Originally Posted by
RodriguesSting
So that's where that trait comes from. Nice. BTW gotta finish that guide.
Anyway, Galathraikes are quite handy for the non-Barbarian player because they are very cheap through the campaign and are pretty competent overall. While there's no need to go over their offensive stats (mediocre but existent javelins, competent melee attack, satisfactory charge), they got a pretty decent shield, and while their armor is mediocre (specially for non-barbarians), have in mind they still got 9 Defensive Skill. Armor is better than Defensive Skill overall, but on the start of an engagement, I believe both are roughly on par, so that 9 skill takes their 2 armor (and 5 shield) far. Have in mind though, as they get fatigued, Defensive Skill (and Attack) quickly start going down, and while Barbarian warriors tend to have decent stamina, specially with Experience, they will still eventually get tired and will start dying on droves, but until that happens, they will do some pain to the target even upfront. If you are really serious about massed charges and exploiting every gap with your cavalry, these defensive weaknesses will be hardly felt.
Finally, I heard that Macedonians get some great range on their Laarchia government, basically everything Alexander conquered. So if you really want easy-to-set-up native governments that aren't Alliances, with LOTS of local troops, they will be your guys. I would have to check their files to make sure about that though.