Most boring faction to play as

[DaciaJC]

I think the getai suck. I united all their thracian people so I could get that trait for the faction leader but I just could give enough of a damn to even care after that. Didn't even save the game coz I hate them too much. And I hate their colour. And their units. And their location.

EDIT: And their victory conditions.

You make me sick. Such vile rhetoric defaming the greatest of EB factions will not be tolerated.

Point 1: You speak of the trait "Pavel-ter"? Uniting the Thracians isn't difficult at all. It's possible to completely avoid Makedonian territories if you move reasonably quickly, and unless some other faction has expanded west into Asia Mikra, taking Nikaia should be no problem. That being said, you can expect a considerable amount of conflict after you unite the Thracians, but by then, you should have access to all of your factional units (split into the northern Dacians and the southern Thracians, as I view it) and fighting to keep your empire alive should be a great deal more fun.

Point 2: It is possible to change a faction's color. You'll have to do the forum search yourself, but I recall a thread or two, or at least a post, detailing the necessary steps. Personally, I am entirely satisfied with the Getai's dirt-brown color. The perfect shade for barbarians and it brings words like "ambush" to mind.

Point 3: You dislike Drapanai with their armor-piercing, super-lethality falx and dirt-cheap cost? You don't like the Traikioi Rhomphaiaphoroi, the butchers of antiquity and the terror of all other factions? You aren't convinced by their Traikioi Prodromoi, arguably the most effective medium cavalry in EB? (Personally, though, I prefer the wizened looks of Tarabostes.) Not even their numerous elite units (Komatai Epilektoi, Ischyroi Orditon, Komatai Agrianai, the before-mentioned Rhomphaiaphoroi, and Ktistai)? They also have access to abundant types of horse archers, both factional and regional (Scythians, Sarmatians).

Point 4: The Getai boast one of the best locations in EB. At the beginning, they aren't bordered by any other faction, and so can develop at their own pace. On the second turn, the Getai can capture Sarmiszegethusa, which has mines, a unique building (actually a holy mountain that offers experience boosts to troops), and can be developed into an excellent recruiting center. Although initially landlocked, they can quickly capture any of four settlements bordering the Black Sea (Kallatis, Byzantion, Tylis, and Olbia). To their immediate south lie the Thracians, with their array of excellent units. Go farther south, and you happen upon the rich Hellenes, easy pickings for the Getai. To the west is a large buffer of Eleutheroi settlements, one of which offer the Cordinau Orca, one of the best heavy infantry in EB. The Getai also have the option of expanding north or northeast, though I have not done that yet (the settlements there offer little in terms of real value).

Point 5: Their victory conditions are reasonably easy to attain. The one potential difficulty you may encounter is in dealing with the Eleutheroi "super-stacks" to the north-west, but that gives you a good opportunity to field your best units and watch a slaughter [of the enemy] ensue. Otherwise, the victory conditions are straightforward and as one would expect them to be. In my second Getai campaign, I have completely side-stepped the northern "victory settlements"; why should I capture those if I plan to play beyond the point when "victory" is attained?


Er, forgot to post my choice for most boring faction. That would be the Saka Rauka. They're positioned in the very corner of the map, an obscure location to say the least. If I wanted to play a nomad/steppe faction, I would opt for the Sauromatae.