in Italy (Including your diplomat) on to the ship near Capua and move the ship to the area shown below.

Again adjust your taxes as needed. Your turn is over.

Readjust your taxes in both your cities. Build a trader in both your cities. Train a Town Watch in Messana. Merge the units on the ship with the units sieging Syracuse. Blockade Syrucuse with your ships and move your diplomat towards Lilybaeum. Assault Syracuse. You should be able to win the battle with about 400 men left over depending on how well you do. Enslave the populace. The Senate should give you 5000. Quite the gift at this early point in the game. Build a Shrine of choice and train a Town Watch. Your turn is over.

Build a trader in Syracuse. Train a Peasant garrison in the same city. Train a Town Watch in Messana. Move your diplomat and Spy towards Lilybaeum. Move your ships to the West end of Sicily. Your turn is over.

Build Paved Roads in all your cities. They’re all already making a profit! Train Town Watches in both of your cities on Sicily. It’s time for some fighting! Move your garrison in Messana (Excluding the Peasants) down to Syracuse and garrison it there. Move everyone out of Syracuse (Excluding the new garrison and the peasant unit that was already there) and towards Lilybaeum. Move your Spy into Lilybaeum. Now at this point things vary. Everyone may be in Lilybaeum or there may be an army heading towards Messana. If they’re all in Lilybaeum things are simple, lay siege and enslave the city. If they’re out of Lilybaeum you can do two things. I advise doing the first, attacking the army and then heading towards the city and laying siege to whatever small army is inside. Either way you shouldn’t have much trouble defeating Carthage. You now control all of Sicily!

Now what you need to do is pretty laid out for you, the Senate may even agree. 😉 Attack Carthage in Africa. I advise taking Western Africa before you head East into Egypt but it’s really up to you. Good luck!