1) Citizen Hoplites should probably be restricted just to Greek or greek-influenced areas to represent either literal polis forces or local forces that were starting to use the Greek military kit, but not yet the centralized Macedonian kit (aka the pike). That would probably be Greece proper, as well as coastal Anatolia/Syria/Phoenicia. Cappadochia, Mesopotamia, Babylon, Persia, and most Eastern Satrapies should probably have Sparabara instead as they were very recently using Persian military traditions. Peucestes in particular should have a large standing army of Sparabara and/or some traits promoting their use due to his strong adoption of Persian customs (Persophile). Indike and Paropamisodae(?) - you know, the India bordering satraps - should get local Indian infantry instead of Hoplites or Sparabara.kronenblatt wrote: ↑Sat Apr 29, 2023 7:02 pm Should maybe some satrapies’ armies get reduced? For example, all Citizen Hoplites? And more?
I’ll then update the mod and publish a new version for consideration.
Also, did Antigonos control Helicarnassos already in 323 BCE? Phrygia Megale was mostly landlocked, right?
2) Mercenary Hoplites were extremely common due to Alexander's conquests, and so they can stay as the mercenary infantry unit used by all the Diadochi.
3) In terms of Absolute Satrapy and Army Strength at the start of Perdikkas's reign as regent, it can be summarized as follows:
The Strongest: Perdikkas in Babylon - rich city, ruling authority, and command of the largest Macedonian army and all its elephants (largest starting amount of Xystophoroi, Indian Elephants, Veteran Pikes (superior), Average Pikes, Raw Pikes). Military facilities are third strongest as Alexander died before preparations for the next campaign was fully planned.
Second Strongest: Antipater in Macedon - only one initially able to produce Average Pikes that currently require the Barracks building, and probably has the most advanced military facilities of the Diadochi by virtue of the fact that Macedon has been churning out reinforcements for Alexander for years. Special mention - Craterus with his army of veterans.
Third Strongest: Ptolemy in Egypt - due solely to the richness of that satrapy combined with its strategic location. Military facilities are largely non-existent at this point, however. Ptolemy's primary task will be building them from scratch.
Fourth Strongest: Antigonus in Phrygia (but not Lydia or Karia, yes he was landlocked at least militarily) - the only satrap in the empire who has been in control of a location for as long as Antipater. As a result, Antigonus has full control over loyal Phrygia, and probably has decent military support facilities in place.....but no Barracks yet. He can churn out Raw Pikes better than any other satrap due to good available manpower and weapon production/storage. He also probably has cavalry facilities in place, as clever cavalry tactics were instrumental in his battles vs. Eumenes of Cardia, a good cavalry commander in his own right. Phrygia may not be as rich as Egypt or even neighboring Lydia/Karia, but it is one of the best military launchpads in the empire other than Macedon and Babylon.
Fifth Strongest: Peithon in Media - initially a trusted subordinate of Perdikkas, Peithon starts in command of a detachment of royal troops sent north to deal with the 20,000 Greek Mercenaries marching west from Baktria to their homes in Greece after learning of Alexander's death. On top of that, Media is a strategically important satrapy, controlling the best routes east and west through the Iranian plateau. Considering how well the Craterus event is working, is there any chance Peithon could have a custom decision pop up on turn 2 where they can either destroy the 20,000 Greek Mercenaries on Perdikkas's command, or add this large force of Mercenary Hoplites to his army at the cost of lowered relations and/or immediate war with Babylonia?
Sixth Strongest: Leonnatus in Hellespontine Phrygia - strategic location, small force of Macedonians, and a royal claim put Leonnatus in a strong diplomatic position prior to his unlucky death in the Lamian War. Had he lived and cultivated his starting position, he could have been one of the top contenders.
Seventh Strongest: Peucestes in Persis - seat of old Persian power with many of the royal treasuries nearby, Peucestes was also able to raise a strong force of native Persians due to his willingness to adopt Persian dress and custom. Peucestes was also able to form a coalition of eastern satraps to defeat Peithon in battle after he invaded Parthia.
In Need of Adjustment: Asander in Caria - per your question about Halicarnassus, the city was at least partially destroyed by Alexander the Great when he was besieging Memnon. Unclear how much the city recovered, but I would venture to say that its current incarnation is probably too strong. Remove the military buildings that are the foundation of Antigonid Anatolian strength in the 310 scenario, and maybe decrease the population a bit. It should still be a strong cultural location due to its unique temples and such, but slightly weaker economically than it currently is.
Eighth Strongest: Lysimmachus in Thrace - not a particularly rich satrapy, but Lysimmachus himself was extremely capable, and Thrace does have good access to Greco-Macedonian immigration, as well as Greek and Thracian mercenaries. Hostile tribes are a substantial threat, however.
Special Mention: Eumenes in Cappadochia - despite having to evict Ariarathes the Cappadochian king and old Persian loyalist, Eumenes was able to quickly field an army capable of taking on opposing Diadochi like Neoptolemus and Craterus with great success. Crucial to this was his training of Cappadochian nobles to fight as Macedonian style cavalry, as they would not hesitate to attack a famous and beloved general like Craterus. I haven't checked out Cappadochia as a faction yet, so not much to say about what the mod should do. Would be great if he could be included, though.
The Rest: That about does it for the notable Diadochi who fielded impressive military forces. Satraps of places like Syria, Kilikia, Mesopotamia, Armenia, Lydia, and the Eastern Satrapies contributed to the fighting, but aren't recorded as having wealth or military forces worth much attention. Certainly, they weren't in command of large amounts of Macedonians or War Elephants, so they should all probably have similar basic armies......at least until the player invests in recruiting Raw Pikes and building military facilities.
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4) Further pike thoughts: so if I'm understanding where things currently stand, we have pikes arranged as follows.....
- Raw Pikes that represent freshly raised and hastily trained locals. This is a new unit similar to the Phalanx unit but with weaker stats and a different FoG2 unit. Their existence ties into the natural tension between the Diadochi who felt that Macedonians were the only ones worthy of benefitting from the empire, and those Diadochi who saw practical opportunity in appealing to newly conquered locals for political support. Peucestes raised Persian troops, Eumenes trained Persian nobles to fight like Xystophoroi, and Seleukos and Ptolemy eventually adopted aspects of Persian/Egyptian kingship to enhance their local legitimacy, to name but a few more famous examples.
- Average Pikes that represent a more sophisticated recruitment system. They are the Phalanx unit already in the game with 7/5 3/2 attack, defense, hp, and stamina stats. Initially, their only source is Macedon where the pike training traditions and families are still in place from when Philip II and Alexander made use of them to conquer the world. Later on, the Antigonid/Seleukid/Ptolemaic kingdoms would create new military settler systems where Greco-Macedonian immigrants would be given land on the condition that sons and fathers would serve in the phalanx. The young sons in the royal guard, while the older fathers would serve in the Reserve Phalanx (Bronze Shields usually) that would be called up in major wars.
- Veteran Pikes that initially represent soldiers who served in Alexander's campaigns, but once the Successor Kingdoms are formed, represent the Royal Guard of young Greco-Macedonian citizens who serve alongside the king. They are the Silver Shield unit already in the game.
- The Silver Shields who represent the Elite unit of Veterans who fought in all of Alexander's campaigns and who in their elder years are now the best infantry force in the empire. Their only weakness is their massive baggage train that holds their families and accumulated treasure. They are a new unit that only appears with Craterus initially but could appear via their own event potentially(?). I believe they can be found in the TT mod in FoG2.
