Post your EB empires!

[QuintusSertorius]

Cheers, Valion. I'm half-tempted to start writing an AAR again, though not sure whether that would increase or decrease my enjoyment of the game. Might also be a lot of time where I'm just building up my economy, or meddling with the nearby powers. Some of the latter might be interesting, I guess.

[Valion]

Cheers, Valion. I'm half-tempted to start writing an AAR again, though not sure whether that would increase or decrease my enjoyment of the game. Might also be a lot of time where I'm just building up my economy, or meddling with the nearby powers. Some of the latter might be interesting, I guess.

If you ever write a AAR again do inform us :)
I also spend a good amount of time building up my economy, and so far here is the result of my game.

KH - VH/M



12 Years into the game all of southern Greece is mine and 2 terretories in Asia Minor and also my far western territory Massilia. Honestly this was the hardest campaign i played in EB, I'm at war all my neighbors except the Romani but i fear that war is also on its way since Massilia is in the way of their expansion. Makedonia constantly attacks me(which is fun :D) and as you can see in the pic Pyrrhus is a serious pain in the arse since when i fight him his soldiers are like rocks and dont route.
Most of the action happens in the mainland and Asia, the Seleukai weren't happy when i took a city of theirs. thankfully the Averni arent in the mood to attack Massilia.

Curiously my Faction Leader still lives and even bore another son 2 years earlier while being Flaccid lol, although why is it that its so hard to get him command stars? He's already seen the elephant with all the time he spent dancing with the Makedonians but he's nothing compared to the 10 Star walking death of Epirote.

Well thats about it i'l probably annoy the Romani soon so that i can have more fun fighting battles.

[QuintusSertorius]

252BC with Pergamon on M/M (with City Mod "b"):



The war with the Seleukids was concluded (without FD!) in a ceasefire whereby Pergamon kept Lydia. Feeling the need to posess a navy, yet lacking any ports deep enough, Pergamon intrigued with an independence faction on the isle of Lesbos, and moved to support an insurrection there.

It's now a client state of Pergamon, ruled by one of their own worthy oligarchs.

Pictured is the army of Pergamon, largely mercenary, and stationed outside the city.

The world:



Makedonia have suddenly switched with KH. For a time it looked like they were going to be steamrollered, then in the last two or three years they've been energised. Possibly by losing Mytilene.

Way out east, the Saka are splurging. For some reason Baktria don't seem capable of holding them back. Pahlava seem to have gone to sleep. Pontos are still doing nothing.

The First Punic War rumbles on really slowly in Sicily. Qart-hadast have more than a full stack there, but haven't tried to do anything with it.

The Arverni have suddenly kicked up a notch in Gaul. I've dispatched a mercenary army to help the Aedui out a little.

[FriendlyFire]

Pontos empire, H/M using BI.exe with the cities mod - but I'm posting it mainly for the scary Carthaginian naval invasions. They've wanted Tolosa in southern France forever, with a couple of family members wandering up there from Iberia in the early game. Then they switched focus to Italy, sending two full stacks who conquered as far north as Rome before being pushed back to Sicily (and who received no reinforcements, just like in real life!). Now they're busy squashing Gaul via naval invasion - the first wave took Tolosa and Burdigala from the Arverni, and Massalia from Rome. This is their second wave of troops arriving in three fleets.

Also scary: Pahlava just wiped out Baktria (the only faction to die so far), and took Saka Rauka as a protectorate. Rome was doing ok - I was impressed that they managed to push the Carthaginians out of Italy - but I think they'll have problems against these full stacks. As Pontos, I'm fending off weak attacks from the two Ptolemaioi remnants (which I've carefully maintained as border states with Pahlava and Carthage), still allied with the Hai, in a cold war with the Sauro, and am now invading Hellas after the treacherous Epeirotes broke our alliance and attacked. Makedonia still holds out on Chalkis, but I'll probably have to declare war and wipe them out soon, just to protect the flank of Athenai. The Koinon Hellenon have carved out a little empire in Iberia, using just three local light troop types: velites, milites, and caetrati. They field full stacks of those led by veteran family members, and carve up the Luso heavy infantry. The Seleukids are clinging on by the skin of their teeth. The big question is who Pahlava chooses to squash next.

Edit - here's a larger version of the world map:

[moonburn]

gotta say that that city mod seems extremly impressive imho :| and cartaghe planing and executing a proper invasionis something that woooahhh

i guess that aslong as carthage remains powerfull on the see and hangs on unlike the 1st punic war the romans have trully found a match

[QuintusSertorius]

240BC (Pergamon, City Mod "b", M/M):



This is the Hellenic world, Greece and Ionia. Makedon are starting to dominate the scene, though the Getai are on the march too and challenging them. I'm wondering if its time to set foot in Hellas and even things up. Perhaps free the cradle of Greek civilisation from Makedonian dominion?

I'm also recruiting a "marine" force to soak up money, maximum 8 units to stay on board my fleet and strike at places at will. Any ideas for what it should contain? So far I've recruited a unit of Thureophoroi, and planning one of Asiatic Light Cavalry.

The world map:



The First Punic War ended with a fizzle. No one has been able to take Messana and the Romans have given up. Pontos and Baktria started to get their act together, as did Hayasdan. The Arverni steam-train rolls on.

[QuintusSertorius]

236BC:



I didn't keep Galatia, I just took it from the rebels and gave it to the Casse. Who have already rewarded me with this cunning little move - ambushes set on the approach road from Ipsos. So hopefully they'll be embroiled in a fight with someone soon. They've already done more than I've ever seen Aedui or Arverni do when Galatia rebels to them. Besides which I think they're earning shed-loads of money in Britain (where they've picked up pace recently), so won't be idle.

There was a brief war with the Seleukids when I marched for Galatia - straight across Phrygia. They attacked me, in one turn I repelled the three full stacks lurking around Ipsos. A couple of turns later, they accepted a ceasefire without any Force Diplomacy! It'll be a few years yet before I want to take Ipsos off them.

In the meantime I want to cause Kappadokia to revolt, or install a client kingdom there. Or both. Or maybe that should wait til after I've taken Ipsos, so at least they have a chance to reinforce.

World map:



The Romans finally took Messana. Qart-hadast meanwhile took Arse. Looks like that war is going to go on and on.

If anyone is thinking there's a lot of rebel there still, I give them a lot of money via the console at regular intervals.

[QuintusSertorius]

232BC:



The war rages on in Sicily. The Romans have finally taken the war to the enemy, and might even kick the Karthadastim off the island. They're also besieging Bononia, and so might start down the Illyrian coast in time.

For my part, my family is getting a little thin. I've got five FMs, the youngest is my new FL who's 40. I've resorted to hiring mercenary generals out of the client kingdom of Mytilene for the time being. I also have a load of female children (five to be precise), and just the one male who was born this year (to the FL).

In the world meanwhile:



No one seems able to resist the Saka. Baktria have lost their capital, though they did try to retake it recently (and have dithered with several armies around that Seleukid city encircled by their land, but not attacked). Pahlava are doing bugger all. Pontos are doing nothing. Hayasdan keep trying for Kabalaka, I might have to FD them Karkathiokerta to start them warring with the Seleukids.

The Aedui have turned the corner and are now driving the Arverni out of Gaul. The Casse are working out nicely in Galatia. They now have an FM there, who is gathering a full stack to go alongside the full stack in Ankyra.

Greece is a stalemate.

[Paltmull]

Makedonia (H/M, City Mod a), 218 BC:

[Fluvius Camillus]

Makedonia (H/M, City Mod a), 218 BC:

Looking good! You got the reformed phalanx too I presume?

~Fluvius

[QuintusSertorius]

I was quite pleased to get a proper battle, rather than a boring siege, to conquer Phrygia:



Reinforcement battle, but I waited for them to combine. Mine wasn't exactly an elite army, neither was theirs. My slight superiority in cavalry was telling (two FMs plus two lights v their two FMs plus one heavy and several depleted lights).

The second FM is actually a recruited general, rather than an Epirote/Pergamene FM.

Asia Minor is now thus in 228BC:



I swear the rebellion stuff is bugged. I had a swarm of assassins around Mazaka constantly destroying barracks, temples and baths, but it never stayed low enough to cause unrest. Having the same with Salamis, despite the lack of a proper garrison and dropping order as low as 20%, there's never any unrest.

The Seleukid AI seems to be cutting its losses in Asia Minor; second time I got a ceasefire with regular diplomacy and offering nothing in return.

The world:



I looks on there like I've got a long slice of Anatolia, but I don't hold Galatia, the Casse do. Unfortunately their blue faction colour is similar to mine.

The Romans finally took Sicily and Bononia, but they're now at peace with the Karthadastim. Baktria retook their old capital (Saka appear to have been halted). Pahlava and Pontos are still idle.

[vollorix]

I remember terrorizing Taras held by Romans while playing Carthage where public order dropped down to zero, but no rioting or rebellion, and the AI must have had taxes at least at "high" due to no growth. Same was happening to Bononia. But when playing Aedui i always used to manage Bononia to revolt to me.... really strange.
Btw: it must be kind of hidden trait since it´s getting more and more difficult to infiltrate a settlement with a family member after several turns, especially those of Eleutheroi. And Assasins have a 1% chance to kill a careless general ( up to -5 security ) with almost no influence - how comes? There is a limit of 10 "stars" for the killers, and if one even can´t get rid of some "trusting fools" with "expert assassins", what are they good for, except for sabotaging the poor AI? ^^
@QS: nice victory, and what was the enemy army composition, if i might ask?

[QuintusSertorius]

I remember terrorizing Taras held by Romans while playing Carthage where public order dropped down to zero, but no rioting or rebellion, and the AI must have had taxes at least at "high" due to no growth. Same was happening to Bononia. But when playing Aedui i always used to manage Bononia to revolt to me.... really strange.
Btw: it must be kind of hidden trait since it´s getting more and more difficult to infiltrate a settlement with a family member after several turns, especially those of Eleutheroi. And Assasins have a 1% chance to kill a careless general ( up to -5 security ) with almost no influence - how comes? There is a limit of 10 "stars" for the killers, and if one even can´t get rid of some "trusting fools" with "expert assassins", what are they good for, except for sabotaging the poor AI? ^^

I know there's a bug whereby multiple spies actually adds to order (making rebellion less likely). But sabotage rarely seems to work, even when you've got five or six assassins at work destroying stuff.

Which as you say begs the question as to what the point of assassins is, since they're usually useless against all but the most unimportant of enemy FMs (and never while they're in a settlement).

I don't want them to rebel to me, just to the Eleutheroi. Which I think will only happen if they're being held by their original owner.

@QS: nice victory, and what was the enemy army composition, if i might ask?

They were relatively similar in composition. Both had experienced FMs with large bodyguards (which they used badly). First stack was something like: four full-strength phalangites (mix of kleruchoi and pantodapoi), two or three depleted phalanxes, two full-strength units of Hyrkanian hillmen, a full unit of eastern slingers, a full unit of peltastai, a full unit of Anatolian hillmen, a full unit of pantodapoi (maybe two), then assorted depleted units of some light and medium cavalry and other randomness.

Second stack was: again four units of phalangites (all kleruchoi this time), a unit of toxotai, another of peltastai, two Anatolian hillmen, one of pantodapoi, a unit of Lonchophoroi, and again random depleted bits.

[The Celtic Viking]

Makedonia (H/M, City Mod a), 218 BC:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Compare that to my Makedonian kingdom that's 10 years older than yours (208 BCE for the mathematically illiterate ):



Needless to say, I haven't been as busy conquering as you, and most of my conquered areas are still only allies or (as in Athenai, and even more so Sparta) just recently "upgraded" to a garrisoned allied state. I'm officially at war with Pontos, Ptolemaioi, Epeiros and the remnants of the Koinon Hellenon, with AS and Saba as my only fully* AI allies. However, the Koinon Hellenon are content with just keeping Rhodos and Halikarnassos (edit: plus Olbia, apparently - didn't even notice that 'till now), and aren't doing a lot. Pontos has acted much the same until about two turns ago when they besieged my Galatian allies. I see only sporadic raids from Epeiros, so there's no real threat from the west.

Other than that, I'm only really fighting to restore the balance in the east, taking Seleukeia and Edessa to give back to the Seleukids. I don't want the yellow death.

* My type 4 settlements with client rulers get "local autonomy", i.e. the AI controls them.

[Paltmull]

Looking good! You got the reformed phalanx too I presume?

~Fluvius

Thanks! Actually no. From what I understand the City Mod prevents the March of Time reforms to take place, since no Italian city other than Rome can grow to huge size. I haven't really bothered changning the availiability in some other way, since I think the standard Pezhetairoi look a lot better :P

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Compare that to my Makedonian kingdom that's 10 years older than yours (208 BCE for the mathematically illiterate ):



Needless to say, I haven't been as busy conquering as you, and most of my conquered areas are still only allies or (as in Athenai, and even more so Sparta) just recently "upgraded" to a garrisoned allied state. I'm officially at war with Pontos, Ptolemaioi, Epeiros and the remnants of the Koinon Hellenon, with AS and Saba as my only fully* AI allies. However, the Koinon Hellenon are content with just keeping Rhodos and Halikarnassos (edit: plus Olbia, apparently - didn't even notice that 'till now), and aren't doing a lot. Pontos has acted much the same until about two turns ago when they besieged my Galatian allies. I see only sporadic raids from Epeiros, so there's no real threat from the west.

Other than that, I'm only really fighting to restore the balance in the east, taking Seleukeia and Edessa to give back to the Seleukids. I don't want the yellow death.

* My type 4 settlements with client rulers get "local autonomy", i.e. the AI controls them.

Damn, you're patient. :O I probably wouldn't manage ten turns playing in that manner, before starting to conquer everything around me.

[Fluvius Camillus]

Thanks! Actually no. From what I understand the City Mod prevents the March of Time reforms to take place, since no Italian city other than Rome can grow to huge size. I haven't really bothered changning the availiability in some other way, since I think the standard Pezhetairoi look a lot better :P



Damn, you're patient. :O I probably wouldn't manage ten turns playing in that manner, before starting to conquer everything around me.

I hear ye... I'll post my Arche Seleukeia soon!

That looks like a big side-effect of the city mod, this probably can by fixed by making Capua available for huge city, for gameplay's sake.

~Fluvius

[moonburn]

fluvius i keep hearing about the city submod could you point me in the right direction and does it make cdtc more frequent ? i already have alot of problems with vista and eb being almost incompatible ...

[Drag0nUL]

Slightly on topic: how do you make screenshots? Tried Print Screen+copy to paint, but all I get is a completely black screen.

[QuintusSertorius]

fluvius i keep hearing about the city submod could you point me in the right direction and does it make cdtc more frequent ? i already have alot of problems with vista and eb being almost incompatible ...

City Mod. Comes in two variants, one which just generally reduces growth rates, and one which also caps the size that "barbarian" factions can grow settlements to.

I my own experience, it doesn't make any difference to CTDs. I haven't noticed any more and I've been using it a while. Not even when I hadn't properly installed it (requires a refresh of your map.rwm to work fully).

Slightly on topic: how do you make screenshots? Tried Print Screen+copy to paint, but all I get is a completely black screen.

I use PrntScrn and paste to Paint.

[Ludens]

There is a problem with the anti-aliasing setting that turns screenshots black. If you switch AA off (or on) it should work properly. Personally, I use a freeware screenshot program like FRAPS.

[QuintusSertorius]

A trio of disasters have sparked a crisis in Pergamon. First Ipsos fell to the Seleukids, while the army was off chasing another Seleukid army in the mountains of Kappodokia. The governor and the citizens held out as best they could, but we no match for the overwhelming numbers (I chose not to reinforce the garrison or break the siege, thus dooming them to their fate).



Then that self-same army met defeat in the mountains (I wanted to lose, so auto-calc'd).



They couldn't retreat fast enough, and the victorious Syrians fell upon them once more in Phrygia.



With Pergamon's army a shell of what it once was, things were critical. In the winter of 223BC:



The Seleukids came for me again, so I figured it was a good time to start losing some. Since the garrison of Ipsos was a couple of units of levy hoplites and a couple of units of akontistai, they were never going to resist the numbers thrown at them, even with stone walls. I also threw away my army by auto-calc'ing the battle, the opposing general's five stars against my zero stars doing the work for me. That was the veteran army I used before, now savaged. I finished the job the following turn, a bare few hundred survived, to be merged into the reinforcements sitting in Pergamon.

I do have another army (who were acting as a cash-soak), but I've put them beyond reach. I'm hoping to engineer the loss of Sardis as well, to retake in a few years.

The world:



That horrid colour is Casse's new one so it doesn't disappear against my own. It's the faction colour of vanilla "Armenia".

[The Celtic Viking]

Damn, you're patient. :O I probably wouldn't manage ten turns playing in that manner, before starting to conquer everything around me.

Well, to be honest it's not so much patience at all. If it was it'd be totally out of character of me. No, what's allowing me to do this is mostly that I play with windowed mode on, while watching/listening to various youtube clips or debates, studying or whatever on the side. Honestly, EB has sometimes been a thing I've done on the side while I've been doing any of those other things.

Hmm. Do I sound like an EB junkie to you?

[Paltmull]

Makedonia (H/M, City Mod a), 218 BC:

Some more info on the empire and its rulers, if it's of any interest :

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Family tree:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The former king, Alkyoneus, was the one who carved out most of the eastern part of the empire.

After Alkyoneus' death, eastern expansion stopped for a while at Seleukeia and Babylon, since there simply didn't seem to be any general of the same skill to continue after him. His son and the new king, Aristoxenos, was more administrativiely minded and preferred to stay in Pella; governing from there.



However, Alkyoneus' cousin, Kallistratos - who had accompanied the king on his campaign, and then remained governing the eastern provinces from Seleukeia - soon stepped forward and began expanding even further into Seleukid territory. After many great victories against several Seleukid armies, he managed to capture Phraaspa, Ekbatana, Susa and Charax. He now governs much of the eastern parts of the empire, something that will surely be passed on to his sons when they come of age.


The crown prince, Theodas, does despite his good education not seem to be very bright when it comes to administration and governing. To compensate for this and prove his worth he has left for a campaign to sudue the Arabs that have been harrasing the south eastern borders for way too long. Theodas is cruel, scrooge and selfish and it remains to be seen if his subjects will discover this or if he will manage to remain popular, perhaps through military victories. Those Romans have become increasingly disturbing in the west. If Theodas' Arabian campaign is sucessful, possibilities are that the next one will be in Italy...

[Rahl]

Btw: it must be kind of hidden trait since it´s getting more and more difficult to infiltrate a settlement with a family member after several turns, especially those of Eleutheroi.

IIRC the hidden AI-Governor-trait includes a personal security bonus maybe also a public one. I recently saw an enemy FM coming of age and had a chance of 95% to kill him with my elite-assasine and when you begin a campaign most eleutheroi settlements are easily to infiltrate but become way harder to after some turns, so it only can be the ai-governor-trait.

[Drag0nUL]

This is my Carthage in 246 BC:



I tried to take it slow and avoid a multifront war so I stayed put in Sicily while conquering North Africa and then pushing into Spain.

Rome however went on a westward expansion on the Mediterranean shore, got to Emprion before me, conquered it, and then attacked my possessions. So I assembled a new army at Carthage under Xanthippos(which you can see at Rhegion in the screenshot) which started making it's way across Sicily and now Italy. That roman fullstack above Rhegion startetis there since like 270 BC when they took Taras (which rebelled back to Epeiros, with some help from me).

The Lusotani are a non issue atm: we attacked romans in Spain together, but then started expanding northward, along the atlantic shore and are currently at war with Aedui (which just eliminated the Arvenii).

[Africanus]

Not too far off the win objectives now. I finally got the reforms around 84 BC, but I still have only one Marian army. I figured I'd wait until my Polybian armies got whittled down and then replace them with the Marians.

The KH finally attacked me by besieging Serdike, but it came at a most suicidal time for them as I had strong armies in the area to easily repel their attacks, and as they left Greece unprotected, I was able to march down and take all their settlements with little resistance. They've got four full stacks milling around on Crete, but like the Casse, they refuse to build a fleet and send troops to the mainland, even with the bi exe.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[QuintusSertorius]

Not too far off the win objectives now. I finally got the reforms around 84 BC, but I still have only one Marian army. I figured I'd wait until my Polybian armies got whittled down and then replace them with the Marians.

Or you could do it in the historical way, and lose them in a catastrophic defeat (as Caepio did at Arausio).

[Rahl]

They've got four full stacks milling around on Crete, but like the Casse, they refuse to build a fleet and send troops to the mainland, even with the bi exe.

This part of the AI is bugged, like many other parts of it, but it works even on vanilla. I halved the costs of all ships and now the AI builds many fleets. In my current Casse campaign the Qarthadastim sended reinforcements to sicily and iberia, they only stopped after they captured all of Italy up to the po valley, lost it all to rebellion (with some help of mine) except Lilybeo and now again sended many fullstacks to Sicily and recaptured the island. The KH also has 2 fleets and brought 3 stacks to Sicily to help Syracuse, now they sail 2 half stacks back to anatolia after they have lost Sicily and Rhegion. Sometimes the AI works very well...

[QuintusSertorius]

219BC



The war has gone badly, I've lost Sardis and now the capital itself is under siege. Though I do have an army immediately available to break it. Time to retake Sardis too, and slow the Seleukids recent good fortune (they retook Tarsos, and seem to be winning in the Levant).

They took Karia, but then it revolted to KH pretty much immediately (not my doing!).

As a result of losing Ipsos and Sardis, I'm bleeding funds badly. I'll go negative next turn, even after relieving the siege of the capital. Though I do have a massive building queue there, probably 70k in committed funds.

The world:



Been doing a bit of FD to liven things up, gave the Romans the islands and Emporion in the hopes of sparking off another war with Qart-hadast. Took Sala and Garama off them to stop their part of the world turning boring. They're doing really well in Spain, the Lusotannan are looking threatened.

Aitolia finally fell to one of the two warring factions. KH seem to be getting the upper hand.

[Africanus]

Or you could do it in the historical way, and lose them in a catastrophic defeat (as Caepio did at Arausio).

Blasphemy!

This part of the AI is bugged, like many other parts of it, but it works even on vanilla. I halved the costs of all ships and now the AI builds many fleets. In my current Casse campaign the Qarthadastim sended reinforcements to sicily and iberia, they only stopped after they captured all of Italy up to the po valley, lost it all to rebellion (with some help of mine) except Lilybeo and now again sended many fullstacks to Sicily and recaptured the island. The KH also has 2 fleets and brought 3 stacks to Sicily to help Syracuse, now they sail 2 half stacks back to anatolia after they have lost Sicily and Rhegion. Sometimes the AI works very well...

How far along are you? I was getting lots of naval invasions early in the campaign, and the KH even had remnants of two fleets fairly late, but they just sat parked outside of Antioch before I suppose pirates took them out. At least I should get a good battle when I get around to taking Crete!

More frustrating is the Casse doing absolutely nothing the whole game, even after I gifted them some settlements in Gaul.