Sweboz playability

[Dooz]

How complete is the Sweboz faction? I've been itching to play a big campaign as them, but I read there are yet to be some things added, like ethnicities or races. But lets say other than that trait addition, are there many other things yet to be added, or still unfinished? Is it good to start a campaign with the current version or better to hold off for a future one in hopes of a more complete experience?

[Kugutsu]

From what they are chucking across the alps at me, they seem fairly complete - at least they have a varied unit roster, and the AI makes full use of it.
I played a Sweboz campaign with 0.8 and it was perfectly playable. I noticed no glaring omissions which rendered it unplayable.

[Tiberius Nero]

I have played a Sweboz campaign and they were perfectly playable, if boring because you won't get to fight anyone in order to win really... It is a long, long war against dozens of rebel cities before you actually meet your neighbours and by then you only need to snatch a couple of cities from them and the victory objectives are achieved.

[Geoffrey S]

There probably is a fair bit left to be added, but my campaign was an entertaining one, even under .74. I loved the feeling of being one German tribe, busy uniting the rest while the other factions were busy elsewhere.

[Dooz]

Indeed, they seem to have a fairly varied roster, but I was wondering more about traits, ancillaries, buildings, other little EB details.

Geoffrey, when you say there is probably a fair bit left to be added, what kind of stuff do you mean?

[Birka Viking]

They are realy fun to play but they still have vanilla generals...

[Dooz]

They are realy fun to play but they still have vanilla generals...

That's almost a game breaker for me... I don't know why, just doesn't seem like I could get as immersed as I was planning. Oh well, guess I'll have to wait until more content is added to the Sweboz. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be another faction quite like them. The Gauls seem like they are, but not really.... What's a Wonderland to do?...

[Elminster12]

That's almost a game breaker for me... I don't know why, just doesn't seem like I could get as immersed as I was planning. Oh well, guess I'll have to wait until more content is added to the Sweboz. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be another faction quite like them. The Gauls seem like they are, but not really.... What's a Wonderland to do?...

The Getai are pretty fun...

[Rilder]

That's almost a game breaker for me... I don't know why, just doesn't seem like I could get as immersed as I was planning. Oh well, guess I'll have to wait until more content is added to the Sweboz. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be another faction quite like them. The Gauls seem like they are, but not really.... What's a Wonderland to do?...

You'd probably hate the Lustos then, they have a Blue, vanilla general, I say Casse, or Getai would be good based on your like of sweboz...

[Dooz]

Ya, I thought of those exact ones but I've alread played some epic campaigns as both in the past...... I think I'll just give it a break for a little while and come back with one of those factions. Or maybe I'll give a greek faction a shot. Always wanted to play a KH, Epirote or Mak campaign, now might be that time.

[Rilder]

Ya, I thought of those exact ones but I've alread played some epic campaigns as both in the past...... I think I'll just give it a break for a little while and come back with one of those factions. Or maybe I'll give a greek faction a shot. Always wanted to play a KH, Epirote or Mak campaign, now might be that time.

Koinon is deffinatly fun faction to play, just make just make sure to stick 300 Spartans in your armys!

[Elminster12]

Ya, I thought of those exact ones but I've alread played some epic campaigns as both in the past...... I think I'll just give it a break for a little while and come back with one of those factions. Or maybe I'll give a greek faction a shot. Always wanted to play a KH, Epirote or Mak campaign, now might be that time.

All fun factions...really hectic to start, especially for the Koinon. I actually got steamrolled playing them once...it was terribly embarassing!

[Swebozbozboz]

They are TONS of fun, and they take some strategy,too. First off, they have a huge variety of units. Each tribe you "unite" has a unique unit for the player to recruit. From the Chaucii [sp?] to the balts to the club warriors to the "wolves of wodan", all units are thrilling!

Uniting all the tribes is a blast, and fast paced since no one has any barricades at all. Not only will you have monetary problems, but you lack a good sized population, so growing your population while trying to conquest is difficult. Also, the logistical problems from running such a widespread empire is hard. From the English Channel to the very sparse baltic states, protecting all the extremities of your empire is difficult.

Once you do grow it is likely Rome has cozied up to your southern border, and either one of the gallic factions has impeded onto your western border. Without playing some hardball politics, it could easily turn into a two fronted war with you at the disadvantage!

I am loving every second of my Sweboz campaign. I would recommend them to anyone.

[Geoffrey S]

Indeed, they seem to have a fairly varied roster, but I was wondering more about traits, ancillaries, buildings, other little EB details.

Geoffrey, when you say there is probably a fair bit left to be added, what kind of stuff do you mean?

When I played there seemed to be a lack of faction-specific traits and ancillaries, and the surrounding tribes didn't have particularly interesting armies; but all in all it was perfectly playable, just as the Saba are now. However I don't know what the current situation is like.

[Dooz]

Well, I gave in and started a Sweboz campaign. Man is it tough, at least economically. In almost three years I've fallen into a 25,000 mnai debt, and still going. I've taken around 4-5 settlements and my armies are beginning to wither. Two more are currently under siege, one of which might be an unwinnable battle. It's fun though, playing on Huge. I just don't know how I'm going to overcome this deficit. The only thing I've built are roads on my first turn at my capital. And I hired a unit of cavalry mercs for my starting southern group. It's scary. One mistake, one defeat, one anything other than conquer will cost me more than I care to find out.

[Elminster12]

Well, I gave in and started a Sweboz campaign. Man is it tough, at least economically. In almost three years I've fallen into a 25,000 mnai debt, and still going. I've taken around 4-5 settlements and my armies are beginning to wither. Two more are currently under siege, one of which might be an unwinnable battle. It's fun though, playing on Huge. I just don't know how I'm going to overcome this deficit. The only thing I've built are roads on my first turn at my capital. And I hired a unit of cavalry mercs for my starting southern group. It's scary. One mistake, one defeat, one anything other than conquer will cost me more than I care to find out.

It's slow going to start....but at least you're not a nomadic faction
Got out of debt just for the Seleukids to decide they wanted a steppe empire to replace their western one....

[GodEmperorLeto]

As the Sweboz, I find I have to disband massive amounts of troops (I try to disband all of them into my capital to increase the population) within the first turn, and then try to grab one or two nearby provinces with the remaining army (usually comprised mostly of generals and their bodyguards), which don't need to be retrained to replenish losses. Roads are a must, the commerce boost and the speed they add to unit travel make them absolutely necessary.

I opt for slow growth and unification at first. I ally with the Celts, sometimes the Romans, and the Dacians. After I've pretty-much unified everything within the borders of WWII Germany (I like having Prussia), I start invading everyone I can. But it takes a darn good economy and a pretty solid defensible position.

Slow start is the only option for steppe nomads. Nevertheless, the vastness of the steppe is your ally. I usually rack up a staggering ratio of wins to losses (I always retreat, but that's because I fight guerrilla style). Anyone who invades me gets hit with cavarly archers that barrage until they are out of ammo, then retreat into steppe. By the time they reach a settement, they have suffered pretty rotten losses due to attrition and are fair game for my generals to gobble up. Your horse-archers are also fast on the campaign map, and I use them to dive into enemy territory, spread desolation everywhere, and, if they come across a lightly defended settlement, they besiege and sack it (usually hiring mercs to man battering rams), then destroy every single building to reap the cash. When they are done, the settlement is a smoking crater, as far as I am concerned. I once managed to take a full stack to Seleucia, and the profits from that little excursion was enough to fund another two full stacks and tons of settlement improvements.

Tailor your strategy to your faction. Each faction has a different combination of units that lends itself to different strategies and tactics. Figure out where your strengths are, and capitalize them. Mercs help you cover weaknesses, sometimes, but either way, try to minimize them as best as you can. Factions like the Sweboz and the Sauromatae are incredibly fun to play, but you cannot play them like you play Rome or KH.

[Dooz]

I went the other way with the Sweboz. I didn't disband any troops and hired a cavalry mercenary unit for my southern group, which was the smallest. Then I just branched out and conquered everything within reach. Out of my starting 2,500 men I'm left with 988, most of whom are in the conquered settlements as a military rulers. It took 6 years for me to finally get out of debt and turn a profit. I immediately started up a program of establishing military rule for all conquered towns up to that point, and eventually establishing governments.

Here are the lands I've conquered with the initial warriors of the tribe, as of 264.



I don't have enough men to take on the Hattoz just yet, and since I now have money I'm training a couple of units to help in the effort. After that tribe has come under Sweboz control, I'll lay back for a while and develop. I hope I don't have to take that one rebel settlement east of Scandanavia on an island in order to "unite" all the tribes... I'd have to build a fleet and spend a lot of resources I need elsewhere...

[KarstenChu]

Oh, you guys make Sweboz look fun...maybe after I reestablish the Roman Empire I'll give em a shot.

[Tiberius Nero]

As the Sweboz it is a good idea to disband all your cavarly at the very first turn in the capital (perhaps keep 1 unit at most); they cost tons of money to maintain and they are going to be useless, since you are unlikely to see a field battle until quite late in game, because you will only fight rebel cities, and cavalry is useless in siege, unless you wait it out. But then again units of foot skirmishers are much more cost effective really even for that role.

[Watchman]

I went the other way with the Sweboz. I didn't disband any troops and hired a cavalry mercenary unit for my southern group, which was the smallest. Then I just branched out and conquered everything within reach. Out of my starting 2,500 men I'm left with 988, most of whom are in the conquered settlements as a military rulers. It took 6 years for me to finally get out of debt and turn a profit. I immediately started up a program of establishing military rule for all conquered towns up to that point, and eventually establishing governments.

Sounds like my usual three-year land-grab spree with the Getai. "In the red ? So grab that tax base already, young padawan."

[LordCurlyton]

Heh I was inspired to try the Sweboz by reading this and I have found it to be much enjoyable. Rather than disbanding units I took the counter-intuitiv approach of building MORE units; in fact, except for the 800 Mnai I spent to build roads in my province I spent the rest on queued up units. This allowed me to rampage up the Baltic and back as well as grabbing some easterly territories. I left the Danes and Swedes for when my armies reunited. It was wonderful. And I am SO kicking some major posterior right now.
EDIT: BTW, I've conquered all the provinces with Gawjam-whatever that I can find but I still haven't erased the "potential uniter" trait for my faction leader. Will I only be considered a uniter if I fulfill my victory conditions?

[Dooz]

There is a small island, tiny, to the east of Scandanavia. It's a Gawjam and the only way to reach it is by ship. Quite unfortunate really, I think it's probably the last one needed to unite 'em all. I wish it weren't! There's no way I can build any ships until years down the line, I don't even have large enough towns to build ports... not to mention that northern sea is swarming with pirates. Yeesh.

[Elminster12]

There is a small island, tiny, to the east of Scandanavia. It's a Gawjam and the only way to reach it is by ship. Quite unfortunate really, I think it's probably the last one needed to unite 'em all. I wish it weren't! There's no way I can build any ships until years down the line, I don't even have large enough towns to build ports... not to mention that northern sea is swarming with pirates. Yeesh.

You can build ships in Gawjam-Skandzawarjoz, if I recall correctly....but the pirates....yeah...the pirates. Must be some sort of Pirate breeding ground in the North Atlantic....

[LordCurlyton]

Oh I managed to get that lil' island....just waited for the pirates to wander away and snuck in. But my poor Faction Leader died of old age staring at the gates of Rome with that Potential Uniter tag still on. At least my new leader is sans that tag so I guess I did it.

[Rilder]

You can build ships in Gawjam-Skandzawarjoz, if I recall correctly....but the pirates....yeah...the pirates. Must be some sort of Pirate breeding ground in the North Atlantic....

Yea talk about the pirates up there..