So I learned my lesson....

**gpowsang** · March 26, 2008, 09:19 PM

Hi.

Im playing as the Byzantines because I heard that they are a challenge to play as as well as being a fun faction.

So its a little after the year 1200 (I never really look at my turn count just the Season and year on when I load my game) and Ive taken mose of the Anatolian peninsula (where Turkey lies today).

Ive decided to take Damascus to prepare for the Mongol invasion and the Timurin invasion thereafter.

First of all let me note that i auto resolved almost al the settlements in the peninsula and when I did fight on the battlefield my army easily overpowered/outnumbered my enemy. So I go to my two citadels and make an army consisting of three units of Latinkon cavalry the , 4 dismounted Latinkon, and the other 14 dismounted Byzanyine Lancers.

So I now march on to Damascus (which has a fully stacked army and a large city) with an army consisting only of 3 heavt cavalry and 17 heavy infantry, besiege it for two turns (while at the same time making 6 siege towes and 4 ladders) and attack.

Seeeing that the odds were 1:1 I decided to fight this one myself. Their army consisted of a mix of infantry(none were heavy), some spearmen, some 3 units of horse archers, 3 or 4 archers, and a generals bodygard.

Long story short, I actually ended up losing 95% of my men and got routed after a long fight in the city square. Probably the worst part was when some 80 horse archers killed HALF my heavy cavalry in hand to hand combat. The Egyptians lost 80-90%

I knew the Byzantines were hard to play as, but darn did I underestimate their weakness.

**Kennylz** · March 26, 2008, 10:40 PM

Blame yourself, not the faction. Byzantium is a powerhouse. Their weakness is one that wasn't a factor in your game, which is their lack of gunpowder and cannons. Varangian Guard + Dismounted Latinkon = Taken Citadel.

**~~candle_86~~** · March 26, 2008, 11:19 PM

agreed. byzamtium is hard but fun. You need to use tactics to win, those horse archers fall rather easy to spearmen actully, though spearmen are rather weak in this game. Id suggest also next time to use archers to lower there morale.

**Praetorian_Mossop** · March 27, 2008, 02:16 AM

In any siege expect to loose 2 to 3 times more soldiers than a field battle of the same size. Now this battle was a 1:1 ratio, AND in a citadel which meant the enemy had a good defence bonus also. This means you will have had a very tough fight trying to break these defenders without any archers of your own. next time when you breach the first gate, just get your missile units onto the wall so they can fire over the heads of your soldiers on the ground. That should even the odds a bit!

**gpowsang** · March 27, 2008, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by Praetorian_Mossop

In any siege expect to loose 2 to 3 times more soldiers than a field battle of the same size. Now this battle was a 1:1 ratio, AND in a citadel which meant the enemy had a good defence bonus also. This means you will have had a very tough fight trying to break these defenders without any archers of your own. next time when you breach the first gate, just get your missile units onto the wall so they can fire over the heads of your soldiers on the ground. That should even the odds a bit!

no it was a large city

**Archus** · March 27, 2008, 05:32 AM

The defense bonus is killer.

**Archus** · March 28, 2008, 04:36 AM

same principle applies with missile units though, they really help if you have one of those huge pile-ups in the gateway. I learnt a lesson after i couldn't get my archers through the gate now i hire ladders, stick against the wall, send some Heavy Inf. to clear the walls, archers go up. Whilst this is happening, ram is smashing up the gate. Heavy Inf. goes in again, maybe some cavalry to. Archers shoot, the three arms of medieval armies working in harmony.