Easiest Faction Besides Romans and Egyptians? [Archive]

G. Septimus

06-14-2010, 02:32

yeah factions that have to be unlocked are totally included, haha :P

Hmm...I will try this faction out for myself and maybe bring it up with my friend the next time I see/talk to him! Does anybody else have any good suggestions? lmfao :P

Macedon isn't "to be unlocked" but Unlocked-modly. remember when editing the descr_strat files, do NOT use normal typing. cut and paste the text

Reply to thread:
and yes, Macedon goes to the number 1 choice. Fun Companions and Powerful Phalanxes. on Number 2 there is Carthage, Carthage, already a large state in the begining, can create one of the strongest armies in the Game. you just need to know how to use the army and it's usage

that's all,
Caivs Septimivs Severvs If. Ln.

Centurion1

06-14-2010, 13:19

Before I mod them down to proper suckiness? Brittannia with their chariots before I modded the chariots to lower numbers they were simply ridiculous

Myth

06-15-2010, 10:34

The Seleucids provided you are comfortable with bribing away armies and losing the exp bonus of slaying them.

Tsar Alexsandr

06-23-2010, 04:46

The Seleucids provided you are comfortable with bribing away armies and losing the exp bonus of slaying them.

Hmm. So you don't think the Selucids could have it easy any other way? I know I got attacked all over as them.... : /

Macedonia is pretty good. :D I haven't been playing long, and I wouldn't call it easy... but it is fun and they do have a really good position. Great units too. If you like cavalry Macedon might be a good faction to try.

shinderhizzle84

06-23-2010, 05:43

Heh, thanks for all of the speedy replies, you guys! :P

I tried a campaign as Macedon earlier today and managed to kick those dumb silly Greeks off of the entire area in about 4 battles....I don't think I've EVER achieved that kind of success in the four battles or so that I fought---the units worked really great for me...they were really A LOT of fun to play with and they seemed to outdo everything the Greeks put out against them..even against SPARTANS, which I was very surprised (but pleased) over, lol :D :P

Now, about Carthage and the Seleucids. Those two used to be my downright favorite factions in the game when I first got R:TW back on 03 or whatever year it was when it came out. I remember I solely liked them because the game said they were both extremely well balanced factions with ELEPHANTS (the elephants were the selling point, haha :P)

But whenever I tried to play as them, unless I was on EASY, I would get my butt kicked non stop, just because, ESPECIALLY with the Seleucids, you're completely surrounded by very very hostile enemies at all places. But I've gotta love the unbelievable armies you can create with those two factions' rosters--especially Seleucia!

Aside from bribing everyone, I may check out the guides section of this forums, just to see if I can find some useful tips for playing Seleucia...thanks guys and girls! :)

Myth

06-23-2010, 12:50

For the Seleucids - wipe out Pontus early on. You can bribe their horse stack to your side, or simply kill them in a botched up city assault on turn 2 or so. With your Eastern provinces secure from backstabbing, you can focus on Armenia and Egypt. Take Halikarnassus in the first few turns, it's not hard, especially since you (as a human player) get to buy the mercenaries first. Get those Cretan archers and Slingers of Rhodes!

Down south you can expand vs Egypt before they get their annoying Pharoh's Bowmen and Chariots. In fact, If you rush them you can wipe them out and grow filthy rich in the process. So long as you guard your Northern passes vs surprise Pontic and Armenian attacks you will be fine. Once you get Silver Shields, Cataphracts and Elephants you can proceed to steamroll the rest of the world.

ReluctantSamurai

06-24-2010, 01:57

I wouldn't disagree with Myth's synopsis of the Selkies...excellent unit roster, and the potential of being filthy rich before just about everyone else.

But for me it's the Greek Cities. Everyone talks about the riches of getting to Greece.......well...the Greeks are already there!! And the GC can stuff two of the Roman factions right from the start......by kicking the Scipii off of Sicily (along with Carthage) and stopping the Brutii from expanding any further than Appollonia, and then completely eliminating them by taking Tarentum and Croton. Once Macedonia is emptied of Macedonians, all of Greece's riches belong to you. Add those of Sicily and the boot-heel of Italy, and you can now begin to take over the whole of Anatolia starting with Sardis and Halicarnasus. The rest is child's play..................

Tsar Alexsandr

06-24-2010, 03:42

My levy pikemen proved themselves against the Spartans as well. :D I had two units of them and the enemy in Sparta had 3 units of superior hoplites. I got lucky though. One regular unit of hoplites came out to meet me early. The Spartans were valiant fighters. But getting hit by my cavalry in the rear was enough to save my pikemen. So.... that was the end of that. XD

Sparta was mine. It was such a good opening! XD No walls, (Cause the Spartans were supposed to be the walls.... brave, valiant, but utterly foolish. We Macedonians are much more practical.... XD) and the army looked like a close match. I was also curious in my own abilities lol.

Their King had just besieged me at Cornith. I drove them off, killed their king, and saw how close Sparta was and what I discussed above, and had to try it. XD One must advance if he sees an opening. Just ask Sun Tzu. XD

So about Macedon. It is a wealthy land, you will experience action quick. You have great infantry and great cavalry. You have access to cultural buildings that make your people happy and your officers better. (Not to mention the awesome colors the faction has!) The Greek City states do have superior infantry, that need to be dealt with with respect. And the Selucids have many similar troops to you, (and another cool color set lol) but a over-extended territory to defend. The Macedonians have a great starting position, great units, and the promise of many fun battles. I've already fought the Greeks and the Thracians. As well as the Bruttii. If you like the Greeks and cavalry, Macedon or Selucia is the way to go. And cavalry was a major selling point for me. XD

Talimze

06-24-2010, 13:48

I would say that it's either the Macedonians or the Greek Cities. For personal preference, I would choose the Greek Cities. The GC unit roster is not as impressive, since all of their good units are phalanx infantry, while Macedon actually has good phalanx infantry and cavalry, but the GC has a better starting position. I guess it doesn't really look like it, since they have no consecutive territories, but that simply encourages quicker expansion. However, the real bonus is that the GC are in a much better position to take out the Romans early, and in vanilla RTW, the sooner you can get rid of the Romans, the better off you will be. The Macedonians are in a better position to take out the Romans than most factions, but not as good as the GC. In fact, I think only the Gauls have a better opportunity to defeat the Romans early. The Gauls, of course, have the chance to stop the Julii, who expand the most annoyingly. All three Roman families expand quickly, but the Julii expand into poor land that you probably don't have time for. So, if you're the Greeks, you can stop the Scipii and the Brutii from expanding at all, but the Julii will still go crazy in Gaul, and by the time you get to them they are not really worth the effort to destroy. With the Gauls, the Julii go first, and then you can probably get down to the other factions before they expand too much. However, their starting territories are not as nice, and they are barbarians so they are hindered by low tech levels.
Continuing on, the Greek Cities also have the dubious advantage of starting with potential wars on three fronts, with the Romans (or even Carthaginians), Macedonians, and the Pontics and Seleucids. While this can be a hard thing to manage, it's pays off in the end if you can do well and expand on all fronts simultaneously.

As far as I'm concerned, the difficulty of a faction depends on how late in the game they are likely to start fighting the Romans. I consider a faction like Armenia much harder than, say, Carthage, because the Romans are nowhere near you and by the time you get to them they have already expanded all over the damn place and if they triggered the Marian reforms then you might as well pack it in at that point.

ReluctantSamurai

06-24-2010, 15:17

I consider a faction like Armenia much harder than, say, Carthage, because the Romans are nowhere near you and by the time you get to them they have already expanded all over the damn place and if they triggered the Marian reforms then you might as well pack it in at that point.

I have to respectfully disagree. Armenia can steamroll any army the Romans care to field and that includes all the Praetorian units and Urban cohorts. They are my single favorite faction to play because of their roster. The heavy cats (Cataphract Archers and Cataphracts) simply own the infantry-heavy Romans (and for those who fervently hate the Egyptian chariot archers the cat archers eat those things for lunch). There are many options for army composition with the Armenians. They have heavy spears so one can use 'hammer and anvil' tactics; they get their own version of legionaires (whether that's historical or not is debateable) so one can use Roman-like tactics; and they have access to merc elephants, Arab cavalry, and Cretan Archers if you want variety.

Armenian temples are very good, as well. The Temple of Vahagan will net you gold armor/weapon status when you combine it with a foundry and you get exp +2 as icing; the Temple of Armazd is great for law & order and give ancillaries to that effect; and the Temple of Anahit is a good "growth" structure that doesn't have the more nasty side effects of Bacchus and Aphrodite.

I usually play on h/h and just about the time I finish with the Egyptians, the Scipii show up thinking they will pluck the riches of the Nile Delta as easily as they blew through Carthage and Numidia. I use nothing but cats and merc Arab's (one of my favorite mercs...desert bonus and they are fast enough to catch routing enemy cavalry) and leave one historical marker after another on my way to Carthage. Can't recall an Armenian campaign where I didn't have a succession of Legendary Cavalry generals.

Fighting in the desert with the Armenians is one of the few reasons I still play vanilla RTW........try them out sometime.

Tsar Alexsandr

06-25-2010, 06:34

Armenia is a awesome faction. Eastern Infantry form a decent phalanx, Armenian Legionaires are good infantry. Cataphract archers and cavalry are great. Historically Cataphract armor was so good arrows would fall off the cavalryman. (Or get stuck in the plates.) Armenia was a dominating force in this time period for it's mighty cavalry. It was of course though, not a rich country.

Armenia had a long history with Rome. (They lasted until nearly Constantine's time period.) There was a great discussion on if Armenia should be added to Rome as a vassal for a long time... Peace was kept between the two nations, and the exchange of ideas was allowed to go on for a long time. Until.... a Roman insulted a Armenian King's son, the injury was un-forgiveable. Armenia had also been lenient to Christianity, and had after this incident, not long after anyhow, adopted it as the states religion. Rome was still pagan though, and the Roman-Armenian war began.

ReluctantSamurai

06-25-2010, 13:16

Eastern Infantry form a decent phalanx

Actually, Eastern Infantry are pretty crappy, and you are perhaps confusing them with the heavy spears, as EI don't get the phalanx. The only thing they have going for them is mass and speed. I use them early to take out Pontus, who have nearly the same units at this stage, so its junk vs. junk. I build the city barracks ASAP to get the heavy spearmen. While not as good as some of the other phalanx units, HS are good enough to get the job done. They are useful until you build the appropriate structures for the cats and have enough time to recruit (both cats take 2 turns).

Cute Wolf

06-25-2010, 23:22

hello, Macedonians in vanilla are great on field battles, but try to play some sieges.... and you'll found your phalanxes are totally useless in walls, but in campaign, mercenary bastarnae will be great additions

ReluctantSamurai

06-26-2010, 02:04

mercenary bastarnae will be great additions

You just gotta love those guys! They can traverse the entire battlefield from one side to the other, and while your other foot soldiers are tired, bastarnae are merely winded:sweatdrop: They also seem to have the knack of killing enemy generals (probably the rhomphia/decapitation thing:skull:) though you really have to keep them away from heavy cavalry. They're in my top 5 favorite mercs...................

Talimze

06-26-2010, 04:45

I have to respectfully disagree. Armenia can steamroll any army the Romans care to field and that includes all the Praetorian units and Urban cohorts. They are my single favorite faction to play because of their roster. The heavy cats (Cataphract Archers and Cataphracts) simply own the infantry-heavy Romans (and for those who fervently hate the Egyptian chariot archers the cat archers eat those things for lunch). There are many options for army composition with the Armenians. They have heavy spears so one can use 'hammer and anvil' tactics; they get their own version of legionaires (whether that's historical or not is debateable) so one can use Roman-like tactics; and they have access to merc elephants, Arab cavalry, and Cretan Archers if you want variety.

Armenian temples are very good, as well. The Temple of Vahagan will net you gold armor/weapon status when you combine it with a foundry and you get exp +2 as icing; the Temple of Armazd is great for law & order and give ancillaries to that effect; and the Temple of Anahit is a good "growth" structure that doesn't have the more nasty side effects of Bacchus and Aphrodite.

I usually play on h/h and just about the time I finish with the Egyptians, the Scipii show up thinking they will pluck the riches of the Nile Delta as easily as they blew through Carthage and Numidia. I use nothing but cats and merc Arab's (one of my favorite mercs...desert bonus and they are fast enough to catch routing enemy cavalry) and leave one historical marker after another on my way to Carthage. Can't recall an Armenian campaign where I didn't have a succession of Legendary Cavalry generals.

Fighting in the desert with the Armenians is one of the few reasons I still play vanilla RTW........try them out sometime.

Oh, I agree that Armenia is an awesome faction. It might actually be my second favorite after GC. What makes it hard for me is not the pitting of Armenian soldiers against Romans in a battle; I very rarely have trouble fighting battles against any AI opponent except on the higher difficulties. The hard part for me is, like I said, once I have dealt with the enemies in the East and I get to the Romans, they have already spread all over the map so much that it becomes too hard for me to handle. Well, maybe not too hard, but too frustrating for me to put up with. I have never, ever finished a campaign with an Eastern faction without completely avoiding the Romans. On any difficultly. The reason is that, once I get into fighting with the Romans, I can only take having to fight three full stacks a turn before I give up and do something else with my time. When I play as Carthage, the Romans are the first ones I go after. They go down early, before they become too powerful, and I can continue to play happily until I finish the game. In my mind, that is much easier.

But, I am thinking of campaign difficulty in a different way, I guess. Maybe I am just not as patient as most people.

ReluctantSamurai

06-26-2010, 13:28

Oh, I agree that Armenia is an awesome faction. It might actually be my second favorite after GC.

Aha! So you do play them:laugh4:

The reason is that, once I get into fighting with the Romans, I can only take having to fight three full stacks a turn before I give up and do something else with my time.

Yes, it certainly can get mundane fighting the Romans when they just keep throwing endless stacks at you. I should probably qualify the way I play RTW these days...and that is, I rarely finish a campaign by capturing the 50 provinces w/Rome. When I get bored, I move on to another. I've played every faction numerous times, so there's no need for me to prove I can complete a campaign.

My own way to pacify my patience when dealing with a sea of Romans is to bribe a bunch of those stacks, and heavily fund whatever factions they may be fighting. Most of us are rolling in the denarii after 70 or 80 years so what else are you going to do with all that money? Sometimes it actually has an effect......

I've also taken to do a few modifications to starting situations to tone down the Roman juggernaut. Things like reducing starting populations and money, and forbidding the SPQR to building fleets. The result has been some of the more amusing games I've had in quite awhile. In the last several campaigns, Gaul actually did well enough to lay siege to Arretium several times, and both Carthage and the GC had thriving navies to the extent of stifiling Roman naval invasions.

In any case, I can see your point that it's not the quality of the tactical struggle against the Romans, but the quantity. But still, Horse Archers have been my favorite unit since Shogun, and desert fighting, especially with my cats, ellie's, and Arab's gives me the most fun while playing RTW. That's why I favor the eastern factions the most.

So do you favor the GC because they are in a position to stuff two Roman factions, or because like many of us (me included) you love those Spartans?

Myth

06-28-2010, 12:45

Ah one problem with a cav only army - autocalc is your enemy. For Roman stacks, autocalc saves you the tedious micromanaement for easy or medium battles. After turn 30 or so, I only lead against heavy odds or when i want to level up a young general. The good stats for Roman Legionaires help with autocalc tremendeously. Also, i play on VH/VH only.

ReluctantSamurai

06-28-2010, 18:28

For Roman stacks, autocalc saves you the tedious micromanaement for easy or medium battles.

By the time I'm having it out with the Scipii in the deserts of Libya, there are no 'easy' battles. Except for the first few battles against pre-Marian left-overs, nearly every battle is against multiple stacks of Cohorts of all varieties, and to a lesser extent the Auxillia of all flavors. So I don't auto-calc. If I don't want to fight a stupidly easy battle, then I just use my 'diplomatic army'.

Cute Wolf

06-29-2010, 08:25

good diplomats that could separate donkey's ass from his legs are quite handy to have, coupled with 100000 or more denarii

Tsar Alexsandr

06-30-2010, 03:42

You're highly underrated when fighting a Roman army. And I like that. XD Nothing like racking up a ton of Heroic Victory markers.

VersusAllOdds

06-30-2010, 23:33

I disagree with Armenians. They have a great lategame roster, but they have to face Romans in their most evolved state, as someone above said. Also, their economy sucks, they don't have paved roads, and their units are very expensive and you need a long time to get them (speaking of Cats, Phalanxes or Legos).

Macedon, Carthage, Greeks and Seleucids are all awesome, but every one of them has a tough setback (of course only if playing vh/vh or maybe vh/h battle).
Macedon get their plague which is, if enemy uses spies (Thracians), ridiculously hard to root out. It can destroy Thessalonica, and seriously harm Bylazora and Larisa. Their cavalry is also not there early on.
Carthage is too stretched, and you basically have to run an indempendent empire from each of your regions: Spain, Sicily, Africa. It might be hard to hold Sicily, Spain and Caralis in particular.
Greeks pretty much have the same problem, but with different enemies. They also have access to richer provinces than the Carthaginians, and more Wonders.
Seleucids are ridiculously stretched. They basically have everything they need, but need great effort to hold it. Unlike Carthaginians and the GC, they can't bunker up each of their provinces and start loosening their sandwich when the time is right - they are rather pushed into a multi frontal war from the very begining. If they survive, the world is theirs.

ReluctantSamurai

07-01-2010, 13:33

I disagree with Armenians. They have a great lategame roster, but they have to face Romans in their most evolved state, as someone above said.

Let me be clear. I wasn't arguing for the Armenians being the easiest faction to play. In fact, they are one of the harder ones due to poor economy, at the start, and that their best units all take two seasons to train. I was just taking issue with the statement about having to 'pack it in' when facing post-Marius Romans (which was cleared up in a subsequent post). My vote went to the Greek Cities for their starting position, their ability to strangle two of the four Roman factions (three really, because once Capua falls, it's just a short hop through the mountain pass to the SPQR) and in a position to control 4 of the 7 "wonders".

As to the paved roads issue, I think that the game designers never had to build either a stone wall or a paved road:laugh4: If a faction like Armenia can build epic stone walls, why shouldn't they be able to throw down sand and gravel for a sub-stratum, and lay flat stone pavers over it? The engineering required to enclose an entire city with an "epic" stone wall is far greater than that required to lay stone pavers. So either you get to do both, or neither, IMHO.

Tsar Alexsandr

07-02-2010, 07:29

Armenia invented the cataphract. And yet they don't have the technology to pave their roads? Is it because it's the desert lol?

It's odd that civilizations like Parthia and Armenia can't build paved roads. With all their culture and technology. It doesn't seem like they wouldn't be able too.... : /

placenik

07-02-2010, 12:10

Catiline

07-02-2010, 16:03

Well, you can't get stuck in mud in desert. So why paving :D

Umm....

http://www.advantour.com/img/armenia/landscape4.jpg

ReluctantSamurai

07-03-2010, 02:38

Yep. That would require some road engineering, and some pretty hefty bridge-building skills, too:laugh4:

Lucius Verus

07-14-2010, 12:01

The Seleucids

Guyus Germanicus

07-28-2010, 04:06

I'm not sure what I think is the easiest faction to play in terms of accomplishing the victory conditions. But has anyone noticed how easy the Brits have it in the game?

I've played the Julii a few times when the Gauls just gave me fits in the early going with stack upon stack sent at me. I would have to occasionally fight battles against odds. They just seem to be relentless. Then I play the Brits and the Gauls are a pushover. They aren't nearly as relentless. Sometimes they walk away from their cities and leave token garrisons for you to gobble up. Same with fighting the Germans. In a recent game, the Roman armies I was facing were half town watch, and I'm not playing on the easy setting.

All this to say, I have a sneaking suspicion that the Creative Assembly folks have a 'home team' bias :wink: built into the game when you play with the Brits. Mind you, I can't prove it. But something sure smells funny here. :wry:

ReluctantSamurai

07-30-2010, 19:41

I've only played as Britannia a couple of times (along with the Eggies, I can't stand having my generals in chariot's...or "donkey carts" in Britannia's case) so I can't say I've noticed this. They are isolated, and have to be dealt with by naval invasion, which the AI is not very good at.....

But it wouldn't surprise me if there was some sort of secret bias:laugh4:

Tsar Alexsandr

08-04-2010, 06:41

They tend to do good against the Gauls. Who in general don't fare well.... with Rome, the Britons, and possibly Germania and Spain coming after them...

I like the Egyptians lol. And they're a pretty easy faction with all the money they make. They own a very wealthy region.

Although one time as Egypt, I had a general killed by some infantry in a town. : / They were caught in a alley and he was the only chariot killed. What's up with that right? XD

The Anarchist

08-06-2010, 22:58

Pontus, or Armenia.
Armenia, despite the fact they have very little in the way of effective infantry, they are pretty easy to play as. Generally Spamming armies of Easterners and Horse archers, mop up the Seleucids and Pathia Easily.
Pontus can simply push west into Turkey and then down south toward Antioch and the Egyptians. This might not be the Easiest But are quite Easy to play as, if your quite familiar with the Game.

ReluctantSamurai

08-09-2010, 22:08

My opinion about Armenia, I've stated already. Pontus is a bit dicey, though. A lot depends on how long the Seleucids last. If they go quickly (as in 20 years or less), Pontus is in for a very rough ride:sweatdrop: It takes quite some time to get all the infrastructure in place for Pontus' best units, and early on, the only answer to Eggie chariot archers are Cretan merc's (or a whole ****load of spear-chucking cavalry). Eastern Infantry gets crushed by Desert Axemen, as well.

The upside is those bridges around Mazaka. In my first try with Pontus, the above scenario concerning Seleucia came true...they were eliminated in 15 yrs:shocked: and when I saw the first full gold stack head up through the pass above Tarsus, my cursor was hovering over the "reload" button. I wasn't ready by any stretch of the imagination, but decided to give it a go. By forcing the Big E to fight for those four bridges (and they tried each and every one of them) I bled them enough to gain some time to catch up in development. It turned out to be a very fun campaign, especially there at the beginning where I had to win four or five heroic victories against Egypt to have a chance.

FredrickIIOfPrussia

08-27-2010, 03:46

Macedon,GC,Seleucids,germans,carthage

The_GreekCities

08-30-2010, 03:31

for me i think the greeks are the easiest i am a master at the phalanx i never use cavalry

Motep

08-31-2010, 03:29

Yes, greeks are easy to be good with. Great start, effective-for-price units. But honestly, I would go with macedon for usability. Phalanx is awesome for both, but better for greeks, and the difference is not soooo noticable. Unless you are online. Then you can rape with greek. But cavalry....that is what makes macedon so awesome. Sooo....awesome....

Rarity

08-31-2010, 05:51

I think it's the Greeks. When attacking walls (or bridge), Phalanx is ivincible! They are just move out and no one can stop them!!!

ReluctantSamurai

08-31-2010, 13:47

Phalanx is definitely a plus for the Greek Cities, but they are far from invincible, especially if you play against another human player. For the GC it isn't phalanx so much as starting position. Other factions get good phalanx units...certainly Spartan hoplites are the best in that regard, but Macedon's Royal Pikemen, and Carthage's Sacred Band are quite good, too.

The starting position for the GC will insure that you get to stuff two Roman factions right from the get-go (the Scipii and Brutii). When you gain control of all of Macedonia, the boot of Italy, all of Sicily, and Crete, it's kinda hard not to roll in the cash from trade.

Rarity

09-01-2010, 10:27

I meaned, when attack the narrow places like bride and between 2 buildings, is the time for the phalanxs to show their stuffs.

Motep

09-01-2010, 23:09

It is preety easy to deploy them on the field as well. They are strong enough in single combat to withstand a flank long enough for a few reserves to aid. That is one of the few uses of greek cav. Anywho, cretans help, and against the AI, a good line should not have much fear of flanking. Online, it is more of a worry, and honestly, the greeks lose my favour right there.

FredrickIIOfPrussia

09-02-2010, 03:13

Seleucids are a pain in the ass though. I tried playing them a while back, and it was just so...frustrating. Getting attacked by full stacks of archers and cav from all possible directions is the most annoying thing in the world. I think the best faction is Macedon, for their starting location and the fact that they are Strong all round. Destroying Greece,Brutii and thrace takes about 20 turns and then it quite easy from then. Capture Rome, Carthage and all settlements by the Nile River and your basicaly gonna make infinate money, and then you can just march through the rest of the world. :)

ReluctantSamurai

09-02-2010, 20:43

Seleucids are a pain in the ass though. I tried playing them a while back, and it was just so...frustrating. Getting attacked by full stacks of archers and cav from all possible directions is the most annoying thing in the world.

Actually, against the AI, the Selkies are quite easy. At the start, it's not your field armies that will buy you time, it's your diplomatic army.

You have good, high-influence governors to start, so you can jack taxes to the highest setting for some time. The Big E usually come with their best general (Kiya), who can be bribed. Once that first big yellow stack is gone, you have some time before another comes.

The Parthians will make one try for Seleucia, but you have your best family member there, and besides Antioch, your most developed city. They usually make the first attempt with their cataphracts...defeat them and Parthia gets quiet for a long, long time, as they have nothing else but a few HA and Eastern Infantry. Take Susa, and they are finished.

Armenia makes basically the same attempt against Hatra with a similar army structure as Parthia. Defeat or bribe them, and they often get entangled in a war with Pontus.

Pontus has absolutely nothing but Eastern Infantry, and a few Militia Cav to pester Tarsus. A cheap bribe, as bribes go, until you get better phalanx than Militia Hoplites. Seleucia also has access to good mercs like Camel archers, and Arab cavalry.

Once you survive the first ten years, Seleucia will blow through everything in their way once you start producing troops from one of the best all-around rosters in the game.

My 2denarii

Myth

09-07-2010, 09:07

Alternatively you could opt to fight everyone and everything instead of bribing them. With sufficient skills on the tactical map you will ramp up those command stars like it's nothing! City battles with your pikes are easy. I actually like fighting the Egyptians, although i normally do so 2 on 1 with my stacks. If you want to cheat, you can autocalc vs eggies as that doesn't account for acher units and your infantry has good stats.

Pontus can be boxed in and killed in the streets of their own city or you could bribe their nice horseys to your side.

Ratwar

09-07-2010, 20:48

I really don't think it's possible to justify picking anyone but Macedon or the Greek City States.

Let's be honest, 90% of the difficulty in the game is starting out. With both of the Greek powers, you start in an area with plenty of population, plenty of cash, and (once you kick the other power out of Greece) an easily defended homeland. You've also got a good chance of killing the Romans early, and of all the factions where that's an option only the Greeks have infantry that can stand toe to toe with the Romans for any length of time.

The problem with the Seleucids is that they play far different from any other factions. You start out as a super-power surrounded by factions that are just dieing to take a shot at you, and while your certainly rolling in cash for bribes, it is still a far different approach to the game than other factions.

ReluctantSamurai

09-08-2010, 23:21

and while your certainly rolling in cash for bribes, it is still a far different approach to the game than other factions.

Aye. And there's the rub. The biggest downside for Seleucia is that you do not get to squelch any of the Roman factions, due to starting position. And even though you may be a juggernaut by the time you do begin to bump up against Rome, you will be facing endless spammed stacks of post-Marius units.......borrrrring.:inquisitive:

Macedon's upside is a better choice of cavalry than the Greek Cities (but I've modded my game to allow the Greeks to train Macedonian cavalry). Their biggest downside is that it's unlikely you can do anything to slow down the Scipii (other than making their North African empire easier to manage by taking Capua:embarassed:).

Because the Greek Cities can eliminate two Roman factions well before Uncle Marius shows up, can readily control some of the richest lands in the game, and can control 4 of the 7 Wonders within a relatively short time, makes them the faction of choice for ease.

My continuing 2denarii, of course.......................