Makedonia, Epeiros and Koinon...

[Argeus the Paladin]

Greek mainland is too small for the combined awesomeness of all the three, it seems. So, if you play any of the three nations it appears you have to kill or mobility-kill the other two, or at least severely crippling them from the get-go, or being killed yourself.

It is something I feel... bad about.

Take Makedon campaign for example. You see, from a RP point of view, Pyrrhos Aiakides makes an awesome long-time enemy, and here either you completely annihilating his army the first turn and his kingdom within the first few years, or risk being utterly annihilated. (The first, BTW, is nigh impossible - he will besiege Pella in the first turn and attack it right away with his elephants...)

Anyone feel the urge to try to keep any AI faction alive and kicking for the sake of RP, but ends up not being able to do so without risking their own empire?

BTW, completely off topic: Why do Athenai and Pella start with such low starting population (Barely 3-5000) while Roma starts with a whopping 8000+?

[dbug]

BTW, completely off topic: Why do Athenai and Pella start with such low starting population (Barely 3-5000) while Roma starts with a whopping 8000+?

After Alexander's conquests, many Hellenies migrated east to the newly conquered lands to settle there. So mainland Greece/Macedon faced a falling population

[Faramir D'Andunie]

Then again when it comes to Pyrrhus it is the exact historical point at the time the campaign starts. He is a threat that Kingdom of Macedon needs to take care of immediately.

Personally I like to use such states as buffer zones when possible (for example handing them over byzantion to keep Pontus off my back). Sometimes though such policies backfire.

[Argeus the Paladin]

Off-topic: Talking about Makedonia first turn, does the rest of the campaign solely rest on whether your slinger/skirmishers/Toxotai can take out Pyrrhos' elephants before one of them breaks the wall? Since I realize with Pella lost the Makedons are likely doomed...

[dbug]

how can you defend Pella anyways? is it even possible?

[Argeus the Paladin]

Possible, but very very much luck-based. The answer is (looks at the thread below) Sphendonetai. One unit of slinger trained at the first turn gives that extra punch to kill off the elephants and causing the mighty Pyrrhos to abandon the siege, not to come back until, say, two years or so, at which point the garrison would have been full of slingers, enough to stone any phalanx/elephant he could crop up into oblivion.

[Faramir D'Andunie]

If you use ships to transport the troops you can gather the armies of Thessaly as well and be ready to attack at the first turn.

Use javellins/slingers on elephants, extremely effective.

Even if you loose Pella game is not over yet. You can overpower KH easily, and besiege Athens with an army small enough to make sure the enemy will sally but confident that you can beat em.

[dbug]

LOL

[Argeus the Paladin]

Thing is, the ships eat money like a white sperm whale if left on for even a turn. I make it a point to scuttle the ships as soon as the game begins.

And the second point is just what this thread is about. The way the AI plays it goes, Epiros crushes Pella, and in turn Makedonia squishes Koinon Hellenon. In short, the three cannot exist together in any particular game. Which is what I lament as each of them are awesome (Chaonion, Argy, Spartiatai).

[Faramir D'Andunie]

You don't have to disband those ships strait away. See if you can get some use out of them in that 1st turn before you disband them.

Later in the game they can prove really usefull for fast movement.

[dbug]

as you start with three ships, you can just disband 2, which leaves one ship to transport your troops with
and sometimes you see macedon getting killed by KH as well as Epeiros which I saw happen in my romani campaign

only 2 can survive in the end...

[torongill]

only 2 can survive in the end...

There can be only one!

[dbug]

oh yeah... right...

[Drewski]

In all the many times I've placed as The Mak, Epiros has always wandered off with that Army by Pella on the first turn...if you ignore it, and attack Sparta and Athens instead, they never seem to bother with Pella.