Quote Originally Posted by Prodigal
So has anyone any idea's about how I can avoid the pop problem, other than exterminating the cities populations after a revolt? While making ALOT of cash?
*First, on your northern front you only have two bridges to protect and you can actualy do it with 6 inf, 4 arch and 2 cav. Counting Dalmatia/ Illyria (WRE) you have two more to guard. On your second front in the east you have 3 crossings plus the ones in Arabia (2 I think).
*Secondly, there´s no way to keep up with population growth. Either let them rebel and retake it and massacre the inhabitants. This will generate a huge amount of cash, ex. Alexandria 40k just 10 years into the game. I´ve modded my game and cut all base farm levels in half to get a better game, works great, and no more uncontrollable growth rates.
*Thirdly, don´t let your good economy fool you. With ERE you can actually build yourself into debt. Focus on your fronts. This means basically 2-3 cities on each front that will supply the main bulk of your armies. I choose Thess/ Const and Anti/ Sidon/ Jerus (also supported Libyan front). In the end you´ll need some 8-10 stacks to defend and continue offensive campaigns. In the rest of the settlements just build the rest of the non-military buildings.

Do you play offense or defence?
1. Defence. Easy = guard bridges and strike out where the enemy is weak or you´re ready.
2. Offence. Usually I guard my northern front since there are no provinces there worth taking and focus on removing sassanids from the game. This puts your new border at the Caucasus maountain range in the north west with just 3 crossings to defend and in the Libyan/ Tripolitanian straits.
When you´ve troops to spare move on WRE at Salona and Lepcis Magna thus confronting them with a pincer manouvre and two fronts.

The power of peasants:
How unrealistic it might seem, but at a 14d. upkeep cost for a 120-unit, use them as garrison troops. I constantly build enough to keep my taxes at maximum and when your city dips below 95% with 19 garrioned peasants it´s time to pull them out and do some ethnic cleansing - just auto-calc. When you retakethe city disband all that´s left to keep tax at max. Good luck!