What is a good non Roman faction to play as?

I've been getting pretty annoyed by the fact that almost every non-roman faction sucks..

I've tried all the ones I thought would interest me and they all have some huge ass disadvantage that makes the game no fun.

Germania - Britannia's chariots vs. Germania's spear warbands
Carthage - Being attacked every single turn and having to play defensive with really shitty units
Egypt - Chariots again and all the starting armies are really really lame and you get attacked on the second turn (damned rebels beat me)
Greece - A combo of all the above (more or less)

Selecuid (excuse spelling) are OK, you need to get offensive fairly fast but once you have taught your neighbours how to behave, they have a good variety of unit types.

Personally I dislike the Romans on historical principle :book: & was a bit miffed I had to play them to access the other factions in the first place, which makes wiping the floor with them using any other faction a bonus. ~:)

Also have you considered the RTW realism mod? That opens up the variety of factions available, & balanaces, (depending upon your point of view), certain unit types.

I always found Britannian chariots dying in droves to my Germanic spearmen. And if in doubt, engage them in normal formation but still with guard mode, and lower the spears when your formation is nice and disorganised. Spears everywhere! *LOL* Like a damn hedgehog, it's hilarious, chariots can't help but run into them all over the place. Really, really munchy thing to do, but damn funny nonetheless....

I think that the problem with the game is that because of Senate missions and the idea of starting civil wars etc. makes the Romans the only fun factions to play as. If anybody else, the Greeks are quite fun because of the interesting and very strategicly important starting position they have.

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Originally Posted by Thrudvang

I've been getting pretty annoyed by the fact that almost every non-roman faction sucks..

I've tried all the ones I thought would interest me and they all have some huge ass disadvantage that makes the game no fun.

Germania - Britannia's chariots vs. Germania's spear warbands
Carthage - Being attacked every single turn and having to play defensive with really shitty units
Egypt - Chariots again and all the starting armies are really really lame and you get attacked on the second turn (damned rebels beat me)
Greece - A combo of all the above (more or less)

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Is this a joke ?

The Egyptians have incredible wealth, population (which both translate in a huge army very quickly), their chariots are insanely powerful for their price, and they have no real enemy close by (a lone province of Numidia on the west, and an over-stretched Seleucid empire on the north, that will anyway be attacked by everyone two turns later).
And you say they are so disadvantaged they aren't fun to play ? 0_o

As for the Greeks, they got one of the best infantry of the game (which can even be superior to the mighty urban cohort as long as they aren't flanked), and starts in the richest part of the map. Their only real trouble is how they're scattered, and that they will take the Romans, and possibly Macedon, head-on right from the start.

As for Germania... Please, the Britannia's chariots are a joke. They are between "pityful" and "pathetic". Don't tell me you can't stop them.

Well, Germania is propably the by far strongest of the Barb factions. They are strong for a pretty imple reason, they can easily minimize their losses.
All of the Barb lands tend to be struck by massive Brigant uprisings, these dozen of nakeds/warbands etc will take a pretty serios toll on even the Roman forces, alas the Germans move up their phalanx and give them a good beating.
I even think that Germanian spears can easily compete for the point of the most "cost-efficient" phalanx.

They get very good priests (Wotan is essentially +2 command + a healer which can be backep up by another healer which in turn reduces your casulties by roughly 50%, Freya is nice too, more heirs are never bad, more people arent bad too and you can never complain about a +1 acumen) too.
The mid tier units arent as great, however they do fulfill their role.
Never underestimate the effects of scremaing women, they make Barbs run like peasants and romans run like Barbs, very nice, they can also use their charge to flank persons who are flanking your Phalanx, backep up by the creaming it can be enough to make them rout. Germans also have acces to mtd. Archers (mercs in Gothi and further east) as well as some other decent Phalanxflank protectors.
Their lategame is pretty good, the Gothic Cav. is quite top notch, chosen Axes can ruin anybodys day and you temples of Wotan turn even Spears into nasty persons.

Parthia.

Love the Germans. Their spear units kick serious butt. Also like the Night Raiders too.

Carthage once you get by the first 50 or so years and not only take sicily but also put a decent army into Italy to annoy the Romans.The Carthagenians are badly out-classed troop wise early on but more than make up for it later.

Scythia are fun to play with as long as you are good at micro-managing horse-archers.If you master this fine art then no one can readily stand against you.Slip up and it's off to the knackers yard for all your horsie units.

After playing Julii and Bruti, i tried Cartago and i quite enjoyed it. I learned to love Balearic slingers.
I conquered the whole western Africa and Sicily way before accessing the more powerful troops. Sacred Band troops are serious contenders if not for power, certainly for style, and that counts too.
Oh and legions and praetorians and stuff? Just trample them...

Now i'm trying the Germans. No novelties so far, as i'm still using spears and barbarian cav. There are the screaming ladies but i haven't yet seen noticeable efects of their abilities on the batlefield.