I just started a game as the Selucid Empire (I'm working my way through all factions at normal/normal before I move up to hard). I'm not very many turns in but I'm getting solidly thumped. Three turns into the game, three units of rebel troops with about 300 units per army, popped up scattered within my territory. There isn't much I can do about them, given my resources.

I tried to smooth things over with Egypt but they are not at war with me and are threatening to take one of my more remote territories. The Greek seem to be otherwise occupied. I repelled a siege by the Pontac's on my northern city but I'm sure they will be back before long.

The inital unit offerings really aren't that great. Milita Hoplites aren't particularly useful, they are basically peasants with long sticks. They seem to almost always get tangled up and manage to get themselves surrounded or don't point their spears in the right direction, while an enemy wails on their sides and flanks. Military Cavalry and Peltasts suffer much the same problems, they have too little ammo and they simply don't kill enough units per volley to make them a tactically viable unit. I hope I can survive long enough to be able to train better units then these hopeless bunch.

The roads seem weird. Are paved roads the best the Selucids can get? I checked the tech tree and I didn't see any better. Or do I need one of those tech messages before I can build better ones? It takes me three turns to go from one province to another and that's just unacceptable. I don't care how big the province is, it should never take more then a turn to go from one city to a directly adjacent city. One of the reason that I miss the provincal level movement of MTW.

Anyway, some tips would be great right now.