Are you scared and bewildered by the huge and unforgiving world of Travian, the online real-time MMO? Well you're not alone and Vox has put together a guide to each of the races to help you get started. This guide focuses on the Roman's, a balanced race that is good for players of all skill levels.
The Travian manual has this to say of Romans: "The Roman empire is the easiest for newcomers to Travian." This is only halfway true. Romans have some of the strongest units and most advanced buildings, but they are also prime targets for early game farming because they get off to a slow start. What Romans really excel at is the mid and late game. While their troops are more expensive than the Teutons, if you can survive the troubled server start without taking too many hits, your troops can be a force to be reckoned with. While Romans require a little bit more strategy than the defensive Gauls or the highly aggresive Teutons, with good choices and careful growth they can become very powerful.
Romans also have the most powerful walls, making them excellent defenders, and some of the best offensive troops and defensive troops overall. If you play intelligently, a Roman can survive as a hardcore PvP raider, or a more defensive builder, or any combination of the two.
There are significant advantages and disadvantages to Roman troops. A Teuton's starting unit, the maceman, costs half as a much as a leigonnaire to train, and moves faster and can carry more resources. This allows them to build much larger armies much quicker, at least in the beginning of the server. However, a legionnaire is significantly better at attacking and defending than a maceman and while macemen will be absolutely destroyed by cavalry, legionnares can stand up much better to raiding cavalry. This means that while you need to be more careful with your legionnaires, an army of them will be useful for more than just raiding, and for much longer.
This is the case with most Roman troops. Prateorians are expensive, but fantastic at defense, and imperians are some of the best attackers per wheat in the game, With the new horse watering pool, Equites Imperatoris and Equites Ceasaris are even more efficient and powerful than before. Your armies will be more expensive and slower than your Teuton and Gaul neighbors, but they will also be much more powerful.