How to deal with the AS

[LordCurlyton]

I'm playing as the Romani and its 235 BC or so. I'm currently in a state of cold war with Carthage (what's left of their African settlements are harmless desert towns and I have naval dominance so their Iberian and Corsican armies are pinned) and in active war with the Aedui (sp?) and Sweboz. The AS have become absolute beasts, crushing the Ptolies to the point where they own Egypt proper and even declaring war on Carthage. Now I have the Gallic war well in hand and have begun to move on the Sweboz, but even so I'm looking at potentially another several decades of war before they will accept a ceasfire of any sort (and I plan to crush the Aedui absolutely, as I have the Arveni). However, I'm practically terrified of the thought of heading east now, because the AS will by that time most likely have polished of the Ptolies and turned on Pahlava and Baktria. Only Makedonia has a chance to resist as they now own all of Greece and most of the Getai lands and have been exchanging territories in Asia Minor with the AS for some time now. So what is to be done? If I didn't have the wars going now that I did I'd load up several legions and march over right now but as is my forces are all occupied. What can I do?
Also, are the Sweboz supposed to expand like that? They have 20-something territories now, a little more than me actually, as they've just steamrolled the puny Eleutheroi towns around them while the Aedui and Arveni battered at each other instead of getting any of the town around them. While their eastward expansion is likely to slow down soon since they are starting to reach all those nomad settlements with those nasty HAs it is still gonna be one hell of a fight with them. Good thing I still have the positive income to support another 2-3 full stacks of quality troops since I'm gonna need them...
Anyways any help on any aspect of my situation (esp the grey elephant which is the AS) would be appreciated. If their is something I could have done earlier don't hesitate to let me know as well. Thanks in advance. I'll post a screen when I get the chance to show what I mean.

[C.LVCIANVS]

AS - Seleucos is back for kick my ...
S.P.Q.R. 232 B.C., VH/M.

[Boyar Son]

Focus on your own wars for now...

If the AS and Makedon break out into war support Makedon, but no military support, only finnancial.

If the AS attack, it will most likely be by sea, put that money to use and invest in navy.

[LordCurlyton]

But what about Africa? Since I've been beating on the Carthaginians I have rather extensive and valuable turf in Africa. I'd rather not lose it if possible but my saving grace in that is that it would take horribly long for them to march troops over. And the Maks and AS have been at war for a while now but I doubt I'll be able to send support the Maks way for a while. Finances are about to get tight...

This is from 240 BC. The situation is much more grim for Ptolies now (233 BC).

[Boyar Son]

Then you sir, are in quite a predicament

Obviously in this game, brute force is the answer to all our problems. If the AS start a war with you, most likely it will be in africa.

Stop them there, and get an alliance with the MAKs. Destroy the eperots if your at war with them and raise their buildings for cash and then give them to Makedon.

And get those two provices in Illyria to help your bank.

[CaesarAugustus]

Perhaps offer an alliance to the AS for now, just to hold them off in Africa. Every so often, give them whatever amount of money you can spare to keep in their good graces. If they start a war with makedonia, secretly support the Maks with some money - even if you have to make some sacrafices in your own empire.

I dont know the positions of your legions, but maybe you could siphon off some troops to take Illyria or Carthaginian Spain. If you dont think you can afford it, though, then don't spread yourself too thin. I also advise that you try as hard as you can to get a ceasefire with the Sweboz ASAP, so you can forcus on the impending war with the AS.

Enjoy your campaign.

[Boyar Son]

An alliance with the AS?

I dont think that will stop them from attacking Rome (you)

Luckily your legions are superior to the phalanxes of old.

As for Germania...thats tough. I'll think of a plan.

[Sarcasm]

I'd personally invest all my forces in taking out the Carthies, while staying on the defensive in other areas [fortify a few towns and fill them with defensive units]. Their mines in Iberia would be a real boom to your economy, not mention you'd be getting a boatload of trade in those Mediterranean islands [Corsica, Sardinia and the Baleares] which can be held indefinitely by low-cost troops.

As for Africa itself, once you take them out of those provinces, they're not bound to have them back even if they rebel afterwards.

Keep an eye out for AS movements in Makedonia, and keep a legion [less than a half-stack for me] in reserve, just in case you have to intervene. Some of the more recent provinces of the Seleukids might rebel too if you throw a few agents in there especially around the areas of the Ptolemies, which would profit directly from those revolts.

Hold the northern italian cities, by fortifying them and placing some defensive units there. Zee Germans usually underarmoured and your missile troops will probably have a field day mowing them down.

[Boyar Son]

Less than half a stack for you sarcasm?

How do you manage?

[Sarcasm]

Well, let's see, a legion the way I treat it, rarely takes to the field by itself. A Consular army would have 4 of these mini-armies [I seldom concentrate so many troops in one place, but this would ammount to a full-stack] and a praetorian one would have 2 [which would equate to about half-stack].

By itself, it should be quite capable of holding a city, or dealing with some pesky rebels that come along. Out in the open it has a very small frontage, so it's easily overwhelmed by full enemy armies, and why I keep them either encamped [on a foreign province] or garrisoned in a city [at home].

Navies deal with reinforcements. I rely a lot on my navy to get my armies around, so I always have superior maneuverability over enemy forces.

[antisocialmunky]

Personally, I'd try to ally with everyone around the AS and aid them in their battles with money. Save up and buy those mines to really boost your income so you're rolling around in cash. Also, if you can, try to keep them bottled up in Asia Minor. Keep them out of the Balkans and try to utilize the land chokes in Asia Minor(Byzanton and the rivers around Pergamun and Sardis as well as Halicarnasus) if and when you get powerful enough to take the war to them. Bleed them.

[LordCurlyton]

Heh well I just saw a first today: a triple-gold chevroned unit. A Sweboz General no less. Patavium would have held if not for his 63 god infantry. Soon to be god infantry no more *looks to approaching Romani army chock full of nothing but elite units, custom built for triple gold chevron killing*. That army appeared to be most of their elite units so wiping it out will really set them back and let me stomp on them.
EDIT: The triple-gold chevron Sweboz Faction Leader bit the dust quite satisfactorily, as well as a couple "Wolves of Wodan" and some other high end stuff. Ironically I believe it was my Gaeros(sp?) Celtic Spearmen that got him.

[Gazius]

Based on your 240 pic, this is what I would do. Fortify northern Italy along the mountains there, I wouldn't bother with Illyria, expect to maybe expand the Getai there and offer them an alliance. If your at war with Sweboz, I'd recommend keeping it defensive, or else cheating and paying them a huge sum for peace so that they go elsewhere. The arvernii, are dead now? I would also go for peace, same with Aedui, and support Iberia expanding to attack the other barbarians.

The only Offensive I would perform is killing carthage, and siezing the rest of western north africa. Maybe take the coastal Iberian provinces, but you want them to grow out of Iberia and fight the sweboz, who, what I'd like to see anyhow, is fighting the getai and the Iberians from their good sized empire. Who's got Cyrene? I'd recommend handing it off to the KH, give them a free home and a alliance if permitted, role playing wise, free greeks should be a goal. Also, by passing off Cyrene, you'll put a barrier in africa between you and seleukia. I would let everything play out in Asia, and merely sit until they truly become a superpower. Indeed, I would personally hope they reach into greece and stare at you from Ambrakia.

[bovi]

You need to take Sardinia and Corsica from Carthage. Possibly the Baleares and coastal western african settlements, but they are not as important and could lead to problems with public order as you swing eastwards. The increase in trade will allow you a lot of new troops, which you can use to crush the epirote presence. Hang around until AS is at war with Makedonia, then backstab the Maks to gain the incredibly rich greek provinces and continue pushing into AS lands. Forget the poor african provinces.

[russia almighty]

Entirely ballsy but charge straight for the AS capital , and exterminate and destroy every city along the way . I've found if you want to screw up a large faction you do that .

[Boyar Son]

Ouch! eazy to plan but the immense supplies and planning and setting up invasion dates!

The army will be attacked by several full stack armies.

[CaesarAugustus]

Entirely ballsy but charge straight for the AS capital , and exterminate and destroy every city along the way . I've found if you want to screw up a large faction you do that .

I don't think that Lord Curlyton has enough men to stage an attack on the selecuid capital at the moment, but if so then I recommend not destroying the cities, as you might want to reconquer and hold them later, and not as desolate villages..

[Boyar Son]

Oh, most definitly into desolate villages cities!

1. Destroying buildings repay for the campaign
2. Blow to the enemy economy
3. Enemy has to rebuild
4. More income if you stay for a while
5. And the best, a huge population and no way to quell their anger

[LordCurlyton]

This is from 231 BC and I posted it in the bugs section since I got a recurring CTD during Sweboz turn, but that is now solved I hope.
The problem town in question was the one shown (or so I believe). After I installed the quick fix the town ended up rebelling to the Sauromatae so now they and the Sweboz are at war and I'm hoping to push the Maks into it as well since they share a border with the Sweboz as well.
As much as I'd like to follow the advice of you all and finish off the Carthaginians I'm currently spending every penny I make each turn in either pacifying my newly acquired regions or building defensive troops/structures to keep the Sweboz at bay. On the good note my war against the Aedui is going quite nicely and they only have two more city-sized or above places which I now border. I'm breaking them, slowly but surely. I think I'll leave the Iberian Aedui settlement around to annoy the Lusotannans and Carthaginians.

[Boyar Son]

Wow look at the Seluekids, your really gonna have to make a plan if you even want to touch the east...

[Sarcasm]

Entirely ballsy but charge straight for the AS capital , and exterminate and destroy every city along the way . I've found if you want to screw up a large faction you do that .

You're so Russian.

[Foot]

I would start sending tribute to Parthia and Baktria, raise your influence in those areas and then get them to attack AS from the east. AS's east is really susceptible to attack, especially from Parthia as the regions over there all rebel to parthia. Just 100 tribute every turn will start to raise your influence with those factions, and when you are finally ready to attack they will make good allies.

Foot

[Sarcasm]

This is from 231 BC and I posted it in the bugs section since I got a recurring CTD during Sweboz turn, but that is now solved I hope.
The problem town in question was the one shown (or so I believe). After I installed the quick fix the town ended up rebelling to the Sauromatae so now they and the Sweboz are at war and I'm hoping to push the Maks into it as well since they share a border with the Sweboz as well.
As much as I'd like to follow the advice of you all and finish off the Carthaginians I'm currently spending every penny I make each turn in either pacifying my newly acquired regions or building defensive troops/structures to keep the Sweboz at bay. On the good note my war against the Aedui is going quite nicely and they only have two more city-sized or above places which I now border. I'm breaking them, slowly but surely. I think I'll leave the Iberian Aedui settlement around to annoy the Lusotannans and Carthaginians.

Just pull the troops from the Gallic war. Finish one front before going to the next.

[LordCurlyton]

Heh I wish it was that easy. But France has become a major battleground with both the Sweboz and Aedui throwing half stacks every other turn or so that way. Personally I need the roughly three full stacks of troops to repel attacks, maintain order while I Romanize the provinces I have, and launch new campaigns every year or two (one of my "Victor Galli" generals is pushing 60 and I'd like to get him a Triumphus, since he is my faction leader, and also a Vanquisher of Germans). I've got another stack starting to march north from Italy to start driving into the belly of the fragile Sweboz empire and my consolidation of Carthaginian territories in Africa is nearly complete so I'm beginning to reduce garrisons and march on their remaining African turf. As long as I stay on my toes I feel I should have most of the fighting wrapped up by 200 BC (I'm hoping to sign a ceasefire with the Sweboz after I take their capital and the territories I need to eventually win). I have no intention of showing the Gauls any mercy, though, since I've nearly taken all the cities the have more than a basic MIC and it gets really annoying slaughtering wave after wave of Lugoae. THEN I get to try and deal with the AS...

[Boyar Son]

Focus on economic buildings on coastal cities and military inside your domain.

[Count Belisarius]

Divert a half-stack or so, and pick off Sardinia and Corsica. Good, easy money there - minimal fortifications and (by now) rich and populous cities ripe for the slave markets. If you get some garrison troops in the queue a few turns ahead, by the time the battles are won, and the province minimally reorganized, you can move your field army on to the next target. The Kart-Hadast are on the ropes, so screw 'em.

Finish crushing the Aedui, and concentrate on Romanization (and econ/transport infrastructure) in Gaul. Although you probably don't have much choice, fight a defensive war vs. the Sweboz (for now) until the Aedui are exterminated or accept protectorate status. The problem with your line of advance is that the further you drive into Aedui territory, the more troops you have to devote to defending your extended right flank against the Sweboz.

Speaking of which, the Alpine passes can be held with relative ease because of favorable defensive terrain. All you need are lots of (cheap) Accensii (both to garrison your absolutely free forts in the passes and to rain bullets down on unarmored Sweboz heads) backed by 4-5 (cheap) Lugodae, together with a decent general, and *voila* you can shift heavier units to the conquest of Gaul.

Also, it looks like you have driven past the Alps and taken Segestica on the Adriatic coast. That does nothing but further extend your frontier, and you've given up the advantages of defensive terrain to boot. Don't waste your time tying down decent troops defending it. Either pull back to the Alps and concentrate on the Aedui, or gift the province to the Maks, and see if you can stir up trouble between them and the Sweboz.

Don't worry TOO much about your African holdings, even if you do get tangled up with AS. AS is too far away geographically from where you are now, anyway. The road through the desert from the Nile Delta to Africa Province is loooooong, and you are much closer to your sources of reinforcement. Luckily for you, the AI doesn't know the meaning of the phrase "amphibious operations." You can undercut them by giving cash to their enemies, but other folks have covered that in plenty.

That showdown with AS is really going to be something, whenever you get around to it.

[LordCurlyton]

Hmmm....*looks around for a free half-stack* well I *could* divert some troops from Africa since Carthage is doing *censored*-all to retake anything and the AI has essentially given up on even trying to fight for the remains. Though I most likely need a full stack, since I sent some spies over to each island to see what's going on and each has slightly over a half stack of units, mainly Libyan and Liby-Phoenician Spearmen, and I like crushing superiority.
I took Segestica because I started receiving German assaults from that direction which led me to send out a punitive expedition which, while destroying a couple stacks, found to its horror that Segestica had been taken by zee Germans. Not wanting to give them a port and a mine I took it from them. They don't seem to eager to take it back, though as its yet to be assaulted. Apparently pouring thru the Alpine passes or veering towards Patavium works for them (and for me). And after crushing another full stack+ that probably had the most diverse bunch of folks in the game (Scandinavian warbands, Celto-Germanic warbands, Chauci warbands, standard Germans, Baltic light infantry...) they have practically run out of mobile field armies on my front it seems. Now all I need to do is retrain the field army I used to beat all these stacks (it suffered roughly 30% casualties) and I should be able to take the offensive since I have found that once the AI seems to think you are going to march on their lands they start spamming their cheap, low-level units. Or at least the Barby factions have done so. That (along with Gallic intransigence towards a ceasefire) is the major reason I pushed into Gaul, since if I sit around the AI eventually starts building better units like the Northern Gallic Swordsmen or Gaesatae and sending them my way. As long as I stay aggressive the AI seems to be fine just spamming the Lugoae with the occasional Gaesatae. And some Iberian units emerge now and then from their one Iberian settlement. Its just a matter of retraining and smart thinking and I should be able to baloon out from the Alps. And don't worry, the Carthaginian islands have been on my "To Do" list for a while. In retrospect I should not have ended the First Punic War as quickly as I did and instead have taken those islands then since Carthage readily accepted peace but oh well, I'm not too inclined to reload from a save THAT long ago. Again, thanks for the advice folks and I'll keep you posted on the developments and do my best to provide halfway decent screenshots when I get around to attacking the AS.
EDIT: Oh and btw, would it be a good idea to possibly either just send an army or two on a "Raze and Kill" mission? IE, take a town, raze it, leave and let it rebel? Would it go Eleutheroi or would the Sweboz get it back? *If* it goes Eleutheroi I can inflict some major damage then since the "field army" I am thinking of consist of nothing but Polybian Pricipes, Triarii, and Pedites Extraordinarii, plus 1 General. Its the one that just wiped out 3-4 full stacks of Sweboz troops and will be retrained soon. Failing that, could I take some of their outlying towns and say, give them to the Maks or Getai? I'm allied with the Getai who are now Mak protectorates and I wonder if giving some border towns to the Maks could secure an alliance (maybe with a small tributary offering as well)? If it won't secure Mak alliance making the Getai stronger couldn't hurt, I'd think.

[bovi]

Destruction raids are very effective. If you think you can pull it off, do so. It'll hurt the cities for later when you're going to own them, but the AS is the worst enemy and will bear more of that burden, rebuilding the cities while you finish up elsewhere.

But if you can't divert half a stack to Corsica and Sardinia, you won't be able to do that...

[LordCurlyton]

Well I CAN do that to the Sweboz, who are an immediate threat. Like I said, I have a full stack of nothing but high end units to go beat on them once they retrain. I'm not worried about punitive raids with the AS yet. THAT is a whole new ballpark (I'm thinking that whne it happens I'll be using an 8 stack minimum to lead off). I may very well wait until the Marian reforms since i hear that you can train legions just about anywhere then which would greatly simplify the logistical aspects of the invasion. SO my real question is/was: if I march on Sweboz towns, would they revolt back to the Sweboz if i let them or do they go Eleutheroi? And whatever answer that might be, would it be better to perhaps strengthen the Getai, Maks (in exchange for alliance) or even Sauromatae by gifting them some Sweboz turf? The answer to those questions will greatly determine my course of action over the next couple decades.
Alternatively, I could just continue playing defensively with the Sweboz and use my Stack O' Doom to take the Carthy cities.....*lightbulb goes on*hmmm, now I need to think...

[bovi]

In the end it does not matter who controls the territories you take there, they will become your enemies sooner or later. Destroying all buildings there will make the place useless for quite a number of turns though.

Also, giving the settlements may help keeping up relations with someone you want to be nice to for a while. Possibly giving a settlement to other factions will give the Sweboz a lot of new enemies due to rebellions? If you do it with the entire front, the settlements may even act as a buffer so that the Sweboz won't see you as an immediate threat anymore and may accept peace. Then you can use that full stack somewhere more profitable.