Takashila Campaign Help

[perrypus]

Hello, this is my first post on the forums!! I've had an account for a while, but I haven't posted anything. Anyway, to get back on topic, I had started a Takashila campaign. I have had experience with campaigns on EB1, having completed a Macedonian and a Roman one. As the Takashila, I did my normal strategy, which is to blitz in the beginning with my starting army. I managed to conquer 3 provinces, and I was still in debt due to the tribute to the Mauryan empire. Finally, I had the option to declare independence, which I did. But the next turn, I was attacked by a huge Mauryan full stack, and I promptly lost the campaign. Also, 2 of my elephant FM's had died, due to javelins. I was wondering if elephant FM's are more likely to get killed than cav. FM's.

Any feedback would be appreciated,

~Tushaar

[Theo]

Yeah you should never send your Elephants into the front lines whenever any kind of javelin thrower/cavalry charge is involved. That is a good way to lose generals. Instead wait until your units and the enemy's units are bogged down in melee, then send your elephants charging from the rear.

As for declaring independence, yeah you should probably wait until you have at least 1 full stack before doing that .

[perrypus]

Thanks!

[athanaric]

When you don't need them in battle, garrison your non-FM elephant unit in one of the forts near Taksashila. That way, they'll count as a "free upkeep" unit and you won't have to disband them during periods of peace. Same goes for every other unit of course, but the elephants are the most expensive to maintain. This "trick" will boost your economy significantly.

[perrypus]

OMG!! Putting the in forts is free upkeep??? (I am such a noob...)
That really helps!!

~Tushaar

[Mantaprey]

I waited until i had all the rebel settlements just to make sure i was strong enough, then i set up a network of watchtowers with Master spies and assassins patrolling the desert. With their commander dead they are clueless rabble wandering the wasteland. they are still hard to defeat so make your armies strong.

try and stay out of any wars if you declare Independence. Don't fight the seleukids and mauryans at the same time or you will get squashed :/

and i think thats about it...

Your archers are very good 200 men with long bows so with 5 units is 1000 arrows per volley then they have 9 melee attack with their giant kopis swords.

elephants have 5 attack and 35 something charge so their main damage is in the charge.

good luck and don't give up.

[perrypus]

BTW, whats the historical reason of units having free upkeep in minor settlements? Also, how come elephants cannot attack wooden palisades as they could in EB1? Thanks for all your help.

~Tushaar

[Boriak]

It makes sense that a settlement's produce/income would be assigned as upkeep of a nearby army. Such feudal-like system was common in antiquity.

[Carl Jung was right]

It makes sense that a settlement's produce/income would be assigned as upkeep of a nearby army. Such feudal-like system was common in antiquity.

If that were so you wouldn't get income from that settlement, unless you were double taxing .

I believe in vanilla MTW, upkeep was free only for units of the militia variety, which can be imagined as them being dismissed from service and going to their usual jobs.

I don't mind the mechanic, the Taka campaign is hard enough as it is without the obscenely expensive elephant upkeep.

[Lysimachos]

If that were so you wouldn't get income from that settlement, unless you were double taxing .

Perhaps you don't get the income from the minor settlement and the free upkeep represents how you claim it.

[General Maximus]

I am having difficulty maintaining money and public order at the same time right in the beginning as Takshashila. I moved eastwards from the starting capital and conquered that city across the river bridge, defeating the rebel stacks. I used all my army except two units left in the capital as garrison. At that point, I was low on money and getting heavy deficits. After having wiped out much of the population, the newly captured city is still rebelling forcing me to garrison my entire army there to maintain order.

Now I am in heavy deficits, the treasury is in negative (just went over -10,000), and I have no money left to establish a proper government in the captured city. To get more money, it would require me to conquer another city but if I take my army out of that city, it will revolt.

To add to the problems, a decent-sized rebel stack has appeared beside the bridge, and blocked the only road going from my capital to the new city, stopping all possibilities of trade. Again, I cannot defeat it because it would require over half of my already depleted army to be taken out of the city, making it rebel. What's worse, the mood of the population in the capital has began getting sourer every turn due to cultural problems.

Any tips?

[alex86]

It sounds like you aren't making use of the free upkeep forts for the elephants.

I play kind of boring, but when I played Takashila, I found out that conquering the rebel city initially made things too hard for me. There's another rebel stack floating around between your capital and the rebel city, and they will besiege your capital. So take those out first and wait around until you have the resources to build an army and take the rebel city.

In general, disband the units you don't need -- I mean, if you won't need these guys for say, 10 turns, you can just wait and recruit them later, and the overall cost is lower compared to the 10 turns' upkeep you'd pay in the meantime -- and wait. You're in little danger of being attacked by a major power for what seems like ever. And even if you were, for a paltry tribute you can get protection from the Mauryan Empire, although I don't know how much help they would be.