Pontus - The sleeping war machine

[anubis88]

I was amazed at Pontos in my current campaign as Pahlava. They didn't do much for 120 years, having only 2 cities, and not really doing much in Micra Asia, where there were only 2 superpowers, KH and Seleukia.

So i sent a spy of mine just died in Ilyria, so i sent a new one to check things out a few turns later. Once the spy arived in Thrace i was shocked!

In a matter of years, Pontos, who hand't done anything, conquered Bithiniya and Galatia from Seleucia, Byzantion, Serdike, Pella, Tylis and Pergamon from KH and continues to march with silver and gold chevroned armies in Macedonia.

While my spy was there, Pella which had belonged to Pontos was besieged by 3 full KH stacks of very good quality, and i thought, well, this is where the Pontos dream ends.
But i was surprised again! the next turn. Pontos repelled the siege, and destroyed 3 full KH stacks, leaving KH with only a few small armies in the area, while they continue to devastate and conquer.

2 things are amazing imho in this case.

1) Pontos didnt do ANYTHING in the first 120 years
2) KH destroyed Macedon, ma Epeiros their protectorate, and invaded Asia Minor, holding 7 settlements in the area at one point, but now their getting crushed in a matter of years!

I never thought Pontos could go all Mithridates VI and Archealus on EB

Has anyone alse noticed such a fenomenon while playing EB? Of "sleeping" factions becoming superpowers? ( in this case in an almost historical way)

[Reno Melitensis]

In my current campaign Pontos didn't did much in the first 20 years, then they conquered Sinop and Mazaka from the Seleucid. After a peace settlement eith the latter they turned west and took Ankyra. In a war that drained their resources and lasted at lest for 50 years against the Hai they won Trapizos and Ani-Kamah. Then they made peace. Then the Pahlava who controlled much of the east from Kamara, launched a massive invasion of the Seleucid empire, and the Hai and Pontos joined in. The Hai enjoyed more success taking Edessa and Anthiocia, while Pontos took Sirde and Tarsus, the later revolted to the Ptolemaic, so they are at war now. Its the year 148 and as Rome I controll west Asia minor, so a war against the golden and silver chevron armies of Pontos is on the Horizon.

Cheers.

[fallen851]

I'm about to go to war with Pontos as Rome. They currently dominate modern day Turkey (kicking Seleucid butt), and have taken Byzantium and are threatening my lands in Macedon. I need to stop their intrusion into south eastern Europe before things get out of hand.

[anubis88]

I'm about to go to war with Pontos as Rome. They currently dominate modern day Italy (kicking Seleucid butt), and have taken Byzantium and are threatening my lands in Macedon. I need to stop their intrusion into south eastern Europe before things get out of hand.

Well your modern day geography seems a bit off... Modern day Italy?

[Watchman]

Doubly so as he's playing with the SPQR ?

[anubis88]

Yes, but he plays as SPQR and said that Pontos are kicking Seleucid ass in modern day italy

[seienchin]

Hehe nice one. In my games Pontos always gets destroyed in the first 30 years by AS or Sinope KH, butI would love to fight them one day^^

[fallen851]

Yes, but he plays as SPQR and said that Pontos are kicking Seleucid ass in modern day italy

Yeah, I meant modern day Turkey, was thinking Turkey and typing Italy apparently.

[Watchman]

I'm fairly certain the inhabitants of both would be quite offended by that mix-up.

[Zim]

Hmmm...I'm nearly 100 years into a KH game and Pontos has two cities. Maybe they'll do something soon.

Pahlava surprised me, they completely crushed the Seleucids after a long period of non-expansion. One time I checked on them and they were fighting for their lives, the next time I checked they'd formed a full fledged empire.

[Blxz]

I find that AI factions tend to sit alone with massive fullstack armies (I'm looking at you Hayasdan) and not do anything even when there are rebel settlements around them.

Then sometimes they just snap and conquer a huge swath of land. Other factions like the Epirots in most of my games just explode at the beginning but then they stagnate and slowly fade away. Can't understand how the games turn out so differently every time even when the starting situation is always the same and I have had no influence on the selected factions or their neighbours.

[satalexton]

it's usually to do with the amount of money the said faction has (even with the money script), sometimes it's in the red thanks to the large armies, and thus stays dormant forever. Other times, it makes a tiny trickle in teh black..which gradually adds up and the said faction explodes, using the full stacks it has retained for god knows how long....

[Mulceber]

Wow, that is interesting - when I was playing AS I managed to kill off Pontos in one turn, but apparently they actually can become quite powerful. Now all we need is for the Romani to show up on their shores and I think we've got the makings of a very historical game of EB... -M

[Cute Wolf]

My lastest demotivator : Based on Actual Pontos AI blitz (I am Sweboz, after I give them about tons of denarii via add_money, carthage, 40000 command in a first few turns.... because fullstack Seleucid start to wage war on them first, and I didn't want them to die prematurely... but end up growing and eating everything.....)

Apparently something is more than just money and soldiers :p

[Zim]

Not quite the same, but Macedonia surprised me in this game. They got Greece early on, but then just sat on it for a long time. Apaprently they were accumulating money and/or full stacks, because they exploded all over the east. One time I checked on them, they were just in Greece and medium sized, the next time I looked, this is what I saw. Pahlava's expansion has been pretty strong, too.

[athanaric]

Not quite the same, but Macedonia surprised me in this game. They got Greece early on, but then just sat on it for a long time. Apaprently they were accumulating money and/or full stacks, because they exploded all over the east. One time I checked on them, they were just in Greece and medium sized, the next time I looked, this is what I saw. Pahlava's expansion has been pretty strong, too.

I take it you're playing Syracuse (the picture title betrayed it, but I was suspecting it before)? How are you planning to stop Makedonia?

[Zim]

Yes, I migrated there at the beginning of the game. I was going to change the faction name and color when I finally had a faction leader of Syrakousai ethnicity, but after so long with no offers I'm guessing maybe the KH doesn't get that ethnicity.

I'm not quite sure what to do about Macedonia, and wish I'd been keeping better tabs on them. Right now Syracuse and its African possessions are ruled by a Kretan family, but one of the Kretes and few other generals have pooled the resources of Rhegion and Taras to build an army to push north in Italy. If that campaign goes well I should have the resources to send a full stack to the east to start causing havoc.

I take it you're playing Syracuse (the picture title betrayed it, but I was suspecting it before)? How are you planning to stop Makedonia?