Yet another Sweboz question!

[Duguntz]

Gooooood day to everybody! I told in my last ''serious'' thread that I was bothering by the blitz I made with Sweboz, capturing Rome (and destroying razing unleashing utter destruction in every cities captured as south as... (the city south of Rome!) and of corse everything till the Gaul coast of atlantic .and I only played till 230 BC. Now I wanna start a new campain, but Harder, and i wanted to know, as the start of Sweboz is kind of messy, if playing on Hard -Hard, or very hard- Hard would be too unbalanced and become nigh-impossible campign. Or, if Medium battle difficulty was just fine, but i should wait my ennemies to built up (like 200BC) before attempting my armies out of Germania...

Opinion?

[Apázlinemjó]

Don't need to change difficulty, just give the Romans about 70 years so they can spamstack you.

[Ca Putt]

attack the sauromatae :D. Cav archers are not unbeatable but as sweboz it's sort of difficult ;)

[Duguntz]

I fouth them in only one battle... and gand, they were scary even on medium! Just to get to the city center, I losted half of my army... AND I DIDN'T REACHED THEM YET!!! Once you come to hand to hand (IF YOU LIVE TILL THERE) it's another story as their horses, appart form FM, have almost no defance and die like flies in hand to hand...

So 70 years? Damn, how I'll wait till there? I've anger problem when it comes to Romans... I can't resist... when I see a lil stack among my border... I can't help myself to shout COME AND TAKE ME!!!then throw my naked dudes and unleashe my fury upon those poor Romans... But I promise, i'll do an effort to wait!!!

[Zradha Pahlavan]

Come out onto the steppes and try fighting with the nomads if you want to know what hard is. If you think they're good in a city battle, just wait until you see what they can do to you in the open.

[DaciaJC]

I fouth them in only one battle... and gand, they were scary even on medium! Just to get to the city center, I losted half of my army... AND I DIDN'T REACHED THEM YET!!! Once you come to hand to hand (IF YOU LIVE TILL THERE) it's another story as their horses, appart form FM, have almost no defance and die like flies in hand to hand...

So 70 years? Damn, how I'll wait till there? I've anger problem when it comes to Romans... I can't resist... when I see a lil stack among my border... I can't help myself to shout COME AND TAKE ME!!!then throw my naked dudes and unleashe my fury upon those poor Romans... But I promise, i'll do an effort to wait!!!

Mount an invasion of Britannia while you wait. That should turn out interesting.

[Tyrfingr]

Mount an invasion of Britannia while you wait. That should turn out interesting.

+1

It is always entertaining to invade the British islands as the Swébôz.

[Duguntz]

Mount an invasion of Britannia while you wait. That should turn out interesting.

Yeah, I tought about it, and, I seriously will try to do it... the problem it's that it takes the infinite
just to be able to built boat, having the necessary structure takes a big while. While not so expensive, it's rather far in the game... also, do you have a trick forthe following problem : as sweboz have a real crappy economy, it's kinda hard to maintain decent army. While one front is easily defendable, and even if it's only on ''defending my territories against foes'', when it comes to multiple front at the same time, it become somewhat a real thread for the campain itself, as sweboz can't affordstacks as numerous as, let's say, Romans... and usualy, i'm at war with Romans and Aedui, and nothin will make Arverni to come on my side, Nice situation in the west hmmm? but during that ''triple war'' on the west, it's not long till Getai looks the nice northen forests...
That is the reason why I blitzed last campain, because I couldn't afford at all war of atririon against so many at the same time, so i had to destroy them good and fast in order to survive... any suggestion to make this go better? Or it's really the AI wich automaticly detect a biological form that control a faction and throw everything it got on it?

[Macilrille]

Mount an invasion of Britannia while you wait. That should turn out interesting.

I just did just that, recreating Knud den Store's Viking North Sea empire. It is definately worth it. Problem is that it constitutes a Blitz and in order to not overrun everyone I have to keep on the defensive against the Romans for 25- 30 more years before actually counterattacking them (I am getting spammed with stacks of Leets) and moving to the next phase of expansion, once every generation must be migration enough ;-)

I am considering copying the Cimbri raid sending a stack to fight till it dies, but I am too much of a strategist, I like to conserve my soldiers, care for them, loose as few as possible. That way i know they will sacrifice all for me as they should, and get loads of chevrons ;-)

But, there are many ways to have fun and wreak havoc while keeping defensive against Rome, raiding most of all. I detest Rome and Carthage, arrogant twats they have been in all diplomatic dealings.

Oh funny thing is, Macedonia owns all Asia minor but has been kicked from Hellas by Epeiros. KH owns Hellas (except the north that Epeiros has taken from Macedonia, and Emporion! Emporion is (as historically) a KH province/colony. Never saw that before, is it coded to join KH if it rebels? like Massilia was in some incarnation of RTW?

[Maion Maroneios]

I fouth them in only one battle... and gand, they were scary even on medium! Just to get to the city center, I losted half of my army... AND I DIDN'T REACHED THEM YET!!! Once you come to hand to hand (IF YOU LIVE TILL THERE) it's another story as their horses, appart form FM, have almost no defance and die like flies in hand to hand...

So 70 years? Damn, how I'll wait till there? I've anger problem when it comes to Romans... I can't resist... when I see a lil stack among my border... I can't help myself to shout COME AND TAKE ME!!!then throw my naked dudes and unleashe my fury upon those poor Romans... But I promise, i'll do an effort to wait!!!

You spoke as a true Romaioktonos, Duguntz

Maion

[HunGeneral]

I would also suggest you try to attack the Sauromatae - like said beware! These horsemen aet Germans for breakfest ...

If you choose this path then heres some advice: bring as many man you can - expect few to return. NEVER fight them in the Open - never attack them if they have cavalry in the army. If you must fight in the open then on defensive and get to the highest hill in sight nad pray to the gods that you have enough arrows for your archer and enough men to withstand the onslaught.

If you fight in towns send some arrow-fodder ahead - nomadic towns are built around hills - this gives extra range for there archers.

The best would be if you could get some slingers to kill the heavy cavalry. A good move would be to take the Krim (with a type 4 goverment you can get hellenic slingers and Bosphorian heavy archers there - a must have if you intend to fight the Nomads).

Invading Britain has also been mentioned - I would try that with the Sweboz aswell. Good luck to it.

About wanting to kill romans - remember patience is the mark of a great Warlord. If you have the steppes you will be able to train Sarmatian Nobel Horse archers - us them aswell... few things Kill romans better then them (insert evil laugh).

[Duguntz]

You spoke as a true Romaioktonos, Duguntz

Maion

It's from my heart that I said that, while eating theirs'!!! (insert evil laugh here)

proud member of Romaioktonos social group!!!

[miotas]

I can't help myself to shout COME AND TAKE ME!!!then throw my naked dudes and unleashe my fury upon those poor Romans... But I promise, i'll do an effort to wait!!!

Ah... I think you mean come and get me. Come and take me has rather a different connotation ;-) And then you had to go and mention unleashing naked fury... lol

[Phalanx300]

I might as well ask it here, I'm wondering how the Germanics hold their shields, with the handle being horizontal(Like Romans) or vertical(Like Vikings)?

[Macilrille]

Ah... I think you mean come and get me. Come and take me has rather a different connotation ;-) And then you had to go and mention unleashing naked fury... lol

Ah hahahahaha... and will the Hellenes not love that?

Joke intended, no factionwar Mak-lovers ;-)

[Cyclops]

... Now I wanna start a new campain, ...
Opinion?

I recall a really satisfying Sweboz campaign with these limits:

VH/M. General camera. Force mix limits, garrison limits, command span limits, campaign objective limits, combat style.

Force mx limits:

No more than 4 of any one unit type per stack.This forces me to have diverse unit mixes, not clone regiments. If I end up with 5 units of one tyupe in a battle (due to retreats or reiniforcements) the syrplus have to be on AI or they have to stay out of the battle (retreat or stay in the townsquare or whatever)

No more than 4 foot archers or slingers per stack total: THIS IS SWEBOZ.

Garrison limits:

Any number of FM's per city, 0 non-FM, +1 if you have a little granary, +4 if you have a big granary.

Mercenaries may not be used for garrisons for type 1 or 2 settlements.

Command span limits: Units only move with a FM. Up to 8 non-FM units with a FM, up to 12 with the FH, up to 16 with the FL. With force mix limits this gives you raggedy looking stacks: up to 4 FM's, up to 16 non FM's no more than four of each.

Campaign objective limits (during the time of freedom or whatever that first Sweboz era is):

Name an objective city. It must be adjacent to a friendly province or have a coast facing. Raise your army, march to the city, take it, march the army home and disband it. FL to the capital if not on campaign.

If an enemy stack is in a friendly province you may keep an army in being but once they leave you must disband all non-mercs (apart from the allowed garrison).

Mercenaries do not have to be disbanded (but can't be a garrison: stick em in a fort to keep them out of mischief).

Combat style:

Seiges must be resolved by assault as quickly as possible. No hanging around like a clever-clever Greek waiting for someone to starve, its up to the walls like an Uruk-hai.

Seek ambushes everywhere possible, both on the map and in the battle.

Include one headlong charge in every battle, even if this leads to defeat: THIS IS SWEBOZ!.

For allied armies (regional units under client rulers) use appropriate tactics: sword and cav for Celts, HA swirls if you spread east to the plains, clever-clever Greek tactics if you get Massilia etc.

Basically my idea is to have a small tribal force of elites (FM's and mercs) with a large popular levy that only agrees to fight for a short period against a defined threat or objective. Once the time of the spear (or whatever it is) starts I allow standing armies up to the FM's command span.

I want the ebb and flow of raising the royal army each spring, marching out to war, assaulting like hell and trudging home again (leaving 2 or 3 FMs to pacify their new fiefs). To much to remember? Well I like the "taste" of this system, it makes me appreciate the logistics of war even for the barbarous.

That idea mentioned above of building a stack and sending it to pillage until it runs itself into the ground is a pearler.

[Duguntz]

that is just great! thanks! In fact, i startsd a campain about a week ago using the same kind of rule! 1 fm per army, lots of levy that I disband in their homeland right away after the conquest of the ''objective'' while the medium troops (duguntiz and slagonez) stay a while for garrison. the damn problem is the super FM spanning durring the 10 first years! they're all with good trait, but too much! and as sweboz, i don't wanna let them getting old in a city, they must proove their valor in combat to the Gods!

Now, i'm into the 240's and still not out of germania (althouth I've all of it since loooong!) but hey! I'm proud! usualy by then, i've also all gauls! But I'm waiting home... for those stinky Romans to knock on my door! as for the others rules, I'll as well use them in my current game, as I'm not too far in the game and I've only my homeland conquered... thanks cyclop!

[Cyclops]

... lots of levy that I disband in their homeland right away after the conquest of the ''objective'' while the medium troops (duguntiz and slagonez) stay a while for garrison...

Yes I like the idea that the young fellows go home and back to their fields, whereas a more "professional" unit might hang around and accumulate experience. The idea of a gold chevron levy unit is uncomfortable in some ways, although really just a tweak in a pretty satisfactory system.

Gilding the lily, I wonder if it is possible to mod xp caps for unts based on whether they are levy, regular and elite? Say 3, 6 and 9 chevrons respectively.

[Duguntz]

That's true! it'd be a good idea, and would give kinda accurate account on Battle prowess of every types of warrior (levy, cor troops and elites) But it must be a lot of modification in the files... I mean, I just don't know how it'd be done as I've 0 exp. in Modding any file of any kind!!! BUT it still would be a nice idea. Also, as a house rule, I place type 1 gov, werever is possible, and everywhere else, as allies, place type 4, train a client ruler and then give him complete control of the city (allow complete local gestion) so they're still ''free'' but i, as their lord, may call the troops they train as I want, in time of need. only problem witrh that is that damn, the AI is so stupid in it's construction... well... it's AI!

[Watchman]

Though it occurs to me that whenever the tribal levy gets called up, it's most of the time going to be more or less the same guys from each region right ? Pretty sure the manpower reserves the Germanic tribal militias tapped weren't exactly deep...