Your preferred GCS army composition

[AchillesXX]

Sorry for so many posts, but I have not had great luck using the search feature on this forum. I look forward to feedback and advice. I have found the following a good composition thus far in my campaign, but I have only fought Macs and Indi Greeks.

1. 5 Phallanx units as the center of my line (quality depending on availability)
2. 3 Hoplite Units to anchor one end of my line (looking forward to recruiting Sacred Band as they look really cool).
3. 3 Hypaspists to anchor the other end of my line (originally I used hoplites on both ends, but I just gained the ability to recruit hypaspists - variety is fun).
4. 1 General
5. 2 units of Militia Calvary (I like the fact that they are fast to chase routers, ranged, armor piercing, recruitable easily, and can be set to skirmish).
6. 2 units of slingers (I think these are, generally speaking, the best ranged units?)
7. 2 units of heavy peltasts (I don't think I like this unit as it cannot skirmish - think I might switch back to regular peltasts - agree?)
8. 2 units of archers (these seem to be not so good, even upgraded Cretans - I might be better off with no archers and two units of heavy calvary - I just don't like using too much calvary as the GCS).

So, what do you all suggest? Any holes in this plan?

[Spartan198]

My armies tend to fluctuate.

Between 7 & 9 Greek Hoplites for main line infantry
2 Light Cav
4 Heavy Cav
4 Archers
2 Onagers (when my Hoplite units number 7 instead of 9)

Hammer and anvil, with superior missile support. I'm not a fan of skirmishers/skirmisher cavalry. Yeah, you read that right: I don't like "jav cav".

[Darth Alec]

20 armoured elephants.

Or a core of phalangites/hoplites, with extra sword units to flank and some random stuff depending on where I am.

[krasni]

20 armoured elephants.

I like 5 phalanx units, 4-5 hoplite or hyspatist units on either side (so 8-10) then my general with 4-5 heavy cav.

Phalanx pins the center down, hoplites/hyspatists are the hammer that swings around. Cav are good for emergency support or to try and get a rout going when the time is right. I do like light cav speed but I prefer heavy cav because they're more useful overall.

[Scutarii]

I go with 8-10 phalangites (I like them, especially if you use them in a reserve phalanx type of thing), 2 hoplites of some sort, 2 hypaspists/thorikitai/Thureopheuroi (this includes agema's if I'm the maks), 2 light cav (jav cav most of the time), and 2 heavy cav, 2 archers,+ a general. That gives some flexibility for either a spot for mercs or AOR units, or if I want 10 phalangites (which I usually only do if its the best troops I can muster at the moment, like at the start of the Mak campaign, where you have tons of levy phalangites) I can just lose a light cav or archer unit...

[Grimbold]

In the 1st turns my armies tend to follow a traditional composition : loads of phalangities (armoured later on) , Greek Hoplites for the ranks and Athenian/Spartan ones aswell, with 3 archer units.

Later on i tend to use more and more Hyphasists or w/e they're spelled, with Spartan/athenian/Sacred band, Cretean archers, general's bodyguard and onagers.

[DimeBagHo]

Early on a typical army would be: 1 general, 8-10 phalangites, 1 peltast, 1 slinger, 2-4 cavalry, 0-2 archers, and the rest made up from the best non-phalanx infantry I have available (often Thorakitai or Hoplites).

I usually put the peltasts and slingers in loose formation, mixed together, right in front of the phalanx, with skirmish off. That helps to draw the AI in to attack the center. The peltasts and slingers also absorb and hold up the enemy when they charge, which makes it easier for the phalanx to go to work.

[Vercingetorix_Defeated]

My armies tend to be half stacks or relatively small if they're only defending something like a bridge.

My main armies are much like DBH's, at least 8 units of phalangites (no militia ones, I use those only for city defense in sieges), and whatever available hoplite and auxiliary units to defend the flanks. I also use peltasts, but don't bother with archers or cavalry, even general's bodyguards (which are generally a liability to me)

One of the most important things in my games is getting some kind of obstacle in the map to hold one of the flanks (those giant rock cliff things work good, a river too). With only one flank to defend it's much easier to fight when outnumbered.

[silentsam74]

Early on a typical army would be: 1 general, 8-10 phalangites, 1 peltast, 1 slinger, 2-4 cavalry, 0-2 archers, and the rest made up from the best non-phalanx infantry I have available (often Thorakitai or Hoplites).

This is my first army for each XGM GCS campaign I've had or will have. I use it to siege Corinth in turn one.



I've had a lot of success later on mostly phasing phalangites out. One of my better armies had 1 bare bones militia phalangite with the spartan royal guard, and two greek hoplites on one side and the athenian hoplites and two greek hoplites on the other. then a thorakitai and thureophoroi on each flank. the second line is made of four cretan archer units and a slinger unit. the last line is 3 cavalry units and the general. That way I can split them and go around both flanks or take them all to a particular side if needed.

[AchillesXX]

How about this - what would be a historically accurate GCS army make up? That is what I am shooting for.

Side note, I just took Tarentum and the Tarentine Cavalry look really nice, look forward to using them.

Second side note, I just took the Crimea from the Indie Greeks and Scythians, what is a good army against the Horse Peeps?

[devilbean]

I went without phalangites when I first had to fight the romans and decided I liked it better like this... All my armies now are 6-8 thoraks, 4-6 hoplites, some peltasts and 2-3 cav units. I find that mix to be much more flexible and maneuverable than anything that's centered on the phalanx. Thorakitais are superb soldiers once they've earned a few chevrons and have enough defense to stand against pretty much anything. Well, anything that the romans could throw at them cause I have yet to fight a faction with better troops.

[Vercingetorix_Defeated]

I went without phalangites when I first had to fight the romans and decided I liked it better like this... All my armies now are 6-8 thoraks, 4-6 hoplites, some peltasts and 2-3 cav units. I find that mix to be much more flexible and maneuverable than anything that's centered on the phalanx. Thorakitais are superb soldiers once they've earned a few chevrons and have enough defense to stand against pretty much anything. Well, anything that the romans could throw at them cause I have yet to fight a faction with better troops.

Yeah, I've found that phalangites are just too unreliable on offense in the RTW engine.

Even high quality armored phalangites can have an enemy charge straight into their phalanx, and if they're on the slightly wrong kind of slope, the enemy will just go right through their pikes and slaughter them. But on a slightly different slope, the same unit will be stopped by the pikes and held off easily.

I use them for defense of settlements, they're great for defending on level ground when they can't be flanked. But just too inflexible for offense.

[ServiusTheGreat]

1 general
10 syracusans
2 thorakitai
3 syrian/cretan archers
3 heavy cav
extra slot

[Kara Kolyo]

With GCS i usually make two kinds of armies - first one is like the most others have - phalanxes, some hoplites, thureos, slinger, archers and a general. My second army is like classical greek phalanx - 6 hoplites, 1-2 athenians, some perioki, SRG. These are supported by thracian peltasts, rhodian slingers and cretans. It's great fun, but has some disadvantages against hellenistic phalanxes.

W00t 2001 posts, i should get a life outside TWC and XGM...

[AchillesXX]

Well, you must be the coolest person on this forum, since your Pic is of Tigh. Good Stuff.

[Scutarii]

W00t 2001 posts, i should get a life outside TWC and XGM...

At least you're not as bad as me. I'm over 3000... Where can I find these lives of which you speak?

[TM Is Back]

At least you're not as bad as me. I'm over 3000... Where can I find these lives of which you speak?

They lie evertwhere, just go to the shop

Well my army would consist off:

1 General
4 Noble Cavalry
6 Spartan Phalangites.
1 Spartan Royal Guard
8 Sacrad Bands

But's that kinda expensive and almost imposslbie to create in a normal campaign so:

1 General
4 Heavy Cavalry
5-8 Armoured Phalangites
2 Thorakitai
2-4 Hypastists
3-4 Hoplites(or Syracuseans)
Somtimes also 1 Thureoporoi.

[AchillesXX]

In my GCS Campaign I have 4 full stack armies I am using now. One is my "Spartan" army (SRG and 2 Perioiki Hoplites), the other amries are my Athenian, Syracusan, and Sacred Band "Theban" armies. I am expanding into Italy with my Spartan Group, The Crimea with my Athenians, Asia Minor with the Sacred Band, and the Syracusan is still forming up.

My allies the Romans recently attacked me, and I am sorry to say that so far the Spartan led army I have in southern Italy is chewing them up. Difficulty is on Medium. Doesn't hurt that it is the first army I formed in the campaign, and they all have some degree of silver chevrons. But, the only truly elite units are the SRG and perhaps the Perioiki. Next time I will have to campaign on H or VH.

[devilbean]

One note about phalangites though - they are awesome for defending river crossings with very little support. Three regular phalangites with two archers can hold a full stack of Thracians at a bridge, and you might even get that captain promoted. Just be careful to make the captain unit an archer, or you risk him getting killed in melee (and if that happens your victory isn't certain anymore). It's a really cost-efficient way to defend your borders.

[Vercingetorix_Defeated]

One note about phalangites though - they are awesome for defending river crossings with very little support. Three regular phalangites with two archers can hold a full stack of Thracians at a bridge, and you might even get that captain promoted. Just be careful to make the captain unit an archer, or you risk him getting killed in melee (and if that happens your victory isn't certain anymore). It's a really cost-efficient way to defend your borders.

Aye, defending bridges and settlements is the best use for phalangites, I think.

Not militia phalangites though: they break too easily. They can help a bit, but you need at least standard or armored phalangites to rely on.

Hey, how do you choose which unit in an army is Captain anyway? I thought it automatically chooses. Do you just switch the unit positions around in the campaign map or something?

As Greeks I don't like having to take a lot of minor enemy settlements, like the ones the Thracians have, since they're so expensive and time consuming to convert into productive civilized settlements.

So I try to get my allies to do it instead . The Romans crushed Germania in short order, and I have a feeling they're looking for someone else to take over soon, so I'll position a small army near one of their armies or cities so that when the Thracians attack it, the Romans will be at war with the Thracians.