How long?

[a1s2d3f4g5]

hey all im just wondering how long it generally takes for you guys to finish a game of EB? is there a year by which you should usually be done by? well it would be different for different factions I guess, but im at year 215bc with the Koinon Hellenon on moderate difficulty and I've got only 3 more cities before the victory conditions are meet, plus own a few extra cities. is this a long or short time? its taken a few months of casual playing to get that far anyway...

also, I have just started a new game as the arverni but can't seem to get anywhere, any links out there to stratergy guides for the arverni cos I couldnt seem to find them, or general advice on how to get a sucessful start as these guys would be helpful (<-- its ok, got one now thanks to a few heroic victories :) )

thanks!

[Macilrille]

Welcome here and to EB.

1. Concerning the length of our campaigns, most of us roleplay instead of blitzing to get some challenge. If you give the other factions time to build up and get some elites the battles actually get somewhat challenging sometimes instead of merely slaughtering cattle cause the AI is so abjectly stupid. Blitzing can be fun a few times, but challenge is funnier ;-)

2. check the AAR section, there should be some there, but again, most people here roleplay them too in order to get a challenge.

Hope you enjoy it here and the wonderful mod we elitist snobs so like ;-)

[Nachtmeister]

1.) Take homeland/expansion provinces that you intend to take as fast as possible. The AI sets low taxes and thus accumulates huge masses of population, making it very frustrating to hold onto a conquered city without slaughtering the population.
You can't do that with "your own soon-to-be home cities" unless you are willing to incur serious penalty traits on your generals ("slaughtered own people" etc.).
For the rest - well, most of the cities will not surrender to you. And by hellenic customs, if a besieged city did not open its gates (as in "welcome, come on in, make yourselves at home") before the first ram "touched the wall", the attackers could (and would) do whatever they wanted to the inhabitants... :skull:

2.) Again - blitz, but not all the expansion area, just the other Gaulish faction (Aedui). In fact - play Aedui instead and blitz the Arverni because the Aedui are the righteous heirs to the imperium of Great Gaul... :clown:
But either way, obliterate your counter-faction within no more than four years unless you are keen on Sequoia-woodland battles against full stacks of Gaesatae (for which they will have constructed the MICs by then), which in turn can easily get your faction killed within eight years.
If you need money (which you will) - raid the Romans. Do yourself a favour and destroy every building in their cities while you are at it. If you want to alter history in favour of a non-Roman Gaul, you must seriously slow down roman civic development. If they manage to drive you out of cisalpine Gaul, you will have a *HELL* of a time pushing them back south. If you are fast, you might manage to bust Rome before they beat Epeiros out of Italy - giving the other green guys a chance to lessen your burden by keeping the Romans very very busy.
Get Massalia - it has a humongous trade income compared to your usual settlements.

[d'Arthez]

1. Depends on the faction you play as well. While it is certainly possible to legitimately fulfill the Roman victory conditions by 230 BC (!), attaining said state of affairs requires powergaming to the core. In general, it is better to roleplay, set expansion restrictions, so you can actually do battle with other factions' elites.

2. Deal with the Aedui first. Especially if you play on huge, you cannot afford a long war of attrition - your population will simply dry up. Afterwards, consolidate and start slowly expanding in the direction of the Romans; to speed things up, you may want to opt for disbandment of a large portion of your army, both to regenerate populations and increase income.

If you are lucky you may find some mines Alpine cities (which are guarded by a capable defenders). If you can, try and save money to build mines (if you take Tolosa). Massalia is a nice target as well, but it won't be an easy picking.

Gaesatae are very, very useful combat troops. Their fighting skill is good, their morale effect is awesome. Just keep them behind the main lines, until the lines have engaged, as their defence against projectiles is non-existent.

[a1s2d3f4g5]

ok thanks for the advice, and yeah I did also try as the Aedui, but somehow playing as a god-king seems more appealing :whip: :laugh4:

[Mediolanicus]

I'm now in 159BC in my Romani campaign and I'm not even half way...

On the brighter side, I can now conquer more than half my victory conditions with Marian units!

[Allhopeforhumanity]

I guess it depends on the faction and the speed at which you play. I finished a Carth campaign by year 205 on hard/hard and conquered all of Greece and Ionia in the process. But it took be till almost 140 to complete a Sweboz campaign on the same difficulty.

Currently I'm working on one with the Getai. I probably could have finished it by 220 if i weren't enjoying the long hard fight to Rome.

[Ibrahim]

I finished EB in roughly 400 and some turns....As Arche seleukeia

once I raise "the royal army", or the "main army", its game over for the opposition:skull:

[Rilder]

Take it slow, one thing I regret about my Aedui campaign is that I sort of blitzed the Averni, wish I had let them give me a bit more of a fight.

Honestly if you do blitz the provinces you do gain should have extreme instability for like 10-20 years, maybe have only 1 "garrison" army to control riots and not be aloud to garrison any towns normally.

[a1s2d3f4g5]

I'm now in 159BC in my Romani campaign and I'm not even half way...

man now that seems like a long game huh?


Take it slow, one thing I regret about my Aedui campaign is that I sort of blitzed the Averni, wish I had let them give me a bit more of a fight.
well thats true I guess, Blizted them now too tho so no turning back...

[Dutchhoplite]

I'm in 169 BC with my Casse campaign and really struggling with the Romans in southern France.

[seienchin]

With the macedons in 1.1 I had my victory conditions around 215, with bactria 230 (Its a small campain) and now with the romans I dont Blitz and always return cities to the Ai but in 198bc I am as good as finished...:book:
Dont remember my other campains, but I guess they were all over before 200bc or I lost interest cause of the seleucids...

[Iskander 3.1]

I'm at about 200 bc with my Casse campaign and I'm locked in a war of attrition against the Carthaginians. They took over all of Italy and most of France too before I decided to head south.

[NIKOMAHOS]

146BC in my Very Hard Koinon Hellenon campaign.

56 more provinces left to spread the Hellenic civilization to the known world...

Ptolemies:2 provinces left, both under siege(south Africa)
Carthage: 2, both under siege(near eremos) Sweboz:2, one under siege(after rebelions, without MIC) Casse: 5 Saba: 7,one under siege Baktria:3
and a few Saka, and Pahlava
AS is my main target but without regions able to give elite troops(Argyraspidai, hellenikoi kataphraktoi..) is not a problem any more.
In all this include my multiple silver and gold Phalanghitai, spartiatai, Cordinau Orca, Raux-allana and Skythian riders, prodromoi, sphendonetai, toxotai kretikoi...
piece of cake if i will find time.
I startd in November 2008 i think but time is really rare because of job...

[seienchin]

I think force diplomaty is crucial for long campains and role playing. You simply cant take things slow, when AS is throwing a full stack per round at you, it kills every fun you can have with the game.
Its kind of saf that this kind of fullstack spamming is the only thing in the Vanilla, which is better than in EB. :wall:

[a1s2d3f4g5]

I think force diplomaty is crucial for long campains and role playing. You simply cant take things slow, when AS is throwing a full stack per round at you, it kills every fun you can have with the game.
Its kind of saf that this kind of fullstack spamming is the only thing in the Vanilla, which is better than in EB. :wall:
yeah i think the diplomacy is perhaps a little flawed huh.. just as a test I offered A.S. all of my regions except Sparte for and end to the war, and they refused :inquisitive: even the basic trade of map info for map info usually seems to yeild "Since we have nothing to offer in return, we cannot accept"