Optimal Early Armies?

[Olligarchy]

How do you guys construct your early game armies?

For me it goes thus.

Roman
Generals bodyguard/Legatus
2x Principes
2x Triarii
2x Equites
5x Velites
8x Hastati

Cheap. Hard hitting and flexible.

Hellenic
Generals Bodyguard/Companion Cavalry
2x Whatever cavalry is available
8x Levy Pikemen/Pikemen
4x Hoplites or Light Hoplites
5x Skirmishers

Same parameters, with the added awesome of Pikes.

What about you?

[Hazzard]

My early Roman armies are more expensive. I tend to go for:
General
6X Hastati
5X Principes
4X Triarii
3X Velites
2X Equities

I then Put Principes in the first rank, Triarii in the second and Hastati in the third. Vetlies and Equites run out ahead and Hastati can then flank around the sides of the enemy.

[Olligarchy]

An interesting difference in approaches actually. I find myself imitating the historical Roman approach of having Hastati form my first line, Principes second and Triarii the third, with Velites doing their thing and the equites flanking behind the enemy and smashing in it as wide a line as possible.

[Hazzard]

I found that in my games I was typically fighting factions like Gauls and Carthage, so my Hastati were taking large casualties to the point where I needed Principes to take over while Hastati recovered. Strangely the enemy wasn't using many missile troops, so I didn't need Hastati to take the missiles.

Keeping Triarii at the front wasn't all that effective either. They did badly against other heavy infantry, so I would keep them as reserves.

[Empire230]

It really depends on what you want to do with your army or who is your enemy. But if you don't really know who is your enemy, you should just stick up to counter anything.
I'm a really focused on roman campaigns/MP battles but if you want me to do a army example for any other faction, just ask.
In campaign games I really try to make my armies as good as cheap. And it really works for me, since I focus on their specialization, but without forgetting that mishaps happen.

Romans (open field optimized):
General (with Cavalry for quick response to far away allied routing troops)
2x Equites (1 on each flank for well known purposes)
8x Hastati (I divide them in 2 units/groups to make control of my right-mid and left-mid easiest)
4x Velites (a little useless because they are... velites)
4x Triarii (just on the back of my well disciplined hastati groups, 2 for each subgroup)
1x Principies (I place them in the middle of my hastati groups to reinforce the center)

Make note: With this formation you spare lots of money and you have aopen field devastating force.
But if your goal is to use that single army just to siege cities...

Romans (siege bullys):
General (again with the cavalry just to be sitting on a comfortable position while your man bullies your enemy forces)
8x Hastati (to drive yout siege weapons and make the first blow)
6x Principies (to capture the gates and secure towers)
3x Equites (to enter the gates and make a rush to any enemy unit that is unprotected/weakened or just to assault their missile units)
2x Velites (their like... meh use, nothing special really, just some support if you can get the gates for you and the enemy tries to retake it)

This works for me... but it requires a little organization and practice.

Roman (defensive army):
General (again with the horse, for it to be a comfortable place behind the walls while your peasants tremble in fear)
10x Hastati (oh yeah, heavy meat wall is present, sir!... and also the javelin olympic team is here)
6x Velites (that velites... just throwing some javelins in the knees)
3x Principies (if things go wrong, daddy is here to cover your backs)

I really love the Hastati infantry because they are cheaper than Principies and I don't really notice a big difference between them. Also, they are better at the front line than the expensive Principes, they are kind of "replaceable" parts of my armys. Cheap and deadly. Yummy.

[Incontinentia]

I found a Youtuber called GreenleafTotalWar who makes an army with:
1 General on horseback
5 equites
8 principes and...
6 ballista

It seems to work for him against most different types of armies. I tried it, and it worked famously.

[M.Lakeside]

As Romans I try to use the somewhat historically accurate army composition of the early republic:
1x General legatus
4x Hastati as first line
5x Principes as second line
4x Triarii as third line/reserve
2-4x Velites to skirmish
2x Equites to scout, chase routing enemies and kill archer and artillery

I would prefer using the same amount of hastati, principes and triarii, but the games Triplex acies formation seems to work best with this composition. I use the Hastati to deliver the first blow, then charge through the gaps left by triplex acies formation with my Principes for a second blow and I'll try to pull back my hastati and make a third charge or flank the enemy. I use Triarii as the last line of defence, or as reinforcements if some others take too much damage. They're also useful of the enemy has cavalry.

I usually use two kinds of armies, these as the primary attacking military force and auxiliary armies as reinforcing/province defence, composition of which depends heavily on the auxiliaries available in the province. I also name my armies according to their role; primaries as for example Legio II Victrix, Legio IV Fidelis etc. and auxiliaries by their origin, Legio VI Iberica, Legio VII Thracica etc.

[Grimmy]

As Rome, I've been going with:

1x General on horse
3x Velites
2x Cav
4x Hastati
4x Principies
4x Triarii
2x Ballista

It's worked well for me, but I'm also one of those nasty auto-resolve battle doods.

[phred]

My core early Roman army is
1 Strappy Horse General
3 Hastati
3 Principes
2 Triarii
3-4 Velites
2 Equites

and then I'll fill out the rest with Auxiliary trroops, sometimes foregoing the Equites to use Auxiliary cav units.
the Auxiliary can be quick to rout though, but when I want to move an army quickly to the front, I'll use the above and fill it out with aux. troops as it moves.

And speaking of Roman Auxiliary troops,
Has anyone ever used an entire Auxiliary army (except the general, of course) with reasonable success?
I would think that a hoplite auxiliary army would be reasonable, but I've never tried it - Roman infantry is just too good not to use.

[BlackCrowActual]

I actually love auxiliaries. Makes the game much more fun, and adds great variety.
I usually use a core of Principes (4-5 units) to add staying power, and then missiles/ skirmishers/ cavalry as locally available. Every Roman province gets an auxiliary barracks. I recruit my Legionary armies (early-mid game) from Italy, and auxiliary armies from everywhere else.
Once the Marian reforms role around (meaning that there is a recognized training standard throughout the Empire), I will recruit Legionary armies from everywhere. Auxiliaries will get murdered by late game barbarians/ everyone else. For the record, I'm playing Radious mod
My most recent game (started last week) is with Baktria
Full stack army comp early game has been some variation of:
-General (Hellenic Cataphracts) [I know some people love elephant generals... I do not, as auto-resolve tends to kill elephants at disproportionately high rates] **I never use Elephants, even Indian armored ones, for this reason now. That kind of heavy cavalry, particularly early game, prevents my cheap infantry from being over runs, and helps my early-game cavalry win the battle for control of the flanks against the steppe lancers and hordes of Median cavalry fielded by likely regional enemies.
3x Levy Pikemen: Cheap! Also, Baktria early game finds you fighting lots of steppe cavalry armies/ Eastern satraps. Levy Pikes are more than capable of resisting Eastern Spearmen/ steppe melee cav, and due to their cost, them getting destroyed by the arrow showers of the horse/ Persian archers that abound in the eastern part of the campaign map doesn't make me cry.
2x Bactrian Spearmen: basic level spears with 120 armor/ hoplite wall? Yes plz. Placed on flanks of pikemen
2x Bactrian Infantry: basic meleee infantry. 120 armor and shield wall. Set just back of spear/ pike wall to counter charge enemy melee infantry/ cav, or, if fighting steppe armies, to support the cavalry battles on the flanks.
4x Eastern Slingers: Placed behind pike wall. Their range allows them to sit comfortably behind the phalanx and concentrate fire on horse archers to win the fight for fire superiority (eventually)


2x Eastern Javelinmen: Sometimes you need a hail of javelins to finish off the cavalry that’s chewing up your horse archers on the flanks. Flee with the Horse Archers, and pound the attacker.
4x Horse Archers: Clean up enemy missile troops, and soften up with missiles then swoop in on the flanks of enemy cavalry engaging my Citizen Cavalry/ Cataphracts. Mobility is key out east. Win the cavalry battles on the flanks and the squishy, lousy spear infantry and hordes of foot archers of the enemy are toast.
2x Citizen Cavalry</strong>: Help the Horse Archers out when they get chased down by Enemy cavalry. Support the Cataphracts in the decisive rear charges on the infantry
These armies can be recruited on the first turn you have the basic stables/ missile camps. They are cheap (and thus numerous), and have enough staying power (pikes and well armored infantry), missile fire (10 units with missile capability) and mobility (7 cavalry units) to face down the steppe peoples and Seleucid satrapies. Plus, Horse Archers are so damn fun.

[BrianHolmes]

As Romans I use a Triarii general, a few (maybe 6-8) Hastati and the rest Velites. It's a really cheap stack that doesn't break the early bank and lets you spend on upgrading your economy while conquering new cities. It's not a good stack for capturing walled cities but you can use it to lay siege and wait for the enemy to attack you in an open field battle.

Later on add some Principes, a couple cav units, and one more Triarii (for a total of two with your general). Then you can hold the enemy with your Triarii while you beat him down with your Principes, Hastati, Cav and Velites. Drop in a couple siege units too and you can smash walled cities.

Check out my battle line post here for how to set up your formation and use it to flexibly lure the enemy in for a good beat-down. Works best for Romans versus Barbarians, North Africans, Hellenics, Greeks etc. Probably not great against Parthians.

[Superginge]

[QUOTE=Olligarchy;14849452]How do you guys construct your early game armies?

For me it goes thus.

Roman
Generals bodyguard/Legatus
2x Principes
2x Triarii
2x Equites
5x Velites
8x Hastati

I use
1x General
4x Principes
3x Triarii
5x velites
5x hastati
2x cav

[Messy Angelo]

My very early game, one size fits all Roman legion (post Etruscan league war, into the Punic war,)

General cav
3/4 Velites to skirmish/screen
2 Aux cav and 2 equites to screen, engage other cavalry, flank etc.
3/4 Aux inf to respond to any enemy cav (if out flanked etc.), either positioned behind or on each side of my main infantry block
4 Hastati
3 Principes (I deploy Hastati/Principes in a two-line checkerboard formation usually, Principes in reserve)
1 Triarii in reserve

Depending on the composition of the enemy, that group can be deployed in various formations to respond to most tactical challenges - you have plenty of cavalry to close down skirmishers, some anti cav units with the auxliary inf etc. In sieges it probably lacks a little in terms of punch with only 3 principes but as a field army or taking smaller settlements I haven't seen it fail to win a battle yet, and it's fairly cost effective while you wait for your economy to bear a more expensive set of legions.

[herne_the _hunter]

A very early Roman Legion
General cav
19x Rorarii

Gives a superb autoresolve army for the early game that's very cost effective

[Alwyn]

I'm surprised that a player would have success with an army like that - I haven't tried an army of only cheap spears. Of course, they can be useful. They can be 'speed-bumps' to absorb the impact of an enemy charge. Spear infantry with precursor javelins can screen enemy cavalry threatening your flanks or rear. Playing as Cimmeria, I initially thought that I should take advantage of the ability to recruit hoplites early on, but then I realised that a combination of large numbers of steppe spearmen and slingers can be effective against the horse archers of steppe factions in the early campaign.

Rome II seems intended to reward players who bring combinations of different types of units and who use combinations of units on the battlefield (for example, using your cavalry to disrupt the charges of barbarian swordsmen who rely on their charge bonus, then charging in with your melee infantry.) For that reason, my early armies usually try to have a good balance between spears, swordsmen (if they are available), cavalry and skirmishers - like the armies of Messy Angelo and Superginge.

The Roman Battle Line which BrianHolmes suggested looks like an effective tactic. I like the ideas of Phred and BlackCrowActual about using armies based on auxiliaries. (Playing as Rome, I found auxiliary swordsmen and archers recruited in Gaul to be useful).