Good Starting Faction (preferably civilized)

[icydawgfish]

I am new to the mod and I was wondering what the easiest faction to start with is. I assumed it would be the ERE but i found them to much to micromanage and gave up, not to mention early barbarian and Sassanid incursions. So any suggestions are welcome. I looked at the Romano British and the Sassanids, but I was waiting for other opinions. Also, why does it take so long to train one cohort of Comitatenses? I doubt it took 9 months (this mod does use 4tpy right?) to train one cohort, even when on a 10:1 scale that RTW uses.

[Ihatemonday]

Get the Huns and kill them all.

And even today fine soldiers are created in long years of training.So the recruitment time is okay i think.

[Draco Borealis]

It only six months in IBFD which is the time the poor bugers woud learn how to march in formation in reality. You can always hire already formed mercenary and foederati troops when you got the cash that is; it's pitty that you can't pay them in land.
And about the scale the single units are new smaller and mobile legions scaled roughly 1:10; and RB are indeed fun to play with only four historicall provinces at start, no micromanagment and qucik campaign; to 425 when the saxon came you're either emperor of entire Britania or fodder for ravens.

[PSEUDO ROMANUS]

Were the Huns civilized?
The recruiting time is long also to simulate the difficulty in getting fresh recruits for the army during those times because whether the population was decreasing or because the poor guys were reluctant to join the army (could you blame them?)

[Ihatemonday]

Were the Huns civilized?
The recruiting time is long also to simulate the difficulty in getting fresh recruits for the army during those times because whether the population was decreasing or because the poor guys were reluctant to join the army (could you blame them?)

Well we say Romans are civilised but there were cruel and bloody too.They kicked the .hit out of the rest of the world So to me Huns are as civilised as Romans.

[Jingles]

I would have suggested ERE, as they were my first faction, closely followed by the Visigoths, but I re-read your post . I haven't tried them, but the Persarmenians might be quite good, as they start off relatively small, as are the Lakhmids. If you're in the mood for a more western style of warfare, give the Imperium Constintani a try, and conquer Rome!

As for the unit recruitment times: I think its perfect. I find myself relying more on lighter Milites and 0-turn foederati units (especially the heavy gothic ones) to fill my armies. I think this is great as It sort of guides me into creating armies composed largely of non-romans, which I gather historically was the situation at the time.

[icydawgfish]

I would have suggested ERE, as they were my first faction, closely followed by the Visigoths, but I re-read your post . I haven't tried them, but the Persarmenians might be quite good, as they start off relatively small, as are the Lakhmids. If you're in the mood for a more western style of warfare, give the Imperium Constintani a try, and conquer Rome!

As for the unit recruitment times: I think its perfect. I find myself relying more on lighter Milites and 0-turn foederati units (especially the heavy gothic ones) to fill my armies. I think this is great as It sort of guides me into creating armies composed largely of non-romans, which I gather historically was the situation at the time.

I thought I read somewhere that the Imperium Constintani couldn't build high level barracks, therefor forcing them to capture settlements with high level barracks.

[HeroSK]

Sasanids by far...Great economy and cheap cavalry armies...

In my campaign,I played agressively, quickly destroyed armenian kingdom and Lakhmids (the southers arabic faction). But be carefull about White huns at north east. Build cheap spears and arches to defend cities and quickly build stone walls. Since white huns armies consits of mainly cavalry, they cannot assult towns. Later, after you buld up strong armies, you can defeat them easily.

As Sasanisd your most powerful enemy is Rome Orientalis. They field massive armies, stack after stack pours in. There are several ways to fight with them.
One way, Deadly onagers...they are pretty devastating. Most armies of Rome consists of mainy pretty tough infantry. But they lock shields too early and tire themselves and become obvious targets to your onagers.. My record is 659 kills with one onager

Another method it that I built armies mainly step horse archers which take 0 turn and 20 upkeep and some savaran cavalry. And do as much as damage to romans with those cheap armies and hit the weakened romans hard with your main army.

Also, try to hold birdges with onagers, just stand there and let them come. Bombard them while they are trying to pass bridge..

Good Luck...

[julianus heraclius]

Sasanids by far...Great economy and cheap cavalry armies...

In my campaign,I played agressively, quickly destroyed armenian kingdom and Lakhmids (the southers arabic faction). But be carefull about White huns at north east. Build cheap spears and arches to defend cities and quickly build stone walls. Since white huns armies consits of mainly cavalry, they cannot assult towns. Later, after you buld up strong armies, you can defeat them easily.

As Sasanisd your most powerful enemy is Rome Orientalis. They field massive armies, stack after stack pours in. There are several ways to fight with them.
One way, Deadly onagers...they are pretty devastating. Most armies of Rome consists of mainy pretty tough infantry. But they lock shields too early and tire themselves and become obvious targets to your onagers.. My record is 659 kills with one onager

Another method it that I built armies mainly step horse archers which take 0 turn and 20 upkeep and some savaran cavalry. And do as much as damage to romans with those cheap armies and hit the weakened romans hard with your main army.

Also, try to hold birdges with onagers, just stand there and let them come. Bombard them while they are trying to pass bridge..

Good Luck...

I wholeheartedly agree. I have fallen in love with those panzer tanks and have fast become my second fav faction behind the romans of course. They probably are a little over rated as we know at the present moment but they really do impress.

[Jingles]

Really? I didn't know that...Good fun though even so, you get a real underdog feeling with them.