Nice empire Ophiokhos, prepare to face the 2 greatest "barbarian" factions (Getai and Sweboz). Hope u got enough missiles, you will need them... ooh yeesss yooouuu willll....
also carefull with the Ptolies.
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Nice empire Ophiokhos, prepare to face the 2 greatest "barbarian" factions (Getai and Sweboz). Hope u got enough missiles, you will need them... ooh yeesss yooouuu willll....
also carefull with the Ptolies.
My SPQR campaing, in 49 BC
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
I've conquered Gaul in 52 BC (right on time:book::dizzy2:), and i will probably shift my foucus soon to conquering Egypt, in order to try to achieve 90 provinces required for the Agustan reform.
I'm trying to play as true to the real time-line as i can, though i had to capture Alexandria and raid a few cities of the Ptolemies, either giving them to the Parthians, or the Arche... The Seleucids are really scatered all over the place:laugh4:
I also admit that i use the cheat auto_win on the borders i'm tired to play ( against Carthage and Epeiros, both attack me with weak armies but 9 stars generals, and it would bore me to death to fight those battles all the time. I almost never use the cheat if it's not clear to me that i would win the battle easily... I'm just tired of levy troops and phalanxes).
I've just gotten a border with the Sarmatians ( Attilla anyone?), and i fear what will happen if they declare war on me:sweatdrop:
So i'll try to get Egypt soon, and hopefuly get the reforms, so i will be able to meddle in Germania and invade Britain in due time.
My mighty Carthage, 181 BC:
https://img697.imageshack.us/img697/1944/chartage.jpg
Good Carthaginian empire, my idea or you conquered Byzantion??
Edit: It seems not, but it would be great to conquer it and the rest of Greece,finish those Lusos and those Romies.
My current Ptolemy game at 225. I started it to test out whether H campaign difficulty would be too easy and I've been impressed. The AI factions still outproduce me, although it took longer for them to start cranking out the hordes of full stacks. Carthage even shared a border with me and remained allies for 4 decades (ended sometime in the 230s, they've been sending small but elite filled stacks since).
Right now it's very much like a VH game though, with me at war with all neighbors, even Pontus who I installed as a buffer between me and the Seleucids. :help: I'm overstretched and having difficulty reinforcing my borders, partly because of my insistence on having at least one elephant unit and maintaining a navy. :clown:
I'm not sure whether to hunker down for a while to make things harder or start getting my revenge against Pontus for backstabbing me and constantly sending full stacks of mercs to Sidon.
https://img13.imageshack.us/img13/9682/ptolies225.jpg
Thank you, J.R.M :)Quote:
Originally Posted by J.R.M
Yeah, i'm planning to conquer Byzantion and Seleukeia, as well as Asia Minor (at least its eastern coastal line), but before that i must pacify my newly conquered settlements in Egypt and Levant, not to mention those rebelious towns around the Red sea. Lusos declared war on me and i'm fighting them @tm. Romaioi became my protectorate as i bought their freedom for ~50 000 minai, so i'll attack them as soon as i get a faction leader with a barcid trait.
Carthage is so mighty :knight:
Yeah that's an epic empire you got there Jeb. :thumbsup:
Hey guys! Here is an Orontid Empire for your fancies.
https://img101.imageshack.us/img101/...ntidempire.jpg
Took me a while (a month, to be exact) to reach this point in the campaign, but I still have some ways to go. I think I will expand to Asia Minor and Greece, subjugate the heck out of them, and head back east.
On another note, the Koinon Hellenon has really done well for themselves. They repelled multiple Macedonian invasions and pushed them to Pergamon while keeping the Epeirotes at bay. Now they're mopping up the peninsula and I see several armies in Illyria.
The Romans spent a good amount of time conquering Italy itself, but now they're going into Gaul and Iberia to quell the barbari. The Carthaginians have several full stacks in Iberia too, so I'm eagerly awaiting a pseudo-Punic War.
Welcome to the forum, Albath!
That's a nice empire in a good first post! Won't you mop up the AS or go further down the Nile?
~Fluvius
My best Sweboz game so far:
https://i768.photobucket.com/albums/...1-32-40-54.jpg
Yes, I pwnzed the central European Eleutheroi!
Thanks for the greetings!Quote:
Originally Posted by Fluvius Camillus
I find little benefit in going further down the Nile, since the regionals there are limited for the Orontids. I might take Ptolemais-Theron for the trade benefits, but I'm already swimming in mnai.
I'm keeping the Seleukids alive for buffer purposes. They keep spamming mercenary stacks at Susa, but that's a lot better than the full Saka armies that I'm seeing in the steppes. o_O
Pontos is my most likely target for now. I might go into Carthaginian territory in a bizzare turn of alternate events, but I like curvy empires for my silhouettes.
@Hannibal Khan
That Sweboz empire is sexy; it reminds me of German expansion during World War II. Does your faction leader have authoritarian traits, by any chance?
@Albath: Heruwulfaz is more of a badass warlord than an authoritarian character. He has led my fullstack of FMs and mercs along with AOR units for several decades, forming the majority of my empire in the process.
Here's the SPQR at 35 BC or so...Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Welcome to the .Org, and to EB ~:wave: . For some reason, I found it appropriate to see Foot's avatar in the capital of the Hai, seeing how much work Foot did to keep the Armenians in EB1.Quote:
Originally Posted by Albath
For the record, though: please be careful with Sweboz-Nazi's comparisons.
Nice campaign Anubis, historically correct Romani expansion never gets old. I've never had a proper Parthian Empire to face though, I'm rather jealous. Any change of a save?
I did mingle a bit with Pahlava, in order for them to become strong:DQuote:
Originally Posted by johnhughthom
If you refer an uploading page, i would have no problem to upload my save-game... I am using BI.exe though so I hope it will work
Oh, and I've just conquered most of the Seleucid territories + Crete (since i was the one who gave it to them in the first place :P)
Beloved Hayasdan, not in EB1? Impossible. :no: Unimaginable. It's the perfect time period.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ludens
Go go Albath! Go go Albath! Go go Albath!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Albath
Anyway, this is my empire:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
@intifadanyz
Wow! Great, you yet deserve another :balloon:!
Your dedication (campaign and timeframe) brought you this far, it is awesome! What campaign do you consider playing next?
~Fluvius
Thanks for the second balloon Mr. Fluvius!
Hmm, I am very fond of Eastern culture... maybe I'll try Pontos... but I've seen that you have paused your Pontos campaign...that's your SECOND one. What happen to the first? Not success? Is it very hard?
If you can handle Hai, you can handle Pontos. The first time was my first EB campaign, so not much experience back then. The second try I was a seasoned EB'er and paused because the campaign went a little too perfect, and I found a point where I decided to pause it. I wanted another campaign as distraction and return to it later.
Have you tried Arche Seleukeia yet? The start and restoration of Seleukid glory is great to play. I really liked it and also the unit roster is awesome.
~Fluvius
Not yet. Well, playing with Pahlava, then with Hayasdan against the mighty Seleukeia made me developed some sort of bitter feeling toward her.... hahaha
BTW, this is the pic of the latest Arkah:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The Roman Empire at 26 BC. I modded the reforms, but heck... Like the Beatles said. Let it be:shame:
This is my Arabia Felix expedition. I will try to do as much havoc as i can with this army, without ever reinforcing it or retreating. Hopefully the Sabeans will actualy manage to defeat me before i destroy them.http://i45.tinypic.com/hvrkpc.jpg
Wars/Mission in progress
The Cantabrian wars (well kinda)
The Rhine frontier battles
The invasion of Thrace and Moesia
The preparation of the armies to sieze the Alps and all the Danube region
EDIT: sth's wrong with the picture... I'll see to it
Look's good! I wish you the best of luck!
BTW, do you still have the files from the naval strat map add on? The original download link is down.
Keep us posted!
~Fluvius
My Sauromatae empire.
https://img404.imageshack.us/img404/5444/sauromatae.jpg
This is the lovechild of my recent read of Jack Weatherford's "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World" and my desire for a whimsical campaign with lots of booty taking! :sweatdrop:
With this campaign, I discovered that near full stacks of horse-archers annihilate everything they come across (except for other, equally trained horse archers). I waited out most walled settlements, and then cut them down as they sallied out of their walls.
I operated under the guise of a proto-Hunnic-Mongolian-nomadic-confederacy. My stacks were composed of equal units of Aorsi, Roxolanni, and Sauromatae riders (with occasional Dahae, Yancai, or Skutae). Whenever my Faction Leader died, I sent all my FMs to the capital to have a royal court and decide the next faction heir after 2 turns or so.
I exterminated almost every settlement that had the bad luck to cross my hordes. The occupation periods were quick, and if they rebelled, I'd just come back and chop them up again.:laugh4:
This is my first post here, obviously, so please be gentle.
The screen below comes from my current game, in which I am playing Baktria on H/M. It's not the first time I've played as this faction, but it is the first time I've been so successful. Usually the Seleucid Empire decides they want a piece of me within five years, but this time... well, I'm sure you'll be able to see what kept the Seleucids off my back.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
I included my faction leader's profile just for the heck of it. He's not great, but he's not too bad considering that he spent the better part of 20-some years managing Baktria before his father passed away. Right now, he's gathering together an army to put an end to the Saka Rauka threat once and for all. The 3/4 of a stack you see is... well, 3/4 of my typical army composition, lacking only a few units of cavalry and two units of Nizagan-i Eranshahr (Persian Archer-Spearmen.) I don't know why, but the concept of an Archer-Spearman appeals to me, so I always include a unit or two of Nizagan-i Eranshahr into my expeditionary forces.
...well, I do whenever I take the time to assemble a proper army, rather than just a semi-random assortment of mercenaries and such that I occasionally use for my own amusement.
Now, I'm a fairly defensive player, and this game was, for the most part, no change in that. I went for Kophen first, captured it, then hunkered down for a few years. Once I was far enough out of the red, I went for the town east of Kophen--Taksashila, I think--then hunkered down again to build up my cash reserves and infrastructure.
In all my other Baktria games, this is usually the point where the Seleucids come knocking. No such thing in this game, as the Pahlava, as I had hoped, kept them off my back. Actually, I think they held them off a little too well, judging by the current size of their empire. While I'm fairly certain I could take them, I'd prefer to finish off the Saka Rauka first. Multi-front wars are such a bother to micromanage.
Speaking of Saka Rauka, before they attacked me, they owned the three cities closest to Baktra, which they had won from the Seleucids. Not anymore, as one can see. Their military capability, at least at the start of the war, exceeded mine, but for some reason they had spread their forces really thin. Basically, lots of small groups wandering around, but only one really big army, which was routed in the Siege of Baktra right at the beginning of this conflict. Formidable though they may be on the open field, Horse Archers, at least in the AI's hands, aren't very threatening in sieges. Since then, I've taken four of their seven cities, although the walking distances in the steppes will make taking the last three rather bothersome. I fully expect my faction leader to keel over before I finish them off completely.
Pahlava, as one can plainly see, has done very well for itself, having taken a great deal of the Seleucid Empire's territory and some of the norther steppes. Interestingly, they've capture Alexandropolis, yet they didn't capture any of the adjacent territories. For the past few of turns, they've made attempts to capture Opiana, the city to the east of Alexandropolis, but they've been repelled, likely thanks to a sudden game of angry, angry elephants. We've been allies since day 1, but I expect--no, know--that the halcyion days of peace between our two great nations will come to an end one day. I suspect this is because the AI is a devious, calculating, possibly inebriated psychopath.
I was a bit surprised to see that Saba's managed to carve out a nice little niche out for itself--and at the expense of the Ptolemaioi, too! That's the first time I've seen them do that well in any of my games.
This kind of Pahlavan expansion is nice indeed. Just a minor observation: the island of Rhodos is in the hands of the Makedonians? How come? Did you gift it to them via FD or did they do a naval invasion? In the second case Demetrios Poliorketes can RIP at last...:yes:
The growth of the Roman Empire... It's 19 BC right now...
What happened between the last post and this one;
-The Saba expedition... I've conquered 2 cities from them, they finally launched a counter-attack ( a full stack of gold-chevroned light Arabians and Apeleutheroi) and beat 75% of my army... They were winning in fact but decided to withdraw:dizzy2:. The next turn a settlement rebelled back to them, and they attacked me with an even bigger army... And crushed me. The general managed to survive though
- The Hispanic tribes have been crushed
- Thrace and Moesia have been conquered (thrace is a client as it should be)
- The lands of the Alps have been conquered
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The army of the Prince Germanicus ( a bit early i know, but i made him faction heir to justify a bit him having the Praetorians; other than that i only keep them with the personal guard of Augustus - is there any way to enlist this trait manually?:shame:)
- The Seleucid are getting a reneissance of sorts... Babylon and Charax rebelled to them, then they conquered Seleucia from Parthia... There are really just small kingdoms now in the east, which makes me able to concentrate on the other parts of my empire
Future Plans
- I will soon attack the Pannonian Tribes (the Arverni)
- to finish my conquest of the Illyricum and the east of the Danube, i will probably have to start an all-out war with the Sarmatians... Perhaps i'll even loose the battle!:laugh4:
Yeah, the Pahlavans spreading that far was quite a shock the first time I used toggle_fow. In most of my games, they either stalemate AS or get steamrolled. Naturally, I prefer the former, as that gives me time to get my economy running and a decent amount of coin in my coffers. It's just that this time it seems I'm going to have to fight Pahalava.Quote:
Originally Posted by Noble Wrath
And it just occurred to me that I'm not all that familiar with their roster. *goes to the EB site to brush up on Pahlava's roster*
...
I see a good number of cavalry, with many being horse archers. That's just the sort of change-of-pace I needed after fighting Saka.
/sarcasm
Ah well, there's always spy infiltration and assassin sabotage to get good ol' fashioned revolutionary fever goin' in an enemy city, after which I can just waltz in and claim said city as my own.
In regards to Makedonia, surprisingly enough, they performed a naval invasion. I guess I can chalk that up to my using BI.exe instead of RTW.exe. I do have the files for force diplomacy, but I haven't installed 'em yet.
Incidentally, Makedonia was at one point reduced to just the city of Mytilene on the Island of Lesbos, but they've managed to stage a bit of a comeback by capturing both Pergamon and Rhodos. I'm feeling doubtful about their chances of survival, what with them being surrounded by enemies, but it would be delightful if they managed to carve out a nice little (or big!) Kingdom of Pergamon in Anatolia. In fact, I may very well march a diplomat over there and lend 'em some coin to help them achieve that. I previously had one traveling around in that general area (read: making the rounds in Western Europe,) but he caught a nasty case of the dead a while back.
He lives on in the strong alliances and trade agreements he forged over his distinguished multi-decade career.
@Daiyoukai
Lovely Baktrian empire! If you're going to end up fighting the Pahlavans, you'd better use your Hetairoi Kataphraktoi. I encountered several stacks with low-level cataphracts in my campaign, but they just look so darn cool. :P
@anubis
I'll sack Rome in my Sarmatian campaign, just for you! :)
Thank ya' kindly. It's a bit larger now, since I finished off Saka in 229 B.C. The last battle was... amusing, to say the least. On my first try, I outnumbered their forces three to one, so I just auto-resolved, figuring that there was no use fighting a battle that I was all but assurred to win.Quote:
Originally Posted by Albath
...I lost.
Upon reloading, I realized that the Faction Leader possessed ten command stars, which is probably why the auto-resolve screwed me over. Didn't help that the general for that particular army was a rather green.
Anyway, I entered the battle and... well, that particular army consisted mostly of mercenary cavalry units--horse-archers in particular--I'd recruited on the way to their city, so most of the battle was just arrow volleys and cavalry charges. It was, of course, extremely easy. Kind of an anti-climactic end to the war, to be honest.
I disbanded most of those mercenaries and house-ruled myself to two or three horse archers per army so things don't get too easy.
Hetairoi Kataphraktoi, eh? I do have one free slot in my army composition that I usually fill with... whatever I have available, but I suppose I could work a unit of HK in, though I prefer my cavalry units in pairs.Quote:
If you're going to end up fighting the Pahlavans, you'd better use your Hetairoi Kataphraktoi. I encountered several stacks with low-level cataphracts in my campaign, but they just look so darn cool. :P
In fact... remember that army in my screenshot? I could definitely fit a unit or two of HK into that army, since they're coming back home for retraining. They've been out in the field for more than a decade, so their numbers are a wee bit thin. On the other hand, they've fought a good number of battles, so that army is my most experienced by far.
...and once I'm done refilling their ranks, I'm immediately sending 'em south to capture those two Seleucid settlements and the remaining Indian provinces. And maybe Alexandropolis, which has thus far resisted my attempts to incite revolt. The only thing I've achieved in that city is improving my spies and assassins. Especially the spies, given that I had something like a 170% chance to open the gates in the event of a siege.
I'll probably post a screenshot of my southern conquests once I get around to them.
@Daiyoukai
My Sarmatian campaign was entirely horse-archer oriented and it was unsurprisingly easy to shoot down and route most footmen stacks. I had the most trouble with Saka and Pahlava, since Saka had just gotten their reforms with Hellenic hoplites (not to mention that their Yuezhi horse archers could outshoot all of my noble horse archers).:skull:
The Hetairoi Kataphraktoi are the Late Baktrian Bodyguard, but feel free to implement however many kats you see fit. I usually charge once, and then ALT+Click to bring out their maces/swords (which are AP, by the way). Arachosian Skirmisher Cavalry do wonders, too. They have AP axes as secondaries, and they can do well in a hand to hand with most medium cavalry.
I await your updates fervently. :2thumbsup:
I may play a Saka Rauka campaign after I hit the victory conditions for Baktria. Or perhaps I'll try my hand at the Sweboz again. After all, I have a bone to pick with that Rhesus, the Eleutheroi super-general that spawns in a province near their lands.Quote:
Originally Posted by Albath
Ah, they're the new bodyguard unit one receives from the Baktrian reforms, which, unfortunately, have not triggered for me yet. The trigger is the same as the vanilla reforms for the Romani, correct? I really hope it doesn't require the Romani to actually own the city, because... well, take a look below.Quote:
The Hetairoi Kataphraktoi are the Late Baktrian Bodyguard, but feel free to implement however many kats you see fit. I usually charge once, and then ALT+Click to bring out their maces/swords (which are AP, by the way). Arachosian Skirmisher Cavalry do wonders, too. They have AP axes as secondaries, and they can do well in a hand to hand with most medium cavalry.
Quote:
I await your updates fervently. :2thumbsup:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
In a scant eleven years, Karthadastim has managed to push the Romani back and claim around half of Italian peninsula. And to the south, on Sicily, they've boated in a few stacks, although none of them are full. Never mind the Aedui to the North-Northwest, Epeiros to the east, and Lusotannan sweeping in from the west. Sad thing is, I'm their ally, yet I can't do a thing to help them without rousing the anger of everyone between Baktra and Roma. They're allied with the Ptolemaioi as well, but they're too busy with Saba and the Seleucids to help.
Anyway, as you can see, Pahlava's taken some land from the Sauromatae, albeit the province in question has been bouncing back and forth between them for five years or thereabouts. Amusing enough, I initially believed their pre-war military buildup was intended for me, since they had a fairly competent general and army camped outside one of my cities for a time, but eventually they headed west. I was simultaneously relieved and disappointed. Other than the Pahlava-Sauromatae war, the east has been relatively peaceful since 229 BC.
Interestingly, Pontos has made some nice gains against the Seleucids recently, and I'm hoping they continue to do so, as, well, it's something I've not seen very often in my games.
Go Carthage!!!!
@ Albath
The Sarmatians are monsters in both our campaings... I have at least 5 legions (full stacks) prepared for this war... It will be bloody
9 BC - Notice anything unusual in this screen?:dizzy2: I couldn't believe my eyes when i saw the message:
War declared: Saba - Baktria
http://i46.tinypic.com/2d8g74l.jpg
Development...
Parthia destroyed the Seleucid rebellions, and finally started a war with me... Unfortunatly they attack me with a bunch of phalanxes and other infanry... Only a few Cata's, and no Horse archers at all.
I'm exploring Britain a bit, for a future invasion... But i must check my money a bit... a few turns ago i didn't even have the money for a proconsul's Palace!!!:furious3:
Not long ago i had 500.000 mnai:juggle2:
Oh, and BTW, i finally got an Avgvstvs:santa3:
Congrats on getting an Augustus, Anubis! Finally there will be peace and prosperity in the Res Publica! -M
For much of the third century the Ptolemaic Empire was forced to turn south to increase its powerbase. Wars with the Seleucids ended in stalemates at best. An attempt to draw the line at Jerusalem failed, and the Seleucids were only checked by the unprecedented levying of native Egyptian soldiers. Raids meant to weaken Seleucid power in order to enable the upstart Pontus to supplant them in Anatolia also came to a bad end, merely replacing a Greek enemy standing at the gates of Alexandria with a Persian one. A power also rose in Arabia, which ontinually threatened to spill over the borders of their peninsula into Egypt. Only in the south was success to be found, and the mines there would pay the armies that saved Alexandria from conquest repeatedly over the course of the century.
Things would come to a close towards the end of the third century, however. Carthage, long time allies of the Ptolemaios family, attacked Kyrene, crushing the army sent to stop them. At first there was panic in Alexandria, as it wasfeared that the Pontus and Saba would take advantage, but the former became embroiled in a conflict with the rising power of Macedonia, and the latter not yet powerful enough to be a threat without Pontic aid.
https://img823.imageshack.us/img823/1602/ptolemy209.jpg
The heir Iason Ptolemaios was designated to take back Kyrene and punish Carthage for their treachery. Although the war would bankrupt the nation as multiple great armies had to raised, and at times fortune seemed to go against the Ptolemies as much as Carthage, in the end Iason was successful and took Carthage itself. When his father passed and he became ruler he decided that the area around Carthage and directly to the west would become permanent possessions of his family.
https://img819.imageshack.us/img819/2065/ptolemy204.jpg
For some time their was peace as the remnants of Carthage were to weak to strike back, but when Rome attacked the Ptolemaic allies to the north, the Sweboz, Iason ordered his cousin and designated heir Menestratos Ptolemaios, to raise an army against them. Only their great mercenary armies were a challenge. Quite to his surprise Menestrator found himself in command of nearly all of Italy within a relatively short period of time. It would seem the people of Rome had forgotten how to fight, as they fielded mainly armies of light spearmen, with some few heavy infantry.
https://img822.imageshack.us/img822/1442/ptolemy188.jpg
Many scholars of the time have termed this te beginning of a Golden Age of Ptolemaic wealth and military might, but not all is at it seems. Armies take up the vast majority of the Imperial budget, with little available for the upgrading of buildings or garrisons. Macedonia has risen to great power, and wrested Kyrene itself from the Ptolemies, a development ignored by Iason in his obsession with the west. The most recent news has it falling yet again, this time to Pontus. Iason Ptolemaios is under siege, while one of his settlements east of Carthage has fallen. Alexandria still lies open to attack, with no buffer for protection if Macedonia conquers its way to her gates, or if Pontus has a resurgence. Meanwhile to the east the Seleucids have eliminated most of their rivals, and are still regarded as the most powerful kingdom in the known world. This at least hasn't been ignored, and Iason has sent a force under the Egyptian Nikeratos Mendaios east to aid the Baktrians.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
OOC:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
https://i1027.photobucket.com/albums...hus/empire.jpg
This is my second go at a Roman campaign, with the year 173 BCE. After bringing the whole of Italy under Roman law, armies were sent via the sea to farther Iberia. After many bloody battles and revolts nearer and farther Iberia was eventually conquered and stabilised. The Lusitanii are still strong however as they control much of Gaul. Now there are three full veteran legions leaving Iberia and two green legions from Italy to finish Lusitanii tribe and to take the cities of Gaul.
Well, I finished off that Baktria campaign a while back. The end result is as follows...
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Pahlava decided they'd had enough of my being a good neighbor about four years after my last screenshot and attacked one of my cities. While I had been expecting this, my military build-up was still in its early stages, so I was caught a bit unawares. Thankfully, I managed to repel their invasion(s), which were... well, more numerous in quantity--of stacks, not units in the stacks.
After a few years of stalemate, I launched a double pronged offensive. The northern half was pretty much a sealed deal, as that section of their empire was somewhat lightly-defended, and my strike force was an army of veterans from the Saka war led by my best general. They never had a chance.
The southern offensive was somewhat more challenging, as my southern army, having been hastily assembled, was filled to the brink with greenhorn soldiers and led by an upstart general of barely 16 or 17 years of age. This unproven general, barely a man by his country's standards, took an inexperienced force and against all odds managed to not only survive, but excel. Province after province fell, and with each new victory, his army, though it lost numbers, became ever more battle-hardened. And the general himself, originally nothing but a young lad with dreams of greatness, became one of the most powerful and influential men in Indo-Baktria. So influential, in fact, that after his lord--who had been leading the northern offensive--died, the new Basileus named him as the man who would take his place, should the unthinkable happen.
A normal man might have been content with this and settled down to a life of luxury, but not this man. No, he pressed on, for the war with Pahlava was far from finished. Year after year, battle after battle, he fought to ensure his country's safety, and, after decades of struggle, Pahlava fell, stricken down from greatness almost entirely by the efforts of a man who at the beginning was merely a nobody with dreams of being his nation's greatest son.
In a cruel twist, the gods saw fit to award this man's crowning achievement with an actual crown, for on the very night that Pahlava fell, so did the Basileus. Though he had risen from obscurity to become not only his nation's greatest son, but also its leader, he would have preferred the gods to preserve his lord's life for just a bit longer, if only long enough to hear word of Indo-Baktria's--and his--triumph.
Regardless of the gods' whims, the man, having brought low an enemy of Indo-Baktria more dangerous than even the Sakaens and gained more territory than even the great Diodotos Baktrios, finally settled down to enjoy the fruits of his labors. Unfortunately for him--and Baktria--there would only be a scant few years of peace between the fall of Pahlava and the next era of strife.
In the mid 190's, the once-great nation of Arche Seleukia, of which Baktria had once been a mere Satrapy of, launched an unexpected offensive on the south-western regions of of Indo-Baktria, overwhelming the garrisons of several cities before a counter-attack could be mounted. Leading a hastily-assembled force of greenhorns not unlike the very first army he commanded, the Basileus not only recovered the cities the Seleucids conquered, but penetrated into Arche Seleukia itself, winning victory after victory and taking a number of Seleucid settlements.
After this point, there are varying, contradictory accounts of Indo-Baktria's ultimate triumph over Arche Seleukia, Arche Seleukia turning the tide and pushing back Indo-Baktria, and even a few odd accounts of armies sweeping out of the Caucasus Mountains and attacking both combatants while they're distracted. Unfortunately, the records after this point are scant to non-existent, so it's unlikely that modern man will ever know the exact details of the latter half of this conflict, assuming it continued. (In other words, this is where I ended the game.)
Anyway, after this game, my next few (incomplete) games were as Hayasdan, but I kept restarting whenever I conquered the entirety of the Caucasus Mountains, so I put Hayasdan on hold for now.
In my current game, I'm playing as As'Sab'yn wal'Ja, a faction I was originally reluctant to play as, since their roster didn't strike my fancy. However, I'm finding this faction to be quite enjoyable, since it's quite satisfying--and amusing--to play the underdog.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
I've been making liberal usage of Pantodapoi Phalangitai in my armies, although I'm a bit leery of their low(ish) morale. However, they're fairly cheap, so I use them to hold the line, while the Lo'hamim Azzilim (Sabaean Noble Infantry) guard the flanks, and, if need be, perform a bit of flanking themselves. It's worked fairly well for my Arabian defense force, all things considered. There haven't been that many battles near my homeland provinces, since the Ptolemaioi don't seem keen on trekking through hundreds of miles of desert to get to me, what with Seleukia trying to kill them.
My African army, on the other hand, relied on Red Sea Hoplites to keep the enemy occupied, while my Ethiopian Swordsmen and Arabian Light Infantry flank the enemy. It's not optimal, perhaps, but my African army has been successful enough to become significantly more experienced than my army back home. I may add a unit of elephants to my African army, just for kicks. Kicks that send soldiers flying 30-40 feet into the air.
All in all, Sab'yn's been fun. Troops aren't uber, but they've got got... character, I guess, and there's the whole 'underdog' aspect I mentioned before. The only complaint I really have it that certain cities (Petra and Palmyra) keep rebelling to me, the latter of which has ruined at least three alliances with Seleukia. I don't mind Petra rebelling, although it a bit difficult to hold onto, given that it's currently a bit isolated from my troop-producing centers.
Ah well, that won't be a problem once I push take out the Ptolemaioi
I dont think youve got much choice when it comes to their infantry. Mite have been a good choice to fill empty slots in any stacks with cheap slingers or archers to give more of an edge
My mighty Pahlavan!
https://img638.imageshack.us/img638/4391/58873143.jpg
Black Death? Lol!
You army there is a perfect anti AI army, easy blitzing. Nice Achaemenid Empire.
BTW, looks like Cute Wolf(Gudarz) is going down.~D
~Fluvius
Thanks, but I'm stuck in reform...Quote:
Originally Posted by Fluvius Camillus
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Oh, yes, this is one really nice empire.
thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jebivjetar
btw you're really bad boy Jebi.:laugh4:
https://img683.imageshack.us/img683/5158/58194436.jpg
Wow... Cute Wolf(Gudarz) has 8 stars.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Fluvius Camillus
but killed by a Dehbed. pretty inglorious way to dead.Quote:
Originally Posted by intifadanyz
@Daiyoukai
Once again, your Baktrian empire has amazed me! I can't gather the willpower to finish my Diadochoi campaigns, but I am glad to see that someone has excelled with Baktria.
I can understand the emperor's block with Hayasdan. Once I got the "Arkah arkahen" title, it felt like game over for me. The government reforms and the amount of potential for roleplaying with the governmental reforms reeled me back into it.
On another note, your Saba looks very enticing. The pantadopai phalanxes are really a good choice for Saba, since they have AP axes as secondary weapons. You should also look into the Sabaean levy spearmen, since they have great morale, defense, and attack for being simple levies.
@plutoboyz
Go Pahlava! Drive the Hellens into the sea! :P
finally, after much death, destruction, and destrucity:clown:.....
I haz won a campaign!! on EB!! (well, its my second: the first one for some odd reason, had no victory screen). yes, I'm Arche Seleukeia.
https://i260.photobucket.com/albums/...8-45-44-20.jpg
my empire:
https://i260.photobucket.com/albums/...8-55-22-01.png
93 provinces, 1,000,000 men military score, and churning 90,000 mnai a season. not a bad deal :beam:
I was at war with Carthage, the Getai, the Souromatae, the Saka Rauka, and Makedonia, and the biggest gnat of them all, Saba'. I'm allied, with all the people on this planet, with the Romani, who have been pretty honorable when it comes to treaties, and have been my faithful allies for the better part of 50 game years.
I did try to ally with Saba', even handing them a couple of unneeded provinces, but the backstabbers attacked bostra.
most of my "battles" were actually sieges of a single Seleukid city, Marakanda. it has a wild west feeling nowadays.
I'd have to say that Baktria is my second favorite Hellenistic faction, surpassed only by Epeiros. The only complaint I can voice is that their starting position isn't optimal for me, being almost all the way east. Merely having a central starting location--I'd consider any of the factions between Rome in the west and Pahlava in the east to have a 'central' starting position--is a big plus in my book, which is precisely why Epeiros just barely edges out Baktria for the #1 spot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Albath
Is there any particular reason you can't finish a Diadochi campaign? Say, for example, not enjoying phalanx-based warfare? Fighting against and with Phalanx-heavy armies does get sort of repetitive after a while, I'll admit.
The reforms are precisely why I originally tried Hayasdan. The mere idea of creating a sort of Hai-Achaemenid Empire is appealing to me. Plus, I like Hayasdan's unit roster, which is probably my favorite in the game at the moment. Though, I must say that Caucasian Spear rout kind of often, even with a competent general actively trying to keep their morale up nearby. I usually switch to Armenian Spearman as soon as possible, and finally Armenian Medium Infantry when I get 'em. Or Georgian Medium Infantry. Whichever's fine.Quote:
I can understand the emperor's block with Hayasdan. Once I got the "Arkah arkahen" title, it felt like game over for me. The government reforms and the amount of potential for roleplaying with the governmental reforms reeled me back into it.
However, the one thing that did bother me when playing as Hayasdan was the... rather trumpet-heavy music that plays during the pre-battle phase. It just wasn't my cup o' tea, so I eventually fiddled around with the music file and changed it to something that better fit my fancy. I also added a few battle tracks for every faction type. Admittedly, they're not period (..or culture) appropriate by any stretch of the imagination, but those tracks do get my blood pumping whenever they start playing.
The Sabaen units really surprised me, actually. They don't look like much on paper, but many have proved themselves tenacious beyond what one would expect form their morale stat. Of course, it probably helps that my Sabaen family members tend to get +morale traits and ancillaries. Never mind the command stars from numerous heroic victories and the high influence my family members tend to gain.Quote:
On another note, your Saba looks very enticing. The pantadopai phalanxes are really a good choice for Saba, since they have AP axes as secondary weapons. You should also look into the Sabaean levy spearmen, since they have great morale, defense, and attack for being simple levies.
Anyway, I do have another campaign I'm working on right now.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
I'm the Arverni in this game, and yes, I modded their faction colours recently.
Honestly, it's been a really easy game, but I guess that's what I get for blitzing the Aedui right off the bat, as one can see from the two famous battle sites near Bibracte, both of which took place in the 270s. By the mid 250s, I had already conquered almost the entirety of my current empire's provinces, except for Aventicos and... er... the southernmost Aedui starting province. Rome has invaded a few times, but were repelled easily.
Oh, and that general south of Bibracte? 'Tis a Roman family member that realized, with a few financial incentives, that green was the way to go.
Actually, I've been swimming in money, so I've been forced to find ways to dispose of it, mostly by gifting large (100k+) amounts of Mnai to whatever factions my diplomat happens to be in or near at the time. Except the Ptolemaioi, who obviously don't need any help, what with them currently eating up... everyone they share borders with. The only one(s) that have held their ground for more than a few years are Pontos, Makedonia/Pergamon, and Carthage.
I do believe that this is the first game in which the Yellow Death has arisen. I really, really hope someone manages to stop the Ptolemaioi, but I doubt that'll happen.
208BC: my mighty Pahlava on its way to eternity! :
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
What are your armies composed of Jebivjetar?
I thought you'll never ask! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by vartan
Well, in the early stage of my campaign my armies were composed of horse-archers (which you've got from the beginning), one or two FMs and those crappy pandotapoi.
Now i use almost everything alive, but my ideal army for fighting AS and Ptolie fullstacks are something like this: 6 units of pandotapoi phalangite, 1FM with 'chirurgeon'/'armourer'/'herbalist' trait, 6 hoplitai haploi, 2 AP infantry units (babylonian spearmen, hyrkanian hillmen, eastern axemen or something simmilar), 2 units of archers/slingers, 1 unit of parthian HA, 1 unit of heavy HA or cataphracts (parthian or grivpanvar, allthough i don't prefer the latter, i have only 1 unit recruited for now), 1 unit of eastern medium cavalry, 1-2 units of hellenic heavy skirmishers and eventually some mercenary unit (usually phalanx unit (if my own phalanxes have too little men) or classical hoplites).
This kind of army is ideal for gaining heroic victories against the Hellenes, even if i'm attacked with a fullstack of phalanxes :knight:
Just started Greco-Persian war.
https://img708.imageshack.us/img708/7218/20787051.jpg
well, my army too large. the upkeep cost killing me, the FM mostly corrupter, almost all my client ruler hated by its people, unrest everywhere and so on...
what? jebi again? attacking Makedonia with naked dudes....... :clown:
I have two Jebi.:clown:. sadly, another one killed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cute Wolf
not really. it was under KH when I attacked it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cute Wolf
oh yeah, those naked dudes...
When will you kill the ptolies?
Or take the cities from Kotais to Sinope or capture Kypros.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hannibal Khan the Great
~Fluvius
My macedonian empire so far (playing on H/M):
https://img267.imageshack.us/img267/...bmacempire.jpg
I usually don't play campaigns for this long, but this is really a fun one. And I've noticed what most empires throughout history have noticed: Creating an empire is not near as difficult as keeping it. I'm in a three-front war right now; against the Seleucids, the Ptolemaioi and Saba. I'm not too eagerly awating the day when the Romans will attack through Illyria and Qarthadast through northern Africa. Hopefully they're busy enough fighting elswere (like each other, for example). Now to wipe out those Ptolies! :evilgrin:
I'm still preparing the army. I'm still busy with saka and KH.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hannibal Khan the Great
I don't know maybe later. I don't have any interest there. besides, that pontos spamming chariot. I hate chariot!Quote:
Originally Posted by Fluvius Camillus
Serdike's mines tempting you at all? Nice empire btwQuote:
Originally Posted by Paltmull
Taking Serdike would mean war with the Getai; something that I definitely can't afford right now. And those foul Romans just attacked me, which means I'm at war at pretty much all fronts, except north and southwest :sweatdrop:Quote:
Originally Posted by Moosemanmoo
Thanks!
Baktria
(170 BC)
https://img709.imageshack.us/img709/...benannttbo.png
Interesting information
The Romans used to possess all of Italy and Pannonia and all around Helvetis up to Viennos and Vesontio
Carthage, later, managed to conquer Roma itself and after that the rest of southern Italy. They weakened, when they got kicked out of Spain by
the Lusonannan, who now form a mighty empire - powerful enough to callenge even the stronges of europes nations, maybe even
the Makedonians, who were among the greatest nations from the beginning and used to be the strongest Faction for almost 50 years, before
the Ptolemaioi became even more powerful after they gained the upper hand in the cruel war against Carthage.
The Arche Seleukeia still is a strong nation and - meanwhile - can field the most fearsome and heavily armoured units of the world, and this, though they have suffered greatly from constant war against Baktria, Pahlava and the Ptolemaioi for over 100 years now. Their most faithful allies are the
Sab'yn who startet war with Baktria, by marching through friendly Seleukid lands to Persis and besieging the since shortly Baktrian city of Persepolis. Therefore Baktria decided to invade Arabia and bring the war to the land of the enemy.
But why the capital? There is Saba territory much closer to your empire.
Richer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Skullheadhq
EDIT: I forgot that we're supposed to use complete sentences. The capital's probably richer.
That or taking out his power center in one good strike. He can take Carna and then work his way back to Homna or Gerrha.Quote:
Originally Posted by vartan
~Fluvius
Yes! Recreate Sodom and Gomorrah. Destruction, decimation! It'll be raining flames on Sab'yn lands!Quote:
Originally Posted by Fluvius Camillus
he should actually rain destrucity on the enemy, not destruction :clown:Quote:
Originally Posted by vartan
Strategical cleverness of me ;-) It broke the backbone of their economy. Having captured their capital and killed their king, they soon will have to surrender after I have chased down the rest of the kings sons and they will be my protectorate. If not, they will of course be exterminated. (Matter of Roleplay)Quote:
Originally Posted by Skullheadhq
Besides that, the Seleukids, their allies, had a huge army stationed in their northeastern territories. I would have been forced to fight them before capturing a Sab'yn city, which I could not afford back then.
This of course is a good version too :DQuote:
Originally Posted by vartan
Jebi's mighty Pahlava at 183BC
Brutal war against Ptolies is finally over as i gave some settlements to AS in order to have a buffer zone between me and 'yellow fellows'. AS is attacking me rarely now because they're weak as an old dog: and they deserve it.
Saba conquered Charax from me few years ago, i retook the settlement with no mercy for Saba soldiers: they all finally realized the terror of Parthian arrows!
My former ally, Hayasdan attacked me too. They were so damn annoying that i send my faction leader and my best cataphract escadrons and kicked them out of their homelands. I hope they will enjoy the steppes: cause nobody messes with my Pahlavans :D
Pontos is still my ally and i have no intentions to attack them . I have some mercy for Makedonians so i let them have that little Nikaia: i'll send some tanks latter to wipe them out, and i guess Nike won't be on their side :D
. I also plan to conquer the whole Greece.
Baktria will suffer, really soon. I've got catas, i'll conquer the world with my mighty Pahlavs!
https://img34.imageshack.us/img34/9361/pahlava.jpg
:knight:
Awesome empire Jebi. :2thumbsup:
Thanks Arthy! :D
I'm shocked by KH's Bosphoran empire. Did you have a hand in that or did a Crimean city revolt the Sauromatae decided to lay down?
horse archers are pretty weak in autoresolve, it was logical to see Bosphoran forces comprised of more hoplitai won against low class HA army if they are both led by AI
Chersonesos revolted to KH, the rest of the settlements in the area KH conquered by itself. One more interesting thing: my ally, Pontos, in very interested in Chersonesos lately. I have one picture of Pontic family member who crossed all the way through and besieged the city. THey even send a halfstack and i guess they will took it soon:Quote:
Originally Posted by MisterFred
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The Arche Makedonike at the beginning of the Civil War, ca 143 BC:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The Purple faction is Makedonia renamed ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΟΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΔΟΥ (Akolouthoi Basileos Olympiadou, Loyalist followers of the Basileus Olympiades).
The current Makedonian king and his father Neikon Nikator and grandfather Isodorianos Soter, (both of whom were kings as well) are not descendants of Antigonos Gonatas, but of Alexandros Argeades, the conqueror of Illyria. When the last king of the Antigonid line (Selephkos) was killed by an assassin sent out by his brother deceitful Perdikkas, Isodorianos saw it as his duty to make sure Perdikkas was not crowned king of Makedonia. He managed to defeat Perdikkas and convince (read force) his supporters to back down.
Due to the fact that his dynasty have come through power through an rebellion and are not descendants of Antigonos, the "Pro-Antigonid party" in Makedonia view this new dynasty as non legitimate.
The Red faction is Baktria renamed Εθγενεις Μακεδονιες (Eugeneis Makedones, Makedonian Nobles) which is the primary rebel faction. When the current king's grandfather came to power he managed to avoid civil war by killing the leader of his opponents and forced the rest to swear allegiance to him. He did this in order to avoid a civil war because he feared that the enemies of Makedonia (Arche Seleukeia, Kart-Hadast, Pahlava) would use this to their advantage and destroy Makedonia when they were busy fighting each other. This merely postponed the the civil war however and when Olympiades father died and Olympiades was crowned king, they were ready, ready to plunge Makedonia into a civil war, all because of their selfish desires of power. Their leader is the grandson of Perdikkas.
The Red-brownish faction in North Africa, Iberia and Italia is Γενος Κλεριος ( Genos Klerios, The Klerios Family), they are a petty noble family in North Africa who have gained power through exploiting the enormous wealth that the provinces that they govern yield (primarily through vast farming projects and taxation of sea trade). When Civil War broke out between the Akolouthoi Basileos Olympiadou and the Eugeneis Makedones, the Genos Klerios used this wealth to bribe several members of the Royal family in Italia and Iberia to join them and have now risen to some prominence.
Sorry I'm too lazy to write anything more in-deapth, explaining or informative than this crap.
edit: some pictures from the battle of Ankyra which I ultimately won with 60% losses:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
I'm a little bit confused with the colors on the campaign map, but anyway: your empire is mighty as hell!
Well, not really it was mighty but now it's torn apart in Civil War.
Whoever conquers the Romaioi, it's mighty enough for me! :knight:Quote:
Originally Posted by Arthur, king of the Britons