Rome: Total War

Rome: Total War is a video game in the strategy genre developed by Creative Assembly International Limited, The and published by Activision Publishing, Inc. originally released in 2004. It is currently playable on Windows.

370 BC. A select group of influential families has united Italy under the Roman flag. The time has come for you to turn your eyes outward. You will lead one of these families of Rome (Julii, Scipiones, Brutii) for over three centuries in an attempt to conquer most of the known world. The Julii control northern Italy and are very close to the borders of the Gallic lands and the rest of Europe. The Scipiones control southern Italy and Sicily. They face the Carthaginian people, who are one of the main powers in the Mediterranean. And the last family, the Brutii have the eastern part of Italy. They have already set their sights on Greece and Macedonia, the most advanced civilizations of the ancient era. Whatever your choice, your faction's ambitions will eventually lead you into open warfare against the Senate and the other Roman factions.

The game, faithful to the Total War series, allows you to manage your empire and your armies in turn-based mode. In the Imperial Campaign you direct the movement of your armies and generals on a regional map consisting of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, managing cities, hiring spies and mercenaries and using diplomats where your military might cannot reach. When it's time for war, the game takes you into a real-time 3D environment where you control your army directly on the battlefield and can employ different formations and tactics using the individual advantages of the units (kill from a distance with archers, pursue enemies en route or flank with cavalry, etc.). Both game modes allow you to make strategic decisions that affect the entire game. Each civilization you conquer will be added as a new playable faction. At the end of the game you will be able to choose between all playable factions. The game has some preset historical battles for those who want a quick fight. These are the same 3D real-time battles but with predetermined forces.

During the imperial campaign it is important to increase the number of your family members. They can act as praetor, which means that, depending on your choice, they can lead armies into battle or function as governor of a city or town. In both cases they can offer certain bonuses or penalties depending on the traits they possess and the entourage they have. Characters gain new traits and entourage members depending on the actions they perform. For example, a general who has fled from the enemy once may find that he lowers the morale of all nearby units under his next command. Another element that is imperative to winning the game is the conquest of settlements, not only because the victory conditions state how many you must have, but also because they generate income through trade and taxes. All settlements are provincial capitals: they usually start as a village and can develop into a large city, unless they are already populated when you discover them. A whole set of buildings can be built, such as temples, public baths, defensive walls, barracks, archery range, and so on. Each of these has a purpose, either to increase public health and order or to enable the recruitment of a specific military unit. If public order goes beyond what is tolerable, the population becomes discontented and eventually mutinies, which, in the worst case, can lead to losing the entire province to rebel forces or a powerful neighboring state.

Rome: Total War is available at a reduced price on the following websites and is no longer abandonware.