Impossible to win

**SuperGosc** · 07-23-2008, 00:55

I started a pontus campaign about 10 times now and everytime i get to 269 bc AS attacks me and they have the best troops they can have ALREADY!! For come reason they also have inifinite money because they never stop sending half/full stacks at me. By this time my army is almost gone because i have taken some cities and you have to attack cities right away or you lose WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY TOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much money. So I would like to know how you are suppose to win with pontus when AS is ****ing me in the A** and I have no army almost and i cant recruit any phalanx or any troops that can beat AS army, seems to me its impossible WITHOUT cheating.

ps - for some reason once AS attacks me (which they do everytime no matter how many times you start over) Eperious and Egypt is at war with me too.

HOW DO YOU FREAKIN WIN !?!?!?!?!?

**Hax** · 07-23-2008, 00:57

1) What difficulty are you playing on?

2) My course of action is this:

-Take Ankyra
-Take Nikaia
-Take Sinope

Wait for a bit, it's not horrible if you lose your capital. Use spies a lot, hold strategic locations. I did have some luck in my Pontos campaign, because I managed to take Ipsos in a last-ditch effort.

**whatthehell6** · 07-23-2008, 01:09

Like Hax asked, what difficulty?

I've played the first 45 years of 2 Pontos campaigns (both ended up with persistent CTD's), both being on H/M. My strategy is generally:

First!! Disband cavalry unit (there is only 1 I believe)
x Take Nikaia
x Take Byzantion
x Take Sinope (if you have the troops for it)
x Disband infantry units, keep some skirmishing units

After that it is just using skirmishers and Generals/FM effectively (Generals are key, as they can mass kill AND rout units quickly and effectively) until you can get an economy rolling. Also, try to get a ceasfire with Seleucids (though they will pretty much always break it). Then Pontos becomes a piece of cake. At least on H/M that is.

**SuperGosc** · 07-23-2008, 01:14

Its on M/M and I took sinope then nikaia. my income was good and I was building a barracks in Amesiea but then AS come through and took it and then sinope and my campiagn is pretty much over there. I got AS to ceasefire a turn before they took Amesiea.

Now if I take those cities in the order you say and then disband my infantry, how do I fight AS once they attack me (which they will) ???

**Havok.** · 07-23-2008, 01:17

Originally Posted by pmaf14

Now if I take those cities in the order you say and then disband my infantry, how do I fight AS once they attack me (which they will) ???

Take a deep breath, then throw yourself into the fight bravely screaming like a Gaesatae, fighting for your own very existence

**SuperGosc** · 07-23-2008, 01:20

LOL I wish i could.

**tapanojum** · 07-23-2008, 01:25

My first campaign as Pontos on VH/M wasn't as difficult as you describe.

Disband your unit of cavalry.

The AS will attack your capital if anything else. A couple units of Phalanxe and your General is MORE than enough to defend against almost anything they send at you. Do you auto-calc or fight your own battles? If you fight your own battles, set up your Phalanxe in your town in a narrow alley and watch the enemy armies crumble on your spears.

There is NO need to build any baracks in your capital this early in the game. What's the point? Your economy is in shambles, having access to more expensive units is completely useless if you cannot yet afford them! Instead focus on building economy based buildings (Ports,Roads,Market,etc) One of the first things I do is build a road, allows you to move more efficiently through your growing empire.

While your couple units of Phalanxe and General is protecting your capital, have another army moving through and capturing what you can. I ussually take Sinope and Ankyra. Around this time AS tends to betray me, and then I move this army West through Anatolia and take out all the remaining AS settlements. Once you take all the AS settlements to your west, it's much easier defending and your economy will be rolling.

Don't worry about Eperius. You will be at war with them once they attack Byzantium. For this reason, I don't bother capturing Byzantium until my economy and military is up and standing. Instead, wait for Eperius to capturing Byzantium, and then send a diplomat and establish peace and trade with them.

You are sending your diplomats throughout Greece and getting Trade rights correct? Especially important to do this because you will be at war with KH for attacking Sinope, and you need to secure peace/trade with them asap.

**SuperGosc** · 07-23-2008, 01:37

I always fight battles on battles map and I also send my diplomat the greece first and then west to get more trade rights. I will try what you said, thanks.