What faction did you play first?

[Khazar_Dahvos]

my first love and always shall be Pontus way back in .7 for I love the eastern mixed with greek. And they are a underdog so I always play the small factions. I am proud to say that I have never ever even wanted to play the Romans in EB. Not that I hate them (well maybe a little) but there are so many other interesting factions to play as!!!!!

[DeathEmperor]

I remember it quite vividly, EB .80 as Epeiros. I'd been playing RTR for months and was getting tired of it, when an old friend of mine said I should try EB since there was so much attention to history in it (I was and still am a history nut ). After downloading and installing it I chose Epeiros as they weren't in RTR at the time, and I was fascinated by Pyrrhus and his ill-fated campaign against the Romans. That campaign was the most enjoyable I've ever had, second only to the Arche Seleukeia campaign I successfully completed a few months ago.

I enjoyed it so much that I actually wrote a short story about it from the first person perspective of his son Amyntas. Was my first time writing in the 'first person form' too, and I learned a lot from it. I'd start an Epeirote campaign right now if I wasn't so enthralled by my current Romani one.

[Karo]

my first campaigne was with Hayastan back in .7. Back the Hayastan campaigne was hard now it's become very easy. I remeber that the rebels around Hayastan had horse archer stacks and fighting them was real hell. The good old days

[Celtic_Punk]

I don't know why, but I'm slightly bothered by the large number of players who first chose the Romans. Maybe they chose it because they only played as them in vanilla, or maybe cause they were their favourites before they tried EB. but the romans i find are very dull. The other factions have been painstakingly crafted and it seems everyone jumps in for the old workhorse. the easiest of them all. I mean when you start off with the Romans, your automatically making tons of coin. Everyone else you gotta put work in. whether it be disbanding units and fleets or conquering, all other factions require you to fight for your own survival. the Romans are the only faction in which your survival is almost guaranteed.

if anyone who hasn't tried EB yet and is reading this, go for a different faction, the challenge is certainly worth it.

By the way, im not really trying to bash the players who love the romans, im just expressing my surprise and awe at the fact that so many people decided to chose the easy route, instead of taking on a true challenge.

"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
-Robert Frost

[MerlinusCDXX]

Epeiros in .80, they weren't in RTR, which I'd been playing back then. I picked 'em because they had the first crack at the Romans. Really dug the accurate Hellenistic factions, so I went on to Baktria after that.

[machinor]

I first played Carthage in 1.0, which was also the first faction I played in RTR and the first faction I played af the Scipii in the original RTW. Second was Epeiros and then Baktria.

Haven't played with Romani so far.

[Ibrahim]

saba'. nice place.

[SwebozGaztiz]

I think the very first campaign i played in EB, was with the Casse but ive got my ass kick by the eleutheroi, but well my favorite faction are the sweboz, i think their unit roster is amazing and the new units they received are just great, amazing job with them!i also like the celtic factions but honestly i really enjoy fighting the romans with my german armies i think its far more fun!thanks for the great mod!

[phonicsmonkey]

Wow, am I really the only person to have tried the Aedui first?

I didn't start until 1.0, but I guess I figured, what with it being called Europa Barbarorum and everything...

[White_eyes:D]

I went with the Romani first as I seen in the FAQ they had the most reforms(plus I gained experience that would prove to be useful later on, not just because I'm a roman fanboy or something....because people should not assume these things just because it's the most voted) Currently I'm playing as a HA faction and loving it

[Mithridates VI Eupator]

I played Epeiros first.

I had never seen them in a game before (except AoE, and then they were actually macedonians with a funny name), and I like their position on the map. I wasn't prepared for the high upkeep in EB, though, so even though I managed to conquer dalmatia, I was in debt within two turns, and, foolishly, I didn't disband the elephants.

The only campaign I've had to give up because of personal bankrupcy....

[Andronikos]

My first game was 0.80 as Casse. I wanted to try some barbarian factions because I wanted to see the difference between EB and vanilla. I got crushed very early by the rebels. Then I tried Bactria with not very glorious end. I got used to EB and my later Aedui and Makedonia campaigns were more successful. Now I can play harder factions like Pahlava or Pontos and kick anybodys ass.

[Steve2392]

I first played as Rome because i find their rise to be so interesting how one city state grew and took over most of the known world

also can anybody help me out. I cant seem to find any of the roman units on custom battle they all just seem to be mercs etc i cant find cohorts etc any help would be appreciated thanks

[Lysimachos]

also can anybody help me out. I cant seem to find any of the roman units on custom battle they all just seem to be mercs etc i cant find cohorts etc any help would be appreciated thanks

You have to start the game with the Multiplayer shortcut.

[Subedei]

Either Grey Death or Epiros in 0.7 something, I think AS....loved it instantly...You guys are to blame for my first mod installation and exp ever! Have a ballon for that

[Ayce]

The Getai, that's why I got EB in the first place.

[TheGlobalizer]

Romani. Started a Baktrian campaign for fun, got stomped by rebels, went back to my Romani campaign. I need to tweak my strategy to match EB's gameplay.

I'll probably try Baktria again after my Romani campaign, or Saba.

[Strategos Alexandros]

0.8 Epeiros. They were new to me, and they looked good on the main site.

[Aemilius Paulus]

I don't know why, but I'm slightly bothered by the large number of players who first chose the Romans. Maybe they chose it because they only played as them in vanilla, or maybe cause they were their favourites before they tried EB. but the romans i find are very dull. The other factions have been painstakingly crafted and it seems everyone jumps in for the old workhorse. the easiest of them all. I mean when you start off with the Romans, your automatically making tons of coin. Everyone else you gotta put work in. whether it be disbanding units and fleets or conquering, all other factions require you to fight for your own survival. the Romans are the only faction in which your survival is almost guaranteed.

if anyone who hasn't tried EB yet and is reading this, go for a different faction, the challenge is certainly worth it.

By the way, im not really trying to bash the players who love the romans, im just expressing my surprise and awe at the fact that so many people decided to chose the easy route, instead of taking on a true challenge.

I am not sure if the Romans had money coming in after the first turn without conquering or disbanding. I really doubt that. Then again, it has been quite a while since I began my Romani campaign. Ptolemies and Seleucids, from my experience, are much easier to start out with (at least from the financial perspective). People don't play the Romani because it seems like they are the easiest faction. You really don't know how difficult/easy it will be with them before they start the campaign (although the difficulty for each faction is indicated when you're choosing a faction for the campaign, I don't find that to be entirely accurate). No. Gamers choose the Romans mostly because they like the Roman history and the Roman military.

I am one of those people. I am not hiding that fact. To hell with political correctness, Romans and Seleucids were the two superpowers during the EB time period and they mattered the most. As the Seleucids declined, the Romans took their place. When comparing other nations with these two empires, those nations seem trivial. They still mattered, but not as much. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't study the other nations, its just that we need to understand the special place the Latin people held in that time period.

I have read read more than a hundred books on the various aspects of the Roman history, culture as well as military and had not found a single civilization of their time period who had so much written about them, nor one that left us so much legacy (just look at the European languages and laws - most of them are modifications of Latin language and Roman law). It was on the foundation of Greeks and Romans that Western civilization was funded, which came to dominate the globe.

Roman Empire was the most well structured in the Ancient World, if not in the entire history of human empires. It was incredibly long lasting for its time and encompassed the most vital regions of the Antiquity. If the Romans would have controlled China, they would have controlled pretty much all of the civilized and organized world. Although India, parts of Africa and America had their own civilizations, those civilizations were not as organized (in large nations under a single government) as China or the Mediterranean.

[QuintusSertorius]

Romani. Aside from my stint playing Epeiros-as-Pergamon, they're pretty much all I will play too.

When EBII comes out, the only factions I'm interested in are Rome and Pergamon.

[Laman]

Unless I'm remembering wrong, Romans. Thought it would be a good idea to pick a faction that was easy to get going and experience all the new stuff of EB without immediately getting into a very large debt. Was right.

[Tollheit]

To hell with political correctness, Romans and Seleucids were the two superpowers during the EB time period and they mattered the most. As the Seleucids declined, the Romans took their place. When comparing other nations with these two empires, those nations seem trivial. They still mattered, but not as much. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't study the other nations, its just that we need to understand the special place the Latin people held in that time period.

This is not about political correctness. It's more like "Victrix causa diis placuit sed victa Catoni", for me.

Edit: The victorious cause pleased the gods, but the defeated cause pleased Cato

[Moros]

This is not about political correctness. It's more like "Victrix causa diis placuit sed victa Catoni", for me.

I hope he knows latin otherwise it'd be quite funny!

Edit: am I the only one that is waiting for TPC to enlighten this fella? Cause he seems to have left out a rather big 'barbarian' culture that was a bit important.

[satalexton]

thats y i love this forum, people actually get stumped intellectually instead of being n00bed at.

[Foot]

I love it when people wax lyrical about the Romans, its just so gushing; as if the Romans were their lover, this great and wonderful man who just seems too good to be true. And the Seleucids! Superpower? Only for like 150 years. Blip, just a blip.

Foot

[Artorius Maximus]

I actually played the Getae (Dacians) first. They are quite a fun faction in my opinion, and seeing as Illyrians are not in as a faction, at least the Getae are the most similar availible.

[Theodotos I]

Baktria, actually. I was inspired by hooahguy's AAR and the unique unit choices they possessed. Will have to play them again some day, now that I've got a handle on EB economics. I won, but didn't get to use all their units.

[Maeran]

The Romans from a much earlier release (can't remember now but probably .74 or something)

They have always had a good position and what is more, an excellent and involving trait and reform system (it got better with the last two releases). The challenge with the Romans is not to conquer x number of territories, but to get the reforms naturally. It becomes a story that is so involving.

I've played the Casse to the VCs, the Sweboz and the Pahlava as my first 1.1 campaign and am currently giving the Macedonians a go. None have grabbed me as much as the Romans.

This is no reflection on the real peoples, I'm talking about gameplay here.

[Tiberius Aurelius Cotta]

lol, Foot.

true, though, the seleucids are way too ignored, tbh. i started as the ptolemaioi, got confused after 3 turns, and eased into EB with the romani

[bovi]

I can certainly understand the amount of people who choose Romani as their first faction. In the complex mod of EB, it's safe to choose something that you know fairly well from before, and it's also one of the easier factions to start out with. A good choice, far better than for instance Saka or Hayasdan where you're likely to go bankrupt and/or be destroyed within 30 years as a newcomer.