At the begining with just one city the first thing I did was captured Nikomedia so I could have a port to trade. My next target was Sinope, but the Galatians got there before me so I got no option other than face them. It was one big field battle and two harsh sieges, but I got Synope and Ancyra. It took me some time to stabilize, fight three rebellions and build strengh, but I had eyes in Pontos' Amaseia and Trapezos, but the Hayasdan got both before me, wich was bonkers. I could go for Rhodes at this point but I was scared the attrition would erode my single army, so I was left alone against three much more powerful oponents: Ptolemaioi who occupy all cities in southern coastal Anatolia (Ephesos, Side and Tarsos), Hayasdan (who captured Amaseia, Trapezos, Samosata and 2/3 of the Caucasus) and Lydia (who had Pessinous, Ikonion, Mazaca and was a Seleukidai vassal). Ptolemaioi and Seleukidai was at war with one another, so I decided to attack Lydia betting Seleukidai wouldn't have troops to spare helping them. Lydia had one big field battle and three sieges in quickly succession to DOUBLE my territory, meanwhile Hayasdan also declared war on Seleukidai and Seleukidai sued me for peace... poor Lydia, help never came for them! PO wasn't that bad since Lydia was also greek. At this point I felt secure to go for Rhodes and captured it, meanwhile Samosata did a succesful rebellion and became independent from Hayasdan so I captured it as a golden opportunity. Now it's already around turn ~110, I have one good Professinal Army and one "cheap" Regular one, the only barracks I ever had was captured from Lydia and after some recruitment I demolished it because I need le mony, and it's down to Ptolemaioi and Hayasdan for expasion. This was my "easy and fast" period, but it does stopped there...
I really wish to go for Ptolemaioi cities at this point, but since it liked me and was fighting other wars, I feared that Hayasdan who wouldn't even sign trade could attack my back, so I attacked first. I set my two armys and took Amaseia and Trapezos in a single turn to minimize PO. I didn't planned it, but Hayasdan armies where ALL above the Caucasus fighting Arche Bosphorus (who grew big) wich left me the whole "Hayasdan (Armenia)" province unguarded so I blitzkrieged it from them. Note, it was turn 131 and I asked for a 8 tpy because it was goin so fast, and for the next 73 turns it would be the only cities I would capture. The Hayasdan province PO was TERRIBLE! With no Greek culture it was always rebelling all the time so both of my armies HAD to be there to crush frequent rebellions AND to fight off Hayasdan armies coming down of the Caucasus. This whole sittuation lasted FOREVER: crush rebelleion, replenish, fight off Hayasdan, replenish, rebellion again, rinse and repeat... note I wasn't collecting taxes in the whole "Hayasdan" province to minimize PO and rebellions, so I couldn't grow my army any big! Arche Bosphorus was also fighting Hayasdan over the Caucasus but this situation lasted unchaging ~50 turns (1/3 of the whole gameplay at this point), until Hayasdan didn't have armies to send down of the Caucasus and rebellions frequency stopped. At this point I wish to go for Ptolemaioi cities, but to face such powerful enemy I had to secure this flank first. I liberated Kolkhis, hoping together with Arche Bosphorus it would keep Hayasdan busy, but Arche Bosphorus, so far a major player in the region and my Ally, started to be steamrolled by Skythai down to one province! If Skythai, who also hated me and wouldn't sign even Trade conquer all the land over the Caucasus and became my neighbor, it would be BIG PROBLEM! So I decided to help Arche Bophorus instead of going for Ptolemaioi. Note: I do plan to take Arche Bophorus regions at some point, but different culture PO last so long I wish a hellenic faction occupy those lands first. So I fought a no-new-territory war for a very long time: raided the Hayasdan provinces until Arche Bosphorus or Kolkhis captured them, fight off Skythia (and Rauxsa) armies to protect Arche Bosphorus while it capture back it lost territories. Catiroi eventually joined the fight, wich made my northen border secured once and for all! Ptolemaioi cities here I go!... O-ho...
When I captured Armenia region I became Atropatkan neighbour who wouldn't even sign trade but I never gave much
. I just want my northern/eastern border secure to go for Ptolemaioi cities on southern Anatolia (GIBE EPHESOS!), but guess what? When I'm moving my armies back from north of the Caucasus, Atropatkan declare war! JESUS... I mean... HERAKLES, MAN, JUST LET ME BE! My luck is that I really was moving my armies trough the Caucasus so they was close to fight off any Atropatkan invasion and, at this point, I have enough income to make my second army Professional AND recruit a whole new Levy one for raiding, rebellion crushing and minor invasion defense. Looking at Atropatkan's Mada province it does seens nice: silver AND iron, but the PO there would be a whole Armenia PO issue again. Anyway, there's where I stop: I lured three Atropatkan stacks to my land and defeat them. My first army is at "invasion" shape and my second one needs serious refit since it really took a toll fighting off two Atropatkan forces, but reinforcements already is coming from my "recruit region" together with a whole new Levy Army so Atropatkan doesn't stand much of a chance now specially because I plan to buy Baktria into this war. But there's where I leave this campaign for the next two months since I will work travel and leave my pc back and be left with only my crap laptop...