Hi.
I agree with those who say that Saba should be replaced by Numidia. The reasons I find are:
1. Saba was a relatively small kingdom, without expansion outside the southern Arabia. They were mostly lightly cavalry, camel or infantry mercenaries under the employ of many other factions in the Middle-East and North-Africa regions. Obviously, they fought many times in both sides of a battlefield.
2. Leaving the Arabic Peninsula with only rebel regions isn't much of a problem, since historically they did not play an important role in the events during the EB Timeline. Also, I think the Seleucids and Ptolemies should be more attracted to the wealthy regions of the Mediterranean Sea than to the Arabic Desert.
3. Numidian troops were crucial to Hannibal's victories against the Romans, and in fact much of its army was composed of Iberians, Numidians and Gauls. So, they have a relevant presence in the EB timeline.
4. Later, Numidia played a very important role in the destruction of Carthage. It was the enmity and constant state of war between those two kingdoms that allowed the Romans to make an alliance with the Numidians, which helped turned the tide against the Cartaginians. After the fall of Carthage, the Numidians became the most powerful regional kingdom (although under the "protection" of the Romans).
5. The Numidians are located in a crucial region in the EB timeline and could have become a great power after the fall of Carthage, if the Romans had not had such a great military expansion. They are an excellent faction to play in a "what if..." scenario, considering that they have the necessary human and material resources to take the place of Carthage and become a very powerful faction in the Mediterranean.
6. As for the game itself, I find that the Saba units aren't as well made as the other units in EB, so I guess that it comes from the lack of sources. Someone said that they were an unfinished faction, but since the EB Team is moving to EB2, probably they won't finish the Saba faction anymore. I think it would give a lot of work to make the change from the Saba to Numidia, but I really think it would be worth it.
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