Having had a bit of fun playing as Epirus on M/M (simply an experiment to see if the CAI is any more...reasonable withsuch notions as ceasefires or trade rights...it doesn't appear to be, btw) I stopped and decided to start a campaign using the suggested H/M settings. I decided on Makedonia.
The two Generals that I start with near Korinthos, one of them is loyalty level 3, the other loyalty level 4. I moved the majority of the units into Mr Level 4 and then put Mr level 3 into Demetrius. Hired another assassin and some more units, spent the remainder on a couple of low level buildings. End turn 1 - Mr Loyalty 4 has gone over to the rebels. Decided to bring Antigonus down toward Athens in order to besiege it, moved Alkyonous into Pella. Attempted to 'negotiate' a ceasefire with Epirus. End turn 2 - my diplomat dissapears, having (presumably) gone over to someone (he literally just dissapeared, though there was a message about a turncoat). I'm in the red already (as I knew I would be) so...no diplomat to try and arrange trade agreements. Hey-ho, one of the challenges.
Antigonus besieges Athens..not alot else to do (looked at attempting to assassinate koinon helenon diplomat....none of my assassins has anything other than a slim chance of doing so...decide to avoid the risk of losing one for so small a return). End turn 3. Krateros is murdered in Korinthos by an assassin.... though I have an assassin in the town and he has a reasonable garrison also. Ok...just part of the challenge...again. End turn 4. Nothing much occurring so End turn 5. A smallish Greek army lands by ship and attacks Antigonus, so what I thought would be a lengthy siege becomes an opportunity here. Win Athens with remarkably few losses. Alkyonus is murdered in Pella by an assassin...again with an assassin in the town with him.
I can't get a spy who is able to get into a town, I can't get an assassin who is capable of killing a diplomat, yet the AI has these super-assassins who seemingly can enter towns at will and kill my family members. I'm on turn 6 and I have one adult male family member left. This can't be by design...surely?
