Pontos - Starting moves and early strategy

This was tested on M/M but will probably work with higher difficulty settings.

You start with one city and three armies. There are three Seleucid cities nearby and lots of tempting rebel settlements. Ignore the rebels -- they will keep until later and will not attack you. The secret is to attack just the lightly defended Seleucid settlements. Yes, the Seleucids are your allies, but they are just waiting to stab you in the back.

Your three targets are
Ipsos, defended by two units
Sardis, defended by four units
Mazaka, defended by four units

Conveniently, you have three armies.

Turn 1
Send the army of Ariarathes toward Sardis.
Send the entire army of Ktistes toward Ipsos.
Move the army of Ariobarzanes into Amaseia.
In Amaseia, set taxes to very high, Queue up the roads, foreign conscription center, and a coastal clearing, and recruit one Pantodapoi and two skirmishers. This will use up your initial budget.

Turn 2
Treasury will be about -3200.
If you are unlucky, your faction leader will die. In that case, send Ariobarzanes to join the attack on Ipsos. You will soon have a new family member.
Decline to join Pahlava.
Continue moving toward Ipsos and Sardis.

Turn 3
Treasury will be about -6700.
Accept a husband for Dynamis. He can lead the attack on Mazaka even if the faction leader died.
Continue moving toward Ipsos and Sardis.

Turn 4
Treasury will be about -10600
Continue moving toward Ipsos and Sardis.

Turn 5
Treasury will be about -14600
Launch simultaneous attscks on Ipsos, Sardis, and Mazaka.

Turn 6
Treasury will be about -18800
Attack and occupy Ipsos. You can probably win on autoresolve.
Attack and occupy Sardis. Use up your slingers' ammo before breaking down the walls.
Attack and occupy Mazaka. Use up your skimishers' ammo before breaking down the walls.

Turn 7
Treasury will be about -18400
Set taxes as high as possible in all four cities.
Since Sardis and Ipsos have mines already built, you will be operating at a nice profit.

Turn 8
Treasury -16300
Destroy all the Seleucid governments and troop-building facilities in your captured cities.
Turn 9
Treasury -10844
Turn 10
Treasury -8600
Turn 11
Treasury -6200
Turn 12
Treasury -3700
Turn 13
Treasury -1300
Turn 14
Treasury +1100
Build provisional governments in the three captured cities.
Drop taxes to low in Amaseia so you will have population for troop building.

At this point you are in a strong position. You have four cities and mining income of 1800 per turn. The Seleucids and Ptolomeids have lost interest in you for the time being.

Next target should be Nikeia. Ignore Byzantion until after the Epeirotes attack it, and ignore Pergamon until the Makedons attack it. Build a fort for early warning of a Seleukid attack, and defend Mazaka by using the bridge just outside it. Once you complete the conquest of Asia Minor and have mining centers in all the cities, you will be unstoppable.