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Ivan J. Martinez
Professor Gina Lawrence
RWS 1301
12 December 2014
How to Conquer Rome
Damn it! Why cant I beat them! Damn you Gauls1! I cried out in anger. And damn
you Mando for getting me to try this god forsaken game, I said under my breath cursing my
cousins need to introduce me to new games. As I sat in my chair contemplating quitting the
game, I struggled to understand how I got wrapped in this. I remember going to my cousins in
late 2004 for Thanksgiving and watching my cousin Mando play on the computer all day for the
whole week. My curiosity piqued by the sounds of men screaming, shields clashing, and generals
giving out orders; I began to get more and more interested in my cousins game. Before long, my
cousin noticed and, as he always did excitedly gave me the game to play so that he could have a
family member to talk to about it. Little did I know how different the game would be compared
to my console games I played before and how this PC strategy game would irreversibly change
from just simple tactics to a broader spectrum of looking at a battlefield my view in order to
achieve complete rule in this world.
As I sat in my chair still thinking, my thoughts went back to when I believed myself
invincible playing my simple console games able to defeat them within a weeks time,
unhindered by enemy bosses or other computer generated foes. I remembered striking down all
before me within minutes or even seconds; the feeling of a god reinvigorated my very soul as I
1

Barbarian Faction

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went into another campaign. I was determined to exit victoriously from my newly purchased
Rome Total War PC strategy game. As I attempted yet another play through, a thought crossed
my mind, the very reason for my multiple defeats was becoming clear, I lacked the knowledge
and strategic prowess in order to conquer this game.
Unlike my previous console games, the mechanics in this game were detailed and every
bit as complicated. Because in console games players had health bars, simple controls and
buttons that were limited and only a certain amount of space on a disk, there was only so much
strategy I needed in such a game. On the other hand, in this game I was forced to think about
repercussions such as, should I want to wage war on a faction? I not only waged war on them,
but their allies could go to war with me as well, or cut trade with me. Refusing a diplomats
request from a faction could just as well lead to war or bad relations, as well as causing allies to
turn on me. As for the senate, should I disobey them? I could be considered an enemy of Rome
and my once close allies, the Brutii and Scipii, would exterminate me, as I was the Roman
faction, the Julii, and subject to do as Rome demanded. Not only did I have to consider such
things, but in this game I was allowed to raise armies and fight on the battle field commanding
them from a birds eye view.
As I delved deeper into this game this time around, I found myself learning all new
concepts, such as managing settlements, making sure my populace was satisfied with my rule,
and even on and off the battle field strategy. The game also required me to know what the name
of units/buildings were and their purpose. The purpose of this was because some of the troops
sounded similar and confusing such as the Triarii2 and Hastati3. As I continued to direct my
General to my goal, waging war on the Gauls in order to gain their territory, I was finally halted
2
3

Heavy Spearmen with large rectangular shields

Large rectangular shielded swordsmen with throwing spears.

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in the first battle of my campaign. The screen then loaded the battlefield where I had complete
control of my men. This time, however, would be different. The reason was, I had opted for
tactical advice from the beginning game set up during battles. As I played, I began learning from
my tactical advisor how to properly wage war. My tactical advisor was a brilliant tactician that
was created for the game to pop up and give the player advice, although not actually human, he
was given a personality of a veteran General to give players a better playing experience.
This knowledge was gained by listening to what the tactical advisor for my game had to
say. I did this by going to my options and opting for the appearance of advice as often as possible
in game. So, while I battled enemies, my advisor would emerge from the side of the screen to tell
me what would be best, such as not having horsemen charge into spearmen head on, or leaving
archers unguarded. This advice was given to me at regular intervals at the appropriate times
during battle. There was also the political advisor, who would suggest what to build in a city and
how to approach a diplomatic opportunity. This political advisor was the same as the tactical
advisor; a computer generated computer person who had vast amounts of knowledge on how to
handle out of battle features of the game. Some of these included running settlements, how to
keep my populace happy, and how I should go about handling foreign affairs.
As I snapped back to the task at hand, I looked upon the barbarian army covered in a
forest green war paint, letting out a mighty war cry that shook me to my core; I began
positioning my archers behind my Triarii and my General Gaius Julius further to the rear of my
archers. As the battle began, the sound of war drums, cellos, bass and violins began to play
rapidly the sound of battle. It was there I heard the triumphant voice of my tactical advisor:
Always remember to place your archers in the back of your formation, and take out the enemy
from afar before engaging them in close combat! His words gave me the confidence I needed,

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knowing I was not alone on this battlefield. After doing as instructed, my foes began to marching
closer losing men from volley after volley of arrows. Once the enemy was close enough I heard
the bellowing voice of my tactician once more: Now that the enemy is close enough, move your
Triarii into a half circle formation leaving the middle open as to trap your enemies, then lure
them in with horsemen. I began to switch my formation swiftly to match the tacticians advice,
using my General Gaius Julius as bait to draw them in, as instructed by my tactician. Fortunately,
the enemy army fell for my trap and entered my formation and trapped themselves allowing me
to, for the first time, slaughter their men. The sound of metal clashing with metal, my general
yelling at my men to stay in formation, and mens blood curdling screams filled the air as my
men surrounded them from all sides. This marked my first victory and the beginning of my
understanding of battle tactics.
Finally after all these hours into the game, I began to gain victory after victory,
controlling city after city and eventually reaching my destination and conquering it. I came to the
realization of my accomplishment, that now I understood everything this game had to offer and
that I have had developed completely new skills than when I started. This new and vivid
landscape, with its diverse factions to either befriend or destroy, and new combat system was
now my playing field. My mind was now irreversibly changed to a new way of thinking and
planning in order to achieve absolute dominion in this new world, Rome Total War.