I'm new to EB after trying a few rounds with all factions i've settled down to playing Baktria as i really like their troop selection and the faction's general feel...
I've set the campaign and battle difficulty to hard, no battle time limit ,and activated the script and i must say i was really impressed by the mod's challenging complexity and realism...

I'm into 258 BC by now and things are kinda stagnant...i've blitzed the Seleukids over the first year and conquered Antiocheia Margiane and Marakanda and then the AI started shelling me with halfstacks-Saka, Seleukids and Eleutheroi coming from all sides ... mostly archer, horse archer and pantodapoi armies conducting guerilla warfare (really annoying when you have to drag them out of the woods and high grounds they're skulking)... the Sakas and Seleukids have besieged Marakanda and Baktria so far but i've rescued the cities with my relief army...

I'm relying on a shooty army of 3Xpersian archers,3Xpersian slingers, 3X persian skirmishers and 3Xnative phallanx along with two or three general elements as shock cavalry, the army and agent upkeep leaves me with a profit of around 1700 mnai per turn to throw into building and infrastructure ( i've built mines in Marakanda)... so far the army works fine (crushing enemies with 10-15% casualties) except when facing the Sakas where things turn into a friggin bloodbath ... those guys decimate my units so much i have to send them into retraining after the battle (casualties up to 30-50%)... their general bodyguard is outrageously heavy and resisting to missiles and can punch through everything i have and has a tendency for going after my generals (cutting off the head)... this turn they have started fielding kataphracts which is really upsetting for my poor phalanxes...Now on to my questions:

A)my main problem is that i cannot seem to expand anymore... i have 9 family members which i use as garrison to reduce army upkeeps (2 at each city plus three in my army)... but i'm costantly preoccupied with protecting my territories from all sides... when i move to the north a new threat arises from the south or the east and so on...
by now the Seleukids have turned each of their borderline towns into strongolds of 15+ units ...for example Alexandria Eschate (a constanst Seleukid threat on my North east) has a 20 unit army of sparabaras, pantodapoi,heavy skirmishers, thyreoforoi,heavy skirmishers, indogreek cavalry and of course the supeb Seleukid Companions... AND a general with a stack of 12 Units manouvering around the city...as soon as i decimate that 12 unit army a new army and general regenerates...i have tried to cause civil unrest in Eschate with two spies and a superbely trained assassin ( sabotaging the festivals,temples etc) and have brought public order as low as 55% and then next turn -BAM- it's restored back to 85% and the blasted Seleukids are still there!!!
It's obvious that if i want to expand anymore i need two armies-one 20 unit heavy one for attacking (expecting very heavy losses) and a shooty smaller one (perhaps 12-15units) like the one i already have for defending my lands but frankly two armies is beyond my economy's capacity... any ideas on what to do???

B) Being as hard pressed as i am against the Sakas i'm wondering when the heavier Hetairoi Kataphraktoi ( the guys with the lion heads)are going to kick in... are those guys a normal unit or are they some kind of reformed late bodyguard that comes free with the family members??? and if so what will i have to do to make them avalaible asap???

a final word of praise to the entire EB team... what an amazing,mind blowing mod!!! You guys kick ass!!!thank you,thank you,thank you!!!