How do you play?

[TimDee58]

I'd be interested to hear how others play Empires...

I like to role play the game and unless I have a 2 star offensive general I tend not to launch overseas campaigns, likewise a 2 star defensive general is always stationed with a force designed to mount defensive campaigns in my own territory... in essence I only seize foreign territory when I've been unjustly forced into a war and to compensate me for my trouble, altho saying that any neutral independent is a fair target.

I also Always export battles to FoG.

[Bullseye500]

I don't follow any historical patterns and just follow what is going on with the map and the AI nations. I just had my first 2-2 Leader last game as Rome and I was shocked to see one! I had all of Italy, Cispline Gaul down to Illyria and all of Greece. Sparta had about four regions that gave me a tough fight, I finally took all of Greece after I started a war with the Antignods to hold the rest of Greece proper. I fought the Macedonians down to Constantinople (:p) and to Byzantium, I stopped at the Danube and benefited from recruiting those Thraciam Peltats/warbands there. My conquest fizzled out down near the straights, army after army kept hitting me out of Turkey.

I made it over to southern France in the west Massilia and a region or two past that point and a few north of the sea but stalled there as well. I held Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily but made it no further south then the Malta. Over all it was a very fun game. I am now playing as Carthage and I just go where the wind takes me. I could sure use some of Rome's abundant manpower.

[Gray Fox]

Conquer those regions in the province that my starting region is and form the province. Add regions and provinces that give me Tier III and good provincial units. Crush any threats. Add provinces to about 100 regions in order to win.

Here's a save file of my end game.

https://we.tl/t-IAnRMXJD5n

Click the link to go to a file transfer service. Download the file to your computer. It's archived, so you need a program to open the file like "7-Zip". Move the unzipped file to the folder where your save games are. On my computer that is Libraries/Documents/My Games/FieldOfGloryEmpires/SAVES. Once it's in the correct folder, you can start the game and access the save game. I named it "Victory 157074".

[Blathergut]

Been enjoying Burgundi the most of any nations I've played in the game!

Just work at forming the initial province and developing intertwined resources. (Those adj. islands are great!) Manpower is endless (*sticks an insulting tongue out Monty Python style at Massilia*).

Raid neighbours frequently (but that does give slaves more often than I'd like)(but that's not a big deal because every region up there welcomes me with open arms and happy populations)(*sticks tongue out at all the southern Mediterranean nations).

We'll never rule the Mediterranean (although that north-eastern Germanic province does provide EXCELLENT heavy infantry) but we'll enjoy life! And if I can manage to add 3 provinces to my initial one, I'll assume I've won. Make that four and I'm greater than Caesar!

[Ludendorf]

I've mainly played multiplayer so far, and would mostly describe my style as an aggressive geopolitical play. I make friends and enemies quickly, being sure to reward and facilitate those who help me, and furiously prosecute anyone who threatens my interests. If my nation is the centre of the world, I use that position to steer that world in a direction that helps me achieve my vision for it (and achieve victory along the way). If my nation is not the centre of the world, I work constantly towards making sure it becomes it in the future. My objective is generally not to throw the world into fire and flame, but to always maintain a balance... and slowly but surely shift that balance in my favour until eventually I am unassailable.

That said, I am careful to keep my word and make the terms of any alliance and my nation's red lines clear cut. I am honest, and this is both because keeping one's promises engenders trust and because I genuinely don't like backstabbing others in the first place.

This feeds into my game style. I'm much more aggressive in the early game while I'm small and weak. If I'm out in front, I'm more likely to sit back and focus on internal development and just keep an eye on how the rest of the world is developing. If all is serene, keep building. If a major conflict breaks out that threatens one of my allies, or threatens to make a potential rival much stronger, I will insert myself into the conflict with an eye towards shifting things in the opposite direction.

The trick to dealing with a player like me is to recognise that there is always an exchange going on. I will extend the hand of friendship. I will protect you if you are small, and help you on your path to become strong. I will help your nation develop and reach its goals. I will stand by my allies and keep my deals if the terms I make for them are fulfilled... but I am always doing so with my own position and enhancement in mind. If you want to beat that approach, you need to be ruthless and recognise when it is time to slap the hand away... and understand that all hell may come for you if you do.

[TimDee58]

Great responses, I'm learning a lot from your input guys, thank you