Macedonian Fleet

[Treefrog]

What is your experience in playing the Macedonian Aid card?

I am concerned that in doing so if the Macedonian fleet cannot stay at sea in face of the Roman navy, you'll have to commit an army to defend a port. Defending ports is typically not how Carthage wins the game.

[NefariousKoel]

I always thought of them as a nice little way to damage the Roman navy, for a brief period, but never plan on using resources to keep them around. Even getting both Macedonian events off, it's just not feasible for me to stick around defending a port if the Roman hammer starts dropping on it, IMO.

As you alluded, that's not how to win. But using the Macedonian units to attrit the Romans, for a short time, can be a nice boost or diversion.

[nalivayko]

I'd rather review the alternatives - a card is to be played one way or the other.

First place: Gallic Aid - for me a no brainer. Three units are instantly added to your army. Passage through Gaul is safe (here goes Mago collecting 3-4 additional Gallic units and Hadsrubal does not have to wait for Genoa to fall) and one unit is guaranteed in recruitment no matter how many cities in Gaul you own. There are no strings attached - so far I haven't seen Romans collecting all Gallic cities and sending an army to Gaul. Of course, there is always a first - can't wait to play this card again for the seconf time.

Second place: Pontic Aid. Two units added in Carthage and two Roman fleets "diverted" (euphemism for "deleted") to the East. While Macedon Aid is a gamble (while my last use of it saw four Roman squadrons sunk, you never know just how those encounters will go), Pontic Aid guarantees reinforcements and kills.

Finishing third: Macedon Aid. It may still be useful, especially if you are bored and would want to try a different strategy (I would recommend against it if you are still struggling to beat Rome on Hard). I would (and did) play this card when you plan to establish yourself for several turns in Etruria or Apulia (especially in Tarentum). It does help if Syracusae is on your side - then you definitely can use extra squadrons to clean the seas of the Romans east of the Messina Strait. Also, if there is a large enemy army besieged in Ancona, Macedon navy comes in handy, preventing the Romans from slipping away (at the very least, it diverts some Roman attention to the Adriatic).

[nalivayko]

Well, I may wish to reconsider... while the first Macedon Aid card is not spectacular, the second one is nothing to sneeze at. Behold the Macedon army (my apology for the large image, but this baby needs to be seen at all it's Macedon glory).

[PJJ]

Those Macedonians are a tough bunch to beat in a fight and quite useful when defending a major city, as they can absorb (and deal) so much damage. But you never know how long they are available to you, because the Romans can get rid of them quite easily with certain cards. I played one game yesterday at hard difficulty and had the Macedonians for only two turns - they didn't have time to do anything useful. But sometimes you get lucky and have them for several turns. If Philip wins a battle he's promoted to a rank 7 general, making his army even tougher to crack. In one game I had a promoted Philip wreak havoc on the Romans with his big army of Macedonians and Italians.

The Macedonian fleet can be quite useful if Syracuse is allied with Carthage. It forces the Romans to divide their fleets, which makes it easier to defeat them one at a time and win at least a partial naval supremacy.

[nalivayko]

My thoughts exactly. A turn after this screenshot was taken Macedon army and fleet both had sailed home But, as you pointed out, alliance with both Syracusae and Macedon gave me a considerable edge at sea. I did not achieve naval superiority, but Romans were forced to concentrate their entire fleet at the Strait of Messia, leaving the rest of Italy open for landings.

Phillip-wise, I think it would be a shame to put his army under his own command. These monsters are better used under Hannibal or Hadsrubal, they are like Gaul infantry combined with African infantry (in game terms) and then some more. I doubt I could force myself to mark any Macedon unit as eliminated, certainly not the Elite unit.

Even with Roman diplomacy counter card, I still think Macedon Aid is a viable alternative. Besides, it's still possible to gather Gallic Aid from Syracusae Revolts/Gallic Aid combo later in the game, I usually get two of these cards anyway. There are games, of course, when Syracusae comes onboard without any extra persuasion.

[Treefrog]

The 2 Macedonian aid cards demonstrate how the game builds in "what if" scenarios and other random events.

A player can't start the game with the idea of a "Macedonian Gambit" because he doesn't know when or if he'll get one or both cards. But as the game unfolds, "opportunity" may present itself. Commanders that seize opportunity may be more successful than those that ignore it.

In the long run, the card play can make each game a little different.

[nalivayko]

Almost agree. I did start my other game with "Macedon gambit" in mind, eben though it felt lonely at first without my Gallic reinforcements. The card is there right from the start for both standard and alternative moves. Also, I am not sure about 2 cards. I played mine three times (my first fleet was wiped out).