Your first days as the Romans

How the Romans start: a wall that deters, the first troops to train, and what to do when your protection ends.

The first hours

Open Virgilio, the Taskmaster, and follow his steps: each one pays a reward, and together they walk you through your fields, your stores, the Main Building, the Rally Point and the Barracks. Raise your four kinds of fields evenly at first, and keep the Warehouse and the Granary ahead of your production: a full store wastes every hour that passes.

In new worlds every village has two builders: one for the fields and one for the buildings, working at the same time. Keep both busy, above all before you log off: a field in one lane and the Warehouse, the Granary or the Main Building in the other is the usual rhythm of the first days. Each level of the Main Building makes every later building quicker to put up.

In new worlds you start under beginner protection for at least 72 real hours: nobody can attack you and the Barbarians leave you alone. It ends early the moment you send troops to another player's village, so spend it building, and raid Barbarian villages and free oases if you want loot: that does not end it.

Every village keeps 500 of each resource safe from raids in new worlds; a Cranny hides more on top of that. Build one before your protection ends.

A wall that deters

Your City Wall gives the largest bonus of the three walls: every level makes each defender at home count for more. A few levels early, with some troops behind it, make you a poor target and turn the Barbarians' raids into resources and culture points (wiping out a raid pays both).

Your first troops

The Praetorianus is the Roman defender against infantry, the backbone of a village that wants to be left alone. The Legionarius both attacks and defends, and is a fair first raider of oases and Barbarian villages. Later the Eques Alaris gives you fast raids with a large load.

Your first week

Romans can grow by building alone, and raid when a target is worth it. A good first week is an even economy, a wall that deters, an Embassy and an alliance, then a Residence at level 10 for the second village. Your chief comes much later, when the alliance needs to take a village.

When the protection ends

From then on the Barbarians raid you once every barbarian day, at your village nearest to them. You have two answers: troops at home that beat the raid (wiping it out pays resources and culture points), or a tribute in the Barbarians tab that spares you for the day. Paying the tribute for a few days while you train your first troops is a sound start.

Build an Embassy at level 1 and join an alliance: every new world has the Academy, an alliance for newcomers you can join with one click and leave whenever you like. Alone, the end of a world is very hard.

Your second village and your oases

A Steward's House lets your villagers work a free oasis nearby for a production bonus. A second village needs culture points, a free slot of the Residence at level 10, and ten villagers sent to a free tile with the resources to found it. Every building makes culture points, so a growing village is already working towards the next one.

Common mistakes

Letting the Warehouse or the Granary fill up overnight: raise them before you log off.
Attacking another player in the first days and losing the beginner protection for a few resources.
Sending troops without a scout first: a scout tells you what waits on the other side.
Forgetting the crop: every unit eats, and a village whose crop runs out starts losing troops. The upkeep of each unit is on its page.
Playing alone: the control points that win a world are held by alliances.

All the Roman units side by side: Romans. The other tribes: Choosing a tribe.

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