My way to play as a hellenic faction vs larger stacks

[Internazionale]

In this one its The Greek City States against a larger force of Romans.
This works almost everytime!
Hope it works with you too


Here it is

EDIT: Btw it says "Let them rush and wheel around your flanks with your cavalry" That means when they rush, let them clash and move your cavalry around their left flank.

[Gleemonex]

That does look like a nice formation -- I've never played the Greeks, but from playing against them I've noticed that they're great at covering frontage with their phalanges. What unit depth would you recommend? When hiring merc hoplites, I usually set them 4 or 6 ranks deep.

And I assume you'd set any missile troops just behind the phalanx line?

-Glee

[Internazionale]

Yeah, you put any missile if you got any.

I use 8 (Or something like that) It does not really matter how deep the line is as long as you got lot of support units and flank guardians. But if you have a bit depth the phalangite line will be stronger, but the line becomes shorter. Just try and experiment with it.

Remember to always put your best infantry on your left flank since there is no cavalry there.

[sumaznguy]

The enemy usually has way too much infantry for me to flank them. Hell they usually flank me resulting in massive losses in my phalangites. If I charge in with cavalry, they are pretty much dead because of stupid pathing.

I tell them to hit the weak enemy spearmen and they rush into the enemy phalangites(which can somehow pull 180 degree turns) and slaughter my cavalry since they have like 3 lines of infantry attacking me.


But I employ massive amounts of archers, so eventually the fire attacks get to them and they rout. But only after my front line units are half dead. Perhaps I should be focusing on more infantry.

[Evan_2009]

If you have 2 lines with archers in between it shouldn't be a problem. Multiplayer I use 10k, 8 armored hoplites, 2 spartans, 4 cretans for the Greeks.

A= Armored hoplites
S= Spartans
C=Cretan archers

ENEMY


AAAAAAA
C_C_C_C
S__A__S

[Octavium]

Damn, how do you beat that formation?

[LeonidasOfSparta]

Yes it is almost wining formation. I always do something like this when playng Greeks.

Leonidas

[Evan_2009]

I beat Rome w/ it online If you wanna see, it's in the AAR section, I got some cool pics of it working.

[LeonidasOfSparta]

I allerady saw and I liked it. Quite impressive!


Leonidas

[Evan_2009]

Thanks man

[LeonidasOfSparta]

No problem, keep it up!
Will you write more battle reports???

Leonidas

[Evan_2009]

No problem, keep it up!
Will you write more battle reports???

Leonidas

Yeah of course

[LeonidasOfSparta]

Can't wait.

Leonidas

[Evan_2009]

Thanks, I just played Barbarian Prince...I almost had him, I killed most of his cavalry, but they got alot of my archers, and I was attacking like his last phalanx, but he got his archers behind me, and charged his cav in and routed the last guys I had. Pretty close though. He manages his cavalry VERY well.

[DCyDe]

try this

advance with the hoplites by keeping their formation like shown in the picture, use the spearmen to counteratack enemy units atacking the hoplites from the flanks and put your whole cavalry expect the general to the ride side, the trick is to atack the enemy first with the phalanx on the far right first so he will send more units to the right or to let the enemy spread out his units so your cavalry can take them 1 by 1 while your hoplites keep them busy, this allows you to flank him with your left wing and using the cavalry to keep the enemy cavalry on the right side, if the enemy cavalry is gone you can also flank him now from the right side, its just to hard to explain , just look at the pic and you will understand it cant remember loosing a battle when using this formation

[Prince_of_Macedon]

Thanks, I just played Barbarian Prince...I almost had him, I killed most of his cavalry, but they got alot of my archers, and I was attacking like his last phalanx, but he got his archers behind me, and charged his cav in and routed the last guys I had. Pretty close though. He manages his cavalry VERY well.

Good game - you command the Greeks very well!

[][Xyphos][ - Lee]

DCyDe, someone tryed that tactic out on me once and i crushed it lol, although my opposition was using the greeks and very weak cavalry.

[captainbloodloss]

If you can mass enough fire (Artillery and smaller) on the center, which appears relatively thin, you could easily break it in the center. This is also assuming you could avoid envelopment by the massive cavalry force.

If you don't enough have artillery or missile troops, because of the impenatrability of the phalanx, even when only two ranks deep, you would be very hard pressed to win.

[Monsieur Alphonse]

The best way is to use 12 hoplites, 6 archers (Cretan) one general and one cavalry unit. Set your hoplites in a reversed U formation: a front of 6 units with a depth of 5 lines of men. On both flanks you put one or two hoplites protecting the flank. The depth of that formation should be 4 lines of men. Protect you rear with the remaining hoplites (three deep) and your cavalry. Inside the box you place the archers. Have fun. You can watch some TV while your box of death slaughters the enemy ( just beware that nobody leaves his place in the line)

Last night, playing as Carthage, I was attacked by four Egyptian stacks. I had four armored elephants, three long shield cavalry, eight Sacred Band (= armored hoplites), four Cretan archers and a general. I created a box with the hoplites to break the Egyptians and attacked them with my mobile force (elephants and cavalry). The first Egyptian stack soon routed followed by my elephants who came under fire (you know fire arrows and elephants) from the rest of the Egyptians. My cavalry soon was depleted so I was left with my infantry. I had already lost half of my archers because I had accidentally put them on fire arrows mode in stead of skirmish off . My eight brave Sacred Band and some archers came under heavy fire and attack from the Egyptians. In the end I lost 50% of my force but won. As long as there is no flank your hoplites can be used as a thin white line.