Pontic Expansion

[anubis88]

Why would Greece be the European goal? Who knows what would've happened if Sulla failed...

[Antinous]

Well don't let that stop you, but I'm just thinking that they wouldn't want to go move next door to the Swezboz, knock on their door and say "Hello".

[vartan]

So are you asking why the Victory Conditions for Pontus are the way they are? Also, if you would change the Victory Conditions for Pontus, how would you change it? (I've never thought too much about Pontic VC, so I'm curious.)

[B-Wing]

I think it kind of makes sense that as Pontus, the player would be expected to control the regions surrounding the Black Sea. After all, if I understand correctly, the historical kingdom of Pontus did expand across the Black Sea. I can't check the victory conditions right now, but I recently played (or started, rather) a Pontus campaign and don't remember the target provinces going all the way to the Baltic or Germania. I think the northwestern ones were all adjacent to the Black Sea.

I'm more curious to know what the Bosporan Kingdom's target regions will be. It's hard to imagine them stretching through the steppes or toward the Baltic, but they can't really be expected to take over much of Alexander's former territory either.

[Tudhaliya]

I think it kind of makes sense that as Pontus, the player would be expected to control the regions surrounding the Black Sea. After all, if I understand correctly, the historical kingdom of Pontus did expand across the Black Sea. I can't check the victory conditions right now, but I recently played (or started, rather) a Pontus campaign and don't remember the target provinces going all the way to the Baltic or Germania. I think the northwestern ones were all adjacent to the Black Sea.

I'm more curious to know what the Bosporan Kingdom's target regions will be. It's hard to imagine them stretching through the steppes or toward the Baltic, but they can't really be expected to take over much of Alexander's former territory either.

No no no. All the Pontids should have to do is hold all of northern and central Anatolia, and control the Dardanelles and the Bosporus. Historically, if they had done that, they would have had a stranglehold on all east/west trade, and would have been richer that Croesus (who did quite well with much less territory).

Gameplay-wise, this would be pretty hard. The Pontids would have to hold off Seleukid and Armenian expansion, destroy the kingdom of Sardis, and take the tip of the Thracian peninsula from the Macedonians and Dacians, and then defend it from the Sarmatians. But if they did, they would be rediculously wealthy.

[Foot]

No no no. All the Pontids should have to do is hold all of northern and central Anatolia, and control the Dardanelles and the Bosporus. Historically, if they had done that, they would have had a stranglehold on all east/west trade, and would have been richer that Croesus (who did quite well with much less territory).

Gameplay-wise, this would be pretty hard. The Pontids would have to hold off Seleukid and Armenian expansion, destroy the kingdom of Sardis, and take the tip of the Thracian peninsula from the Macedonians and Dacians, and then defend it from the Sarmatians. But if they did, they would be rediculously wealthy.

Thats something like 15 provinces. Hardly a campaign isn't it. And we aren't talking about what the Pontic Kingdom could realistically achieve that would ensure its survival, but what the player can realistically achieve given their role as the Pontic kings.

Foot

[Tudhaliya]

Thats something like 15 provinces. Hardly a campaign isn't it. And we aren't talking about what the Pontic Kingdom could realistically achieve that would ensure its survival, but what the player can realistically achieve given their role as the Pontic kings.

Foot

Ah, well that's different. Realistically, it would have been nearly impossible for Pontus to control those 15 provinces for any length of time. It would have been like standing in the middle of busy crossroads and yelling "Stop!" and hoping that the Seleukid lorry driver would listen.

Gameplay-wise, a good player should be able to hold all of Asia west of the Zagros, and most of Greece too, not to mention all of the Black Sea.