ERE on VeryHard

[RexPelasgorum]

I decided to give a try to ERE using the 4TPY campaign script, on VH difficulty for campaing, and Hard dificulty for battles.

In the first turn, i quickly recruited lots of troops to defend Amida, or at least to provoke great casualties to the Sassanians when they would eventually attack it. Reinforced most of the eastern border, made some farming upgrades in most cities, while in the west i gathered my forces to push the Huns to the Danube.

First few turns went all fine, i managed to captura Kotais, the Sassanians did not dare to assault Amida (altough they laid siege to it), while i relieved Edessa after a glorious battle in wich my overaccurate Onagers saved me from the overpowered Sassanian cavalry.

The Huns were out of the Southern Balcans, i built some forts on the Danube and also watchtowers to see what movements are made by the Huns. In these times, i made some administrative stuff in my Empire. I made a few cityes pagan (those from Asia Minor, but also Jerusalem and Philadelphia for the sake of public order...).

A few turns passed without significant events, i did manage to take Mosul from the Sassanians, but then catastrophe hit. A megacoalition of Huns, Sassanians and PersArmenians launched combined attacks against my forces. My armies at Kotais where outnumbered 3:1 by the Persarmenians, and they fought and died to the last , killing more than 3/4 of the enemyes. Further south, after a great siege Amida had fallen. To the south, i have lost Mosul , then recaptured it a few turns later. Then again, i have lost it in the face of two nine star Sassanian Generals... i killed lots and lots of enemyes. I had to fought sometimes 4 or 5 battles per turn.

In the west, was rather silence, but my raiding parties scouting Dacia where trapped and outnumbered by the Huns 5:1 and all killed. I lost a legionary eagle in that battle, and also any hope to recover too soon Dacia as a province of my Empire.

In the east, i lost battle after battle. Still, my cities held out strongly. I managed to capture Van for a while, but had to abandon it. Currently, 5 full Sassanian stacks are heading towards me with the intention to conquer Anatolia. My troops are very weak, mostly Milites and Limitanei, with local levies. All my Comitatenses Armatus from this area died defending Mosul.

One Sassanian stack already hit the bridge near Caesareea Mazaca. They tried to cross the river Halis in the dusk, but my army blocked them. They where all elite cavalry, elite infantry, lots of them + onagers. It was a pyrhhic victory for me, but at least it was a victory.

So, i`m in year 416 AD, and i am attacked by enemies farr greater in number and strenght. I guess my empire is going to collapse soon... Unlike the previous versions where you had the Steppe Horse Archer Mass Killer to kill the Sassanian stacks, now this unrealistic unit is no more. You need to rely on levies, and Arabian Cavalry, who is very good, but it takes 3 turns to train one unit...

But anyway, believe it or not, it is the most fun and realistic game i ever had. Nothing can compare to a VH campaign played with IBDF ! Thanks again Ramon.

[Echbart]

Nice try - well i didnt have time to play with ERE, but in every game they ceasefire with Sassanids and capture Parsarmenians. I know i play with Parsarmenians on H/VH, with small mercenaries changes, i finnaly manged to survive more than 30 turns.

I will try the asap and will report it

[RexPelasgorum]

I still survive, despite tremendous odds... i found out curiously that in 7.03 compared to the previous 6.05 , the Huns are not anymore that kind of great threath to the ERE, howewer the Sassanids are simply killing machines. On the eastern front, is not anymore a matter of expanding, but a matter of keeping the border. Fortunately, there are a few chokepoints wich can be succsesfluly defended against Sassanids, in the WCS (worst case scenario):

- The one on the Pontic Coast (They never attacked trough that direction...)
- The bridge near Caesareea Mazaca (if you loose Amida - and you are likley going to loose it from the very begining - and you are unable to stop them anywhere else)
- The bridge between Edessa and Antioch, if you loose Edessa.

About the Persarmenians, i guess they are twice as hard )
Especially because the Sassanids have a tendency to broke alliances very easyly...

[Echbart]

I play Persarmenians and what i do is allied with ERE and attack asap Sassanids, then i have to gain onanger and elephats asap. But then when im controling around 8 towns, Sassanids and ERE ceasefire and ERE attacks me. then i can finish my game.....