Charges....

[Dain]

I've been playing for a while now and have been wondering, when a unit is being charged by infantry, is it better to stand and take the charge, advance towards the charge or counter charge. Which does the most damage?

I know that with cavalry vs. spears the best thing to do is stand and take the charge, but what about normal infantry.. is it best for them to stand still vs cavalry as well? This is what I assume, but I could be wrong.

[GeneralChaos]

Hmm... I'd think with hoplites/pikemen staying still is best, as it stops the charge and the infantry can't get at them easily. Besides that I'd counter charge.

[Entropy Judge]

In reality ... you always want to take a charge moving, unless you have a set weapon. I think it's similar in the game, as well - at the least, you should get the charge bonus if you countercharge, and if you've got enough men, you can get them stuck more easily.

[Selifator]

I always countercharge, with cavalry it is effective because you cancel out the effects of their charge with your own. Infantry is less effective at this but should still do it.
And it just looks cool.

[green tea]

In reality ... you always want to take a charge moving, unless you have a set weapon. I think it's similar in the game, as well - at the least, you should get the charge bonus if you countercharge, and if you've got enough men, you can get them stuck more easily.

In RL, I would prepare my weapon, wait, aim, and hit them while they are running when in range of my weapon. Charging is stupid, you can not run and dodge.
But in M2TW/RTW: countercharge. Gives an attack bonus, and no penalty to defense.

[coffebean]

damn! that crafty game advisor always telling me to halt my swordsman and stand down the charge!
id always see the cavalry decamate my infantry and it be "that didnt work at all....is he giving me the best advice..

[Forsworn]

I notice that when counterchargeing you take less casualties than if you had just eaten it. However, if you're in a Phalanx formation that charge will crumble once it meets you. Unless, of course, their units are better than your own than the charge is just a nice lil bonus for'em but isnt needed.

[green tea]

damn! that crafty game advisor always telling me to halt my swordsman and stand down the charge!
id always see the cavalry decamate my infantry and it be "that didnt work at all....is he giving me the best advice..

Against cavalry, you use spears. And they should stand still. Not swords. But if the game advisor tells you so, he will be right, I mean, he will know it - he never leaves that game, so he must live there. But cavalry is very strong. Do this against cavalry:

1. Come with more (and better!) cavalry, make a counter- charge
2. Use always lots of spears- they even are useful to exhaust the enemy infantry, while your swords wait to get in their back.
3. or, if you can´t do 1. or 2., see your swords get decimated because you came to battle with the wrong troops.

[Entropy Judge]

In RL, I would prepare my weapon, wait, aim, and hit them while they are running when in range of my weapon. Charging is stupid, you can not run and dodge.
But in M2TW/RTW: countercharge. Gives an attack bonus, and no penalty to defense.

If you have a set weapon, that's good. But if you've got a shield and a sword, you can't really do that, since when you're readying your strike, they're already plowing into you.

[Selifator]

Since most cavalry have spears and longer reach than you do, that's why you need spears or a shieldwall.

[green tea]

If you have a set weapon, that's good. But if you've got a shield and a sword, you can't really do that, since when you're readying your strike, they're already plowing into you.

In a situation with sword/shield against the same, I would even stand, but prepare to attack with the sword while parrying with the shield. I think that someone that runs in combat makes himself quite vulnerable because he (his movement) is too predictable. Of course a charge can break the will of the enemy, but if they don´t flee but concentrate, I think the defenders have an advantage.

[Selifator]

And you think you would be able to parry a spear that is wielded by someone coming at you with full speed? Even if you parry, you will be unbalanced for a moment and might not be able to strike. Better try to dodge, however difficult it is.
I once saw a episode of Time Commanders. It was about the Norman invasion of England, particularly the shieldwall and the cavalry charge.
They had a number of royal guards with horses line up and charge at one of the people from the programm.
He was really scared, even though he knew that they wouldn't hit him.

But of course a disciplined infantry formation has an advantage. The possibility of a shieldwall with spears. Horses don't really like to charge into a solid mass, particularly when there are pointy sticks poking from the front.
But that is the only chance you'll have as an infantry man, in a disciplined formation with a lot of people, shieldwall and spears.

A single man will be run down and killed.

[green tea]

I was talking about infantry, both groups armed with sword/shield or comparable weapons (clubs, daggers etc.). I thought that was clear. But obviously it was not, sorry. Of course riders that charge with spears or infantry that charges with spears are a different thing: because, when a person with a sword charges, the moment he can hit you is the moment you can hit him. But you concentrated, and he run. That is the difference. Problem with spears is always the long range. If you are armed with a shorter weapon like a sword, you have to get close at first, before you can hit. And I don´t deny that a charge by cavalry is impressive. If I remember right, I said earlier in the thread that the biggest advantage of an infantry charge is that the enemy might panic and break. I just said that besides this effect, in RL I do not see that charging brings such a big advantage like it does in M2TW.

[Aristarchus]

This raises an interesting question in relation to the Roman cohorts. Against chariots, for example, or a tough opponent like, say, hastati against a chosen swordmen, it seems like a good idea to put the facing unit on guard and let units on the flank and rear attack with their pila - but then the defending Roman unit doesn't get the advantage of its missile charge. Is it really better in any instance for a Roman cohort to just stand and defend rather than charge? Or against a phalanx, rather than run to flank the enemy, can a Roman cohort stand and successfully defend in a guarded position against the front of the spears while others flank the enemy? I found while attacking that even the slightest touch of an Egyptian Royal Guard would rout the cohort. I had to stay out of the way in the front. Just how well can the Romans defend when they're set for it? And is it ever better than charging with pila?

[Xavier Dragnesi]

I've always considered Roman soldiers types more of an offensive power than a defensive one. Therefore, when it comes to defending, I usually refer to the motto "A good offense makes a good defense", unless I am seriously outnumbered.

[Selifator]

Run away lets you run away yet another day. My motto when they bring more guns to the swordfight.

[RoutingUrban]

I use top notch infantry always. So I just my men in guard mode and let'em take it. My battles are all about the calvary. As long as my line stays strong all's good.

I once held off 6 stacked units of praet cohorts with a triple wide line of urbans long enough for my calvary to beat theirs and surround the his men.

As long as my line is intact my army is fine.

[IYI4sT3r 0f PuPp3t5]

When the enemy charges me with cavalry and i have mostly sword units i charge with that unit then flood the cavalry with other sword units so their outnumbered it seems to work most of the time.

[Lord Thesaurian]

infantry vs. infantry/infantry vs cav, it is best to stand and take the charge and bring up a flanking force (putting the affected units on guard mode helps). cav vs infantry/spears, it is best 2 countercharge or get out of the way and attempt to take them in the rear or flank, or even avoid them entirely if it looks like your cav will lose any way u do it. hope this helps