Advice On Starting An Arche Seleukeia Campaign?

[V.T. Marvin]

Well, I have never played as AS, but generally I think that to make your campaign more fun, you should not destroy your most interesting enemy too soon. Therefore I would try to stay on the defensive, consolidate the empire, develop economy, deal with unrest, etc. BUT NOT conquer any new territories at least until 240 BC. At that time the AI should become more capable and thus more worthy an opponent of the greatest empire in the world...

[Hax]

1) Change Capital to Seleukeia
2) Lower tax-rates in cities with a public order of less that 75 percent
3) Take some units from the holdings in Asia Minor, merge them, and march them up to Tarsos.
4) Take Tarsos and Side
5) Conquer the remaining cities in Asia Minor (ignore Pontos). This shall be your moneyhouse (I have Sardis, Ipsos, and Ani-Kamah bringing me about 5,000 net each turn)

6) Relax for a while, bolster your economy, say about five years tops, and then take over the Ptolemaioi's holdings in the Levant.
7) Now the Ptolemaioi have no place to go, except Kush and Meroe.
8) (This is a bit tricky) Start sending spies to Meröe and Axum (if they've been taking by the Ptolemaioi), to make the cities revolt to the Saba.
9) Make an alliance with the Saba.
10) Destroy the Ptolemaioi.
11) Enjoy your victory of incestuous freaks.


12) Start conquering India, there are some very interesting units there (see below)
13) When you've taking Opiana, first of all, build the Faction MIC first, and then the Regional
14) When you've done both to about level 4, you are able to train these units:

Hindu spearmen
Indian Guild Warriors
Indian Longbowmen
Indian Elephants

15) Conquer the remaining Indian cities, and start a supply line from Charax to Opiana, to carry your awesome units oversea.
16) With great Indian units at your command, the Ptolemaioi gone and
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City recommendations:

Apart from the cities in Mikra Asia with their awesome mines, pay close attention to Karmana, Asaak, Zadrakata, Hekatompylos and Ektabana.

These cities are immensely rich. In my current campaign, my economy looks like this (while supporting two fullstacks of some very expensive units (argyraspides, kataphraktoi elephantes indikoi, sreni pattya yoddaha, etc))

Karmana: 5891
Zadrakata: 3504
Ekbatana: 1338
Asaak: 2419
Hekatompylos: 2532

You should start building mines in these cities as soon as possible.

However, your greatest problem is corruption. Build buildings that give a bonus to law as soon as possible. The temples of Mithras and Seleukos are good at this.

Much luck!

-Strategos Hax

[Maion Maroneios]

Wow, that's a good guide, Mega Haxie! You make me want to begin my own AS campaign sometime...

[Tartaros]

Apart from the cities in Mikra Asia with their awesome mines, pay close attention to Karmana, Asaak, Zadrakata, Hekatompylos and Ektabana.

and Gabai!!

[socal_infidel]

Thanks all for the responses! Especially to Hax for the detailed starting guide! I'm sure it will come in handy when I do start an AS campaign. What's that? Oh yeah, the flip-flopper that I am, I decided to start a M/M Hayasdan campaign

So I guess, I shall make reference to this thread now!

I'm about 14 years in and have just taken Karkathiokerta from the AS. Once that AS diplomat showed up at Armavir I decided to strike! Now I'm deciding whether to try to hold on to Sophene or raze everything and consolidate my holdings in the Causasus (I own Phraaspa, Kotais, Kabalaka, Mtskheta and they're all Level 2 gov'ts now). And continue the process of transforming my army into a HA army (I just love HA armies, probably why I usually play Pahlava!)

Thanks again! An AS campaign is next, I swear! Cheers!

[Dubius Cato]

The information on the cities is surely handy for the Hayasdan too. I know I'll use it.