Pontus Campaign Help

[Krampus]

Hey guys,

Doing a Pontus play through on 2.2r while eagerly awaiting 2.3 to drop. Hard BAI, Very Hard CAI

Any recommendations for the first dozen or so turns? I immediately took the province just north of the starting position, and I'm eyeing the nearby settlements but there's at least 3-4 wandering near-full stacks of rebels warding me off. Worried about fighting any one of these stacks and then ending up with too few troops to siege a 3rd settlement, or having one of the other stacks siege my capital without having enough troops to defend.

Massively in debt, feel spread a bit thin.

[rovert]

just cheat with that faction if you want to have any enjoyment
add_money 10000 or w/e you want
create_unit "Sinope" "hellenistic infantry hoplitai" 6 1 1 1

other then that just hope that you don't get attacked to much because you will be next to broke for 50 turns at least

[Hellenikon]

Pontos is my favorite faction, things may change after 2.3 hits, but i don't mind giving some tips in the meantime.

Focus on taking 2 settlements asap, these plus Amaseia will give you a stable income. Your objective is to secure 3 regions that are profitable, that means free of eleutheroi stacks. A big part of the early game is about killing those paphlagonian eleutheroi fast, so they don't devastate your regions. Destroy them both on the first turn, or second at most.

I recommend going for Sinope/Ankyra, because Galatia is a wasp nest that is better off under your watch than being independent. You could go after Trapezous instead, but then you must deal with the little armenia army as well, plus keeping a watch over Ankyra... In the end you need to deal with both the galatians and cappadocians, there is no avoiding them, if you do they'll destroy your economy and you'll never get off the red. Unless you try to sell away Amaseia to someone else (heresy!) and focus on the coast, you need to deal with those

In the case of the galatians, they'll also keep getting stronger unless you deal with them, so it's better if you do it sooner rather than later. Pontos is uniquely positioned in that it shares eastern tribal culture with Ankyra, so it is way easier to hold than for others nearby factions, like Pergamon.

How do you accomplish this? Use your army carefully, recruit mercenaries on the first turn (useful ones like toxotai kretikoi or peltenai), and for those roaming galatian and cappadocian stacks - they can't raid you if they are busy, so send small detachments of raiders to keep them on their toes. Ex. a unit of muddunup kappodakiya, they will attack it and you retreat, then you'll lose a battle. No matter, you're gaining time while building up your economy.

Eventually you'll be able to afford an army to crush those stacks, but in the mean time you need to harass them so they cannot devastate your lands. Also keep an eye out for Ankyra after you conquer it, as galatians rebels will keep spawning there randomly, you need to have your army ready for action nearby.

[Genghis Skahn]

Ally with Hayastan, they are both the ideal and historical(AFAIK) choice for allies in the region. Beat the rover in your home province, then the Sinope rover, and capture Sinope. Then follow up with Ani-Kamah or Trapezous, finishing off with Kutatisi perhaps in an ideal world(will cause war with Sauromatae, but the Caucasus pass to the Steppe there is blocked). By then you should have a decent economy, and should focus on the rest of Anatolia.

[Krampus]

Thank you so much! With these tips I may have to restart my campaign and try again with your suggestions, or pick up from after turn 3 when I took sinope.

[Rendon]

Another question on the topic of Pontus. I remember in EBI there was an event to go help out some Greeks in Crimea that helped you get a foothold over there. Is there anything like that still in the game?

[QuintusSertorius]

Another question on the topic of Pontus. I remember in EBI there was an event to go help out some Greeks in Crimea that helped you get a foothold over there. Is there anything like that still in the game?

There's a whole series of "missions" for Pontos in EBII relating to that and other matters.

[Rendon]

What triggers them, Scythian encroachment or time?

[myarta]

The Pontic Imperial reforms require ownership of Sinope, Trapezous, Kutatisi, Mazaka, but also Pantikapaion and Chersonessos which together make up the Crimea.

There's also a warning about getting too close to the Getai that can lead to war (Similar to Roman interference in Sicily), and such. I didn't see a series of missions per se like Baktria gets that guide you through a few goals and reward you with something (Colony points, i.e. more Hellenic settlers from further west from the Seleucid Basileus in Baktria's case), but I might not have spotted it.

[Rendon]

The Pontic Imperial reforms require ownership of Sinope, Trapezous, Kutatisi, Mazaka, but also Pantikapaion and Chersonessos which together make up the Crimea.

There's also a warning about getting too close to the Getai that can lead to war (Similar to Roman interference in Sicily), and such. I didn't see a series of missions per se like Baktria gets that guide you through a few goals and reward you with something (Colony points, i.e. more Hellenic settlers from further west from the Seleucid Basileus in Baktria's case), but I might not have spotted it.

Was that related to my question? Are you saying there aren't missions that send you to Crimea?

[QuintusSertorius]

There are, the missions are separate from the reform. Here's their titles from the campaign_script:

    ;	Pontic Missions
    ;		As Far as a Spear Can Reach
    ;		Khersonesos Calls for Help
    ;		Odessos Calls for Help
    ;		Olbia Calls for Help
    ;		A Barbarian Offer
    ;		An Offer From The Steppe
    ;		Honouring Guests like the Ancestors
    ;		Athenian Euergesia
    ;		Panhellenic Games
    ;		The Offering at the Mountaintop

[myarta]

It was, yes, Rendon.

I was searching for "Pontos" rather than "Pontic" so I missed their missions in my quick glance.

[Rendon]

Ah, okay. I didn't know where to look for them. Thank you for the assistance.

[Krampus]

There are, the missions are separate from the reform. Here's their titles from the campaign_script:

    ;    Pontic Missions
    ;        As Far as a Spear Can Reach
    ;        Khersonesos Calls for Help
    ;        Odessos Calls for Help
    ;        Olbia Calls for Help
    ;        A Barbarian Offer
    ;        An Offer From The Steppe
    ;        Honouring Guests like the Ancestors
    ;        Athenian Euergesia
    ;        Panhellenic Games
    ;        The Offering at the Mountaintop

Thanks! Should make the exciting hell of early game Pontus easier.

Any recommendations on early units to use from the recruitable/merc roster? This playthrough I want to try and keep a more historically accurate army comp, but still be able to play with a few fun regionals.

[Kull]

Thanks! Should make the exciting hell of early game Pontus easier.

Any recommendations on early units to use from the recruitable/merc roster? This playthrough I want to try and keep a more historically accurate army comp, but still be able to play with a few fun regionals.

Use scythed chariots. My god, those things can do serious damage to enemy units! Can't let them get stuck in the line of battle, but they will annihilate poorly formed levy units and will crack a flank in no time.

[Krampus]

Use scythed chariots. My god, those things can do serious damage to enemy units! Can't let them get stuck in the line of battle, but they will annihilate poorly formed levy units and will crack a flank in no time.

Yesss I am so excited about the Imperial reform so that I can train these! I already love the Persian Kinsmen cavalry's deadly charge that just wrecks entire units of troops from the flank/rear! They're well worth their cost!

Also, campaign map question: I think it's a really cool mechanic that Pontus gets to use Hellenic Poleis, and even accrue colonists to build Hellenic military colonies. I've been spying on the various Hellenic settlements in Mikra Asia, but other than Sinope none have more than a Minor Polis. Do AI factions build or upgrade Poleis? If I wait long enough, will Pergamon, Arche Selukeia, or Ptolemaioi build or upgrade regular or major Poleis?

[QuintusSertorius]

Also, campaign map question: I think it's a really cool mechanic that Pontus gets to use Hellenic Poleis, and even accrue colonists to build Hellenic military colonies. I've been spying on the various Hellenic settlements in Mikra Asia, but other than Sinope none have more than a Minor Polis. Do AI factions build or upgrade Poleis? If I wait long enough, will Pergamon, Arche Selukeia, or Ptolemaioi build or upgrade regular or major Poleis?

Yes, AI factions do build both - they love any building that gives recruitment - and they aren't restricted by the colony points mechanic. Note Pergamon, Antiocheia and Alexandreia already have a Metropoleis, so they won't be upgraded any further.

[rhavviepoodle]

CAI Pergamon seems to like taking Nikaia and almost inevitably installs a minor polis there.

On a side note, it must not be an accident that Nikaia is so ripe for hellenization. Not only does it start with 50% Hellenistic polities, it has a market large enough to immediately sustain a tier 2 polis, assuming you can afford it.

[QuintusSertorius]

CAI Pergamon seems to like taking Nikaia and almost inevitably installs a minor polis there.

On a side note, it must not be an accident that Nikaia is so ripe for hellenization. Not only does it start with 50% Hellenistic polities, it has a market large enough to immediately sustain a tier 2 polis, assuming you can afford it.

Not an accident. Like Olbia it's somewhere that used to have a polis, but have moved away from those sorts of civic structures in the way they organise their affairs in our contemporary time.

[rhavviepoodle]

Since we're currently on this tangent: as there is historical precedent for poleis to dissolve (or be abandoned or destroyed), I am somewhat curious why the building itself is not destructible. Currently there's kind of a "no going back" sorta thing, which I feel plays well (for both Greek and non-greek meta) but doesn't seem the most intuitive.