Playable factions on the Main Campaign by the Caesar in Gaul Campaign Pack

Reflecting Julius Caesar’s Gallic War from 58 to 51 BC, Caesar in Gaul takes place over a shorter timeframe than ROME II. We’ve therefore extended each year to 24 turns, and reintroduced seasons to the campaign game. As the turns tick by, each season can bring positive or negative effects to your game, and you’ll see some beautiful changes happening to the campaign map. This screenshot gives you a taster of just how atmospheric it can look.

Our upcoming Total War: ROME II Campaign Pack “Caesar in Gaul” introduces three new playable factions.
These factions are included in the Caesar in Gaul Campaign Pack, but are playable in the Main Campaign Game.

The Boii, a celtic tribe from Central Europe (Hercynia) and known for their military prowess, urge to move and conquer. As such, they enjoy a morale boost while being in enemy territories.

The Galatians, blending Gallic and Hellenistic culture, come with a unique starting position and are accomplished plunderers, they gain increased income from raiding and sacking.

The Nervii, fearless warriors, focus on ambush tactics and fast assaults to defeat their enemies in close combat. They also benefit from their network of friendly tribes and receive a morale boost on friendly territories. 

Caesar in Gaul Expansion Campaign Pack for Total War: ROME II

I've announced that is a brand new standalone campaign pack for Total War: ROME II - the Caesar in Gaul Campaign Pack - covering Julius Caesar’s war of expansion against the Gaulish tribes. Included will be a new campaign map, a greater focus on characters, compact focussed multiplayer design, new mid-game challenge mechanics and three new factions!

Description:
Caesar in Gaul is a standalone campaign pack for Total War: ROME II covering Julius Caesar’s war of expansion against the Gaulish tribes. Players can choose from four playable factions in this conflict: the Gallic Arverni, the Germanic Suebi, the Belgic Nervii and Rome, in a campaign inspired by Caesar’s Commentarii de bello Gallico (Commentaries on the Gallic war).
Offering a tighter scope in terms of time and geography than Rome II (58-51BC), the Caesar in Gaul Campaign Map is an expanded, more detailed vision of Gaul and the south coast of Britannia. Compared with ROME II’s map of Gaul, Caesar in Gaul contains more regions and provinces, more factions (both playable and non-playable), and a series of famous generals and statesmen from history which the player will employ or fight against depending on their chosen faction.
A war of great profit and glory for Caesar, this conflict made him extremely popular with the people of Rome… though less so with the senators, who saw him gathering power to himself in a series of events that ultimately lead to his ascension to Dictator! Caesar in Gaul differs from the core ROME II experience in a number of important ways:

1) New Campaign Map:
 The Caesar in Gaul campaign map is an enhanced, more detailed representation of Gaul, with players able to expand across 18 provinces dotted with resources, new settlements and new provincial capitals.

2) Greater focus on characters:
Many factions employ great generals and statesmen from history (for example, Rome fields Gaius Julius Caesar himself, Mark Anthony and others). Each of the four playable factions also has a faction leader who acts as the player’s avatar during the campaign.

3) 24 turns per year:
As Caesar in Gaul deals with a considerably shorter time-span (58-51BC) than the grand sweep of the ROME II campaign, each turn represents two weeks rather than a year. This means seasons make a return. The gameplay effects of these aren’t always predictable however, and may vary from province to province. A late autumn may bring a good harvest for example, but a long, dry summer may damage your food production.

4) Compact, focussed multiplayer campaign:
For those generals looking for a more rapid MP campaign game, Caesar in Gaul presents a series of interesting options. Due to the geographic scope and the opposing 48 factions, co-op or competitive 2-player campaigns are tighter, more focussed, and less time-consuming than a full Campaign.

5) New mid-game challenge mechanics:
For those players making it through to the mid-game, there will be new challenges to face as a more suitable replacement for the Civil Wars of ROME II. As a Gallic tribe, you’ll feel the mailed fist of Rome respond with heavy intervention forces, and as Rome, you’ll see the Gallic tribes rebelling and forming alliances against you.

6) New historical battle:
Caesar in Gaul adds the Battle of Alesia as a playable historical battle. Alesia marked the turning point of Caesar’s Gallic War, and resulted in the capture of Vercingetorix, who was later taken to Rome and executed at Caesar’s Triumph.

Set from Caesar’s perspective, Alesia tasks the player with maintaining the siege of Vercingetorix's Gallic stronghold. The battle begins with the Roman forces deployed within their own investment fortifications outside the hill-fort. The player must guide the Romans as they weather attacks from both a huge relief army and within the fort itself.
New Total War: ROME II full campaign playable factions: Alongside the factions playable within the new Campaign, Caesar in Gaul also adds three new playable factions to the main game; they are:

• Nervii (barbarian, Belgic)

The most fierce and powerful of the Belgic tribes, the Nervii are a melting pot of Celtic and Germanic heritage. Their unit roster reflects this mix of cultures, opening up the possibility of creating new, unique army compositions.

• Boii (barbarian, Gallic)

One of the largest of the Gallic tribes, the Boii occupied Cisalpine-Gaul, Pannonia, Bohemia and Transalpine Gaul. Their numbers make them a force to be reckoned with but they are somewhat disconnected from other the Gallic tribes geographically and are directly exposed to the ferocious Germanic clans and the Dacians.

• Galatians (barbarian, Anatolia)

The Gauls of the East, the Galatians migrated to Asia Minor following the Celtic invasion of the Balkans. They arrived through Thracia at around 270 BC, led by generals Lotarios & Leonnorios. As Celts deep within Hellenic territory and factions hostile towards them, the Galatians offer interesting and challenging new gameplay.

Edited to add: Total War: Rome 2: Caesar in Gaul is out December 12th 2013 for $14.99/£9.99/€14.99.

Total War: Rome II - Baktria Faction (Coming Soon)

Baktria


“Profit, pride, expansion”
Baktria was a gateway to trade between east and west, to India, and to the far-off lands of China. It lay in what is modern-day Afghanistan, and Kandahar itself was founded by Alexander the Great.
As a protectorate of the Seleucid Empire, Baktria was famed as a province of a thousand cities. It was wealthy thanks to those trade routes and the rich agricultural lands of its fertile valleys and plains. The land was a home to Greek colonists, Persians and many more peoples, and was a part of Alexander’s vast empire. Roxana, Alexander’s wife and the mother of his nominal heir who was born after his death, was a Baktrian princess.
In the confusion of wars that followed Alexander’s death, Seleucus I Nicator established his control over the eastern parts of Alexander’s empire, including Baktria. The region was heavily colonised by Greek settlers, more so than any other part of the east, and was largely Hellenised as a result, with Greek culture and influence paramount in all things. As such, Baktria’s armed forces brought a rich and varied blend of warriors to the field, with hoplites, peltasts and fierce swordsmen rubbing shoulders with Galatian legionaries and Gallic hunters.
With the Seleucid Empire locked in a series of wars against the other Successor states, Baktria was a satrapy with a degree of independence. During the rule of Diodotus, and sometime between the Second and Third Syrian Wars of the 3rd century BC, it became an entirely independent Hellenistic kingdom. Under their new kings, the Baktrians could be a vigorous military power, benefiting hugely from any breakdown in Seleucid authority and inattention from Parthia. Immense wealth, and tough warriors, could take their armies all the way to the shores of the Mediterranean…
As veterans of the Successor Wars, Hellenic states hold few surprises in battle for the warriors of Baktria. As a result, the Baktrian soldiery faces Hellenic armies with great confidence and courage. Well-situated for trade, they enjoy enhanced commercial and industrial income, and with their popular Hellenic outlook, they find it easier to spread cultural influence with others. However, the edge of the Great Steppe is a troublesome place for a Hellenic culture to settle; Baktria finds it difficult to curry favour with the aggressive nomad tribes.

Total War: Rome II - Massagetae Faction (Nomadic Tribes Culture Pack)

The Massagetae

“Power, Independence, Defence”
The Massagetae are a fierce nomad tribe with a long history of destroying civilized armies, as their utter crushing of Cyrus the Great and his Persian army attests. From their steppe homeland, they have the power to sweep down on nomad and settled enemies alike, taking what they will and moving swiftly on to new victories and new conquests. By using their strengths as horsemen, there is little they cannot achieve.

Historically, there is a good chance Herodotus was confused about the identities of the various steppe peoples. While he used the term Massagetae to describe these people, a word that translates as “great Getae", the original Getae were a Dacian tribe, not Scythian or nomadic. Herodotus also described them as living beyond the Caspian Sea. He did, however, say that they resembled the Scythians but with their own customs and practices. In particular, he mentions strange funeral rites that involve cooking and eating important men who die honourably. Quite sensibly, any who died of horrid diseases were not eaten…
As a nomadic people, The Massagetae are adept raiders, and capable of recruiting troops at a rapid rate from their home province. Their pastoral lifestyle leads to greater profit through an abundance of livestock, and their fierce sense of independence means they will fight hard to preserve their territory. At the diplomatic table however, they find it hard to curry favour with the Eastern Peoples, who frown upon their nomadic lifestyle.

Available in the Nomadic Tribes Culture Pack.

Total War: Rome II - Roxolani Faction (Nomadic Tribes Culture Pack)

The Roxolani


“Persistence, Commerce, Conflict”
The Roxolani or ‘Bright Alans’ are a Scythian-speaking collection of tribes of the Sarmatian people. As might be expected of steppe nomads they are fine horsemen, ruthless warriors, and merciless towards their enemies. Like all steppe nomads, there are many forces drawing them south and east away from the steppes: the prospect of easy pickings from soft and sedentary civilized people is foremost among these reasons.
The harsh reality of steppe life and tribal politics is that tribes have to be aggressive, or be crushed by other steppe tribes. The Roxolani were sometimes allies of the Dacians, and fought alongside them against the Romans. There are Roman claims that Legio III Gallicia and its supporting auxiliaries destroyed a 9,000-strong raiding force of Roxolani in 69 AD. This sounds more like the destruction of a complete cavalry army; however, the Roxolani took their revenge a generation later by wiping out Legio XXI Rapax. The Romans came to consider the Roxolani a threat and, while recruiting some as auxiliaries, fortified their frontiers against them. These masters of bow, lance and horse offer a significant threat to less mobile forces.

As a nomadic people, The Roxolani are adept raiders, and capable of recruiting troops at a rapid rate from their home province. Keen to expand, they are also accomplished traders and fierce warriors, and they fight with great zeal in foreign territory. However, as a result of their expansionist ways, they must work harder to gain the trust of other nomadic tribes.

Available in the Nomadic Tribes Culture Pack.

Total War: Rome II - Scythia Faction (Nomadic Tribes Culture Pack)

Scythia


“Craftsmanship, Pride, Might”
In their own eyes, the Royal Scythians are better than everyone else. This is not their problem, but a simple truth. All other tribes, even other Scythians, are no better than slaves and deserving of the same level of consideration, which is to say absolutely none: such is the fierceness of their pride.
According to legend, all Royal Scythians are descended from Colaxais, the youngest of three brothers, and the one who was given divine golden gifts. The favour of the gods has stayed with his descendants ever since. Golden they might be, but the Royal Scythians can still see that there are rich pickings to be had among the ‘civilized’ folk to the south and west of their steppes.

The Scythians were regarded as dangerous barbarians by the Greeks and other civilized peoples, and when faced with the crushing charge of the Scythian Royal Horse, few would disagree. The writings of Herodotus explain nearly all of Scythian culture by reference to Greek equivalents, and the Scythian versions are usually found wanting. To be fair, Herodotus was a product of his time and background. Nonetheless, the Scythians do seem to have been uniquely uncompromising in their approach to war and personal violence, and this seems to have added to their aura of dread.

As a nomadic people, The Scythians are adept raiders, and capable of recruiting troops at a rapid rate from their home province. They are noted for their craftsmanship and the profit this brings, and their skill with the bow is known far and wide. However, their culture lies at odds with that of the Hellenic States, resulting in a lack of common ground in parley.

Available in the Nomadic Tribes Culture Pack.

Total War: ROME II - How Far Will You Go? - Launch Trailer - [UK]

An incredible period of history, the creation of the world’s first superpower, the dominance of a people, a culture and a defining way of life that still has repercussions today.

Over 2,000 years ago the Romans set out on a path that culminated in the creation of an empire the like of which the world had never seen, and may never see again. A time of glorious victories and bloody defeats, heroic and despotic men and women, families that tore each other apart in pursuit of the eternal city and the power it represented.

Some attained that prize, but only fleetingly. Many more failed. 

Watch our launch trailer and perhaps you can answer the question; How far will you go for Rome?

Total War: ROME II is out tomorrow, Sept 3, activating from 00:00 PST.