My next game: Epeiros as Pergamon

[QuintusSertorius]

I'm thinking ahead to my next game, once my massive Roman campaign is done, and for once it's not of "another Roman game". In my present game I've been having a lot of fun roleplaying out Pergamon as a Roman ally, rather than just another Roman province with Roman troops. So there's been a client ruler in the city for over 70 years, and it has two armies of regional troops and mercenaries, which I've used to great effect.

So for my next game, I want to play a migrated Epeiros campaign as the kingdom. I'll probably still do the whole business of trying to keep most factions relatively historical, though I might struggle a bit with Roman expansion.

Plan is thus; use Force Diplomacy to stay at peace with Koinon Hellenon and Makedonia, so that I can ignore my starting location for the most part. Or perhaps take the Illyrian coast initially for the money, and to give them to Rome later.

Otherwise it's focused on Asia Minor. Take Pergamon with a transported army as soon as possible, and start building it up. Then my targets are Halikarnassos, Ipsos, Sardis and Side to begin with. Take Galatia and give it to a Gallic faction. Byzantion might be a good early choice since it then stops anyone from Europe crossing into Asia Minor and vice-versa.

I'll probably be at war with the Seleukids (especially since they have Ipsos, Sarsis and Side) and Pontos for a goodly long while, any tips for facing them?

For armies, I've had good results with Classical hoplites as the rock in the centre of my line, possibly with some pike phalanxes in the very middle and them either side. Then Celto-Hellenic spearmen on the flanks, with peltasts on the wings. Kretan archers and Celtic slingers for long-ranged harrassment and enemy skirmisher-killing, and whatever mercenary cavalry I can get my hands on (preferably Thracian and Illyrian). Along with those brilliant Asian skirmishing horse.

I might take Byzantion as well, possibly try to recreate the Thracian Kingdom (expanding out from Byzantion).

Does this sound viable?