Welcome, new Governor! Stepping into the Roman province of Anno 117: Pax Romana is both thrilling and overwhelming. This isn’t just a city builder; it’s a finely tuned logistical simulation where a single imbalance can lead to citizen unrest, plunging your treasury into the red.
Forget complex trade routes and naval warfare for now. The key to surviving your first few hours is mastering the foundation: early production, efficient placement, and tiered needs. Use this essential guide to stabilize your finances and turn your small coastal settlement into a thriving Roman metropolis.
Commandment I: The Unbreakable Timber Law
The most common mistake new players make is underestimating the need for wood. Timber
is the currency of construction. Every road, house, and production building requires it.
- Start Strong: Immediately set up your first production chain: the Woodcutter and the Sawmill.
- Location, Location: Place your Woodcutter deep within a densely forested area; its efficiency percentage should read 100%.
- The Ratio: A ratio of 2 Woodcutters to 1 Sawmill is a good starting point to produce logs and convert them into valuable Timber. We highly recommend adding a third Woodcutter right away.
- Logistics is Life: Ensure both the Woodcutter and the Sawmill are connected by roads to your Trading Post or a nearby Warehouse. Warehouses act as resource hubs and link everything to your main supply chain—think of them as your resource “Cloud.”
Read also
Commandment II: Master the Resident Hierarchy
Your residents—starting with the Liberti (Tier 1)—are your workforce and, more importantly, your primary source of income (taxes). To grow your population and income, you must meet their basic needs:
- Build Houses: Place several Libertus Residences near your Trading Post.
- Fulfill Needs (Food, Public Services, Fashion):
- Food: Start with a Fishing Hut (or Cockle Picker in Albion) to provide food.
- Public Services: Build a Market and a Tavern close to your houses.
- Fashion: Start the production chain for basic clothing like Tunics (Hemp Farm to Spinner).
- The Upgrade Loop: Once all basic needs (one from each category) are met, you can upgrade your Liberti into Plebeians (Tier 2). Plebeians unlock new buildings and production chains, but they replace your Liberti workforce, so always ensure you build new Liberti housing to maintain your Tier 1 workforce.
Commandment III: Stop the Early Financial Bleed
It’s easy to slip into a negative balance early on, but a few simple tricks will keep you in the black:
- Don’t Overbuild: Every building, ship, and road has a maintenance cost. Only build production chains you absolutely need to satisfy current population needs.
- Tax Profit: Your income primarily comes from meeting your residents’ needs. Satisfied citizens pay more taxes. Focus on meeting those needs before investing in expensive city watch buildings or military units.
- Passive Trade: Once you have a surplus of a common good (like Timber or basic food), click on your Trading Post and set the item to “Sell if above…” a certain quantity. This passive trade with NPC merchants provides a vital, steady income boost.
- Use Planning Mode (Blueprint): Use the Planning Mode tool (or blueprints) to lay out your city structure before spending resources.This allows you to check adjacency bonuses and road connections without wasting Denarii.
Commandment IV: Placement is Power (and Poison)
In Anno 117, where you place a building is as important as what you build:
- Positive Radius: Buildings like the Spinner (Tunic production) provide positive bonuses to nearby residences (e.g., happiness or knowledge). Place these production buildings among your houses to maximize the beneficial effects.
- Negative Radius: Industrial buildings like the Charcoal Burner or Pig Farm carry a high risk of fire or disease. Ban these buildings from your residential areas. Place them on the far outskirts of your city and ensure they are connected to a dedicated Warehouse for logistics.
- Road Efficiency: Better roads (Paved, Marble) significantly extend the effective range of area-of-effect buildings like the Market, saving you money on building multiples.
By focusing on these four core principles—Timber first, managing resident needs and upgrades carefully, stabilizing your income with taxes and passive trade, and smart layout design—you will successfully weather the early game and be well on your way to governing a prosperous Roman province.
I am a passionate content writer from the Chandigarh–Panchkula region. I am curious and love exploring diverse topics. At DailyBarta.in, I primarily write about video games and sports, bringing readers fresh insights, engaging analysis, and easy-to-understand breakdowns of the latest trends.
