I have some questions :-)

**Jebivjetar** · 05-01-2009, 00:24

Man, i just want to build one great empire, and then send one fullstack of cataphracts to Italy, and smash rome...

**Drewski** · 05-01-2009, 07:38

Just did that....oh man the sudden adrenalin drain is SO relaxing....25k a turn mnai (rubs hands with glee and added mnai) now I can relax and pick my targets :)

**Rilder** · 05-01-2009, 08:24

Are you blitzing?...

**Atraphoenix** · 05-01-2009, 09:10

mate I love pahlava,
but if you do not blitz AS with your HAs you will be doomed.
-if you run out of amnos during a battle against phalanxes just retreat so long as you do not have cataphract archers.
-do not stop until you conquer Antiocheia. then make a peace with AS. start building your reformed goverment then of course MISs for your beloved catas.
-if AS does not attack you you may have time to finish Baktria(ı never destroy faction prefer them to be my vassal I changed, modded everything in my campaign. 0 recruitment, realist movement so I can revive achaemenids in 20 years but I stick to my rules: blitz until antiocheia, build reform governments, arabian campaign for homna, baktrian campaign to make them my vassal, armenian war I role play that they did not recognise me as the successor to achaemenids, then pontos just capture ameseia then offer them a good money to be your vassal, then finally anatolian hegemony war, later ptolemies would love to attack you exile them to Kyrene then enjoy the egyptian income, if it is not enough folllow the route of Xerxes and conquer athens and enslave sparta, my advice in the south of danube you can recruit elite thrakian falxmen that has best AP! for your greek campaign.

-if it is not enough for you no one can challenge you after you conquered old achaemenid lands send them your catas, elephants celts and germans are just shooting practice for your HAs. then if you wanna play the superpower invoke local power struggles support the weak then the other. exile all romans from italy and forbid them to enter.

yeah that means you .....up history.
but remember if you roleplay like I were Arsaces, Phyruss, Alexander (soter) etc. no one claims it is not logical.

the choice is yours

**Jebivjetar** · 05-01-2009, 12:09

Of course i blitz: just like Atraphoenix said: playing with Pahlava youre doomed if not blitzing. As a matter of fact: one stack of 6-7 horse archers+FM if available (and eventually some mercs), in my campaign reached Antiocheia and conquered much of AS in about 15-20 years. But these AS Phoenixes now live better than ever: they destroyed Pontos and having all of Asia Minor...

I dont role play: i just kill whatever comes on my way, and take whatever i can to survive, i even broked alliance with Baktria just to capture Baktra when was poorly defended. From my point of view: there is no such a thing like a "fair-play", because AI is all around you and (allied or not) it wants to harm you and your people!

**Cute Wolf** · 05-01-2009, 14:24

In my Phalavan campaign now, I manage to not blitzing... Just disband dahae mercs, move archers as garrison, and work slowly with horse archers and FM... Siege the eleutheroi settlement to the north... and... supporting AS.... and did help them against baktria.... (note: I use Alex EB... Alliance is better maintained here...)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Zradha Pahlavan** · 05-01-2009, 14:45

In my campaign I've been doing just fine without all the bloody reforms. Early on I was surrounded by enemies and could afford one of two things:
Reformed stuff and eventually great cataphracts
Quickly set up nomad stuff, and decent amounts of standard horse archers

I went with the latter, and still beat back the infantry of the Greek fools who thought they could stop me. However, the chicken came home to roost when the Saka attacked me with their armored horsemen, so both strategies have problems.