Rome: Total War how to play Carthage

[WAW]

Anyone, how the heck do you play Carthage? The Romans own the sea so there is no way not to lose Sardina and Sicily. Then I just start losing money till my weak troops lose my cities. Is there any way to win?

[Kelric]

Is there any way to win?

Probably. But I don't know it.

I've only ever played as the Jullii and the Egyptians (and these two campaigns have taken up half of my gaming over the last three months) and rolled over my competition both times.

[Two Sheds]

I haven't played as Carthage myself, but I did find a couple of discussions on the topic. Check here and here

For another challenge, try playing as the Seleucids. I've got a campaign going right now and am barely surviving. For starters, your beginning territory is a long, narrow area stretching from the eastern edge of the map to the coast. Your forces are spread out, and you're almost immediately attacked by at least 3 nations to your west, northeast, and southeast. Not to mention nearby rebels making things difficult. It's none too easy.

[lokiju]

I played Carthage first and won with them on medium/medium. You have all the money in the world from Carthage, which helps. Here are some tips:

1) Use elephants all the time

2) Get a couple of diplomats out in ships to trade ASAP. Hit Egypt and work your way around to the upper barbaric regions. Trade = money = winning

3) Use those diplomats to not only get up trade, but to sell maps as well. Always counter-offer them. I get money 95% of the time. You can even ask for more than you'd believe. They will usually ask me to pay 2k, but I counter with 2k myself and usually get it, lol. If not, just take what they offer.

4) Bum rush all of Sicily. Knock the Scipii clan off the island and you wil have an easier time. The greeks will be too busy with Brutii to fight back and the Scipii take a while to build up enough forces to hit back. You just need to bribe the early rounds if you can.

5) The Julii will try to take that other island to the left...forget the name atm...this is open to debate. Some people sell it to another faction for starting cash, some defend it, and others destroy all the buildings before running away...raise taxes...let the Julii take it...and hope for a rebellion, lol.

6) Last but not least, make any alliance you can. I actually got the Julii to make one which stopped the Scipii from attacking as they all follow suit.

[bobsmods]

I won with Carthage, too. Lokiju's tips are spot-on.

I initially just pulled my forces out of Sicily and let the romans have it until I was strong enough later in the game to take it back.

In addition to Lokiju's advice:

1) Round-shield cavalry work great against Hastati. Roman armies don't have too much in the way of cavalry in the early going, so if you build an army with five or six cavalry units, you can split them into two groups and go around both flanks of the roman army and run them down from behind.

2) Keep an army with lots of cavalry units stationed in/near Carthage and the other large city just south of Carthage. During my campaign, the romans kept landing invasion forces in this area, and I was able to keep routing them with the same army over and over.

3) Like Lokiju said: elphants. The intial elephant unit isn't too great, because they spook so easily, but the war elephants and armored war elephants are awesome. At the end of my campaign, I was able to annihlate a Greek army of 1,500 armored hoplites simply by smashing three units of armored war elephants into them.

Bob

[lokiju]

I initially just pulled my forces out of Sicily and let the romans have it until I was strong enough later in the game to take it back.
Bob

I have too much pride to just give up cities, heh (gets me into trouble sometimes I'll admit). I think I bribed the main Scipii army there (don't believe there was a faction heir?) and then brought over more troops from Carthage, within 3 turns I was at the Greek's door on Sicily.

I tried Carthage on vh/vh and woo doggy did I get smacked around by at least 5 factions, lol!