1.x AI Faction Progression Thread

[Maion Maroneios]

RP rationale my-arse. Sorry, but that's a

Maion

[johnhughthom]

People play games for differing reasons, and get enjoyment from differing things. If somebody wants to get reforms quickly, or cheat to get extra money who are we to criticize them here?

[Reality=Chaos]

RP rationale my-arse. Sorry, but that's a

Maion

That's a bit silly Maion.... I mean the guy has a RP rationale for it... you may not agree with the rationale but it is there... and anyway who cares how you think about the styles in which other people play

[Hax]

Yeah, you could argue adding units for Makedonia or wiping the Casse to make a Makedonian counter-faction is cheating.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

100 people = 100 ways of playing...

[Maion Maroneios]

I said I believe it's cheating, folks. And what makes creating a counter faction (that's better than the Eleutheroi when a city of mine rebels) cheating, if I may ask?

Maion

[Conradus]

I said I believe it's cheating, folks. And what makes creating a counter faction (that's better than the Eleutheroi when a city of mine rebels) cheating, if I may ask?

Maion

You could ask the same question about him speeding up the revolts.

[Reality=Chaos]

I said I believe it's cheating, folks. And what makes creating a counter faction (that's better than the Eleutheroi when a city of mine rebels) cheating, if I may ask?

Maion

You might have meant that, but you certainly did not say that... your post came across as very judgmental, which is why so many people reacted in an annoyed fashion....

[Skullheadhq]

Ειμαι ο Μαιον και μολις τελειωσα

Ik ben Maion en nét klaar.
I am Maion and just finished?


With that whore of a weather forecast?

[Maion Maroneios]

Ik ben Maion en nét klaar.
I am Maion and just finished?


With that whore of a weather forecast?

Yes. A more accurate translation would be "I just came" though.

Maion

[Skullheadhq]

That's what the dutch translation says, the english one is wrong.\

[Reality=Chaos]

That's what the dutch translation says, the english one is wrong.\

looking at the dutch translation compared to the english one (I don't know greek) it could just as easily be

ik ben net gekomen

[Horatius Flaccus]

Ja dat vond ik ook al *apart*.

Anyhow, back on topic!

[XSamatan]

BTT:

my Mak-campaign:

255BC


250 BC


and thats what you are missing without alexEB:

they gave me a hard fight.....had no more than 20 Akonthisai left...

XSamatan


EDIT: as I'm now at war with ANY of my neighbours it is starting to become a little annoying...

[Turrus Julius]

((I like EB. The skirmishers are better for some odd reason, or I use them more properly. ))

I started as the Romaioi, natural choice for a first campaign, but this is actually my second one. Updated, forgot it wasn't backwards-compatible. :D

Well, I took the units given to me in Arretium and walked to Segesta, sieged it and hoped the enemy would stick inside instead of sallying. Riiight...
Epic fight at the gate, Eqvites Consvlares had to be thrown in to keep the cavalry at bay. If it wasn't for my skirmishers as a last desperate reserve I would've lost. Felt rather awesome after defeating the remnants and taking the town. Naturally I expelled the people to lessen the pressure on law-enforcement. Never, ever forget that the celts throw javelins.
I installed a puppet king there for future barbarian-mercenary purposes. Later on I will change the governance to the fully romanized one, but for now I can use the barbarian shock-troops to augment my northern legion.

Tara was nicer to my souther legion, as it waited until I got an unit of Principes there. Unit of Hoplitai Haploi was easily taken out with backstab from skirmishers, and the rest could be wiped away in close combat, when they couldn't form phalanx. Cavalry was an issue, and I'm starting to understand why you have to have an unit of two of them. I still can't use them for the hammer-and-anvil, but at least flanks are secure. ^^
After taking Tara I sent a diplomat to establish peace and trade with the Epeiros. They accepted, if grudgingly. This might have been a mistake, as the Epeiros now concentrates on kicking the macedonians, and will be a problem in the future unless I make a heroic backstab and take the coastal cities.
Tara is now a puppet kingdom to augment my legions with hoplites and expendable Akontistai.

This is about as far as I have gone now, and I have made peace with the Galli to concentrate on attack against the Epeirotes and Karthadastim. If I get Carthago, I have a good base to launch assault on northern Africa and I have crippled my future enemy's military and economical strength. I hope.

[Maion Maroneios]

Chairete loyal philoi. Strategos Maroneios decided to give you another report of the situation of the Basileion. The year is 227BC, and it has been already a year since the first Emphylios (Civil War) broke out between Demetrios and Perseus of the Argeadai. Here is a map of the Oikoumene:


Sweboz: Nothing of great interest, they have been hammering the Belgai a bit and threatening the border of the Rhenos with their armies. Pah, let them do whatever they want. As long as they don't bother us.

Vereberom: The mighty alliance of the Iberioi have allied themselves against the Karchedoi. They are gathering their forces as we speak, ready for one great push against the damn brephoktonoi (infant-killers).

Vergalla: Hammering the Belgai and Romaioi, without much success against either of the two. So much for proclaiming themsleves "Megale Gallia". Ha!

Belgae: I got to admit those guys have wit. They have managed to fiercely remain independent of both the Gallioi as well as the Germanoi who occasionally raid their lands. They are currently trying to liberate another part of their homelands from the Gallioi, without much success. I guess they are better at defending that attacking.

Romani: What is more to say that they are the worse barbaroi that walk the world? To even think they are foolish enough to intermingle with the Keltoi and that many of the latter even welcome them, is beyond my understanding. Perhaps they shall learn from their mistakes one day and stop trying to take their "homelands" back. Rome herself is secured too, as Demetrios has pushed further north, as you can see on the map.

Safot Softim biQarthadast: The Karchedoi have been quite docile, apart from trying to desperately hold on their possessions in Iberia. They occasionally try to take back Lilybaion as well, but time after time the army of the Syrakosioi give them a nice beating. Bless them fellow Hellenes.

Thrakike Symmachia: Be weeevy veeewy quiet. We hunting wabbits.

Mega Basileion Makedonias: Hey, you got a problem with that name? I sure hope not. As I said before, the Basileion in undergoing an Emphylios. The two main counterparts are self-proclaimed Basileus Perseus Argeades, son of the departed Alkyoneus, and his very own uncle Demetrios Argeades. Persues has assembled a massive army Royal Army, funded one of Thrakes and payed one formed out of Hellenes from the southern poleis in exchange of full autonomy when the Empylios is over, and is now marching through Illyria to Italia to meet Demetrios. The latter has managed to drive most of the Romaioi Barbaroi out of Italia, but refused to aknowledge Demetrios as his Basileus and abandon his campaign. As such, he has formally been declared an enemy of the Basileion by Perseus and the Synedrion in Pella and is now facing the wrath of Perseus. I'm as curious as you as to how this will unfold...

Basileion Pontou: Not that you can call that a Basileion anymore, but OK. But that's what happens when you provoke the might of the sons of Megas Alexandros. Their capital, shifted yet again to Sinope, has been sacked by the allied army of the Hellenes of the Bosporos. Only a petty Satrapeis of theirs remains in Kappadokia. Hehehe...

Basileion Seleukeidon: I can't help myself but to feel sad of the fate that has befallen the descendants of Seleukos. The majority of their holdings are now confined to only a few Satrapeiai in the far East, with scattered areas still remaining "loyal" to them. And I put it that way because in truth they are just against the Ptolemaioi and Parthoi, so the Basileus of the Seleukeis calls them his allies.

Arche Ptolemaion: The rumours of an Emphylios between the Pharao and the Strategos leading the campaign against the Seleukeis have died out after the latter died in a recent battle. Steps of stabilizing their newly conquered areas have been taken, and the expansionistic policy of the Ptolemaioi has come to a halt. They are, however, still trying to get their hands on Rhodos by patroling the seas around with massive warships and landing troops on the island itself from time to time. The local Satrapes, Aiakes, has always managed to drive them away though.

Sauromatae: Not anything new here, I'm afraid. Apart from pressing a bit into the lands of the Bastarnai, they have remained mostly passive.

Sabae: Those desert-dwellers are currently establishing themselves in the distant lands of Axon, in the very south of the holdings of the Ptolemaioi. Let's hope they can keep them a bit occupied.

Hayasdan: Interesting expansion here. And I was wondering when they would get some brains and decide to take advantage of the disintegration of the "Arche" of the Seleukeis and grab some of their territory. But they were foolish enough to help the Pontioi, who are their allies, in the recent sack of Sinope. Guess what? Their Basileus, who had led a very unsuccessful campaign in Kappadokia, decided to help the Pontioi agains tthe wrath of the Skythai under service of Basileus Perseus. And he died a very miserable death. Oh yes, he did.

Pahlava: Those Parthoi nomads have managed to do the unthinkable. That is, to bring the might of the Seleukeis to their knees and carve themselves a nice little "Arche" of themselves.

Basileion Baktries: The fate that has befallen our fellow Hellenes there truly saddens me. The Sakaioi barbaroi managed to drive them out of their homelands, and even sacked and pillaged the great polis of Baktra.

Saka Rauka: Those filthy barbaroi drove the Baktrioi Hellenes out of their homelands and established themselves lords of the Indohellenes.

I hope you found my report interesting and intriguing, sympatriotai. I salute you.

Maion

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Nice overview, Maion. Can't you fund the Germanoi a bit?

[Maion Maroneios]

Thank you, philos

Well, to be honest the Emphylios is draining my incomes at a very fast rate. So I'm not in a very convenient position to make any further expenditure, I'm afraid. But fear not, when the Emphylios ends the Basileion will start to turn its eyes outwards. Maybe then I will decide to interfere with the affairs in Europe.

On the other side, I've always feared the Germanoi. They armies seem to be able to eat the Gallioi if they are given a certain direction. The Belgae are currently a nice balance of power between the two monsters, and I might even decide to fund them first.

Maion

[Tartaros]

What happend to casse??
did they get stomped by jonny reb??

[Maion Maroneios]

What happend to casse??
did they get stomped by jonny reb??

Nope, I simply switched the Casse with a shadowing faction of mine.

Maion

[Andy1984]

@Spotted Pig:
even with all these legions, you have such an amount of cash.

Congrats to have brought the campaign to 87BC. I don't think too many get there.

[Spotted Pig]

@Spotted Pig:
even with all these legions, you have such an amount of cash.

Congrats to have brought the campaign to 87BC. I don't think too many get there.

Thank you. I have a standing army of 5 Legions, wich costs a total of ~60000 mnai each turn, the others are supporting/garrison armies. It fits quite well with my income. (Imagine if I wouldn't profit, I would be bankrupt in a few years)

I was rather bored with the camp, but then I figured out how to fix the reforms and suddenly everything was so very interesting again, I even started writing down everything that happened (thus, the RP value), calling it "The Imperial Annals". From the birth of a child (It's a pain going through a family tree of 160 members to figure out what the whole name of a child is) to rebellions to the movements of the Legions. But I honestly believe it would be quite a boring AAR, it's mostly to keep me going.

[bobbin]

From my Ptolemaioi campaign


After years of attacks on my levant cities my patience for the Saba has finally run out. Fresh from conquering Axum my Aethiopian expidetionary army sets sail from Ptolemais Theron subdue the Saba. The victories are swift and their main port city is taken.

Now the centre of their realm Maryab is taken.

A few years later the operation is complete, the Saba are reduced to a buffer state in Palmyra and the Ptolemaic Kingdom is stronger than ever!

[Whatever Scortamareva]

Interesting expansion in the Northeast. Did one faction have a larger empire which was cut up by the others? I'd hazard a guess at Saka having expanded to the Caspian, then being split by Baktria, Pahlava and the Arche? Never seen Pahlava that far north without having wiped out any others before. Keep an eye on it
Nice to see Hai so big as well

[bobbin]

Nope it was the Parthians who had the large empire, the Saka just nabbed a city from them and they've been unable to take it back due to pressure from the AS, can't remember but i think Baktria is also involved too.

The interesting expansion for me is the Sauromatae's drive into central europe, there's every chance of them clashing with rome or the celts if the rebel superstacks are defeated.

[athanaric]

Nope it was the Parthians who had the large empire, the Saka just nabbed a city from them and they've been unable to take it back due to pressure from the AS, can't remember but i think Baktria is also involved too.

The interesting expansion for me is the Sauromatae's drive into central europe, there's every chance of them clashing with rome or the celts if the rebel superstacks are defeated.

I wouldn't count on it. I've had this situation in several campaigns (in one campaign the Getai and Swêboz even cooperated (!!!) in harassing Eburonum, with the Sauromatae "watching" close by), and nothing has come of it so far.
I think it is more likely that Noricum will fall to the Romani in your campaign, who will then proceed to attack any faction north and east of it.

[Atraphoenix]

I have not see getai as aggressive as in that campaign. They are better blitzers than me.
They are sweeping Balkans and middle of Europe.
259 BC

[Companion Cavalry]

Baktria Campaign 183 B.C VH/M



This has been one continuous slugfest with me on one side, and every other faction within reach (at one point even including the Sauromatae) on the other. This particular campaign has been chock-full of surprises, where to begin?

First off in 239, the Pahlavas, after taking only four Seleukid cities, managed to make the AS their protectorate
Second off, despite taking Alexandreia-Eschate, the Saka Rauka managed to not only get a ceasefire from the Seleukids, but are now their allies.



These are my core cities, I've had all of them except Antiocheia-Margiane since 250. The Seleukids lost Prophthasia,
but were still holding out in Alexandreia-Ariana before I sent in a spy, accidently triggering the revolt



My northern border has seen as much bloodbath in ninety years as has Judaea in two millenia. Before I captured Marakanda and Alexandreia-Eschate, the Saka were sending stack after stack to beseige my capital. And not crappy armies like you'd except from bankrupt nomads, but plenty of Saka nobles and FMs with seven command stars or more. After something like the twentieth attempt to take Baktra, I decided to teach those nomad bastards a lesson.

First, I auto-resolved all Saka armies to death in the vicinity of the capital using the elite troops from previous campaigns in India. Then I built up a large army of my own horse-archers, using both Dahae riders and Baktrian hippotoxotai. Finally, after subjugating all nomad cities south of the Oxus, I sent my HA army to terrorise the Saka homeland. I eventually managed to capture, enslave, and dismantle every last city of theirs before turning back for home. With almost all of their buildings destroyed, and most of their troops dead, they quickly fell deep into dept and haven't bothered me since, except with occasional "armies" of Saka FMs wandering into Baktrian lands.



Mikra Asia is without a doubt the most chaotic region in EB. In this one screenshot alone, you can count 7 factions



Gaul has had an interesting history. From 272-240 the two native factions combined ruled most of Gaul. Then the Romans came flooding in with massive stacks, quickly conquering most of Gaul, almost driving the Arverni to extinction (they survived with Ankyra). Then the Aedui did the impossible, they slowly pushed the Romani first out of Gaul altogether, and then out of northern Italy, briefly reclaiming Mediolanum. Unfortunately the Romans were just wrapping up their conquest of Sicilia, and moved their freed up armies to the north, and soon they once more controlled most of Gaul, with the Aedui clinging onto Bratosporios in the north. At this point, the Romans made their fatal mistake: they attacked Numantia. This provoked a war with the Lusotann who, with their vast resources from conquering Spain, thrashed the Romani so thoroughly in the following battles that they would never recover. A decade after defeating the Roman expedition in Spain, they flooded into Gaul and conquered all of it by 208. They are now invading Italy and are about to sack Rome for the first time an AI faction has done so in any of my campaigns.



After being reduced to their African holdings, Kart-Hadast decided to expand east and attacked the Ptolemaioi frontier towns. Encountering no resistance, due to the Ptolemaioi being busy fighting the AS, they managed to conquer most of Egypt, excluding Alexandriea and Hibis. Unfortunately for them, the Ptolemaioi wisely signed a ceasefire with the Seleukids and sent all of their armies down to push the Karchedoi back. So far, they've only been half successful thanks to good Kart-Hadast generals.



The Balkans region has also been very lively in the past century. The Epeirotes (recoloured as yellow) completely ignored the Makedonians and headed north. By 230 they ruled much of the northern Balkans, and had subjugated all Getai cities except Lucarottea. At this point the Koinon Hellenon, fresh from conquering all of Hellas from Byzantion to Korinthos, attacked the Epeirote homeland, severly weakening the position of the former superpower, and prompting several pro-Getai revolts in frontier towns.

Meanwhile, the Makedonians surprised everyone by subjugating Pergamon, Nikaia, and Byzantion, all in under five years. In 193, the resurgent Antigonids started pushing deeper into Europe, taking Tylis and Serdike. Right now it is a three-way stalemate between the Epeirote empire-in-exile, the Antigonids, and KH.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Oh the beautiful!

[Horatius Flaccus]

Amazing expansion!