Imperiums: Greek Wars News

Lydia could lead a great revolt against the Persian overlord, as its loyalty to the throne stands in the way of expansion and growth.



[h2]Tester’s tips[/h2]
Lydia is a very large and wealthy western province of the Persian Empire. In the old days its capital at Sardis was the seat of the kings. Although it has lost most of its influence over time, it maintained loyalty to its overlords even when the northern provinces rebelled and wanted to break away from the empire.

The coast of Lydia is peppered with commercial centers, its lands are rich in natural resources, it has a long coast, great access to the sea and trade routes to the rest of Greece are open.

Of all the Persian provinces, this one is indeed the best. You only need to bribe the other provincial leaders to stay on good terms with you while in the meantime you build up your basic infrastructure, fortify your cities and grow your military power.

Once you decide to break away from Persians, you can count on the others to stand on your side.

But beware, the other provinces are quite ambitious and even if friendly at the start, they won’t let you get the upper hand in Anatole.

You might want to secure more territories on the Aegean islands or Crete to spread your influence further from mainland.

With higher difficulties this could be quite challenging, as the neighboring provinces become very aggressive and give you no rest. It also becomes very tricky to judge correctly when the time is ripe for establishing independence from the Persians. If you stay loyal too long while other provinces break away, they will quite likely attack your borders as well. On the other hand, if you break the ties with the Empire before you are strong enough you could be exposed to the Persians seeking revenge.

Hard decisions are part of life though :)

The shadow of Sparta grows longer. Unless Arkadia finds more allies, it will face the Spartan force alone!



[h2]Tester’s tips[/h2]
Arkadia might seem a peaceful land but it needs a very careful hand to ride the constantly changing tide of foreign politics. It sits in the middle of Peloponnese, bordering all of the Peloponnesian states, including Sparta. That makes it a perfect target when any of its neighbours decides to expand its borders.

You should not be fooled by the defense pact it has with Boeotia, these allies are too far away to give any rapid and effective help when needed. It is much smarter to try to get as many of its small neighbors on its side as possible to create a Peloponnesian coalition against Sparta.

Sparta is not unfriendly from the start but it is more powerful than any of the southern states and it will use its military force sooner or later.

The Persian Empire is in decline. Is Mysia ready to stand on its own or will it obediently bow to its overlords till the end of time?



[h2]Tester’s tips[/h2]
Mysia is a large state, one of the few on this map. It starts as part of the confederation of the Achaemenid Empire and as such it cannot control its own foreign policy, but it is of great strategic importance as it controls the waterway between Europe and Anatole.

Being a confederation member is somewhat limiting but it gives you time to build up your economy, improve your infrastructure and reform your army. Until you are ready, the Persians kind of shelter you from foreign powers.

At least that is what I expected, but the reality was different. One by one the other Persian provinces established independence and suddenly I found myself surrounded by former friends who valued their own interests more than my friendship.

My advice therefore is to keep on good relations with the other provinces as long as you need them. The proximity to the European coast gives you the opportunity to expand in this direction first but don’t let the others to get too strong a position in Anatole, otherwise they will force you out of Asia Minor.

The noble Amphoteros, our guide through the ancient Hellas, will take us to Peloponnese this time, the southern peninsula of the Greek mainland. Here lies the great Sparta but we will visit the less known city-states that for centuries live in the shadows of the mighty kingdom.

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Proud of its status, Phokis is ready to fight to keep it. Will you overcome this pride and seek allies or you take on the world all by yourself?



[h2]Tester’s tips[/h2]
Phokis is a true fight for survival.

You have the protection of the Parnassos mountain range to your West. Your northern neighbor the Thessaly Pherae is already involved in a bloody civil war so should not bother you. The obvious route for expansion is to attack your nearest neighbor Boeotia, to your East, but it is way harder than you would think at first.

Boeotia are much stronger as they can already use Hoplites (advanced military units). You have no time to lose as you feel you need to pump your money into the army, but you find out quite soon that your resource reserves are dwindling. As you cannot use Blacksmiths (that multiply resource production) right from the start, I usually build Trading improvements in all cities to manage urban resource usage.

It is best to keep on good terms with the Boeotians to give yourself time to prepare. Wait for them to be occupied elsewhere and then attack their rear. If this is not possible because they declare war on you before you are ready, try to engage the other neighboring states such as Euboea or Athens to fight against them to divide their military forces.

Defensive war seems to be a good strategy here. I keep my military units in the cities to protect them and have one or two units in the rear ready to finish off any weak enemy units in my territory.

The initial phase is tough and I cannot say I am always better than the AI but the challenge pulls me back to this faction over and over again.