Need help on defending a bridge...

[tmterrill]

I'm playing as rome, I'm fighting the gauls to the north, I'm defending a bridge with one stack, (pre marius), I have like 12 triarii and 7 principe and one equite. I tried just massing the triarii at the bridge and firing at the enemy on the bridge with my principe from the side but that doesnt work. They outnumber me 3-2, and some of their units are better then my triarii. Any ideas?

[removeduser_426582376423734]

Only one equite? Thats tough. Why not put your principes to fire-at-will mode, put them at the front of the bridge, they'll fire, take casualties, and then feed triarii in as reserves.

[tmterrill]

Ya I will try that real fast.

[Octavium]

Make a semi Circle of Principe quite a lot bigger than the brigde width. Then turn them on fire at will mode. When a few units have crossed the bridge charge in from all sides, they will rout and you can pull back to reform your semi-circle. The trick is not to fight head on but on their sides.

[_TubbZ_]

i like doing two lines of any unit that fires a pila, heavy inf infront and any hastati behind the heavy inf, this normally wipes out the first 2 or 3 untis alone. I also set the first line as Fire at will for the first one or two waves and then turn the back ones on later so they all don't pila one unit and run out. Also get a few more equite's then when they are in combat bring the Equites around one side and do a big sweeping attack into the back of the enemy. This normally routs them quickly. I have used this tactics alot of times in BI with WRE vs Hordes, i have wiped out 4 full stacks of Horde units with my three quarter stack of roman units, I was fun

EDIT also use Guard mode, you don't want all your men chasing after them after the first wave routs...

[tmterrill]

Yeah I had a semi circle with princ at front. I misquoted on the battle odds, they were more like 5-2 because I did not use the stack of reinforcements. (They had a lot of 2 silver chev units, I'm using The Legion 3 mod)

[_TubbZ_]

btw how did gaul get so powerful, in most my games they suck :O

[tmterrill]

Its the legion 3 mod, they have like 8-9 full stacks and its only like the 20th turn, they are like freaking knats. I take out two stacks and they come back with one and a half.

[unfortunate crow]

Sounds like Macedon in RTR...

I usually just park 1 unit at the edge of the bridge in defend mode, and then when I see "leaks", I use another unit to plug it.

[Severous]

In RTW (V1.5) the Triarii will be at a disadvantage in an infantry battle.

Swords are better than spears in infantry hand to hand.

I would have done what you did...semi circle with principes at the front. Set back a bit so the Gaul had space to cross but not far enough to allow space for them to reform.

[^Gr8^Xander]

In RTW (V1.5) the Triarii will be at a disadvantage in an infantry battle.

Swords are better than spears in infantry hand to hand.

Triarii have swords, holt down ALT and let them attack a unit, you'll see they grap their swords.
[atleast they have swords in SPQR mod. Don't know about vanilla]

[^Gr8^Xander]

edit; Oops... dubblepost.

[_TubbZ_]

Triarii have swords, holt down ALT and let them attack a unit, you'll see they grap their swords.
[atleast they have swords in SPQR mod. Don't know about vanilla]

nope, looked in stats, no second weapon

[Luxchamp]

i always use the semi-circle, which most of the time ends with the battle becoming cannae-style...for the enemy...works best with armoured hoplites (in vanilla)

[Kratos]

I haven't used this mod, but if you have archers available use lots of them. Deploy them on your left flank so they are firing on the unshielded side of the enemies moving across the bridge.

[Axeman]

Instead of a semi circle I make a giant "bowl"

I do this

\--/
-\/

they charge into the center usually and then I can isolate the entire army group in the front by brining in reserves to eventually it looks like this

/\
\/

then I usually get a heroic victory=)