How I lost an empire

**Lovejoy** · 10-04-2009, 20:12

Great first post! Very fun and interesting.

I would have moved against the Seleucid much earlier. They are weak in the start but become much stronger later. Dont bother going against Saka, it takes far too long and its not worth much. Anyhow, better luck next time!

**SwissBarbar** · 10-04-2009, 22:04

You can scratch point about "diplomatic battle" , there simply is no such thing in this game. If you become protectorate of someone, you can bet, that it will last for not more than 3 turns until they betray you, and be it only by blocking one of your harbours. The only good thing about becoming a protectorate, when offered to you, is, that you can earn a lot of money with it. Start with 20 or 30'000 Mnai in your counter-offer

**the man with no name** · 10-07-2009, 00:18

I believe that they "betray you" only because they commanded their armies to attack you before you become a protectorate thus they don't stop their armies(stupid AIs), thus giving you the "betrayal."

**Beefy187** · 10-08-2009, 02:42

I normally find Baktria campaign easy after I seize control of India.
Expand East as fast as possible, then build lots of mines would be the best advice I can give.

Build 2 Horse archer squad made from 5 Scythian riders. Run around and shoot on the back of the phalanx. When the phalanx get tired, charge at them one by one.

**Andronikos** · 10-09-2009, 10:01

As Baktria:

- build mines, you can become the richest eastern kingdom, conquer India (there are mines too)
- make Saka Rauka and Pahlava your allies (they will betray you, especially on VH, but it can earn you some time and you won't fight all three at one time or it will happen only after you are superpower), don't conquer Antiochia Margiane and Marakanda, it just provokes Saka
- fight against Seleucids first they have better cities, let nomads be, archery duels and steppe battles cost you men and thus money, you need money for mines, battles with Seleucids could be won with minor casualties.
- in cities that are frequently attacked build stone walls, but not the largest ones (with those enemy gets towers with balistae), train huge garrison of slingers and archers, sally in each turn of siege, slingers can kill enemy general from walls, have HAs or skirmisher cav. in cities to provoke enemy to come into range of your archers on walls
archers:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Your late bodyguards are monsters, they eat hetairoi and Seleukid bodyguards for breakfast, Pahlavan and Saka cataphracts are inferior to them, can cause routing on first charge, especially if you have FM with 50 bodyguards (on large)

You DON'T NEED cataphracts, elephants, elites, train them only after you become rich. Few phalanxes, bodyguards, cheaper HAs, archers, light infantry (baktrian and eastern axemen) and light/medium cavalry (Kambojas, Baktrians) are enough to win early battles

With mines established, India conquered, elephants, cataphracts, guild warriors and elite HAs, you are the greatest and richest empire in the world with unstopable armies.

**schlappi** · 10-11-2009, 17:11

Originally Posted by Andronikos

You DON'T NEED cataphracts, elephants, elites, train them only after you become rich.

Recruiting those into every noteable army is a question of prestige and honour!

**IrishHitman** · 10-12-2009, 05:29

Originally Posted by schlappi

Recruiting those into every noteable army is a question of prestige and honour!

Train them only if they're effective.

For instance, as Makedonia, I don't bother my arse training Hypaspists, but I take careful note to train Hetairoi. Hypaspists are only good at holding lines, and phalanx units do it better.
Hetairoi are monsters at breaking lines, and there aren't many units in ANY faction better at doing that, never mind within the Mak faction.

A word of warning against Elephants.
They're crap, 'cause they're vunerable.