Which civilization has the best unit roster in your opinion.

[seleucid empire]

I guess You can make thoratikai armies and light infantry armies as seleukids but they aren't as stable. The standard armies still have phalanxes as their core

With Carthage there are more options. Any one of their heavier units can be used as their army core

[Brave Brave Sir Robin]

Any of the Hellenistic factions (minus Makedonia) can make Thorakitai based armies. Use the Thoraks as your line units and Theurophoroi as medium reserve infantry. The Seleukids can do this best since they can recruit a wide array of light infantry types to complement the heavy spear line but the Epeirotes, Ptolemies and Baktrians can come close to matching them.

[I_damian]

Carthage I'd say. Even at the start of the game they have Libyan Spearmen which are just an awesome line infantry for pinning any unit down, good mix of light and heavy cavalry and some awesome archers and slingers if you take Numidia and build type 4 government. As the game goes on you end up with great phalanx units, great infantry, great light, medium and heavy cavalry... pretty much everything. There's not a single other faction in the game you'll struggle against in battle, you have the troops to compose almost any kind of army for any situation.

Only reason I could never play as them is because they're too rich and invincible right from the very start, same as Rome, Ptolemaioi and a few others.

[seleucid empire]

Carthage I'd say. Even at the start of the game they have Libyan Spearmen which are just an awesome line infantry for pinning any unit down, good mix of light and heavy cavalry and some awesome archers and slingers if you take Numidia and build type 4 government. As the game goes on you end up with great phalanx units, great infantry, great light, medium and heavy cavalry... pretty much everything. There's not a single other faction in the game you'll struggle against in battle, you have the troops to compose almost any kind of army for any situation.

Only reason I could never play as them is because they're too rich and invincible right from the very start, same as Rome, Ptolemaioi and a few others.

They have the greatest variety but they are not the top of the line. Each of their units has an equivalent in another faction which has 1 more attack and def

Ps. I don't think ptolemies are that invincible. I hate their roster and they start off with 3 large rebel armies plaguing the borders to the west and south

[seleucid empire]

Any of the Hellenistic factions (minus Makedonia) can make Thorakitai based armies. Use the Thoraks as your line units and Theurophoroi as medium reserve infantry. The Seleukids can do this best since they can recruit a wide array of light infantry types to complement the heavy spear line but the Epeirotes, Ptolemies and Baktrians can come close to matching them.

thorakitai armies feel really.... unwieldy for some reason. They dont feel like Roman armies either. They feel like late Getai armies for some reason...

[seleucid empire]

oh and @ Catman

im not saying seleucid roster is better than Roman roster, im merely saying that the Roman roster is not strong, rather the units themselves are strong

[Catmand0]

That is fair. Often in the marian reform era I am wishing for a solid heavy spear unit or a solid cavalry unit beyond the auxilia units. Generally I can supplement what I need with local recruitment classic hoplites and greek medium cavalry, but they certainly dont hold much of a candle to thorakitai or medium hellenic cavalry. In terms of a strong diverse roster the romans don't have that. The romans are strong by having the wide AOR and great heavy sword infantry. While they may not be as deadly as Belga swordsmen or Galatian heavy swordsmen, armies who use those units generally only have two or three, a roman army often has over ten units of Legionary cohorts.

[seleucid empire]

That is fair. Often in the marian reform era I am wishing for a solid heavy spear unit or a solid cavalry unit beyond the auxilia units. Generally I can supplement what I need by classic hoplites and greek medium cavalry, but they certainly dont hold much of a candle to thorakitai or medium hellenic cavalry. In terms of a strong diverse roster the romans don't have that.

poor romans...Greek Medium cavalry makes me vomit sometimes...

[Catmand0]

They are really only for killing light ranged units and chasing routers. It is foolish to expect them to do anything more. One of the main offensive weapons I use to great effect are Kreten Archers, my elite legion has five all with gold chevrons. You dont need heavy cav if you have an unrelenting rain of death.

[seleucid empire]

The romans are strong by having the wide AOR and great heavy sword infantry. While they may not be as deadly as Belga swordsmen or Galatian heavy swordsmen, armies who use those units generally only have two or three, a roman army often has over ten units of Legionary cohorts.

yeh thats the biggest advantage rome has

Roma: 1 unit does many different roles (line troops, flankers, flank guards)
other factions: many different units have many different roles ( cav or swordsmen for flanking, spearmen for line troops)

Basically, you have 10 units that can do anything. If you have 3 units of swordsmen for the purpose of flanking. In a game, if those units get depleted or destroyed you will have nothing to flank them with. Its like losing a bodypart

With Romas however, you can just get another cohort to do the task since all your infantry are the same

[Catmand0]

That is the main reason I love the romans. I will say this though, a well put together Hellenic army is an incredibly formidable thing. If I cant pick the phalanx battle line apart then defeat is certain. Also the defensive capabilities of the phalanx are unparalleled, if I was to face a well led army of levy phalanxes a tenth my armies size on defending a bridge or crossing, I would simply not engage because victory would be impossible.