Helping Hand with Hayasdan

[Cataclysm]

Hi all,

It is year 253 in my new Hayasdan campaign and I'm finding myself in some trouble. I have played this faction a couple of times before in 0.80 and did well with my economy and expansion before CTDs ended those games.

This time I'm finding it to be more challenging. Here is the current situation:


The Seleukids have set their covetous eyes upon the Hai kingdom and are sending many raiding parties into our lands, continually beseiging my lightly garrisoned cities, and at one time captured Ani-Kamah. So, my main army is constantly having to put out these fires.

I want to expand and capture Trapezeus with it's port and mine to boost the royal treasury, but I cannot really afford to build one more army and sack the strong garrison there.

Here is the financial situation:


While the Seleukids continue to invade, their rival Ptolomies (my allies) have gobbled up Syria and pushed into Mesopotamia:



Any thoughts on the best course of action here?

[Thaatu]

Do you want some advice or the truth? You might not like the latter...

[Teleklos Archelaou]

can you become a protectorate of the seleucids? Anything to get them to lay off and focus elsewhere while you consolidate and build up economy and get a couple more rebel provinces? Make sure you have their allies and their enemies - don't rock the boat. Maybe then you can get a ceasefire.

[Cataclysm]

Not long after I posted here I played another session and turned things around. My cash situation was not as bad as I had thought, so I managed to put some troops together and took Trapezous and Phrasspa.

That was the hight of the kingdom so far.

Not long after, Ptolomey decided they wanted Ani-Kamah too and betrayed our alliance (really, does an alliance ever hold with those guys?). They sent a 3/4 stack of heavy pikemen and took the town. Now they have another group heading to take Trapezous.

So now two of the largest empires in the game want to annex Hayasdan. I'll post a screen of things look later as I'm at the office at present.

I have to say this is a refreshing change of pace. I have never faced the prospect of losing before in RTW (FYI playing on VH/M). I always wondered what it would be like defending you last city to the death.

I may get that chance.

[Elminster12]

Not long after I posted here I played another session and turned things around. My cash situation was not as bad as I had thought, so I managed to put some troops together and took Trapezous and Phrasspa.

That was the hight of the kingdom so far.

Not long after, Ptolomey decided they wanted Ani-Kamah too and betrayed our alliance (really, does an alliance ever hold with those guys?). They sent a 3/4 stack of heavy pikemen and took the town. Now they have another group heading to take Trapezous.

So now two of the largest empires in the game want to annex Hayasdan. I'll post a screen of things look later as I'm at the office at present.

I have to say this is a refreshing change of pace. I have never faced the prospect of losing before in RTW (FYI playing on VH/M). I always wondered what it would be like defending you last city to the death.

I may get that chance.

It ain't any prettier with Pontos. Gotta love CA for giving the AIs a homing mechanism for the player...

[Vorian]

I have to say this is a refreshing change of pace. I have never faced the prospect of losing before in RTW (FYI playing on VH/M). I always wondered what it would be like defending you last city to the death.

I may get that chance.

I lost for the first time a couple of hours ago with the Casse. You don't miss much

[Cataclysm]

Here is the quick update I mentioned. It is 245 BC and Mher is guarding the mountain passes with the main royal army. Ptolomey is about to seige Trapezous and the Seleucids wander the valleys to the south:



I figure I can hold the area south of Kotais with that army by using hit and run engagements with my horse archers to wear their pike formations down.

This is the East:



Those Seleucid territories are lightly defended, so if I can muster a decent force with my remaining treasury I might be able to do some raiding out there.


TA: No luck with ceasefires and neither faction has presented the protectorate option.

[CountArach]

Those Seleucid territories are lightly defended, so if I can muster a decent force with my remaining treasury I might be able to do some raiding out there.

I would honestly suggest not doing this. With the situation you are in your best bet is to defend until you find a chance to retake Ani-Kamah

[JeffBag]

Yes, I agree with CountArach, stretching over to the East would not be good as you would probably find it hard to defend from Seleucid armies coming from the East and from the South. The Ptolemaic armies seems more isolated so you could probably just kill them off and not be bothered for a long enough time, allowing you to go kill some Seleucid stacks.

[Daimon]

Isn't the best defense a good offense?

[Cataclysm]

Well, for now I have been following CountArach and JeffBag's recommendation and have dug in near Kotais.

In the meantime though, Trapezous fell to the Ptolomies. My caucasian spearmen were no match for their galatians.

A short time later, the people of Trapezous rose up to throw off the yoke of Ptolomeic oppression and ...


...entered the league of free greek states, the Koinon Hellenon. While I hoped it would revolt back to Hayasdan, I will have to settle with having my ally as my new neighbor. I'm sending them a small tribute of 100 mnai per turn to hopefully stay in their good graces.

I besieged Ani_Kamah, but later had to pull back due to the sheer number of Ptolemaic forces on their way to releive the garrison. Then this:


Here I set the stage for slaughter - Horse Archers surrounding the column of infantry:


With efficient results:


Mher finnishes them off:

I might enter that one into the next screenshot competition.

Victory!:


Mher's heroic defense of the kingdom!


With KH in the mix now this should get interesting as they border Pontus and Ptolomey now, but so far they have just turtled inside the city.

I think I'm going to try to save up and build the mine in Kotais while defending the mountain passes. Then once the mine is built, conscript some more troops and go on the offensive.

[Rilder]

Intense looks like your managing to get your kingdom back in shape...

[Intranetusa]

Why is your construction expenditure 0?

Construction of buildings takes priority over everything else, including unit trainning...

[CountArach]

Why is your construction expenditure 0?

Construction of buildings takes priority over everything else, including unit trainning...

"I think I'm going to try to save up and build the mine in Kotais while defending the mountain passes. Then once the mine is built, conscript some more troops and go on the offensive."

Looks like things turned out quite nicel for you.

[Cataclysm]

Actually, I walked away from this campaign awhile ago. It turned into a rediculous war of attrition and I was having a hard time keeping up. Too many elite greek units vs my levies. I had lost Kotais and was pushed back into the homeland.

The KH were swept aside from Trapezus only a couple of years after it revolted.

So, I had lost interest in it. I have the save game still and may try to engineer a glorious comeback, but my Sweboz game is much more fun right now.

[Lord Gruffles]

I had a great Hayasdan campaign going. But then I saw .81a had come out and decided to bite the bullet.

The key to them is to be as aggressive as you can early. I had Seleukos on the run and was just about to invade (and slaughter) Pontus.