Quote Originally Posted by geala View Post
The Macedons don't get thorakitai because they get two royal guards, oriented roughly on the hypaspistai, one with spear and aspis and one with heavy javelins. However, the guards are only 120 compared to 160 in case of the thorakitai and I did not like them so much in my last (and long gone) Macedonia campaign. Compared to their high costs they performed not so very well.
The Maks don't get them, because as I recall the argument historically they didn't really use them. For example the AS gets both those elites you mention, and the Thorakitai...

... The AS also gets chariots and Median cavalry... and missile units...