Your "what if" Empires

[Mecha Pope]

Is it just me, or is there anyone else who endevors to turn whichever faction they're playing into a sort of alternate reality psudo-Roman empire? By this I mean nothing in reference to Roman culture, government, or other such things, but rather building an empire the size of Rome's (or larger), and putting your nation through a sort of Marian reforms like modernization of your military into a professional force once you reach a certain size, thus creating a replacement to the historical Roman empire.

For example, I've done this in my post-victory Adeui game, in which a united all the lands which sported celts and gauls, and took over all the lands which were situated close enough to my capital and centers of recruitment to hold onto, (untill i got bored) and professionalized my force by using a backbone of gallic heavy swordsmen, and cutting out most levy style units. My armies consisted of mostly heavy swords, Sulduros, celtic slingers, gallic light cavalry, and a couple of whatever spearmen were available in whatever part of the world I was in at the time to guard the flanks.

I currently making plans to do something similar in my Carthage game. I'm likly going to have to use more regionals and such however, as my main reruitment area is rather small. Thats ok though, as it will fit with the Carthaginian's habit of using large groups of mercinaries.

How about it? Does anyone else do this?

[Mecha Pope]

Oh bugger me, I've put this in the wrong forum....

[ziegenpeter]

Bugger you! ;-)
I know what ypu mean but its hard with the sweboz, because their AOR is soooo tiny

[A Very Super Market]

Well, there are plenty of people who try to take over the world. Me not included, but its entirely possible to do so.

[Tellos Athenaios]

I most certainly do not try to imitate a Roman Empire. If I'm a 'small kingdom/tribe/confedration' I try to generally mind my own business; if I'm an 'empire' I am faced with the fact I have no option but to mind my own business (curse the lack of diplomatic engagements).

[Cute Wolf]

My Epeirote campaign ends up with epeirote controlling all western Europe and africa, but I got stuck when trying to wrest middle eastrn and steppe lands from grey death.... there was only two of us left, and we has been in war for 100++ years....

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

In my Makedonian AAR, I just recently reformed the military (to a Thorakitai based military) and changed the government. Since I have control over the Mediterranean, I have somewhat recreated the Roman Empire.

Moving this to EB1 forum...

[russia almighty]

I had the Germans migrate to India forming an Indo-German faction.

[heldelance]

Using the Getai currently as they've become my favorite faction since installing EB. Sure they may not have cavalry as powerful as the makedonians until late, sure most of their infantry is lightly armored, but they hit like a ton of bricks even on a frontal charge. Plus, they've got a decent archer base what with the Scythian archers.

Currently, my empire stretches from Segestica to Galatia, all of the Grecian lands are mine. Never started that war, Greece started it by demanding money from me and attacking my ally Macedonia (who would later betray me and kill my faction king in a siege). Seleuka attacked me after I took Nikaia after a rebellion, Pontos (former ally) and the Ptolemies (former ally) attacked me after I took Ipsos which belonged to Seleukos. Now I'm slowly pushing my way east with 3 full stacks and a fourth about to be made.

[Cyclops]

I like to move toward a "this future is still possible" scenario, so a Hellenized/vaguely civilised Mediterranean basin is the goal, with some representative urban politcal tradition. Whether thats a Thengoz in every possible settlement, or just a minimum of Spartan Agoge type govts, I guess thats the semi-concious theme of my RP development. Even when my Gauls and Sweboz are torching the Acropolis or the Capitol its still (in my mind) a step toward some sort of general unity and culture, respecting regional diversity (and especially useful medium inf types).

I haven't played a "burn every city down" HA campaign yet. It'd be hard to do that, trashing other's culture and being limited in the ability to create anything more than a few occupying camps in their place.

[Aemilius Paulus]

Well, as for me, I do not role-play at all, as it is the most interesting and exciting type of gameplay IMHO. My Roman Empire is currently at 138 provinces and slowly expanding, and it is only 221 BCE. My army compositions are likewise devoid of roleplay, although I do limit myself on the elites at times, as it makes the game too easy to play. Perhaps the only type of pseudo-roleplay I engage in is writing a journal on every achievement of every one of my 40-60 generals as well as the general achievements of my burgeoning empire.

For instance, I began taking Gaul relatively late in my timeline, as the northern provinces are rather unprofitable. Basically, my expansion used to be driven by the desire to seize the most profitable and strategic territories. By now, I have taken just about everything that is worth taking, but I am expanding in the possible hopes of conquering the world, as much unrealistic may be. My Romani campaign is simply to interesting to abandon it.

So anyway, even before I took Gaul, and waaay before I conquered Germanian lands, I sent out an expedition of two armies of largely elites (Cordinau Orcas and Triarii) as well as copious amount of slingers to the Baltic, where I conquered some territories that were completely separate from the rest of my empire (the provinces between those newly-conquered territories and my empire proper were separated by those Central European behemoth, highly experienced fullstacks). This just proves how random my expansion is, both historically and strategically speaking.

[kekailoa]

I like roleplaying as a expanding Gallic empire. It seems realistic enough, and to actually have a unified, powerful Gallic factions is an extremely fun thing to have.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

To the OP:
This is what human civilization typically goes through when we see the rise of world states like Rome or America. So its not like you can help it. Honestly this is whats sticking me on my story. Im trying to make it as different as possible but i cant get anything but the "natural" human progression into my head. I just cant see any other way the humanity would work.

[SwissBarbar]

What exactly makes you think, that the Romans were the only ones who had military reforms after having expanded their sphere of influence? Ever heard of Philipp II. of Makedonia?

[The historian]

Building an empire is a natural tendency through history do you think that had Rome not made it the Carthaginians or anyone else would have hesitated in creating a world spanning empire. the European and steppe barbarians so to call them had big cohesion issues but if those were to be resolved they are just like anyone else look at Parthia they started out as a nomadic tribe and created an huge empire for themselves.

[Ca Putt]

I still use the dream of a pan-hellenic league as excuse for my expansionist plans :D and as long as there are still cities with conciderable hellenic minorities i can con... ehm, .. liberate the world of the roman/seleukid opression. tho after i avenged the Galatians at ankyria, i now grant celts full rights and free all celtic lands from alien rule. so the Konion's troops can be found anywhere between Emporion and Persepolis :D

[Mecha Pope]

Well, to clarify abit, my focus here is shying away from cultures like the Romans or the Macedonians, who have the luxury of historical precident and obvious proffesional units. My concern here lies in how you, the community, deal with professionalizing your armies when it takes a little more creativity, whether with one of the more obvious solutions (such as using Galic heavies as your proffesional line troops), or a culture that takes a bit more creativity. For instance, I have no idea how I would do such a thing with the Saba...

For example, once my empire was substantial and my coffers fat enough, my Parthian army was "professionalized", trading in all of thier basic HAs for mediums, and trading in most of it's tribal levy style infantry for professional regionals. What I want to know is, how many others fell compelled to do this, and how; and who is perfectly content to command a leavy army with a few elites to back it up over the course of thier empire?

[SwissBarbar]

As you can read in my Arverni AAR, my excuses for war have nothing to do with "expansionistic thoughts" as such. I used excuses like a civil war (The league of the Arverni against the Principality of Mediolanum), migration of peoples (tribe of the Saluvii expelled by the rassistic Archon of Massalia / Liguri dispersed from their lands by the Romans, fled to Arverni territory and have been re-located in Liguria after a war against the Roman Republic / Mass Migration of the Belgae - tribes from the north, due to the Germanic threat), and economic reasons (Iberian tribes, who pursued unfair competition - hiring pirates and stuff - when it came to the trade with the British tribes) and last but not least the migration of some of my own people, who had to flee from civil war and now hire out as mercenaries in the east.

[Zim]

I've been planning to do something like that in my Sweboz campaign. After a period where I was getting hammered by the Romans and reformed Aedui and put the strongest units I could in my armies (see the "putting together a Sweboz army" thread for details) I've started basing my armies around war bands with one fm and, depending on his status, anything from a quarter stack to nearly a full one. These tend to have a smattering of levies, cheap archers or slingers, and a few better troops and regionals.

Once I hit the 192 reforms I'm going to professionalize my armies, with a core of the heavy German infantry filled out with medium spear or swordmen, and no non regional levies.

Well, to clarify abit, my focus here is shying away from cultures like the Romans or the Macedonians, who have the luxury of historical precident and obvious proffesional units. My concern here lies in how you, the community, deal with professionalizing your armies when it takes a little more creativity, whether with one of the more obvious solutions (such as using Galic heavies as your proffesional line troops), or a culture that takes a bit more creativity. For instance, I have no idea how I would do such a thing with the Saba...

For example, once my empire was substantial and my coffers fat enough, my Parthian army was "professionalized", trading in all of thier basic HAs for mediums, and trading in most of it's tribal levy style infantry for professional regionals. What I want to know is, how many others fell compelled to do this, and how; and who is perfectly content to command a leavy army with a few elites to back it up over the course of thier empire?