Rome is the main protagonist of Imperator Rome. The game is named after it after all. So, let’s delve into the secrets, tips, and tricks of playing Rome. Welcome to the latest and most advanced Rome guide for vanilla Imperator Rome.
This guide will help you do a world-conquest with Rome before the end date easily. If that’s your wish of course. I personally don’t like world-conquest runs because after a certain point, there is no challenge. Only hard-work, micromanagement, and grind…
I also included a small section to the bottom of this page explaining Carthage opening moves and guide. Anyways, let’s get this Rome guide started.
Imperator Rome Opening Moves
Start by picking ideas. Ideas for Rome should be +5% morale, +10% reinforcement speed and +5% morale recovery, and -0.05 monthly corruption.
Then employ researchers with unique researcher traits for free innovation bonuses. Build some ships too. And finally go for quest before unpausing.
I don’t like RNG. So, instead of approaching Greeks or Italians in the region for feudatory / tributary agreements I go to war with them directly. You wasted your time if they refuse visualization after all. So, bypass Pan-Italic congress and go for encourage expansion.
Then, conquer every province in the regions of Italia and Magna Grecia. Don’t hesitate to hire mercenaries to defeat your strongest opponent in Italia Region, the Etruscans. Once you defeat Etruria, immediately integrate Etruscan culture to double your levy size in capital region. It’s mandatory for driving Carthage out of Sicily and Sardegna. To gain claim on those said provinces, choose the First Provincia mission tree next.
Then simply kill Carthage. You can hire mercenaries to help you along the way. Try to choose a mercenary band with a leader with high martial skill. Money shouldn’t be an issue at this point because you looted all the cities you conquered and destroyed the forts right after.
Quests and Expansion
At the start only available mission is Roman Italia. It’s there to completely conquer region Italia and parts of Magna Grecia. Next mission you take should be First Provincia to gain claims on Carthage, Sicily, and Sardegna.
After conquering all the core provinces, next step should be conquering Macedonia and Greece. Because those provinces are following the same state religion which is Hellenic. Conquering Apulia gives you claim on Epirus and some parts of Illyria. Conquering Epirus and Illyria will give you claims on all of Greece and Macedonia. Those are pre-determined events.
So, you can take any of the Subdue Macedonia or Subdue Greece missions. Then go for Cisalpine Gaul mission tree. Because it’s one of the OP trees giving many free Roman pops to provinces in Cisalpine Gaul.
Rest of the quest are very generic except for Hispania and Eastern Expansion (Anatolia, Syria) quests. You can choose either to be honest.
Wonder Building
At this point you should’ve accumulated lot of gold from sacking cities. Also, don’t forget to destroy all forts except few to save money.
Once you have enough money, build 2 stone and 1 gold tower wonder in your capital with the following effects:
- Tax and commerce.
- Cultural memorial.
- Military training tradition.
- Honored nobles, freemen, and citizens.
- Government traditions.
- Conquering traditions.
Rushing wonders is the most optimal strategy in Imperator Rome. Don’t ever waste your many on anything else before you get the most essential wonders.
I hate killing pops but sacking and looting cities your main source of income for building wonders in the early game.
Invest in Capital
Never build tax or manpower buildings in your capital region. Simply build cities in Fundi and Circeii. Make religious endowments for +1 local city building slots. And build nothing but marketplaces to the 7 cities inside your capital province Latium.
Also don’t forget to build roads all over Latium whenever you can.
Those investments will allow you to import lots of resources to the Latium. Why is it important? Because resource surplus in capital gives immense nation-wide bonuses.
My favorite capital surplus bonuses are:
- Iron: Heavy infantry discipline +10%.
- Stone: Build cost -5%.
- Precious metals: National citizen happiness +8%.
- Fish: National freemen happiness +8%.
- Olives: National slave happiness +8%.
- Dyes: National noble happiness +8%.
- Dates: National commerce income +5%.
- Base metals: Light infantry defense +10%.
- Leather: Light infantry offense +10%.
Invest in Italia Region
As Rome, you should be ruling a vast empire. So, why invest only in Italia region? Because Italia is the capital region governed by the current consul. Meaning no disloyalty and no random province governing policy change. Italia is the pearl of Rome after all.
Here is my quick step by step Italia investment guide:
- Relocate Tuscia capital to Cosae. Build aqueducts and turn it into a metropolis.
- Build Roman Colonia on Clusium, Ariminum, and Picenum via quests. Designate these locations as religious centers for Mars, Mercury, and Ceres. Turn them into capitals and build more metropolises. I choose these spots because they’re farmlands.
- Metropolis holy sites can host 3 relic sites and gives insane bonuses to production.
- Build foundry and tax offices on all province capitals except for Latium. As I’ve explained before, Latium is for trade only.
- Convert the religion and culture of Corsica and Sardegna. Then build metropolises on farmland capitals. (Caralis, Nymphaeus Portus, and Aleria.)
- These investments will bring more people via migration and increase your capital levy size more. Capital levies are important because they’re led by consul who can loot and sack cities.
Carthage Guide & Opening Moves
This is the last and bonus part of this article explaining the guide and opening moves of the Punic rival of Rome, the Carthage!
Carthage is the colonizer and ruler of mediterranean sea. Wonder what’s the word for Mare Nostrum in Carthaginian the Punic language. Anyways, strength of Carthage is its navy and mercantile economy. Its weakness is its army but its vassals and economic power to hire mercenaries compensate it. You should have no problem as Carthage in Imperator Rome.
The first thing to do as Carthage is to take Sicilian quest to gain claim on all Sicily. Then you’ll conquer Syracuse for securing rich lands and stopping Roma conquer entire Magna Grecia. Don’t worry about Rome once you completely secure Sicily. Because your ships will block Roman armies from reaching out to Sicilian lands you rule. Rome can’t do anything to you up until you guys meet at the Iberian Peninsula.
Rome can guarantee Syracuse, but it’s not a problem because you can ally Etruria, Umbria, and even Sabinia. That coalition will easily kill Rome and Syracuse. Hell, you can even fabricate claim on Latium Rome at the starting date and preemptively annex Rome or make it your client state. Though it would be very cheesy tactic and kill the fun of your Carthage campaign in my opinion.
That’s just about it. Once you cut off Rome from Sicily or kill Rome entirely early in the game, you’ll easily conquer the world.