Pahlava guide requested

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

I have played with most eastern factions bordering Arche Seleucia on Medium Campaign / Hard Battles with house rule "never attack unless attacked" , "never disband armyes".

I managed to overwhelm Seleucids with both Armenia and Pontus , using large numbers of cheap slingers. Cheap missile troops in huge numbers + galatians made good job of enemy troops. Spies also where very usefull, many Seleucid settlements i made to rebel. In one ocasion, i did not build nothing for a good number of turns just to hire Galatian Naked wildman, wich is a winning card in any Asia Minor war.

But how about Pahlava ? Theyr provinces are very poor, to the north are nothing more than steppe nomads, and to the south is Seleucids, to the east is Baktria... No decent mercenaryes are available, only HA`s, and they are very expensive. As expansion into the north is worthless (and also historically innacurate), the only ways to do something is to go towards the south and east. To the east is to Baktria , it starts extremely powerfull, with large garrisons. Would be difficult to take. I also guess that considering the difficult starting position, house rules cannot be used for Pahlava.

To the south, are the Seleucids. Again, very difficult to take.

Considering the fact Pahlava has no decent infantry, very poor economy, sorrounded by enemies, wich would be the best course of action ?

[bovi]

Take a tour raiding in AS. Your horsies can run circles around any AS army and retreat once their ammo is spent.

[KuKulzA]

and ahlava have some really kickass heavy cavalry varieties later on when your economy is better... so you can stop running circles around the enemy but run them down direct...

have all the generals you can spare all together in one army and you already got a pretty decent cataphract force

[Laman]

And the Pahlavans have three spies at start. Use them to your advantage. You should be able to avoid getting taken by surprise by large enemy armies coming out of nowhere.

[Tristuskhan]

Here was my moves in the beginning of my Pahlavi campaign...
First, enqueue buildings in Nisa (palace, roads, port and walls, I forgot the walls and the city was later captured by the seleucids).
Send your diplomat to seek peace with your ennemies. Sakae, Sauromatae and Bactrians left me alone for a long time then...
Gather all your troops except governors and head to Gava Maszakata. The losses in Gava Maszakata will be high, so: less upkeep.
Rally your spies around Antiochia Margiane, make it rebel and take it. If you can, do the same in Asaak. Once done, your troops will be highly depleted, your upkeep low, and your income may be positive.

Then you *just* have to balance you expense between city building and the troops necessary for a fierce defensive war against the Arche. Those five provinces should be able to field a quite-full stack of basic HA and cheap footmen. Take Hekatompylos and you should be able to field a second stack of low-level troops you'll use when war broke out with Baktria - no mercy, don't stop until you seized their three starting provinces at least, and well, raze them and throw them in the paper-basket of History.

About infantery: the best I've found are mercenary medium phallanx, but their upkeep is almost the same as your own noble horse-archers. I don't know Hircanian hillmen's worth, maybe I should test them.
Most of time you'll have to rely on Nizag Gund and Pantodapoi Phalangitai. They can hold a line for a while supposing your cavalry is close to charge the foe as soon as possible. And they'll die in rows whatever you do...

Pahlava is my best EB campaign until now.

[LordCurlyton]

Yes, use spies and more spies. You should be able to quickly balance your budget, especially if you give NIsa the mine resource it should have. I managed to keep at least one spie in almost every eastern Seleukid city and they had to constantly shuffle troops around to keep the peace and thus couldn't focus on me. And as revolts started occurring next to my territories I would swoop in and take the rebel settlements. After a while you can outright buy a Selukid province that is in revolt from the AS for roughly 7-10k a pop. Using this strategem, and with the timely declaration of war between the Baktrians and AS, I managed to keep the peace with the Seleukids for almost 40 years, and allowed to me to thoroughly crush the Baktrians when the AS requested military aid from me. The AS only declared war after I finally took Persepolis when it revolted for the 4th or 5th time.
Rather than buying Pez mercs, stick with the Pantodopai Phalangitai that will be available almost everywhere in Regional MIC 2. They are more sturdy than the infantry you'll get faction-wise, but the Iranian Archer-Spearmen are some awesome support troops, as well as Shuban Fradashkana. Your basic HA will carry you a LONG ways, and you have access to several good melee cavs of medium and high quality, so there is no cavalry or infantry threat that can't be dealt with. I broke Baktria's Pezheteraioi line with Pahlava Shivatir and Denbed Asavara, with only 3 Pant Phalangs to distract them (I don't believe they actually locked horns with the Pez, but I know they tussled briefly with Baktria's light inf and archers when the AI got desperate).