History VideoGame / TotalWarRomeII

* OlderIsBetter: The more elite Spartan Hoplites wear equipment, whilst no unheard of for the time period, that was increasingly becoming less and less common for Greek military units to wear, such as the super Cool Corinthian Helmets. They of course, still have much better armour and defense then the new equipment their less elite troops have.

The second expansion pack, ''Hannibal at the Gates'', was released on the 27th of March, 2014, this time, it follows Hannibal Barca during the [[UsefulNotes/PunicWars Second Punic War]], opposed by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, with the Hellenic city-state of Syracuse and the Arevaci and Lusitani tribes of Iberia caught up in the middle.

On September 16th, 2014, the game was updated to the ''Emperor Edition'' for all existing and future players at no additional cost. In addition, it automatically includes the new ''Imperator Augustus'' campaign, which follows the civil war between the former members of the Second Triumvirate ([[UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} Gaius Octavian]], Marc Antony and Marcus Lepidus) and Sextus Magnus Pompey for control of the Roman Republic, while factions on the outskirts of the Republic plan to take advantage of this chaos to their own ends.

** The marketing for the Desert Kingdoms Culture Pack prominently features the female archers of the African Kingdom of Kush, undoubtedly referencing the [[AmazonBrigade Dora Milaje]] from Film/BlackPanther, which released around the same time.

* AncientGreece: Despite the title, the era the game is set in is still very much dominated by Greek culture and Greek nations of all shapes and sizes constitute a large portion of playable factions. Wrath of Sparta, is ''entirley'' focused on the time peroid, being set in the Second Peloponnesian War

* CannonFodder: ''Very'' basic melee Mob/Pleb infantry can be built from slums that arise from a population surplus square that isn't developed or provided as an innate garrison for many towns...they're pretty much guaranteed to inevitably die off and rout no matter where they attack any real melee units without a dramatic numeric advantage - they're essentially a basic ranged unit in effectiveness but without the actual range. Basically ''any'' low tier infantry unit.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: The Mediterranean factions (except the noticeably darker Egyptians) all share the same olive skin tone (combined with dark brown hair and eyes) for their units, in contrast to the noticeably paler Germanic and Celtic troops, regardless of where said units were recruited. [[JustifiedTrope Actually fairly logical]], given that the peoples of the central to southern Italy, Phoenicia, Greece, Iberia, Anatolia, etc. are all pretty close in terms of coloring, though pale light-haired light-eyed people also existed (and exist) among all of those peoples in less significant numbers.
** The African Kingdoms are all, clearly African, however. The exception goes for the female models, which are basically the default Caucasian female model given a darker skintone; the facial features do not resemble those of African women.

* AncientRome: [[CaptainObvious Duh]]. The main focus, of course; the grand campaign and the various mini campaigns being set from the fall of the Etruscan League, all the way to the start of the Late Antiquity with the crisis of the Third Century. Spanning from the Roman Republic, all the way to the Roman Empire! The gradual erosion of Hellenism, and dominance of Latin culture is a central theme to the game as a whole.

* BadassBoast: Especially common in General speeches, but the [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome crowning]] example is the FlavorText for the [[OneManArmy Heroes of Sparta]].

** To ''Literature/LordOfTheRings'':

** '''Syracuse''': Generalist leaning to Elitist/Research: Similarly to Athens, Syracuse has good Spear Units, as well as serviceable Pikemen and Sword infantry; however, while Athens has its BadassNavy, Syracuse can climb the TechTree much faster than the other factions, giving them an edge if they can get to the mid and late campaign.

*** Special mention must go to the Kingdom of Kush from the upcoming 'Desert Kingdoms' DLC, which lists more female generals than other factions as a feature.

** The African Kingdoms are all, clearly African, however.

** While moving, the druids can occasionally be heard saying [[Literature/LordOfTheRings "The road goes ever on and on..."]]
** The flavor text for the bonuses granted for holding the Pharos of Alexandria is [[Literature/LordOfTheRings "May its light be a beacon when all other lights go out."]]

The year after, another expansion pack- ''Rise of the Republic''- was announced.

** '''Illyrian Tribes''': Pariah/Spammer. Generally ''very'' poor unit choices and one unit of sub-par cavalry Really, Illyria is considered the ''worst of the worst'', and are usually wiped off the map by turn fifty; nothing but a tactical genius can make these guys good. To add insult to injury, their factional bonus relies on recluting masses of mercenaries for a single turn and disbanding them shortly after but they generally lack the economical groundwork to capitalize on that.

** '''Germanic Tribes''': Guerilla/Spammer/Technical, as they get the "scare" ability for many units, making them horribly damaging to enemy morale, but their units are otherwise of unremarkable quality...with the exception of Berserkers anyway...and there will be never a shortage of troops to call upon, as most of their rooster is very cheap, and plentiful. They excel, however, in forest combat, and many of their units have Vanguard deployment.

** '''Gaulish Tribes''': Brute/Spammer: Similar to the above, but with the addition of fielding several ''very'' nasty sword warriors decked out in ''extremely'' heavy armour that pound through everything that's thrown against them, making them a nightmare to fight in defensive battles. In addition, they have decent cavalry, and ranged units. Like most "Barbarians" their armies are also very plentiful.

** '''Syracuse''': Generalist leaning to Elitist/Research: Similary to Athens, Syracuse has good Spear Units, as well as serviceable Pikemen and sword infantry; however, while Athens has its BadassNavy, Syracuse can climb the TechTree much faster than the other factions, giving them an edge if they can get to the mid and late campaign.

** '''Illyrian Tribes''': Pariah/Spammer. Generally ''very'' poor unit choices and one unit of sub-par cavalry; their sole shining spot lies on their falx and rhomphaia infantry, which even then is more useful for shock purposes. Really, Illyria is considered the ''worst of the worst'', and are usually wiped off the map by turn fifty; nothing but a tactical genius can make these guys good. To add insult to injury, their factional bonus relies on recluting masses of mercenaries for a single turn and disbanding them shortly after but they generally lack the economical groundwork to capitalize on that.

** '''Illyrian Tribes''': Pariah. Generally ''very'' poor unit choices and one unit of sub-par cavalry. Really, Illyria is considered the ''worst of the worst'', and are usually wiped off the map by turn fifty; nothing but a tactical genius can make these guys good.
** '''Iberian Tribes''': Guerrilla/Generalist mix, as they have good light infantry for ambushes but good medium infantry that can hold its own against even Roman soldiers.

** '''Macedon''': Elitist/Brute: The heirs of Alexander have a very solid roster, focused on strong Pike Units, backed by terrifyingly brutal Shock Calvary, including the all mighty Companion Cavalry.

* DoomedMoralVictor: Emperor Aurelian in the ''Empire Divided'' campaign. Despite reuniting the fracturing Roman Empire, and honestly ensuring the Empire's survival for more then another century, he was killed after four years by his generals when his secretary manipulated them into thinking they would be severely punished; in order for the secretary to cover up a minor lie. Doubles as a ''major'' ShootTheShaggyDog.

** The Sassanids, aka the Great Persian Empire, are also present and playable on the campaign map, though there slightly less powerful then how their depicted in ''Attila''. They still dominate the East, are the only ones who can truly rival the might of Rome.

* BodyguardBetrayal: The Authority assassination method for spies, and what Arminus does to Varus in their fateful battle.

* BearsAreBadNews: German Berserkers wear skinned bear hide when they go into battle, making their already terrifying visages even more intimidating. And yes their the very definition of bad news.

** ''Fully'' {{Averted}} with the Cretan Archers, some of the most famous marksmen in the entire Ancient World, that come from the island of Crete, and stand out as some of the best archer units in the ''entire'' series. Disciplined, fast, and above all else, ''skilled'' they might as well be Ancient snipers, for they shoot hard, fast, and very accurate. Only the (unplayable) faction of Crete can recruit them natively, but you can also get mercenary variants, and, if your playing as Rome, get them as auxiliaries. Expensive, but very much worth the investment.

** As of the Ancestral Update, the AI, especially on the campaign side of things, has gotten ''alot'' smarter, for example players have observed it using it's fleets to escort it's seabound armies, and having it's armies guard roads with forts, that lead to key cities.

* CoolHelmet: [[UpToElven Hoo boy]]. The game includes a ''vast'' plethora of CoolHelmets from across the ancient world, such as the Roman Galea and the Macedonian Phrygian Helm. Special mention goes to the outdated Corinthian great helms of the Spartans, which include ''[[http://wiki.totalwar.com/images/d/d3/Sparta.png enormous]]'' horsehair crests, and the Carthaginian ''beard'' helmets.

* AlternateHistory: As the norm for ''Total War'' games. Examples include the Carthaginians ''winning'' the Punic Wars, and becoming the dominant power in the Mediterranean instead of Rome, Mark Anthony crowning himself Caeser of Rome after destroying Octavian, Vercingetorix fighting of the Roman Legions and having Gaul remain independent, the Athenians finally bringing forth their dream; a united Athenian Empire after crushing Sparta, or the Heirs of Alexander rallying and pushing off Roman Power, continuing the strength of Greek Hellenism.

* AntiInfantry: Javelins and Arrows fulfil this function this time, a well timed volley can utterly wreck formations of advancing soldiers.

* BoardingParty: One of the main naval tactics is to board enemy ships and engage their crews in melee combat. Particularly effective against missile and artillery ships, whose crews aren't very good in melee.
* BodyguardBetrayal: The Authority assassination method for spies.
* BornInTheSaddle: The Nomadic Tribes entire lifestyle is based on their use of horses, which they use for ''everything'', ;food, clothing, transportation, and most importantly, as far as the games concerned, warfare.

* DirtyCoward: After the Romans break out of the initial ambush in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, Varus tells his Legions "You're on your own" and runs away when he sees Arminius leading a massive cavalry force. When asked about his fate later, the narrator says "No one knows. Even fewer care." In the meantime, we're shown Varus, alone, being ambushed by Germans and killed by Arminius as he begs for his life, contrasting with his real-life death[[note]]Upon nearing defeat, he [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled committed suicide]]. Arminius then [[OffWithHisHead cut off his head]] and sent it to King Marbod of the Marcomanni tribe as a gift[[/note]].
* DoomedMoralVictor: Aurelian in the ''Empire Divided'' campaign. Despite reuniting the fracturing Roman Empire, he was killed after four years by his generals when a secretary manipulated them into thinking they would be severely punished, in order for the secretary to cover up a minor lie.

** The Sassanids, the Great Persian Empire, are also present and playable on the campaign map, though there slightly less powerful then how their depicted in ''Attila''. They still dominate the East.

** The Grand Campaign heralds the end of Greek Hellenism, and it's fall to Roman Latin culture.

** Rome can recruit a ''vast'' amount of special auxiliaries if they have an Auxiliary Camp in a conquered region, which are typically similar or identical to units that were used by the former owners, just with an added "axuilarly" added to their name.

* EncyclopediaExposita: The game comes equipped with its own internal reference guide - called (duh) the Encyclopedia - which lists unit descriptions, potential strategies and tactics, campaign footnotes, historical factoids, etc.

* BornInTheSaddle: The background story for the factions made playable with the ''Nomadic Tribes Culture Pack''.

* AlternateHistory: As the norm for ''Total War'' games. Examples include the Carthaginians ''winning'' the Punic Wars, and becoming the dominant power in the Mediterranean instead of Rome, Mark Anthony crowning himself Caeser of Rome after destroying Octavian, or the Heirs of Alexander rallying and pushing off Roman Power, continuing the strength of Greek Hellenism.

* TheAlliance: Barbarian factions have the option of creating confederations with other barbarian factions, melding their territory and units together into one super faction. A special event in ''Caesar in Gaul'' has ''all'' the remaining Gaulish factions uniting under Vercingetorix to challenge the Roman Legions and their conquest.

* BadassCape: Favored by Generals, Unit Officers and many EliteMooks, such as the purple caped Praetorians.

* CannonFodder: ''Very'' basic melee Mob/Pleb infantry can be built from slums that arise from a population surplus square that isn't developed or provided as an innate garrison for many towns...they're pretty much guaranteed to inevitably die off and rout no matter where they attack any real melee units without a dramatic numeric advantage - they're essentially a basic ranged unit in effectiveness but without the actual range.

* CoolHelmet: Includes a plethora of Cool Helmets from across the ancient world. Special mention goes to the Corinthian helms of the Spartans, which include ''[[http://wiki.totalwar.com/images/d/d3/Sparta.png enormous]]'' horsehair crests.

* EarlyBirdCameo: The Goths are a playable faction in the ''Empire Divided'' campaign, long before their split between the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths that feature in ''VideoGame/TotalWarAttila''.
* EliteMooks: Certain factions have units which have better stats than their regular counterparts, like Picked Hoplites for Athens and Syracuse or Veteran Legionaries for Rome.

** Rome can recruit auxiliaries if they have an Auxiliary Camp in a conquered region, which are typically similar or identical to units that were used by the former owners.

* NavalBlockade: Settlements can be blockaded by fleets of any size, cutting off trade through that settlement and increasing unit recruitment time in that region. It also causes attrition to the blockading fleet, just like during sieges.

** High Authority Generals, as well as several high tier units, however are One ''Unit'' Armies, as they can butcher lesser units by the truckload like a knife cutting through Tapioca.

** '''Gaulish Tribes''': Brute/Spammer: Similar to the above, but with the addition of fielding several ''very'' nasty
sword warriors decked out in ''extremely'' heavy armour that pound through everything that's thrown against them, making them a nightmare to fight in defensive battles. In addition, they have decent cavalry, and ranged units. Like most "Barbarians" their armies are also very plentiful.