Spartan tactics

[julberou]

Recently began a campaign with Sparta on VH/N, expanded to Athens and the two greek islands + the town between Macedonians. Rome has apollonia and Macedon is looking strong with their pikes up north. My questions is related to fighting macedonians and specially their pikes. I am a veteran but with my 1 stack of hoplites and cretan archers + slingers I am afraid figthing their 2 and half stack of pikes With them being in peace with all I cant even wait for them to leave and backstab them quickly. Where do yous have expanded in this situation? I cant afford fighting more than 1 faction at a time, and macedon seems logical.

[Ivan_Moscavich]

There is zero reason for you is the player to be afraid of AI pikes.

Use the same tactics you used against the other Greek States.

In fact you'll actually perform better, because your cretan archers and rhodian slingers can absolutely devastated Pikes friendly once they go into Phalanx formation.

Spartan hoplites travel a bit quicker, so you can actually have your hoplites move back a distance after the enemy is gone into Phalanx formation and then just tear them apart with your range units.

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

Just watch the 300 movie and you'll learn anything you'll ever need.

[Furgon]

Just watch the 300 movie and you'll learn anything you'll ever need.

I'd day it's more of a WH manual. As in, how to fight ogres, dark elven blademasters and whatnot.

[julberou]

Managed to defeat macedon and thracians pretty easily, they began tearing each other up eventually and had easy time clearing them both while they were weakened.

[corsair831]

If you manage to win a VH campaign as Sparta you're a better player than i; can i ask how exactly you managed to expand to the two islands please? Do you have a large investment in navy etc? Are you having population problems with the Perioikoi/Heriotai? Also what's your army setup choice please? (Sorry, bombared you with questions there hahaha!!)

Regarding the army setup against both macedon and rome, 6-7hoplite (including general), 6 light infantry (skiritai maciapharoi/spartan youths), 4 kretan archer, 3-4 skiritai javelins.

Best way to fight heavy infantry that i've found, aka pikes/romans. I always fell down on my Sparta campaigns because Rome winds up sending literally 3-4 20 stack heavy infantry legions at the same time to Greece at around turn 80~~, which is just too much to defeat

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

I'd day it's more of a WH manual. As in, how to fight ogres, dark elven blademasters and whatnot.

Sun Tzu's best creation for sure.

[julberou]

If you manage to win a VH campaign as Sparta you're a better player than i; can i ask how exactly you managed to expand to the two islands please? Do you have a large investment in navy etc? Are you having population problems with the Perioikoi/Heriotai? Also what's your army setup choice please? (Sorry, bombared you with questions there hahaha!!)

Regarding the army setup against both macedon and rome, 6-7hoplite (including general), 6 light infantry (skiritai maciapharoi/spartan youths), 4 kretan archer, 3-4 skiritai javelins.

Best way to fight heavy infantry that i've found, aka pikes/romans. I always fell down on my Sparta campaigns because Rome winds up sending literally 3-4 20 stack heavy infantry legions at the same time to Greece at around turn 80~~, which is just too much to defeat

The two islands were my first priority after athens; therefore at turn 2-3 after taking athens I disbanded my mercs and started building hoplite army and buying cretans as many as possible. At this time the small town near declared war and attacked with trash stack, which I destroyed easily and took their town. Went back to athens and built up cretans and best hoplites I could, waiting for the closer island to invade. When they did, i fought manually ofc, and took some casualties but could won them pretty easily. Replenished a turn and recruited some more units, and started to go towards their island. Built a small 4 unit fleet to secure the route. Got to the island-> fought the half stack army with night battle and then sieged the city. Also blockaded the port.

After this, I knew on VH the further island would declare was eventually, so I did the same to them, recruited more units in my island and built a little more fleet. They had a stack on small fleet so It wasnt that hard. The key is going as quickly as possible and using night battles + cretans archers and slingers as the deadly force. I liberated this island because the other settlements are on the asia minor and not my culture + I wanted to focus on macedonians.

Rome I handled by giving some money, made agreemens with people they like (carthaginians ie) and declared war to people they were fighting (epirus, the northern tribes) and doing those diplomatic missions. Actually, rome took apollonia, but they gave it to me when I made a diplomatic mission. Now they are my allies and protect my back.

[Samos41]

Rome gave you apollonia? how? is region trading in the game?

[Basilius]

You can send diplomats to countries, and if they're successful, they sometimes gift you regions. It's on the 'Politics' menu, under characters.

They can also mess up and incur that country's wrath, so be aware it's a gamble.

[Theon Greyjoy]

You can send diplomats to countries, and if they're successful, they sometimes gift you regions. It's on the 'Politics' menu, under characters.

They can also mess up and incur that country's wrath, so be aware it's a gamble.

On my current Macedonia playthrough Rome snagged Apollonia and The Illyrian province while I was busy with lower Greece. I spent 50 turns trying to game the diplomat system since we were amicable and I really wanted to avoid Rome.....No luck sap just said screw it and declared war since they had 10 enemies.

[Samos41]

Be sure to derive the correct reading of the entrails to ensure the gods favor before charging the enemy. gotta love the old spartan magic 8-ball battle plan.