Seleucids or Ptolemies?

[Cbvani]

I've played Mediterranean-based factions and steppe factions. I'm up for a change. I want to fight a superpower from the beginning! Which of these two factions do you find is more fun from the get-go? Which is easier? Which has cooler units?

Which one will mean I can ignore Rome, Carthage, and Makedonia/Epirus/KH the most? (I group the last 3 together because one of them always kills all the others and takes over Greece proper. Its just a matter of time.)

[Carthaginian General]

They're identical with the exception of a few units. But in the end, it really doesn't matter - although I'd personally play as the Ptolemies if I was forced to choose (although I'd prefer to play neither). The Seleucids simply start the game with too much, it seems rather boring.

[||Lz3||]

would you like to marry your sister? <.<

I prefer the AS cause... well sounds cooler, and I've never really liked the yellow death... it reminds me egypt (wait... it IS egypt) , which reminds me warm climates... which I hate <.<

[Tellos Athenaios]

I've played Mediterranean-based factions and steppe factions. I'm up for a change. I want to fight a superpower from the beginning! Which of these two factions do you find is more fun from the get-go? Which is easier? Which has cooler units?

Which one will mean I can ignore Rome, Carthage, and Makedonia/Epirus/KH the most? (I group the last 3 together because one of them always kills all the others and takes over Greece proper. Its just a matter of time.)

On all questions I'd say the AS, but I may be biased. Then again, aren't we all?

Though both are excellent factions. Ptolemaioi are ranked as easier mainly because on top of having a solid economy from day #1 they have a clear strategic advantage by not being surrounded by (would-be) enemies on all sides. The AS have the benefit of more flexible unit/AOR combinations: they can more fully incorporate many regions you'll find the Ptolemaioi forced to accept less ideal solutions. Also the AS get virtually every unit (or an equivalent) of the Ptolemaioi line up, but this is not vice versa; one thinks 'Harmata Drephanephora': only Pontos gets these units, closest relatives are those Cidainh with considerably less melee abilities.

But resuming to the AOR: the AS offers the possibilities of 'homeland' in Baktria or Alexandreia; the Ptolemaioi do not offer this in Antiocheia or Seleukeia or Babylon. Come to think of it: few factions have such a large Homeland zone as the AS has, fewer still combine it with such a vast number of Expansion regions possible. Depending on your game/role-play style this can be either an advantage (interesting new civic structures for Massalia!) or disadvantage (if you insist on only one region of central political importance, such as with the Romani).

[Carthaginian General]

would you like to marry your sister? <.<

Well... seeing as they're all a bunch of gay pedophiles that fight with pointy sticks and have nation-wide megalomany, unlike the nations in the west, that wouldn't be much of an issue... but then again, serving under a creepy, inbred sod with multiple personality issues and a strange likeness to young boys that has also married his own sister might be considered slightly worse than merely liking young boys.

[||Lz3||]

besides, as the AS you can fight against phalanx based armies and HA armies , while with the ptollies you would fight karthadast (emm sort of pike) and AS (pikes...) so... I find AS more interesting

and who doesn't love writting Arche Seleukeia in greek all the time

[Tellos Athenaios]

@Carthaginian General: Meh. You have failed the moment you wrote 'all'. Not to mention the rest, even.

[Anastasios Helios]

Personally, I like the Ptolemaioi better...simply because it's alot easier to fend off the Arche Seleukeia and Carthage than to have the entire East ready to shoot arrows or shove long pikes into your ass. On the campaign map, Egypt is a very secure location that gives you a very easy time conquering the Arche Seleukeia if you give a full effort. I like to expand southwards and make the Nubians and Kushites acknowledge my supremacy. If you want to spread your power into Anatolia..it's as simple as conquering Rhodos and Kypros and using them as your forward bases.

I want to start a new Ptolemaioi campaign now xD

[Carthaginian General]

@Carthaginian General: Meh. You have failed the moment you wrote 'all'. Not to mention the rest, even.

I didn't mean it literally, but sure :)

[Foot]

Well... seeing as they're all a bunch of gay pedophiles that fight with pointy sticks and have nation-wide megalomany, unlike the nations in the west, that wouldn't be much of an issue... but then again, serving under a creepy, inbred sod with multiple personality issues and a strange likeness to young boys that has also married his own sister might be considered slightly worse than merely liking young boys.

Yeah, this has stopped being funny. Give it a rest or I'll begin deleting such irrelevant and offensive posts.

Foot

[Tartaros]

I personally always prefer Arche Seleukeia!
There starting position is much harder than it looks like, no money, a lot of enemy´s and rebellion.
I don´t care about alliances. i only accept peace (neutral) or to be the protector - this is an all-front-war with a lot of diffrent enemy´s. also arche seleukeia have access to more elites (like indian elephants, hellenikoi kataphraktoi and thorakitai agematos basilikou).
for me, the ptoly are a bit to save from the start up. but they also have great units, like this galatikoi kleruchoi.
i always enjoy my sele-games with a lot of fun!

[gamegeek2]

Playing as the Gray Death NEVER gets boring. It's not one enemy all the time...it's 5 wars at once. And you have to fight them all, and pay attention. If you play well, it truly pays off, with a great empire putting its vast resources to use to become the true powerhouse it should be. Kind of like the US's industrialization back in the day.

[penguinking]

The AS is much more fun to play as because there is much more challenge. You'll have to fend off attack after attack from all sides. Plus, you get some really cool late game units. Playing as the Yellow Death is just boring with little challenge.

Although all the challenge goes out of the AS if you simply demolish a bunch of wonders to get tons of money on the first turn and use that to cripple the Ptolemies within 10 years.

[VladiNemir]

You can always do this....make all your settlements to rebel(apart from Babylon,Seleukeia,Persepolis,Susa,Ekbatana and Antioch)Destroy the buildings in all other cities to gain money and start from those smaller areas,consolidate and expand-for me it's so much fun to see that Pahlava get strong early and take Apameia,Zadrakata,Asak,Marakanda,Antiocheia-Margiana,so they develop quickly and become a real pain in the... a great challenge,i tend to keep the defensive on the eastern front for a while-well till they don't become a real threat and a worthy foe to eradicate.With the money you get by selling those buildings you can pump up your economy and destroy ptollys -like a joke...or...take asia minor and wait for the romans-if they ever come lol..but anyway,AS is the best campaign-never got bored,if it get's to easy you can always make it harder for yourself..infact i think it's a damn hard campaign if you start wanting to obtain all your provinces especially eastern bordering to nomads and bactria,you could go nutts

[Foytaz]

Arche campaign is far tougher than Ptolemaoi one. The latter is economically stable from the first day compared to troubles with mainteining Arche. Number of foes is also greater when playing Seleukids.

[Lysimachos]

They are both great factions with great unit roster and interesting strategic positions. At the moment I like the Seleucids more, because in the campaign I'm playing for my AAR I had to go deeper into roleplaying than I did before in any TW campaign and it's a lot of fun.

(and don't misinterprete this as an advertisement to promote my AAR )