Turn 1 - December 50 BC
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A nice introduction to the events preceding the start of the civil war.
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And a few guidelines from the game itself. The first turn is usually a very straightforward one. Very few units are available for activation, and some will stay locked long after the start of the civil war (until special requirements are met). Right now, only Caesar can be moved around. He is currently sitting in Ravenna, just north of the Rubicon, with a single legion (Legio XIII), a bunch of auxiliaries and about 2400 equites. That is a total 12000 men, barely the army one would expect could challenge the Republic. However, despite claims from Pompey that by stomping his feet, legions would spring up, the Optimates are currently sitting in Italy with only two legions. Earlier during the year, the Senate had approved a punitive expedition against the Parthians (who in this scenario are still at war with Rome) to avenge Crassus’ death. Both Pompey and Caesar had been forced to provide a legion each for this new army heading East. Pompey cunningly chose to hand over the one legion he had previously loaned to Caesar, thus by the end of year Caesar had already been deprived of two legions, now sitting in Corfinium. Unfortunately for him, these two legions are understrength (6000 men combined), not enough for the Optimates to attempt any sort of defense of the peninsula. Reinforcements from the provinces (which are currently not activated anyway), would not be able to make it to Italy in time.
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And there you have Caesar, soon to enter history as the most famous man to ever be born in the peninsula. Possibly the best general in the game (tied with Hannibal), he has a bunch of special abilities that make it quite dangerous, both in and outside the battlefield. Of note is his ability to provide a 15% speed bonus to any army marching under his command. The second ability allows him to storm any city regardless of the availability of breaches in the wall (normally any city with level 2 or above walls would need to either be starved out or properly besieged until the walls are damaged enough). I will make sure to fully take advantage of Caesar’s skills.
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With only 250000 denary (about one million sestertii) in the war chest, I order the recruitment of a new legion in Ravenna, one recruited among the Italians rather than the people of Cisalpine Gaul (Italian legions are usually a bit stronger than provincial ones). Soon Caesar will have to leave Italy, therefore it is a good idea we start thinking of creating a second army, tasked with defending Italy from Pompeian attempt attempts to take back Rome.
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At the start of every year (which for Romans was in March, hence new Consuls taking over during that month), we will receive the income from all cities under our control. That money will have to last for us for an entire new year, that is until 48 BC. Throughout the year, special locations (like trade ports, markets of big cities, armamentarium, navalia etc.) will provide extra income or equipment for reinforcements/ships (saving me the money I would otherwise have spent on these new units), but the amount is never a fixed one and is always only a fraction of what you get in March. In this area, by virtues of the number of Provinces the Optimates hold, my opponent has a huge advantage. To remedy that, I order some requisitions in southern Gaul. Each requisition will net me 50000 denarii, for a maximum of 250000 I can gather each turn (more if I am willing to enslave the locals, but that will cause an even harsher drop of loyalty).