What is your favorite Hellenistic faction?

[kpagcha]

I am currently playing my Roman campaign and there is still much time left until it is finished, but I am already thinking about what faction(s) I should play next. Carthage will probably be it, and then I am drawn to Hellenistic factions and some Eastern factions like Armenia or Parthia. Not really into any of the barbaric factions though, with the exception of the Thracians. I'm not sure what's the deal with desert factions in Arabia and North Africa, perhaps I would find them interesting. Side note: why is Kolkhis classified as a Hellenistic faction? I thought they were Georgians in their first form?

Anyway, there are so many Greek factions: Makedon, Athens, Sparta, Epirus, Syracuse, Massalia, Pergamon, Pontus, Bosporan Kingdom, Seleucid Empire, Ptolemaic Kingdom... I am probably leaving some behind.

When the time comes to play a Greek faction, I wouldn't be sure which one to pick. So "entice" me What is your favorite Hellenistic faction and why?

(I am equally interested in historical and gameplay reasons, perhaps even more so in historical)

[Jake Armitage]

I like Pergamon for its position since you can really decide where to expand (even if it's not historical).
Epirus too should be really interesting, but never tried a campaign.

[Dardo21]

Well I almost exclusively play with Massalia mostly, but as Jake said, some of the more exotic city states can be pretty interesting too, with Pergamon you can go pretty much anywhere you want. Being close to possible strong belligerents is a factor too though in that case. As Massalia, you're also surrounded but you do have big boi Rome next to you, as Pergamon you'd probably have to micromanage diplomacy between Thrace, Macedon, Egypt and the Seleukids while also being close to Galatia.

[delita5]

Bactria because they are quite mixed in their culture
You can try to control the silk route ( which gives good money if you focus on commerce and industry ) but I must admit that it is rather complicated the position of them ( several different cultures, Seleucid vassals, Nomads to the north... )
More Bactria has a great cavalry I like horses but I do not like barbarians

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

I like Pergamon for its position since you can really decide where to expand (even if it's not historical).
Epirus too should be really interesting, but never tried a campaign.

Since when you're playing Historically Jake ?

[quachandy99]

keep it classic Macedon

[Jake Armitage]

Since when you're playing Historically Jake ?

since i understood that history is fake and an intellectual shield
Well, like everything else to be honest

[Falco]

Seleucids, love their roster.

[Fluke]

I continuously play and love them all. Syracuse is very fun, one of the best. So is Crete with the AFP submod. Been waiting patiently forever for the Cyrene update to play them properly.

I am currently having a lot of fun with Colchis. They have some beautiful hoplites and a unique archer unit that performs well in the region. It is a very tough neighborhood. You will be constantly at war.

But basically you can't go wrong with any Greek faction. They are all unique and fun!

[quachandy99]

Btw talk about Hellenistic, Why only Spartan Thorax sword and Athen Thorax sword Mercenaries have defensive tetsudo?
but not other for instance Macedon Seleucid, Epirus, Syracuse and especially ROMAN TRAINED Massalian legionary?

[Standard Nerd]

I like Egypt's roster a lot actually, and the way it interacts with the population mechanics. Egypt has the easiest early game, and by extension, the easiest campaign, of any faction I can think of. Geographically, it is like playing Carthage but without being surrounded by people that hate you, and your biggest rival is afraid of messing with you because they're always at war with all of their neighbors. Roster-wise, the early game egyptian army is built around a small-ish core of pikemen with many native skirmishers and light spearmen, and a mix of light-ish cavalry (lonchophoroi) and medium skirmish cavalry (tarantines). Early battles involve slaughtering your desert nomad neighbors, who can't stand up to your phalanx unless they can massively outnumber you, which is far more fun than it has any right to be. After reforms, Egypt gets access to Machimoi pikemen, giving you access to phalanx troops from class 3, meaning you can march into battle with absolutely massive wall of pikes at an affordable rate. If you like pikes, and lots of them, Egypt is your best bet imo.

[Sarkiss]

I am currently playing my Roman campaign and there is still much time left until it is finished, but I am already thinking about what faction(s) I should play next. Carthage will probably be it, and then I am drawn to Hellenistic factions and some Eastern factions like Armenia or Parthia. Not really into any of the barbaric factions though, with the exception of the Thracians. I'm not sure what's the deal with desert factions in Arabia and North Africa, perhaps I would find them interesting. Side note: why is Kolkhis classified as a Hellenistic faction? I thought they were Georgians in their first form?

Anyway, there are so many Greek factions: Makedon, Athens, Sparta, Epirus, Syracuse, Massalia, Pergamon, Pontus, Bosporan Kingdom, Seleucid Empire, Ptolemaic Kingdom... I am probably leaving some behind.

When the time comes to play a Greek faction, I wouldn't be sure which one to pick. So "entice" me What is your favorite Hellenistic faction and why?

(I am equally interested in historical and gameplay reasons, perhaps even more so in historical)

aside from preferring 'civilised' factions (like me), do you have any other specific criteria when choosing who to play as? for me it is historical expansion, whether there is a precedent that i can then replay and recreate the faction's conquests. because of this, i cannot take Massalia, for example, and conquer half the map with it. it just doesnt feel right and 'organic' to me. i could still go for a short campaign with the aim of achieving local hegemony, but anything beyond that just feels 'unnatural'. thats just me though, being history-centered freak that i am. so from where i stand, if you want to recreate empires, go for Pergamon, Armenia, Pontus or Parthia. these are the states that have significantly expanded during the Hellenistic period. all others were either insignificant, or regional powers, or are already roughly at their largest (such as Seleukids, Ptolemies).
btw, saying Kolkhis is Georgian is like saying Arverni are French. at the time the concept didnt exist yet. though i wouldnt call it Hellenistic either. there was Greek presence in coastal areas but by and large the region as a whole wasnt Hellenised to the degree that would justify it imho. EB2 got some new great regional units that reflect all of this btw.

[kais246]

Another vote for Pergamon, it has some pretty good late game units as well as an interesting starting point. The initial position can be difficult but once you've got a good grip on things the world is your oyster. Massalia is a bit like Pergamon, except you're facing the Celts/Germanic/Iberian/Rome. I haven't really played any of the successor kingdoms much.
I've heard Sparta is interesting due to population dynamics, I haven't given them a go yet though. I always try to buddy up with fellow Greeks with my role-playing so their position isn't great because of that. Depending on what you're looking for in a campaign the Hellenes will nearly always have a faction to sort you out!

[Dardo21]

aside from preferring 'civilised' factions (like me), do you have any other specific criteria when choosing who to play as? for me it is historical expansion, whether there is a precedent that i can then replay and recreate the faction's conquests. because of this, i cannot take Massalia, for example, and conquer half the map with it. it just doesnt feel right and 'organic' to me. i could still go for a short campaign with the aim of achieving local hegemony, but anything beyond that just feels 'unnatural'. thats just me though, being history-centered freak that i am. so from where i stand, if you want to recreate empires, go for Pergamon, Armenia, Pontus or Parthia. these are the states that have significantly expanded during the Hellenistic period. all others were either insignificant, or regional powers, or are already roughly at their largest (such as Seleukids, Ptolemies).
btw, saying Kolkhis is Georgian is like saying Arverni are French. at the time the concept didnt exist yet. though i wouldnt call it Hellenistic either. there was Greek presence in coastal areas but by and large the region as a whole wasnt Hellenised to the degree that would justify it imho. EB2 got some new great regional units that reflect all of this btw.

Agreed, even though I made a fully custom 'romanized' roster for Massalia, i still consider them to be sort of a protectorate of Rome, governing parts of Gaul, Iberia and Germania (maybe Britain, but no one really cares about the blue guys). Conquering the rest of the world doesn't really seem a reasonable goal apart for perhaps Rome itself.

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

since i understood that history is fake and an intellectual shield
Well, like everything else to be honest

Pythagoras would approve

[Sarkiss]

Agreed, even though I made a fully custom 'romanized' roster for Massalia, i still consider them to be sort of a protectorate of Rome, governing parts of Gaul, Iberia and Germania (maybe Britain, but no one really cares about the blue guys). Conquering the rest of the world doesn't really seem a reasonable goal apart for perhaps Rome itself.

yep, and potentially the successors, aiming to reunite Alexander's empire.

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

yep, and potentially the successors, aiming to reunite Alexander's empire.

Rome 1 Intro memories...Greeks could rule the world. Alexander did. He took a Greek army to the far Indus.

[Dardo21]

Yeah, but even to them, the world was pretty much the East, the mediteranean, Greece and perhaps Africa, I don't think they would see the need to go all out towards Gaul and Germania and stuff.

[Sarkiss]

Rome 1 Intro memories...Greeks could rule the world. Alexander did. He took a Greek army to the far Indus.

oh, yes. i loved that. generally, RTW intros were bloody epic.

[Hardric62]

My personal vote goes for Bactria, with a highly polyvalent and good roster. Infantry for all positions, shock and missile cavalry, including shock/HA hybrids, elephants... They have almost everything.

That said, quachandy99's reflexion makes me curious. How was determined the fact some Thorakitai can use a tetsudo formation, like the Spartans, and others, like the 'romanized' Syracusans and Massilians, can't?