My next campaign and possible AAR

Well, pending some answers regarding queries into my newly acquired Marian Reforms in my 0.81a Romani campaign (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=82421 for those interested) it will be soon that I start a new campaign in this glorious mod (Oh the hours of my life it has sucked away already!:laugh4:).
This time I am thinking I may want to jump on the AAR bandwagon and give it a whirl. Nothing fancy, just quite literally a campaign progress report, with a little flavor as well to help others see the game and its situations as I do.
However, I am sorta stuck on which faction to play. If I do an AAR I definitely want it to be one that doesn't get too many written about it (see KH, Carthage, Rome, Epeiros, Celtics, Pontus) and I also want one that will give me a fresh and fun unit list (well all are fun for the most part). I have played as the Romani twice, Carthage once, and as the Sweboz once.
So far I've eliminated basically any western faction either through actually playing them or through encountering their unit list a lot. Also, as mentioned, KH, Epeiros, and Pontus are also nixed. Of the remaining ones, I am probably going to avoid the Saka and Saba, since the particular challenges presented to them don't strike me as my cup of tea.
Of the remaining, I'm basically willing to try any of them out. As of right now, my first tier choices would be: Sauromatae (chance to see nomad faction/gov), Ptolies (they never get any love), or Baktria (Indian units...), though the recent Baktria AAR has made me waver since I wouldn't want to do a faction repeat unless the mob wanted it. The Maks, AS, and Pahlava are all contenders but unless a strong mob response is indicated will probably be left for later. The Hayasdan could be interesting but I thought there were still a few kinks (like missing sewer complex of buildings) so I am taking a mulligan on them.
Soooo, my question is: which faction do you think I should play and/or which one would you most like to see a new AAR about? I won't bother making it a poll since it will prolly be a couple weeks until I start the new, but no shame in planning ahead (and heck, I may start it while finishing the Roman one).
As always, thank you for any replies.

Sauromatae sounds interesting. The Ptolemies aren't really that different in their unit lineup...

I wouldn't mind seeing a Ptolie AAR. If I hadn't ended up in the Carthage Challenge, I'd probably be playing them right now. I also really like the Macedonian unit roster, and who wouldn't want to recreate Alexander the Great's Conquest? :charge:

My 2 cents(heck, maybe only worth 1 cent, if that much).

Play Hayasdan and expand in the way the Sauromatae usually do. They have the units for steppe fighting and it's going to be a unique AAR regardless. I played one for awhile doing that and it was more interesting expanding in the unknown wastelands and fighting reclusive nomads than fighting endless hordes of successor infantry.

Go for the Sauromatae. Nobody has done a decent AAR on the steppe factions (Sauromatae, Saka). The Pahlava already have one of the best AAR:s of all time.
As for the problem with the Hayasdan sewers and missing health buildings, you can add them trough changes in your EDB. I did it for the Hai and Saba along with descriptions for the missing buildings in textfiles for the Sabyn.
Apart from that minor issue the Hayasdan have are very complete with a varied and interesting unit roster.

Originally Posted by The Errant:
Go for the Sauromatae. Nobody has done a decent AAR on the steppe factions (Sauromatae, Saka). The Pahlava already have one of the best AAR:s of all time.
As for the problem with the Hayasdan sewers and missing health buildings, you can add them trough changes in your EDB. I did it for the Hai and Saba along with descriptions for the missing buildings in textfiles for the Sabyn.
Apart from that minor issue the Hayasdan have are very complete with a varied and interesting unit roster.

Are we talking about the same thing ?
Barbarossa's Armenian AAR ?

Go for Sourmotties (yes I spelled it wrong) I never play Steppe factions so you can play them for me.

Uh, Poulp', I think he's talking about the famed The Wasteland AAR, depicting the advances of the Pahlav into the steppes.
I'd recommend doing a Saka AAR, if only to show the governement system they have.

Only two AAR:s for EB have achieved a legendary status. The first is The Wasteland, the second is The World According to the Koinon.
I'm eagerly waiting on Quirinus next AAR (rumor has it it's about the Sabaeans).
The Pahlava however aren't a pure steppe faction. Not in the current build anyhow.
But neither the Saka or the Sauromatae have a decent AAR in their name. They have a unique government system, face great challenges and have a basically invincible army of HA at their disposal.
The Scythian invasion devastated most of the civilized parts of the world during ancient times.
It would be nice to read an AAR on another steppe people bringing terror and destruction to all those "civilized" nations in the game.

If you're going to talk economics/strategy/tactics, rather than make it a roleplayed historical novel, I'd be interested in the Sarmatians. The things the other factions have (serious melee infantry) are things I already understand well, but archer armies are a bit exotic.

I think of doing myself an AAR, it would be a challenge to write something correct and epic in English.

Any suggestion ?

More than this, if someone could tell me how to post screenshots and maps, it would be wonderful... ( I don't even know were my " print screen " are going :p )

Originally Posted by Pelopidas:
I think of doing myself an AAR, it would be a challenge to write something correct and epic in English.

Any suggestion ?

Since you obviously know your Greek history, perhaps you could do the KH. Write it from the point of view of a bastard son of Phillip of Macedon, who grew up in Athens resenting his father and wanting to redress the balance.

The KH are definitly my favorite, but there's already the History Channel going on pretty well, and I don't want to interfere with it.

Later, certainly :]

And I prefer to test my skills before attempting something really interesting for you.
It would be a race test !

Originally Posted by Pelopidas:
I think of doing myself an AAR, it would be a challenge to write something correct and epic in English.

Any suggestion ?

More than this, if someone could tell me how to post screenshots and maps, it would be wonderful... ( I don't even know were my " print screen " are going :p )

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=75276

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=79432

If your english isn't good, don't sweat it. Bad english gives flavor to an AAR.
The above threads should help you get going on the screenshots issue. Basically when you press the button it all goes to the TGA folder of your RTW installation.
TGA is a picture format used by RTW so you need some software to convert it to another format because most image hosting sites do not support TGA.

Use imageshack or some other site to host the pics and copy the link to your AAR. The link will show up as a real picture in the AAR.

The two threads I linked should have most of the answers. If not just do a search on the forums for screenshots and you'll be fine.

As for your AAR. Use a faction you feel comfortable playing with. If you like the faction you're playing with the AAR tends to come out well.

Dosen't matter if the factions the same as another AAR or ten other AARs. Each player and each game brings out something unique.

Thanks a lot !
Yeah, for the tong, already thinking of a slave / stranger storyteller.

I love absolutly every faction in EB, so it could be everyone...I'm going on a Seleukid campain, for the moment.

...an idea of the software I can use for the TGAs ?

Originally Posted by Pelopidas:
The KH are definitly my favorite, but there's already the History Channel going on pretty well, and I don't want to interfere with it.

Later, certainly :]

And I prefer to test my skills before attempting something really interesting for you.
It would be a race test !

I appreciate your sentiment, but please don't let me get in the way of doing a KH AAR if it's your favorite and you want to. I was contemplating not doing it myself, seeing as how The World According to the Koinon is what it is. But if you feel like doing it and you don't already have something else in mind, by all means I encourage you to do so. We'll see two alternate realities unfolding at the same time. ~;)

But if you prefer not to for now then that's fine too. All I'm saying is don't let my AAR hold you back. Enjoy! Look forward to whatever you'll do.

Originally Posted by Pelopidas:
...an idea of the software I can use for the TGAs ?

GIMP is mentioned in the threads. Also IrfanView is the one I use for my screenies. If the damn screens turn up blank or white you may have to disable AntiAliasing in the graphic options as I recall.

I asked for this because I have Irfanview, but my TGAs pics are all black monochroms, even with Irfan :/

Anti-aliasing, so ?

PS: I hear you 5/5, Wonderland

Originally Posted by Pelopidas:
I asked for this because I have Irfanview, but my TGAs pics are all black monochroms, even with Irfan :/

Anti-aliasing, so ?

PS: I hear you 5/5, Wonderland

Anti-aliasing appears to mess up your abiltiy to take screenshots. It did for me. Disabling AA seems to make the difference between your screenies turning up blank or complete. Dunno Why it's like this. Just is.
Try disabling AA and taking a couple of screenies after doing it. If it still dosen't work ask a moderator on the Bugs and Tech Support forum.

Don't disable AA, just use Fraps.

Originally Posted by Morte66:
If you're going to talk economics/strategy/tactics, rather than make it a roleplayed historical novel, I'd be interested in the Sarmatians. The things the other factions have (serious melee infantry) are things I already understand well, but archer armies are a bit exotic.

That is precisely what I intend to do, with some small flavor text. Feels "right" for a game of EB's grandeur, and besides, I have my normal gaming to take care of my roleplaying needs. Incidentally I'm considering GMing a GURPS game set in EBs time period because this mod is so good that its made me quite interested in the time period again.
And sticking to a relatively dry, impersonal (except where I deem it appropriate) format will also allow me to show off the features that the EB team has put in that many people might not ever truly experience.
As it stands it seems the Sauromatae are winning. I'll keep checking in to see how the opinion changes (if it does) and after another week or so I'll make a choice and start setting down basic house rules and such. Thanks again for the interest and replies!
Off to work on the final leg of my Romani campaugn!!!

Originally Posted by LordCurlyton:
Incidentally I'm considering GMing a GURPS game set in EBs time period because this mod is so good that its made me quite interested in the time period again.

Are you anywhere near southwest London, England? ;)

I've long fancied running a game in Phoenecia during the Diadochi wars. Spies and/or scoundrels, sort of like Rudyard Kipling's "great game" only on a different frontier.

Originally Posted by :
As it stands it seems the Sauromatae are winning.

I think I might try a Getae AAR. Style TBD.

Hehe, sadly I'm not. I'm in FL, which seems to be a fave spot for English students/tourists (I wonder why....). It also seems to be the area most devoid of GURPSers. Its either the White Wolf garbage or D20 (frankly I prefer old school AD&D to d20, mainly for the memories), so the hardest part will be getting the group, methinks.

Well since no one else is chiming in its decided: Sauromatae it is, plus an AAR for them. I did a quick run through just to get a feel for HA armies in EB and the faction in general and here are my early conclusions before I plunge in.
1) HA's rock. Not just rock, but rock so much that you could make a mountain out of them. If anything they seem even more deadly than the vanilla versions.
2) The Sauromatae situation seems much like any other non-empire faction: either disband virtually all your armies and wait 10 or so years while you build a semblance of economy or try and conquer before you get massive debt. The steppe boys seem to have it a little harder though since the territories they are in are BIG, esp in comparison to, say, the Sweboz. So it may actually be more viable to disband the armies and rely on generals alone for a while. Will be a critical decision I believe.
3) I can't pull a Sweboz-style territory blitz, since all those lovely poorly defended Baltic cities are barbarian.
4) This will be interesting. Most interesting...
I hopefully will get around to starting them for real in the next couple weeks.

Originally Posted by LordCurlyton:
2) The Sauromatae situation seems much like any other non-empire faction: either disband virtually all your armies and wait 10 or so years while you build a semblance of economy or try and conquer before you get massive debt. The steppe boys seem to have it a little harder though since the territories they are in are BIG, esp in comparison to, say, the Sweboz. So it may actually be more viable to disband the armies and rely on generals alone for a while. Will be a critical decision I believe.

If you conquer, I would advise you to take Olbia in Skythia. Big town, rich port, strategic choke point. It will get you some hellenic units to round out your army -- levy hoplites, dirt cheap hellenic archers for garrisons etc. It is proving very useful to my Getae, who recruit cavalry there to round out their infantry-oriented army.

Also, if you think you can grab Kotais (mines) before Armenia does then go for it.

Sauromatae : a good choice !
I really enjoyed my last campaign with them.

A war inthe Baltic and even with the Sweboz countries seems a very good choice, because thoses guys haven't lots of archers and rely mainly upon heavy infantry, wich are the favorite preys of your HA.

The expansion in the East will be more difficult, against Parthians and Saka, who both have better heavy cavalry and use as much HA as you.

In fact, the battles against HA are the only ones in wich I never find a way to loss less than 30% of the ennemy casualties :]