Baktrian gameguide:

**PseRamesses** · 07-30-2006, 09:23

I know many, like me, loves the Baktrian line-up, simply awesome. Playing Baktria what are your strats? Secure the Indus? Go right for AS throat?

Usually I wind up with the same way in playstyle:
1. I use my initial forces, and queing phalanxes for my initial funds, to take Gava-Haomavarga (buffer against Yuhezi and pushes them into the steppes) and Kophen. Send all my troops to Baktra for restock and upgrade. Build up enough troops until my funds dry out to embark on step 2 - the Indus.
2. Here you can go two ways: Take Alexandropolis (awsome barracks) and Pura (port) cutting off AS from the Indus. X-ing their pop will only generate about 5k. Or go ringht for the Indus. Taking Takasashila, Opiana and Patala (naval harbour) will generate some 25k from just x-ing their pop.
3. ? Here´s usually where I get stuck mainly because I´m a guy that don´t like to break alliances so attacking AS or Pahlav isn´t an option. I don´t want to attack the Yuhezi but can consider taking their capital IF they have multiple settlements which will force a weakened faction out onto the steppes for the Pahlav and Sarmatians to deal with.

In all my Baktrian games AS has never broken our alliance so I usually start policing their eastern empire taking their settlements that has rebelled, x-ing their pops and raising all buildings before returning it to my grateful allied.

Once I used my harbour in Patala to build a fleet. Shipped an army over the Hormuz and invaded the Arabian peninsula at Homna which was great fun. But what else to do? Any suggestions?

**GMT** · 07-30-2006, 13:48

In my Baktrian campaign I conquered all of the east like you did and then I used quite a lot of spies to make the eastern AS settlements rebel.

Most of these settlements have a very low loyalty and every spie you get in there lowers it with 10% untill they rebel.

Eventually you'll piss off the seleucids and that's when all the fun begins!

**Teleklos Archelaou** · 07-31-2006, 00:50

Thankfully in tests so far with 1.5, the Pahlava seem to build up an army and go after Seleukid border towns without wasting too many years. When that split happens, Baktria often sides with the Seleukids, but sometimes sides with Parthia (from what I've seen).

Our biggest challenge in 0.8 for Baktria seems to be finding a way to keep them from heading to the steppe (they start out with Marakanda and AE in addition to Baktra). They seem to hate Kophen, and instead they want to shuffle all their men towards AE and to fight the Saka and head north into the steppe. We don't want to artificially make them at peace with the Saka, but then we don't want to make Kophen and India too easy either. It's going to be something we struggle with even in developing post-0.8 I'm afraid. I think maybe once 0.8 is released though maybe a lot of fans playing it will actually help us figure this out better to have a supersmooth 1.0 situation figured out.

**Fondor_Yards** · 07-31-2006, 03:13

Normaly I take Kophen first, then head more east and take all of india, then hit all rebel eastern cities not Seleucid or Parthian. By the time I have all of those firmly under my grip, one thing or another leads to the breaking of my parthian or seleucid alliance of which normaly fall fast. I try not to kill of parthia so I can steal their cataphract, but I havn't gotten them yet.

So I'm stuck with only the goddly Companions and pretty good Bactrian Hippies. Life sucks eh?

Normal army is about,

4-6 phalanxs, normaly all Pezhetairoi
4 missiles, slingers and indians mostly*love indian archers*
4 Cavalry 2 bactrian hippies and 2 hetairoi
6 mobile infantry either agema, thureophoroi, thorakitai, or pheraspidai

The rest, if I have room is whatever I feel like adding, normaly agema which I love!!!!

**-Praetor-** · 08-02-2006, 23:18

Originally Posted by Teleklos Archelaou

Thankfully in tests so far with 1.5, the Pahlava seem to build up an army and go after Seleukid border towns without wasting too many years. When that split happens, Baktria often sides with the Seleukids, but sometimes sides with Parthia (from what I've seen).

Our biggest challenge in 0.8 for Baktria seems to be finding a way to keep them from heading to the steppe (they start out with Marakanda and AE in addition to Baktra). They seem to hate Kophen, and instead they want to shuffle all their men towards AE and to fight the Saka and head north into the steppe. We don't want to artificially make them at peace with the Saka, but then we don't want to make Kophen and India too easy either. It's going to be something we struggle with even in developing post-0.8 I'm afraid. I think maybe once 0.8 is released though maybe a lot of fans playing it will actually help us figure this out better to have a supersmooth 1.0 situation figured out.

Perhaps giving the rebels to the north of Baktria some 2 full stacks, and leaving a normal garrison in territories in India would do the trick...

Hell, if I would be a computer, I`d go south!

**Avicenna** · 08-03-2006, 16:29

The AI gets free armies though, and around 40K per turn, so 2 fullstacks won't deter it. The rebel province already has a whole stack of horse archers, IIRC.

**Musopticon?** · 08-03-2006, 20:13

Gava-Haemovarga was a bit too much with it's hippotoxotai-fullstack. I couldn't even wait out the siege, since the units there were so high quality that no matter how big army I sieged the town with, they always sallied the next turn and totally devastated my phalangists. I never went there again.

**Trithemius** · 09-15-2006, 13:41

What governments allow Indo-Greek hoplites? I have been building Homelands where-ever I can, but it seems that I cannot build ANYTHING other than elephants in Opiana if I have a Homeland government there. Quite a pain, once I have waited the five years neccessary to establish the damn thing!

**CountArach** · 09-16-2006, 04:10

I think they are only in 0.8

I have never encountered them.

**Trithemius** · 09-16-2006, 09:28

I could build them in Opiana with a Parthian III government in there so I think they are in 0.7.4. Perhaps you are thinking of Hellenikon Hoplitai which were in the Saka-Rauka preview; I have not seen them around as the Baktrians (and I assume they would be available...).

**Trithemius** · 09-19-2006, 04:54

Originally Posted by Trithemius

I could build them in Opiana with a Parthian III government in there so I think they are in 0.7.4. Perhaps you are thinking of Hellenikon Hoplitai which were in the Saka-Rauka preview; I have not seen them around as the Baktrians (and I assume they would be available...).

Well I figured it out. I had to demolish my I and II governments in the Indian provinces though. Is that a feature, or has it been altered for 0.8?

**pezhetairoi** · 09-22-2006, 14:40

what is your experience with the fullstacks of indian longbowmen? how did you beat them with your army against stone walls? some feedback, please? I was always so daunted by them I turned south, then west.