Thrace

[Craterus]

I'm sure the Romans would come before the Marian reforms so you would have a good chance of opposing them. If you have some armies capapble of taking Macedon and Greece, you should have an army capable of taking on the Romans.. You should percevere and try to win some campaigns rather than giving up all the time!!

[pezhetairoi]

The Thracians have a) a very unremarkable unit array, b) a terribly faceless army that has no character (hoplite? barbarian horde? disciplined melee? it's a little of each and none of all), c) an unenviable starting position. Oh, did I mention the snake sigil of theirs SUCKS? not to mention they're historically supposed to be more cavalry-capable than the militia and greeks that're all they can field. But that said, their main problem is surviving the early stages. As I see it, since the best they've got is Bastarnae, which isn't very good anyhow, they'll need a very mercenary-based strategy to win. Like Carthage in history.

[katank]

The bastarnae mecs are expensive mercs. However, the Thracians can build real bastanae which is their highest level infantry unit.

These bastarnae are actually really tough little buggers with 2 hp. Furthermore, they are fast which means that on a run, they are not significantly slower than cav and are strong flankers/shock troops.

Falxmen are also one of the strongest 2nd level units in terms of pure melee ability. Unfortunately, the Thracian version does not have warcry which puts a damper on this otherwise fantastic unit.

Thrace is indeed quite unappealing. It's the last faction that I tried. I would beg to differ with taking of Byzantium.

I personally like to make a beeline for Thessalonica and leave Byzantium for after Larissa and Byzalora is taken.

This allows me to get to the rich lands of Greece faster along with cash from exterminations and access to higher level troops. For example, with Thessalonia, you can have phalanx pikemen right away instead of having to wait for your cities to develop.

[pezhetairoi]

Oh okay... are the stats for Thracian bastarnae any higher than those of the mercs? Hmm, Thrace would certainly be the last faction I tried, too. Even Numidia seems more interesting. Hmmm... Isn't Byzantium a rich settlement too, once you build a port at it?

[katank]

The Thracian Bastarnae have 8/14/6 while the merc bastarnae have 7/11/8. This is charge/attack/defense

Both versions have 2 hp. The mercs actually have more balanced stats. However, since they are meant to be flankers/shock troops, the Thracian version is preferable. Combine them with a wall of phalanx pikes to hold the center, you have a killer infantry force.

The Thracians will be great if they had better cavalry. They should probably have access to Barbarian noble cav or Scythian nobles or equivalent. They have a proud equestrian tradition not reflected in the game. They only have slightly better general's cav than greek ones which seems inadequate.

[tibilicus]

I agree a few pikes mixed with Bastarnea add a few archer (Createns for the ultimate force) A few cav mainly generels and youve got yourself one nice lineup.

[Craterus]

I agree a few pikes mixed with Bastarnea add a few archer (Createns for the ultimate force) A few cav mainly generels and youve got yourself one nice lineup.

How about Phalanx Pikemen, Bastarnae, Bastarnae Mercs, Cretan Archers, maybe Militia Cav, General's Bodyguard and don't forget the Falxmen.