Quote Originally Posted by Martok
However, I must at least partially disagree with your recommendation of the Byzantines. While the Byz are an easier faction overall, they can also be a bit overwhelming for people new to MTW. Given their large number of starting provinces and their location at the crossroads of the world between the Catholic west & the Muslim east, a Byzantine player has a *lot* to keep track of.

Now of course, in Byblos' specific case, that's maybe not a major issue. Since he does have the benefit of having played Rome and Medieval 2, he's obviously not a neophyte to the Total War series, and so the odds are decent he'd be able to handle playing as the Byz just fine. Still, for people who are unfamiliar with MTW, I tend to avoid recommending the Byzantines as their first campaign for the reasons I outlined above.
Yes, I see what you mean. Admittedly, my second campaign was a Byzantine one (for my first I had chosen the Danes, and my king ended up dying 100 years into it with no heirs). I found the Byzantines quite easy, as battles were not too much of a problem due to their strong unit roster, hence allowing me to focus more on the campaign map. Having played STW before MTW, the increased complexity of the campaign map had come as a welcome shock.

Of course, I see what you are saying. Yes, choosing the Byzantines in your first campaign is like baptism by fire.

I suppose that the Danes would be better. Although Catholic so you have to deal with the Pope, you are right next to the very rich province of Sweden (rebel held, so you will get no warning), and you start with only one province and one border with a rival faction (HRE).