0.8x AI Faction Progression

[LordCurlyton]

Heh no Asaak was taken peacefully. Or, should I say, it was taken via a revolt that made Asaak Eleutheroi and I got to it before the AS could get significant troops back there. I noticed that the AS AI followed a back-and-forth pattern of conquest attempting, as in it would try in Syria/Asia Minor, and after failing several times consecutively (even if it started with a success), would turn to the East and try for Eleutheroi or, later, Baktrian holdings. Lather, rinse, repeat. Since I kept significant enough forces to deter them as well as a very extensive spy network to cause massive unrest problems they liked me a lot. I even managed to make Seleukia itself rebel, though I couldn't take it. They didn't bother me until I got in the way of their back-and-forth thinking, ie after I took Persepolis via rebellion (again to Eleutheroi). I had to bribe a couple armies and then buy the last of their eastern holdings (the one by Alexandropolis) so I had no AS on the east, and then they finally attacked. But it was too late then. That was about 40 years into the game.
Funny sidenote: I can keep my Indian holdings happier easier than the ones right next to them since they don't have irreducible unrest values. I have to keep half stacks in those as opposed to 3 units in my Indian ones.
Also, my heroic markers are strewn in Baktrian territories and Babylonia and westwards. Basically wherever I had to destroy a full stack of AS with my HA army.

[Musopticon?]

Did you use primarily HA stack armies from the start? Or light infantry? I've only played Pahlava in 0.74 but there the ol'Parthian Approach of hiring just mounted troops was very expensive, almost too expensive.

[LordCurlyton]

Did you use primarily HA stack armies from the start? Or light infantry? I've only played Pahlava in 0.74 but there the ol'Parthian Approach of hiring just mounted troops was very expensive, almost too expensive.

A little of column A, a little of Column B. I find that the more troops you have stationed in cities or by the border, the less likely you are to be attacked by the AI, regardless of the troop quality. Ergo, I used block o' infantry as garrison troops and started with a primarily HA army, since the basic HA is cheaper than blocks of infantry. Buuut, since I stayed at peace with AS for 40 years and acquired many of their eastern provinces in that time, I was able to use pantodopai phalangitai from regional MICs from practically every one of those provinces as my infantry. More men, and a much sturdier line than, say, Nizag Gund. My two favorite armies have been: a) HA heavy one with 6 PF as my infantry, 8 Pahlava Shivatir, 2 Dehbed Asavara (sp?), and 2 each of Noble Cataphracts and Cataphract Archers
b)More "classical" army with 10 PF, 2 Hyrkanian Hillmen, 2 Elamite Archers, 4 Pahlava Shivatir, 1 Dehbed Asavara, 1 Cata Archer. Both work rather well, and since my infantry heavy army is my older army, everyone is at least double-silver by now. Its so much fun watching Agyraspidai get mowed down by elite native pikes. And yes, I know, its not really Parthian to use pikes but hey, if ya got 'em, use 'em, says I.
As it stands I can now afford to field some good all cav armies and one I have running around consists of 10 Pahlava Shivatir, 4 Mada Asabara, 4 Dehbed Asavara, and 2 Parthian Cataphracts.
Also, I only allowed myself to build Faction MIC 3 and below until I conquered Persepolis, Faction MIC 4 until I took Seleukia, and tried to generally stay within that limit for Regionals as well. Basically I sort of went by the barracks descriptions and used up to 3 to represent the pre-Parthian Pahlava, 4 to represent emergent Parthia, and 5 to be full-fledged Parthian empire. The discovery that the Pahlava can also build Nomadic govs was a boon too, otherwise I'd never have gotten access to the lovely Dahae units.

[Ravenic]

Really poor cropping, sorry :(


View from Ambrakia: Where to start? I'm Epirus, and have taken over mainland Greece and Italy after three bloody wars. First, Pella and Demetrias were liberated by the great Pyrrhos, and then peace was obtained with the Makedonian remnant's. Within four years, the Koinon Helleon had reduced Macedon to their island provinces, and held firm control over Thermon, Athenai, Korinthos, and Sparte. The Epirote armies under Pyrrhos, and later his son Helenos advanced up Italy, establishing themselves as far north as Capua and Arpi, though many raids farther north, even to the Po were conducted.

It was at this time that the treacherous Greeks advanced from the South and attacked Demetrias. Ptolemaios, son of Pyrrhos initially led the effort to conscript and counter-attack with a combined Epirote-Illyrian-Makedonian force. The efforts were taken over after two seasons by his young son Pyrrichos, grandson of the great Pyrrhos. It would be another four year's before the armies liberated Athenai, Korinthos, and then Sparte, only to be driven back by a formidible mercenary army led by the Son of Areus (Whose name I forget). It would be an additional four years before the last of the Hellenic League's armies were broken and Thermon taken, and their last political leader slain outside the wall of Korinthos in flight from the victorious Pyrrichos. Rhodos, now alone in the world, announced the dissoloution of the Koinon Helleon, and became its own entity once more (i.e., no more family members so it's rebel now).

In this time, Nikosthenes, the fourth son of Pyrrhos led an army out of Taras, supplemented by troops from Rhegion into Sicily. It would be two years before Hamalcar, and his son Hamalcar II were killed outside Lilibeo at the head of their rather large and pain-in-the-ass Mercenary army, and the Carthaginian's thrown from Sicily. Syrakousai held out for two and a half years under siege from Nikosthenes' brave men, but finally capitulated without bloodshed after the two and a half year siege.

Trouble was brewing with the Roman's, foray's into the territory by Helenos and later his son Glaukos had destroyed much of their infrastructure, leading them to field either huge armies of mercenaries, huge armies of slingers, or a bit of both. The Romanoi were recovered however, and Triarii and Princep's were beginning to become commonplace once more. Therefore, a great undertaking was organized to destroy the Roman's. The Italian army under Glaukos, son of Helenos, and The Sicilian Army under Nikosthenes, son of Pyrrhos began the long trek up Italy, fighting and killing many latin's and keltoi alike as they progressed. They halted at Arretium, finally forced back in a titanic battle (which I autocalc'd >_<), with the result of both Epirote and Romanoi military forces on the pennsula being reduced to only a handful of the orginal numbers, both totaling somewhere around one-thousand men. Nikosthenes was also killed in the fighting during the initial flight from Arretium. At the same time, his elder brother, Helenos was also taken by an assassin's blade in his palace at Taras.

Mercenaries were quickly bought up by both sides, and fighting renewed with vigor until Arretium was taken and sacked. What promised to be a long and grueling conflict was alleviated by the arrival of The Royal Army, under the victorious Pyrrichos himself. It contained five-hundred twenty heavily armed Illyrian's, heavy and light cavalry from Makedon and Illyria, fourteen-hundred Pezhetairoi, mercenary Keltoi from Makedon, "Golden Shields" from Samnium, and a full unit of the elite Chaonian Guard from Ambrakia itself!

Together, the combined Royal Army, and the New Italian Army (amalagated from the remnants of the orginal Italian and Sicilian Armies) began anew, and fought for another two years to finally destroy the last vestiges of Roman power, ending with a conflict outside of Massalia. Epiros granted indepence to everything north of The Po river, having no interest in administering 'barbaroi'. Massalia alone remained under Epirote protection, becoming an "allied" territory, and receiving a veteran Pezhetairoi unit, and other well-traveled but retiring units of The Royal Army for protection. Glaukos returned to Taras, restrengthened his army, and now patrols Italy to weed out the rebels. Pyrrichos returned home to Makedon with his Royal Army a hero, with the title "Royal Inheritor" bestowed upon him by the aging Emperor Ptolemaios. A proud title indeed!

While the main action in Italy was happening, the unsung hero's cannot be forgotten! Soterichos, son of Alexandros, who is the second son of Pyrrhos led the Epirote Empire's smallest army, The Illyrian Army. He brought his arms as far north as Pannonia, taking the region's capital Segestica, along with Dalminion, and also adding the northern territories governed by Serdike and Tylis to the empire's dominon's. For this, he is greatly honored, though his exploits are often overshadowed by his two cousins, Pyrrichos and Glaukos, as well as his slain uncle Nikosthenes.

World View: Damn. So much for The Grey Death. More like the Tide of Piss coming from Alexandreia right now. Luckily, i'm allied with The Ptolemies', though i'm debating joining the fray against them. Ptolemaic Egypt is ontop of all the charts in Faction Rankings, while I duke it out with Carthage for second place. Something that i'd like to amend. Right now, there's a general coalition of Pontos, Hayasadan, Pahlava, and Baktria against Seleukeia, though the quadumvirate of nations is beginning to have tensions with their new practical-overlord, Egypt. I feel if I could mobilize Makedon's goverment in exile (which possesses Nikaia and Pergamon) to attack Egypt, and then join the fray, the combined powers of Epiros-Italy-Illyria-Greece-Massalia-and-Makedon, along with Makedon's "government in exile", combined with Pontos, Hayasadan, Pahlava, and Baktria could defeat the Tide of Piss coming from the Nile. But that's only if i'm able to commit to the effort fully. I'm currently allied with The Averni and The Sweboz, and remain on good terms with the Aedui and Carthaginian's. So long as that all holds, I should be relatively secure in my own holdings. The Getai are content to camp outside their capital with a full stack, and not move one inch, along with refusing all offers of friendship. The Sweboz are creeping closer however, and I share a hair'sbreadth of a border with them at Pannonia. It wouldn't surprise me if hostilities did flare up.

All in all, a very interesting and fun campaign so far!

[Lovejoy]

(playing with city mod. iam hay. ofc)

THE CONQUEST OF EAST!

262BC:


258BC:


251BC:


247BC:


243BC:


Fun camp! Almost no AI expansion tough. I kinda rushed the selues, otherwise they get very nasty and I desided to conquer east since I didnt what to bother with the Ptolemaios and Pontos at the same time. My long time ally the Ptolemaios just attacked. Now its time to:

CONQUER THE WEST!

OPS: Anyone know where I find Nakhararakan Aspet (Armenian Noble Cataphracts) and at which barrack lvl? I dont seem to be able to build them at my capital. Whats the name of the highest lvl barrack?

[Teleklos Archelaou]

(sorry )

Nice to see some Sarmatian movement, and it looks like Getai surprised one province. What in the world were you doing at Maketa?

[Sakkura]

LOL

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

OPS: Anyone know where I find Nakhararakan Aspet (Armenian Noble Cataphracts) and at which barrack lvl? I dont seem to be able to build them at my capital. Whats the name of the highest lvl barrack?

Their recruitment is a bit messed up. The only places you can recruit them, you don't get L5 MICs.
If you know how to mod, just a little, you can fix it yourself. I posted the fix for the official recruitment here:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...6&postcount=27

EDIT: Note to self, don't open thread and wander off for a couple hours. Answer will already be posted.