A Makedonian Tactical "Fork in the Road"

[Conqueror]

Owen: under your situation I'd definetly cancel the plans to invade Sicily. You'll be drawn into a war on many fronts, make enemies that would be better kept friendly/neutral for now (Karthadast), as well as risk your invasion army being caught between two foes. This would be particularly devastating if your fleet is defeated, leaving your army stuck on the island without reinforcements.

Instead, I suggest that you go for an alliance with Karthadast and direct your invasion army on Italy. It's better to attack the Romans before they attack you. Sack some of their cities and be prepared to withdraw if they bring too many troops to bear. Use the money gained from this raiding to raise a new army in Epirote lands (hire mercs if you're in a hurry) and use that one to threaten Romans in the north. If you're lucky, the Karthaginians will attack southern Italy and further weaken the Romans. You can even try to give them some of the cities you sacked; if they accept the gifts then they'll soon be at war with Romans for sure.

[antisocialmunky]

You don't want to be near CArthage post 240 since they'll have elite units and you DEFINATELY don't want to be in Sicily being attacked by the Punics if the Romans decide to invade. They are allied to each other from the start so I'd avoid taht. You might just want to go into remission, build up your economy and forces and then decide who you want to kill.

[Owen the Mighty]

Update: Alot hasn't changed in these last few turns in my campaign, but here's an update anyways:

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-The Roman legions are growing stronger every day! There are now 3 full legions perpetually stationed in Dalmatia! Also, reinforcement legions (1/3 of full a legion) are constantly popping in and out of Dalmatia, so I imagine they have reinforcements at the borders of Dalmatia ready for a counter-attack if I attack them first.....

-I have boosted that small expeditionary force to 10 units, and I have moved my original Sicilian Invasion Force out of the Thermon countryside, to Ambrakia with my other small army. My forces are gathering for an epic battle......

-My army in the north is still seiging Buridava, but that army is also repelling constant attacks from small Getian warbands. This is truly annoying me, as I have to keep fighting these small battles with my main force.....grrrrrr.....

-Also, the smaller armies that were reinforcing my main northern army (about 15 units in total in three armies = 5 unit armies, in other words) are DEAD! They were destroyed by a fairly large Getian force that struck back during the first months of my seige at Buridava....but they were dealt with by my main northern force. What pisses me off is that my six-star general who commanded an elite force of Makedonian veterans was killed in this counter-attack.....I was saving him for the Roman assault...

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The only concern I have is my northern army, as it's reinforcements are now non-existant, and a retreat to the homeland might prove to be alot more difficult without them covering their backs....grrrrr....

Again, post with advice! This campaign is basically writting itself for an AAR.....coming soon!

[Conqueror]

Tough times ahead. You should think carefully if keeping Buridava is worth the garrison that it'll require. If the Getai have more cities left then they will lay siege on Buridava after you've captured it. Perhaps butchering the town and burning all the buildings for some quick money, then retreating would be a better choise? You could then take the northern army to fight the Romans, or you could use it to sack more Getic towns to further weaken them.

In any case, your primary objective now should be to dispose of the immediate Roman threat quickly. It's a very bad thing to have the war take place on your own lands, especially if it means your cities being put under siege. It's much better, if you can, to go on the offensive and devastate the lands of your enemy. Even if you can't hold on to the territory, you can at least gain some money from looting and prevent the Romans from recruiting their best units by destroying their MICs.

[Owen the Mighty]

Yes, I believe the northern campaign will have to be called off for time being, Conqueror, as my northern army would even the odds against the Romans on Dalmatia. The only problem is retreating from the north and not being attacked by the Getians, who are using multiple small armies against my larger army. As of my last turn of play, my northern army has been reduced from it's original 16 units to 12 units.....grrrrr!

I'll post again in awhile with a game update. Thanks for the help, Conqueror!