Your army tactics ?

[rasputin753]

Since i started playing Rome i think i always used the same tactics, so to get some inspiration and to find other ways i just wanted to ask you:

1. How do you organise your armies ? How much infantry, archers, cavalry etc....

2. How do you arrange the armies on the battlefield ? where do you place the cavalry, the archers etc...

3. What are your in-battle tactics ? do you usually outflank the enemies, attack or defend etc...


My way is usually, (mostly for WRE since they are my favourite faction and with final recruiting possibilities)

1. Cavalry: 5 Generals
Infantry: 8 Comitatenses Fabrum
Archers : 6 Sagitarri
Siege Gear: 1 Heavy Onager

2. Arrangement: Infantry in Front. Archers behind them. Heavy onager in the center of the archers. Cavalry in the center behind archers and onager.

3. Tactics: I usually play quite defensive and let the enemy attack. I place the army on the upper ground. Mostly in the corners against outflanking. i let the archers, and the onager with flamming rocks, autofire against the enemy and focus on archers and skirmishers. the infantry is put in the guard mode and autofire. i am never using the shieldwall since i hate it that the troops advance while defending and therefore are usually creating a gap in the infantry line. my cavalry is massed in the center behind the archers. the enemy units, weakend by my archers, the onager and the infantries range weapons, usually tired by the long way to reach my army at the corner and uphill, i usually either let them demoralize against my mostly superior infantry or i charge them with the infantry shortly before they reach my lines. the archers and onager stop autofire when the enemy closes and only target special enemy units. together with infantry i let my cavalry charge massed against the enemies center, and normally this breaks them or at least lets my cavalry breakt through the middle and get into the rear of the enemy, where they attack the enemies concentration points along my infantry line or kill the enemy general if my archers havent done that yet.
so my aim is always to be very economical with my infantry since they are very high quality and not easy to retrain in most cities, and being quite generous with my generals bodyguards since they refill themselves automatically. therefore i am quite defensive and usually want to break the enemy quickly and clean up the rest.

looking forward th hear your ways to do it.

[margio]

Usually my WRE armies are made by:
12 infantry units: 4 Foederati Infantry, 4 Limitanei, 2 Comitatenses, 2 Western Archers (as early army), then higher Romans units replace Foederati and Limitanei for later armies, but depending on money and availability.
6 cavalry units: 1 General (or two), 2 Sarmatian Auxilia, 4 Equites Sagittarii (once captured Salona Hunnic Archers become recruitable and they have better defence, more arrows with longer range).
1 or 2 Onagers

Limitanei center, Foederati Infantry wings, Western Archers (loose formation) behind the Limitanei, Comitatenses behind Archers acting as reserve. Sarmatian Auxilia and General behind all to face eventual flanking enemies, anyway due to chase routing enemies. All those are almost to the end of the battlefield. Equites Sagittarii are at the beginning of the battlefield with Fire at Will and Keep Distance commands on.

Equites Sagittarii open the battle firing arrows, even retreating, to weaken and/or decrease enemy units. As soon I see that my Western Archers start to aim to enemies, I retreat Equites Sagitarii dividing to the left and to the right of the battlefield: usually they succeed to drag one or two units behind. The other enemies continue towards my infantry that is waiting with javelins ready, while Western Archers fires at specific enemy units (usually Archers). After having been weakened by the long run, decimated by javelins (after arrows), and several times having lost their General too, enemies arrive on melee tired or exhausted and unhappy for casualties. A charge by my infantry units "convince" them that it would be better to come back where they came from… At this point the job switch to Cavalry units hunting routing enemies, included Equites Sagittarii if they convinced their enemy too…
All what above assuming that enemy will do what you expect (and not always happens…), that he have archers units at least same as you (Hippo Toxotai and Huns are devastating), and finally that you are not attacked by two or three armies…

ayeaye Sirs

[legio_XX]

this is the main forces of the west roman empires not the emporers or heirs army.

Main Armys
1# General: one senior, one tribune (I us to gain experiance befor giving him comand.)
2# Cavalry: 2 light prov cavalry, 2 roman havey units (cant recal the names)
Infantry: 10 pesudo legios,
Archers : 4 archers
Siege Gear: 0-2 orangers

Uslay I set my armys up in this fasion.

# = Infantry. ^ = Archers. { light cavalry. [ havey cavalry. * hqs

#####
^^^^
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{ [ ** ] }
somthing like that im just lazy.

ok i move my forces up very slowly taking time to make sure I have the best ground for my troops, then I us my archers to rain hell on the fools unitl I force them to us there calavry to get my archers who mind you are safe behind the irst line of legions. they usaly get onwed by javalin fire then im free to finsh my work with archers and move in safe with the infantry they fight I flank and boom sorry I would give a better one but this is my prov armys sent to defened areas of intrest I have much flashyer tatics but I like this one for it easyness

[Mattress]

Hm, I'd have to say that I tactics similiar to Nikephoras, pikes in front, followed by spear with archers behind them. Then I use calvary to smash them, since at least 40% of the stack is horses (not heavy). I use my infantry as a base to rally the calvary, of if they get shredded after tough fights, I'll move the base block in to engage and typically try to flank them.

I use every advantage I get on the battlefield, I need to save lives while defeating the enemy soundly.


I think I have always leaned towards a strategy like this, hammer and anvil type tactics with a mix of flexibility.


EDIT: Oh yea, I play as the ERE! lol pothead moment

[Sardaukar One]

My tactic is to win!

[PSEUDO ROMANUS]

My tactic is to win!

That's my tactic too, but never successful . Oh well, I guess there is a reason I was born in this era .

[Riothamus]

That's my tactic too, but never successful . Oh well, I guess there is a reason I was born in this era .

Much too humble PSEUDO ROMANUS

I try and take out the enemy commanding officer as fast as possible. Especially if its a stronger army than mine.. The higher the rank..faction leader..the more I try and trap him into a fight and take him out Usually by using my own upgraded bodyguard

[PSEUDO ROMANUS]

Much too humble PSEUDO ROMANUS

Well, in certain way I guess it is true that I was being humble when I said that I've been unsuccessful. the truth is I have my ass whooped mercilessly almost every time .

[Templar Knight]

my tactics are simple
1-all soldiers are expendable
2-start battles out defensivly, but then use cavalry to counter attack enemy forces
3-never use artillery in open battles (where is the glory in that)
4-always fight to the bitter end no tactical retreats
5-never use more that 5 units of archers (true Roman battles are fought up-close and personal where the enemys blood will spry onto your face when you kill him)

6- no regard for the lives of my men muhahaha

those are my battle tactics brutal but efficient