Arche Seleukeia "Grand Strategy"

[Atraphoenix]

that's why many avoids playing AS even easier than romans..
Pahlava is hardest on the east even harder than saka because baktria expands india, as is busy with pahlava so saka has no problem until she reaches as frontier mostly by destroying weakened pahlava.
I tried every possible expansion for pahlava but I can say that the most logical one is conquer as lands as loses her allies if you attack her. if not you lose your loyal ally baktria that must be the most loyal ally for pahlava.

[Chris1959]

Well I'm just about to finish my AS campaign 180BC, it was tremendous fun and I haven't reached the victory conditions I'm at the point where I can field such good armies you can beat anyone and an economy that's means I can even though I have a limit on army maintenance.

One minor exploit I used was leaving the Pahlava with two settlements and they acted as a very nice buffer against their allies the Saka who ruled the steppes, it was strange that the AI Saka never rolled over the rumps of the Phalava and Baktria!

I liked micro-managing a large and fractious empire from the start and the early years were the best I also liked as an ex Romani fielding heavy cavalry including Cataphracts, but I have to be honest I hate fighting with phalanxes

So now it's on to the Getai and quoffing ale from drinking horns and burning things!

[option]

Yeah, I gotta say that using cataphracts in conjunction with phalanxes is probably my favorite part of playing the AS. Smashing everything into a bunch of sarissas with cataphracts alone is enough to get me to play them.

[Atraphoenix]

best faction for hammer and anvil as you can beat other Hellenic cavalry with cataphracts.
but useless against my rinse and repeat+hammer because I have no good phalanx to hold the line unless I am in the late period.