14 DAY TRIAL // The Hannibal at the Gates campaign expansion is all about the conflict between the Romans and the Carthaginians, the Ancient world’s equivalent of a showdown between the United States and the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.
Because the Second Punic War was such a big conflict, a number of smaller factions were pulled into the fight, mostly as allies of the two powers, and I have previously talked about the way Syracuse can offer an interesting alternative, with its focus on Greek units and technological superiority.
Now, I plan to run through the early game with the Arevaci, one of the two powers that can play a big role in the conflict and are based in modern-day Spain, which the ancient called Iberia.
They have only one province on start, a limited income and a small supply of extra food for expansion, so I quickly moved to secure the cities around me that did not have the intelligence to make an alliance with either the Romans or the Carthaginians.
One thing that surprised me was how bloody and fast combat between Iberian factions was, with powerful swordsmen and cavalry often meaning that lines mingled fast after the start of the battle and that solid use of abilities was often the key to victory.
It’s hard to gobble up neighbors without attracting the ire of one of the major powers, but it’s possible to create a solid kingdom in the long term, as long as the player is ready to deal with a lot of battles and with the time needed to recuperate between them.
The big decision to make at that point was whether to attack Rome or Carthage and, because of proximity issues, I decided to take on the North African superpower.
They have powerful armies in Iberia and the Arevaci have a tough time dealing with their powerful phalanxes and their elephants, when they manage to recruit them.
In time, I was able to get the Carthaginians out of Spain and I am now contemplating whether to try and invade their homelands or whether I would be better served by simply making peace in order to expand my holdings into Southern France, where the Romans rule through allies at the moment.
Iberia also plays host to the Lusitani, which start in an even more difficult position and are also affected by a penalty to relations with those around them.