I've seen a few people comment that the new Thebes start is unplayable so I thought I would give another try with my favourite city state in Ironman mode yesterday.
It is definitely hard, but there are some positives:
- I like that Thebes is a republic.
- The "Polis" mission tree (I forgot the exact name) is very easy to complete and it gives you some additional pops.
I am definitely not claiming the position in my last screenshot is a bullet proof, but it is an ok position to be in after a few hours of gameplay.
Some tips for anyone interested:
- The mission order for me was the Polis specific one, the path to independence then I started the first Thebes specific one.
- I prioritised the oratory tech tree for the additional pops in the second branch of the tree, then civic, and now military since I am independent.
- Don't participate any any wars Macedon drags you into, the pops are too critical at this stage. I was sieged 3 times but relieved by allies.
- Macedon gets smashed early on with long wars so I timed by independence ultimatum just after they finished a war. I immediately formed a defence pack around me and improved relations with Epirus until I could secure an alliance.
I will have to backstab Epirus to complete the first mission tree, but I will be able to secure an alliance with Thrace and am also in a fairly strong defence pact within Greece so I am not immediately worried about my next few steps.
I hope this helps a few people :)
Since you've got the acumen to pull hard starts off like this, I would just be curious...is there a general belief that any country in Invictus is survivable, with enough skill? Whenever I see a hopeless OPM that's the target of a neighbor's mission tree, I think, "welp, can't ever play that one." But then I'll see that the OPM has its own custom heritage, and think, it's intended to survive, somehow...
Nowhere near ready to try Thebes, but I wish I could find an easier start in Greece to keep developing skills with. Hard not to do Athens just because of the OP Athenian Republic government option.
I would say so yes, particularly with the new advanced AI there's an increased chance of just being lucky. Rhodes and Syracuse have very good intermediate starting points to try too.
Uuuu I like the dark mode color scheme, would you mind dropping the link to the mods page?
It's the UI that comes with Reaminata + the enhanced graphics and lighting mod.
Does it work with better UI?
Whats so great about republics?
If you're tired of monarchies, they offer some variety since they have different mechanics. I probably play one republic for every 10 monarchies.
Also, some of the most interesting nations start like that: Carthage, Athens, Rhodos, Massilia, Tylos (which can form Babylon).