A Guide to Pontus?

Anyone here know a good guide and/or strategy for playing as Pontus? I just love playing as eastern factions like them or Baktria.

This seems to be the simplest to me:
- Get a standing army for preliminary conquest and 3 phalanx unit guarding every bridge to the East or West if at war with the Selucids or Hayasdan
- Do not attack any faction at any cost
- Take Sinope ASAP, as well as the other juicy rebel cities such as Ancyra for some colourful Gallic units
- Trade rights with neighbours, obviously
- Stay at war with the KH, and then launch a naval assault on Rhodes when you've sufficiently built up your navy in the late game, or when you're sure that the pirates are far away in early game.
- Otherwise, move to Byzantion
- Depending on your choice, either war against the Macedonians or the Greeks, based in Rhodes or Byzantion. You don't want Dacian lands, so just leave a large garrison in the northern border if you get to border them. Then, when Maks/KH are out of the picture, go for the second faction. By this stage you're rich and Epeiros are most likely down to their 2 balkan provinces. Proceed to protectorate them or simply eat them up. You'll be very rich now and without any need for an assault on Italy, so DON'T attack Rome
- Build up your economy, provinces, army and all that in preparation for a war against a major power: either Egypt or Selucia. Egypt simply for one more province: Cyprus (perhaps Side as well?), which is rich in trade. Selucia will be a major hit to your economy, so try to goad them into attacking you so that the Hai, Pahlav and Baktrians don't declare on you. Better still, since you want Hai lands, goad them into attacking you, and try to get an AS alliance so they're not protected and can be eaten up at will. You will then have the land to strike the AS from many directions suddenly and swiftly, and have the money to finance this war. You can attack from: the Balkans, striking East into lands like Sardis and Ipsos. Striking down from the Pontic homelands, and from the Hai homelands. Striking upwards from Halikarnassos and Side, reinforced by troops built there and in Cyprus and Rhodes.

Never played Pontus before though, so I might give some bad info. I've only conquered them before :2thumbsup:

I'm playing as pontus right now as well, however I'm not very far into my game. What I've done so far is first I took over sinope, then I disbanded all my units except for three phalanxes to take care of rebels(trust me there is a lot) and then concentrated on building trade buildings in my two provinces. meanwhile I got trade righs with all the nieghboring factions, and sent a spy out to fill in the map. Now I am saving up to build an army to take care of the nearby gallic province (forgot what it's called) but I'm a bit worried because it is clear full of geasetae:sweatdrop:

You can have a phalanx army 2 tiles away from Ankara, and one unit, preferably cavalry, besieging Ankara. When they sally out, make a phalanx line and wait for them to run in.

In the beginning, you should NOT have disbanded. You should have kept at least one army. Don't give me stuff about the money... just spend your initial treasury- all of it- on money makers in the first turn before the money problems hit in. Then, just conquer as much as you can, setting the best governors into the best provinces and setting tax to AHAP.

Well thanks for the help. However, I stopped playing as Pontus.However, I will use your suggestions in the future.Thanks.