The Romans are a defensive nation that has the ability to exert excellent territorial control in the beginning of the game. They also have Legions, which are a great unique unit that excels at killing other heavy infantry. This means they don't have to invest as much into archers to counter other heavy infantry (which is a big plus because archers require timber and wealth, two very dire technology-oriented resources).

The Roman border push strategy can be utilized by first creating a second city as normal. Construct a fort at the edge of this border. By the time the fort is finished, you should be about ready to afford Civic 2 and another city. Again, build this city as far forward as possible. Ensure that you have trade routes established - you'll need the wealth. After this point, the intent is to get a second fort set up very close to one of your opponent's major economic cities that will become the staging ground for some brutal assaults. Affording this second fort is difficult, but can be accomplished in a few ways. First of all you can raze the existing fort to make the new one cheaper and recoup a bit of the cost (since you already have a second city set up, you still have that forward border push established so this rear fort is no longer necessary). The other way is to save up the resources in either Ancient or Classical Age. If done in Classical Age, you'll need to place a couple Mines and wait a bit to get enough metal. If done in Ancient age, your economy will take a hit as all of your timber and wealth goes into this new fort.

Once this forward fort is established, set up barracks and stables. Start creating an army and try to judge whether your opponent is going to attack you at that location (you should raid him slightly to gain his attention) or whether he's going to wait it out and take advantage of the technology advantage he probably has. If he is going to rush your fort, you'll have the advantage since you just have to build military units. If he decides to play more defensive and tech to gain a greater advantage, you'll have to get siege to force a conflict (preferably with a forward tower).


Forts exert +3 National Borders


Why is it important?

Roman forts exert a moderate amount of extra border push. This border push is most helpful when your forts are constructed at the edge of your current border, though you certainly don't need to construct all of your new forts at the border's edge (constructing a fort right next to your capital city is often a good move if you think there's a chance it will be attacked).

How can I maximize this nation power?

• Construct forts that directly press against enemy borders: This means placing a fort right on the current borderline in order to maximize the amount of border push you get from the fort's presence.
  
  
• Research fort upgrades: Fort upgrades increase the range of forts and towers as well as further increasing the border push of forts. If you're interested in controlling territory, stacking these upgrades with your

Forts and Towers 25% cheaper and can be built from the start of the game

Why is it important?

These buildings are some of the most expensive in the game, so the savings is rather important. As long as you balance the cost for these buildings against the cost of building an army, you can make excellent use of forts as Romans.

How can I maximize this nation power?

• Utilize this bonus in an early border push strategy: In the hands of a capable player who can survive on a limited early economy, it can be quite devastating (in 1v1s).

Receive free Heavy Infantry when a Barracks is constructed (one at start, two with Gunpowder Age and Military 3, three with Industrial Age and Military 5)

Why is it important?

This bonus provides free units when each new barracks is constructed. The single free unit is great for ancient age rushing, or simply bolstering a classical age attack. One thing to note about this bonus is that it only applies to each new barracks you create. This means if you raze a barracks (or the enemy destroys one, a favorite strategy against nations with free bonus units) and rebuild a new barracks, you won't receive free units. Be careful of population limit as well, since you can't receive free units that push you above your current population limit.

A particularly useful way to utilize this bonus is to only utilize cavalry units until gunpowder age and Military 3 research. By going with just 1 barracks or without a barracks at all, you'll be able to create a whole bunch once gunpowder and military 3 research are completed - resulting in many more Roman Legions than you would otherwise receive. If you choose this strategy, you can also use a method that works for the Mongols - create 2 barracks and train many infantry from them before creating the remaining 3-5 barracks. By doing things this way, the free units you receive from the barracks don't interfere with the ramp cost of your infantry as much, allowing you to create an even larger army for cheaper.

How do I maximize this nation power?

• Utilize the extra units in a rush: Perform the standard 5-heavy infantry ancient age rush, except with an extra unit (20% more firepower to make that city fall extra fast). Remember to trail in slinger support after the 6th heavy infantry is created so you can handle enemy bowmen.
  
  
• Save the bonus until gunpowder/military 3 research: Use either one or no barracks at all until you've got the prerequisite techs for getting 2 free units per barracks, then build several barracks all at once. Use stables units for your military until you reach gunpowder - horse archers for raiding are a good bet.
  
  
• Keep your barracks alive: Try not to allow the opponent to destroy your barracks; you only get free units for each new barracks you make - and if your 4th barracks dies and you rebuild it, that doesn't count as a 'new' barracks.

Heavy Infantry created 10% faster and 10% cheaper

Why is it important?

This nation power hastens the training of new heavy infantry units, allowing the Romans to field many heavy infantry quickly when needed. It's a relatively small time saver, but still quite helpful since Romans have a heavy infantry unique unit line that lasts through the first half of the game. Of course, the bonus doesn't become worthless at that point - late game heavy infantry like Bazookas and Anti-Tank Missiles are some of the best late game units available.

How do I maximize this nation power?

• Create heavy infantry: Not much trick to making use of this bonus - just ensure you're aware of it and take advantage of it when possible.

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