CARTHAGO — Masters of the Sea

History & Lore

The Trading Empire

The seafaring children of Phoenicia came to these shores with gold, and with gold they stayed. Ships from every corner of the world dock at Carthage's harbors. But Rome is growing, and this sea suffers no two masters. Hamilcar Barca has sworn — his sons will bring Rome to its knees. Your gold builds armies, your fleet commands the sea. Trade or war? In Carthage, they are one and the same.

Carthage is not merely a city — it is a trading empire stretching from the Pillars of Hercules to the shores of Sicily. Its merchant fleets carry purple dye, ivory, and tin across waters that others dare not sail. The Council of Elders debates, the Suffetes govern, and the mercenary armies march. Unlike Rome, Carthage fights not with citizens but with gold — hiring Numidian cavalry, Balearic slingers, and Libyan infantry from across the Mediterranean. This is both strength and weakness: loyalty is bought, and what is bought can be outbid.

Historical Context · 264 BC

Carthage controls the western Mediterranean — North Africa, southern Spain, Sardinia, Corsica, and western Sicily. The First Punic War is about to erupt over control of Sicily, beginning a century-long struggle with Rome for Mediterranean supremacy.

Empire Resources

Civilization Overview

🪙

3,500

Starting Gold

🌾

800

Starting Food

🔬

Research Points

🎖 Civilization Bonus

Merchant: Pillage Loot +40%

Carthage fights to profit. Every raid fills your treasury. Combined with Maritime Trade Network, you become the wealthiest civilization on the map. Your plunder bonus means wars pay for themselves — and then some. While other civilizations bleed gold in prolonged campaigns, Carthage grows richer with every battle won.

🔬 Unique Technology

Maritime Trade Network: Trade ×1.5, Port Cost -50%

Your ports become goldmines. Build them early, build them often. This technology multiplies all trade income by 1.5 and halves the cost of port construction, allowing you to establish a network of profitable harbors across the Mediterranean. Combined with trade agreements, each port generates cascading income that funds your mercenary armies.

Military Forces

Unique Units

Mercenary warriors from across the Mediterranean, fighting for Carthaginian gold.

Light Cavalry

🐴

Numidia

⚔ 4

🛡 2

💨 9

"The Numidian riders strike like desert wind — by the time you hear the hooves, they are already gone. The fastest unit in the entire game (SPD 9). Masters of hit-and-run tactics, they harass supply lines, scatter skirmishers, and vanish before the enemy can respond. Infuriating to fight, invaluable to command."

Medium Infantry

🛡

Liby-Fenike

⚔ 7

🛡 6

💨 5

"Libyan-Phoenician soldiers form the core of Carthage's army. Professionals who fight for pay, not patriotism. Armed with captured Roman equipment and trained in Greek formations, they are versatile and reliable — the workingmen of war. What they lack in passion, they make up in competence."

Heavy Infantry

🗡

Sacred Band

⚔ 11

🛡 7

💨 3

"The elite Sacred Band of Carthage. Citizen-soldiers who fight not for gold but for the city itself. When they march, the ground trembles. The highest ATK of any unit in the game (11). These are Carthage's last resort — when the Sacred Band takes the field, it means the city's survival is at stake."

Historical Rulers

Leaders & Generals

From the Barca dynasty to the kings of Numidia — ten leaders who shaped the western Mediterranean.

⚓

Hamilcar Barca

Barca Dynasty · Era I (264–240 BC)

🎖 Successor always +1 trait, family loyalty bonus

▾

Hannibal's father. The founder of the Barca dynasty and the man who saved Carthage from total defeat in the First Punic War. After the war, Hamilcar conquered Spain, establishing the base from which his sons would launch their legendary campaigns against Rome. He made his young son Hannibal swear an oath of eternal hatred against Rome — perhaps the most consequential oath in history.

⚓

Hannibal Barca PREMIUM

The Alpine Crossing · Era II (240–215 BC)

🎖 Attack +25%, Enemy morale -20%, Defense -10%

▾

Perhaps history's greatest military mind. Led war elephants across the Alps — a feat thought impossible — and defeated Rome in three consecutive battles (Trebia, Trasimene, Cannae) that remain studied in military academies today. His double envelopment at Cannae killed 70,000 Romans in a single day. Rome feared him for sixteen years. He was never defeated in battle — only by politics and supply lines.

⚓

Hasdrubal Barca

Loyal Brother · Era III (215–195 BC)

🎖 Alliance bonus ×2, Reinforcement cost -30%

▾

Hannibal's brother. Died trying to bring reinforcements from Spain to Hannibal's army in Italy. His march across the Alps — attempting to repeat his brother's legendary crossing — ended at the Battle of the Metaurus, where Roman forces intercepted and destroyed his army. His severed head was thrown into Hannibal's camp. A loyal brother whose sacrifice changed the war.

⚓

Mago Barca

Sea Lord · Era IV (195–175 BC)

🎖 Coastal income +30%, Port build cost zero

▾

Youngest of the Barca brothers. Master of naval expeditions who led Carthaginian fleets across the western Mediterranean. While his brothers fought on land, Mago secured the seas — raiding Italian coastlines, resupplying isolated garrisons, and establishing naval bases that kept Carthage's maritime trade flowing even during wartime.

⚓

Hannibal Gisco

Last Defense · Era V (175–155 BC)

🎖 Siege defense +50%, Walls ×2, Attack -20%

▾

Carthage's final great defensive commander. When the end came, Hannibal Gisco organized the city's last stand with grim determination. His defensive fortifications were so formidable that even Rome's siege engineers spent years trying to breach them. A warrior who proved that courage in defeat can be as noble as victory.

⚓

Masinissa PREMIUM

Desert King · Era VI (155–130 BC)

🎖 Cavalry +40%, Desert income +30%, Berber loyalty +20

▾

Numidia's greatest king who built an empire from Rome's shadow. Masinissa played both sides of the Punic Wars with masterful cunning — first supporting Carthage, then switching to Rome at precisely the right moment. He transformed Numidia from a loose confederation of tribes into an agricultural powerhouse. He lived to 90 and reportedly fathered his last child at 86.

⚓

Jugurtha PREMIUM

Guerrilla King · Era VII (130–110 BC)

🎖 Guerrilla -30% casualties, Bribery -40% diplo cost

▾

The most cunning king of Numidia. Jugurtha fought Rome for seven years using guerrilla tactics, bribing Roman senators, and exploiting every political division in the Republic. When brought to Rome as a prisoner, he allegedly remarked: "What a city ready to perish, if only it can find a buyer." Even bribed Roman senators to avoid punishment.

⚓

Juba I

Last Numidia · Era VIII (110–85 BC)

🎖 All North Africa bonus +20%, Alliance loyalty +15

▾

Last independent Numidian king. Juba I allied with Pompey against Julius Caesar — a gamble that cost him his kingdom. He fought with desperate courage at the Battle of Thapsus but was defeated. Rather than face capture, he arranged a mutual suicide pact with a Roman officer. The last king of free Numidia chose death over submission.

⚓

Juba II

Wise King · Era IX (85–60 BC)

🎖 Research ×1.5, Culture assimilation ×2, Military -15%

▾

Roman-educated scholar-king of Mauretania. The son of Juba I, raised in Rome as a political ward, Juba II became one of antiquity's most prolific writers. He married Cleopatra Selene (daughter of Cleopatra VII) and turned his court into a center of learning. A builder, not a fighter — his libraries rivaled Alexandria's.

⚓

Tacfarinas PREMIUM

Desert Rebellion · Era X (60–40 BC)

🎖 Free revolt start, Independent region conquest -50%, Guerrilla +30%

▾

Berber commander who led a seven-year revolt against Rome in North Africa. Tacfarinas was a former Roman auxiliary soldier who turned his training against his masters. He united Berber tribes, raided Roman supply lines, and held the desert against the full might of the Empire. Proof that the spirit of Carthage — resistance against Rome — never truly died.

Master the Empire

Strategy Guide

How to play Carthago — the economic powerhouse.

⚓ Playstyle

Economic powerhouse. Your gold advantage lets you buy what others must build. Focus on ports, trade, and mercenary armies. With the highest starting gold (3,500) and Plunder +40%, wars literally pay for themselves. Your Sacred Band has the highest ATK in the game.

💪 Strengths

Richest starting gold (3,500) in the game
Plunder bonus means wars pay for themselves
Sacred Band has highest ATK (11) of any unit
Numidia is the fastest unit (SPD 9)
Maritime Trade Network creates cascading income

⚠ Weaknesses

Lowest starting food (800) — famine risk is real
Mercenary loyalty is fragile
Slow heavy units in a fast world (SPD 3)
No defensive bonuses — vulnerable to siege
Gold dependency: lose your income, lose your army

🤝 Matchup Tips

vs Roma: Avoid prolonged sieges — use Numidia to raid instead
vs Achaia: Outspend their diplomacy — gold beats philosophy
vs Aegyptus: Trade early, strike late when your economy peaks
vs Lusitania: Your gold reserves outlast their guerrilla raids

🏁 Recommended Opening (First 10 Moves)

Build a Port first — this is your economic engine
Research Maritime Trade Network ASAP
Build a Farm — your 800 food is dangerously low
Trade with neighbors before conquering them
Train Numidia for scouting and raiding
Conquer nearest independent coastal region
Build a second Port in your new territory
Train Liby-Fenike as your core army
Raid a rival's border region for plunder bonus
Their gold becomes your gold either way

💡 Pro Tip

Carthago can win without ever fielding a massive army. Plunder independent regions for gold, buy trade agreements for income, and let your mercenaries do the fighting. If you must siege, save it for when it matters — you don't have Roma's speed. Your Numidia cavalry (SPD 9) can raid and retreat before any garrison responds. Do this across 3-4 borders every season and your treasury overflows.