Quote Originally Posted by Vincent Butler View Post
Their starting infantry stink, though. And for an infantry general like myself, really annoying. If you haven't modded the game, your phalanx pikes (at least on my game) as Pontus (nobody else) have 80 or 81 men, and 16 defense, meaning their defense is better than your Bronze Shields. Less men, though, and less attack, so Bronze Shields are certainly a better unit.
And everyone in the east has spears as their default weapon - which makes scythed chariots worse than useless. Fortunately it doesn't take too long to get phalanx pikes. Of course by the time you start fighting the Romans then you can build some pretty nice cavalry - against pre-Marius Romans I run two armies - one of archers/ phalanx pikes to take cities and one of heavy/ Cappadocian cavalry/ chariot archers to meet the Romans in the field - usually it is a 10%-95% kill ratio. Am about to enter Marius forces I think, but Rome is mine (bribed the army for 170000 and actually used onagers in from Capua) The Brutii only have Pavavium as a Mediteranean port.

Must be playing the game better as am clocking up 30-50K profit a turn. Probably soon be time to move capital over to Athens - To the East there is only Parthia (very weak) so Scipii Brutii Julii delendae sunt.