Some random thoughts about the Sabaeans

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

First of all, all cities have a founding faction. If you have a city rebel and it was founded by you, it will go to the rebels. If the founding faction is dead, it will go to the rebels. But if the founding faction is still around and a city rebels, it will go to that faction. And cause a war between the two factions even if they are long time friends and allies.

Second, the diplomacy in RTW is retarded. It never works, the AI doesn't use logic when making decisions, and no agreements are trusted. If there is a territory next to an AI territory, and the AI can take the settlement, they will try to. Allies, neutral, trade partners; it doesn't matter, if they can take it they will. Also, if the AI borders you (the human player) they will attack you, period. They will ignore their long time enemy, they will ignore an easily taken rebel settlement, they will even ignore the loss of two thirds of their empire from the other side. If they border you, and don't have long time loving relationships with you (or all your border settlements have a whole stack or two guarding it), they will attack you.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Remember that before we had Saba as a faction the Arabian desert and south arabia rebelled to Parthia. The culture in the upper Nile regions is more similar to the Sabaeans than the Ptolemies. We'd rather have eastern buildings and portraits and names than Greek ones. So it's a no brainer to us to make those upper Nile provinces Sabaean rebel sub factions instead of carthaginian or ptolemaic. THe other stuff MAA hit on the head - it's RTW AI. We tried making the desert areas harder to cross, but the Seleucids and Ptolemies like all factions go for rebel lands first, and so that's why they love coming into Arabia for no good other reason. That puts them at conflict with you of course more quickly than we might like.