Post your EB empires!

[Albath]

@Daiyoukai

Lovely Baktrian empire! If you're going to end up fighting the Pahlavans, you'd better use your Hetairoi Kataphraktoi. I encountered several stacks with low-level cataphracts in my campaign, but they just look so darn cool. :P

@anubis

I'll sack Rome in my Sarmatian campaign, just for you! :)

[Daiyoukai Ramza]

@Daiyoukai

Lovely Baktrian empire!

Thank ya' kindly. It's a bit larger now, since I finished off Saka in 229 B.C. The last battle was... amusing, to say the least. On my first try, I outnumbered their forces three to one, so I just auto-resolved, figuring that there was no use fighting a battle that I was all but assurred to win.

...I lost.

Upon reloading, I realized that the Faction Leader possessed ten command stars, which is probably why the auto-resolve screwed me over. Didn't help that the general for that particular army was a rather green.

Anyway, I entered the battle and... well, that particular army consisted mostly of mercenary cavalry units--horse-archers in particular--I'd recruited on the way to their city, so most of the battle was just arrow volleys and cavalry charges. It was, of course, extremely easy. Kind of an anti-climactic end to the war, to be honest.

I disbanded most of those mercenaries and house-ruled myself to two or three horse archers per army so things don't get too easy.

If you're going to end up fighting the Pahlavans, you'd better use your Hetairoi Kataphraktoi. I encountered several stacks with low-level cataphracts in my campaign, but they just look so darn cool. :P

Hetairoi Kataphraktoi, eh? I do have one free slot in my army composition that I usually fill with... whatever I have available, but I suppose I could work a unit of HK in, though I prefer my cavalry units in pairs.

In fact... remember that army in my screenshot? I could definitely fit a unit or two of HK into that army, since they're coming back home for retraining. They've been out in the field for more than a decade, so their numbers are a wee bit thin. On the other hand, they've fought a good number of battles, so that army is my most experienced by far.

...and once I'm done refilling their ranks, I'm immediately sending 'em south to capture those two Seleucid settlements and the remaining Indian provinces. And maybe Alexandropolis, which has thus far resisted my attempts to incite revolt. The only thing I've achieved in that city is improving my spies and assassins. Especially the spies, given that I had something like a 170% chance to open the gates in the event of a siege.

I'll probably post a screenshot of my southern conquests once I get around to them.

[Albath]

@Daiyoukai

My Sarmatian campaign was entirely horse-archer oriented and it was unsurprisingly easy to shoot down and route most footmen stacks. I had the most trouble with Saka and Pahlava, since Saka had just gotten their reforms with Hellenic hoplites (not to mention that their Yuezhi horse archers could outshoot all of my noble horse archers).

The Hetairoi Kataphraktoi are the Late Baktrian Bodyguard, but feel free to implement however many kats you see fit. I usually charge once, and then ALT+Click to bring out their maces/swords (which are AP, by the way). Arachosian Skirmisher Cavalry do wonders, too. They have AP axes as secondaries, and they can do well in a hand to hand with most medium cavalry.

I await your updates fervently.

[Daiyoukai Ramza]

@Daiyoukai

My Sarmatian campaign was entirely horse-archer oriented and it was unsurprisingly easy to shoot down and route most footmen stacks. I had the most trouble with Saka and Pahlava, since Saka had just gotten their reforms with Hellenic hoplites (not to mention that their Yuezhi horse archers could outshoot all of my noble horse archers).

I may play a Saka Rauka campaign after I hit the victory conditions for Baktria. Or perhaps I'll try my hand at the Sweboz again. After all, I have a bone to pick with that Rhesus, the Eleutheroi super-general that spawns in a province near their lands.

The Hetairoi Kataphraktoi are the Late Baktrian Bodyguard, but feel free to implement however many kats you see fit. I usually charge once, and then ALT+Click to bring out their maces/swords (which are AP, by the way). Arachosian Skirmisher Cavalry do wonders, too. They have AP axes as secondaries, and they can do well in a hand to hand with most medium cavalry.

Ah, they're the new bodyguard unit one receives from the Baktrian reforms, which, unfortunately, have not triggered for me yet. The trigger is the same as the vanilla reforms for the Romani, correct? I really hope it doesn't require the Romani to actually own the city, because... well, take a look below.

I await your updates fervently.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In a scant eleven years, Karthadastim has managed to push the Romani back and claim around half of Italian peninsula. And to the south, on Sicily, they've boated in a few stacks, although none of them are full. Never mind the Aedui to the North-Northwest, Epeiros to the east, and Lusotannan sweeping in from the west. Sad thing is, I'm their ally, yet I can't do a thing to help them without rousing the anger of everyone between Baktra and Roma. They're allied with the Ptolemaioi as well, but they're too busy with Saba and the Seleucids to help.

Anyway, as you can see, Pahlava's taken some land from the Sauromatae, albeit the province in question has been bouncing back and forth between them for five years or thereabouts. Amusing enough, I initially believed their pre-war military buildup was intended for me, since they had a fairly competent general and army camped outside one of my cities for a time, but eventually they headed west. I was simultaneously relieved and disappointed. Other than the Pahlava-Sauromatae war, the east has been relatively peaceful since 229 BC.

Interestingly, Pontos has made some nice gains against the Seleucids recently, and I'm hoping they continue to do so, as, well, it's something I've not seen very often in my games.

[Hannibal Khan the Great]

Go Carthage!!!!

[anubis88]

@ Albath

The Sarmatians are monsters in both our campaings... I have at least 5 legions (full stacks) prepared for this war... It will be bloody

[anubis88]

9 BC - Notice anything unusual in this screen? I couldn't believe my eyes when i saw the message:

War declared: Saba - Baktria

Development...
Parthia destroyed the Seleucid rebellions, and finally started a war with me... Unfortunatly they attack me with a bunch of phalanxes and other infanry... Only a few Cata's, and no Horse archers at all.

I'm exploring Britain a bit, for a future invasion... But i must check my money a bit... a few turns ago i didn't even have the money for a proconsul's Palace!!!

Not long ago i had 500.000 mnai

Oh, and BTW, i finally got an Avgvstvs

[SwissBarbar]

Baktria
(170 BC)



Interesting information

The Romans used to possess all of Italy and Pannonia and all around Helvetis up to Viennos and Vesontio
Carthage, later, managed to conquer Roma itself and after that the rest of southern Italy. They weakened, when they got kicked out of Spain by
the Lusonannan, who now form a mighty empire - powerful enough to callenge even the stronges of europes nations, maybe even
the Makedonians, who were among the greatest nations from the beginning and used to be the strongest Faction for almost 50 years, before
the Ptolemaioi became even more powerful after they gained the upper hand in the cruel war against Carthage.
The Arche Seleukeia still is a strong nation and - meanwhile - can field the most fearsome and heavily armoured units of the world, and this, though they have suffered greatly from constant war against Baktria, Pahlava and the Ptolemaioi for over 100 years now. Their most faithful allies are the
Sab'yn who startet war with Baktria, by marching through friendly Seleukid lands to Persis and besieging the since shortly Baktrian city of Persepolis. Therefore Baktria decided to invade Arabia and bring the war to the land of the enemy.

[Skullheadhq]

But why the capital? There is Saba territory much closer to your empire.