Well, my Seleucid game is going great. (or is it?)
Landed in Ireland, and had losses right away. It was really challenging still...I had a lot of elephants but I lost a little less than half from barbarians right in the beginning.
Landed, assassin takes out one of my generals (a good one too)
Two barbarian armies single out of one of my other generals who was attacked by a night fighter+ambush...so no help from the main army. Luckily this general was a crappy non-family one anyway, so I suicided him into one of the barbarian leaders. Who he did take out, seconds before death. Leaving only mercenary armies, I ordered all to attack the remaining general and no luck a 2nd time.
So already at a loss, next turn...
I use my main army to attack the remainder of the barbarians. Sadly, I didn't see they had ANOTHER army waiting...so now I'm greatly outnumbered. Actually needing to use strategy this fight, I arrive in the battlefield (7 elephants, some mercenaries and some elite infantry troops and 4 cavalry units).
My units, superior...I just end up using my usual strategy. Since I have to attack, I send my infantry troops ahead. Flanked by the cavalry and the elephants stay some ways behind the main army, till ready to strike.
Well...would have worked if the AI didn't send a flank of javelin cavalry at my sides and routed 4 of the 7 elephants.
From there, some of the mercenaries get stampeded on and route.
I pull back, regroup...send the remainder (3 squadrons) of mercenaries to deal with the javelin cavalry. Who ran out of ammo and charged into them, routing 1 squad, while the other 2 take on 5 cavalry units who keep pulling back and charging again. But the mercenaries did their part, distraction as I regroup.
Luckily, 1 group of elephants goes back to normal and I pull them back to my general. I follow with the other 3 who ended up charging through the javelin cavalry and routing them (lucky again, as I wasn't really watching them).
So now the barbarians have vastly superior numbers and coming toward my main army. I surround my general (if he died, it pretty much end Ireland...he is the best general I have) with the elite infantry, send my elephants to crash through the barbarian hordes and follow through with my cataphracts. Easy from here on...nope...
Their general stormed through my lines of elite troops with a horde of 1000 barbarians hidden in the trees. Now, keep in mind, I'm fighting a 11k barbarian army to my 3k seleucid army. At this point, there is probably 7-8k barbarians left and 2000 seleucids left (heavy losses). Most losses coming from the mercenaries and some elephants.
My general is now in the midst of fighting. Most of my troops are across the battlefield dealing with other armies. Can't really pull them back easily, so I just pull back one cataphract to hopefully make it in time to the leader.
Cataphract gets ambushed by a hidden javelin cavalry, and...one good volley of javelins ends that unit. Well...that was definitely bad.
And look it there, my leader took out the barbarian general and...there goes my leader
Down by a volley of javelins. And a chariot was actually what sent everything to hell.
And...everything routes. Crushing defeat.
Yeah...that went bad.
Back on campaign map, I'm left with 4 remaining generals with crappy units. And surrounded by 7 barbarian generals, most with 2-3 units and two with full stacks.
And I left egypt alone so long, they are coming in hordes to my Seleucid cities.
Though, I DID take that island west of rome (the northern island, the south one carthage has). So, I'll try regrouping there. I took that place as a backup area, in case I lost my homeland.