Dealing with Phyrrus

**Spadicus** · July 21, 2006, 12:21 PM

Heya, I figured XGM would give me a greater level of realism as Rome, and a greater challenge when conquering Hellenic provinces. It's a fab mod...but how on earth do I deal with Phyrrus at the start? He starts marching on my cities by the second turn, I've tried marching behind Phyrrus and taking the rebel cities, but he just storms into my cities and onto Rome.

I don't have cavalry for flanking, or archers to scare off the elephants, which historically the Romans did have ('fire javelins' if not archers). HOW HOW HOW?

The only time I managed it was when I took Tarentum, and Phyrrus wandered off by himself. His army was supposed to reinforce him when I attacked, but got delayed, so I killed Phyrrus and his non-existant army recorded a 'defeat' and retreated all the way down to their second city.

**Kara Kolyo** · July 21, 2006, 02:13 PM

Welcome to TWC
right now i play a roman campaign and it's really chalenging

previous attempts broke because i kept my cities ill defended. so this time i took most of the men from Capua to Cannae. guys from Rome went to Capua. my small northern army started fighting the gauls and slowly pushing them back. in Rome i trained some more principes and built archery range. since i thought that i can't defeat Pyrhus in open battle i sent small army with Decimus Mus and captured Croton and Messana. i waited for almost 20 turns and when your cities are well defended Pyrhus doesn't attack. finaly after some moving arround i got Decimus with and army of 5 principes about 5 hastati, 2 archers, 2 velites, 1 triarii and 2 equites and aproached Pyrhus. he was so overconfident that attacked this army in the hilly terrain southwest of Cannae. a grove hid 2 of my hastati and velites, who attacked surprisingly the elephants and some heavy cavalry and very quickly destroied them with some help from archers. as usual the phalanxes arrived at different times which allowed me to attack them from different directions one at a time. the triarii with the general and some principes surrounded Pyrhus and thought him some roman style warfare. at the end i got heroic victory and completely annihilated that big army. i couldn't believe my eyes

Decimus got the name Decimus Magnus and is emperor now.
i should mention that game is on M/M dif. so if you want to avoid early fighting put lots of men in Cappua and Cannae and even if he attacks infantry set on fire at will will do alot of work in street fights.
just to mention that after Pyrhus now i'm at war with Gaul, Macedon, Germania and Carthage and the fighting is fierce

**Juus** · July 21, 2006, 02:55 PM

Kara is right on the garrison aspect. Make sure Capua and Cannae are well defended and Pyrrhus will leave you alone. Then just build up, consolidate in the north, and then when you feel confident enough, divide and conquer!

**Spadicus** · July 21, 2006, 03:15 PM

k thanks, I think I'll start again on medium.

**Locky** · July 21, 2006, 11:49 PM

Hmm, i defeated Pryhuss as Rome, you've just gotta make sure he attacks a full stack of your troops, and then has to march half way accross the map, so you can finish his exhausted troops off.

**Silent** · July 22, 2006, 02:24 AM

i uhh.... thought fatigue wasnt in this mod?

**The Black Reaper** · July 22, 2006, 02:44 AM

you just turn it on or off in the preferences.txt

**Silent** · July 22, 2006, 03:29 AM

i know but its initailly turned off, you ruined the hole joke

**Stoneface** · July 23, 2006, 07:43 AM

Dealing with Phyrrus early is challenging but also rewarding. When his army is beaten you can take south Italy and Sicily without to much trouble. The gauls do not have to much troops near you so the northern border is secure for a few turns. In my current roman campaign I found myself inable to recruit additional troops due to some modding of my own. I gathered all non-townwatch troops and a general and marched south. Phyrrus attacked me and I lost. I reloaded a savegame and lost again. In my sleep Odin revealed to me a new type battle order: Echelon formation.

This creates some weak points in the phalanx line which can be exploited with some micromanagement. Two units of velites can deal easily with war elephants. Pricipes are in the last line to make sure no flanking attempt will go thru. I took heavy casualties but it worked. At least it worked on medium difficulty.

**Soccer1993** · July 25, 2006, 10:13 AM

heehee right now i modded it so i can play as the Independant Greek faction! im Pyrhuss with my super undefeatable army!!!! ahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love this mod.

**Spadicus** · July 25, 2006, 03:59 PM

On medium difficulty I always let Phyrrus attack one side of a long line of principe/hastati while the other side swings round to flank a side of the phalanx formation. Once the flanked side starts to rout, the freed up units then flank the next phalanx group etc. My equites units chase down the skirmishers and I try to pin down and destroy Phyruss's cavalry group.

That's all very well for medium...but on hard the phalanxes just refuse to rout! My army is stretched so thin that the moment one of my unit routs it's over for me. I've tried empoying even more infantry maniples and swinging both sides round to envelop the phalanx, but I still rout before they do.

The only way I can do it on hard is destroy his elephants, cavalry, skirmishers and archers on the first attempt (and phyrrus if possible) and withdraw, before regoupring and defeating him the second time round.

Has anyone managed to do it in one go on hard?

**Ceki** · August 12, 2006, 06:45 AM

I play with romans on very hard and it is pretty easy to deal with Phyrrus. First build 3 forts, make sure that they r not on greek soil, in front of the city would be best. Bild up that guy in front of the Phirrus with 6-7 units hestati and principes. Send 3-4 spies in his city and wait. As soon as he attacks your fort(put town watch or peasant's in it) u destroy his city and he will retreat to Sicily. Also use fort's with gauls(1 unit in it, it will give u 2-3 turns time to prepare a counter strike. Also at first turn take that gaul city of Genua and enslave. In city of Arretium build vulcan temple because of weapon upgrade. And 1 last thing don't recruit principes or triarii, hestati will do.

**Crayo** · August 30, 2006, 11:49 PM

Another tip is if he attacks you in a night battle when you have a poorly formed army, retreat as much as you can untill you find terrain you think's better. And remember before flanking any phalanx make sure they're engaged in a battle with hastaii or something. Secondly, sending your general to counter, Phyrrus is just stupid so if you do back him up with 1/2 squads of Trarii. That should even up the odds. If he attacks you in a night battle try to conceal your troop in forest areas to ambush and rout the enemy.

**icydawgfish** · November 30, 2006, 02:12 PM

What I did is i trained a traditional legion of 3 hastati, 4 triarii, and 4 principes and just pounded him after he took capua. The first siege of Capua, I lost and he took out half of my troops so i went back to rome to retrain. Next turn, he fled capua, i captured it, and the I just hunted him down to tarentum, sieged the city, and exterminated then moved on toward Carthage