u/ProfileSubstantial16

Playing Rome in Invictus and just had one of those moments where the game teaches you something through your own desperation.

I'd spent two episodes setting up the Epirus war — seeding dissent among their Greek city-state subjects, waiting for their war score against the Antigonid Kingdom to tank, getting my armies into position. Everything was ready. And then I looked at the war declaration screen and realized: if I declare war on Epirus directly, my war goal is their capital city. Which is across the Adriatic. Which means a sea crossing, a long march, and fighting them on home soil while their allies swarm me from the peninsula.

So I didn't declare war on Epirus.

I declared war on Thurii — a city Epirus controls on the Italian peninsula. Same diplomatic outcome, completely different war goal. Instead of marching to their capital, I just needed to hold occupation on Thurii. My armies were already positioned there. Epirus still had to respond. And they were already at −50 war score against the Antigonid Kingdom at the same time.

The first battle was a massacre. 2,000 Epirote casualties versus fewer than 900 Roman losses. Check it out! Imperator Rome - Invictus - Ep11

I'm genuinely not sure if this is well-known or if I stumbled onto something. Do you actively look for subject/puppet nations as war targets specifically to manipulate war goals? I feel like this changes the entire logic of how to approach major power conflicts in Invictus.

Playing Rome in Imperator Invictus and just had one of those moments that makes Paradox games genuinely uncomfortable in the best way.

I'm mid-siege — Barion fort, southern campaign, Messapia and Peucetia — and the game quietly drops this on me: Appius Claudius Caecus, my Praetor, brother of the sitting Consul, likely the next Consul of Rome, has been found murdered in his home. Jagged rock. Known to be the favored weapon of one Lucius Julius Libo.

No hard evidence. Can't act. Only options: declare him guilty publicly (no proof) or watch and wait.

Here's what made it worse: I then had to fill the Praetor vacancy. Lucius Julius Libo — the man who almost certainly killed him — was the best-statted candidate on the list by a distance. I obviously didn't appoint him. But I wanted to.

I ended up having to reshuffle three senate positions simultaneously, mid-war, while the Tribunus Militum was also developing lung disease and the fleet just lost a battle to pirates because I hadn't been maintaining it.

Rome still won the war and became a Major Power. But the Senate came out of it looking very different from how it went in.

Has anyone else hit this murder event in Invictus? Is there a follow-up chain if you publicly accuse without evidence, or does it just disappear? Curious whether there's a payoff I missed.

Here is the link if you want to see what happened: Imperator Rome - Invictus - Ep10