Building your faction's economy in XC

[Silver Legionary]

I've found that doing that is VERY tough in this mod.
It's refreshing as a challenge, but I need a bit of advice, so
that I can actually make money.

What should I do to improve my economy?

Playing as the Seleucids, BTW.

[Zarax]

The seleucid campaign requires mastering of all XC sides to be played succesfully.

First thing, forget about anything above M/M or you should be ready to welcome your ptolemaic or armenian overlords.

Strategically you need to make a choice, which is focusing either east or west.

Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, if you play BI an eastern focus is usually a better choice in the long term but the western one (although slightly harder) has some good short/medium term benefits if you can solidify your position in anatolia.

Your starting strategy should focus on developing your core, which means Antioch, Seleucia, Susa and Ecbatana.
These settlements will be your starting cash cow not to mention (along with Baktra) the most developed cities at your disposal.

All of them should have a governor and get paved roads/trade route/academy/market/mines/port as soon as you can afford it.
Militarily lvl2 barracks (both factional and auxiliary yelds cost effective units) will suffice for a while.

Assuming you're using the latest test versions and not Gamma (which has similar but less focused strategies) do not be tempted to build colonies early on and build allied governments in the east.
This will lift up some major penalties and give you extra income, not to mention unlock all economic related buildings.

The game will have to start slow and you should focus on building infrastructure with minimal expansion for the first 100 turns, IGCS, Ptolemies and Armenia will be your main threats.

Other than that, always choose a good high management faction leader as it will benefit your governors and remember local governors are usually good at both extracting more resources and helping the garrison in case of attack.

Hope this helps and may Tyche be with you!

EDIT: Supervised native administration is the best government (if you have some spare money) for Anatolia and the settlements around Antioch.
It will allow you to recruit a very efficient troop mix (factional lvl2 and auxiliary lvl3) and carries very slight economic penalties, not to mention a very good way to hellenize the western part of your empire.

[Silver Legionary]

The seleucid campaign requires mastering of all XC sides to be played succesfully.

First thing, forget about anything above M/M or you should be ready to welcome your ptolemaic or armenian overlords.

Strategically you need to make a choice, which is focusing either east or west.

Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, if you play BI an eastern focus is usually a better choice in the long term but the western one (although slightly harder) has some good short/medium term benefits if you can solidify your position in anatolia.

Your starting strategy should focus on developing your core, which means Antioch, Seleucia, Susa and Ecbatana.
These settlements will be your starting cash cow not to mention (along with Baktra) the most developed cities at your disposal.

All of them should have a governor and get paved roads/trade route/academy/market/mines/port as soon as you can afford it.
Militarily lvl2 barracks (both factional and auxiliary yelds cost effective units) will suffice for a while.

Assuming you're using the latest test versions and not Gamma (which has similar but less focused strategies) do not be tempted to build colonies early on and build allied governments in the east.
This will lift up some major penalties and give you extra income, not to mention unlock all economic related buildings.

The game will have to start slow and you should focus on building infrastructure with minimal expansion for the first 100 turns, IGCS, Ptolemies and Armenia will be your main threats.

Other than that, always choose a good high management faction leader as it will benefit your governors and remember local governors are usually good at both extracting more resources and helping the garrison in case of attack.

Hope this helps and may Tyche be with you!

That advice is all VERY relevant. Thank you.
I'm playing on H/M on the latest beta file(BI.exe), unreduced bonuses, and it's tough, but I've managed so far.
I've only really lost Anatolia, and I plan on taking it back after consolidation of my power base and army.
I'm making about 5-6000 a turn, depending on if I'm besieged in certain places(Antioch, pretty much.)
I've got a City Barracks in Antioch, and it's helped a LOT.
Hooray for 3rd tier units.

EDIT: Supervised native administration is the best government (if you have some spare money) for Anatolia and the settlements around Antioch.
It will allow you to recruit a very efficient troop mix (factional lvl2 and auxiliary lvl3) and carries very slight economic penalties, not to mention a very good way to hellenize the western part of your empire.

I had absolutely no idea about that.
I don't suppose a guide to using the new government buildings is in order?
I could do something like that, if I know what the buildings do.

Also, a screenie of me about to end my turn:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Zarax]

Your starting situation looks good, just beware of Armenia... It can destroy your empire once they develop enough.

I will try to write down a guide about governments this weekend, for now remember this: Local Factional Government (aka full colonization) is useful mostly in the west and Baktria, use it as a base to train your elites.

Ecbatana (and Galatia once you conquer it) is best left as allied as it will yeld Median Cavalry, a life saviour against other HA, elsewhere Supervised native will give you base factional units and lvl3 auxiliaries, a pretty useful combination for cost effective defensive armies.

Remember that elites are powerful but also expensive, too many of them and you won't be able to expand.

[Silver Legionary]

The situation has gotten a bit better, as I have forcefully acquired Sidon, and am holding on to it.

As for government buildings, I'll keep what you said in mind.

IMO, Medians are almost broken for the Seleucids, they're just that good.
They have axes. Not swords, axes.

I know that all too well about elites...
Even 3rd tier units are REALLY expensive.
Not a bad thing, though... it's very realistic.

[Suppanut]

Factionleader and governors are keys to rule huge empire.

To manage Huge kingdom like Seleucid you need made sure that your factionleader is good at managing (management > 5) and has many good trait about order control and management. You could neglect factionleader's Influence for a time being as Seleucid is not loyalty based faction(but may not able to neglect this in XC5 ).

As your factionleader is so important to big empire like Seleucid, you need to have good heir with substantial in Management attribute. What you could do is.....

1) Schooling is important to next generation of leader, and as your faction have no loyalty so school is sweet. Too bad that school in your area, Persepolis in Istakhr is need some development before properly function so you may need other schools to use in short term. There are a lot of schools surround Seleucid (Rhodes, Pergamon, Alexandria, and Taxila) but most of them either in hotly contested land or at the heartland of your tough enemy. School that ideal for your cause in short term would be Alexandria but it will not easy to have it. While long term, persepolis seem ideal for you once you able to upgrade its building in Istakhr.

2) Made sure that you have a large stock of Management retinues to solved your empire's administrative leadership in short term(fighting corruption among governors and family members). But in long term your factionleader need to have some governing skill of his own to give effect to all his subordinates.

3) Your young family members usually hunger for glory, you need to made them taste some real battle to earn some reputation before send them to govern somewhere...or else their too vacantness will made them suffer daydreaming syndrome.

4) Your tresury need to always fewer than 50,000 before end of turn or you will suffer a lot of problem of corruption.

5) Faction leader's Influence is secondary importance to Management, if your have chance to give them >5 for faction leader would be good, as it will reduced chance of fake traits of your menions.

In following XC5 will have more promising and chellanging for players to have fun with.

[Apollyon]

...1) Schooling is important to next generation of leader, and as your faction have no loyalty so school is sweet. Too bad that school in your area, Persepolis in Istakhr is need some development before properly function so you may need other schools to use in short term. There are a lot of schools surround Seleucid (Rhodes, Pergamon, Alexandria, and Taxila) but most of them either in hotly contested land or at the heartland of your tough enemy. School that ideal for your cause in short term would be Alexandria but it will not easy to have it. While long term, persepolis seem ideal for you once you able to upgrade its building in Istakhr...

In following XC5 will have more promising and chellanging for players to have fun with.

What level does the Persepolis need to be to be effective?

[Zarax]

Tarsus also will give some nice (and a few nasty) bonuses once you build an academy there IIRC.

[Suppanut]

At start of campaign, Persepolis is at level 2. You need to upgrade it to level 3 before able to use this school.

[Pingpong]

After reading these posts I may have to go back and play as the selucids. I don't know. I'm a dyed in the wool pontus player. PONTUS FOREVER!

[Zarax]

Pontus is pretty much the opposite of the seleucids...
You need to blitz early to get Mazaka and Sinope, which wil allow you a nice starting income for development.
Once you're done with that, greek infantry and eastern cavalry will couple nicely for your anatolian conquest.

[Pingpong]

Hmm Pontus only gets 1 starting city now? As if they need more of a handicap? I have blitzed to the 3 nearby rebel towns. Now it's only a matter of time before the steel boot of the selucids comes down

[Zarax]

Pontus conquered Sinope only later in our timeframe, the boot you'd need to worry about is the ptolemaic or armenian one...