Most boring faction to play as

[Apázlinemjó]

Nomad factions, they are too cavalry based for me.

[DaciaJC]

I think the getai suck. I united all their thracian people so I could get that trait for the faction leader but I just could give enough of a damn to even care after that. Didn't even save the game coz I hate them too much. And I hate their colour. And their units. And their location.

EDIT: And their victory conditions.

You make me sick. Such vile rhetoric defaming the greatest of EB factions will not be tolerated.

Point 1: You speak of the trait "Pavel-ter"? Uniting the Thracians isn't difficult at all. It's possible to completely avoid Makedonian territories if you move reasonably quickly, and unless some other faction has expanded west into Asia Mikra, taking Nikaia should be no problem. That being said, you can expect a considerable amount of conflict after you unite the Thracians, but by then, you should have access to all of your factional units (split into the northern Dacians and the southern Thracians, as I view it) and fighting to keep your empire alive should be a great deal more fun.

Point 2: It is possible to change a faction's color. You'll have to do the forum search yourself, but I recall a thread or two, or at least a post, detailing the necessary steps. Personally, I am entirely satisfied with the Getai's dirt-brown color. The perfect shade for barbarians and it brings words like "ambush" to mind.

Point 3: You dislike Drapanai with their armor-piercing, super-lethality falx and dirt-cheap cost? You don't like the Traikioi Rhomphaiaphoroi, the butchers of antiquity and the terror of all other factions? You aren't convinced by their Traikioi Prodromoi, arguably the most effective medium cavalry in EB? (Personally, though, I prefer the wizened looks of Tarabostes.) Not even their numerous elite units (Komatai Epilektoi, Ischyroi Orditon, Komatai Agrianai, the before-mentioned Rhomphaiaphoroi, and Ktistai)? They also have access to abundant types of horse archers, both factional and regional (Scythians, Sarmatians).

Point 4: The Getai boast one of the best locations in EB. At the beginning, they aren't bordered by any other faction, and so can develop at their own pace. On the second turn, the Getai can capture Sarmiszegethusa, which has mines, a unique building (actually a holy mountain that offers experience boosts to troops), and can be developed into an excellent recruiting center. Although initially landlocked, they can quickly capture any of four settlements bordering the Black Sea (Kallatis, Byzantion, Tylis, and Olbia). To their immediate south lie the Thracians, with their array of excellent units. Go farther south, and you happen upon the rich Hellenes, easy pickings for the Getai. To the west is a large buffer of Eleutheroi settlements, one of which offer the Cordinau Orca, one of the best heavy infantry in EB. The Getai also have the option of expanding north or northeast, though I have not done that yet (the settlements there offer little in terms of real value).

Point 5: Their victory conditions are reasonably easy to attain. The one potential difficulty you may encounter is in dealing with the Eleutheroi "super-stacks" to the north-west, but that gives you a good opportunity to field your best units and watch a slaughter [of the enemy] ensue. Otherwise, the victory conditions are straightforward and as one would expect them to be. In my second Getai campaign, I have completely side-stepped the northern "victory settlements"; why should I capture those if I plan to play beyond the point when "victory" is attained?


Er, forgot to post my choice for most boring faction. That would be the Saka Rauka. They're positioned in the very corner of the map, an obscure location to say the least. If I wanted to play a nomad/steppe faction, I would opt for the Sauromatae.

[Aemilius Paulus]

I agree with Frontline. Getai have a unique location, and most of all, a very unique unit roster. Overall, they are a great deal of fun to play with. Unlike those cloned Hellenic factions the nutjobs posting earlier in this thread worship, the Getai do not have 95% of their roster shared with other factions.

I personally love Eperios and Getai because they start out in the Balkans, the best place in EB IMHO. You can expand West and East, you are at the crossroads basically. Unlike Saka, Lusotanni, Auedui/Arverni/Casse, Pahlava, Baktria, etc. Those factions are either way in the Western corner of the EB map, or way in the East. If not for Baktria's location, choosing between it and Eperios was actually going to have to be difficult for me. But it was not. Unlike those cloned Hellenic factions the nutjobs posting earlier in this thread worship.

[Alsatia]

Casse is very tedious at times, fighting the eleutheroi up Britain...

[Tristuskhan]

I'd go for Romaioi: the campaign is refreshing for the first hundred turns, but it becomes a bore once you swim in money, something dramatically easy. Gah, the only thing I found to make it a little bit exciting is to launch an invasion of Hibernia with a fleet coming all the way from Mediterranean, and then do the same in order to take the island in the Baltic (Gwajam Gotanoz?). Oh, and kill Satres 19 times (I kept the count) and Rhesus 14 times.

[Fluvius Camillus]

You make me sick. Such vile rhetoric defaming the greatest of EB factions will not be tolerated.

Point 1: You speak of the trait "Pavel-ter"? Uniting the Thracians isn't difficult at all. It's possible to completely avoid Makedonian territories if you move reasonably quickly, and unless some other faction has expanded west into Asia Mikra, taking Nikaia should be no problem. That being said, you can expect a considerable amount of conflict after you unite the Thracians, but by then, you should have access to all of your factional units (split into the northern Dacians and the southern Thracians, as I view it) and fighting to keep your empire alive should be a great deal more fun.

Point 2: It is possible to change a faction's color. You'll have to do the forum search yourself, but I recall a thread or two, or at least a post, detailing the necessary steps. Personally, I am entirely satisfied with the Getai's dirt-brown color. The perfect shade for barbarians and it brings words like "ambush" to mind.

Point 3: You dislike Drapanai with their armor-piercing, super-lethality falx and dirt-cheap cost? You don't like the Traikioi Rhomphaiaphoroi, the butchers of antiquity and the terror of all other factions? You aren't convinced by their Traikioi Prodromoi, arguably the most effective medium cavalry in EB? (Personally, though, I prefer the wizened looks of Tarabostes.) Not even their numerous elite units (Komatai Epilektoi, Ischyroi Orditon, Komatai Agrianai, the before-mentioned Rhomphaiaphoroi, and Ktistai)? They also have access to abundant types of horse archers, both factional and regional (Scythians, Sarmatians).

Point 4: The Getai boast one of the best locations in EB. At the beginning, they aren't bordered by any other faction, and so can develop at their own pace. On the second turn, the Getai can capture Sarmiszegethusa, which has mines, a unique building (actually a holy mountain that offers experience boosts to troops), and can be developed into an excellent recruiting center. Although initially landlocked, they can quickly capture any of four settlements bordering the Black Sea (Kallatis, Byzantion, Tylis, and Olbia). To their immediate south lie the Thracians, with their array of excellent units. Go farther south, and you happen upon the rich Hellenes, easy pickings for the Getai. To the west is a large buffer of Eleutheroi settlements, one of which offer the Cordinau Orca, one of the best heavy infantry in EB. The Getai also have the option of expanding north or northeast, though I have not done that yet (the settlements there offer little in terms of real value).

Point 5: Their victory conditions are reasonably easy to attain. The one potential difficulty you may encounter is in dealing with the Eleutheroi "super-stacks" to the north-west, but that gives you a good opportunity to field your best units and watch a slaughter [of the enemy] ensue. Otherwise, the victory conditions are straightforward and as one would expect them to be. In my second Getai campaign, I have completely side-stepped the northern "victory settlements"; why should I capture those if I plan to play beyond the point when "victory" is attained?


Er, forgot to post my choice for most boring faction. That would be the Saka Rauka. They're positioned in the very corner of the map, an obscure location to say the least. If I wanted to play a nomad/steppe faction, I would opt for the Sauromatae.

You are forcing me to start a Getai campaign when I read this....

~Fluvius

[HunGeneral]

You are forcing me to start a Getai campaign when I read this....

~Fluvius

Me too...

Back to topic: I haven't tried all factions so far, but I think I can say with great certanity that the Sauros are ment above all for Nomad fans, for the others it can get boring quite quick. I don't know about the others...

By the way: @ Frontline 1944: I don't think the position of the Sakae is that bad - it has a great feel to conquer anything westwards without having to fear someone or something attack you in the rear. (pluss I love the nomadic cavalry and infantry potential the Saka have) And I gotta agrea - Traikioi Rhomphaiaphoroi are real butchers on the field of battle... I can wait to recruit them to my Saka hordes and use them to hack some Romani (insert evil)

[Fierro]

I don't get it is there some inside joke going on around this forum about the Romani? Many posts all over the forum say how the author hates Romani and can't wait to destroy them or is disappointed because they do not get a chance to fight them in their current campaign.
Am I missing something here? Am I the only one who doesn't start campaigns with animosity towards certain factions?

[Fluvius Camillus]

I don't get it is there some inside joke going on around this forum about the Romani? Many posts all over the forum say how the author hates Romani and can't wait to destroy them or is disappointed because they do not get a chance to fight them in their current campaign.
Am I missing something here? Am I the only one who doesn't start campaigns with animosity towards certain factions?

Some people at this forum actually hate Romans, some do it as an inside joke. For some reason there is a lot of Romani bashing around here. When I was new to forums, it really annoyed me, but after some time I got used to it, also some of the "haters" actually were playing a Romani campaign in the meanwhile, as it was an inside joke between people, not actual hate.

~Fluvius

Edit: I can predict some of the posts following will include some of these things:
- Rome (or "Barbaropolis") must burn
- All hail Makedonia
- Some way to torture or kill romans
- A creepy person telling how he burns Rome and then a bulge starts forming in his pants.
- Something in the context above....

[HunGeneral]

- Rome (or "Barbaropolis") must burn

Historically it did - quite often... Atleast you always build it to look better...

- All hail Makedonia

Well almost all hellenes say that...

- Some way to torture or kill romans

Don't we all say that about a factions soldiers earlier or later?

- A creepy person telling how he burns Rome and then a bulge starts forming in his pants.

Strange, I never read one like that before or am I missing something?

It is all rather a kind of "all forum joke" by most.

Backt to topic: does anyone find the lusotanni boring? I mean even if you manage to unite all of Iberia you can hardly go outside of it succesfully...

[Fluvius Camillus]

It was a joke (yes kinda lame, I know), why so serious?

[HunGeneral]

It was a joke (yes kinda lame, I know), why so serious?

Who's serious here? When it gets to romans I'm almost never serious

[Ghaust the Moor]

All Hail EPIRUS!!!

[Mikhail Mengsk]

I've learned about the romaioktonoi's jokes just a few hours ago, before that i spent my time debating with those hellenos fanatics XD

[HunGeneral]

I've learned about the romaioktonoi's jokes just a few hours ago, before that i spent my time debating with those hellenos fanatics XD

No wonder. The hellenes form the fanatic core of the romaioktonoi - although there are many joking ones among them aswell.

[Tartaros]

i say the averni. i don´t know why, probably because they have no devided territory and there gaesachtae-unit looks stupid...

[Fluvius Camillus]

i say the averni. i don´t know why, probably because they have no devided territory and there gaesachtae-unit looks stupid...

What??

Building this was a great experience!

https://i594.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1245793352

~Fluvius

[Tartaros]

What??

Building this was a great experience!

https://i594.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1245793352

~Fluvius

i did nearly the same some time ago - but i don´t know why, for me aedui are the cooler celts. i enjoy there gameplay much more (divided war against averni, early war with the romanoi)

[HunGeneral]

https://i594.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1245793352

- Now thats what I call a celtic empire!

And in 254 BC?! One question if I may: what tactics did you use (especially against the romani..)?

[Moosemanmoo]

i did nearly the same some time ago - but i don´t know why, for me aedui are the cooler celts. i enjoy there gameplay much more (divided war against averni, early war with the romanoi)

Plus that lime Green is just sickening
Aedui's dark colour just says grrrrr me smash

[Maion Maroneios]

Now that's what I cal blitzing, if you ask me. But hey, I've never bothered playing the Arbernoi too much as to get that far so I can't really tell if it's easy to get to such heights or not.

Maion

[DaciaJC]

By the way: @ Frontline 1944: I don't think the position of the Sakae is that bad - it has a great feel to conquer anything westwards without having to fear someone or something attack you in the rear.

That is precisely why I don't like the Sakae. Being able to expand in just one general direction is bad enough, but to be placed in the most obscure corner of the map, where the land is either steppe or mountains, is something that doesn't attract me.


By the way, Fluvius Camillus, if you can replicate your feat of conquering the world by 195/190 BC with the Getai, I will shower you with balloons.

[Moros]

I did . Everyone knows that. Which is why Saba was and is on the top of that EB II thread which basically asks which EB faction least deserves its place IOHO (in our humble opinion).

But, I do remember you saying that Saba will be revamped in EBII, with many new units.

Yes. It will gain a few strong factional units but especially a lot of regionals. I'd expect EBII to have more than 20 arab units.
Also actually I must agree saba is boring even though the campaign 'an sich'would be very promising, well content wise it is. But that's because a lot never got made or finished. Either way as I will work on EBII's saba I'll have automatically extra content than could possibly be made into a small patch for EBI. And I'm also be helping AtB with fleshing out the Sabaeans more.

I'll only be content if Saba and the rest of Arbia in it's whole get represented as good as any other faction and region, and showing people that saba diserves a slot. Also I think I'll be very succesfull in making saba and arabia interesting, and hopefully set certain people to love this sadly forgotten, disregarded and neglected part of history.

[DaciaJC]

I started a Sab'yn campaign yesterday, and I'm having a blast. Their position is somewhat regrettable, and it's clear that there is still work to be done, but playing as Saba is far from boring, in my opinion.

[satalexton]

Oh joy, the more to join the service of Arche Makedonia =D

Oh Fatherland of Glory,
Vergina sun shines bright!
Sons of Alexandros,
All Hail Makedonia!!

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Re: Saba
Though I knew very little about them when I started, I tried to fill in as much as I could (outside of the units themselves, which I had no part in) to make them feel more interesting, like their ritual banquet building tree and the ritual hunts and festivals, their temples, their ethnicity traits, a few unique buildings for the region, their own unique looking spies and diplomats on the campaign map, etc. For a the last faction we added and one so different from the rest, I think we did a fairly good job with them. I'll also admit that I pretty freely took a lot from a few of the best academic works that I could find on them. I do wish we could have found someone or a group who would let us use some appropriate traditional music, but TPC's eastern songs help out for sure. Someone filling in like that is necessary when the big proponents of a new faction vanish. I did talk with some phd students who were working on the Sabaeans, but none would agree to help us (though Jean-Francois Breton himself did give a little in the way of advice and some leads).

[Celtic_Punk]

I like all the factions. But I hate Rome, and I feel like the bad guys when I play em. I prefer killing Romans!


EDIT: also for all you casse haters! The campaign is incredibly hard. Only the best survive. Only the greatest can take the whole isle. You just have to pick your targets. And siege them till they sally or surrender. Use your initial dough and let yourself go into huge debt. Get rid of those damn boats too you don't need em at all. Get to Eire through Scotland. Once you unite the Isles you'll have insane amounts of coin. Get trade rights with as many people as possible. Spain is an inviting target! Lots of romans or possibly carthies to kill! It is worth it to spend most of your money on a fleet to get rid of pirates in the North Sea and Bay of Biscay. Its a very hard campaign.

[DaciaJC]

I don't know why you ramble on the difficulty of the Casse while simultaneously exhorting Casse players to willingly go into debt...

If one disbands the navy and most of the starting troops, the Casse won't go into debt and will actually make a small profit each season. Bide your time and you will slowly but surely expand with no threat from any other faction.

I managed to play about 10 years as Casse and build something of a full-stack before I decided that there wasn't much to be found attractive in Casse units, in my opinion.

[Celtic_Punk]

pfffff, you cower behind your phalanxes and such. The casse are true warriors! And actually put up a fight against the romans!

[Apázlinemjó]

The Casse isn't really a hard campaign, you are isolated and that tells everything. It's fun, if you want to build up a strong barbarian economy and army, before you hit the other factions.