Suggestions for non-Roman campaign?

[DerekBaker]

I've played all my campaigns so far as Julii. Have just beaten the game on Very Hard/Very Hard.

Can someone suggest a non-Roman faction that at this difficulty will be more of a challenge without being unfair?

Thanks.

[The New Che Guevara]

I'd say selucids as right at the start you have egypt, armenia, parthia and pontus as possible enemies who would betray you even with alliances, and also I think that most non-roman factions have less money to start with, either that or more settlements, thus more expenditure. The good thing is that you get elephants at the end, oh and you start with 2 ancient wonders.

[DerekBaker]

Thanks for the reply.

I have just started a Briton campaign. Obvious choice really: I'm from Britain.

Still open to suggestions for my campaign after this; definitely like the idea of elephants.

[Hannibalbarc]

As always, I say Carthage

[DerekBaker]

Any particular reason?

[Quirinus]

I second that. Carthage is challenging-- you face the Romans with their superior infantry at the start, and you have no archers, but you have a very interesting troop roster-- powerful cavalry, decent later-game elite phalangites, and: elephants! Elephants have limited recruitment areas, mostly in your heartlands, but, unless you use auto-calc all the time or charge them into spears, they survive pretty well-- multiple hitpoints plus high defense, and scares the enemy.

If you're looking to play the phalanx, though, play as the Greek Cities. Their unit roster is rather limited, but the hoplites and the challenge on the campaign map are interesting enough. Stay away if you're a cavalry junkie though, the Greeks don't have any decent cavalry.

The Seleucid Empire and Egypt also have phalangites as the core of their armies and tactics, but they have a much more varied troop roster, particularly the Seleucids. The Seleucids are late-game monsters if they are allowed to develop-- their upper-tier troops include scythed chariots, cataphracts and elephants along with the core of good phalangites and excellent regular cavalry. But beware-- as the Seleucids, every one of your neighbours will be gunning for you, and as your empire spans such a distance, you have Egypt, Armenia, Pontus and Parthia casting covetous glances at your lands. Egypt has it much easier. The Egyptians are not much of a challenge with very rich heartlands (Egypt Proper) and an overpowered troop roster. But hey, you can always crank up the difficulty or pick fights with multiple enemies if you think it's too easy. The Egyptian troops are cool as hell, if you can ignore their very ahistorical appearance.

Parthia is worth a try, but don't play them like the Romans. Their horse archer tactics are pretty much the opposite of legionary tactics, and the Parthians have virtually no infantry.

I'll leave the barbarian factions to someone else, as I'm not a big fan of barbarians.

[carbz]

selucid are great fun, play them. no doubt.

[Critical Bill]

I'm currently thoroughly enjoying Germania.

Although as you're playing a barb faction at the moment, you might want something a little different next time out.

[placenik]

Schytia is logistics/capital distance chalenge. Also no infantry.

[carbz]

you know these capital distance thingies, whqats to stop p[eople just changing the capital city?

also, what is it that triggers the negative effect, turn time to reach capital?

i always build roads cos i assum that will limit the effect of distance penalty, and i move my capital.

[placenik]

Try to position capital properly when you can't get more than 3d level temples, your dominion is from end of map on east to British isles on west, and you have insane barbarian growth. Also you have only dirt roads :( It is chalenging.

But at least you can chew through pre-Marius Romans with ease.

[Emperor Mithdrates]

Try the Carthaginians. i' having trouble on easy. The carthaginians are my favourite faction but they are always under attack from the spanish, romans, greeks and guals. Its lucky they own quite a bit of land.

[Quirinus]

Schytia is logistics/capital distance chalenge. Also no infantry.

I find the axemen (or whatever they call it-- the second-tier barracks one) to be pretty decent. Scythians definitely have very fun units to play with, but, as previously noted, I really dislike playing as barbarians on the campaign map.

By the way, roads reduce the distance penalty? I suppose it makes sense, but I've never noticed it before. How does it work? For example, if your capital is Mediolanum, does Osca get the penalty reduction if Massilia and Narbo Martius has roads but not Osca? Or is the reduction calculated purely on local terms (i.e. Osca gets the reduction all the same if Osca and not the other two has roads)?

Try the Carthaginians. i' having trouble on easy. The carthaginians are my favourite faction but they are always under attack from the spanish, romans, greeks and guals. Its lucky they own quite a bit of land.

Yes, and the good thing about the Carthagenians is that, pretty much from the start, if you are upgrading your cities conscientiously, you will never have to worry about money. Feeling that the assault needs an extra kick? Hire all three units of Spanish mercenaries!

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Try the Carthaginians. i' having trouble on easy. The carthaginians are my favourite faction but they are always under attack from the spanish, romans, greeks and guals. Its lucky they own quite a bit of land.

Carthage is a fair challenge, but can be made much easier. I find that abandoning all overseas provinces prevents wars starting too early, especially with Rome, and allows you to build up your mainland in the meantime. Although it may make no sense, the Romans don't seem to come to Africa as quickly if you avoid war with them early on.

By the way, roads reduce the distance penalty? I suppose it makes sense, but I've never noticed it before. How does it work? For example, if your capital is Mediolanum, does Osca get the penalty reduction if Massilia and Narbo Martius has roads but not Osca? Or is the reduction calculated purely on local terms (i.e. Osca gets the reduction all the same if Osca and not the other two has roads)?

I don't think they do - its based up the number of "tiles" the capital is away from the settlement rather than transport distances.

[Hannibalbarc]

Any particular reason?

They have already been mentioned but, I will give a hint, use cavalry, lots and lots of cavalry, Emperor Barca, you might find it quite easy to beat the Romans if you just spammed rs cav, the romans lack any good units to counter cavalry, and cavalry is already overpowered.

[Gaius Scribonius Curio]

I'd recommend Parthia, difficult starting position right up against the edge of the map, and no good areas to expand to without taking on the Selucids or Egypt.

That said once your up and running the all Cavalry armies make mincemeat out of any Phalanx type unit and Roman infantry, so maybe if you want a challenge not such a good idea.

I've just started a Carthaginian campaign and found it more challenging, particularly as I make a point of not spamming r-s Cavalry (I try to make my armies fairly balanced ... to give the poor AI a chance). But Parthia is my favorite so far.

[DerekBaker]

Thanks for the Parthian recommendation. I'm finding Britannia on VH rather too much of a challenge at the moment.

[Quirinus]

Heh, being not much of a challenge aside, it sure is cool to see horse archers raining arrows from all sides into a surrounded enemy, ala Carrhae. Or killing generals in isolated skirmishes by baiting them to chase you, and then picking off his bodyguard one by one. I know. I'm a sadist.

[Quintus.JC]

Carthage, Seleucids would be good choice. The Macedonian campaign was quite fun as well.

[Hound of Ulster]

Avoid Parthia if your not playing one of the mods. Go Gaul if your playing vanilla RTW.

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Heh, being not much of a challenge aside, it sure is cool to see horse archers raining arrows from all sides into a surrounded enemy, ala Carrhae. Or killing generals in isolated skirmishes by baiting them to chase you, and then picking off his bodyguard one by one. I know. I'm a sadist.

I must admit that I share your pleasure - I only ever zoom into the field in all TW games to watch massacres of that type. It was especially bloody to watch in M:TW which has very primitive, yet interestingly gruesome unit dying animations. In that game targeting multiple units with siege weapons creates a very large red patch on the field which is often very therapeutic after a bad day.

[Quintus.JC]

I don't have much liking for barbarian factions, they do have some superb units but the lack of technology plus other numerous reasons prevent me from having an great fun with this lot.

[The Wandering Scholar]

Macedon are very fun to play as, not much of a challenge but very very fun. Have fun using up the archers ammo on them spartans then run away,

[Quirinus]

Avoid Parthia if your not playing one of the mods. Go Gaul if your playing vanilla RTW.

Why is that? Parthia was pretty cool when I played it on vanilla. Admittedly they are lacking in troop variety, but, like the Greeks, what they have are so damn cool that the teeny troop roster is rarely a turn-off, at least for me.

I don't have much liking for barbarian factions, they do have some superb units but the lack of technology plus other numerous reasons prevent me from having an great fun with this lot.

Yeah. My two main reasons for not liking to play the barbarians are both campaign-map related. The first is aesthetics: I do detest the round settlement model. Secondly, as I like to build up my empire nice and slow, I always find squalor to be a huge problem, even in the early mid-game for cities like Patavium, Chersonesus or Carthago Nova. Also, while it doesn't take a stretch of imagination to imagine a Roman, Carthagenian, Macedonian, Seleucid, even Greek empire, I find myself unable to imagine a mighty barbarian empire as they are depicted in RTW. In BI, this is not so much of a problem, but it is in vanilla, where barbarians are depicted as uncivilised and/or generally savages compared to the 'civilised' races.

[Emperor Mithdrates]

I've played all my campaigns so far as Julii. Have just beaten the game on Very Hard/Very Hard.

Can someone suggest a non-Roman faction that at this difficulty will be more of a challenge without being unfair?

Thanks.

I sugest the greeks.
They are the best and toughest soldiers in the world.
The have better tactics than the romans and more courage than the carthaginians. pluss they start off with quite a bit of land and a really easy arch-enemy (Macedonia).

E.B

[Spartan198]

Want a real challenge? Play the Seleucid Empire.