Rome: Total War - Alexander/Factions

Alexander factions

There are only eight factions in Alexander. Of these, only one, Macedon, is playable in campaign mode. The player can make playable the other factions only by changing the expansion's files. The factions are:

Barbarians

• Scythia: The Scythians control Scythia but in Alexander they also control Chersonesos.Their army consists of master horsemen and archers but almost no melee infantry. The Scythians are not a threat to the Macedonians but they can be conquered with difficulty. Also, thick forests block all the land next to the capital of the Scythians, making it troublesome for a player to conquer it.
• Dahae: Representing neighbouring, barbarian peoples like the Illyrians, Thracians, Sarmatians and Scythians, and consisting of independent cities like Byzantium. They are similar to the barbarian factions in the original game; their armies consist of large groups of poorly equipped warriors, including warriors wielding war scythe-like swords. They control various territories on the northern edges of the map.
• Illyria: The Illyrians control the western half of the Balkans with the capital at Epidamnus. Their army consists of axemen and specialist infantry with a limited collection of cavalry. Like their neighbours the Thracians they are a barbarian nation and they are also among the most dangerous nations at the beginning of Alexander.
• Thrace: Thrace begins with only Thrace under control with the capital of Byzantium. The army consists of barbarian close infantry including falxmen but very little cavalry. The Thracians are a barbarian race and not a Greek one as seen in Rome Total War. Along with the Illyrians they are among the the most dangerous nations at the begin of the campaign. They are allied with the other nations that are rival to the Macedonians.

Greek factions

• Macedon: Macedon begins with most of Greece under its control. The army is similar to that of Macedon in the original game, consisting of various hoplites and phalanxes, and powerful cavalry, including the Companions; the army lacks archer units, although it can field javelin-throwing units. Macedon also has a unique unit representing Alexander's personal unit of elite Companion cavalry led by the king himself. Unlike Rome and Barbarian Invasion, if the player's king is killed, the campaign ends in defeat.

Eastern factions

• Persia: The Persian army of Darius III is made up of a variety of troops, from poorly equipped masses of infantry and archers, to quality cavalry and elite units like the Immortals (also known as "Apple-bearers", from the apple-shaped ornaments on their spears), as well as mercenaries from Greece and Phrygia. The army also has access to chariots, which the Persian generals also ride. The Persian Empire of the Achaemenid dynasty is vast, controlling all of Anatolia, Egypt, modern day Iraq and Iran, and even as far east as western India- and everything in between.
• India: Far from being a unified nation-state, the Indian kingdoms were nonetheless capable of sending awe-inspiring armies into the battlefield. Their armies consist of large units of lightly armored troops, chariots and painted war elephants. The Indians do not appear in the single-player campaign.

Rebels

• Rebels: The Rebels are not a conventional faction. Throughout the Total War series, the 'rebels' have been used to represent rebellious provinces and various minor factions (such as the Illyrians in the original Rome: Total War). Unlike in most Total War titles however, in Alexander there is not a single 'rebel' province at the beginning of the game, and the 'rebels' will only appear later in the game, either randomly as 'brigand' armies, or when a province revolts, either as a natural, historically authentic progression of the campaign after the player conquers Persia, or when a province's 'public order' rating drops below a certain level... As in other Total War titles, The 'Rebels' faction, being an essential gameplay mechanic, cannot be destroyed, even if every 'rebel' army on the map is destroyed and every 'rebel' settlement captured, the 'Rebels' faction can never be truly destroyed and will almost certainly reappear later in some form.

Rebels

The Rebels are a very unique faction. Just like their name, they usually come about by unhappy people who go against their nation. The units of the Rebels depend on the culture of the faction they came from. For example, a Rebel army near Rome could have lighter more militia-like soldiers such as Town Watch, while a Rebel army near Athens could have Hoplites and Peltasts and other Greek Soldiers. There are different kinds of Rebels as well. Brigands are revolting slaves, Pirates are Rebel Fleets, The Gladitor Uprisings come from Roman Cities with the Arena type of buildings, Amazons from the Northern Steppe areas near Scythia, Helot Rebels from Sparta(which have a large morale boost to their army), or just independent kingdoms and city-states.

The Senate and People of Rome

The Senate and People of Rome are the big boss of the three starting Roman factions in the Campaign(The House of Julli, The House of Scipii, and The House of Brutti, each representing the historical Julian, Scipio, and Brutus families, respectively). They have only one city, Rome(which is the most advanced city when you start a Campaign). The Senators will assign missions to the three Roman starter Factions(including the player if he is playing as Julli, Scipii, or Brutti) in which they will have to complete a military task such as capturing an enemy settlement, blockading an enemy port with one of your fleets; a diplomatic task, such as getting trade rights, map information, or creating an alliance with another faction; or it could involve personal tasks, such as killing your own faction leader(Usually only happens when you get high influence over the Plebeians(People of Rome)which is required to overthrow the Senate and take over all other Roman factions and establish your own empire). Some of the missions have rewards for completing them such as money or unique Military units to be used in battle, or are required by the Senate or else they will put punishments upon you. All Senate missions will add popularity gained to the Senate in your Senate Floor.

The House of Julli

The House of Julli are the red colored Roman Faction. They start with two settlements in the northern part of the Italian Peninsula, with Arretium as their capital. They also have a unique unit to their faction(and the Senate and People of Rome), Samnite Gladiators, which are effective swordsmen with excellent morale and can be built once a Colosseum (Entertainment Building) is created. The three religious temples for The House of Julli are Ceres, wp:Dionysus Bacchus, and Jupiter. When you first begin a Campaign, the Julli's first mission from the Senate will be to capture a nearby village Settlement.

Unlocking more factions for use in campaign

More Factions can be unlocked for use in Campaign by successfully obtaining victory before rival factions in either the Normal Campaign (Become Supreme Ruler of Rome and hold at least 50 provinces), or the Short Campaign (Destroy or Outlast certain factions, hold at least 15 provinces)

It can also be unlocked by a modding of the game's files. You can also use this method to unlock some of the non-playable factions, though some of those to play may be bugged. Note: This procedure involves editing a game file; create a backup copy of the file before proceeding. Use a text editor to edit the "descr_strat" file in the "\activision\rome - total war\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign" folder. At the top of the page it will have something like this:

campaign  imperial_campaign
playable
 romans_julli
 romans_brutti
 romans_scipii
end unlockable
 egypt
 selucid
 carthage
 parthia
 gauls
 germans
 britons
 greek_cities
end nonplayable
 romans_senate
 macedon
 pontus
 armenia
 dacia
 scythia
 spain
 thrace
 numidia
 slave
''end''

Change it to the following:

    campaign  imperial_campaign
    playable
     romans_julii
     romans_brutii
     romans_scipii
    end
    unlockable
     egypt
     seleucid
     carthage
     parthia
     gauls
     germans
     britons
     greek_cities
     macedon
     pontus
     armenia
     dacia
     scythia
     spain
     thrace
     numidia
    end
    nonplayable
    romans_senate
    end

Non-Playable factions in campaign

• The Senate and People of Rome
• Macedon
• Thrace
• Scythia
• Dacia
• Spain
• Numidia
• Pontus
• Armenia
• Rebels

Unlockable factions in campaign

• Carthage
• Egypt
• Parthia
• The Greek Cities
• The Selucid Empire (Selucids)
• Gaul
• Brittania
• The Germanic Tribes (Germania)