Syracuse: Lets Match the Romans and Carthaginians Might

Factions: Syracuse Summary: This guide will provide you some recommendations regarding initial steps and early survivability as Syracuse Author: nerva6569

Overview

Syracuse stands as the Greek pearl of the Mediterranean, a mighty city-state that once dominated the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas. Syracusan ships patrolled the waters from Illyria to Corsica, while its armies controlled most of western Sicily.

By the game's start in 270 BCE, Syracuse still holds a dominant position in western Sicily, but its situation is becoming quite precarious: the old Italic mercenaries of Agathocles rule in Messana and are openly hostile to your nation; the Roman state has secured most of the Italian Peninsula and is only an excuse away from crossing the straits into your island; while to the west, the Carthaginians, your eternal enemies, are poised to prevent you from fulfilling the Syracusan destiny: ruling the whole of Sicily.

Syracuse starts as a medium power on the island of Sicily. While its wealth and military might are not negligible, its expansion path will eventually lead it to clash with the paramount powers of the Western Mediterranean: Rome and Carthage. You'll have to establish a solid power base in Sicily if you wish to challenge these two powerful polities' supremacy.

Getting Started

First Turn

It is possible to rush the rebel settlement of Rhegium on the first turn if you wish. Gather all the troops available in Syracuse with your fleet and land on the tile just west of the town. Lay siege to the settlement; your action points should be enough to carry out the manoeuvre. Prepare for battle, as Rhegium's garrison will sally out to meet you in the field. It won't be an easy battle, but taking an extra settlement from Rome will go a long way towards helping you in the future.

You'll have to find a new governor for Syracuse: Leptines, your Faction Heir should do; his management skills will come in handy when extracting as much revenue as possible from your capital.

Recruit a Diplomat.

Build Stone Export (Industry) in Syracuse. It will save you a lot of money when developing your capital. Syracuse's starting situation reflects its status as a city-state: you'll only have the Chora Poleos (Homeland) government building available in Syracuse itself, and only Katane starts with a Direct Rule government building. As such, at the beginning of the campaign, these will be the only regions where you can exploit 100% of the income generated by development.

Turns 2 to 5

Ally with Rome. Your objective will be to keep relations above +80 by offering gifts each turn for as long as possible, ideally until you've secured the entirety of Sicily.

Lay siege to Messana with as many troops as you can. It'll be a tedious siege battle, but you can easily storm the city if you leave only governors in your settlements as garrisons. The initial hoplites scattered throughout your realm will come in handy here. With this, you'll eliminate your only immediate enemies, the Mamertines, and get a breather to plan your next steps.

Turns 5+

Consolidate your gains and develop your settlements. Syracuse can become an amazing source of income within the first twenty turns. While you have Indirect Rule in your other towns, their economic buildings will only provide a marginal boost to your income. The best things to build here are sanitation or healing buildings to keep your settlements growing steadily while you focus on Syracuse's economic development. Tyndaris is the only exception (see the Economic Tips section below).

Consolidate your power in Sicily. The capital city of Acragas, its namesake, Acragas, is a very valuable settlement that already shares your main culture and will be easy to hold. However, make use of your spies and navy, as Carthaginian towns may present a better opportunity for expansion. Remember that catching an army just outside a city may allow you to fight a field battle instead of a siege battle, bypassing the city's walls. I'm a fan of a slower approach, but Syracuse's campaign can easily derail if you find yourself at war with all three of your neighbours at the same time. Try to take either Acragas or a Carthaginian settlement as quickly as possible. If you're lucky, you may capture some Carthaginian elephants in battle, allowing you to assault small settlements directly without having to build battering rams.

Once Sicily is conquered and you've kept the Romans at bay with your bribes, you can choose whichever path of expansion you prefer. Wars with Rome or Carthage will require the full mobilisation of your resources if you want to make serious advances.

Economic Tips

• Tyndaris should be prioritised for rapid growth, as it is an Iron region. I also recommend placing your Faction Leader (Hiero of Syracuse) here as governor. Prioritise population growth buildings (continuing down the Healing building tree will help), lower taxes and, once it becomes a City, build the Iron Exports building. This will completely revolutionise your campaign. Avoid building an early Blacksmith or Mines, as these will hinder your population growth.
• Most of your settlements will start with the Indirect Rule building. Focus on buildings that provide growth bonuses. Once your economic position is secure (after conquering most or all of Sicily), you can start switching them to Direct Rule to increase your income.
• Once you capture Acragas, you'll be able to build a Fine Horses Exports (Rural) building. While expensive, this building will allow you to diversify your faction’s cavalry recruitment options in the future.

Military Tips

• Greek Hoplites can form the backbone of your initial armies. They're already available in your settlements' garrisons and can be retrained in several of your cities. While nothing extraordinary, they'll hold the line just fine against your initial threats. As you progress through your campaign, you may choose to start replacing them with Syracusan Hoplites, which are much more versatile thanks to their javelin attack.
• Sicel Thureophoroi are inferior to Syracusan Hoplites, but their availability throughout Sicily makes them a useful early-campaign option, as they require little infrastructure to recruit. While they can hold off heavier infantry for a while, don't expect them to deal much damage.
• Messana is a good early-game AoR settlement. Your armies will gain access to useful units that complement their weaker areas, such as medium cavalry and assault infantry (armour-piercing). Consider building only a Dependency government building here at the beginning of your campaign; you can upgrade it later.
• You'll have access to a faction-exclusive mercenary pool in Trinakria (Syracuse Region). This will provide some useful additions to your army. Here are a few of my favourites:
  • Mercenary Peloponnesian Hoplites are solid line-holders, with better defence than the other infantry options available at the beginning of your campaign.
  • Mercenary Cretan Archers provide elite missile support and are superior to your locally trained Syracusan Neaniskoi.
  • Mercenary Celtic Swordsmen are great assault infantry. They'll shred any unarmoured opposition; just try to keep them away from prolonged missile damage.
  • Mercenary Scythian Horse Archers are an exotic unit for the region where you start. If managed properly on the battlefield, this light cavalry will be very difficult for the AI to deal with.