Parthia

Difficulty: hard Winning chance: medium

Faction: Barbarian
Land fields: 180
Starting population: 534,000
Provinces: 2
Cities: 1
Currency: Dareikos
Growth material: Stone
Starting treasury: 2,000,000
Starting ships: 4
Starting trains: 4

Historical background

The Parthians, who emerged from the steppe people of the Parni, established themselves around 247 BC under Arsaces I in the region of Parthia south-east of the Caspian Sea. Under Mithridates I their empire grew as far as Mesopotamia; Ctesiphon on the Tigris became the capital. In 53 BC Parthian horsemen destroyed the army of Crassus at Carrhae, and for almost three centuries Parthia remained Rome's great rival in the east, until the Sasanian Ardashir I overthrew the Arsacids in AD 224.

Strategic overview

Parthia is a realm of horsemen in the highlands between Byzantium, Persia and the Ostrogoths. Its cataphracts are among the strongest units on the map, and many horse deposits supply them. But Parthia borders five realms and has no free hinterland.

As a barbarian realm you raise Tribes, up to 5 a month, the last two of them at a surcharge. Your troops are cheaper and more numerous but of lower quality. You can only form a friendship with other barbarian realms.

What to watch

Every mounted man costs a horse. Build horse breeding on your horse deposits, where it yields half again as much.
Friendship is possible only with Persia, the Ostrogoths and the Kushans, since Byzantium and Palestine are Roman. Secure one flank before you attack.
You have no food deposits, and Latifundia only go on plains. Use your few plains for food and the hills for population.
At sea you may build ships only up to the liburna. Your weight lies on land.

Provinces

Province	Land fields	Share of province	Starting population
Armenia	97	100%	360,500
Regnum Parthorium	83	100%	173,500

Terrain

Terrain	Land fields	Share
Hill	58	32%
Mountain	50	28%
Plain	40	22%
Savanna	14	8%
Forest	13	7%
Swamp	3	2%
Steppe	1	1%
Desert	1	1%

Resource deposits

Resource	Fields
Horses	9
Salt	2
Ore	1
Oil	1
Gold	1

Cities

City	Starting building	Province	Position (x / y)
Ekbatana	Trade centre	Armenia	69 / 28

Army

This realm's legion types and unit types, with its own values. Compare all troops

Legion types

Legion type	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Infantriestamm	MII	MII	MII	LEI	LEI	LEI	LEI	LEI	KRG	KRG
Kriegerstamm	KRG	KRG	KRG	KRG	KRG	KRG	KRG	KRG	KRG	KRG
Kavalleriestamm	SWK	SWR	MIR	LER	LER	LER	LER	LER	KRB	KRB
Kriegerstamm beritten	KRB	KRB	KRB	KRB	KRB	KRB	KRB	KRB	KRB	KRB

Unit types

No.	Name	Class	MK	HG	Rüpu	EW	SW	Pla	Hil	Stp	Sav	For	Des	Swa	Mtn	FK	RW	Wt.	MP
21	Legionäre des Crassus	MSI	RB	80	5	4	85	5	5	5	5	3	4	2	3	—	—	200	36
34	Gotische Infantrie	MII	IB	50	2	3	40	4	4	3	5	3	2	3	2	—	—	200	32
36	Rhoxolanische Speerträger	MII	IC	30	1	3	30	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	3	9	200	32
39	Armenische Speerwerfer	MII	IC	30	1	3	35	3	4	3	3	2	2	2	3	3	9	200	32
41	Seleukidische Phalangiten	MII	IC	40	4	3	60	4	4	3	3	2	2	2	2	—	—	200	32
47	Kushanitische Infantrie	MII	IB	45	2	3	40	4	4	5	4	2	4	2	3	—	—	200	32
56	Kriegselefanten mounted	MII	IC	250	4	3	55	8	6	7	8	3	4	2	2	2	9	600	24
62	Gotische Plänkler	LEI	IB	35	1	3	35	3	4	3	3	3	2	2	2	3	9	200	32
67	Phartische Hügelkämpfer	LEI	IC	30	1	3	30	3	4	4	3	2	2	2	3	—	—	200	32
68	Bogenschützen	LEI	IB	30	1	3	30	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	3	4	14	200	32
69	Schleuderer	LEI	IB	30	1	3	25	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	3	4	12	200	32
84	Persische Aufgebotstruppen	LEI	IC	30	1	2	30	3	3	4	3	2	2	2	2	—	—	200	32
86	Phartische Stadtmiliz	LEI	IC	15	1	2	30	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	—	—	200	32
92	Plänklertruppen	LEI	IC	35	1	3	30	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	3	3	9	200	32
102	Transdanubische Stammeskrieger	KRG	IC	10	1	2	25	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	3	2	9	180	32
109	Stammeskrieger	KRG	IC	20	0	2	20	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	3	2	9	180	32
120	Phartische Kataphrakten mounted	SWK	IB	250	14	5	135	12	10	11	12	3	7	2	3	3	14	480	40
123	Persische Clibarnii mounted	SWK	RB	250	12	4	120	8	6	7	8	4	6	2	3	2	14	480	40
125	Palmyrische Clibarnii mounted	SWK	RB	250	8	4	105	8	6	7	8	3	5	2	2	2	14	480	40
127	Armenische Kataphrakten mounted	SWK	RB	130	10	4	115	8	7	7	8	3	5	2	2	2	14	480	40
133	Berittene Axtkämpfer mounted	SWR	IB	90	4	3	70	6	5	5	6	3	2	2	3	—	—	450	40
136	Gotische Adelsreiter mounted	SWR	IA	75	4	3	70	5	4	4	5	3	2	2	2	—	—	450	40
147	Gotische Reiterei mounted	MIR	IB	75	4	3	50	5	3	3	5	3	2	2	2	—	—	420	40
148	Speerwerfer beritten mounted	MIR	IB	35	3	3	50	4	3	3	4	2	3	2	2	3	9	420	40
152	Persische berittene Speerwerfer mounted	MIR	IB	40	3	3	50	4	3	3	4	2	3	2	2	3	9	420	40
153	Kamellanzenreiter mounted	MIR	IC	40	3	3	50	3	3	4	3	2	5	2	2	—	—	420	40
163	Phartische ber. Bogenschützen mounted	LER	IA	25	2	3	35	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	5	14	400	40
175	Persische ber. Bogenschützen mounted	LER	IB	35	2	3	40	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	14	400	40
186	Nomadenstammeskrieger mounted	KRB	IC	25	0	2	20	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	—	—	380	40

MK Moral class · HG Bounty per man · Rüpu Armour points per 25 men · EW Highest experience through training · SW Protection value · FK Ranged combat points · RW Range of ranged combat · Wt. Transport weight per man · MP Movement points · The eight columns in between are the melee points per terrain.