Generals acquire skills and traits independently from the army they command.

When the player creates a general and begins training his troops, the army enters a muster mode and it cannot move while in this stance. Players have the ability to name their armies and navies, and to change their emblems. This system has been implemented to make battles more decisive and for them to have a bigger impact on a war between two factions.

A faction can gain more power by conquering more regions and filling its coffers with gold. There is also a cap on the number of armies and navies a faction can have at any time, based on the faction's power. Armies and navies in Rome II can be made up of a maximum of 20 units and must have a general or admiral to lead them. These stances are called 'Forced March' which enables an army to march further, but which will also tire out its men and reduce their fighting ability 'Defensive Stance' that enables the player to place stakes and build temporary forts 'Ambush Stance', which enable the army to remain hidden and attack the enemy with traps such as rolling balls of flaming hay and finally 'Raiding Stance' which lowers the range that the army can march but greatly lowers its upkeep cost. These stances determine many things, among them total movement points per turn or the ability to deploy traps for an ambush. Polybius in particular, is famed for being openly critical of Carthage (he was allegedly present for the final destruction of the ancient capital), and in particular the Barcids, so his accounts are heavily biased towards Rome and can almost be considered propaganda.Īlthough the power plays of Julius Caesar, and the formation of the Roman Empire under Octavian, were still many years away, Rome’s victory over Carthage and its confederates laid the foundations for Rome the superpower.Armies and navies also have changeable stances on the campaign map. Many accounts of the Second Punic War come from Polybius and Livy, neither of whom were alive when the events they describe took place and wrote only from Rome’s perspective. After weathering the worst of Hannibal’s assault, Rome struck back under the brilliance of Scipio and finally, on the field at Zama, Carthage’s dream came crashing to an end. The brilliance of Hannibal as a strategist and tactician cannot be denied he came closer than anyone else ever had or would to toppling Roman power, but his failure was underestimating Rome’s ability to endure. Catastrophic defeats at Trebia, Lake Trasimene and Cannae shattered any faith Rome’s allies had in them, and almost imploded the Republic. It was a hard fought victory for Rome, however Hannibal Barca’s campaign in Italy, following his daring crossing of the Alps, nearly brought Rome to ruin. It marked the end of a contest for power in the Mediterranean - the establishment of Roman hegemony over the entire Italian peninsula and deep into Iberia. The Second Punic War is, arguably, the most sweeping, destructive war of ancient times.

Total war rome 2 campaign