What makes playing Saka the hardest faction in the game?

[artaxerxes]

For me, it is usually the money situation that can make me give up a campaign early. Playing as Carthage or Macedon, fx, came as a relief after trying to master the AS, Saka or Pahlava economies. Nothing can kill a campaign easier than being dead in the water with no income and no army to change the situation. Saka are worse than other factions with money-problems (AS fx aren't exactly poor, they just have so many fronts to invest in) because they have no money-making heartland of any value whatsoever

unless you feel like disbanding all your good units and making 10 mnai a turn selling goats.

that is so unbelievably funny, I actually fell out of my chair laughing :D