About the ai stupidity in going after rebels first, in my current game as Makedonia I kicked the Epirotes out of Epeiros, leaving them with just Taras. One city, a small stack and what do they do? They proceed with smashing the Romans, expanding up to and conquering Rome, as well as expanding into Sicily, taking Messana. The Romans, or what remains of them, still attacks the Eleutheroi in northern Italy, rather then doing something about the Epirotes.