First post after lengthy forum stalk: Greetings and love the game. It rekindled my flagging interest in the brilliant RTW. Just love the concept.
Well, I have to say it, those Makedonians are crazy. I'm playing the greatest faction of all time ;-), you know, the guys in red, and I've bumped into the Makedonians after discovering a mine in Segestica that I wanted to loot. Those chaps don't waste any time. They've just about conquered Sweboz while I was finding my feet in the new game and battling it out with the Aedui.
My Aedui campaign had captured four of their cities but depleted my legion :juggle2: when they mounted a strong counter-offensive. I retreated, sacking the cities as I left (I only learned this can be done the other day by reading this forum) and banking the loot. But my problem was that, although I had a vault full of gold, I had no army and only three cities capable of producing decent units. I needed time to gather a new stack to defend my borders. I contemplated mercenaries but I find that they're just not quite up to holding the line (not the units I could muster in Italian territories) and then the Makedonians offered to make me a Protectorate. After half an hour, a cup of coffee and two fags I decided, what the hell, it's just a game. But my diplomat suggested they bribe me with 10 000 mnai. They accepted and all was well.
However, and this highlights the disconnect between the vanilla diplomacy and military AIs, they immediately attacked me. Now this had two effects: no longer was I a protectorate and my campaign against the Aedui came to an abrupt halt. Makedonia and the Aedui are allied. My depleted legion moved East, gathered the few reinforcements I'd mustered and fought the Makedonians off. But, lo and behold, the very next turn they offered the same deal. So far I've made 40 000 mnai off the Makedonians. They did it three turns in a row, gave it a three turn rest and then did it again. :wall: It's given me the opportunity to build up more cities so that I can produce decent troops (up to Triarii level) at six cities and I've since mustered three full stacks and I'm currently working on the fourth. :whip: It also allowed me to capture Ak Ink, sack it, slay the population and defeat one of their strongest stacks.
Are there specific conditions that make this occur? If so, I'd like to replicate them with the Aedui. Those buggers can raise armies faster than Roman slaves steal wine!
