“I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble,” said the Roman emperor Augustus, according to legend. Mighty empires once had a humble start and so does your fledgling nation in the popular strategy game Rise of Kingdoms.

One of the major decisions you make right at the beginning is to choose your civilisation; it will make you stronger in certain aspects, lead you to acquire a powerful commander with the right specialisation talents and help shape your strategy further down the line.

To help you gain a foothold and eventually make a mark on history, we’ve picked some civilisations that are friendly to aspiring empire-builders.

Germany helps you grow into a military powerhouse quickly thanks to faster troop training speed. Their cavalry also hits harder, which is further boosted by extra durability for the unique unit Teutonic Knight.

Meanwhile, the fast action point recovery speed helps you maintain offensive momentum. You also gain the service of commander Hermann (more popularly known as Arminius), victor of the legendary Battle of Teutoburg Forest against Roman legions. With his Archery and Garrison talents, he thrives at both offence and defence, increasing your military prowess even further.

China in this game is a great all-rounder thanks to faster building speed to help you develop quicker, as well as extra defence for all troop types to boost your chances in battles. They also have a bonus to action point recovery, allowing you to do more in less time.

This generalist approach is also reflected in the unique unit Chu-Ko-Nu, which is slightly stronger in both attack and defence compared to normal archers. China’s starting commander Sun Tzu, author of the legendary Art of War, really earns his reputation here through Infantry and Garrison talents.

Similar to Germany, Britain can also grow to be a military powerhouse. It has the troop training speed boost too, but has extra attack bonuses for archers instead of cavalry, which is further enhanced by higher base attack for the Longbowman unique unit.

In addition, its higher ally garrison capacity makes Britain a tougher nut to crack in defensive battles. Your starting British commander is the mighty queen Boudica, who led a rebellion against Roman occupiers of Britain. She’s an all-rounder commander, offering bonuses to all troop types and hitting harder against barbarians thanks to Integration and Peacekeeping talents.

Rome offers a solid economic base, with boosts to both food gathering and troop marching speed – which can help you collect food on the world map even faster. Meanwhile, its infantry defence bonus is coupled with higher defence rating for the Legionary unique unit too.

Rome’s starting commander Scipio Africanus, famous for his victories over Rome’s nemesis Carthage, is a fearsome presence on all battlefields with his Leadership, Conquering and Attack talents.

France boosts your economic growth through faster wood gathering speed, while also helping you conserve troops through quicker Hospital healing. Its bonus to troop health complements nicely with higher base health for the Throwing Axeman units, which helps further with troop conservation.

The French starting commander is none other than the legendary Joan of Arc, who rose from a humble peasant to become the national saviour during the Hundred Year War. She helps you develop the economy even faster through her Gathering talents, while giving boosts to all troop types with Integration and Support talents.