Eastern Roman Empire
The Byzantines have the Power of Empire.
Despite what people of late say (particularly in the Latin West) the Roman empire still continues to rule supreme, albeit over a land mass five times smaller than what it had in the days of the Caesars. The Franks may call them Byzantines; and the Germans, Greeks - yet the fact that they all seek to marry princesses from the Empire in the East (as the king of the Germans, Otto II himself did) is but mere proof of who is the true heir to the greatest empire of all time. Even the infidel Saracens have proven to be more truthful in their words compared to the treacherous barbarians of Europe - for the Saracens refer to the lands ruled by the lords of Constantinople, the Golden City as Rum, "Rome."
And verily, the Eastern Empire is indeed the truest heir of Rome and keeper of Roman ways - thus Bulgar despots and Russian princes seek not just brides for themsevles and their kinsmen from the Imperial nobility, but also seek to copy and replicate the splendours of Roman life back in their homelands, even as they seek to propagate and reinforce the faith of Christ amongst their subjects and neighbours. And the libraries of the Golden City and those of lesser towns across Roman Asia still yet attract questers for knowledge, both sacred and profane, from all corners of the earth as do the markets of Constantinople herself attract traders, the same way the sweetest of flowers attract the most bees.
And so, for this reason, countless nations - both Saracen and barbarian - seek to usurp Roman lands and Roman riches for themselves, even as the latter envy and ape Rome's ways for their own ends and esteem. And yet it is not with ease that Rome can keep these foreigners in their rightful place: only decades ago, a Byzantine army was crushed by the Turks at Manzikert - no, not through righteous valour, but through treachery: the Emperor, Romanus IV, was betrayed by his vanguard, Andronicus Doukas - and from that time on, the history of Rome to the present day has been a woeful tale of missteps, corruption and military humiliation: the Turks took more Asian land, and the Franks eventually seized all of Italy. Only the gallant and spirited determination of the Komnenoi, now headed by a pious, prudent and skilled prince named John, has kept the Empire and the Thracian lands of the Bulgars together, even as other foreigners - most notably the Venetians, Hungarians and the Polovtsy - seek to capitalise from Rome's woes.
The army that makes this defence possible is one of the greatest in Christendom - consisting of hardened infantry trained with Roman discipline and girt with some of the best weapons in all of the world, as well as cavaliers with some of the finest horses and horsemen in all of Asia. It is this army that has kept the enemies of the Empire at bay, and saw the destruction of the Pechenegs - long a thorn in the side of the Empire for centuries. And fate seems to have smiled once more in recent years: following the disaster at Manzikert, a motley collection of Frankish warriors, the Crusaders, took up the decision to fight in Asia and secure the Holy Sepulchre for Christendom. This they have done, smiting the Turks so greatly that as of now, the Turks have not even fully recovered, be it from the lost of Jerusalem, or the dissension among their Saracen vassals following the great war that stripped them of Palestine. This would thus seem to be a golden opportunity for the rightful lords of Rome to reclaim what had been lost - first Asia, then Italy; and perhaps when all this is done, the lands of Africa and Europe themselves .... but only time will tell if John II's quest for a Roman renewal will be successful.
Faction overview
The Golden City: 25% Higher Commerce Cap. Double income from Taxation
Theodosian Walls: Forts and Tower +3 Range
Mare Nostrum: Receive free Trawler with each new Dockyard. Create Ships 33% Faster
Cosmoplitanism: Receive a free Caucasus Huntsman whenever you build a new Barracks
Mercenary Armies: Outposts created 33% faster
Strengths:
Good economic bonuses and selection of units which favour booming or turtling - but this latter is not recommended (see below). Superb naval component; land units grant early to mid-game land dominance; superior low-tier heavy infantry and a good number of variegated, high-quality units.
Weaknesses:
Only one Wonder available for construction. Costly infantry require a bit of early game work before you can afford them, cavalry is somewhat underpowered in the late game.
A highly developed and technologically advanced civ, the Eastern Roman Empire has a fairly well-rounded army, with mercenaries and all. She has a decent navy, advanced siege weapons (Trebuchet and Springald) and also a highly variegated cast of land units, ranging from her signature hardened infantry to Crossbow Infantry and shock cavalry, ie Normand Routiers and Pronoiaroi.
Most Byzantine units - particularly the unique units - are units that have a defensive focus, meaning that they have added armour and HP in comparison to most stock units recruited by other factions (eg Bohemia and the HRE). That added HP and armour can help your units survive longer in battles, in comparison to other units - for instance a Pronoiar has better armour and thus a stronger chance of surviving, if pitted against a Cavaliero or a Ministerialis- in most cases, it is dangerous to take on a Byzantine infantry army except by using the natural counters for each individual unit, eg Crossbow Infantry versus Kontaratoi, Militia and Swordsmen for Caucasus Hunters, and cavalry for the Spathatoi. At sea the Byzantines have some of the best units: the Naphtha Vessel will turn everything within its short range to ashes, provided there are no Fire Vessels lurking by, and the Dromonas and Heavy Galleys are fairly powerful units, capable of taking on most navies with the exception, possibly, of Nansong's; special tactics will be required to counter a Chinese-style fleet.
As a cultural or diplomatic power, however the Byzantines are far less than viable, with only one Wonder - the Grand Cathedral. Even though it can drag in 8 Wonder Points, lack of another 2 or 3 Wonders makes it difficult for the Byzantines to effectively compete in a Wonder race, particularly against Muslim, Asian or even other Christian factions owing to the cost of building a Grand Cathedral. And while the Eastern Empire comes with a slew of economic bonuses, the costs of setting up an army - given the cost of the first few units available in the early game - can really affect the speed at which you expand and eventually win - so attempting to build a Grand Cathedral might not be the best thing to do, unless you plan on a large assault in the mid- to late game.
So this a civ that works best in the early mid-game, and preferably on water, where the Byzantine knack for incendiary weapons comes naturally into its own. Otherwise, you may well be better off seeking to advance a diplomatic victory through conquering and holding enough territory on the map to trigger the countdown to a Territory victory, with or without allies - a task that is aided by Byzazntium's access to Guard Towers and the Citadel.
Unique units and structures gallery
Pronoiaroi
Byzantine unique heavy shock cavalry trainable from a Mansion. Highly disciplined and well-armoured, but fairly afforable in comparison to other cavalry units, especially those from a Nobles' Court.
Byzantine unique light infantry, available from a Mansion.
Kontaratoi
Byzantine unique heavy spear infantry trainable from a Barracks. Highly disciplined and more powerful than Spearmen. The long spears used by Kontaratoi can help in fending off war elephants in a pinch.
Spathatoi
Byzantine unique medium sword infantry trainable from a Barracks. Highly disciplined and more powerful than Militia.
Varangopouloi
Heavy "semi-mercenary" unique axe infantry unit recruited from the Oustpost by ERE and Kievan Rus'. Very slow, but very powerful in melee combat.
Dromonas
Post-Roman style medium warship capable of escort duty and intercepting light attack craft and Fire Vessels, but still can only attack heavy warships under conditions of numerical superiority. Available to both ERE and Bulgaria.
Royal Hounds
War dog units shared with Hoysala, Dai Viet and Khwarazamshah. Deals added damage to light infantry and cavalry, and can spot hidden units.
Citadel
As in The Hellenistic Era, the Citadel (alongside its weaker counterpart, the Guard Tower) continues to be the most powerful form of point defence in this instalment in the Kings & Conquerors family of mods.
Mansion
The weakest of all advanced unit recruitment structures, the Mansion's main draw is that it has the lowest tech requirements, and can be built in each and every large Settlement that you control.
Fortified Barracks
Stronger than a normal Barracks, this building may be weaker than most point defence structures, but it is nevertheless a useful way to quickly set up and reinforce a forward building operation against any enemy counterstrike.
Peasants' Hovel
Trains levy units for sedentary agrarian nations. Not available for Outremer, Qara Khitai, Khamag Mongol, or Polovtsy.
Leader names
John II the Good
John III Vatatzes
Theodore I Laskaris
Alexios III Angelos
Isaac II Angelos
Andronikos I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos
Settlement names
- Constantinopolis
- Thessaloniki
- Mystras
- Monemvasia
- Nicomedia
- Corinth
- Famagosta
- Smyrna
- Limassol
- Heraklion
- Paphos
- Chalcis
- Durazzo
- Potidea
- Chalcedonia
- Lindos
- Ialysos
- Samos
- Melos
- Paros
- Demetrias
- Mantinea
- Kerkira
- Admedara
- Athens
- Apollonia
- Kyrenia
- Angora
- Epidamnos
- Piraeus
- Patras
- Megara
- Santorini
- Chios
Other chapters:
Wolf Among Lions [Steam | XBOX/EE | Gold]
Rise of the Barbarians [Steam | XBOX/EE | Gold]
Imperivm Invictvm [Steam | XBOX/EE | Gold]
Hammurabi: [Steam | XBOX/EE | Gold]
Other mods:
Rise of Kings: Chronicles [Steam | XBOX/EE | Gold]
New World Empires: Swords of the Prophets [Steam | XBOX/EE | Gold]
Warbirth: The Crucible [Steam | XBOX/EE | Gold]
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