Rome: Total War

The PC game Rome: Total War was created by The Creative Assembly and was published by Activision in its first version (2004) then by SEGA in its expansion packs Barbarian Invasions and Alexander (2005-2006).

Battle speeches

Roman

• One of you is worth more than any number of them!
• Skill and valour still count for something in war!
• They are worth less than the dirt beneath a toenail!
• Today is a good day to die! Today is a great day to meet the gods! So let us send the enemy screaming to meet their gods today!
• Victory is near at hand! If all do their duty, it will be OUR victory! Bend your backs to your tasks, and all will be well!
• We go now to our bloody business.
• And remember this above all: our Roman gods are watching! Make sure they are not ashamed!
• Today the carrion birds feast! But they shall feast on the flesh of our enemies; not on good, Roman flesh!"
• I want to see blood! I want to BATHE in their blood! I want to bathe in their blood for a week! Now, KILL THEM ALL! (from "bloody" or "bloodthirsty" Roman generals)
• And any man who comes through this fight mostly unharmed will be my sister! It'll be free frocks and jollies forever, you'll see! (from a "dangerously mad" Roman general)
• I do not fight with a cool head today, I admit it. My eyes see only a red mist. I do not want them to run from battle, I want their heads on our pikes by evening! (from a Roman general with "angry")
• They have been led here by mewling infants instead of leaders, now they will pay the price! (if the enemy general has poor skills)
• How terrible it must be to face us; the sons of the wolf and the bear! Even now fear works in the bowels of our foes!(From Barbaric Generals, especially Germanic)
• We are gathered here today to do battle. Regrettable isn't it? I didn't want to be here myself, but my grandmother told me that I better make a good show out of it. So here it goes. (from a Roman general with "tedious speaker" trait)
• The enemy war god must have a sense of humour, I mean look at them (from a roman general when the enemy force is heavily damaged and vastly outnumbered)
• My brave men! Victory shall be ours, by grace of my inspired leadership. But this means I can not risk myself in the front line. I must remain safe, guarded by you my loyal warriors! This is not cowardice, oh no. It is prudence, the handmaiden of victory!(from a roman general with "doubtful courage")
• Men! We face adversity, a band of brothers, dedicated to the warrior's code of strength and victory. But we will never know defeat while we stand together! This day we add another triumph to the history of our people! We will be honoured as men!
• I carry on my body many great scars, honourably earned in battle! I have fought many a foe in open combat! I come to fight today! Who stands with me?
• The gods have surely smiled upon us! The omens are so numerous and so in our favour that I cannot describe them all and still have time for a battle today!
• What we do today, we do as servants of the gods. Ask them for courage and strength! Honour them in your hearts, and they will aid us all! Look to your weapons, but also look to the heavens and raise a mighty shout in praise of the gods! Now, to battle!
• Now you're probably wondering about this evening's entertainment. There's enough wine in camp to float a boat. It's all yours when they're dead. Oh yes, and the camp women will be suitably appreciative too.
• Now, you know I have a reputation for cunning in battle. I do not intend this to be a fair fight. I am going to fall upon them without warning! I will strike at their weakest points! This won't be a battle - it'll be a kick up the toga!
• Let us offer prayers to the gods for victory. And then let us arm ourselves to the teeth, just in case the gods aren't listening
• Battle is an easy thing, what is hard is the look on your woman's face when you are a weakling! But I do not see anyone here who needs to worry about that!
• So harden your hearts, sharpen your swords and when the enemy is here, gut him like a fish.
• Is that the best they can do. Kill them all!
• My grandmother could take on this lot, so we should be fine!
• By tomorrow our sword arms will ache from over-use!
• Brave Romans to a man!
• There is no shame in fear, only letting fear rule you. Try not to look scared and you'll find bravery in your heart!
• You may be wondering why I've called you here today. I was wondering myself. Oh yes!
• The enemy may have the Moon People on their side, but we have lovely hats! Those hats will shield us from their fearsome gaze! (If your general has the “mad” trait)

Greek

• Day has dawned. This will be bloody, come what may, but we are free men, and we do not fear the sight of a little blood. Now, sound the horns!
• Free men, proud children of Greece! Prepare to fight or your honour!
• A battle is never an easy thing, especially before breakfast. Never mind, time enough to feast when we have driven these dogs back to their kennel!
• And remember this above all: the Gods are watching from Olympus, make sure they are not ashamed!

Barbarian

• Bravery is in every warriors heart, bravery and more! Every warrior knows bravery, and those who run will not only answer to me but to the Gods!

Campaign voiceovers

• Julii: Gods...I hate Gauls. My grandfather hated them too, even before they put out his eyes. Did you think I'd be out here on the frontier without good reason? Yes, Rome needs a strong frontier. No, Rome doesn't need unwashed barbarians at its gates! So, that's why I'm here, the leader of the Julii: to bring Roman order to stinking Gauls. Revenge? That'd be good too. This war against the Gauls won't last long, and when it's done, I've got plans. This is all about power, power in Rome. Going down that road means dealing with all my rivals: the Senate, the Greeks, those Carthaginian elephant-riders, the Scipii and the Brutii families too. After all, the man who controls Rome rules the world...and one day, I will be Emperor.
• Brutii: We Brutii are the only true Romans. We saved Rome, we drove out the kings, we made the Republic. The family deserve respect; respect, and obedience. We know what is best for Rome: new lands, living space, territories, slaves! I know what must be done. The Greeks look down their perfumed noses at all Romans, and they hate us. I'm going to give them a reason for hate...when I've crushed them! Roman steel, that's the answer; Roman steel in the Brutii fist. And the other great Roman families...the Scipii; trash! They have no respect for proper Roman ways, for us! The Julii prostitute themselves. As if the people matter! Bah! We Brutii must lead Rome.
• Scipii: My family, the House of Scipii, are beloved of the gods. A proud boast, but true all the same. In return we have served Rome, ruled well, led irs armies to glory; it has cost us dearly, despite the love of the gods. Sometimes the hatred of men is stronger. Our dead lie in many graves, put there by Carthaginian swords...and a few Greek ones. Even Roman blades have taken Scipii lives; that, we do not forget, or forgive. So, now our time has come. The spirits of the dead cry out for blood. I will lead our family in this undertaking. The gods will grant us vengeance. When Sicily is Roman, when Carthage is crushed, when the other Roman families are gone, when the world is mine...then I will stand before the gods and be worthy of their love. And worthy to rule Rome!
• Greek factions: Greeks could rule the world. Alexander did. He took a Greek army to the far Indus. There was nothing left to conquer; the world was his. But Alexander is dead. His empire is gone. And so we live in evil days; the free men of Greece have turned on each other, instead of their proper enemies: those who envy all the Greeks have done. Alexander must weep, if the dead weep. I will weep in his place, but I will also hope. The world turns; what was may come again. The Fates still spin the web of men's lives. So now, perhaps the gods wish Greeks to be great again. Perhaps a new Alexander will take up the sword, bring order where there is chaos, remake the world of men into a better place...perhaps.
• Egypt: I have been in the service of Pharaoh for many, many years. It is my task to write down all that is decided. My father did this before me, and his father before him. We have faithfully recorded and seen much. Pharaoh is our lord and master; he is Horus reborn, and will be Osiris in the afterlife. All of Egypt lives and dies by his divine wish, and this is as it should be. We are his children; Pharaoh loves us all. We would conquer the world, so that all can know his wise rule. Even if Pharaoh did not ask this, we would do it. His enemies will be struck down; night and darkness will take them. The sands will be stained red. All this will come to pass, for Pharaoh has decreed it. So it is written. So it shall be.
• Barbarian factions: Before my grandfather's grandfather was born, this was our land. These are our good places; our gods live here, in the trees and the rivers. They watch over us. We are happy: we hunt, we love, we have families, homes, a good life. But sometimes we must fight! The Romans disturb the gods; they burn the forests; they take what is ours, wives, children, land! And the Romans talk of how they will 'help us and protect us'. They put us to sleep with golden promises: when we wake, all that we had is gone-stolen! They take our sons and turn them into little Romans. Gah! So we fight to keep what is ours, what must stay ours! There can be no peace, no peace with Romans, men of stone, and iron, and lies! There can be only war!
• Carthage: Last night, the crying of the children kept me awake...and I had a terrible vision. I saw the fall of our city: bleached bones under a harsh sun; Carthage, gone! Why would Baal send such a vision? He is not cruel; he has watched over us. We have had victories aplenty in war. Our merchants sail to all corners of the world. Yet even now, I fear. I cannot help it. We are the envy of lesser people. They tell terrible lies about us. They do not understand, so they lie. But the Romans, they are the masters of falsehood. War will come, I am sure of it. So. I will have no more false visions...and I think the children will be quiet tonight.
• Eastern factions: The desert is ours. It is my home. Invaders come here, but they do not leave. They do not understand the desert; they do not understand how it gives life, and how it kills. So they die, and we grow stronger. The dead, now, the dead cannot pass on their newfound wisdom...so invaders keep coming, keep trying to take our lands and our wealth. But then, wealth flows through this land. And if our people have one thing, it is the love of wealth. It is sweeter than water, it is more powerful than the sword, for any sword can be turned aside with a gold coin. Gold will buy a thousand warriors...and a thousand warriors, why, they are the start of an empire!

Loading screen quotations

Aeschylus

• I think the slain care little if they sleep or rise again.
• A people's voice is dangerous when charged with wrath.
• In war, truth is the first casualty.

Aristotle

• War, as the saying goes, is full of false alarms
• We make war so that we may live in peace
• The wise man speaks because he has something to say, the fool because he has to say something

Cicero

• The sinews of war are infinite money.
• Armed forces abroad are of little value unless there is prudent counsel at home.
• Silent enim leges inter arma (Laws are silent in times of war).

Euripides

• Courage may be taught as a child is taught to speak.
• Danger gleams like sunshine to a brave man's eyes.
• The god of war hates those who hesitate.
• A large army is always disorderly.

Julius Caesar

• War gives the right of the conquerors to impose any conditions they please upon the vanquished.
• Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered).
• In war important events result from trivial causes.
• Alea iacta est (The die is cast).

Hermocrates

• The true contempt of an invader is shown by deeds of valour in the field.
• When there is mutual fear, men think twice before they make aggression upon one another.
• They have an abundance of gold and silver, and these make war, like other things, go smoothly.
• Nobody is driven in to war by ignorance, and no one who thinks he will gain anything from it is deterred by fear.

Herodotus

• In peace, sons bury their fathers; in war, fathers bury their sons.
• Far better it is to have a stout heart always and suffer one's share of evils, than to be ever fearing what may happen.

Hippocrates

• War is the only proper school of the surgeon.

Homer

• Even the bravest cannot fight beyond his strength.
• Ye gods, what dastards would our host command? Swept to the war, the lumber of the land.
• Noble and manly music invigorates the spirit, strengthens the wavering man, and incites him to great and worthy deeds.
• He serves me most, who serves his country best.
• To those that flee comes neither power nor glory.
• Men grow tired of sleep, love, singing and dancing sooner than war.
• The blade itself incites to violence.
• So ends the bloody business of the day.
• A glorious death is his who for his country falls.

Horace

• Adversity reveals the genius of a general; good fortune conceals it.
• A wise man in times of peace prepares for war.
• Bella detesta matribus (Wars are the dread of mothers).
• Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (It is a sweet and seemly thing to die for one's country).
• Quae caret ora cruore nostro? (What coast knows not our blood?)

Livy

• To a good general luck is important.
• The outcome corresponds less to expectations in war than in any other case whatsoever.
• Vae victis (Woe to the vanquished).

Ovid

• The gods favour the bold.
• Fas est et ab hoste doceri (It is right to learn, even from the enemy).

Pericles

• I am more afraid of our own mistakes than of our enemies' designs.
• Men of Athens, I do not have much time for exhortation, but to the brave a few words are as good as many...

Plato

• The rulers of the State are the only ones who should have the privilege of lying.
• Every care must be taken that our auxiliaries, being stronger than our citizens, may not grow too much for them and become savage beasts.
• Only the dead have seen the end of war.

Plautus

• Ah, yes, mere infantry - poor beggars...
• The valiant profit more their country than the finest, cleverest speakers.
• Victi vincimus (Conquered, we conquer).

Polybius

• A good general not only sees the way to victory, he also knows when victory is impossible.
• In war we must always leave room for strokes of fortune, and accidents that cannot be foreseen.

Publilius Syrus

• The cruelty of war makes for peace.
• Pardon one offence and you encourage the commission of many.
• We should provide in peace what we need in war.
• Necessity knows no law except to conquer.
• It is a bad plan that cannot be altered.
• He is best secure from dangers who is on his guard even when he seems safe.

Seneca the Younger

• If a man does not know to what port he is sailing, no wind is favourable.
• The fortunes of war are always doubtful.
• Constant exposure to dangers will breed contempt for them.

Sophocles

• Quick decisions are unsafe decisions.
• It is the brave man's part to live with glory, or with glory die.

Sun Tzu

• All warfare is based on deception.
• He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.
• Generally management of the many is the same as management of the few. It is a matter of organization.
• In war, numbers alone confer no advantage. Do not advance relying on sheer military power.

Tacitus

• Even the bravest are frightened by sudden terrors.
• The proper arts of a general are judgement and prudence.
• A bad peace is even worse than war.
• The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.
• Valour is the contempt of death and pain.
• Great empires are not maintained by timidity.
• They make a solitude and call it peace.

Thucydides

• War is not so much a matter of weapons as of money.
• A collision at sea can ruin your entire day.
• Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage.
• The strong did what they could, and the weak suffered what they must.

Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus

• Few men are born brave; many become so through training and force of discipline.
• A general is not easily overcome who can form a true judgement of his own and the enemy's forces.
• What can a soldier do who charges when out of breath?
• Valour is superior to numbers.
• Qui desiderat pacem praeparet bellum (Let him who desires peace prepare for war).
• An ambush, if discovered and promptly surrounded, will repay the intended mischief with interest.
• An adversary is more hurt by desertion than by slaughter.
• We die today not only for our friends and family but for our gods and for our forefathers and men before them so pray to them to make us victorious

Virgil

• Bella, horida bella (Wars, horrid wars!)
• Let all be present and expect the palm, the prize of victory.

Xenophon

• When one side goes against the enemy with the gods' gift of stronger morale, then their adversaries, as a rule, cannot withstand them.
• Willing obedience always beats forced obedience.

Miscellaneous

• Brave men are a city's strongest tower of defence
  • Alcaeus

• Against danger it pays to be prepared
  • Aesop

• The Spartans do not ask how many but where they are
  • Agis II of Sparta

• A dead enemy always smells good
  • Alus Vitellus

• War spares not the brave but the cowardly
  • Anacreon

• It is the noblest and safest thing for a great army to be visibly animated by one spirit
  • Archidamus of Sparta

• Ah! The generals! They are numerous but not good for much!
  • Aristophanes

• If a man does not strike first, he will be the first struck
  • Athenagoras of Syracuse

• Come home with this shield or upon it
  • A Spartan woman equips her son

• Varus, give me back my legions
  • Augustus Caesar: After the defeat and annihilation of Varus's column in Teutoberg Forest

• Let them hate us as long as they fear us
  • Caligula

• To lead untrained people to war is to throw them away
  • Confucius

• Only the brave enjoy noble and glorious deaths
  • Dionysius

• To an imperial city nothing is inconsistent which is expedient
  • Euphemus of Athens

• The walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots
  • Ezekiel, XXVI, 10

• Alta sedent civilis vulnera dextrae (Deep are the wounds that civil strife inflicts)
  • Lucan

• It is pleasant, when the sea is high and the winds are dashing the waves about, to watch from the shores the struggles of another
  • Lucretius

• To brave men, the prizes that war offers are liberty and fame
  • Lycurgus of Sparta

• Hannibal knew how to gain a victory, but not how to use it
  • Maharbal

• The man who runs away will fight again
  • Menander

• A small country cannot contend with a great; the few cannot contend with the many; the weak cannot contend with the strong
  • Mencius

• Soldiers do not like being under the command of one who is not of noble birth
  • Onosander

• He conquers who endures
  • Persius

• An alliance with the powerful is never to be trusted
  • Phaedrus

• In the moment of action remember the value of silence and order
  • Phormio of Athens

• War is sweet to those who have never experienced it
  • Pindar

• Extraordinary rains pretty generally fall after great battles
  • Plutarch

• How are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle!
  • II Samuel, I, 25

• Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war
  • Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, III, 1

• In war we must be speedy
  • Silius Italicus

• A disorderly mob is no more an army than a heap of building materials is a house
  • Socrates

• Learn to obey before you command
  • Solon of Athens

• Fortes fortuna adiuvat (Fortune favours the brave)
  • Terence

• Who was the first that forged the deadly blade? Of rugged steel his savage soul was made
  • Tibullus

Proverbs and maxims

• March divided and fight concentrated.
  • Military maxim

• Divide and conquer.
  • Military maxim

• After the war is over, make alliances
  • Greek proverb

• Flet victus, victor interiit (The conquered mourns, the conqueror is undone)
  • Latin proverb

• Timidi mater non flet (A coward's mother does not weep)
  • Latin proverb

• Arms keep peace
  • Latin proverb

• Fortis cadere, cedere non potest (A brave man may fall, but he cannot yield)
  • Latin proverb

• To blunder twice is not allowed in war
  • Latin proverb

• Victory loves prudence
  • Latin proverb

External links

• "In game quotes". Total War Center. Archived 9 May 2023.
• "Loading Screen Quotes (Rome: Total War)". Total War Wiki. Archived 22 March 2021.