I've played a fair few campaigns now, and something is beginning to bug me: the relative power of the various factions seems a little bit 'off'.

The Egyptians constantly obliterate the Seleucids, becoming a large and rich power (must be those heavily-armoued yet shirtless axemen, the demon chariots, and the super-sized archer units).

I have never seen any power even come close to threatening any of the Romans. The Julii usually get going first (although it takes them a few turns), but they invariably carve a bloody, unstoppable, path through the Gauls. The Bruti are the next to move, taking either the Greek lands or the lands just north of that. The Scipiones are the last to make their mark, taking Sicilia and then moving to north-west Africa.

Scythia, also, never does a damn thing, and the Parthians are remarkably tame.

For me, this always happens, and it's annoying that it's so predictable.

Personally, I'd really like to see the Seleucid\Egyptian war be far less predictable (what would happen if the Seleucids ever won it?), but I'm most stunned that Carthage, the supposedly major power which had Rome worried, is depicted as being very little threat at all. I would love to see Carthage actually threaten Rome (and maybe even destroy it once in a while!). Actually, I'd be nice to see anyone but a player-controlled faction take on Rome (or at least remove one of the families).