Favorite Faction To Play And Why?

[gaiusjulii]

I have been playing RTW for a few months now and I am Vet of MTW and STW, I love playing the roman Brutii because of their positioning for the annex of greece and the Middle East and the fact I love roman history and feel great re-enacting it as i would have done so given the chance. but also I love to play as the greeks as they have a up hill struggle from the beginning after being attacked every time by both Scipii and Brutii similtaniously within 5 turns of the start of the game. Also the Greek Phalanx Kicks Azz! I like the Greek troops all over (Spartans RULE) and they have a good range of cavalry too.

[Nellup]

I usually play mods, but in vanilla my favourite faction is Macedonia because of being able to re-enact Alexander's conquests!

[Caius]

The Greeks, and Brutii.

[Noir]

Always fun to take "revenge" with Carthage! Eastern factions like Pontos for example are also loads of fun. Go for the occasional Gaul overhaul... And for the masochistically inclined a Seleukid campaign.

Many Thanks

Noir

[Shieldmaiden]

The Britons, closely followed by the Gauls and Germans. I just love the culture and style :medievalcheers:

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

I prefer the Scipii really. There's nothing more fun than butchering Carthaginians and Egyptians with pre-Marian troops. I also feel that they have an easier position for the almighty civil war that always approaches - they never have to share borders with any Roman factions whatsoever if they do not wish to.

[Orb]

STW: Takeda. I actually can't remember why, but that was it.
MTW: Spain. Zergrushkekeke! And Egypt.
RTW: Gauls. With a four-pronged attack for the sake of making it harder. I find the complete lack of a real defensive position enticing, as it forces you to really stampede those Romans, Iberians, Germans and Britons (I play 1.6, so naval invasions happen every 10 minutes).
or
Pontus/Seleucia. A semi-challenging campaign, causing me to use new options.
RTW, BI: Saxons. A good, competitive, infantry faction with a decent start position and plenty of options.
Blue Lotus: Karazai - A warmongering Mongol horde with massive mobility and options
Or
Yomi - Giant, insane, overpowered cat-headed berserk demons. Need I say more?
Europa Barbarorum: Qarthadastim/Aedui - So easy to get into the roleplaying feel.

[Jacob Debroedere]

In vanilla RTW I had most fun playing Carthage.It's a challenging faction because you have to fend of the Scipii with those half-assed Carthaginian starting units,but once you get armoured elephants you can just sit back and watch the urban cohorts fly.

[King of Kings]

Brutii:Easy, so much money later on and Roman legions which are almost unstopable and if you expand right you can take northen Italy and go into Gaul and Germania and be in a good position for civil war.

[Rotc_Railey15]

My favorite Romans to play are the Julii because I love conquering barbarians. But I also like the Greeks because of their wealth (and Spartans) and for barbarians I like playing as Spain because of the challenge and location of the faction.

[Charge]

I often play as Julii, true romans for me, its kinda like playing as Caesar.
Also, an advantage to play as romans,coz of the civil war:duel:

[guineawolf]

my favourite faction is Scipii,but since its temple give the Scipii equipment superiority for army,and naval superiority by Neptune,all enemy is easy to crush,i rather play as greek cities or carthage.....

greek cities?It's temple can be flexible use:
Aprhodites=population growth
Hermes=better trade income(replace the silk road provide by eastern faction only,imagine if you can get both of them,and with the help of Secret police network at Londinium!)
Nike=provide better training troops,and 10% law bonus to prevent city corruption
Athena=provide leadership for all family member,and 25% law bonus to prevent corruption in cities far far away from capitol.

it's units roster is interesting,i can use mass militia hoplites to fill the job of regulars,then the hoplites are very good as both spearmen and swordsmen,armoured hoplites=roman legions(better charge bonus=7)


Carthage?their 40% law bonus(secret police network and temple of baal) help me cover more border cities corruptions.
And it's libyan spearmen and poeni infantry's square shields is my favourite (same as romans).Just the Iberian infantry is too weak for me,it is good as swordsmen,but compare to libyan,it's 170denarii upkeep is too expensive for me,even libyan works better than Iberian,Libyan can kill if you get a 10 star general to lead them,it will provide 10 attack bonus to cover up it's 0.73 lethality,use libyan in mass numbers,you will see it's effectiveness.

It is a waste of time to discuss about elephant right then(too strong for me),it's longshield with good morale works well for me,just use them as cleaner of missile troops,let the infantry do every melee combat.:yes:

[Rotc_Railey15]

Ive never beaten Carthage. Its pretty hard because its divided. I think next time ill abandon Corduba and concentrate on fighting the Romans and Numidians.

[phred]

I like Carthage for the early challenge of fighting on multiple fronts.
It got a little frustrating when everyone declared war on me early in the game, but overall it was fun.~:)

[Sonicdahedgie]

Ho ho ho, never beaten Carthage, have you? Oh, don't feel bad. That one city on the coast of Spain IS quite a bitch to get to, however. In my campaign, it rebeled, so I didn't have to worry.

[KuriousJorj]

I just recently returned to RTW, utterly sick and tired of MTW2.


My fav's (and that I'm now replaying):

1. Germania. If I'm in the mood for exotic, savage, cool and unorthodox mele units to get in there and hack up terrified 'civilized' enemies, I always love Germania. And also it's my anscestory! Britainnia is a close 2nd for same reasons.

2. Greece. I like the classical 'purity' and single-mindedness of the Greek infantry. Pick one thing, and do it perfectly. I basically line up my Spartans and Armored Hoplites, reign down onanger fire, and let the enemy break like water again my phalanx. Somewhat 1 dimensional of course, but that's also the appeal.

3. Seluecus. If I want the best mix of everything, the Seluecids are the best! Cataphracts, companion calvary, armored elephants, silver shield, legionaries, scythied chariots, good god!!!


As for BI, that's a tougher call. In fact, I'm going back, modding to a longer campaign, and replaying alot of those factions as well! :beam:

[guineawolf]

extra reasons,i play as Carthage just becoz i want to get army of using square shield except Romans(roman are too strong,except you played as non-roman faction,then the romans will be your top competitor)Their libyan spearmen and poeni got same armor,same helmet and same square shield,that make both of them look standard as Carthage regulars infantry......Since i find out that elephants are too powerful,i decide to used it as battering ram(1 turn siege,no need to wait),after bring down barbarian walls,it is the time that carthage infantry do their jobs.

1 more thing,i love germania too= for barbarian tribe(my sister married a german husband,that of coz not the main reason.It is becoz with reason above,i get interested into germans,then i found out german have high fighting spirit that make them being recruited as legion just for their fighting spirit,and interesting history(include World war 2,germans equipment are standard)....i use night raiders as my regular infantry,higher morale and better defense compare to axemen,then the real cause,lower upkeep!If you still cannot afford it,then Germania's warhound=(city garrisons cleaner) will be surprise you!

[icek]

cartage, it was the most fun campaign i ever had in tw games. People from my country fanforums were amazed how on earth pontus and armenia grow so strong and big and when they go into alliance my road to egipt was really a epic tale. I fought with everyone, and ended campaign by conquering the last of rome city.

[CaoCao]

I like the Egyptians the most as they have a very unique range of units. I like their Bow-Sword hybrids, their crazy axemen, their wide selection of phalanx and of course, their devestating chariots. It doesn't hurt that they are in the wealthiest part of the map and they are effectively fighting on just one front.

Their dialog and messages are cool too. They are so zealous and unforgiving.
I especially like the message you get when an Assasin dies on a mission.

They might not be historical, but they sure are fun.

[Fate]

It really is too hard for me to say which faction was my fave.

Top selection would be (in RTG):
Britania
Greek Cities
Ilberia
Thracia

I do enjoy barbarian factions, but at the same time, i love phalanx warfare.

I couldnt put my finger on an absoloute favourite though.

[B-DogKY]

My favorite has to be the Alemanni from BI. Great cheap archers with the lombardi archers, their spearmen can actually hold a line long enuf to bring your cavalry to bear, and of course, once you've released the hounds, you can release the 'Zerks right behind em and just laugh....

[mrdun]

For me, certainly a Roman Faction as they just wipe the floor with all others, I like the Idea of reuniting the whole of Italy before you move on to Gaul, Spain, Macedonia etc and replicate history so that would be SPQR but also I like to get my Family Members to Pontifex Maximus so therefore I cannot play as SPQR so it would have to be Julii as the Brutii have far too much money and get corrupt expenditures even on low tax and the Scipii are very good but the desert bores me. With the Julii you can set out your empire easily and logically work your way around the map.

[linkdrago]

my fave faction, well i dont really have one but i dont really like any barbain factions and well thats just me, the therace faction bring a good mix but i still very weak, in the greek section of it, althought i like the falxmen

[linkdrago]

The Greeks, and Brutii.

hmm i like the greeks especially the phalanx formation, i like that part of it but they still need more formations, the roman civs, they got tactics like the orb which if someone put that on their patch that would be really cool

[senpuu]

I've played only Scipii :D For more than few years with some long breaks. Somehow my game started to crash after I conquered Egypt. Therefore I jumped to Carthaginians :)

[Quintus.JC]

Seleucids. Obviously for it's vast array of units, but also because of it's technology and good selection of Temples.

[Slash]

Mine would have to be the Romans(in RTR) because they start off at war with the Greeks, which leaves you in an immediate War for control of southern Italy, eventually the small war builds up experienced generals and nice sized legion that you use to conquer northern italy and sicily when the Gauls and Carthaginians decide to join forces.

[Flying Pig]

Vanilla: The Seleucid Empire. The on;y faction with amazing infantry and cavalry that does not answer to the senate

BI; The Western Empire. After ten turns of stabilisation, and with only one rival - mwahahaaa!

EB: Arche Seleukia. Like in Vanilla and BI combined. Except NO rivals!

LOTRTW: Rohirrim. Super cavalry and I enjoy setting up Pellenor

FATW: Reunited Kingdom. Citadel Guard and the chance to lead the silver-armoured lords of men... enough said

N2TW: British Empire. Fighting Russians with heavy cavalry and highlanders is fun.

[Darkvicer98]

RTW-The Greek Cities,Thrace,Pontus and Numidia.

The Greek Cities because it offers a challenge at the start,Conquer Greece. Thrace because of their unit selection and there position on the map. Pontus because they're half Hellanic,half Eastern and Numidia because of their Numidian Cavalry and Numidian Legionaries.

BI-Celts or Berbers.

Celts because there still have Barbarian like units and they and Berbers because they have Desert Infantry and Cavalry.

[linkdrago]

Ho ho ho, never beaten Carthage, have you? Oh, don't feel bad. That one city on the coast of Spain IS quite a bitch to get to, however. In my campaign, it rebeled, so I didn't have to worry.

oh c'mon carthage is so... easy to kill if u want to kill them

[Quirinus]

RTW vanilla
Greek Cities or Parthia: for the former, great temple set, starting positions, and units. The latter, horse archers, horse archers, and horse archers.... 'nuff said. =D

RTR
Bactria: uphill battle for the East against the mighty Seleucids, a chance to reenact Alexander's conquests in reverse, plus their version of pezoi and agema look cool as hell.

Barbarian Invasion
Franks or the Eastern Empire: the former because of it's the first faction I completed a full campaign with, RTW or BI. The latter because of great all-round units.

[Quintus.JC]

RTW vanilla
Greek Cities or Parthia: for the former, great temple set, starting positions, and units. The latter, horse archers, horse archers, and horse archers.... 'nuff said. =D


Both of them are my least favourite factions, the Greeks focuses solely on Infantry while Parthia relies on supreme cavalry. Both are extremly powerful but one-dimensioned. The Greeks being extremly unflexible compared with the others.

[Darkvicer98]

Both of them are my least favourite factions, the Greeks focuses solely on Infantry while Parthia relies on supreme cavalry. Both are extremly powerful but one-dimensioned. The Greeks being extremly unflexible compared with the others.
I rarely use Cavalry unless it's a Missile Cavalry or I really need to support my Infantry. The Greek Cities allow me to use powerful infantry and Missile Cavalry at the same time.

[Abokasee]

STW: I've forgotten the name, the faction that controls most of hokkaido
MTW: Spain, A that begining its a rush for the iberian penisulia vs many foes, as soon as you have the whole place, just let your wealth build up...
MTW:VI: Ireland ZOMG ALMOST EVERY SOLDIER THROWS STUFF!!1!!1!11!
RTW: Armenia, its a uphill struggle because have so little money, then its a uphill struggle because the selucids are so big, then its a uphill struggle because the the egyptians are even bigger and richer, then its a very smooth expansion the you bump into the romans!
RTR: Bactria same reason
RTWEGM: Iberia: When every soldier throws stuff you can kill so much.
MTW2: Scotland, up hill struggle again. Denmark, You get rich, then you bash people, repeat until you control 50+ provinces
MTW2SS: Lithuian, when get enough terrories, no one can stop your armies of hard ass nails soldiers, plus virtually anything they have, you have a better equiviliant? Militia Spearmen? Baltic Spearmen!

[PBI]

[QUOTE=Abokasee;1941351]STW: I've forgotten the name, the faction that controls most of hokkaido
QUOTE]

I thought Hokkaido wasn't included in the STW map?

[Magraev]

Oldie showing his colours:

STW: Ueshigi (havent played a while, but they had nice rich provinces and cheaper archers)
MTW: Denmark mostly (my home country)
MTW:VI: Vikings all the way (see above)
RTW: Seleucids - love that pike, catapract and elephant combo
RTW:BI: Sassinids - nice map placement (and elephants again)
MTW2: Denmark or England (for the longbows)

Haven't bought RTW:Alexander or MTW:Kingdoms yet. I'll prolly buy kingdoms once it's cheap enough.

[Abokasee]

[QUOTE=Abokasee;1941351]STW: I've forgotten the name, the faction that controls most of hokkaido
QUOTE]

I thought Hokkaido wasn't included in the STW map?

Ah ha, you are correct, Hokkaido looks alot different, In fact its the completely opposite side of the map :dizzy2:

Shimazu is the faction, shame I can't play it anymore... vistas a bitch.

[Zasz1234]

STW: Imagawa or Mori, I liked the split starting locations and the tough spot of being the traditionalists in the mountains.

MTW: Italy, Almohads, or France

RTW: Carthage and Pontus, love their starting locations and unit selections.

M2TW: Byzantines, Moors, French

France always has it tough and the moors and byzantines have a rough start too. I like the initial struggle for becoming established and then the rise to dominance, if possible I like the one battle where it is all on the line.

[WarMachine187]

STW:I played this game about three times,but liked the takeda mainly cuz of shingen and his genius
MTW1:didnt play
VI:again didnt play it
RTW:Macedon.I love there colors plus there not as one dimenstianal as there greek cousins.Theyve got solid infantry with great calvary.After that its egypt for me.A cakewalk from beginning to end....
MTW2:The french or spanish cuz of my ancestry.My third favorite would have to be Denmark for there great viking units
MTWK:The teutonic knights.theyr units are awesome and there campain on vh/vh really teaches you about where you win in a campain.A close second would be the Kingdom of Jeruslam.

[PBI]

STW: Hojo. Not a particularly exciting faction, just the first TW campaign I ever played and the one that got me hooked on the series.
MTW: Turks. Great mix of units and balance between early and late units.
RTW: Seleucids. Virtually every unit type represented in their army, so as soon as I got bored fighting with one army setup, could switch to another to spice it up. Also, the tough start always improves a campaign; if the start is too easy, as with the Egyptians, I feel as though the hard part has been done already.
RTW:BI: Sassanids. Good smashy cataphract fun.
M2TW: Turks again. Once again the ability to switch from horse archer/light cavalry to heavy infantry/archer to late-period gunpowder keeps the campaign interesting.
M2TW:K: Wales. A nice uphill start and a true heavy spearmen/archer faction, something not found in vanilla.
M2TW:BC: Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Wales of the desert (without the longbows).

[clibanarii immortal]

I don't have STW and MTW so I'm just going to continue from RTW onwards
RTW: Parthians, horse archers ftw! and as a person who uses an extremely aggressive diplomacy strategy, I have 3 wars running at the same time; in my current campaign, I have one in the steppes against sarmatians, another in the homeland against armenians and another in the fertile crescent against egypt and seleucids.
RTW:BI: Sassanids, because they're the only ones who do not have major horde problems
RTW:EB: SPQR, I find their campaign is the most interesting, other than Hayasdan's reform government campaign
M2TW: Byzantines; they somewhat resemble the seleucid's situation from RTW
M2TW:K: Wales, "Has a number of units capable of fighting in multiple roles" (as quoted from the manual:book:)

[uruk-hai]

stw:will get back to you on this one [loads up game]


mtw:byzantine.strat off with littie land or lots of low tech citys.and haveing 2 glowing empires at your front door.makeing for a nice campain.

mtwvi: bearly play this one. so don;t have a favorite for mtwvi .yet.


rtw:two many to pick.romans for there great units.greek citys for there strong spears and spartans.and many others.

rtwbi:western roman empire.there roman. strong infantry.good spears units. they have one good horse unit that is as fast as a horse archer. and is vrey likely to beat them in a one vs one.eagles can be train any were .


rtwalexfotr:gondor and the white hand aka isengard.gondor for haveing to battle the endless hordes of mordor and battleing the white king.the white hand:for haveing uruk-hai.geting to kill many good guy heros like aragron.geting to be evil and have strong units!destroying the forest to fuel my fires of war.


m2tw:byzantine empire.has ever unit you would ever need.gets to take over the big money maker the middle east.geting to fight the hordes.can take rome with out most of the know world hateing you.geting to rebuild the roman empire.

m2twk:byzantine. greek fire. being rich and at last can get pay back on them truks for all they did to you in m2tw.

[CountMRVHS]

MTW: Byzantines: great units that gradually got less great, tough enemies and a precarious position.

VI: I played this a lot more than the big map of MTW, and all factions are fun. In the end, though, I have to go with the Northumbrians. Any faction that makes you really appreciate a little unit like Woodsmen has something going for it!

Dark Age (my mod for VI:yes:): Either the Romano-British or Rheged. The Romano-British have great land and potential for wealth, and some great units, but they're constantly having to shuttle armies across the countryside to put out fires. Rheged is fun because of their simple unit roster and brutally difficult starting position.

RTW: Almost impossible to pick here, but I'm having a lot of fun with Spain at the moment. Very interesting starting position with potential for lots of ambushes and fun defensive warfare.... although I do miss the "typical barbarian" unit roster, where you'd just make a big long line of infantry, group 'em, Warcry, and charge.

BI: Can I have 3 favorites? The Western Roman Empire for its crazy start position, great units, and perfect "end of the empire" feel. The Saxons for their great infantry lineup. The Romano-British (I once modded it so you could play as the RBs with Eburacum as your only starting province) because you can do like Macsen Wledig, declare yourself Emperor with the British legions, and invade Gaul!

Fourth Age: Total War: As the good guys, Rohan. Make a long line of Riddermark Spears and Riders of the Mark, group them, and charge the enemy... riding down Easterlings and Orcs is just awesome. As the bad guys, Harad or Rhun. Rhun has some nice barbarian units, great horse archers, and *WAINS*!!! Harad has, of course, Mumakil. :yes: Plus, Harad has access to some fun buildings, a good navy, good agents, some decent cav, and fairly good-looking if not always effective infantry.

[caravel]

STW/MI: Shimazu

MTW: Turks, Egyptians, Almohads or Byzantines

VI: Welsh or Picts

RTW: Numidia, Gaul, Greeks or Brutii.

BI: N/A

M2TW: N/A

[professorspatula]

I suppose for me, it would have to be the Julii. Just because, and I expect I'm not alone in thinking this, but it feels like the proper Rome experience. It's the closest you get to being Julius Caesar, and unlike the other Roman factions, you won't be drowning in riches during your campaigns so the challenge is arguably higher.... although the barbarians you face are probably a weaker foe than the Egyptians and Eastern enemies that the Scipii face, and the phalanx armies the Brutii are up against. I just enjoy fighting in forests with my legionaries, rather than featureless desert plains. The Roman unit roster and buildings seems more complete than the other factions too. I do enjoy playing as the Seleucids with their mighty war elephants, but their campaign like most others gets stale fast, whereas the Roman campaign has the benefit of a civil war to keep things interesting for longer.

[Emperor Mithdrates]

RTW: Carthage and Pontus, love their starting locations and unit selections.

I love Pontus too. I like how unlike geece or macedonia, they have Pikemen and Regular hand to hand infantry with normal swords and spears. They also have supreme horse archers, Chariots (which not many factions have) and start off near modern istanbul which is very strategic as its at the Agean-Black sea meeting canal.

[Emperor Mithdrates]

I love eastern factions much more than that barbarian west. What are your favourite Eastern factions. I love pontus for its wide variety of troops and position on the campaign map.

[Tollheit]

STW: Shimazu, because I loved No-Dachi Samurai and Teppo Ashigaru.
RTW: Greek cities, because I love to turtle in lovely seaside towns. I build no roads when playing Greek, but establish harbours and a small, but capable navy asap.
BI: Alemanni, because I love to crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and hear the lamentation of their women!
The Alemanni troop combination is simply devastating to enemy troop morale.

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Armenia are a fairly good faction. Although they lack a wide variety of infantry units, the heavy spearmen are essentially all that is needed to be the force's backbone. Their phalanx capacity allows them to fight well hand to hand against the similar units which reside around this region.

Another thing I generally like about them, is the existence of one key unit - the cataphract archer. Although they are not brilliant at everything, speed being one of their weakness', their strength in terms of armour and attack makes them a perfect unit for combat. Unlike horse archers, they can fight exceptionally well both hand to hand and from a distance.

Another thing about Armenia is the sheer enjoyablity and satisfaction you can get as a player from a campaign with them. You start out as a fairly low income backwater in the middle of nowhere eventually developing into a regional superpower as the Selucid Empire is taken over. This then develops into a challenging war with Egypt and the Greeks over who rules the area.

~:)

[Quintus.JC]

I love eastern factions much more than that barbarian west. What are your favourite Eastern factions. I love pontus for its wide variety of troops and position on the campaign map.

Seconded. Their troops are of excellent standards, not as good as the Seleucids but you don’t get attacked by everybody you bolder right at the start of the campaign.

[salemty]

i like greece because of its hoplites and spartans and its expansion options. you can expand into sicily then into carthage or italy or both. you can also expand into asia minor and take back alexanders lands and can expand into thrace and into barbarian lands. i also like greece because its an uphill battles right from the start. i greatly enjoy sending huge stacks of bruttii's elite men of principes and so forth to the bottom of the ocean with my fleet when they try to cross into greece.

[Quirinus]

I love both the Greek Cities and Parthia, but Greek Cities got my vote because of their awesome temple set and starting location.

Armoured hoplites and Persian cavalry are two of my favourite units in the game. <3

[placenik]

Scythia!
Pleasure of chewing great infatry armies :)

[Ciaran]

The Seleucids, though Pontus comes as a close second.

They´re really the most versatile army in the game once you´re reached the top notch of the unit roster.

And I like Pontus due to their early Bodyguards.

[Emperor Mithdrates]

[QUOTE=salemty;1970541]asia minor and take back alexanders lands and can expand into thrace and into barbarian lands.QUOTE]

You have to be careful with hoplites and invading asia minor.Selucia and the Great PONTUS! have pikemen that can easily beat hoplites. I was pontus, (and i'm sure i've mentioned this in another thread) but i had 4 pikemen and 2 chariots against 8 armoured hoplites, two calvary units and 6 petlasts. Using the square formation i won the battle only losing 12 men out of 260, while they lost 544 men out of 1100. (about)

[Emperor Mithdrates]

And I like Pontus due to their early Bodyguards.
that is the one unit of Pontus i dont like. Unlike other bodyguards who can just charge into battle, they have javelin first, totaly eliminating the chance of a surprise calvary chage.

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

that is the one unit of Pontus i dont like. Unlike other bodyguards who can just charge into battle, they have javelin first, totaly eliminating the chance of a surprise calvary chage.If you order them to use their secondary weapon, you can eliminate javelin throwing all together and go straight to hand to hand. Simply press the "Alt" key when ordering them to attack another unit, and they should go in with their swords. The same applies to all other units with a ranged weapon.

~:)

[Emperor Mithdrates]

If you order them to use their secondary weapon, you can eliminate javelin throwing all together and go straight to hand to hand. Simply press the "Alt" key when ordering them to attack another unit, and they should go in with their swords. The same applies to all other units with a ranged weapon.

~:)

God damn it, how come i never find out these things. All that time complaing that greece had no hand to hand units when i could have just used my archers. :surrender2:

ah, well. I supose thats why i joined the Guild anyway.

Question. my friend wants to know if at the maurius event or what-ever-its-called, is that when generals turn into armoured generals, all over the campaign.\:help:

[Emperor Mithdrates]

Looks like good, old selucia is in the lead.
No offence but i hate those traitors due to my pontus campaing. They gave me Halicarnassus for military access. I said yes. They positioned a huge army outside my favourite generals city. Then betrayed me and took the city. I dont think that the computer should only ask for military acess just to betray you a few years later, otherwise no one would accept deals with it in.

In the end i slaughtered that army anyway. :hmg:

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Question. my friend wants to know if at the maurius event or what-ever-its-called, is that when generals turn into armoured generals, all over the campaign.\:help:Yep, the "two" reforms (Marius and Armoured General Reform) are technically the same reform with exactly the same triggers. Due to the conditions for the Marius reforms, however, (this is one Imperial Palace anywhere in any Roman starting province (with the exception of Rome), the Gallic Itallian Settlements or Scilly) the system is fairly flawed. Due to the fact that Imperial Palaces are Roman only, the destruction of the Romans prevents all factions from getting their armoured bodyguards.

~:)

[Tollheit]

My vote goes to Greek cities, with Parthia being a close second. I guess I am attracted to specialized factions.

[QUOTE=salemty;1970541]asia minor and take back alexanders lands and can expand into thrace and into barbarian lands.QUOTE]

You have to be careful with hoplites and invading asia minor.Selucia and the Great PONTUS! have pikemen that can easily beat hoplites. I was pontus, (and i'm sure i've mentioned this in another thread) but i had 4 pikemen and 2 chariots against 8 armoured hoplites, two calvary units and 6 petlasts. Using the square formation i won the battle only losing 12 men out of 260, while they lost 544 men out of 1100. (about)

Maybe that is due to your tactical skill? In the hands of the AI, those bronze shield and silver shield pikemen are no match for my armored hoplites.

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Maybe that is due to your tactical skill? In the hands of the AI, those bronze shield and silver shield pikemen are no match for my armored hoplites.I must admit that that is not the case for me either. My usual phalanx tactics involve a simple and well ordered straight line which simply marches forward rather than being directly ordered into attack. They then hold the position, while other units move to attack in their vulnerable areas.

One thing I've always observed is that the armoured hoplites always work against phalanxes with equal spear length, but when it comes to those with the longer length, they barley managed to cause even the slightest level of damage due to them failing to push through the sea of longer pikes. Even levy pikes occasionally cause a problem against their hoplite counterparts. Although they can be, as said, used as a force the pin the enemy in position while cavalry or a similar unit flanks, alone the longer spears almost always win.

~:)

[Emperor Mithdrates]

I must admit that that is not the case for me either. My phalanx tactics involve a simple and well ordered straight line which simply marches forward rather than being directly ordered into attack. They then hold the position, while other units move to attack in their vulnerable areas.

One thing I've always observed is that the armoured hoplites always work against phalanxes with equal spear length, but when it comes to those with the longer length, they barley managed to cause even the slightest level of damage due to them failing to push through the sea of longer pikes. Even levy pikes occasionally cause a problem against their hoplite counterparts. Although they can be, as said, used as a force the pin the enemy in position while cavalry or a similar unit flanks, alone the longer spears almost always win.

~:)

excuse me for being dim but are you agreeing with me or the other guy?

[Tollheit]

My phalanx tactics involve a simple and well ordered straight line which simply marches forward rather than being directly ordered into attack. They then hold the position, while other units move to attack in their vulnerable areas.

Against pikemen, I order my hoplites to attack. If you do not, you allow the pikemen to fight on their terms, and your hoplites will get slaughtered.

[Zasz1234]

My vote went to Pontus. I love these guys. They get a great selection of units and a great starting location. It is always great to get some rebels, fight the mighty Seleucids and then face down the demon army that is Egypt. It is always a knock-down drag-out fight, then you get the fun invasions of Rome and Greece!

[Emperor Mithdrates]

Against pikemen, I order my hoplites to attack. If you do not, you allow the pikemen to fight on their terms, and your hoplites will get slaughtered.

When i used that square formation i mentioned b4, i held position with my pikemen, the hoplites attacked and they got slaughtered. face it. unless the hoplites are using swords, which they "whoop" pikemen with they get destroyed against them.

[Emperor Mithdrates]

Tollheit, have you actually voted on the poll yet. If you did greece would be joint first?

[Quirinus]

When i used that square formation i mentioned b4, i held position with my pikemen, the hoplites attacked and they got slaughtered. face it. unless the hoplites are using swords, which they "whoop" pikemen with they get destroyed against them.
Yes, but the AI isn't usually clever enough to maintain a cohesive front, which, I find, is an especially deadly thing for a sarrisae phalanx army. When fighting against Macedonia or the Seleucids as the Greeks, cavalry is important-- usually I have one or two generals, plus another one or two militia cavalry (Greek cavalry when my infrastructure permits it, or mercs where avaliable). A charge to the rear of an engaged phalanx produces spectacular results.:skull:

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

excuse me for being dim but are you agreeing with me or the other guy?I'm disagreeing with Tollheit - there's no need to a request permission to be excused when presenting queries BTW.
Against pikemen, I order my hoplites to attack. If you do not, you allow the pikemen to fight on their terms, and your hoplites will get slaughtered.I mistyped that, sorry. Against phalanx units, I do indeed order an attack against the foes, although I do wait till I'm pretty much right next to them and facing them directly before I order the assault. This prevents the lines bending and becoming disordered. Sorry for any confusion ~:(

Might I ask what battle difficulty level do you play on Tollheit? Easy results in something close to +4 attack to the player on the battlemap which provides a significant advantage to the human over the computer. This could explain the ease you are having in obliterating long piked phalanxes with heavy hoplite units alone.

~:)

[Tollheit]

OK, I did some testing battles, medium difficulty, plain level battle field, 1 armoured hoplite unit (me) against one bronze shield unit (AI), no experience, no upgrades.
3 matches for 3 different attack modes each:

Hoplites not ordered to attack:
-defeat, 161 kills by hoplites, 149 kills by BS
-defeat, 176 kills by hoplites, 139 kills by BS
-defeat, 147 kills by hoplites, 147 kills by BS

Hoplites ordered to attack in guard mode:
-defeat, 160 kills by hoplites, 155 kills by BS
-defeat, 211 kills by hoplites, 157 kills by BS
-defeat, 177 kills by hoplites, 148 kills by BS

Hoplites ordered to attack with guard mode off:
victory, 219 kills by hoplites, 101 kills by BS
victory, 215 kills by hoplites, 82 kills by BS
victory, 222 kills by hoplites, 95 kills by BS

Ordinary phalanx pikemen or levy pikemen were crushed by armored hoplites, no matter which method I chose.


Might I ask what battle difficulty level do you play on Tollheit? Easy results in something close to +4 attack to the player on the battlemap which provides a significant advantage to the human over the computer. This could explain the ease you are having in obliterating long piked phalanxes with heavy hoplite units alone.
My campaigns are on very hard/ normal. I was under the impression that there are no advantages/disadvantages in normal battle mode?

Do note, however, that there is no such thing as an armoured hoplite with no experience in my campaign, as they are invariably recruited in settlements with temples to Nike.

[Tollheit]

Tollheit, have you actually voted on the poll yet.

I'm not allowed to vote on polls, but my vote would go to Greek cities (or Parthia on my equestrian days) if I were.

[Darkvicer98]

My vote goes to The Greeks. Thrace i would choose next.

I love both Hellanic and Barbarian Factions.

[Emperor Mithdrates]

[QUOTE=Tollheit;1970856]OK, I did some testing battles, medium difficulty, plain level battle field, 1 armoured hoplite unit (me) against one bronze shield unit (AI), no experience, no upgrades.
3 matches for 3 different attack modes each:

Hoplites not ordered to attack:
-defeat, 161 kills by hoplites, 149 kills by BS
-defeat, 176 kills by hoplites, 139 kills by BS
-defeat, 147 kills by hoplites, 147 kills by BS

Hoplites ordered to attack in guard mode:
-defeat, 160 kills by hoplites, 155 kills by BS
-defeat, 211 kills by hoplites, 157 kills by BS
-defeat, 177 kills by hoplites, 148 kills by BS

Hoplites ordered to attack with guard mode off:
victory, 219 kills by hoplites, 101 kills by BS
victory, 215 kills by hoplites, 82 kills by BS
victory, 222 kills by hoplites, 95 kills by BS

Ordinary phalanx pikemen or levy pikemen were crushed by armored hoplites, no matter which method I chose.[QUOTE]

I guess its just down to the player, what tactics and strategies they use and so forth.:surrender2:

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

I see the problem Tollheit - guard mode - I always switch it on to prevent units from chasing routers and disrupting the lines. That could be the issue.

Thanks BTW :bow:

[Shieldmaiden]

My vote goes to Greek cities, with Parthia being a close second. I guess I am attracted to specialized factions.

Seconded, though the Selucids are very interesting :book:

Nothing like crushing the Brutii with an archaic Phalanx battle line or using the East as your personal pin-cushion as Parthia :smash:

[Spartan198]

Armenia ~ quality heavy infantry with Parthian style cavalry.

But a question: Why are the Greeks, Macedonians, and Thracians listed as "eastern" factions? :inquisitive:

[Quirinus]

I think by 'East' he probably meant the geographic direction rather than the culture. :shrug:

[Emperor Mithdrates]

Armenia ~ quality heavy infantry with Parthian style cavalry.

But a question: Why are the Greeks, Macedonians, and Thracians listed as "eastern" factions? :inquisitive:

Because they're at the east of the map.
:thinking2:
I havent been on this thing in ages but i was that greek dude who would talk to you about names in films like Troy and stuff. you would tell me good names for my character and stuff. I think my name was overlord of achaea or something.
~:wave:

[Emperor Mithdrates]

I think by 'East' he probably meant the geographic direction rather than the culture. :shrug:

right! :idea2:

[Emperor Mithdrates]

My Favourite Eastern faction Poll has proved quite popular so i've decided to do a barbarian version.
Dont forget to add a reply about your picked faction including, tactics you use, favourite units, and who you conquer first for instance.

I like spain, and normally conquer the spanish peninsular befor moving across the sea to Palma, sardinia and sicily.
My favourite unit is the surprisingly sophisticated and carthaginia-like Bull Warriors. Them or their personel version of the spanish mercenaries whose name i've forgotten.

I always have lines of archers behind lines of guard-mode bull warriors, and some iberian infantry as "cannon fodder" to throw at the enemy and break morale. When their gone, then my bull warriors advance.
:smg:

[Quintus.JC]

Without the slightest of doubts I'd have to vote for the Germans, their unit selection is just way too good. Their starting position isn't much to be desired, but after some intial development their army will be feared... even by post-Marian legions.

Basic German units
Spearmen Warband: Backbone of the army, able to perform both denfensive and attacking duties, can hold a solid line against most other units, helped by their ability to deploy the Phalanx formation.
Axemen: Good shock-infantry, not the best the Germans could offer but they're more than capable of making their marks in battles. Have AP ability, Axes can be devastating weapons in battle, especially against heavily armoured troops (such as Roman Legionaries), but they also restrict maneuverability and slow troops down.
Chosen Axemen: Elite warriors of their tribes. Chosen Axemen are powerful warriors that wield two-handed axes in battle, their massive battle axes will cut through almost anything in their path. These troops should be used for flanking duties, they're however extremly vulnerable to missiles since they don't wear any armour or carry a shield.
Night raider: Lightly armoured troops which uses an axe and a shield, these troops cover themselves with black dye that has as much effect on their enemies. Very stealthy, these troops should be used into great effect.
Berserkers:Everything that frightens you about the Germans rolled into one. Huge, angry warriors wielding large axes. These warriors are capable of chopping a man into bloody pieces without much effert, and should be treated with the outmost respect on the battlefield.
Chosen Archers:Good missile unit capable of rainning death on their enemies. There also very capable of a good melee and could be used as light enemy in a pinch.
Barbarian noble cavalry: Standard cavalry unit that should be used for flanking duties.
Gothic Cavalry:These are the most dangerous of the barbarian cavalry units, armed with a spear and a shield. These warriors should be used for giving the decisive blow in battle.

Other units:
Peasents.
Screeching Women
Naked Fanatics
Skirmishers
Barbarian cavalry
Wardogs

[Spartan198]

I don't typically play as barbarian factions, but the Scythians would be my pick. They have excellent cavalry, plus infantry axemen that can cut their way through just about anything.

Edit: Oh, and also warrior women. Can't go wrong there, can we?

[Darkvicer98]

Germania i chose, Briton would be second. Briton have good chariots and an empire can easily be made. Also the title of this thread is Favourite Barbarian Faction and Thrace does have Barbarian troops.

[Dafuge]

I like Briton. It so easy to expand considering your the only Western faction using chariots, you can shread literally thousands of Gauls with one considering they only use Warbands/skirmishers/Barb cav.

Usually I have like a couple of units of mixed chariots with Woads and head hunter as backups.

[Quirinus]

Don't really like barbarian factions, but if I had to choose, Scythia would be my pick. Horse archers are just full of win, especially the female ones (forgot what they're called). <3 Plus their basic infantry is axemen, which is way cooler than spear warband/swordsmen IMO.

[Emperor Mithdrates]

Germania i chose, Dacia would be second. Dacia have a small empire at the start so it's good to create a big one from scratch. Also the title of this thread is Favourite Barbarian Faction and Thrace does have Barbarian troops.

Yes my intelectual friend, but thraces citys are the same as greeces, and macedons, pluss they have many greek and macedonian units so i (and many others i know) class them as a helenic faction.:thinking2:

[senpuu]

Why can't I vote? :D If I could, I'd voted for Germania :)

[Darkvicer98]

Why can't I vote? :D If I could, I'd voted for Germania :)
Only members can vote on polls, unfortunately.

[Shieldmaiden]

Germania i chose, Briton would be second. Briton have good chariots and an empire can easily be made. Also the title of this thread is Favourite Barbarian Faction and Thrace does have Barbarian troops.

Yes, I'd go for the Germans and Britons too... both very interesting Unit rosters to play with.

Quirinus: your thinking of the Scythian Noblewomen or Head Hunting Maidens?

[Caius]

Brittania, Spain, and Germania.

[caravel]

The Gauls without doubt.

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

My vote generally goes towards Germania due to their much more diverse unit range and their more powerful nature. The phalanx warbands are good in both the defence and the offence and the axemen do, as said, have the power needed to hold off standard legionaries due to their armour piercing capacity. They also have a fairly difficult starting position with the Brits to the West and Dacians to the East. This multi-front war can make the early stages fairly interesting.

I do however, also look favourably on Britannia due to the higher levels of difficulty when playing them. No (decent) generals bodyguard and no cavalry result in some very interesting tactics having to be used on the field. Having to fight against Germanian might also adds to the challenge.

~:)

[Quirinus]

Quirinus: your thinking of the Scythian Noblewomen or Head Hunting Maidens?
Scythian noblewomen, definitely. They're so awesome that RTW had to scale the unit down to 36 women. :laugh4: Head-hunting maidens are not horse archers, are they?

[placenik]

Scythian noblewomen, definitely. They're so awesome that RTW had to scale the unit down to 36 women. :laugh4: Head-hunting maidens are not horse archers, are they?
Finally someone sharing my love for that unit :yes: Perfect scrimishers.
Only downside with them is that I can't upgrade them in Artemis temple.

[Flavius Merobaudes]

I voted Germania because of the unit roster and the intersting campaign start. You are poor and have possible enemies on all sides. So you have to encourage population growth and have to think twice about whether recruit a unit is really necessary. They have a nice set of temples and I'd say the most potential of all the barbarian factions. Gothic cav is great and the experience bonus of the Wodan temple too, but I build shrines of Freya first and later change them when the settlement has reached city level.

I find the Night Raiders are a completely underrated unit.:viking: With their warcry and frighten infantry abilities, they go nearly toe to toe with legionary cohorts. Only the two-handed Chosen Axemen have armour piercing capability, which I find is rather illogical. So I modded it in for the Night Raiders, for the standard Axemen (Germans and Scytians) and also for Egypt's Desert Infantry. Those huge two-handed axes are a fantasy weapon anyway. (Yes, there are two-hand axes, but they are totally different.)

Edit: Scytia has its perks, too. So they come second. When playing Germania, one idea might be to hire some horse archers in the eastern neighbourhood and present their capabilities to your western foes.

[Emperor Mithdrates]

everyone seems to love germania. i do to but doesnt anyone get bothered about how secluded it is from many other factions.

[Shieldmaiden]

everyone seems to love germania. i do to but doesnt anyone get bothered about how secluded it is from many other factions.

I think its a slow and thoughtful start with Germania. You have low population, income, and remoteness. A Faction to plan well ahead with...

[Chloe]

Germans have the best tier 1 troops. They crush anything in their path, unles sthe Ai wisens up and attacks flanks(which it don't) or it crushed it with sheer weight of numbers (like 7 Gallic warbands.).
I like Thrace too though.

[Empirate]

I voted Germania, like so many before. Awesome unit roster, and in spite of that still an awesomely challenging starting position. Makes for a good game to play Germania! Also, I love the combo of barb units and phalanx!
The first time I realized Germania was awesome, I wasn't even playing them, though. I played the historical battle of the Teutoburgerwald, and those Berserkers were so freakin' scary, I immediately abandoned my Seleucid campaign to play the Germans!

[Caesar the IIIV]

i really only enjoy germania in multiplayer

[Spartan198]

Boy, nobody seems to like Dacia, so far. :sweatdrop:

[Caius]

spanish mercenaries whose name i've forgotten.
Scutarii.

And Schytia rules! Those people are able to outlaw Thrace in less than 10 turns.

[Quintus.JC]

Boy, nobody seems to like Dacia, so far. :sweatdrop:

They're a bit... ordinary, but their falxmen is a big asset early on.

[Pantsalot]

Edit: Oh, and also warrior women. Can't go wrong there, can we?

As my brother says, men go to war so that they can take a break from their wives, it's cruelty
that they have to come along.. :no:

I chose britons because u can pretty much lie back for as long as u like without being disturbed in
campaign as I find Samborvidia an unnecessary area, & I like navy :beam:.

[Chloe]

Yeah, until the German hordes come!:laugh4:
Chariot archers are pretty beast...

[Shieldmaiden]

As my brother says, men go to war so that they can take a break from their wives, it's cruelty
that they have to come along.. :no:

WORD! :viking:

[zalalzabob konsorbud]

I will vouch for Mecadonia altough I would also toot for Armenia.

Mecadonia, more men in each Phalanx 60units in normal unit size. It really helps to when there are more men for your enemy to have to cut throw, makes your enemy work up a sweat.:whip:

Armenia The Infantry plus the Good Cav make a nice mix.:juggle2:

[Spartan198]

As my brother says, men go to war so that they can take a break from their wives, it's cruelty that they have to come along.. :no:
Only the strongest of warriors can win that battle... :whip:

[NorthernMonkey]

Thrace. I don't know why. Maybe it's because they have a really cool snake in their logo, or because "The Thracian Empire" has a nice ring to it. I don't know. Anyway, they're probably my favourites.

[Pantsalot]

I think Greece, Macedonia & Egypt shouldn't be in this because G & M r mediterrainian
whilst Egypt is North African & u could claim them to still be central especially G & M.
Although I guess it's a bit l8 to go delete & restart this & I guess it doesn't really matter

[Quintus.JC]

Emperor Mithdrates basically divided the map into East and West via the Adratic Sea, not by culture. 10 factions on the West side while 10 factions on the East. Culturally speaking though, only Parthia, Armenia and Pontus are classified as Eastern Factions in Vanila RTW.

[Emperor of Graal]

I like Egypt because of the brill mix of cavalry and infantry along with their chariots!
When I play as Egypt I start with a good statergy Train units everywhere use fleets to transport
them and crush them with strong troops.
So far on my Hard/Hard campain I've got
All of Africa,sicily,greece,turkey and armenia
problem is Susa and Arsakia keep rioting and rebelling!!
Me stuck:indian_chief:
please Help!:computer:

[Quintus.JC]

Provinces on the far edge of the empire tend to rebel, especially on hard/hard. There are a number of things you can do:

1. Move you capital to the centre of your empire, this is common sense really. The distance from capital penalty in RTW is huge... and controllable at times. But it will in your best of interest to move it to the centre, it costs no money and in a blink you could start to enjoy the benifits.

2. Lower taxes. This increases population happiness without saying.

3. Increase garrison. Do make sure you employ the right troops for this. I mean you don't need Pharo's guards or Desert Axeman to be wasted and make sure peasants pay taxes on time. Nubian Spearmen are perfect for this kind of job.

4. Build buildings that increases happiness or anythings with similar attributes. By that I mean Temples (and upgrades of course), Secret Police HQ or anything else that helps.

5. Reduce Culture penalty, if any alien temple (any temple that isn't dedicated to one of you gods) exists in one of your settlement then it should be destroyed, they do bring happiness but also culture penalty, and it is in your best interests to destroy it and build your temples on top of their ruins.

6. Install a top governor, any family members governing a city will make the population happier unless the governor has specific bad traits e.g. Cheap-skate, Mad etc. Governors with high influnces are best for reducing unhappiness.

7. If all fails, pull out all troops and let the settlement rebels. Then take it back and exterminate the population. It's meant to be, once a settlement reaches certain sizes the squlor will begin to set in, and there's nothing you can do to help, especially if the province is far away. So just masscre it then it will make it alot easier to govern.

[Quintus.JC]

I like Egypt because of the brill mix of cavalry and infantry along with their chariots!
When I play as Egypt I start with a good statergy Train units everywhere use fleets to transport
them and crush them with strong troops.
So far on my Hard/Hard campain I've got
All of Africa,sicily,greece,turkey and armenia
problem is Susa and Arsakia keep rioting and rebelling!!
Me stuck:indian_chief:
please Help!:computer:

Don't forget their awesome missile power.

It seems to me that Antioch is a nice place for your capital.

[Emperor of Graal]

My Fave faction is the REBELS!!
Because You get loads of troops and you can bribe everyone onto your team!!
Tell me yours and why:gossip:

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Merged all of the "Favourite Faction" threads with this one to minimise clutter - we've had a lot of "favourite faction" threads recently, and it seems logical to try and consolidate them (well, that's what those dodgy loan ads say anyway - I suppose their disappearance due to harsh economic times isn't really a particularly bad thing - here in the UK we've only got Norton finance carrying on, while Ocean finance, argh, have diversified into financial advise).

[Emperor of Graal]

Don't forget their awesome missile power.

It seems to me that Antioch is a nice place for your capital.
I did and lowered the tax in nepte,dimmidi,tingi,thaspus,carthage,syracuse,libybaemum and messana
now all of italy and sycthia is mine just rome remains!!:end:

[Fookison]

I enjoy playing as the Scipii. I like the starting position and the fact that you can go in any direction to get started. I generally like to go south and then east and then work my way back up north and west. My second fav. is the Egyptians and then I go west and north and close together like a big clam shell on the rest.

[The_678]

im tempted to say brutii cuz i love to play as the romans, and in rtw i love to conquer greece early, but i have to go for greece because I love the all infantry armies and hoplites. I have always been a huge fan of heavy cavalry in all total war games enough so that often times half of my army consists of heavy cav for the flanking, so i find i just have a ton of un playing as Greece for the unique experiance of all infantry armies.

And the Greek Hoplite square with a few archers inside is just so beefcake, theres nothing like having a disciplined square of hoplites fight off armies 2 or 3 times their size and watching your square shrink and carefully using your reserves and gens for the odd assisstance on the lines with your army surronded by times and coming out on top

[Garvanko]

Any faction with chariot archers gets my vote, but for sheer campaign pleasure, then its any Roman faction or the Greeks.

[Charles the hammer]

I enjoy the romans (Juli) I find recreating the roman empire to be fun and it might be the hardest of the romans with the economy of Gaul/spain/britian who are most likely to be your starting targets (they were mine).:laugh4:

[Celtic_Punk]

greek cities are ridiculously over powered. i love em! FTW armoured hoplites for the win!

[Thermal]

im the only one to vote for parthia???
there cataphracts and camels rule, there lucky enough to get elephants, and expert horse archers, with brill foot missiles,who needs hoplites when you have that? many fights ive had and horse archers pick hoplites off, and the few that remain can ger overcome by a caaphract charge, there silk roads r useful too, well at least my modded version is anyway :beam:

[Koga No Goshi]

I'm the only one who voted Thrace?!

Couple reasons:
1) The color
2) Starting location (walk right up and take a rebel controlled Byzantium on turn 1 or 2? Yes, thank you.
3) Good mix of Greek style units along with a barbarian-esque Falk unit, AND the ability to build siege units. (I think they are unique among barbarian tribes for this?)
4) The Romans have to go through Greece and Macedon to get to you, giving you time to consolidate
5) Good water control cul-de-sac
6) Easy to pop both armies or emissaries across the strait to get trade going with Pontus, Egypt, Armenia, Parthia, Seleucids etc.
7) Scythia is ripe for the taking
8) People seem to like you and make deals with you much easier than when you play the Romans. As Romans I almost never get anyone to allow me military access, for example.

[Monk]

I don't play RTW much these days but when I do it's almost always as the Greek Cities.

They represent an old-style (relative to the game) of waging war. As the factions tech up and become more advanced, Rome especially, the tactics of the greeks become increasingly difficult to use effectively. Their biggest obstacle right out of the gate is finding a way to defeat the Macedonians to the north who utilize pikemen while the Greeks use much shorter spears. There you're forced to rely on your (woefully) outclassed horsemen to be the difference maker.

The Greeks are a campaign where once one challenge is mastered another presents itself, and even if that one is mastered, your way of doing things is quickly becoming outdated.

It's the faction you play when you feel like telling kids to get off your lawn. :thumbsup:

[caravel]

I must admit that I've never had any problems steamrollering the Macedonians as the Greeks. I think this comes down to tactics more than anything else. The AI is hopeless at deploying and using phalanx properly.

[Quirinus]

im the only one to vote for parthia???
there cataphracts and camels rule, there lucky enough to get elephants, and expert horse archers, with brill foot missiles,who needs hoplites when you have that? many fights ive had and horse archers pick hoplites off, and the few that remain can ger overcome by a caaphract charge, there silk roads r useful too, well at least my modded version is anyway :beam:
Second Parthia fan here!

My favourites would be a tie between Greek Cities and Parthia. The reason why the Greek Cities are awesome have already been said, Parthia I also love because horse archers are awesome, and Persian cavalry is by far my favourite horse archer unit (or any cavalry unit, for that matter)-- excellent range, decent melee capability, and they look cool. The Parthians lack decent infantry, but who needs them when there is such an awesomely awesome selection of good cavalry?

I do hate how they only have one temple though. And their starting position: bleh.

[Caesar the IIIV]

i love Carthage because of their elephants, i also like their melee troops:yes:

[GMaximus]

My vote would have to be a tie between Pontus and Gaul.

Gauls, because I love lurking about in the forest with huge stacks of uber warcryness. There's also something satisfying to sack Rome as them, I get the same feeling as Goths or Vandals in BI.

Pontus I love for the fact they have Cappadocian Lancers, an unit which I seem to love for some reason; I loved them in RTR as well... Plus, their unit mix is nice, although you could say the same about some other factions in the region.

[Emperor Mithdrates]

pontus is gr8.
they have chariots, calvary, skirmishers, archers, pikemen and regular infantry. In other words. every unit type available except elephants. :2thumbsup: