Makedonian playguide:

[PseRamesses]

Like all EB faction an economical oversight is needed before you start to play.

* Disband all ships but one. Might need it to finish the Koinon Hellenion at the Islands or sally Mytilene against rebels or the Seleukid.
* Disband ALL cavs. The upkeep is to high and you´ve enough troops initially to get by.
* Depending your playstyle and/ or goals que up your choice of buildings.
* Que up one more diplo hat you send east. The one you have from the start I send north and west. Get trade fast.
* Use you initial spy to remain in each newest conquerd settlement to twarth bribing.

Army combo:(my flavour of choice)
Intially: what I have from the start: base phalanx line with javs.
2nd stage: 2 missile cav (can be built in Tylis and Ancyra), base phalanx line and toxotes.
3rd stage: Heavier phalanxes, heavy cav (2), toxotes and two swordunits for flanking and wallfighting.

Strategy:
You start off at war with three factions: Ptolemies, Epirotes and K.Hellenion.
The Ptolemies are no threat to you and the second diplo you build will soon bring in a peacedeal, traderights and even a 5k peacetribute since the P´s are busy with the Seleukids. So back to mainland Greece. I´ve tried to settle for peace with both the E´s and the K.H´s and was only successful with K.H at about 75% of the cases. However leaving the K.H unattended and just dealing with the E´s leaves your southern borders open for incursions. Problematic? Not really.

1. Use your troops in Korinthos to besiege Athenai at the very first turn. The K.H army outsid Sparte can´t sally since it can´t reach it. Korinthos is blocking the path and the AI never seem to understand to use ships.
2. Play defensive around Pella. The E´s king, Pyrrhus, will come this way with his eles.
3. After taking Athenai move towards Sparte. Beware of the K.H army that lay in ambush amongst the hills just north of the city. Take Sparte. Then the K.H will easily accept either a protectorate deal or paying you some 5k. just for peace and trade. This leaves them with just Rhodes and their king stranded on Crete uable to take Kydonia.
4. In Makedonia Pyrrhus should be making an entrance. Move your troops, either with your single transport ship or by land. If you use the ships do "jump ports" for safety.
5. Sally Pella or join its army and walk on Ambrakia and Epimandus. After taking them E will also be prune on paying you tribute for peace and trade.

6. Moving on Thermon will activate the K.H back into a state of war with you, which is whatr you want ;) Take Thermon. Move army to Athenai, upgrade, maybee add some Toxotes.
7. Ship and take Kydonia.
8. Ship and take Rhodes. K.H eliminated.

By now your economy is really turning around and you should have some surplus troops gathering in Pella. Atleast I send the all there while my firts armygroup is busy in the Aegean.
Taking the northern (Sardika, Tylis and Byzantion) and eastern Nicomedia, Pergamon and Halicarnassos) rebel settlements is a walk in the part. Despite the scripted warnings that Pontos will not like you taking Nicomedia and Pergamon and the Ptolemies considering it an act of war if you take Halicarnassos I´ve never had any problems with this.
You should be close to 260bc now and should have atleast three armygroups: one in Makedonia, Bosphorus and Karia. Your economy should bring in a surplus of 15-20k/ turn and I settled for 5 trasportships spread out from west to east.
From now it´s just a flavour of choice: North or east. Personally I choose east every time. Massacring the Seleukid city of Sardis and pillaging will bring in some 20k. (the only time I massacred in this game). Taking Asia Minor and the Ptolemaic towns of Side and Salamis is just a jump away.

Theese are my experiences, do share yours!

[LorDBulA]

Hopefully in future version this wont be so easy.

[Malrubius]

I don't think spies will have any effect on a diplomat trying to bribe your settlement. Assassins can kill diplomats, though

In the patched version of EB, you'll benefit from having diplomats sit in your settlement, however, as they'll get an influence boost.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

I'll say that I often use my hetairoi at the start to bear the brunt of my attacks on Sparte and Athenai and Tylis. I use them up and let them die charging back and forth constantly. That way you actually get something out of them before you destroy them. The drawback is that you have to keep paying them, but it's just for a couple of turns till you can break into the city. A little debt builds up from keeping them a few turns, but the results seem to be worth it for me.

[PseRamesses]

I don't think spies will have any effect on a diplomat trying to bribe your settlement.

Hmm... it seems to work for me. Haven´t lost one yet. Lost three though playing as the KH against M. Only difference was spies present.

I'll say that I often use my hetairoi at the start to bear the brunt of my attacks on Sparte and Athenai and Tylis. I use them up and let them die charging back and forth constantly. That way you actually get something out of them before you destroy them. The drawback is that you have to keep paying them, but it's just for a couple of turns till you can break into the city. A little debt builds up from keeping them a few turns, but the results seem to be worth it for me.

Agree with the sentiment. I was merely pointing out that you really don´t need them against either E or KH. You get by with the rest fine therefore in this initial stage your money is needed elsewere like infrastructure.

[Elthanas84]

* Disband ALL cavs. The upkeep is to high and you´ve enough troops initially to get by.

I would never disband any units especialy the Cavs with Makedonia. They are the heart of your army and with them you can win each battle with minimal losses. In my campain I could conquered a lot with my starting army.
After only 8 turns I owned 16 Cities and still had 2/3 of my army alive.
My Economy got better with each conquered town.
Of course you will get financial in the red with such a huge and powerfull army at first but if you disband them it will take you much more time to regain such a force again, if ever.
Mass Recruit Arkontisais the first turn instead, you won´t have any money for a long time anyway so upkeep costs don´t matter, but you have a nearly unstoppable army =)
(Playing on VH/VH settings)

[soibean]

I disbanded maybe 1/3 of my starting army, and all of my fleet. Brought my men down from the North to assault Athens, from Korinth to attack Sparta. Immediately after winning those battles after, pull some men back to Pella to repel an Epeiros (sp?) invasion, or ally with them if you can. If I have the men/funding to build an army, I isolate their main army away from their cities, quickly take them over, then wipe out the army.

I see no need to disband all calvary, just 1 or 2. The ships are a must imho, I havent expanded beyond Greece yet because Im waiting for the patch for new units/etc.

[Cheexsta]

I disbanded the whole fleet but kept all the troops. I quickly went into debt but the starting army was more than enough to gain control of Greece and Epirus. Once that was done, I disbanded all but one army and built up my economy enough to take control of Krete and Rhodos, before sitting back and building up my cities. I eventually replaced the one standing army with a proper professional force of Pezhetairoi, Toxotai and Thessalians (Hetairoi are too expensive at this point). This was enough to start taking portions of Asia Minor.

After that, conquest is relatively simple. The hardest thing you'll find is keeping conquered cities happy; even with several spies in each, Unrest levels will be high.

[PseRamesses]

He he, you guys don´t seem to like to disband the M-cavs. Like Elthanas84 you can blitz with them in a quite successful way, if used properly and this way conquer your way out of debt, eventually.

Personally I tend to roleplay my games as much as I can like: "Hmm, let´s see, if I was king here what would I do" I also find it unhistorical and quite unrealistic to stompeed all over the map without the logistics and infrastucture to back up my offensive. You CAN very well manage without the M´s cav the first 5-10 years AND it will free up some 6-8k/ turn in upkeep. You can build a lot of roads, ports, and granaries for that amount guys.

Would be nice to see a blitz-guide by Elthanas84, step by step, and then we can compare economics. Cash is king!