Efficient Army Building

[Haze88]

How do you guys do it? In my Mak campaign, It usually takes me about a year-and-a-half gametime to assemble an army. this is probably since the elite Mak units are only in Pella and Demetrias, but I feel like there is a quicker way. Btw all roads are fully upgraded so that isn't a problem.

[Entropy Judge]

Depends on the faction and how many units you need, as well as where you are in the tech tree. For example, as Macedon, using only Macedon/Greece (No Epeiros, Balkans, or Asia Minor) as recruiting areas, you could take Peltastai and/or Hoplitai from Sparte and Korinthos, Medium Cavalry from Athinai, and Pezhetairoi from Thessalia and Pellas. If you've hit the Reforms, Athinai and Korinthos - as well as Thessalia and Pellas - can supply Pezhetairoi Hysteroi.

So, in one year (4 turns) you could easily have an army of -
8 Pezhetairoi
4 Hoplitai
4 Peltastai
2 Lonchophoroi Hippeis -
All within two turns of each other. Odds are such an army could roll over nearly any AI army you'd be likely to face. If you lower the proportion of Pikes, you could probably recruit an army even sooner (focus on Thureophoroi and Hoplitai, with Thessalia providing Heavy Horse and Pellas giving Agrianians/Peltastai Makedonikoi/Hypaspistai). What's more, Macedon has the money and population to actually draft that army without problems. Other factions don't necessarily have the cash, population, nearness, or unit diversity to produce a quality army that quickly.

[Haze88]

Unfortunately, due to a slight overreaction and the Lusotannan being incredibly strong in my campaign the Romans have been driven out of Italy so no reforms. My armies, or the ones I am refering to, are
FL or FH (Approx 100 men instead of Hetairoi)
1 Thessalian Cav
1 Merc Tarentine Cav
2 Aux Cav (Hetairoi JavCav, Illyrians, Scythians, Thracians)
1 Kretan Archer
2 Peltastai (Greek or Thracian)
4 Pezhetairoi
2 Agryspides
1 Peltastai Makedonikoi, Hypispatist, Agranian Infantry
1 Thraikioi Rhomphaiaphoroi
1 Thureophoroi (Greek or Illyrian)
1 Slinger or additional shock infantry unit

The main problem is shipping in the Cretans, but since the troops in Pella get the experience boost due to the gym, I produce most troops there in waiting for the thracians seem to take longer than it should and of course Kallatis is just really far from the main gathering of troops. Perhaps my OCD way of ordering troops in an army doesn't help either.

[Entropy Judge]

Are the Romans completely gone, or just not in Italy? I'm pretty sure if you can get them to accept a city (or help them take one) you can still get the Reforms. Anyway.

FL or FH (Approx 100 men instead of Hetairoi)
1 Thessalian Cav*
1 Merc Tarentine Cav
2 Aux Cav (Hetairoi JavCav, Illyrians, Scythians, Thracians)*
1 Kretan Archer*
2 Peltastai (Greek or Thracian)*
4 Pezhetairoi*
2 Agryspides*
1 Peltastai Makedonikoi, Hypispatist, Agranian Infantry*
1 Thraikioi Rhomphaiaphoroi *
1 Thureophoroi (Greek or Illyrian)*
1 Slinger or additional shock infantry unit*

Hmm ... well, the Cretans and the Tarantines are probably going to be the biggest blocks to "fast and efficient," since the former is going to take at least a turn simply to get from Crete to wherever your staging area is, and the latter is basically relying on the unit being available. Of the remainder ...

• FH is going to be sitting in the staging area.
  Thessalians are going to be built in Thessalia
  Auxiliary Cavalry can be built in varying locations - Elite Hellenic Jav-Cav are in Pellas, Demetrias, and *Epeiros* so that would be my choice
  Peltastai can be built anywhere
  Pezhetairoi and Argyraspides can only be built in Thessalia and Pellas
  Likewise the PM/Hyps
  Agrianians - Pellas and the two Balkan regions above it
  Thraikioi Rhomphaiaphoroi are in the two Balkan regions
  Thureophoroi are widespread, as are the Slingers

So more stumbling blocks to a fast army are the Thessalians (one turn), the Pez/Argies (6), and the Elites (3). What I would do ...
Train your Argyraspides in Demetrias, then do the Thessalian Heavies. (3)
Pellas trains the Pezhetairoi. (4)
The two Balkan regions supply the Thracians and the Agrianians. (1)
Your other Greek cities train the Slingers, Thureophoroi, Peltastai, and Auxiliary Cavalry. (6)
Crete trains the Archers. (1)
The army should meet up in the Thessalia region, then travel by ship to wherever it is needed. By the time Pellas has finished training the final Pezhetairoi, all the other units should be in the area and ready for assembly, so it should be doable in one year. If you must, you can instead march north and Retrain some units in Pellas to get extra XP.

So that leaves the Tarantines. If you have a spare FM lying around being a corrupt little Greek, just have him sit in the Mercenary Recruiting Grounds and snatch whatever he can; that way, when the Cretans sail up, the Tarantines can join then.

[bobbin]

I generally have a core of factional troops for my main line (usually Thorakitai as they are good and available in most parts of the map) which I supplement with regionals from the area the army is operating in, that way armies can be pretty quickly assembled.

[Haze88]

Which other cities produce Agrianians? I can only get them in Pella

[Haze88]

What Government/MIC is needed in Serdike, I roleplay the Kingdom of Tylis an independent nation.

[The Kybrothilian]

You need a lvl 2 government, because the Agranians are lvl 4 factional MIC units.