Frozen Fish 1: Amiga/FrozenFish-Apr94.iso/bbs/alib/d5xx/d502/eternalrome.lha/EternalRome/Doc

Text File | 1991-06-27 | 36KB | 833 lines

                  ETERNAL ROME             16th May, 1991

        Written and copyright by Sven Hartrumpf MXMI



                  Documentation


Table of contents


Introduction               1

I.   Fundamentals           3
II.  Taxation Phase           6
III. Naval Phase           8
IV.  Land Movement Phase      10
V.   Land Combat Phase          11
VI.  Siege Phase          12



Introduction

Eternal Rome is an extremely complex strategic game which simulates the
most important and interesting periods of the Roman empire in numerous
independent scenarios. It includes military, diplomatic, political,
economic, social factors and problems.

My main intention was to write a simulation which is very realistic and
historically accurate and at the same time easy and fast to play. This
simulation allows interested people to become familiar with a distant
period of history which our modern culture and civilization owes most of
its fundamentals.

Most scenarios can be played by two players. The game is also well designed
for solitaire play and historical and strategic studies. As almost all
games of this kind, the more players are involved the more interesting and
entertaining the play will be. But I also created for all scenarios, which
are normally played by 3, 4 or even 5 players, one or more versions for
less players.

Therefore hobby-strategists, historically interested people and all human
beings that enjoy the inspiring and entertaining play with others may have
found "their" game.


























                - 2 -


There are two versions of ETERNAL ROME: a tryware version 1.x and a
professional version 2.x. The tryware version may be freely distributed as
long as the original program is always accompanied by this original
documentation. I would like to see it in every disk series, which is really
PD. The tryware version has no disk operations. So you can not save nor
load scenarios. You should use it to decide whether it is worth buying the
professional version or not. In the tryware version you can only play the
two player scenario "Octavius and Antonius".

If you enjoy playing the tryware version, you can buy the complete
professional version. The professional version is not freeware and may not
be distributed freely. Doing so is both illegal and immoral. If you order
the professional version you will become a registered user. The
professional version includes 5 scenarios. You can also buy two scenario
disks (Alpha and Beta) each of them containing 10 new scenarios. Most
scenarios are delivered in several versions for different numbers of
players. You can NOT buy scenario disks if you are not a registered user of
ETERNAL ROME.

         Currency      USA ($)   GB (£)    Germany (DM)
Product

Eternal Rome 2.0,           39,00     22,00       59,00
professional version

Scenario disk Alpha           19,00     11,00       29,00

Scenario disk Beta           19,00     11,00       29,00

Eternal Rome 2.0           66,00     38,00       99,00
including Scenario disks
Alpha and Beta         (you save 11,00      6,00     18,00)

I must always add for        6,00      3,00        6,00
postage, packing etc






Send the money, your comments and suggestions to:


         S. Hartrumpf
         Die Rappenwiesen 41 b
         6380 Bad Homburg
         GERMANY









                  NO WARRANTY

I WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST MONIES,
OR OTHER SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE
USE OR INABILITY TO USE ETERNAL ROME (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF
DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY THIRD PARTIES
OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAM).





                - 3 -


I. Fundamentals

You can start the game without any arguments (EternalRome, stack size must
be at least 20000 bytes), but you can also add three parameters from your
CLI/SHELL. The first contains the width, the second the height of the used
window in pixels. If the third (optional) parameter is 'i'  the interlace
mode will be used. If no parameters are given the main window has the
minimal size of 640*200 non-interlaced pixels. I recommend a size of
730*280 for all who use a PAL Amiga (maybe you have to change the
preferences for the left top edge of screens).

At first I will describe the basic control elements of the computer
simulation. Eternal Rome uses an flexible information system which is based
on windows. You can comfortably control the simulation during all phases
using the mouse (except if you want to enter a new file name to save a
scenario). If you click on a hexagon (in the following I will just use the
common abbreviation hex/hexes), an information window is opened which tells
you all about this hex. Since the intelligence of a player into the
military affairs of his enemies is strictly limited to hexes where both
have units or both have fleets, you will be informed about the position of
an enemy unit but not about its strength. By mutual agreement this
restriction can be disabled by using the 'Intelligence'-item in the
'Options'-menu.

Every information window can be closed by clicking on the close gadget at
the left top edge. If a window waits for further input or output, it can
not be closed. If you close the map window, a requester asks you if you
really want to quit. If you affirm, the simulation immediately ends. You
can close all information windows by selecting the 'Clear display' menu
item in the 'Utilities'-menu. Information text is normally printed in
white. But in most windows there is also text in blue. If you click on this
you receive information concerning the subject the text represents. You
will soon understand this very tricky information system.


After starting the game you see a geographical map which contains all
regions of Europe, Asia and Africa which ever belonged to the Roman Empire
(Imperium Romanum) and all regions of its most threatening enemies. The
title line displays important information in the following order: the name
of the current phase, the name of the power which is to play, the current
date and the status of communication. If a '*' precedes the date, it is
winter time and movement costs are higher than normal. There are some
provinces where winters are so warm that they do not make movements more
difficult. From May to October it is always summer, from December to March
it is always winter, April and November may be summer or winter months
(computer determines whether it is winter or summer by using a random
generator).

The last information in the title line (status of communication) is very
important as the computer displays here what it is waiting for, e.g.: If
the status is "Select two fleets", the computer is waiting for the user to
open an information window about the fleet the user wants to select (if not
already opened) and to activate this window by clicking into it (avoid to
click on text printed in blue because you will receive information you
probably do not want). Activated and unactivated windows are distinguished
by intuition as follows: an activated window has a normal (i.e. easily
readable) title line, while the title line of an unactivated window is
'ghosted'. But let's return to the example given. If you select a fleet,
the status text will change to 'Select one fleet' and you have to select a
second fleet as described above.









                - 4 -


You can always quit an action and clear the status text in the window title
by selecting the 'Quit action' item of the 'Utilities' menu. The computer
will not change the status text, although you have selected an object of
the requested type, if the selected object can not be used for the current
operation. In most cases you will immediately understand why your input is
not accepted (e.g. it is quite reasonable that the computer does not let
you change the position or composition of enemy armies or fleets and things
like that), but in some cases you will have to take a look at this
documentation in order to understand it. The computer always tries to
reject inputs which make no sense or are not allowed.

The map is divided into provinces. The borders between provinces are
painted in white. Every province consists of several hexes. A hex has an
average width of 70 km. The colour and sometimes also the pattern of the
hex show the dominating type of terrain. To identify the different
terrains, take a look at the following table:

Colour        Terrain        Colour        Terrain

white        clear        brown        wild, mountainous
green        forest        blue        coast
dark green  marsh        dark blue   deep sea
yellow        desert

The first five types can only be entered by land whereas the last two can
only be entered by sea. But there are also mixed hexes since the coast line
of the Mediterranean is far from being a hexagonical one. Mixed hexes are
horizontally striped using the bright blue (representing shallow water) and
the colour of the predominating type of terrain.

Principally you can move from every hex in six directions. But if you move
by sea the hex must be passable by sea, and if you move by land the hex
must be passable by land. As all rules you should know this rule but never
mind if you forget it, because the computer will never allow anyone to
break a rule. Therefore the computer will help you to avoid great problems
and disputes due to ignoring rules (un)intentionally. There are some paths
between hexes which should be passable according to this general rule but
which are not. The border between hexes where no path between them exists
is painted in black. In most cases they represent mountains which can not
be passed by an army. Between some hexes which represent land and sea there
is no path, because they are not connected by land or by sea directly. The
map does not mark paths which are not passable by sea. You can not enter
provinces which are assigned to no power at the beginning of the scenario.
There are seven straits which can be passed without using fleets at an
additional cost: the Bosporus and the Hellespont for 4, the Straits of
Gibraltar for 12, the English Channel for 16, the Strait of Messina for 4,
the Gulf of Patras for 8 and the strait between the Black Sea and the
Asowian Sea for 4 additional points.

You can change the position and the scale of the map by using the three
proportional gadgets at the right and at the bottom of the map window. The
right vertical gadget moves the visible part of the map up (north) and down
(south), the upper horizontal gadget moves it to the left (west) and to the
right (east). The lower horizontal gadget changes the scale of the map. If
you move the knob to the left, the hexes become smaller (zoom out), if you
move to the right the hexes, become bigger (zoom in). The computer always
zooms relatively to the middle of the map.












                - 5 -


The map shows the names (or the beginning of the names) of the most
important cities (at the most one per hex; if the name of a city changed
during the covered period of time (e.g. Byzantium - Constantinopolis), the
most famous ancient name is used). Most provinces have several cities and
one capital city. The names of capitals are capitalized. The existence and
importance of a city can change from one scenario to another. This reflects
the historical development in the ancient urban life which was one of the
main aspects of the Roman empire. Therefore the possession of a province
depends upon the possession of its cities. A power controls a province as
long as it controls its capital. A power gains control of a province if it
controls the capital and at least one half of the remaining cities.

I mentioned the term "power" in the last paragraph - here is the
explanation: A power is a political fraction which is simulated in a
scenario. A power can control cities and provinces, move and recruit land
units and fleets, tax provinces and do much more described below. Each
player controls one or more powers and tries to succeed in fulfilling the
victory conditions, which you can read if you select the 'Victory info'
item in the 'Diplomacy' menu. The computer also reports in this info window
which conditions are fulfilled and which are not.

There are seven different types of powers depending upon whether it is a
major or minor, a civilized or a barbarian, a neutral or a client state:

1. Roman power (always a major and civilized power)
2. Major civilized power (but not a Roman one)
3. Major barbarian power
4. Minor civilized neutral power
5. Minor barbarian neutral power
6. Minor civilized client state
7. Minor barbarian client state

Major powers always have their own game turn while minor powers never have.
If a player controls more than one major power in a scenario, this is
mentioned in the introduction to the scenario ('About scenario' in the
'Utilities' menu) and/or the victory conditions info (see below) mentions
conditions for more than one major power and how many powers must fulfil
their victory conditions. If players declare themselves to be allied, all
allied players have only one game turn during the last occuring game turn
of the allied players.

Minor powers can be active or inactive client states or active or inactive
neutrals.

If a minor power is a client state, the power which is its patron (always a
major power) does all actions for it during its own game turn. Units of the
patron power may move through the provinces of the client state and in
combat they are considered to be allied. But a major power normally does
not receive taxes from the provinces of its client states. If the client
state is inactive, its troops may neither move nor attack. An inactive
power (neutral or client state) always becomes active, if it is invaded by
an enemy.

An inactive neutral does not influence the game, until it is activated.
Then it is controlled by the power whose interests are at least connected
with those of the neutral state. This power is the major power whose
provinces and land units are farthest from those of the neutral state. Each
month during the tax phase the controlling power is determined by the
computer.










                - 6 -


Each power can control units. One unit is a certain number of soldiers of
one type. There are eleven types of units:

 Name              Land Sea  Mov. Sta. Number

 Legion I           24    12   20   4   (4000)  strength values
 Legion II           20    10   20   4   (4000)  for legions are
 Legion III           16     8   20   4   (4000)  halved after 290 A.D.
 Civilized Infantry I       20    10   18   4   (4000)
 Civilized Infantry II       16     8   18   4   (4000)
 Barbarian Infantry       20    10   16   4   (4000)
 Light Infantry         4     4   24   1   (1200)
 Archers            4     4   24   1   (1200)
 Heavy Cavalry           30     0   32   8   (1000 + 1000 horses)
 Light Cavalry            6     0   32   2   (1500 + 1500 horses)
 Horse Archers            6     0   32   2   (1500 + 1500 horses)

 Leader                  32   0   The person of the leader and
                          his staff.

The numbers following the name of the unit type represent its strength on
land, strength at sea, movement allowance and its stacking value (indicates
the amount of place the unit needs - important for transporting on fleets).

One army is a number of units which do all actions together. An army can be
accompanied by one or more leaders. Each leader has a quality value for
land movement and combat and a quality value for sea movement and combat.
Both values are often equal but in some special cases of extraordinary
abilities at sea or on land (e.g. Agrippa) they differ. The quality values
are important for combat and interception.

One fleet unit is an unit of 50 single ships. Fleet units can be stacked
together to one fleet and then can be commanded as one unit. Every fleet
can transport one army.


II. Taxation Phase

This phase is the very first phase in every month. At first the activation
conditions for inactive neutral powers (use 'Activation info' item in the
'Diplomacy' menu to read them) are checked. In some cases you have to roll
a die: you can roll a real die and enter the result by clicking on the
rolled number or you can click on 'R' (for 'Random') and have the computer
use a random generator to produce a number between 1 and 6. If the minor
power activates, the control over it will be assigned to the power
mentioned in the power info or to the farthest power. You can determine the
farthest power (exact definition: see I.) by selecting the 'Farthest power'
item in the 'Diplomacy' menu. The controlling power must dislocate the
units for the power it controls by selecting 'Set up units' in the 'Army'
menu. Then he must select one hex within the activated power's provinces
where units should be placed. Using a special window (described below in
chapter III.) the controller can select which units are placed in this hex.
The controlling player repeats this procedure until all units are set up.

During the taxation phase all civilized major powers receive taxes from
their provinces. The tax incomes are displayed in an information window.
Every power has its own taxation phase before the first power plays the
remaining phases. The taxes are collected in the treasury. The tax value of
a province changes from scenario to scenario reflecting the historical
change of wealth of provinces.









                - 7 -


During the taxation phase every power can also mobilize new units and
fleets in its provinces. You can only mobilize two units and two fleets per
hex. If the mobilizing power is civilized and controlled cities at the
beginning of the game, it can only recruit units in unbesieged friendly
cities. Fleets can obviously only be built in ports. Their construction
takes three months. If the owner of the port where the fleets are built
changes during the construction, so does the owner of the new fleets.

To recruit units ('Recruit units' item in the 'Army' menu) in a hex first
click on this hex, then click on the names of the unit types to be
recruited. New units have only one half of the strength of old, seasoned
units, but they can be seasoned after land combat.

There are three ways of recruiting units:

a) By expending talents

If the scenario assigns to the mobilizing power this way of recruiting
(used by Roman powers), the power must expend as many talents as printed in
the mobilization windows. The number of new units of each unit type which
can be recruited in a province per year is limited. These limits are shown
in the mobilization window and in information windows about provinces.

b) By expending talents and replacement points

Using this way (often used by non-Roman civilized states) in addition to a)
the power must expend as many replacement points as the stacking value of
the unit type. A power receives every tax phase as many replacement points
as the replacement rate in the power info indicates.

c) By expending replacement points

Using this way (used by minor and barbarian powers) the power need not
expend talents. In addition to b) it can only rebuild eliminated units and
only receives replacement points if there are units to rebuild.

During the tax phase each power can transfer talents to allied powers by
selecting the 'Transfer talents' item in the 'Diplomacy' menu. Then you
must select the power, from whose treasury the talents should be
subtracted, and the power, to whose treasury the talents should be added.
The number of talents are determined by using a proportional gadget. Allied
powers attack and defend together and can accept siege in every allied city
or anchor in every allied port. An alliance is declared by selecting the
'Declare alliance' item in the 'Diplomay' menu. Then you have to select two
major powers which want to declare an alliance. An alliance always includes
the client states (if any) of the major powers. During the tax phase an
alliance can be terminated by every allied major power and the old type of
relationship (in most cases not friendly) is restored.





















                - 8 -


III. Naval Phase

During the naval phase all actions concerning fleets are allowed. Only in
this phase information windows about fleets are extended by six rectangles
which contain the numbers of the hexes which are adjacent to the hex where
the fleet is at the momemt. If the number is printed in blue the fleet can
be ordered to move in this hex by clicking on this gadget, if printed in
white it can not, because both hexes are not connected by sea. If a fleet
moves it must expend movement points. In information windows about hexes
the number of movement points, which must be expended to move from this hex
in a possible direction, follow the name of terrain. If there are two lists
of numbers, the first is for land, the second for naval movement. A fleet
can use 30 movement points per month. During winter naval movement costs
are doubled.

To move longer distances using the shortest way (measured in movement
points) you can use the 'Distance' menu: First select the right menu item
('By sea at winter time' or 'By sea at summer time'). You now have to
select at least two hexes. If you do not want to select any more hexes,
just click again into the last selected hex window or select the 'Quit
action' item in the 'Utilities' menu. Only in the first case the user can
immediately select a fleet which follows the calculated track if possible.
In a special window the minimum number of movement points which are needed
to move from one hex to the next will be displayed below the numbers of
these hexes. If no connection exists a dash is displayed. At the right you
always see the total amount of movement points which are needed to move
from the very first hex to the very last. So you can describe a way by
selecting two or more hexes. The determined way is marked in the map with
'*'. If you enable the 'Show path' option in the 'Options' menu, the path
will be displayed after every redrawing of the map. If the computer has
successfully calculated a connection between two hexes, you can use this
connection by selecting the 'Follow track' item in the 'Distance' menu. If
the season of computation is equal to that of reality, you can select a
fleet which has enough movement points to go the determined distance. This
fleet must not be blockaded. A fleet is blockaded, if it is in a blockaded
port, i.e. there are more enemy fleets besieging the port than besieged
fleets in the port. A fleet can not enter nor leave a blockaded port.

One fleet unit can transport units up to a stacking value of 4 points. You
can embark units on a fleet by selecting the 'Embark units' item in the
'Fleet' menu and selecting the fleet which is to carry units. Then you see
a box in which armies of the same power and in the same hex as the selected
fleet are displayed. You can select one by clicking on it. Then a window is
displayed in which you can move units from land to the fleet (and vice
versa) by moving the proportional gadgets to the right (or left). If you
want to move a leader from one side to the other, you must click on his
name. The strength values of each army (strength on land/strength at
sea/stacking value is the standard order of strength values) are shown in
the first line and are changed if you move units. There are many situations
which require a very similar input.

If during embarking the colour of the strength values of the embarked army
turns from green to white, the fleet carrying the army is overloaded and
you have to correct this error by moving units back to the other side. If
you click on 'OK' the changes will be valid, if you click on 'Quit' they
will not. If you embark in a hex which contains a friendly unblockaded
port, the computer considers the fleet to embark in this port for 2 instead
of 6 movement points.











                - 9 -


You can disembark units in a friendly port, even if it is besieged unless
it is blockaded, for 2 movement points ('Disembark to port') or disembark
at the coast for 6 movement points ('Disembark units'). If the coast hex
used for disembarking is not a friendly one, you need a leader who has a
naval quality value of 2 on the fleet, as invading an enemy province by sea
is very difficult. Since only some leaders in few scenarios have a quality
value of 2, you can extend this rule to leaders which have a naval quality
value of 1 ('Amphibic invasion' item in the 'Options' menu) in order to
make the simulation faster and more interesting. The movement allowance of
the disembarked army for the current month is reduced in proportion to the
expended movement points of the fleet, e.g.: if the fleet uses 12 out of 30
movement points, the normal movement allowance of an army consisting of
legions (20) will be reduced by (12/30)*20=8 to 12. A fleet needs enough
movement points to embark, disembark or move.

A fleet can be splitted ('Split fleet'), or units/fleets can be exchanged
between two fleets, which belong to the same player, are in the same hex
and have the same status, ('Exchange fleets') or all fleets, which belong
to the same player, are in the same hex and have the same status, can be
stacked together ('Concentrate'). But you can never overload a fleet. Every
fleet must anchor in a port at the end of every second month. If a fleet
does not fulfil this condition, it is considered to be drowned. If a fleet
is reduced, so are the embarked units down to the stacking value the
remaining fleet can carry. A fleet besieging a port ('Lay siege' item in
the 'Fleet' menu) need not meet this condition. If at the end of the siege
phase a fleet is in a hex containing a friendly unbesieged port, it will
anchor in this port.

A fleet can attack an enemy fleet ('Attack fleet' item in the 'Fleet'
menu). The attacker must select the attacking and the defending fleet. The
calculation of the strength values is printed in a special window. The
quality value (the naval one) of the best attacking leader is added to one
die-roll, while the quality value of the best defending leader is
subtracted from it. Therefore it would not be bad for the attacking power,
if it rolls a high number. As the morale of the soldiers is very important,
1 is added/subtracted for each 50 points of difference in the morale value.
I will not present the algorithm for calculating the result of battles,
because you should experience the conditions under which you can risk a
decisive battle. The power which lost more fleets than its enemy is the
loser and has to retreat to a friendly unblockaded port, which is not more
than 10 movement points away from the hex where naval combat occurred.
Possible ports are presented to the loser's choice. If there is no
possibility to retreat, the losing force must lose an additional fleet and
remains in the hex where it was beaten. A fleet can engage in naval combat
only once per month. The morale values of the concerned powers are changed.
If a power loses a unit, it loses as many morale points as the stacking
value of the lost unit; if a power eliminates an enemy unit, it receives as
many morale points as the stacking value of the eliminated unit. The morale
value of a leader who has only the name of his power plus an identification
number is 1 plus his quality value on land. The morale value for
individually named leaders is doubled, for imperators even multiplied by
10.

If a power's morale value reaches zero, the power dissolves. A minor power
becomes an inactive client state of the power which caused its dissolution
(if any), otherwise it becomes a minor neutral power and its units are
moved in its own provinces. If a non-Roman major power dissolves, it
becomes an inactive neutral minor power. If a Roman power dissolves, its
Imperator (if still in play) must resign. Each of its provinces defects to
the Roman power, which has the greatest force in the province or controls
the nearest province. A single city defects to the controller of the
capital of the province it belongs to, or to the power which controls the
greatest number of cities in this province. If any calculation is a tie,
the power with the highest morale value gains control. Armies and fleet
units are halved and defect to the power which controls the province or the
nearest province.



                - 10 -


The sole possibility to react to the current player's actions is to
intercept moving armies or fleets. If you try to intercept a fleet
('Intercept fleet' item in the 'Fleet' menu), you must select the fleet
which is to be intercepted. This enemy fleet must be in shallow sea, as in
deep sea operations are very difficult and the correct position of a fleet
can not be determined in such a huge area of water. After you have selected
a fleet, all fleets which are in friendly unbesieged ports and not more
than 6 movement points away from the fleet, which is to be intercepted, are
printed in a window. The owner of these fleets can order them to try
interception by clicking on them. But interception is only successful if
the die-roll is higher or equal to the distance between the intercepting
and the intercepted fleet. Therefore the maximum interception range is 6.
If no more fleets want to try to intercept the moving fleet and at least
one fleet successfully intercepted the moving fleet, naval combat
immediately occurs, in which the intercepted fleet is considered to be the
defender. An intercepted fleet may not move any further.


IV. Land Movement Phase

Land movement is very similar to naval movement.

A moving army can be intercepted ('Intercept army' item in the 'Army'
menu), unless it is in a city, or on a fleet, or in a desert hex. If you
choose this menu item and the army you want to intercept, all armies which
can intercept (i.e. which are inside the largest possible interception
range and have a leader) are printed in a window (cf. naval phase). The
interception range of an army is 6 (the highest possible die-roll) plus the
highest land quality value of its leaders. If only cavalry tries to
intercept, this range is increased by 3. The player which tries to
intercept must roll a die. If the die-roll plus the above mentioned
modifications is higher or equal to the movement points between the two
armies, interception is successful and the intercepted army may not move
any further and is considered to be the defender in the land combat, which
will be automatically started during the following phase. An army can
overrun unbesieged enemy units ('Overrun' item in the 'Army menu), if the
strength of the attacking heavy cavalry is 5 times greater than the total
strength of the defenders. After a successful overrun all enemy units are
eliminated. If the attacked units have a friendly city in this hex, they
are considered to retreat to this city immediately and can not be
eliminated.




























                - 11 -


V. Land Combat Phase

At the beginning of this phase all combats resulting from interception are
simulated. Then you can order one of your armies to attack ('Attack' item
in the 'Army' menu). After you have selected the attacking army, all enemy
armies in the same hex are printed in a window. If there is an enemy city
in the hex, it is also displayed. Then you must select the army or city,
which should be attacked. If the power of a defending army has a friendly
unbesieged city in this hex, it may retreat to this city and at the same
time accept siege. The defending army can also try to retreat to an
adjacent hex, unless the strength of enemy units in this hex plus the
strength of enemy units, which have attacked from this hex, is at least one
fourth of the strength of the retreating army. If a power retreats, its
morale value is decreased by 5. If there are still enemy units in the hex,
land combat occurs. The computer calculates the total strength values.
Strength values of units in a city are doubled. If the city is attacked by
barbarians or if the city is in a province, where wood is seldom and
therefore building siege machines is nearly impossible, strength values are
even tripled. The fortification level of an attacked city is also added.
The highest quality value (the one for land operations) of the attacking
leaders is added to the value of one die-roll, while the highest quality
value of the defending leaders is subtracted from it. Further modifications
are displayed in the information window (cf. naval combat). The computer
determines the losses, the losing side and chooses by random those units
which are removed from play. If all units of an army are removed the
leaders of this army are considered to be captured. This can be the
surprising end of a power if the imperator/rex is taken prisoner. If there
are any possible successors, they succeed in the order, which the number
after the quality values in the army info indicates; if there is no
successor for the Imperator of a Roman power, the morale value reaches zero
and the power dissolves. The morale values of the involved powers are
changed as described above in the paragraph about naval combat. If
unseasoned units participate in land combat, as many strength points as the
opposing force had can be declared to be seasoned and their strength values
are doubled.


































                - 12 -


VI. Siege Phase

During the siege phase every city, which the current power has been
besieging for at least one month, is checked, whether one besieged unit is
removed because of the duration and the circumstances of the siege or not.
Every city has a siege value which expresses how hard the siege worked on
its ability to defend. This value is equal to the number of months the
siege lasts, but never greater than 6. If it is winter or if the city is
surrounded by desert or if the province, which the city belongs to, is
plundered, this value is increased by 2, if the province, which the city
belongs to, is not civilized, this value is increased by 1. Unblockaded
ports can subtract 2, since ports can much easier be supplied as long as
they can be entered by sea. All these modifications are added to the siege
value by the computer. The besieging power rolls one die and if this
die-roll is less than the siege value, one unit is removed from the
besieged armies/fleets. The computer removes one unit according to the
following priority list: heavy cavalry, light cavalry, fleet units, heavy
infantry and at last light infantry. If there are no units left to remove,
the fortification value of the city is decreased by one (this change is
only temporary and the original fortification value is restored when the
siege ends). If the fortification value of the besieged city reaches zero,
the besieger succeeds and the city will obey him. If the strength of the
besieging units is less than one fourth of the unmodified strength of the
besieged units, the siege ends and the besiegers failed to win the control
over the besieged city. During the siege phase a power can plunder a
province, if it controls its unbesieged capital with heavy infantry or
heavy cavalry ('Plunder' item in the 'Army' menu). It receives 10 times the
normal tax income. For six months no one may tax the province or recruit
units in it, and the intrinsic defense value of cities in plundered
provinces is temporarily reduced to zero. In addition if a power plundered
one of the provinces it controlled from the beginning, it may never recruit
again in this province and only receives 50% of the normal tax income from
the plundered province after these six months. Barbarian powers gain as
many morale points as the tax value of the province, they plundered. The
morale value of the power, which controlled the province at the beginning
of the scenario, is reduced by 50% of the province's tax value.