Playing as Parthia

[Lord Thesaurian]

cheats aside, how does one get off the ground as Parthia on vh/vh? With only two cities, one in the red, how can it be done? Ive tried every building strategy but inevitably go bankrupt by turn 3-4. So option two is to lay down what little cash you have to augment your two existing armies, keep one at home to guard against the treacherous Seleucids and Bactrians, and the other to invade a neighbor. This is easy to do, as a decent Parthian army can crush any foe in the field. But if ever Parthia is to get out of her financial hole she has to take a city; and with only one army and no cash to assimilate a conquest, this too seems to be a dead end.

Once I just cheated and built a nice army of HAs and with one 8-unit army crushed the Seleucids by 210 BC (using cheat cash to garrison and assimilate my conquests, of course), so I know what Parthia can do once she has gained financial security. the gazillion-dollar question though is: How to get there?

[Seleukos Nikator]

i played as parthia 3 years ago; quickly conquered the bactrians and the rebel cities behind them (near india). if you are fast enough, you have an empire to stand a chance against the seleucids.

[Hound of Ulster]

Here's how I have re-united Persia under the House of Arasces...

1. make an alliance with the Seluecids, but break it the minute they they go to war with the Ptolemies.

2. make an alliance with the Bactrains, but be wary of betrayal. When they to try to take advatage of you while your busy crushing the Seluecids, drop the hammer and knock them out.

3. attack towards Hecatomplyos first, then swing back and take Susa and Persepolis.

4. make Seluecia your capital the minute you take it. (re-name it Ctesiphon if you wish)

5. be prepared for a loooooooooong war with Ptolemies.

[Lord Thesaurian]

Here's how I have re-united Persia under the House of Arasces...

1. make an alliance with the Seluecids, but break it the minute they they go to war with the Ptolemies.

2. make an alliance with the Bactrains, but be wary of betrayal. When they to try to take advatage of you while your busy crushing the Seluecids, drop the hammer and knock them out.

3. attack towards Hecatomplyos first, then swing back and take Susa and Persepolis.

4. make Seluecia your capital the minute you take it. (re-name it Ctesiphon if you wish)

5. be prepared for a loooooooooong war with Ptolemies.

ok, but what size of army should I use? I obviously need at least two if Im to go up against the Seleucids, plus one in the homeland to defend against marauding Seleucid and Bactrian armies, but my puny cash reserve can only pay for so many troops before the inevitable economic collapse.

Plus, what do I do while I wait for Seleucia to declare war on the Ptolmeys? (or vice versa)

Also, the minute I attack Seleucia Bactria will declare war on me as well, if not before then, sandwiching me between huge Seleucid stacks to the south and pesky Bacrians from the north, eager to share in the Seleucid feast.

See, I still have yet to solve Parthia's huge financial problems. I can raise these armies in the first turn before bankruptcy hits (as I said before it is inevitable by turn 3-4), and against all odds I can drive back the Seleucids and take Bactria. But with no cash to assimilate my conquests and a huge deficit to try and climb out of (usually by turn 10 Parthia's deficit will reach -10,000 or higher, even with all the fiscal frugality in the world), I will once again be frozen in place, allowing the Seleucids to rally and launch a massive counter-offensive against my bankrupt and low-garrisoned cities.

There's also the possibility of trying to race for the rebel cities of the far east, but while these are easy to take Bactria if not Seleucia as well will undoubtedly invade while the armies are hundreds of miles away on campaign and easily take the defenseless homeland.

Now, one could consider giving up the homeland, which is in a terrible strategic position anyway, to the Bactrians and relocate to the far east. But the risk of such an operation is so life-threatening that it is almost unthinkable, though at this point it may be my only option.

[Seleukos Nikator]

Now, one could consider giving up the homeland, which is in a terrible strategic position anyway, to the Bactrians and relocate to the far east. But the risk of such an operation is so life-threatening that it is almost unthinkable, though at this point it may be my only option.

that is exactly what i have done. maybe you'll lose one or two cities in the beginning, but you may reconquer them soon because of the tremendous military and financial resources you'll have at your disposal due to the occupation of bactria.
furthermore, one enemy is wiped off and you got rid of a two-front war.

[Superjerk]

The trick is to invade Batria right off. Leave a general and a skeliton garrison of foot soldiers in the two starting cities. March north east through the mountains. The slow hoplite grecco troops die like flies as the parthian arrows block out the sun. Exterminate every bactrian city. Since they are so remote don't bother with aux barracks, these cities will be your economic powerhouse for the mid and end game. I start building an auxillary in the Bactrian capital after I take it because it is in the south near selucid lands. Use a detachment of this army with a General to take the Indian rebel cities. This area shares no borders and will require no defending except the occaissional rebel army. Build a Aux here or there but make most of the cities money generating.

Use your sacking funds to build cheap foot archers and spearmen in your homeland in case the Seluecid's get the balls to invade through the mountain passes.

Once this is done invade full force into the Seluecid east and then Mesopotamia. Most of the their armies are in the west near Sidon fighting the ptolemics and you should have and easy time of it. Consider taking Armenia Early with a second army raised you your homeland.

Parthia has a great position once their northern and eastern borders are secure. It's a steady westward push after that.