Who do you play as?

[Dodge_272]

Currently, I mean, and why?

I'm wondering this as I've just been checking the AAR forum here (which is great BTW) and it seems not many people play Rome these days, which is also great in a way.

I also have one unrelated question: I remember when I last played EB aaaaaages ago that some Greek generals had Spartan hoplites as bodyguards, and I just fought a greek army with a Spartan commander and he had the Strategou bodyguard, has it been taken out? IIRC the old spartan units were really powerful, is that why?

[Foot]

Starting Spartan Generals have Spartan Bodyguards. All others including Spartans that come of age or are adopted during the campaign have the other Greek Bodyguard. Spartan Bodyguards aren't exactly historical for Athenian Generals, but we can't have two types of unit for the generals bodyguard so we went for the more generic of the two.

Foot

[Wausser]

For my first game I started with The Senate and People of Rome

[Zradha Pahlavan]

Pahlava, Epieros, and Lusotannon are my favorite factions to play as, since they all start in interesting positions and are quite fun.

[SwissBarbar]

i am currently playing a roman campaign. I like the romans, because you have to reach many reforms and don't have all elite units from the beginning. other factions get boring very fast, unless you really roleplay all ^^

i also played with carthago, KH, Saba, Epeiros and the Lusotannan

[Nobo]

I'm playing as the KH right now... gotta love their generals

[Carthaginian General]

Currently playing as Carthage. I think the hellenic world is incredibly boring to play as, so I tend to avoid all of those factions over there. The only problem with Carthage is that once Rome has been defeated you've eliminated your only enemy.

Let me describe my current situation. I've conquered Italy, am conquering Iberia, am assembling an army for conquering Africa (with the exception of the Ptolemies of course) and have sent an army and a half to Asia Minor in order to gain a foothold there. I'm also on my way to Sicily with an army of Samnites and auxiliaries.

My enemies are the Romans that have expanded northwards, the Lusotannan and the Arche Seleukids. Seemingly in order to unite against my growing influence, the Romans have allied themselves with the Makedonians and Arche Seleukids, thus pitting me against all three of them at once. At my side I have the Aedui, the Koinon Hellenon that I plan to gift my conquests in Asia Minor to (except Pergamum which I am keeping) and, once Makenodia predictably declares war on me, whatever provinces I might conquer in Greece if things go my way. I am also allied with the Ptolemies.

Epeiros is of an uncertain status, but I predict that they'll join up with the triumvirate to oppose me.


I play as Carthage because I knew this sort of thing would happen and I like them. I can basically do whatever I want and have an interesting starting position. I've got loads of interesting units and different theatres of war. I've used cheats to spice up my economy but only out of necessity, to prevent the game from turning into a boring stalemate. Attacking other AIs often makes them do more which they wouldn't if I'd just sat there and waited 10 years in order to be able to afford to recruit five low-quality mercenary units or afford a building. Although I wouldn't cheat if I started a new campaign.

If I had to play as another faction, it'd probably be Lusotanna or Getai. Perhaps both at once. I love the way the in-game voice guy pronounces the Iberian unit names (especially Caetratii) and love their units. As for the Getai, it'd be a pretty damn interesting campaign.

[Pontius Pilate]

and it seems not many people play Rome these days, which is also great in a way.

no that's terrible.

Carthaginian General: There's just something about KH which makes you want to hug and kiss them forever. They're basically the sweet, shy girl of the ancient world :)

nah, that would be Rome.


I am currently playing a Romani campaign because I sort of like that faction a little bit.

[theoldbelgian]

mmh really oh boy, i would never have guessed that well personally for me I like epeiros
I think it has something to do with the nice combo of Celts and Thracian's nearby, phalanx with sarissas and of course elephants, i also think that it's because pyrhus deserves at least something after all he did, I mean goddammit he is the living embodiment of "if at first not succeed, keep trying"
I also like the getai interesting campaign and Thracian's
and for the future I really really hope to play as the Belgian confederation in EB II

[Carthaginian General]

nah, that would be Rome.


I am currently playing a Romani campaign because I sort of like that faction a little bit.

After having my underfoot-licking, worthless scum of a Greek ally refusing to be the neutral bulwark against Arche Seleukeia by accepting territories in Asia Minor and giving my men there military access, in order to safeguard against catastrophes, I've got to say I take back what I said about KH. I never liked them to begin with, the sympathy I had for them was that they were so tiny. But now they've erased that sympathy and will make excellent chevron machines for my green armies sent to Asia Minor and Hellas...

[Dodge_272]

no that's terrible.

It is great as it is testament to how good (and popular) the EB team have made them to play as. I'd rather gauge out my eyes than play any other faction than Rome in vanilla, and even playing as Rome themselves in that game wasn't great.

I've got a game going as Rome though.

[Blue Death]

1.1 with BI.exe...

My first campaign was Qarthadast, which was a fun intro to EB. Had fun crushing the Romans (elephants) took all of italy, west africa(except for Tuat) and most of Ptolemy... not fun when the AS (who were still alive and doing well) besieged Alexandreia.

I sallied forth, only to have them deploy behind me, inside the city... that was not fun.
Got annoying around the 3rd time.

Switched to Baktria having fun actually being able to recruit phalanxes. However, a technical problem is currently preventing me from starting EB, which I already posted in Tech help.

[Aemilius Paulus]

it seems not many people play Rome these days, which is also great in a way.

That's not true. The vast majority of the EB players are Romani players. It is just that in order to think beyond Romani, one has to know a little more history, which not many of the EB players know. Percentage-wise that is. Most of the people on the EB forums are more hardcore than the more mainstream EB players. How many people out there have downloaded EB? How many people are on the EB forums? How many active EB forum members are there? I'm willing to bet all of my money that the number of Romani fans surpasses the number of any other given faction by at least 15% or maybe even as much as by 30%. Despite being a staunch Romani fan, I do however agree that it would be a great thing if more people played (and especially read those wonderful unit/building/year descriptions on the strat map - reading all that was exceedingly beneficial, especially for a Quizbowl player like me) other factions. That would widen the people's scope and teach them that while Rome was a major part of Antiquity, it was far from everything.

[chenkai11]

I am playing Carthage now. I beat the Romans in the first punic war. They gave up and focus on the Gauls. They allied with Arverni and trying to get rid of my allies the Aedui. So there is countless battle in the region between me and the 3 factions. But sorry guys, I beat the Romans again and I ask for the massilia settlement in exchange of truce, and they just agreed.

[The_Brittunculi]

So far I've only played the Saka and Casse in-depth. The Saka in H/VH were a great faction to play as, after you get out of debt their cavalry-based armies can take out most of the nearby infantry-based factions. I also like to use horse archers. It just got boring fighting the Diadochi factions all the time so I started a H/VH Casse campaign.
After several restarts, I managed to unite the British Isles and then prepared for an invasion of Scandinavia. Thanks to pirates, I lost my entire army and several FM's. Instead of invading Scandinavia, I started bribing armies in Greece and sacking under-defended cities. This is a lot of fun if you have a strong economy.
Later I invaded rebel parts of Gaul and successfully invaded Scandinavia, and that's where I am right now.

[We shall fwee...Wodewick]

I'm a Roman player by heart, but if you want something different, then go one for Epirus.

You get pikes and elephants

You get Thracians and Celts early on

You can get all the brilliant Italic units

You get to have an empire from Italy to India!

now get to it!

[penguinking]

I play as the Casse, and it is awesome. They have some really cool units and a fun starting position.

[Kromulan]

My 2 longest campaigns (1.0 and 1.1) have been Getai. I love that faction! They have an awesome mix of powerful infantry and skirmishers, plus some decent heavy cav and horse archers.

I usually include 3-4 regiments of HA, 5-7 Drapanai, maybe 1-2 dacian phalanxes (my own stick-wielding dolts), 3-4 dacian skirmishers (replaced by thracians as $$ becomes available) and a general or 2. Dirt cheap and absolutely lethal!
Later in the campaigns, I add some elite infantry (Rhomphsomething, German heavies, Kluddo Lugo) and Thracian peltasts and some heavy cavalry other than generals.
Getai are the only faction where I've gotten a large chunk of land outside their native AOR and my army composition didn't "go native". I never include any greek infantry (stick-wielding dolts) or gallic types or romans because they aren't good enough to make the team. I'll add illyrian troops, especially their excellent light cav, but that's about it. I had a Saba campaign where the only sabean units in the royal army were the generals and 1 arab archer-spear.

I'm also really getting into my new Sauromate campaign. I do like horse archers. Getting out of debt seems trickier, however. . .

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Currently?

Qarthadastim - because of my AAR which reminds me that I need to update it!

Arche Seleukeia - because of 'Will of the Basileus' (WotB)

[Celtic_Punk]

i just started an Averni campaign, and im at about 260 BC, and its really fun. went 21000 in debt till i started comin back. and my main goal is to build a massallian empire. Celt courage and smithery combined with Greek discipline and old fashioned know how. Recipe for world domination!

[Foytaz]

Right now I play as Makedonia and it is 246BCE so far. KH and Epeiros left with their capitals only and become my client states. AS along their ALLIES Ptolemaoi are upon my asia minor recent conquers but cooperation with Pontos and Hayasdan works fine for me and we're slowly gaining equal hands!!!

[Nobo]

Right now I play as Makedonia and it is 246BCE so far. KH and Epeiros left with their capitals only and become my client states. AS along their ALLIES Ptolemaoi are upon my asia minor recent conquers but cooperation with Pontos and Hayasdan works fine for me and we're slowly gaining equal hands!!!

Did they actually agree to become a protectorate? I have never managed to get one of those...

[Foytaz]

Did they actually agree to become a protectorate? I have never managed to get one of those...

yes they did though I use Forced Diplomacy mini-mod. I couldn't stand a situation when next to finished faction with no troops and one settlement left still want to fight, that's why I begun to use this minimod. I'm not the one who wants to finish enemy factions off, instead I'm glad to see them powerless but alive.
Anyways when Arche Seleukeia and Ptolemaoi allied with themselves to finish you off is really awesome!!!

[Maion Maroneios]

Well, you could always move them around. I did so in my ongoing AAR, renaming and recoloring Epeiros into Pergamon. I'm also planning on moving the Koinon towards the Bosporos and give them a suitable name. It just draws too much cash to have them as a protectorate, plus it's kind of cheating because you get the cash bonus given to the faction by the EB script.

Maion