Defeating the Scythians

[La Hormiga]

Im playing as rome and its 225 bc, w/ the marian reforms passed. My macedonian protectorate is being invaded by scythian armies and i want to send some military aid. the trouble is that most of their armies are filled w/ cataphrats, noble horse archers all w/ silver chevrons and weapons. :hmmm: what is a tactic and army compostion for beating these bastards.

[TM Is Back]

Build many slingers to beat them. At least that's what i should do. Many slingers and a strong backbone army.

But could you post a map of your current game so we can have a look? Maybe you can launch an invasion on their homelands or something.

[HeroSK]

Sycathians are really a pain, there are rich, and bulding stacks of Sycathian Noble Horse Archer that are very difficult to beat.

In my Parthian campaing, I tried to hold them with forts, and fight them on birdges. While holdind them with forts, I invaded asia minor and quickly build a navy in Black sea, and blocaded all Sycathian forts that made them slower a bit.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

But I am also curious about which troops are effective aganist horde of Sycathian Noble Horse Arhers.

I think Aor Bactrian archers-for their secondary spear weapon, Median Cavalry- for their armour piercing axes and powerfull missles may work but I find these units very expensive and hard to recruit in good numbers though.

[Zarax]

Don't waste your money on legionaries, just send lots of auxilia backed by slingers or archers.

[La Hormiga]

Build many slingers to beat them. At least that's what i should do. Many slingers and a strong backbone army.

But could you post a map of your current game so we can have a look? Maybe you can launch an invasion on their homelands or something.

hold on how do i take a screenshot?

also i don't want to invade them as im bogged down fighting the SE which has gone beserk taking over egypt, parthia, bactria and saba

[Hurlbut]

If you don't want to invade them, then just have some good troops garrisoning your settlements backed up by plenty of ranged troops. You want slingers for piercing power and roman archers for range.

[Scutarii]

I avoid HA's at all costs, but when I do fight them, I spam light cav and archers. Archers fire on them (obivously), while with the light cav you chase them near the edge of the map and let the messed up skirmish mode do the rest...

[CaesarVincens]

One cannot get Romans slingers post-reforms (Balearic or Rhodian slingers are still good though), however any long range archers, Cretans, Syrian, or even just Archer Auxilia are good, you also need cavalry to be able to bash any horse who try to take down your archers. And if you can, use some sort of meat shield, even just vigiles, I haven't had a chance to try, but I suspect Legionaries in testudo ought to soak up arrows nicely.

[Spartan Guard Itachi]

Is it just the one stacked army your up against or what?

sounds like is the best they've got, as long as uve got the I bonuses turned of, either way, even if u ave to chip at it to utterly break it, it will hurt them alot more, and being able to re gather n army of such standard would be impossible for a long period.

hope that small advice helps a bit.

[Hurlbut]

I mean honestly they're lousy at taking cities especially compared to strong infantry factions like Rome and GCS. Just sit them out inside your walls.

[EyebrowsMulligan]

I mean honestly they're lousy at taking cities especially compared to strong infantry factions like Rome and GCS. Just sit them out inside your walls.

This works....up to a point. When I was first attacked by the Parthians I thought I had it made....I killed all of their infantry in a couple of easy defences, the horses got a bit shot up by my troops and their army retreated. All good. Until....

Their by-now-horse-only armies beseiged me. The problem when this happens is that although they will build seige equipment they won't assault you (for obvious reasons - ever seen a horse scale a ladder?). You have to either sally out or send another army to attack and this is where it can get messy.

[TM Is Back]

also i don't want to invade them as im bogged down fighting the SE which has gone beserk taking over egypt, parthia, bactria and saba

THen you have to keep them at bay, and stop them from capturing nothern Europe. Then take Asia Minor from the SE(if you dont got it yet) and then when you have Antioch go south to Egypt. When you have those areas, you have weekened the SE enough to lauch some invasions on the Scythian homeland.

[Hurlbut]

This works....up to a point. When I was first attacked by the Parthians I thought I had it made....I killed all of their infantry in a couple of easy defences, the horses got a bit shot up by my troops and their army retreated. All good. Until....

Their by-now-horse-only armies beseiged me. The problem when this happens is that although they will build seige equipment they won't assault you (for obvious reasons - ever seen a horse scale a ladder?). You have to either sally out or send another army to attack and this is where it can get messy.

Lure them to your archers and towers' fire.

[Unknown Soldier]

Elephants - with Armour squishes nasty horses!

[chazap]

I'm playing 2 campaigns right now (one of which is an AAR-- http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=130971 screenshots and what not), and both have Scythia controlling massive amounts of land..as the Greeks, i have used Syrian archers and elephants to defeat Scythia...i have had much success this way, but its expensive....in my Roman campaign Scythia has overrun Thrace, Macedonia, Greece, Parthia, Germania and some of the Gaul provinces....to fight them i use a stacks of Triarii!! losses are great on both sides, but in the end, i feel its a losing battle for me, and they will soon overrun Italy itself.... so, i guess conquer Antioch and get those elephants and Syrian archers with the gold armor and gold chevrons...Scythians are way too powerful for my taste.....but i guess, that what a challenge is all about...lots of luck to you...

[Unknown Soldier]

Hmm barbarian cavalry overruning the Romans - like that would ever happen!

[Spartan Guard Itachi]

Hmm barbarian cavalry overruning the Romans - like that would ever happen!

lol it practically did.

[Zarax]

How ironically historical...

[EyebrowsMulligan]

Chazap, the Scythians are very powerful in my Seleucid game too. At the moment it's myself, Rome, the Parthians and the Scythians all vying for power. The Scythians have smashed Thrace and the Indie Gauls and are strolling through Macedonia without a care in the world.

I thought it was going to kick off in central Europe between the Scythians and the Romans yet they recently formed an alliance. Consequently the Scythians attacked me and I've started to skirmish with small Scythian stacks in the former Armenian provinces but my spies have reported some big armies inbound.

And I thought I had it bad with the Parthians....If I never see another horse again it will be too soon.

[Hurlbut]

Well that's why the late Roman Empire armies turned to cataphracts and other heavy cavalrymen as the offensive arm of the legion while the rank and file infantry was relegated to a defensive role (i.e. stand there and take what come their way).