One thing I've learned (after a few failures, of course) is that you must strike at the Maks hard and fast. Disbanding troops and building your economy are simply not feasible options for the KH in 272 BC. It doesn't help that none of your starting territories are adjacent to each other, making reinforcing early on difficult at best.
This is why I am of the opinion that Korinthos and Chalkis are vital if you want to be able to keep your starting units (minus a few ships but more on that later) AND be able to make a decent profit.
Therefore, I often move the Faction Leader Areus' Army to besiege Korinthos on the first turn, after I reinforce it with all of my garrison in Sparte except the governor.
Before you end your 1st turn, I recommend disbanding 52 ships i.e. 2 of the 3 starting units. I keep 1 unit around to keep my ports open, and to take a new governor to Rhodos when that old fogey Rhodios inevitably kicks the bucket (He almost always dies before his only son comes of age).
Even after disbanding most of your fleet, you'll likely go in the red on turn 2, unless you build nothing and train nothing on turn 1, which is a definite mistake. Your starting army is relatively small, and should be bolstered with levies within the first year. Fortunately, Epeiros seems to take some of the heat off of you in the beginning. It is often advantageous to seek them out early. They will usually sign an alliance, sometimes with favorable terms (map information, lump sum payment, etc.).
Remember that Diplomats and Spies are the mouths and eyes of your empire. Use the ones you have, and make recruiting more a high priority. Trade Rights with all factions around the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean will go a long way in helping your finances, and gaining valuable information of the area will help you plan for future conquests.
Once you feel confident that you've done all you can to help your cause, hit "end turn".
As I'm sure you've already noticed, Antigonos starts with a vast army near Athenai in the beginning of the game. Be aware that he has headed north in EVERY single KH campaign I've ever played, undoubtedly to repulse Pyhrros' Army which threatens Pella at the start of the game. Once he leaves i.e. the second turn, I pull all of my forces from Athenai, save 1 unit of Hoplitai Haploi (so the Maks can't just "walk" in), and cross the straits to Chalkis, besieging it on that same turn, and taking it by turn 3.
Usually, I'm the last person to advocate blitzing. I can appreciate the value of roleplaying, but you simply do not have the luxury of waiting out sieges in the first year or so as the KH. You must solidify control over all of southern Greece quickly (although the Aitolians can wait until Makedon is broken).
During one of my failed campaigns, I chose to do a little roleplaying myself, and decided to wait out the sieges of Korinthos and Chalkis. The problems with using this approach can be two-fold. First, Antigonus will almost always beat Phyrros back at Pella, and he'll be back with an army many times larger than anything you can muster. Second, the longer Chremonides is away from Athenai, the longer you have to go without his great governing skills. He'll likely add many hundreds of mnai to Athenai's profits, mnai the Koinon desperately needs.
Anyways, after you've taken the aforementioned Mak settlements, you should be making a nice profit of 2-3000 mnai a turn. Now, with the boost in tax revenue, you should be able to support a standing army sufficient enough to take Demetrias. You'll almost always have a few colossal battles in the hills of Thessalia, and it is likely here where the fate of eastern Hellas will be decided. If you can beat Antigonus here, Pella is but a short distance away. Interestingly, the battle of Pella is often something of an afterthought, as the Maks will usually throw everything they have at you when you invade Thessalia. Just try and get there before the Epeirotes do, or you'll be boxed in.
A couple final things to note...
Remember that the Mak army is often cavalry heavy, or at least much more so than you. Upgrading your MICs in Athenai is absolutely vital, as that city will give you your best troops in the Makedonian War, and Sparte suffers from slow growth, especially when taxes are high.
Be wary of which Eleuthoroi kingdom you attack. The wonderful Scripts of EB mean an attack on Halikarnassos, for example, will result in war with the Ptolemies. There are others too, if I'm not mistaken, but I'll let you figure those out for yourself. Not all Eleutheroi settlements are protected by real factions, however. Take the island of Krete for example. The Kretai have no such allies, and their capital of Kydonia is open for the taking. After Makedonian power is broken, I often "convince"(:smash: ) the inhabitants of Kydonia that joining the Koinon is in their best interests.:2thumbsup:
If you can ally with the Getai, it would likely be a good thing. Offer tribute every turn if financially possible. I often share a long northern border with those "barbarians", but they have not betrayed me yet.
Last, but surely not least, beware of the Epeirotes. Once the Makedonian yoke is lifted, they will likely expand into Illyria. If their campaigns in Italia go well, they'll likely focus their attention on the rest of Hellas, and their fickle allies at best, only using you until it no longer serves their purpose.
