Are there any factions without a lot of rules for who should lead armies, etc?

[Calypze]

I have been playing the Carthaginian campaign a while now, but the requirement for characters to be selected to lead the war effort is not really practical (at least for me), so I have ignored it. I guess that's why almost all of my generals have the status of "rejected general", which results in it being impossible for them to gain command stars, and gives penalties on troops, and I guess very low loyalty as well. It is really a drag on the campaign, I am currently considering if I should continue it or not.

I know the Romans have a similar mechanism.

I briefly checked out Sweboz, they seem to function similarly.

Is there any faction that does not function this way?

When playing TW games, I like to have each of my characters focusing on either becoming a competent governor or a competent general. And having them travelling back to the capital to be selected every now and then, and only being allowed to lead the army for a limited time period really interferes with that. So, which factions are more suitable for my way of playing?

[Sar1n]

You seem to have a knack for picking factions. Most of the remaining ones don't have such strict general limitations.

[QuintusSertorius]

The Ptolemaic and Seleukid Faction Leaders have mechanics that either encourage them to stay in the capital (Ptolemaioi) or have to return there periodically or cause unrest (Seleukids). The rest of their Family Members can do as they please, though.

[Calypze]

The Ptolemaic and Seleukid Faction Leaders have mechanics that either encourage them to stay in the capital (Ptolemaioi) or have to return there periodically or cause unrest (Seleukids). The rest of their Family Members can do as they please, though.

Interesting. However, in the case of Ptolemaioi, won't a leader who is in the capital as opposed to out fighting fail to gain much authority, which results in defections? Or is that compensated for?

[realm56]

Not necessarily relevant for armies but more for governors as follows:

Pahlava has to be quite careful about who they put in charge of governing certain provinces (Arshkânîg characters must be the ones to govern provinces with the Pahlav Shahwar Zand Dahyu (Royal clan land) or Pahlav Shahwar Shahrab (Royal Satrapy) and allied clan members (Mihran, Karen, Dahâën or Sûrên-Pahlavîg) must be the ones to govern provinces with the Pahlav Zand Dahyu (Allied clan land) or Pahlav Shahrab (Parthian Satrapy) governments or unrest will ensue although both royal and allied clan members can govern provinces with the Pahlav Vuzurgan, Satrapeia Philellenike, Subject Nomad Territory or Indo-Parthian Kingdom governments.

Pontos only has to take care that the governors that they put in charge of governing provinces with the Hypobasileia government must be a Pharnakid (Pontos' main ethnicity).

As for most other factions, there are ethnicities or social statuses that softly encourages them to govern provinces (or certain types of territories) instead of commanding armies in the field (some only flourish with certain army compositions) and there are those that are better suited for military service instead of governing settlements and there are those who will do a fine job doing either governing or fighting.

As for the Seleucid and Ptolemaic faction leaders living Seleukeia and Alexandria respectively to wage war, it is always a gamble which you have to think carefully about and it is only a matter of taking the appropriate measures should the public order deteriorate for too long.

[QuintusSertorius]

Interesting. However, in the case of Ptolemaioi, won't a leader who is in the capital as opposed to out fighting fail to gain much authority, which results in defections? Or is that compensated for?

No compensation, it's a balance of risks you make playing that faction. If you take your king away on campaign for extended periods of time, you may get revolt in Thebais.

Similar for the Seleukid king who misses Akitu in Seleukeia too many times, in that case Babylon might rise.

[Imperator Caesarian]

While some may hate that, I ABSOLUTELY love the simulation aspect. Maybe try out a different mod. This mod is for obsessive people like me.

[Calypze]

While some may hate that, I ABSOLUTELY love the simulation aspect. Maybe try out a different mod. This mod is for obsessive people like me.

No, not at all! I am a big history geek. It's just that this aspect does not always work so well with the M2TW engine. If anything, keeping track of all your characters and their histories get complicated when you have played a while, and the family tree has really grown in size.

Anyways, thanks for the replies everyone. I think I am going to try the Bosporans or the Takshashilans next.

[Shoebopp]

Petition to improve Ptolemy Philadelphos's PTO policy. I've never heard of a CEO position where your middle managers instigate an insurrection every time you take a few days off.

Anyways, the whole "Not in Alexandria" script can be mitigated by taking two measures:

A. Invest your colony points into building Hellenistic Colonies in the Nile settlements. This increases Hellenistic Culture, which decreases the Civil Unrest, making the Unrest penalty of the the script less damaging.

B. Dump a bunch of Native Egyptian and Ethiopian Archers into Diospolis-Megale, along with one Classical or Mercenary Hoplite unit and one unit of cavalry. The hoplite unit can easily hold the line and grind the incoming insurrectionists to a paste while your archers massacre them from a distance. The cavalry will deliver the coup de grace from behind. Using this strategy you can easily stave off each rebellion. Your Ptolemaic King can then go where he pleases

[Imperator Caesarian]

Petition to improve Ptolemy Philadelphos's PTO policy. I've never heard of a CEO position where your middle managers instigate an insurrection every time you take a few days off.

Anyways, the whole "Not in Alexandria" script can be mitigated by taking two measures:

A. Invest your colony points into building Hellenistic Colonies in the Nile settlements. This increases Hellenistic Culture, which decreases the Civil Unrest, making the Unrest penalty of the the script less damaging.

B. Dump a bunch of Native Egyptian and Ethiopian Archers into Diospolis-Megale, along with one Classical or Mercenary Hoplite unit and one unit of cavalry. The hoplite unit can easily hold the line and grind the incoming insurrectionists to a paste while your archers massacre them from a distance. The cavalry will deliver the coup de grace from behind. Using this strategy you can easily stave off each rebellion. Your Ptolemaic King can then go where he pleases

That’s realistic, it supposed to simulate the palace intrigues that existed. Court intrigue was very common in those Hellenistic empires. That’s facts.

[realm56]

Anyways, the whole "Not in Alexandria" script can be mitigated by taking two measures:

A. Invest your colony points into building Hellenistic Colonies in the Nile settlements. This increases Hellenistic Culture, which decreases the Civil Unrest, making the Unrest penalty of the the script less damaging.

B. Dump a bunch of Native Egyptian and Ethiopian Archers into Diospolis-Megale, along with one Classical or Mercenary Hoplite unit and one unit of cavalry. The hoplite unit can easily hold the line and grind the incoming insurrectionists to a paste while your archers massacre them from a distance. The cavalry will deliver the coup de grace from behind. Using this strategy you can easily stave off each rebellion. Your Ptolemaic King can then go where he pleases

I guess that in Diospolis, most Ptolemaic Players would eventually do away with Epistateia epi Laous which exists at the start of the campaign and replace it with Epistateia epi Hellenas for improved PO and infrastructure which would represent the stripping of the privileges granted to the native Egyptian priesthood and subjecting the province to full Hellenization, in the current live build (2.35), the resistance to the removal of the priesthood's privileges is not reflected as Epistateia epi Laous grants no PO benefits of its own which may symbolize the concessions given to the native aristocracy, the move to Epistateia epi Hellenas would help to dampen some of the unrest that comes with the Pharaoh being absent from Alexandria with its 5% law bonus.

[Hellenikon]

As the ptolemids, I usually rename thebes to ptolemais hermiou, to represent how I'm shifting importance towards the greek city as a royal tool. I wanted to make it ptolemais a second alexandria, so I put there a basilike patris and all. That gives enough solid troops locally that any rebellion can be dealt with easily. However, I don't think the egyptian priesthood would take very well to greek settlers coming to upper egypt to take their lands and jobs.