From: Richard Heli Subject: Strategy notes for Decline & Fall (wargame by Ariel) DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE Strategy for the Romans Turn Actions ---- ------------------------------------------ 1 Disband all garrisons. Move field armies to hold Trier, Aquileia, Ravenna, Rome Sirmium, Salonika, Corinth, Carthage, Byzantium. Convert all but Byzantium to garrisons. Earns 30 and only spends 18. 2 Disband Trier, Aquileia, Sirmium garrisons. Recruit garrison in Byzantium. Earns 29 -- spends 18. etc. Expect Carthage, Rome, Salonika & Corinth to fall eventually. But make barbarians fight for them because the first two provide revenue and the others keep German fleets out of the Eastern Mediterranean for a long as possible. Choose Ravenna as the western capital, where it is virtually impregnable. Put commanders in Ravenna and Byzantium. Put a 4-3 unit in Byzantium. Garrisons only in Ravenna, Cyrene, the hex southeast of Cyrene, Alexandria, Antioch, Nicea and Byzantium. Station 2 fleets together in the Eastern Mediterranean to discourage invasion of Constantinople, making it also impregnable. Comments: The Roman player will thus earn 3 revenue each turn while building up a sizeable reserve fund in case the barbarians ever are lucky enough to break in. On the last turn, Rome may also stage a revival to take back Rome and Carthage, which would represent 18 points, well worth 6-8 points investment in field armies. Following this strategy, the Roman may well score over 100 points which is nearly always unbeatable. One other note: an innovative tactic the Roman can use to keep the barbarians off-balance is to help out the Hun by recruiting federate Hun armies and then disbanding them in German territory, upon which they may rebel and become actual Hun units!