Where Should I Expand ?

I'm currently playing Julii...I've conquered Spain,Britannia,Gaul like i've been told....totally i'm holding 25 settlements....I don't want to start war with Germania because i'ved fund them very much..and they are very powerful..and i lived always in peace with them....it's 174 B.C., Brutii have conquered all Greece,Macedonia,Thrace,Dacia, a part of Scythia...as well as Segestica......Scipii are holding all Africa until Siwa.....Now where should i expand until i hold 50 settlements ~:confused:

I'm thinking of making an expedition to conquer Asia Minor where The Greek Cities have retreating after they lost their natural lands against Brutii...they are holding 4 settlements there including Rhodes...I send my spies there....and the greeks are very powerful now...Epic stone walls,spartan hoplites etc.Pontus and Seleucids are at war in that area too...Parthia too is over extended....so the last choice will be Egypt or starting war with Germania to expand northward....I can't buy settlements from my allies....I have about 400 000 denari....they don't want to sell...what should i do ???

p.s. 11 factions are now in the game :me(Julii),Brutii,Scipii,SPQR,Parthia,Seleucids,The greek cities,Pontus,Germania,Scythia and Egypt

It depends on what you want to do - role play it (e.g. you won't attack your friends the Germans); choose the easiest (optimal) path; or have a heck of a fight.

Personally, I'd be inclined to choose option number 3 and start the civil war as soon as possible. Other Romans and Egyptians are typically the only AI factions in vanilla to give a Roman player a good fight. It sounds like Brutii in particular will be a worth challenge.

I would take however many settlements are needed to give you permission to start the civil war and then get to it. Until the civil war, I tend to follow the Senate's directions - I don't know if they are giving you any direction as to where you should go next.

But if you don't want to start a civil war yet, your preference for Asia Minor sounds sensible.

Asia Minor is a good idea, especially if you can also get Rhodes. The coastal cities will give nice income which will help you build up your forces for the civil war. The mountain ranges make the area very defendable, so you'll be able to guard your back in those lands fairly easily.

Asia Minor & Rhodes is probably the best area. It's lucrative and readily defensible from the landward side. Moreover, it is a good area in which to recruit mercenaries (Spear or AP troops to augment your swords, powerful missile troops to use against the Brutes, Some barb cavalry). When the civil war arrives, have some spies and assassins located in the northern Brutii holdings. If you can entice Germania into attacking them, and even the odds a bit so that they take Segestica etc., then you will have secured your landward flank from the Brutii, allowing you to defend against them in Italy while crunching the Skippies to reach your 50+.

One alternative, if you have the hulls for it, is to ship a massive invasion force and decapitate Egypt in one powerful attack. Though the cultural barrier is tougher there, it can be hugely lucrative. If you can combine this with support for the SE, perhaps you can position both Germany and the SE to hammer the Brutes when the civil war arrives, concentrating on the Skippies during the civ-war and being able to attack them from Spain, Gaul, Italia, and Egypt in a coordinated attack.

I think a war with Egypt is easier than a war with Pontus,Seleucids and Greek Cities put together....these 3 surely will turn against me,if I deploy an army in Asia Minor....especially Seleucids and The Greeks wich are allies...i guess i will go to Egypt and conquer it...and wait the civil war....The Senate has a very powerful army..about 8 generals and praetorian & urban cohorts with "golden" XP and armour...anyway... I'm preparing 2 powerful armies in Arretium to attack directly Rome when i gain popularity
thanks for the advices

If you have a strong enough military force, I would start the civil war right now. Send a few assasians to attack the senate faction leader. If they take him out, then yay, one less to fight, but when one of you assasians gets killed, the civil war starts.

Of course by this time you would have large armies stratigicaly positioned throughout the Italian peninsula and throughout the world at other major cities held by the other Roman factions. If you can, put a spy or 2 into the lightly defended cities so that you can take them in one turn and move on to other targets.

By the end of the next turn, you should have nearly every important city that the other Romans used to have. After you take those cities and crush the many field armies that they will have, they are quite easy to finish off. If you are looking for a lot of hard battles that you *need* to win, this is they way I would go. I've done it before and it works quite well and is extremely entertaining.