Please recommend me a nation to play

[kmh42]

I still haven't play a proper game since 2.0 because the game bored me out long before this. In the last few week a start up the game with Invictus, have a look around but can't find an interesting place to start. Please recommend me an small to medium sized nation with at least a little bit of special content. Tell me why you recommend it to me and whats so special about it. And if you are especially kind give me a run down of first decade of what I should do to get a decent start. Thank you very much.

 

[Napoleon1971]

Massilia.

Its unusual because its a Hellenic state in the western Med. You have a handful of other post-Phocaea Hellenic cities in the west to unify under your banner.

You also have to survive being near much larger Rome and Carthage.

Some of your unique stuff revolves around liberating part of Corsica which is sure to lead to a war with one of them, unless you're fast enough to take it from somewhat larger Etruria and be scary enough to keep them both off it.

It has some unique events involving naval expeditions into the Atlantic portion of the map.

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How to play?

Its best to try to expand enough early to be big enough that Rome/Carthage don't come for you the second the AI realizes you exist, while also not expanding so much you end up with enough AE they come for you for that.

Bonus points if you can eventually liberate Sicily or conquer all of Britannia (or both).

Don't kill Rome immediately while they're distracted. You might as well just play Rome if you're going to do that.

 

[kmh42]

LOL That's exactly the nation I played my last full playthrough. In the past it was fairly easy to overpower my tribal neighbors but how do I do that now with levies? Save up for mercs? And do you integrate the other cultures?

 

[Jiben]

Arachosia

It's basically a worse bactria but you got plenty of choices to make.

Do you wanna stay hellenic or go zoroastrian (90% of your country is zoroastrian) or maybe even go into india and go budhist or something.

You will likely be forced to play tall for quite a few decades unless you get a real golden chance to become independent. Slowly biding your time untill you strike against Maurya (recomend mercs while they are busy with another war).

Might be easier to restart until Selucids refuse to give you up to Maurya but it runs the risk of Maurya taking land from you.

 

[Napoleon1971]

LOL That's exactly the nation I played my last full playthrough. In the past it was fairly easy to overpower my tribal neighbors but how do I do that now with levies? Save up for mercs? And do you integrate the other cultures?

I integrated nothing to keep in interesting. And yes, you need mercenaries the way I did it in my fun run. I eventually had a Hellenic Gaul with the capital in Marseilles and held Corsica, Sardinia, and the Baleares, along with all the Hellenic cities in Iberia (but nothing else in Iberia really), and all of Britain.

By mid-game I had a lot of pops converted to my nationality so I was able to raise legions (I got the tech) to go with my mercs so there was even a mid-game shift in play-style which was interesting.

Living through early Rome and Carthage was interesting. Yes, the barbarian tribes individually were weak. But, it was challenging taking them a few at a time while not attracting the ire of the big players.

If you don't want to do them, try Mosylon. They don't have many events to make them feel unique. But, you'll feel a bit unique on that map edge. Its a weird game in many ways. Once you beat Egypt it feels kind of like an Egypt game though.

 

[Napoleon1971]

Arachosia

It's basically a worse bactria but you got plenty of choices to make.

Do you wanna stay hellenic or go zoroastrian (90% of your country is zoroastrian) or maybe even go into india and go budhist or something.

You will likely be forced to play tall for quite a few decades unless you get a real golden chance to become independent. Slowly biding your time untill you strike against Maurya (recomend mercs while they are busy with another war).

Might be easier to restart until Selucids refuse to give you up to Maurya but it runs the risk of Maurya taking land from you.

I've never tried them but you've inspired to try them now. Thanks.

 

[Kadanz]

Heraclea Pontica

You're a persian ruler in a region of the world without almost no persians. You're going to have to play the culture game and diplomatic game in your initial expansion until you can make your way back to the persian heart land. You also get to unify the achaemenid empire.

I had a great time playing this nation, but it doesn't have any unique mission trees.

 

[Jayavarman]

Play as the Jews.

 

[Herennius]

If you don't want to do them, try Mosylon. They don't have many events to make them feel unique. But, you'll feel a bit unique on that map edge. Its a weird game in many ways. Once you beat Egypt it feels kind of like an Egypt game though.

I have a game around with neighbour Oponia, which is even more edgy in terms of it's map position - and one of the few tags with Pirate Heritage. So you can slave raid from the start on - and I used it for a tall attempt, where I restricted myself to the province of my capital. So far it was more pf a puzzle game to get my capital big... I'm somewhere midgame and interrupted because Imperator Invictus drawed me into a new game, but if I should resume I might extend my approach to conquer my neighbours and make them subjects. Some Mercenary States would also fit nicely, but I'm not sure if they can be created with a republican government (guess no because of the mercenary king feature, which wouldn't work then)

 

[olivenkranz]

Heraclea Pontica

You're a persian ruler in a region of the world without almost no persians. You're going to have to play the culture game and diplomatic game in your initial expansion until you can make your way back to the persian heart land. You also get to unify the achaemenid empire.

I had a great time playing this nation, but it doesn't have any unique mission trees.

You have to chose the Persian option for the starting event first

 

[kmh42]

Heraclea Pontica

You're a persian ruler in a region of the world without almost no persians. You're going to have to play the culture game and diplomatic game in your initial expansion until you can make your way back to the persian heart land. You also get to unify the achaemenid empire.

I had a great time playing this nation, but it doesn't have any unique mission trees.

Isn't this a pretty hard challenge?

 

[olivenkranz]

Isn't this a pretty hard challenge?

It's an acheivement, Heraclea Persica