How do I nerf the Ptolemies - without conquering them?

[QuintusSertorius]

The Yellow Death has been relatively muted thus far in my game, largely through my use of Force Diplomacy to restore provinces they took off the Seleukids in Syria, and transporting their armies back to Africa so they ran out of resources to fight there.

However, that's just staving off the problem, the armies in question come back eventually, and the Seleukids really aren't able to keep up, especially now I've kicked them out of Asia Minor.

I'm thinking I could give Saba Ptolemais-Theron, Pselkis and the other deep desert provinces, that would at least starve them of some funds.

What else can I do though? I don't want to declare war on them, they're the kind of faction who's AI then decided it'll attack your navies constantly if you do that.

Are there any ridiculously expensive units I could spawn in their cities to drain their money? Do they have elephants?

Is there any way using the console to kill armies (like a reverse create_unit)?

So how do you hamstring and otherwise paralyse the Ptolemies without conquering Egypt?

[johnhughthom]

They do get elephants but I think they are in those deep desert provinces you want to give to Saba. What about creating a load of those ridiculously expensive fleets they have?

[QuintusSertorius]

The "tens" you mean? Not sure how to do create_unit with ships. I suppose I could do that on existing Ptolemaic fleets. Perhaps move one somewhere inaccessible and put ten "tens" in it or something.

[thelord]

Try giving Salamis to the AS, it made a huge difference in my game.

[QuintusSertorius]

Try giving Salamis to the AS, it made a huge difference in my game.

Not a bad idea at all.

As far as "desert provinces" goes, would it be worth taking Ammonion and Augila off them as well?

Or maybe just remove them from Syria altogether. Nabataea and Sinai are both expansion regions for Saba; just leave them with Judea and Phoenicia.

[Cartaphilus]

I'm doing the same.

You can give Cyprus (or Cyrene) to Kh too. It could be a good solution. And it can simulate some rebel Ptolly princes as well.

And you can use Saba to recreate the Maccabean "realm".