Rome: Total War

Lore & Background

The game's main campaign takes place from 270 BC to 14 AD, showcasing the rise and final centuries of the Republican period and early decades of the imperial period of Ancient Rome. Gameplay is split between real-time tactical battles and a turn-based strategic campaign. Within the campaign, players manage economy, government, diplomacy, and military of their faction on a map encompassing most of Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. On the battlefield, the player controls groups of soldiers and engages in combat with enemy forces. Control over territory is represented by capturing settlements, which can provide tax income or cause unrest if poorly managed. Cities have buildings such as temples, barracks, and amphitheatres that affect public health and happiness. Each faction starts with family members who can govern settlements and command armies; they develop character traits from life experiences or heredity. Agents include spies, diplomats, and assassins, each with special abilities. Battles feature 3D real-time combat with units including infantry, cavalry, archers, and siege weapons, and terrain plays a key role. Formations like phalanx and testudo sacrifice mobility for defensiveness.

Reader's Guide

Rome: Total War is notable for its blend of turn-based empire management and real-time tactical battles, a hallmark of the Total War series. Upon release, it received widespread acclaim from critics and has since been frequently referred to as one of the greatest games of all time. Two official expansion packs, Barbarian Invasion and Alexander, were released. A sequel, Total War: Rome II, arrived on September 3, 2013, and a remastered version developed by Feral Interactive was released on April 29, 2021. The game's engine was used in TV programs Decisive Battles by the History Channel and Time Commanders by BBC Two. Jeff van Dyck composed the original music soundtrack and received a BAFTA Interactive Awards nomination. The game's multiplayer services migrated to Steamworks after GameSpy's shutdown in May 2014. Modifications such as Europa Barbarorum and Roma Surrectum have aimed to introduce more historical accuracy. The game sold well, being the 20th-best-selling computer game of 2004 in the United States, with 390,000 copies sold and $16.8 million earned by August 2006.

Did You Know?

• The game's engine was used in the History Channel series Decisive Battles and BBC Two's Time Commanders.
• Jeff van Dyck composed the soundtrack and received a BAFTA Interactive Awards nomination.
• The iPad version was announced on August 12, 2016 and released on November 10, 2016.
• A demo featuring the Battle of River Trebia with the player as Hannibal was released on August 23, 2004.