Diplomacy | General tips TW: Rome II - Caesar in Gaul Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
The last key gameplay facet in Rome II: Caesar in Gaul is diplomacy. Unlike in the base game, where you were able to establish stable long-term diplomatic relationships with encountered factions, political situation in Caesar in Gaul is ever-changing.
First, you should ponder on an old Roman saying: divide and rule. At the very beginning check (using the diplomacy window) the diplomatic relations in the region. Not only relations between you and your neighbours are important but also those between other factions. This way you may discern potential allies and opponents. Alliances should be best made with loyal, trustworthy neighbours - the treacherous ones will be quick to stab you in the back, thus parleying with them should be your last resort (e.g. when you need to buy some time to finish current war campaigns). Wars should be declared preferably on factions with no allies, so you could quickly destroy them and expand your sphere of influence. If your war target has an ally, you should carefully examine connections between other nations. Many a time attacking faction A may cause faction B, and consequently allied factions C and D, to join the war against you. This way you may become a victim of your own war plans.
While making allies, you should consider the fact that as your nation develops the other factions start to think of you as a rival - your expansiveness rate will rapidly grow, having a negative influence on all negotiations. Sadly, there are no means of preventing this in the long term. You may send gifts to one, two, or even three factions in order to keep them in your sphere of influence, however, the other nations (even these, who were remaining friendly for a long time) sooner or later will declare war on you. This political instability is going to lead you to an inevitable total war in late game (once you take control over at least 1/3 of the campaign map), so you should prepare yourself aforehand to fight at many fronts.
Confederation option may prove very useful. Do not think it is not worthwhile to browse through diplomacy panel now and then to invite all known factions to join your confederation. It may often happen that a distant enclave standing at the brink of destruction by the hand of its aggressive neighbours will gladly join your nation. This way you will not only get a new region, but also several generals along with their armies. If you are quick enough you may even save the location, thus earning an outpost, where you can prepare an invasion on new territories.
Confederation is also useful to take over lands which belong to your allies. It often happens that a single allied location lies within your borders, preventing you from issuing an edict. If the faction controlling the region turns down your invitation, you have no other choice but to declare war and destroy its armies. If the nation is still friendly toward you after that, there is a big chance that when their capital city is under siege they will agree to join you, thus preserving a stable level of public order in the province.
Roman Military Escalation / Gallic Rebellion
This is a one-time event, which is launched when your empire growth indicator reaches the maximum. Depending on the faction you control, several full hostile armies will arrive, ready to attack your provinces. When playing as barbarians you will encounter Caesar's legions, whereas Romans are attacked by the Gauls. This event often coincides with massive dislike from other nations caused by your expansionism, which may force you to fight at many fronts at the same time. After this new opponent is defeated, the road to conquering entire Gaul lays open.