Grrr.....Over extended

**Hellenic_Hoplite** · 01-21-2008, 18:24

I thought about it and I think i'll stick it out, besides the reason I play EB is because I don't find vanilla RTW challenging enough. These tips should come as great help since before I was sending endless legions on both fronts.

**pezhetairoi** · 01-22-2008, 00:18

Dammit, if you quit now I will kill you. This is the part where EB is fun! Usually what I do at this point is put my Italian cities into overdrive and churn out legions like nuts. Suggestion, deal with Gaul first, and start building allied facilities in Bononia, Mediolanum and Patavium. Hold your cards close and play defensive until your Neitos and Brihentin training facilities are up and running. With Neitos you can hold the line far better than even with legionaries.

In Spain, you MUST rely on transshipment of troops from Italia. Milites and Caetrati are simply not going to cut it.

In the east, try to hold out with Lonchophoroi and Hoplitai. They are trainable in Greece, and are certainly more than adequate, if you have a fullstack of them, to crush the Ptolemaioi. That way you take some pressure off your Roman training facilities. Let Greece take care of itself. If your hoplitai facilities aren't up yet, then try to hold with one army in Greece, give up Ionia and hold Byzantion with another army you can use to take the offensive against the Makedonioi, one army in Spain, and two in Gaul. In Spain, try to hold on to what you have and stop attacking. The Qarthadastim can't possibly hurl stacks at you as fast as you can destroy them anyway.

Ensure a constant flow of reinforcements from Italia via your fleets. Send something like a halfstack worth per army to nearby cities. I usually, where Romans are concerned, send 3 non-Roman units, 5 legion units (2-2-1) and 2 cavalry units at one go. With 8 cities, you can pull off the production of one vexillarium a turn.

Once you've stabilised the fronts, train up a couple more legions and concentrate overwhelming force on one faction. You definitely have the economic resources by now to raise at least six to seven Polybian fullstacks. (I once had 7 Marian fullstack legions with all continental Europe conquered, and still was earning 15k a turn.) I would recommend the Gauls, because their troops are most valuable and highest-level. Then hurl everything against Spain. Then, send everything east, use one or two to finish off Makedonia, then everything south to finish off the Qarthadastim. Only attack the Ptolemaioi after you've finished off all these, then pincer attack via Asia Minor while you launch an invasion of the Egyptian heartland (which should be denudedof troops by now) and finish off their elite and cavalry training facilitieson the Nile . Isolate them from the Levant, then hold until Marians hit and you get instant armies anywhere you go. Then sock them hard all the way back to Mesopotamia.

**Hellenic_Hoplite** · 01-22-2008, 21:53

So far the Egyptians managed to kick me out of my two colonies in turkey, I'm trying my best to get Byzantium built up with Stone walls while getting as many troops in it as possible. I'm no longer sending legions to two fronts I've been sending them all to gaul, the Arverni managed to take two of my Gaulic cities. I've taken one back and also taken their capital and destroyed most of their army. I have legions in gaul and more being built. It's going to be a while before I'm powerful enough to take on Egypt in their on their own turf so until I take the rest of spain and gaul I'm going to stay on the defensive with them. I've also managed to take most of africa, I'm glad I did because I'm seeing alot less of those dreaded "Elite African Pikemen" and seeing more Iberian Militias and "Liby-Phoenecian Infantry"

**Poulp'** · 01-22-2008, 22:30

Sounds good so far

In Asia Minor, even if you don't have the manpower, you'll probably want to spam the place with spies; keeping an eye on your enemy and helping rebellion is always a sound idea.

**blado** · 01-23-2008, 00:21

Mind if I ask for a picture of your empire?

**marodeur** · 01-23-2008, 01:34

Originally Posted by blado

Mind if I ask for a picture of your empire?

Good idea. And for the rest - go on! You will get them down. Ignore Egypt, stay on the defense and destroy every opposition in the west.

**pezhetairoi** · 01-23-2008, 01:58

Yes, ignore Egypt. A word of advice, keep your army just outside Byzantion, not inside of it. Field battles of relief are far more economical on troops and much more experience-gaining than siege battles. Sally battles have a monster city in the middle of the map, so you can only run around the edges. It really is very tedious.

Good to hear about the Gauls, remember that the objective of war is not territory but the destruction of your enemy's armies. The territory in the vicinity comes along with that. Dealing with Africa so fast was perhaps not a good idea... It's a second front that can't really support the other theatres yet...