Hey Craterus, I'm playing a MM Armenian campaign too
I'm on to 175 BC already and my great Armenian empire runs from Greece almost to India. I own Asia Minor, most land from the Caspian to the Persian Gulf and the eastern med islands and most of Greece. Maccies are camped in Corinth and I'm trying to get them to accept protectorateship, but the bastards won't give up even if I offer all of Greece, their islands, most of my treasury (I got ~200,000, was over 300,000 at best) and 20,000+ tribute per turn for 50 turns! I literally saved them from being annihilated by the Brutii, but they won't play nice and be a good little buffer state for me
The start of the game was easy, taking rebel cities in the first few turns isn't too hard when you buy some mercenaries and beat the rebels when they sally out. Pontus is a real pushover since they just love to mass Eastern Infantry. Taking Asia Minor put me in war with Greeks (annihilated by other factions very soon) and Ptolemies (major PITA. They attacked me and kept sending more and more units untill I took all of their Asia Minor provinces + Cyprus). Sarmatians were hanging around near my homelands looking like they were up to something stupid, but I kept enough troops near border that they never dared to attack me.
The biggest conflict in MM is with Seleucids. They start huge and with lots of resources. Not to mention that they made alliance with Ptolemies and it's lasted up to this day. They still have the Middle East from Antioch to Seleukia (because I let them have it), and two provinces in the far east that are surrounded from all sides now. It's been extremely slow progress conquering all their eastern lands. This is because distance to capital penalties get HUGE (and I'm not moving my capital) and because I play with self-imposed honor rules to not recruit units other than peasants untill a settlement is properly converted to my faction.
I made alliance with Parthians and they haven't backstabbed me yet. They haven't attacked Seleucids at all, even after their eastern provinces became isolated. They've been at wars with Sarmatians. Speaking of whom, are now pushed back by the immensely powerful Brutii. Those greenie romans have like a million man army.
As I mentioned earlier, I stepped in to save the Maccies from Brutes. That put me in war with Ptolemies, Seleucids, all of the Romans at once. The Romans are also at war with Seleucids and Ptolemies. And all these factions are hugely powerful (well, not the Seleucids anymore). It's a real clash of Titans! Basically the only neighbouring faction that isn't out to kill me yet is Parthia. The Brutii keep sending full stacks to strike my homelands, they march through Sarmatian lands unopposed. But I have stacks with Heavy Spearmen and archers and onagers at the bridges stopping them. Many roman full stacks have been completely annihilated (the bug where they rout to my side of bridge and so get absolutely destroyed trying to run through my phalanx) but more just keep coming. They also attack the greek cities I'm holding but I beat them easily in sally battles. Ptolemies sometimes attack me in southern Persian coast but I can keep them in check.
I am now just clearing the far east from Seleucid pockets of resistance. Once I'm done there, I will take the Middle East except Antioch. Then we'll see whether the Maccies or Seleucids will accept protectorateship first. The one that accepts gets Middle East and Greece, the other one gets wiped out. If I manage to get a protectorate then I'll focus on getting India and other eastern provinces, maybe kick the Parthians if they decide to challenge me. Then I'll give those Ptolemies a beating they will remember.
One thing that's annoying me in this campaign is that most of my cities won't grow up to Large size unless I lower taxes to minimum and they won't Reach Huge size unless I move in peasants and disband them. Armenia really could use a health/population boost temple. It doesn't help that most of my governors get the sucky "geomancer" retinue that decreases population growth
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