Comparison with Paradox EU Rome (and Vae Victus expansion)

[mllange]

How does this game stack up in comparison with the Paradox Europa Universalis Rome (and expansion) title? At first glance they look fairly similar.

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: nim8or

How does this game stack up in comparison with the Paradox Europa Universalis Rome (and expansion) title? At first glance they look fairly similar.

apart from the time frame not much.

Paradox's Rome is great fun, but its the usual sandbox with pretty ahistorical dynamics. It also lets you play over about 400 years of history.

AJE et al, are all specific campaigns (some long such as the First Punic War), so the focus is on recreating that particular campaign. So the units aren't generic cookie counters that get bonuses over time, but are very different from scenario to scenario and nation to nation.

One is good if you want an essentially ahistorical romp across the ancient mediterranean, AJE works as a set of historical discrete campaigns.

[henri51]

IIRC the Paradox Rome games have a lot more politics, and less military strategy and less realism. I should start it up again, because it has been a long time since I played the former. All I remember is that I did not play it for very long.

(Edit) I still had Rome and Vae Victis in Steam, so I powered them up. Indeed the Paradox game is more politics than wargame, but it was well received by the critics.You have to manage the Senate, families, overambitious generals, and so on. You occasionally have to send some generals on suicide missions, because if you give them a large army and they win a battle, they are likely to revolt and start a civil war.

Think of EU II or III in a Roman map and timeframe (the map is about the same size as AJE).

AJE fits better in my scheme of wargaming, but that is just me. If you enjoy a lot of politics in wargames, Vae Victis might be good for you. I recommend that you check out some reviews and AARs to get a better idea.

[mllange]

Thank-you for your considerate replies. I should have mentioned I already own the EU Rome series, which is what sparks my interest in this game.