Indeed, the RPG "feel" of RTW is what I like the most about it. Of course, this isn't new to the Total War series, nor to strategy games in general, but I think RTW takes the phenomenon to its peak. A peak not even the immaculate Alpha Centauri dreamed of.
To lead one's general, whose birth and ascent to glory or infamy one has orchestrated, who has a family, and a history, and monuments built to commemorate his battles of times past, to lead him into confrontation, and watch him make a speech to his troops which reflects his personality and qualities and habits as a leader...it's phenomenal. To lead into battle, say, the at this point elderly, dangerously insane, possibly homosexual drunkard adopted Celt son to a Roman Legate and have all of those things matter and have all of those things be linked to causal factors in the world. That's RPG magic.
RTW makes actually roleplaying a character and not just being a munchkin all the time rewarding in a way that even most D&D CRPGs don't. That's especially remarkable because it's not an RPG.
But there's more to character development in RTW than in most RPGs.
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Whoah, dude...Is the game that good? You've inspired me.