Pontus - life is harsh!

[magraev]

I just started a Pontus campaign(M/M) and it is truly hard. At the start I can only produce slingers and skirmishers! I went for Sinope - got in a war with Koinon that meant I lost my alliance with Baktria. Both these diplomatic developments were of little consequence.

After Sinope I went for the city just opposite byzantium (Nicomedia?). I took it after a long hard battle and since it showed a red face, i had to relocate some of it's citizens. This resulted in my nice young factionleader getting a -3 to influence for enslaving his own people! I didn't enslave/exterminate, so I think that is a bit harsh.

Does this apply any time you don't just occupy a homeland province?

I think my next move will be for Ancyra, but I'm also considering going for the seleucids before they become too strong, but I'm afraid I can't match them. Do I need a lvl 4 government in Ancyra to get the best out of those Galatians?

[ISA Gunner]

Type 3 i think would better for Ankyra. You'll still be able to recruit Galatian Heavy Spearmen as well as being given access to better infrastructure. I'd recommend an all out assault on the Seleukids in mid to mid-western Anatolia. This should get your economy rolling and it'll be a lot easier to just defend your eastern front and not your southern and western ones as well.

[Anubis88]

Level 5 MIC in Ancyra will give you only the Heavy galatian Cavalry, other can be recruited with the level 3 goverment IIRC. I only got Enslaved own people with Pontos when i took Nicomedia, so i guess it's just that town. Pontos is a really hard campaign, but with great potential. I suggest you attack when you will be able to the Crimean Peninsula. Those 2 cities are rich, they give you some awesome units, and are a safety net if everything else goes wrong

[magraev]

Thanks for the tips guys - I'll try to do as you say.

[charlesonmission]

Pontus - Life is Harsh. That is how I feel right now. The details are it is 210 BC and I had conquered 7 other cities in the region. However, now Ptolemie, Hai, AS, and the Macedonians are waging continue war with me, I'm down to 3 cities. Amassia, the original capital has also been lost. I'm playing on M/H. Okay, I'm about to throw in the towel and try again. I was going with Type 1 governments until I got to Pergama, which I put at type 3. In the end, I just couldn't manage to stay out of war with AS and Ptolemie. They are always asking me to be their protectorate, which I was happy to do with the money, but then they would always break the alliance.

On a couple notes, why do the instant battles seem to favor the AI so much, even when it says it is even, I usually lose.
Why do CTDs increase in frequency as the campaign proceeds, has anyone else noticed this?

In historical terms, Pontus existed for a long time, I wonder how they were able to maintain a degree of independence. Of course, this is just a game.

Thoughts?

Regards,

Charles

[Siegfriedfr]

You need to blitz AS settlerments in anatolia before they can send any reinforcement. Usually they are kept busy by the ptolemai and will only send small forces.
Your top priority is Masaka (sp? town south of your capital) then you must take sardis asap as its their main troop production center.

1) dont disband anything. on the opposite, queue as many troops as you can in your capital until you have zero mnai.
2) blitz the town south of your capital, then ipsos then sardis. Don't wait for the enemy to sally, you don't have the time: assault the town asap.
3) seleucid only have token forces in anatolia. town garrison dont need to trouble you and are easy to defeat. your only trouble will come from reinforcement from the east.
as the seleucid are usually almost walways at war with ptolemai, they only send very small forces to retake the town south of your capital. If you leave 3/4 units as a garisson, they might even not attack you at all for a few more turn (happened to me).

After 10 turns you should have all AS settlements in anatolia and in my campaign, i was already back in the black.

You must NOT (or avoid as much as possible) produce any more troops but your initial forces+initial queue to get back in the black asap.

Fight all your battle, auto resolve will only deplete your army and you must avoid it.

Once your done with AS, your priority will be to conquer Mytilene from Makedon, as those bastards pile up units and if things go bad for them in greece, their first target is either sardis or pergamon, and YOU DONT WANT a 2-front war with Makedon/AS, trust me.

Development wise, set all your town to growth as your badly lacking in population.

Once you control anatolia, it's all about fighting waves after waves of ptolemai, and i usually stop, mission accomplished!

[abou]

In historical terms, Pontus existed for a long time, I wonder how they were able to maintain a degree of independence. Of course, this is just a game.

Mainly by staying out of the way. The region was never conquered by Alexander and the Successors were usually busy with the petty kingdoms west of it. When things stabilized, the Seleukids generally had to worry about holding onto central and southern Asia Minor. Also, marriages between the royal Pontic family and the Seleukids were common.

[Brapbrapbap]

Pontus is a special nation in EB, you're not really meant to satisfy the victory conditions, it's more of a sadistic campaign where you get bullied by everyone

[Lordinquisitor]

Pontus is a special nation in EB, you're not really meant to satisfy the victory conditions, it's more of a sadistic campaign where you get bullied by everyone

Pontos roster is very interesting and strong, though. (All kinds of barbarians thanks to ankyra, hoplites, chariots..)

Once you manage to size anatolia pontos pretty much plays like any other faction.

One advice i found invaluable is: Strike fast, when possible, and break your alliances at will. Wait till a city of the ptolemaio or the AS is lightly garrisoned and take it. They will attack you soon anyway.

[simplemind07]

But when my Pontus get powerful I bully them