The Wolf Among Lions campaign

Italia, 278BCE

For the first time in fifty years, Rome finally knows a peace which has been elusive following the generations-long struggle for survival. Not only are the Etruscans of the north subdued and the Samnites subjugated, the Epirotes who invaded a year ago have been driven to the sea.

Even so, the Roman eagle isn't the only ascendant power to new challenges still await. Like wolves on the attack, Gauls and Germans are massing in the shadows of the Alps, and while the Greeks and Carthaginians are locked in a bloody struggle for the Mediterranean, there is no clear sign of who will eventually prevail.

As the leader one of these factions, use the way of the sword or guile to raise your people to the heights of power and civilisation, but be warned: various challenges and trials await you - the least easiest road is that of those who go their way to CONQUER THE WORLD.

Factions

Playable:

All!

Barbarians:

• Garamantes
• Etrurians
• Celts
• Greeks
• Arabs
• Saka

Notes about the map:

The map is far more detailed than Rise of the Barbarians, and contains slightly more territories.

"Continents"

This CtW utilises the default atlas developed for Kings & Conquerors.

Tribute and supply

Tribute is gained as normal - by waiting for a single turn without attacking, you will earn a small amount of tribute (25 if at peace for 1 turn, 50 if at peace for 2 turns, and 100 for three or more turns).

The highest-paying territories for tribute tend to be around the Mediterranean and Asia because of their long trading history. For a barbarian seeking to make large amounts, invasion of these areas could well be profitable. Additionally, conquering whole regions also generates a moderate tribute boost. This usually amounts to [num of territories * 25) - 10] so for instance a rather small region like Celtica or Mesopotamia will generate 40 tribute, whereas larger ones like Arabia or Iran can fetch as much as 90.

In contrast, supply is not evenly distributed. Most sources of manpower can be obtained in Asia and Europa, Iberia, Italia, Hellas and Africa as well as Arabia aren't that great for manpower. This means that in order to obtain excess armies by conquest, many factions will need to invade north or east to obtain supplies. On the other hand, tribute can be used to purchase armies.

Victory conditions

In addition to the normal conditions (either conquer all or persuade all), there is also a third means of winning: hegemony. Each faction may have either one of the following conditions to fulfill in order to achieve full hegemony:

• Tyrrhenian objectives (Rome, Epirotes, Carthage): conquer Iberia, Italia, Aegyptus, Africa, Numidia, Sicilia, Magna Graecia and Gaul, and accumulate 1,000 tribute (easiest faction: Rome)
• Greek objectives (for all except Pontics and Epirotes): conquer Hellas and Asia Minor, outlast Hellenic and Hellenistic factions (easiest faction: Egyptians, although it must be mentioned that the Greek campaigns are the hardest).
• Barbarian factions (Sarmatians and all European and Iberian factions): accumulate 2,000 tribute in any way possible (easiest factions: Suebi)
• Eastern factions (Armenians, Parthians, Pontics): conquer both Asia Minor and Asia Major, obtain an average fort score of 6 (extremely difficult because the location of these two factions - Armenia and Parthia - means that they are often at war with the Greek factions surrounding them, and also suffer from being Seleucid satrapies. Easiest so far would be Parthia)
• Desert faction (Numidia, Saba, Nabatea): conquer Arabia and all of Africa, destroy the Seleucids, Egyptians and Parthians (difficult because the factions to be destroyed are very powerful, and also due to the challenging start position. Saba may be the best faction to use.)

Events

Plague

If a province was left with territorial strength of 1 for more than 5 turns, it immediately becomes plagued. CtW battles in that zone leave all armies hit with a -75 pop penalty

Germanic confederacy

Uniting the provinces of Germany's regions (Arkynia, Germania Minor, Magna Germania and Belgica ) as the Suebi immediately results in a +2 modifier to all regions within the area, and one additional army.

Celtic confederacy

If you are playing a Celtic faction (Britons, Lusitanians, Arverni or Celtiberi and you have the largest amount of territory compared to the other 3 factions if they so remain) you can create confederates whenever you conquer their capitals. Confederates are conquered enemies converted into allies, and a portion of their tribute is deducted and placed in your treasury each turn. Confederates are incapable of declaring war or peace against any faction, and they can only declare war against you.

Bankruptcy

At any point you have no tribute in your treasury, you will be declared bankrupt on the next turn and will receive no tribute. To avoid or to stop this, you must end your turn with at least 1 tribute. CPs which find themselves running out of tribute will immediately approach you with offers of alliance of offers of land for tribute.

The Parthians, Numidians, Suebi, Lusitanni and Celtiberi all begin the game with no tribute in their treasury.

Diplomatic relations

In this game the following terms are used:

• Allies  — The factions are allied with one another, and their armies help one another except against other factions with whom they are allied.
• Satrap  — Satraps are factions which are allied and diplomatically dependent on the hegemon  (the faction they serve as satraps). In addition, satraps provide tribute to their hegemon. Satraps cannot independently declare war or form allies - they must first declare war against the hegemo. Unlike Vassals, satraps cannot be created.

If you are able to conquer an enemy faction, you then have the choice to impose the following:

• Vassal state   — the vassals are occupied by the conqueror, who becomes their suzerain and uses their armies but has no access to their rare resources. Vassal states abandon you if you end your turn with no tribute in the stockpile.
• Annexation — Annexed factions are permanently destroyed, their territories incorporated into the fiefdom of the conqueror.
• Confederation — see above for more information.

Dilemmas

The Republican factions of the CtW consist of:

• Arverni
• Celtiberi
• Britons
• Lusitanians
• Achaean League
• Chremonidian League
• Romans
• Carthage

Dilemmas occur usually after you have played a bonus card during a battle, and take place the following turn.

One-off dilemmas - they take place only once per game.

• Kingdom of Galatia: the very first dilemma in the game, this instantly pops up for the Seleucid player, and revolves around the Celtic population of Asia Minor. Seleucids will be asked whether to hire the Galatians or to settle them. Hiring them does nothing, but settling costs 50 tribute and converts Galatia into a Seleucid territory of level 4 strength, whilst locking out the ability to recruit Galatikoi for the Seleucids, Pergamenes, and Pontics.
  • Your decision to allow the Galatians to peacefully colonise Galatia has resulted in their warriors declaring for you — they have moved in and claimed the territory in your name!
  • Although you were able to hire many of the Galatians, many more still remain — some have stayed back to form a new kingdom of theor own in Galatia, whilst others have absconded to local kings in the region. 
• Infrastructure developments: Finish a battle successfully, with at least 60 farms under your control: Merchants and farmers will demand stuff from you. You can either support the role of the Merchants which locks out Dwellings and provides 100 tribute, or choose to side with the peasants, which locks out the Villa and provides 4 Partisans cards.
• Unemployed warriors: fewer than 5 territories, war for 5 turns. Win a quick battle, with. They will demand a ransom of 100 tribute. Paying it results in you receiving a bandits card, paying nothing, results in your capital being razed! Unlike other cards, this event only triggers once per game.
• Stupor Mundi: Win a quick battle, with no enemy cities or no units left, a famed artisan comes before you and asks if you would like to commission a new building, or a new artistic collection to increase prestige. The first requires 100 tribute and gives you a wonder of the world card, the second costs 20 and permanently locks your govt to Despotism....the third is to dismiss him.

Repeat dilemmas -

(They take place only once per player, so unlike Once-Off events where only up to two players may experience them, Repeat dilemmas are frequent and take place for all factions.)

• New Men: win a battle with all 7 levels of any one track researched, and will ask the player whether to open the bureaucracy to the burghers, or to keep it to the nobility. Choosing one will lock the player's politics permanently into Patronage or Populism, depending on what was chosen. This dilemma occurs at least 3 times.