u/-Zen_

The steampunk airship aesthetic, coupled with a cast of likable characters and a fast-paced narrative, made this series much better than I initially expected. Having watched an old anime called Last Exile as a kid helped me envision action scenes in great detail, making the already cinematic descriptions feel as vivid as watching an actual movie. I think I've never read anything as fast-paced before, though I'm not really much of a reader when it comes to fiction.

Another good thing about the series is that it's only four books long and the story has a very satisfying conclusion (I usually get intimidated by most fantasy series as they tend to have like 15 books anywhere from 500 to 1k+ pages each).

Daemonism is an interesting equivalent to "magic systems" that people usually expect from fantasy novels, though it's relatively restrained and grounded. There's also a group of badass characters called Century Knights that are so OP, you can't help but think the author drew some inspiration from anime or manga.

The main cast of lovable rogues has a great dynamic, often resulting in hilarious banter or cheesy exchanges during combat. The characters are mostly great, especially Frey, Jez, Crake, Malverly, and Harkins. Even the vicious cat! The only character I disliked was Trinica, she was really annoying in book two, but even then she redeems herself in the third, and to an extent fourth, book. Characters grow significantly starting from book two, and Frey in particular grows from a complete asshole into a likable leader.

Have I mentioned that action sequences are breathtaking? I particularly like those from the first and third books, especially the ones involving Harkins. If you're into steampunk, swashbuckling, and aviation, the series is an absolute treat.

I think that comparisons to Firefly are going too far though, there are few similarities other than the surface level "a group of smugglers living and traveling together on a ship". I actually dislike Firefly and think that only the pilot episode was good.

They get all the advantages of the other Roman families, plus they have the best military temple with weapon and armor upgrades, which are significantly stronger than experience the Brutii get from their temple.

The starting position is excellent, allowing you to expand in any direction you want. Conquering all of Greece is easy, the Brutii don't have enough time to capture even Apollonia, and the Julii can be blocked by taking Caralis, Mediolanium, Patavium, and Massilia. Syracuse is a great contender for being the city of choice to rush for the Marian Reforms since it has grain, can trade with Carthage (which also has the grain resource), and peasants can easily migrate from Messana and Lilybaeum, boosting the population numbers.

The two other temples are also great, law is the best way to keep public order and corruption under control, and the unique boats, while unnecessary, are a nice little bonus.

Of course the entire game can be finished with just Hastati/Militia Hoplites, even on VH, and the difference between the Roman factions is mostly negligible, but the Scipii still have an edge. Especially if you play mods like Mundus Magnus with huge maps, and deliberately let the AI grow more powerful by expanding at a slower pace.