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Thread: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

  1. #1

    Icon1 Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Salve, friends. It's been too long since my last faction review. But I am ecstatic to review a faction I never seriously considered playing until the folks on the RTW Discord convinced me to give it a go. This review is written primarily for veteran players who have not tried the Areaukoi.

    Campaign Difficulty: Hard
    Battle Difficulty: Normal

    Areuakoi Overview
    The Areukaoi are one of the two Iberian factions in EB II. They are a Celt-Iberian people who start in northeastern Iberia with a single settlement: Sekeiza. You share the Iberian peninsula with the Leusitane, the native Iberian faction in EB II, Qart-hadast in southern Iberia, and a smattering of rebel settlements providing paths for easy expansion and buffers between your Iberian neighbors and Gallic ones to the north. The Areukaoi utilizes a well-balanced army of powerful line infantry wielding devastating javelins, medium cavalry capable of skirmishing or melee, effective javelin skirmishers, and prolific slingers from the nearby Belearic Islands. Your armies are mobile, tactically flexible, and, in my honest opinion, one of the best infantry factions in the game once you learn how to use them effectively.

    Areuakoi Expansion
    As I mentioned in the overview, the Areuakoi are ringed by rebel settlements in every direction. These include historical rivals like the Edetani in Arse, which is the most developed "barbarian" settlement on the peninsula and an easy choice for expansion early on. To the south of your capital lies the city of Kontrebai. This city is significant for a variety of reasons including but not limited to improving your economy, expanding your recruiting base, and bringing you into proximity with Qart-hadast for a trading bonus that provides additional income every 4 turns. In short, all the reasons you typically expand in a Total War game. More importantly, Kontrebai is required for your factional reforms. Finally, Emporion, Iltirta, and Moroika makeup the other rebel settlements adjacent or near adjacent to Sekeiza. There are also two rebel settlements in southern Gaul, but I advise against taking those settlements as the Areuakoi until after you achieve your reforms.

    Of course, the Leusitane lurk to the west and will undoubtedly expand and capture Brigantion early in your campaign. They will also send armies to attack you at Kontrebai, so be prepared for war with the Leusitane. Either rush tand crush them early on or hold them at Kontrebai as you conquer eastern Iberia. Once you destroy the Leusitane and unite the rebel settlements of Iberia under your banner, your game opens up from a regional contest for Iberia to competition for the entirety of the western Mediterranean basin. To emphasize this point, the Areuakoi can construct high-level factional governments in all Iberia, Gaul, the western Mediterranean islands, Punic lands, and Sicily. As you can surmise from this, the "objective" of an Areuakoi game is to become master of the western Mediterranean basin and Gaul.

    Areuakoi Mechanics

    The Areuakoi have several unique mechanics and factional trait systems. First is the Celtiberian migration system. This system allows you to establish unique factional governments after you construct a colony, which, of course, requires colonists that accrue from Sekezia and Kontrebai when the latter has been upgraded to the Trebna Brigaum government. Establishing The Area of Mercenary Recruitment unique government in settlements like Iltirta and Arse allow your family members (FMs) to serve as mercenaries in Iberia or Sicily. These mercenary campaigns are imperative to improve your FM's reputation in Areuakoi society. Serving on mercenary campaigns may also grant the "Chief of a Band of Warriors" trait, which greatly helps your FMs be elected as Senators in Areuakoi society when they retire from fighting and join the civil ranks.

    Now, as this is a martial society, many of your factional unique traits encourage (perhaps it is even more accurate to say require) military activity. FMs who win great battles or have high command, influence, and charisma will be chosen as "Champions" of their people. A champion may duel other champions in Sekeiza. Winning this duel confers one of the game's most unique factional traits: "Enemy Right Hand". Yes, that is correct. You lop off your opponent's right hand as a trophy demonstrating your prowess as a warrior. This trait grants 2 command, 2 influence, and provides a 10% recruitment discount. Losing your right hand, however, is a mark of shame and besmirches your honor and reduces your ability as a warrior and general. The maluses for losing your hand are severe. Similarly to the Gallic factions, Areuakoi must demonstrate their warrior values by expending movement points, entering enemy lands to raid, fighting enemies on the battlemap, capturing a settlement, and serving as an auxiliary commander (similar to the Romani military tribune trait). Demonstrating warrior values can provide some marginal bonuses and even more severe maluses should you fail to do so. More importantly, those with demonstrated martial values will ascend the Areuakoi social hierarchy quicker than their counterparts.

    In addition to their martial values, the Areuakoi are a horse-people (I know, seems contradictory given my comments above about them being one of the best infantry factions in the game). They are not nomads like the Saka, Sarmatians, or Pahlava, but they do value horses. This is illustrated in-game with the "Herd" mechanic. Simply put, the size of a FM's herd demonstrates their wealth and increases their prestige. Increasing the size of your herd confers bonuses to confidence, influence, farming, but a malus to movement. Winning battles, capturing settlements, and raiding increases the size of your herds. Upgrading farming or herding buildings in a settlement will also increase your herd's size. Finally, managing your herds by ending your turn outside a friendly settlement during the winter season will potentially increase your herd's size. You can extrapolate from this that losing battles, ending winter turns in enemy territory, and being a poor raider will reduce your herd's size. I particularly enjoy this mechanic because your character's are not static. There is always something to do with your characters that has tangible gameplay benefits, especially for your governors.

    Moving on now to the socio-political aspect of the Areuakoi. First, your FMs under the age of 50 are called Iouantus, which is essentially the time of their life they are expected to be campaigning, serving as a mercenary, raiding, and conducting other violent activity to advance their rank and prestige. Your FMs are a Iouantus from age 18 to age 50. The faction leader also possesses a unique ancillary called the "Ketueidonts", or Youth Assembly Commander, which designates a Iouantus as the Chief of the Army. The Ketueidonts receives significant bonuses to command, confidence, loyalty, personal security, and a recruiting discount. Once an Iouantus reaches the age of 50, they retire from fighting life and become a Senizamus or Elder (this provides bonuses conducive to governing and maluses deleterious for a general) and can be elected a Senator of the Areuakoi in a settlement with the Karantiom Enigenum or Trebna Brigaum government buildings. Ex-Chiefs of a Band of Warriors (the trait we mentioned above from campaigning and serving as a mercenary) are elected as senators much more frequently. So you can see the interplay between these various traits. Senators can also be elected to serve as a diplomat or magistrate for their city after the Celtiberian reforms in 237BCE. These traits enhance the bonuses from the Senator trait.

    Areuakoi Societal Transformation
    As you conquer Iberia and the western Mediterranean, Celtiberian society undergoes radical transformations that elevate their society from a hodgepodge of loosely connected agrarian villages to tight knit and advanced city-states. In a sense, this mechanic, to use an imperfect historical analogy, is similar to Greece's transformation from the Homeric period to the Classical period. The reformed Areuakoi system of city-states most resembles the Greek city-states during the Persian Wars and succeeding period; whereas Areaukoi society at the game's onset is more similar to ancient Greece prior to the rise of city-states. This is an incredibly rewarding development.

    After the Areuakoi society reforms, you can construct the "Celtiberian City-State" to represent the equestrian aristocratic class's consolidation of power in urban centers. From these city-states you can recruit the Celtiberian elite and professionals and receive significant bonuses to happiness, law, and farming. To reach the Celtiberian City-State, however, requires significant investment through the Celtiberian Migration building chain. The settlement in which you want to construct the Celtiberian City-State must also be a city and have 70% Urbanised Tribal States culture. Given that most settlements in Iberia start with between 1000-2000 population and lack Urbanised Tribal States culture, this is a lengthy process. For reference, I am at turn 163 and have activated the reforms, but have no cities eligible to construct the City-State government building. For those of you who enjoy long campaigns, this is definitely one for you.

    Final Thoughts
    I hope this review has conveyed the deep intricacies of playing as the Areuakoi. I have focused on the faction's unique traits, reforms, and governments to showcase the faction's incredible transformation over the course of the game. In addition, the various factional mechanics ensures plentiful role-playing opportunities.

    If you're like me and rotate between the Diadochi and a few other of the more "civilized" factions, then I encourage you to try the Areuakoi. It's an incredibly rewarding campaign and one I cannot recommend enough.

    Edit: And, as the young folk would say, the music "slaps" (meaning it's great).
    Last edited by romulus_aeneas; January 25, 2023 at 01:29 PM.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    This was a great read. Well done!

  3. #3

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Awesome! The Arevaci has been lacking a proper guide for a long time.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Thank you for this post. I have been considering playing the Areuakoi for a while.

  5. #5
    Jurand of Cracow's Avatar History and gameplay!
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    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Great review, thanks!

  6. #6

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Thanks for the kind remarks everyone!

    I hope you’ve started a game, Calypze!

  7. #7

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    I haven't started a game yet, but hopefully within a few weeks!

    A thought regarding strategy: Would it be a bad idea to immediately head west and eliminate the Leusitane? If they are going to expand toward you fairly quickly anyways, why not just nip them in the bud? I don't know how fast the Qart-hadast expand north, but it eliminating the Leusitane should at least give a little time to capture rebel settlements afterward, and get the economy rolling.

    Militarily, it should definitely be possible. The Leusitane start almost only light troops, whereas the Areuakoi start with some heavier troops as well, and if you lead the battle personally, it should be fairly easy to defeat them without too many losses.

  8. #8

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Quote Originally Posted by Calypze View Post
    I haven't started a game yet, but hopefully within a few weeks!

    A thought regarding strategy: Would it be a bad idea to immediately head west and eliminate the Leusitane? If they are going to expand toward you fairly quickly anyways, why not just nip them in the bud? I don't know how fast the Qart-hadast expand north, but it eliminating the Leusitane should at least give a little time to capture rebel settlements afterward, and get the economy rolling.

    Militarily, it should definitely be possible. The Leusitane start almost only light troops, whereas the Areuakoi start with some heavier troops as well, and if you lead the battle personally, it should be fairly easy to defeat them without too many losses.
    A decapitation strategy is definitely a veteran savvy move. I think the key is fighting a field battle adjacent to their capital so you can avoid the garrison script stack.
    Last edited by romulus_aeneas; February 06, 2023 at 04:47 PM.

  9. #9

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Great read, thank you

  10. #10

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Quote Originally Posted by romulus_aeneas View Post
    A decapitation strategy is definitely a veteran savvy move. I think the key is fighting a field battle adjacent to their capital so you can avoid the garrison script stack.
    There's a script written expressly to deter "decapitation strikes" by the player right at the start of the game, which is separate from the garrison script. It spawns an extra stack if you try for your neighbour's capital within the first 5 turns.

  11. #11

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Wonderful review. It makes me want to play this faction and also makes me wonder why I've spent so much time before coming backto EB2.

  12. #12

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Quote Originally Posted by QuintusSertorius View Post
    There's a script written expressly to deter "decapitation strikes" by the player right at the start of the game, which is separate from the garrison script. It spawns an extra stack if you try for your neighbour's capital within the first 5 turns.
    Iirc, the faction needs to be alive for the script to fire, right? Or am I misremembering?

  13. #13

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Quote Originally Posted by QuintusSertorius View Post
    There's a script written expressly to deter "decapitation strikes" by the player right at the start of the game, which is separate from the garrison script. It spawns an extra stack if you try for your neighbour's capital within the first 5 turns.
    Is that stack generated in the capital or outside of it?

    If it is made up of light militia, it should still be defeatable.

    I recall long ago that I played a Qart-Hadastim campaign. The Leusitane were quickly and easily defeated, whereas the Aruekoi were a tough nut to crack.

  14. #14

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Quote Originally Posted by romulus_aeneas View Post
    A decapitation strategy is definitely a veteran savvy move. I think the key is fighting a field battle adjacent to their capital so you can avoid the garrison script stack.
    That might be the way to do it. Either way, I would think one would want to avoid a scenario of the entire Iberian peninsula being occupied by the Areuakoi, the Leusitane, and the Qart-Hadastim. If the latter two decide to ally against you, things could be very tough. I would think one would want to eliminate the Leusitane (far weaker than the Qart-Hadastim) early on and take as many settlements as possible before the inevitable stand-off against the Qart-Hadastim.

  15. #15

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Quote Originally Posted by romulus_aeneas View Post
    Iirc, the faction needs to be alive for the script to fire, right? Or am I misremembering?
    I can't remember whether it was a proximity trigger or siege trigger. If the latter, then yes.

    Quote Originally Posted by Calypze View Post
    Is that stack generated in the capital or outside of it?

    If it is made up of light militia, it should still be defeatable.

    I recall long ago that I played a Qart-Hadastim campaign. The Leusitane were quickly and easily defeated, whereas the Aruekoi were a tough nut to crack.
    Outside the capital, and it's not a load of levies, but a proper stack. Several factions have them.

  16. #16

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    Given that trigger, maybe the best strategy is to take Kontebria straight away, and have that settlement as your initial frontline, given that it borders both the Leusitane and the Qart-Hadastim? Given that the Leusitane from what I understand are likely to attack pretty soon anyways, you get to fight them soon enough. I'm not sure how expansionist the Qart-Hadastim are on the Iberian peninsula in the early game, but if the war against the Leusitane doesn't drag out too long, afterward you could either go for the Qart-Hadastism or take rebel settlements. I also don't know to what extent the Qart-Hadastim would bother to send reinforcements from Africa to help their Iberian holding.

  17. #17

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    It's a proximity trigger, moving any of your armies towards the capital will cause a slightly bigger than half-stack to spawn. It's precisely to stop the human player wiping out their nearest opposition at the start of the game.

    EDIT: And now I'm going to expand the range of capitals protected by it at game-start. Too many one-province factions the player could easily destroy at the start of the game to make their lives easy.
    Last edited by QuintusSertorius; February 10, 2023 at 10:44 AM.

  18. #18

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    I did start my Areuakoi campaign, currently at about year 235 BCE. I control all of Iberia as well as the two Gallic provinces right to the north of the Pyrenees. I am currently waiting for the reforms to trigger, which should happen automatically at any point after 237 BCE.

    Recently there seems to be a trigger activated that the Qart-Hadastim will attack Gader. I make peace with them immediately every turn, but at their turn again, that stack always attacks again. And I am not sure this is very realistic (apart from being rather annoying). The Qart-Hadastim in my campaign are having serious troubles with the Numidians in their core territory around their capital, so letting Iberia slip in order to focus on more important stuff at home would make sense.

    Does this trigger end at some point? If I decide to face this army on the battlefield and defeat it, or if it rebels (its general has zero loyalty), will there just be another stack?

  19. #19

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    The script will force that army to attack Gader nonstop until you kill the general. The Ptolemaic stack that attacks player Pontus's Sinope behaves the same way. The campaign_script assigns a label to the general and then checks if the labeled general still exists. If so, then the general's army attacks. If the general rebels, it will probably continue to attack Gader. If you bribe him, then no matter how much you move him, he'll probably always return to Gader

  20. #20

    Default Re: Areuakoi: 2.35A R3.5 Review

    I got rid of that pesky army.

    I'm wondering, where are my reforms? It is about 230 BCE now. Aren't the reforms supposed to come automatically after 237 BCE? I have already gotten the panoply reforms btw.

    The Qart-Hadastim are clearly interested in Iberia. My original hope was for the Ptolemaioi to be strong enough to expand west so that I could ally with them against the Punic enemy, but they are very weak, they don't even control Kyrene (the KH does that). So I have allied with the KH and the Romani. I raided Sicily and instead of keeping the cities I took, I gave them to my allies the KH. I raided and then gave Sardinia to my other allies the Romani, and they took Corsica by themselves. Hopefully this will keep the Qart-Hadastim busy enough to not bother with Iberia. Raiding the Qart-Hadastim is a nice way to make a little extra money.

    The Aruernoi have been rather threatening recently, sending diplomats demanding cash or they will attack. I of course have denied their requests on principle, and my two cities in southern Gaul, just north of the Pyrenees, marking my northern border, and well-supplied with Celt-Iberian troops (which as far as I can tell are much stronger than Gallic troops), so I'm not worried.

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