Not so! Rome: Total War may not be a perfect simulation of ancient warfare, but it does do a pretty good job of simulating the concepts and tactics that you would've wanted to apply on the ancient battlefield. To the uninitiated, combat looks as though you just rush your guys into the enemy and watch a blob of people fight until one side runs away. Sometimes your men will run away from a fight. Let's look at what it takes to win! Strategy gamers new to the Total War games find the battles fairly intimidating. Still, you don't want to throw those men away with poor decisions on the battlefield.
You'll usually be able to bring more units to the front, with better equipment, and better generals. If you play this portion of the game well then you'll have a distinct edge when it comes time for actual battles. So far this guide has talked about the strategic, turn-based part of the game.
