Best RTW Faction NOT INCLUDING ROMANS [Archive]

beans_on_toast

08-03-2006, 14:23

So ive completed the campaign with the House of Julii, and im looking to start a campaign with a different faction, but after looking for a suitable faction, It seems the only factions with any decent units are the romans, I love the greeks so I started playing with them but found out they have crappy units, anyone else find this?

Which brings me to the question, whats the best non-roman faction in RTW? by 'best' I mean with the greater units etc..

The Stranger

08-03-2006, 14:47

i'd say the seleucids based on the units they have...even though they get them late

The Spartan (Returns)

08-03-2006, 14:49

gaul,britons,germania,seleucids,carthage,greeks,macedon,egypt,perhaps parthia, armenia and pontus.

Wingman

08-03-2006, 15:19

Tough call. I agree with you about the Greeks. I'm playing a campaign with them right now and the lack of anything except better and better phalanx spears to look forward to gets a tad monotonous, though they really quite good. I'd say the Carthaginians, as they have a balanced and good-looking infantry along with the potential to train elephants. Seleucids suffer too much from the same monotony as the Greeks. Sure they have a wonderful range of units at the higher levels, but most of the game will be played with uninteresting pikemen levies.

Andres

08-03-2006, 15:31

Carthage is difficult, because you'll have to deal with the Romans in the very beginning of your campaign.

The Egyptian campaign turned out to be very easy, even playing on H/H. Tons of money and superior units. I feel they are the easiest faction to campaign with.

Germania turned out to be pretty difficult: money problems and almost immediately at war with the Gaul and Brittons. When the Julii started to attack me, I had a very hard time. It was one of my hardest short campaigns ever, even on M/M.

Enjoy trying out all the factions!

Oh, and welcome to the Org, fellow "junior" member.~:wave:

The Spartan (Returns)

08-03-2006, 15:40

Carthage is a bit easy. use those elephants to your benefits and make sure they dont die. vital for easy wins against the Romans.

Oaty

08-03-2006, 15:58

Well IMO the Gauls are ripe for a cakewalk campaign VH campaing/normal battles.

Anyways plenty of cities to help you kickstart a massive economy. Plus there good units are much lower on the tech tree. And vs Romans just the plain old warbands are'nt a joke as long as you can match them 1-1 ratio in number of units on the field. The main fact is that a warband is 1 and a half times larger than a cohort so thin yr line and block the units near yr main point of assault

stalin

08-03-2006, 17:55

The greek cities have heavy peltrasts. Those bad boys rock with a little armor/weapon upgrade. My armies usually consist of 4 units of armored hoplites, max 2 units spartans, a unit of archers and about 10 units of heavy peltrastsand maybe greek cav (max one). Afer they throw their 8 javelins they go hand to hand while my phallanx units counter the cavalry/ act as reserve.

Helgi

08-03-2006, 18:40

Try adding Dimebago's XGM mod, The greeks in this, are kick ass, and will make things for Rome interesting

Goalie

08-03-2006, 19:10

Well first off the developers probably named the game ROME Total War for a reason. Armenia can put up a decent fight, they are very well rounded and cat archers are some tough dudes. I dont play campaign a ton anymore but seleucids can beat Rome even later in the game.

IrishArmenian

08-03-2006, 19:16

Look at my nam. No wat do you think I will say?*
Armenia obviusly.

Goalie

08-03-2006, 20:57

Well you could explain why you think that. Otherwise there isnt much point.

The Spartan (Returns)

08-04-2006, 00:32

Try adding Dimebago's XGM mod, The greeks in this, are kick ass, and will make things for Rome interesting
the only thing i dont like about XGM is the weird recruitment line ups. very confusing.

roman pleb

08-04-2006, 00:47

It's Germania!
An army composed of chosen axemen, spear warbands, chosen archer warbands, berserkers, warhounds, and barbarian noble cavalry can stand against the Romans and is interesting to play as.

Ciaran

08-04-2006, 08:00

I´d not say the Greek (the faction or the culture?) have crap units, it´s just that Phalanx units need a different tactical approach than the Roman cohorts/manipels. It takes a bit training to use them properly, but once you know how to use them properly you´ll be able to literally push every enemy off the map.
So, if you want to put up with using phalanxes, I´d suggest the Seleucids, they have a lot of provinces to start with so that you can afford to lose some battles at the start. Later in the game they also get a very nice Combined Arms army with pike phalanxes (to hold the line), Seleucid Legionaires (to do the killing and for siege assaults) and Cataphracts (heavy shock cavalry). Add to that chariots, elephants and (I think) Cataphract Camels (the latter two only in selected provinces) and they get even more appeal.
I´d suggest against the Egyptians, their main units are phalanx-style as well, but they aren´t that great stat-wise and you´ll probably get easily beaten. On the other hand, Egypt has a lot of rich and very much upgraded provinces, so you might be able to afford the losses.
I don´t know about the barbarian factions, I´ve yet to try them, but if you want to, I´d suggest Britain (so you won´t have to face their chariots).

beans_on_toast

08-04-2006, 14:18

gmjapan

08-04-2006, 14:37

Armenia has Legionairres too, I would suggest playing them.

I had great fun on my Greek campaign, everyone was suitably hostile and devious towards me. I focused on capturing all of Sicily while I built better barracks / stables / ranges everywhere else. After Sicily I went straight to Croton in Italy and worked my way up. All my allies stabbed me in the back at somepoint.

Certain factions have too much starting money (and I dont mean the lump sum, I mean make too much money a turn) to make them hard; Egypt, Greeks, Selucid, Carthage.

Ciaran

08-04-2006, 18:51

Hey thanks for the advice everyone! I think Im going to go with the Seleucid Empire, mainly because they've got legionaires, But is there any way you can say give the Greeks legionaires and other kick ass roman units?

Is there a file that contains the info, becuase I know you can edit starting money, towns and units in the DESC_STRAT.txt file..

Yes, there is, for details how to add units (either completely new ones as well as shifting units between factions) I´d like to refer you to the respective tutorial in the Scriptorium subforum, you´ll find all questions answered there.

Avicenna

08-05-2006, 04:38

gaul,britons,germania,seleucids,carthage,greeks,macedon,egypt,perhaps parthia, armenia and pontus.

Not many factions you haven't mentioned :laugh4:

My advice is to download a mod, they're far far better than vanilla :2thumbsup:

beans_on_toast

08-05-2006, 15:13

thanks, the XGM mod looks amazing, im really looking forward to playing it, which one did you choose..(obviously i would post this in the appropriate forum, but I cant post anywhere else than here!!)

HZ plume
V plume
Bronze Plume
cant remember the other

I chose the Bronze plume, it makes the soldiers look like the ones from the old ancient greek films...

Garvanko

08-05-2006, 17:27

I love playing the Greeks and Macedon, especially with XGM. Both are centrally located, so you will come into contact with pretty much every culture before your campaign ends.
the only thing i dont like about XGM is the weird recruitment line ups. very confusing.How so? I think alot of units are pretty much the same as what many other mods have adopted as well. And I also think DBH has implemented Area of Recruitment very well, and much better than most.

My advice is to download a mod, they're far far better than vanillaGood advice, too.

Other excellent mods at the moment are Terrae Expugnandae 5.0 and Darth Mod 8. Both are getting excellent reviews at the moment. And both are lots of fun to play.

Other great factions to play: Try the Spanish - Bull Warriors and Scutarii rock.

orangat

08-07-2006, 19:31

RTW unlike BI has quite balanced factions. There are a whole bunch of somewhat evenly strong factions if you can exploit their strengths properly.

Germans are the best of the barbarians because of the low tech cheap phalanx (which other barbs don't have) so you can just churn them out and Gothic cav is powerful.
Seleucid is the best of the Greeks because they have the best selection of units in the game although you need to survive with early weak units to tech up and good units like the legionaries are 2T units.
The eastern factions are well matched, Parthia's infantry sucks but they have war elephants which the others don't. I don't consider Armenia's weak legionaries (as weak as Numidian legionaries) to be better than Parthian war elephants.
Carthage has a very good selection but they have no archers. Egypt has some very good missile units and chariot units.

IMO Carthage and Seleucia have the best units to beat Romans in an offensive battle. They have alright infantry to pin down the legionaries and have elephants and/or armored cataphracts to break the Roman cavalry.

Celtic_Guardian

08-11-2006, 00:37

Macedonia if you use effective tactics, pin and flank. Selucids have a good mix, parthia is a good challenge. And egypt is a bit overpowered (iirc their axemen have about the same stats as legionarries):dizzy2: :inquisitive:

Seamus Fermanagh

08-11-2006, 01:29

I've had fun with most of the factions. The biggest (vanilla) challenges seem to be:

Dacia -- good infantry, decent archers, and good late game cavalry. So what's the challenge? They're land-locked and dirt poor. You'll need to exterminate towns to get out of debt -- but then they're not able to help your economy so you go into debt again!

Carthage -- great late-game units and elephants! The down side? You're typically at war with: 4 Romes, Gauls, Spanish, Numidians, and Greeks (though the latter are a naval threat only if you handle Sicily well). The REALLY fun part? This is a typical list of your opponents by turn 10.

Greece -- all of your neighbors have one of the following: swordsmen with javelins, elephants, spearmen with longer spears, or powerful cavalry. Macedon, which is mixed up with you, has two of these. Oh, and none of your 4 starting cities are in mutual support range of one another.

Conradus

08-12-2006, 12:50

Don't the greeks start with 5 cities?:dizzy2:

My favorite one would be Egypt or one of the more barbarian factions (Scythia, Dacia or Brittania)
Egypt's just a moneymaking country from the first day and in the beginning you can easily beat the starting seleucid armies and become the only dominant force in the eastern mediterranean.
And the barbarians are just nice for a play, hidden deep in the woods or roaming with horses over endless steps :p

Celtic_Guardian

08-12-2006, 13:23

I like playing the Scythians too, they have so much land, but you don't get much income so its sort of tough. Rich lands to your south however.

Caius

08-12-2006, 16:01

Carthage is a bit easy. use those elephants to your benefits and make sure they dont die. vital for easy wins against the Romans.
But remember, with Chartage DONT let the romans capture thapsus, Lilybaeum and Caralis at the same time or you will be in a hurry

][GERUDO][Mojoman

08-12-2006, 16:34

britannians no contest...head hurlers just own everything, and the chariots own the leftovers... :laugh4:

bedlam28

08-14-2006, 16:29

I am loving playing the Brits at the moment, totally destroyed the Guals, and now learning how to disrupt the Germans.
Having grief with the chariots though; Generals heavy chariots get mauled all the time and the general seems to be the first bugger to die, and the Light chariot Archers cant seem to hit a barn door, I left 2 units of chariot archers against 1 unit of Germans and after a ten minute battle on the otherside of the field I returned to note that they had managed to kill a grand total of 4 enemies !! well whoopy do.

Sigh, miss the Roman archers so much, but love the Head Hurlers and Druids.
Rule Britannia !!

The Spartan (Returns)

08-14-2006, 16:32

I love playing the Greeks and Macedon, especially with XGM. Both are centrally located, so you will come into contact with pretty much every culture before your campaign ends.How so? I think alot of units are pretty much the same as what many other mods have adopted as well. And I also think DBH has implemented Area of Recruitment very well, and much better than most.i dont understand recruiting Sparabara....... its a long list and i just want some good troops.

Garvanko

08-14-2006, 19:37

Use them as garrison. Theyre cheaper than Theorophoroi, and have the same stats.

that_dude50

08-15-2006, 04:18

I think its a tie between greece & carthage. Phalanx troops and elephants dominate.

Rex_Pelasgorum

08-15-2006, 16:53

Pontus... what could be more beautifull than a combination of greek and eastern units ? I think is the best, but also among the most difficult to handle. Javelin throwing cavalry isnt simple to maneuver... but it can be devastating.. you also have probably the best cavalry unit in the game, the Cappadocian Cavalry... you got some nice scythe chariots... phalanx... and acces to Sarmatian Mercenaries... also a very good starting position (blocade whith forts the mountain passes of Anatolia and the river crossings and you will be SAFE ), you can earn alot of money trough Black Sea trading... its awesome !

Caius

08-15-2006, 19:55

Prince of the Poodles

08-15-2006, 22:03

Selucids are great to me.. u can make all diff types of armies..

Garvanko

08-16-2006, 02:43

Caius

08-16-2006, 23:42

The rebels?.Maybe they have all the troops, but if you lost battle, they dessapear from the campaign map

haggis monster

08-24-2006, 22:50

play as the greeks/carthage/seleucids in xgm (i think seleucids get extra units) - more depth to their cultures/troops, and they have have similar skins to vanilla rtw which i prefer to say those of eb or spqr. i think the greeks also get swordsmen of sorts (cant remember whether this is xgm or te).

GrandInquisitor

08-25-2006, 01:33

[QUOTE=Rex_Pelasgorum]you also have probably the best cavalry unit in the game, the Cappadocian CavalryQUOTE]

while i agree pontus has one of the better line-ups, i believe cataphracts beat cappadocian cavalry

IrishArmenian

08-25-2006, 01:47

Coff, Armenia coff. They have sturdy phalanx soldiers: Armenian Spearmen, Horse Archers (one of, if not the best unit in the game for my stile of play), Cataphracts (beats Cappadocian Calvary, best shock calvary in the game), Cataphract archers (most flexible unit), Armenian Legionares (not as good as Rome's but they can hodl their own) and they are in an area where they have access to many different types of mercanaries. That is why Armenia was quite powerful at Ceasar's time.

Goalie

08-25-2006, 15:55

Capadocians and Cataphracts have the exact same stats, but cappodocians cost a little bit less, about 70 denari or so.

Seamus Fermanagh

08-25-2006, 16:24

Yep. Cappos and Catanks are pretty much the same. Catarchers are another thing entirely, as they really do both well. Armenian Legs just don't have the morale base to be able to stand against the Romani or the Ptolemaoi inn vanilla -- though they surpass Hillmen by a bunch for wall work. Really have to think of them like Princepes in just how far you'll expose them -- and remember how Princepes fare in the late game. Armenia's only weakness is the lack of a long ranged archer unit. Cretans are available after expansion, but don't stack up overly well against Barbarian chosens or forresters.

Of Course, Armenia can create 3-4 3/4 stacks of 1 Gen, 2 Katank, 4 Katank archer, 8 Horse Archer and scour the country clean of field opposition. Then the 1 or 2 slow infantry armies saunter up to reduce the targeted towns. Once they get their econ rolling, they are a tough foe.

Goalie

08-25-2006, 17:04

Yes I agree with all of that. And speaking in terms of muliplayer armenia is a solid choice. Heavy spears are creap, but tough units already and are inexpensive to upgrade and can stand up to rome if used properly, usually by putting either hillmen or some other fodder in front to take the pillas, upgraded valor and sworded archers. Then cats and 2 HA to take care of their cav and the HA's to help with the enemy arches.

Maxetius

08-27-2006, 11:12

If you are good in RTW i sugest to play with Numidia. With those legionares they can easly conquer Egypt, Carhage and later the Romans.

Augustus Lucifer

09-02-2006, 21:19

I've beaten it with Egypt, Seleucia, Brittania, Greece, Julii, Scipii, and Carthage. Currently working on Macedonia. I'd say the best faction really depends on what you're looking for. I can only tell you about the ones I've played so here goes:

Brittania - Fairly good infantry at later levels along with the only chariots in the area, plus the island location make this an easy one if you're not good at defence. Get to face Rome pre-marius most of the time.

Greece - Really good phalanx units(spartans rock), but a fairly bad starting situation, very spread out. You'll have to make some sacrifices and defend some at the start.

Egypt - Good units in about every category, and rich cities, but hard to keep population happy. Fairly easy conquest path throughout Asia Minor(Seleucia first).

Seleucia - Lots of diplomacy! Surrounded by five factions that tend to like to ally against you. Great endgame units, including elephants. Rich!!!

Carthage - Hard beginning, because Rome is out to get you. Good later units, w/ lots of elephants. Hard to play if you havn't gotten a feel for other Eastern factions.

The Blind Samurai

09-02-2006, 22:04

macdeon is my favroite not because of the phalanks but of the compaion calavry

Syxx_Killer

09-03-2006, 16:38

How's the campaign going? I'd have to say, hands down, the Seleucid Empire is my favorite faction. It was fun when starting the campaign because you have to defend yourself wisely. Once you get a foothold on things, namely eliminating Egypt, the empire really starts to expand! I hold 43 settlements as the Seleucids right now. The only factions left in my campaign are the Julii, Brutii, Britons, and Macedonians. I expect the Britons to be eliminated by the Julii soon and the Macedonians by the Brutii. I'm looking forward to really start kicking some Brutii butt! :laugh4:

GrandInquisitor

09-03-2006, 20:03

Yep. Cappos and Catanks are pretty much the same.

old point, but cataphracts are better than cappadocians for one primary reason: armor piercing. they are the best heavy cavalry hands down

Spart

09-04-2006, 10:07

I would advise that you try out the Britons, I find that if all my starting settlements are close together I can keep a watchful eye on them and I can beat most attackers by sending in reinforcements quickly. For example I can ship the units off the island quickly and reinforce my province in main land Europe, then I have options open to go attack and use the Island cities for attacking units and the Europe settlement for defense/springboard tactics