There are two nations you can play with - Gaul and Roman.
Gaul people are romantic visionaries. They are a hardly controllable crowd of brave and fierce warriors. They do not have good weapons or military education but they have one thing more than anything else - spirit. They fight as children play - with eager but playful enthusiasm. They have many hidden abilities and the mysterious druids on their side, which makes them dangerous enemies.
Romans are a symbol of order and prosperity. They are ambitious professionals focused on their goals and prepared for anything. Making up for their lack of passion with persistence, they methodically follow their goals and never give up. They are aware that they are a power that soon will dominate half of the known world. Although they acknowledge their gods, they praise their freedom even more and obey the laws. Their society, however, decays due to the greed for more wealth, entertainment and pleasure.
Military units become more practiced with each killing. As their experience accumulates, the units eventually advance to the next level. As they encounter higher levels, more ability is required to move forward.
Units receive attack, defense and health bonuses at each level they reach
There have always been outstanding people that can achieve alone what hundreds cannot achieve together. These people are widely recognized and called heroes.
A hero is capable of commanding an army of his own. The player can attach units to a hero. When a hero receives an order, he issues commands to the units under his control.
Only the heroes can order the units in a formation and preserve it during battle in order to receive the bonus of the selected formation.
The most important benefit of the heroes is that through their leadership they give a portion of their experience to the units they command. Thus, an inexperienced group of units commanded by a great hero is much stronger than the same group of units left on their own.
Several different formations are available in the game. Each formation has four areas - the front line, left wing, right wing and main body - and may assign different unit types to its specific parts. For instance, the horse wing formation puts all horse units at the wings, where they can enter the battle faster without foot units getting in the way.
The "stand ground" command holds all units in place, keeping the formation continuously intact. Depending on the formation, the units receive various bonuses for the duration of the command. For example, the block formation doubles the unit defenses and is exceptionally useful for protecting narrow passages.
All human units regularly consume food. The larger the army you have, the more food you will need to support it. You may often find yourself storing food before launching large military campaigns.
When no food is available, your units slowly lose health until they are almost exhausted. When food is available, units restore themselves with the same speed.
For centuries, the Roman priests and Gaul druids have kept their most precious secret: the language of their gods. Only through a lifetime dedication one can join their ranks. The power they posses is awesome for they can ask their gods for miracles... for a price in their own blood.
All magic is done through self-sacrifice. The more blood is shed, the more powerful the magic effect. Once a sacrifice is started, other initiated can join for a greater or longer effect. The sacrifice is stopped just before the last drop of blood flows from the veins of the priest. Barely alive, he must be healed before making another sacrifice.
The magic of the priests and druids is as different as the gods they serve.
For example, the druids are able to summon an invulnerable ghost that instills deadly fear in the hearts even of the bravest warriors. Although it doesn't kill, the ghost will leave only a sparkle of life in those who sense its presence. The ghost disappears when the sacrifice is over.
The Roman priests conjure a poisonous mist, which engulfs the enemy warriors and slowly drains the life away from them. After the priest stops the sacrifice, the deadly wisps quickly dissolve.
Legends say that another, more ancient and more powerful kind of magic once existed. By sacrificing his life and soul, rather than just a few drops of blood, they say, a servant of the gods can change the world. This knowledge seems to be long forgotten ... or is it?
The most beautiful water you have ever seen in a game is not just a pretty sight in Celtic Kings. The warm waters of the Mediterranean can transport the lifeblood of your economy - or deliver hundreds of enemy warriors right at your doorstep.
There are two kinds of vessels in the game. The smaller trade boats deliver resources between settlements on the shore faster than any ground transport, but they are fragile and vulnerable to enemy attacks. The large battle ships can transport entire armies as well as attack other ships or units on the shore, allowing you to organize massive surprise attacks or harass the enemy's naval trade routes.
The special unit abilities in Celtic Kings introduce differences between the units beyond their stats. They emphasize the strengths and weaknesses of each unit and can be freely combined with each other to create wide variety of behavior.
The "specials" do not require the player to order their use - they are in effect all the time.
Here are some of the units' specials abilities:
- attack skill - the unit receives temporary attack bonus with every successful attack on one and the same enemy
- charge - the charged attack of the unit does six time more damage; the charge is restored after short period without fighting
- death blow - kills the wounded enemies with one attack
- defense skill - the attackers of the unit suffer temporary attack penalty with every consequential attack
- defensive stand - evades the first attack of any unit without taking any damage
- freedom - the unit cannot be attached to heroes
- spike armor - returns part of the received damage back to the attacking unit
- spread damage - the more healthy targets receive full damage while the wounded targets are almost unharmed
