Baktria is a great choice... I doubt that you will regret it. I have had a campaign with them that has simply been a fifty year state of emergency. Don't get me wrong - I win 80% of my battles, but winning alone is not enough. You have to really plan your campaign because that army you just sent to India is now 10 turns away from assisting against Saka or Parthia, or Selucia (the easiest of your foes). The lack of Naval influence in the campaign means that reinforcements are hard to come by, and that the economy is not superb either - so you can barely afford extra soldiers anyway. Hint - watch out for those Indian rebels. Conquering India seemed to solve all of my financial problems, and the area gave me a secure base that I thought I could leave unguarded. Unfortunately, the local rebels are spawned with elephants... which is to say that you are not as secure in India as you might think!

Another faction you might like is Macedonia. They have a great starting position, a solid Hellenic lineup, challenging VC, an extensive expansion area, and they are real players in the Mediterranean/Black sea basin. Which is to say, that they are similar to Rome, only with a more Hellenic feel. The Macedonian military is a juggernaut, and Greece makes a base that is equal to Italy in its wealth. The difference is that you start off in a life or death 3 way struggle with Epiros and KH that dominates your early campaign. Once you become a regional power, you still have to press your interests against Rome/Carthage in the west, and AS/Ptoly to the East. Macedonia is well positioned to provide its players with a very interesting campaign. To be honest however, I find Baktria to be the more rewarding of these two campaigns....