Jayhawk’s Caesarea Walkthrough

Caesarea crash course

In a 5-6 hour long session I’ve worked my way through Caesarea.

The map is fairly large with three oasis, east, west and south. The original settle ment is due South and surrounded by walls and towers…and spontaneoulsly bursts out in flames.

Mars is upset…things are about to go down hill.

This place reminded me a lot of Carthago…the city is in flames, the natives are threatening and Mars is angry. Even with extra temples and a festival, the natives rise as I’m busy building a new settlement around the Eastern oasis. I add a half dozen prefectures in the old town and ignore the invasion. The natives level most of the stuff the fire didn’t but are beaten off by the prefects.

A new festival to Mars gains me his blessing and I see part of teh new town go down in flames are people took a while to gather courage and move into the Caesarea Nuevo. Not good.

I start a little olive trade and get a sandstorm warning. Meanwhile fires keep raging through the old town.

Low on workers I start a second block, I’ll wait with importing pottery till later…and fall into debt.

No worries, let’s use the bail out…
What, no bail out?
NO BAIL OUT!
AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

Caesar wants olives and I decide to comply with his request. I dive a little deeper into debt as I restructre part of the old town to get the fruit trade going again…at least a little money I can earn this way. Goblets fly through the air as I get a debt anniversary and my favour plummets.

I should have sold the stupid olives and take a hit on favour due to late request…that must have been better

What’s these pall-bearers doing in my city? Fumigating houses? Where are my doctors? A closer look at the map reveals there are no doctors.
AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

The first invasion shows up in the North and Mars’ spirit takes them out with out hesitation.

Favour falls deeper as I slowly get a little more money, which I immedialetly blow on extending my olive oil production from 4 workshops to 8. Caesar is bound to want more oil.

A second invasion from the South meets an untimely death by courtesy of the balastia crews in the Old Town.

I meet the next oil request, favour climbs and drops again when I’m unable to pay tribute.

Trade is doing nicely but I need more money. I also need at least one fortress as an invasion is looking in the distance. I’m also short of workers, so I build another block sligthly more to the east, so I can access the iron ore in those mountains.

Caesar asks for 30 oil, which makes me add another 4 workshops, so at least I can keep my trade income. I get enough money to buy another fortress which I put closer to the Northern border and an academy (those kids are going to need it).

I meet the next invasion from the North with 16 and 4 peltasts, only the latter are trained. I loose a third of my troops, as the invaders are fast on their feet. I need cavalry!

Not yet anyraod, as I drop into debt again and my favour takes another hit as I can’t pay tribute..

A fourth invasion shows up on my Southern border and is quickly destroyed by two units of peltasts and the existing towers.

Christ is born in a small hamlet in far-away Judea as my city reaches 2000 in population.

Housing levels increase slowly to small casa and I spend a whole year watching my accounts go up again, so I can at least pay my tribute.

My first cavalry unit sees the light as Caesar asks for another 30 oil. I’ve got 62 units in stock so that’s not going to be a problem.

Another bunch of barbarians show up at my southern border and are destroyed, without losses.

The Empire’s frontiers change and I can open a trade route to Volubis. I can sell weapons and earn loads of money!

I start my weapon industry and…their price drops by 55Dn.

Caesar asks for help as Leptis Magna is under attack from an average force. I send all three of my legions.
Let’s hope the barbarians will keep quiet.

The city is expanded Northwards so I can start my furniture trade. Maybe that will give me enough money to finally import pottery.

Volubis reduces the amount of weapons sold. The enemies closing warning sounds and I decide to build another cavalry fortress as I haven’t heard from my troops. This could mean trouble.

My troops are victorious and Caesar offers an arch as way of thanks. This one will look lovely in the villa area I will build here.

Buying pottery is expensive and there goes my favour again as I’m now unable to pay tribute. I should have been less greedy. At least my housing evolves.

Export puts me in the balck again and I decide to import a little marble for a few oracles. The awaited invasion takes place in the South and is trounced by my light horse and the catapults. My main force is still walking back from Leptis Magna.

While I’m directing my troops a shipload of marble is offloaded and punches me back into the red figures. Favour drops to 73.

A new oil requests bputs it back a 91. Furniture export increases and I’m happy.

Housing evolves, forums are added and I decide to start a disconnected villa block. I’m convinced I need to import wine by sea so I start East of my existing settlement, so I can open a dock especuilly for wine. I also build another extension of my city south, to up my food production.

In the mean time I’ve had a few native uprisings which do some serious damage to my troops, 40-50% losses.

Another request for oil pops my favour to 99. The villa block is expanded targeted for 8 villas. Importing wine teaches me two things.

• it’s expensive
• it’s a land route.

I should have build my villa block near the other oasis…

Some more troops are lost in another native uprising. I hate those blue-trousered, sword-swinging natives!

Still not enough money on a yearly basis and I need quite a few more people. I decide to revamp the old town, two blocks are reconstructed, both disconnected from the city propper.

The walls are (re)moved, more farms added and more facilities. I see debt a few times and raise tax to 9% something I should have done a lot earlier.

The natives rise ones more and another invasions shows up in the south.

The villas are doing nicely so that’s a worry less as properity and income rise steadily.

However, another 3-400 people are needed. I add another block to the old town and promotion flies in on silver wings.

After 40 years of hard labour I can finally leave Caesarea.

Final score

• Culture – 100
• Prosperity – 78
• Peace – 100
• Favour – 95
• Population – 7000
• Denarii – 10,182

So it’s on to foggy Londinium…but not today, I’ve got a headache.

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