Have Seleucids ever survived the first 40 turns?

[Alexander: The hellenic empire]

The Seleucids are one of the ancestors of the great macedonian Empire created by Alexander, however they never seem to get passed the first 40-50 turns. They have awesome units, but a very difficult position. When you are not controlling them, do they ever get passed 40 turns?

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Its very rare, but, once or twice, they have survived till rather late on in the game. On all occasion, they were close to destruction though - they typically had one or two provinces, almost always containing rather meagre garrisons. I don't quite know what resulted in this though, since I usually play with fog of war on.

BTW, a certain section in this thread (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=63614) explains why the Seleucids often end up destroyed rather quickly.

[I of the Storm]

In the vanilla setup, they're doomed in 99.9% of the cases. Even when generously supported with money.
You might achieve different results when setting the diplomacy stances in the descr_strat.txt towards the neighbouring factions to friendly AND promoting all their settlements to a higher level PLUS giving them more units at the start. You might.
Otherwise, play mods.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

I had one game where the Selkies became a powerhouse in the East and one where, like OA says above, they were just hanging on.

The time they broke out to be a power -- as near as I can recollect -- they got REALLY lucky against Pontus and the Greeks in Perg ina series of AI battles and managed to consolidate Asia Minor while Parthia and Scythia were tearing each other up. The selkies then stalled facing the Eggies. Eggies never could get through the Cilician gates but the Selkies had no way to push the Eggies back in the deserts. Ended up trading Antioch back and forth between the two of them while my Scips took over much of Attica and all of the Western Med. Parthia eventually started taking Mesopotamia away from them, but I fulfilled my 50 not long thereafter.....

[Motep]

This one time, the Seleucids actually managed to hold against the egyptians untill -201 or -202. then, I (as greeks), felt obliged to help them and conquered Egypt. The Seleucids then turned northward and took several pontus cites, with me helping them. before i could turn to Parthia, the seleucids turned on me, and i had to conquer them. they lasted untill -180 something.

[Alexander: The hellenic empire]

BTW, a certain section in this thread (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=63614) explains why the Seleucids often end up destroyed rather quickly.

thanks!

[guineawolf]

yes,if you play in different battle difficulty......:sweatdrop:

[professorspatula]

The poor Seleucids are doomed. Everyone hates them and Egypt is far too powerful for their peasant armies to withstand. Usually Egypt sides with Parthia and Pontus too and the old Seleucids have no hope. They need either larger garrisons or more initial starting provinces to survive, but even then I can't imagine them holding out when their borders are surrounded with hostile foes.

[Hound of Ulster]

In all the times I played the vanilla RTW campaign, never did the Selucids survive past about 230 B.C. Even in the one mod I've played Rome Total Realism 1.9, I cut through them like a hot knife through butter (with Parthia). The Selucids just don't have staying power (just like real life...hmm)

[Meldarion]

This happens in almost every game, its not just the Seleucids, Carthage and Greece both die quite swiftly. As far as the Seleucids are concerned, Egypt and Pontus normally rape them. This may have something to do with the unbalanced nature of chariots in auto-resolved style battles, but its probably just the fact Egypt techs up fast and is rich, generally overpowering.

[Patroclus]

I don't think I've ever had a single game in which the Egypt, Pontus and Armenia triumvirate didn't end up owning the whole Middle East. Parthia and the Selucids are doomed when controlled by the AI. Dooooomed!

[davidchandlee]

I know you all are talking about the AI controlling them, but I am now playing as the Selucids and finding it quite hard to beat the Parthians, Armenians and Egypt--the battles are close (I've previously played as all the Romans and Carthage successfully), which makes it a good challenge. I've got a few heroics probably due to how long it took to win a battle. I'm at about 250 BC now.

[TruePraetorian]

if you play a mod with mundus magnus as the map the seleucid empire manages itself pretty decently, decently meaning im competeing every turn. They have the largest empire and highest population, plus their production is pretty good, the only thing that keeps me at numero uno is the my military strength (julii). Greks are pretty easily defeated but it is my first campaign where Carthage has lasted by beating back the scipii and actually making the 4th largest empire!

[Hound of Ulster]

As big as the Selucid Empire was, it was highly unstable bacause of its huge size, which is why the Parthians conquered it so quickly. Also, the tactics they used were throughly out-moded by the time RTW starts. Even in the supposedly more balanced Europa Barborum mod, I split the Seleucids in two within 30 turns of the campaign start.

The Seleucids are doomed, plain and simple.