Pahlava Lovers what is your choice?

[Atraphoenix]

here is my early Field army (that means you use only for field battles not sieges):

All FMs

and the rest are


for sieges I hire infantry mercenaries to siege machines and surround the city with Shivatirs.

late field army that means after I get 20 -30 cities:

at least 1 FMs:

4 shivatirs:

4 Daha Uazdaettae (Dahae Noble Cavalry)

4 Zradha Shivatir (Parthian Armoured Horse-Archers)

4 Pantodapoi Phalangitai (Hellenic Native Phalanx)

1(never more than 1) Elephantes Indikoi (Indian Elephants) I do not use them in field battles just to ram wooden walls.


I do not use Lance cataphracts. I prefer Archer / lance system for them.
I keep 2 units of Grivpanvar (Parthian Late Armored Elite Cataphracts) for the royal Ashkanian Army. I established a law that only an Ashkanig can have Grivpandars.


What you you think?
For example do you use foot archers for field armies?
I leave them for garrison duty.
Metropolis (huge city) 4 foot archers 4 native phalanx.
Large city 3 FA 3 NP
City 2 FA 2 NP
towns 1 FA 1 NP

and of course I will increase the garrisons of frontier towns.

[johnhughthom]

I generally use all cavalry armies until I have established reformed govt across a large part of the Empire and Persepolis is established enough to become my capital. Then I use mainly Parthian Spearmen and Archer/Spearmen as my foot element. I know they aren't great but that's kinda the point, I like my cavalry to be the focal point of my armies especially horse archers.

[Atraphoenix]

Shivatirs are good but I prefer daha nobles for horse archer unit though a bit expensive they make wonders in early game thanks to their lances after their amno finishes.
I deploy archer spearmen mostly in garrisons cos foot archers are too slow for my fast envelopment and encirclement tactics.

[johnhughthom]

The basic shivatirs make up the bulk of my horse archers, I usually restrict myself to two Daha Nobles and one of any of the armoured boyos. I rarely have more than two FMs in a single stack either, an experienced leader and a youngster gaining experience. I find the game much too easy otherwise. I haven't had elephants in my armies as I never go for India, the easternmost AS settlement is as far as I ever go. I may have to change that in my next campaign though, Pahlava with elephants... drool...

[V.T. Marvin]

I like to role-play the federation-like structure of Parthian Empire. This means that I first have look how much money each province actually earns each turn (in the settlement details scroll) when taxes are set High (as the standard setting) and Very high (in case of emergency). Now, all mines income is used for upkeep of King´s Own Army (usually elites - Dahae nobles in early game, various cataphracts in mid- to late game, and medium units, almost exclusively cavalry). Farming and the surplus generated by goernor´s skills are used to generate cash for recruiting and building. The core of my house-rule is the principle, that army recruited and usually stationed within a province must not uder any circumstances cost more i upkeep than combined taxes + trade icome of that province. Provincial army is composed of locally available troops and plausibly balanced (for example: 1 elite, 2 medium, 4 basic units). In case of emergency (province is invaded) the taxes may be set to Very high, which usually allows 1-2 units to be mobilized.

When I am not expanding, each province takes care for its own defence, while the King´s Own Army roams through the realm to protect most vulnerable parts - provincial army is incorporatedinto the King´s Own stack.

When on campaign, the King calls on provinces to provide some of their troops (usually 1 unit) for the campaign to complement the King´s Own Army and thus form the invasion stack.
As my empire grows larger, I more such "Royal stacks" may be created on regional basis. Usually the steppe provinces provides one against Saka, Baktria + Paropamisadai + Arachosia + Drangiane another one to guard the east agaist the former Baktria (I usually help them to get India, because I do not like bordering with the edge of a map - having an active faction there also keeps the challenge well into the late game), another army is composed of the Iranian provinces, another in the Caucasus (role-played as allied Armenian Kingdom) and so on.

I know it is a bit off-topic - more about house-rules rather than about particular units, by I thought it necessary to start with those to illustrate the beautiful role-playing possibilities this great faction offers.

As regards my favourite units, I have a weak spot for the Dahae trio: the Nobles, the Riders and the Skirmishers. Arachosian cavalry is also my favourite. Javelin-armed cavalry is just nicer to look upon when in action, HAs are somewhat stationary in most cases. Also the javelins are very effective against more armoured troops (phalaxes and theureoporoi) AS is sending against you. And the axes make them fare well in melee and catching routers.

And of course Gund-i Nizagan are excellent and very reliable line infantry, in guard mode able to stop phalanxes for surprisingly long time. Whereas Hyrkanians are great flankers to buthcher the immobilized phalanxes. And Dehbed Asavara are probably the most useful cavalry unit in the game - ecellent cost/performance ratio!!!

[Andy1984]

In my current campaign I'm relying on horse archers (the cheap ones), while I use my FM and one or to units of Dahae Nobles (because of their looks) or armoured Parthian horse archers (because of theirs stats) to do the charging. Depending on which town I'm about to attack, I add some foot archers (mercenary archer spearmen, persian or mardian archers). The additional firepower hurts even the hetairoi bodyguards. As long as I'm fighting east of Seleukeia, there's little need to have spearmen since the terrain has some nice mountains. Once you're fighting on the flats between Seleukeia and Iraq, I find myself forced to bring at least some spearmen with me.

Considering myself a Parthian, I try not to rely on any hellenic troops. If I use spearmen at all, these are seldom hoplitai haploi or pantodapoi. Cavalry both numerous, cheap (horse archers) and elite (cataphracts) are my main killers.

Atraphoenix made a difference between a siege army and a field army. I don't. I've taken quite a few towns by winning a sally. When cities have stone walls, I'll be forced to bring some decent infantry with me (or simply siege them out).

Andy

[Atraphoenix]

Did not they separate their army when Surena crushed Crassus; King marched to Armenia with infantries and Surena with cavalries?
So I use infantry for field armies as well but not in early period after I had conquered west of Euphrates. but never pass 1/3 infantry ratio for the royal army but I role play that some of my vassals/satraps favors infantry.
as you know ethnicity traits : pahlava, surena, saka, daha favours cavalry the others infantry.
and I always role play satraps of adiabene favors infantry.
Plus I also role play an internal conflict between ethnicities mainly like "Cavalry Party", "Infantry Party", "Philhellenes", "despises hellens" Plus I will add more ethnicity for pahlava. Like jews, armenians, and interestingly they had no hellen?

[Ibrahim]

per field army: 1 pushtigban, 1-2 grivapanvar, 2-3 medium cavalry, 5 horse archers, the rest phaighan and kamandaran like troops. garrisons should be filled with phaighan...that should work I guess.

oops-IBFD jargon in the way

[Atraphoenix]

per field army: 1 pushtigban, 1-2 grivapanvar, 2-3 medium cavalry, 5 horse archers, the rest phaighan and kamandaran like troops. garrisons should be filled with phaighan...that should work I guess.

oops-IBFD jargon in the way

tried IJ3?

I was crushing rome in the west while hephtalites (White Huns) was taking my eastern cities one by one. Plus I disliked low movement points.

BTW Converts should be executed!

back to topic; do you know that wether armenians, jews, or greeks were given offices by Ashkhanian?
I am seriously planning to add these ethnicities but I will not add if they did not employed them.
But I am sure Ashkhanian did not use Hellens like ottomans recruited janissaries.