Despite lingering recruiting irregularities (this IS a beta, after all), Iberia is very much a fun faction to play. Their infantry is some of the most effective and versatile in the game: fast, decently armored, mostly well-shielded, many carrying javelins, plus a war cry? It is almost unfair. You think Hannibal recruited Iberians in the tens of thousands by coincidence?

Sure, Iberian income is low at the outset. Iberia is a small, poor, semi-barbaric faction, and army units are expensive as hell to recruit and maintain throughout EB, which I personally love. It holds down army sizes and keeps the game from degenerating into a RTW:Vanilla hack-fest suitable only for 12-year-olds.

Disbanding your units, turning turtle, and gradually building your economy is slow and relatively boring (even a non-12-year-old like me likes a good bloodbath). It works, primarily because you are almost surrounded by non-aggressive rebels, and the Carthaginians are too few to pose an immediate threat, but it is not much fun. The alternative is to go on the offensive. As a matter of pure personal preference, though, I refrain from "blitzing" because I feel that it takes away from the game experience. The choice is up to you.

First thing, put as many trade/transportation/farming buildings in your queue as possible with your starting funds, because you will not have enough money to build anything for quite a while, no matter what you do. Suck it up, go into debt, and set about conquering your rebel neighbors. Given the lack of roads in Iberia, and the composition and size of the rebel armies, this might present a surprising challenge. At the very least, it will take some time.

Resist the temptation to cash in your conquests by extermination. "Barbarian" population growth is slow, and you do not want your provinces to be stuck as Towns forever. By the time you have united the peninsula south of the Pyrrenees (whatever is not owned by the Kart-Hadastim and/or the Avernii), you will have a nice, tidy little empire going, and will be pulling out of your economic slump. Pick a fight with somebody worthwhile, and you are off to the races. I always go after the Kart-Hadastim. Any people who have Hannibal Barca on their side - and lose - are too stupid to live.