Selucid/Greek Tactics

[Phoenix Rising]

After asking after the game being too easy Ive been pointed towards the apparently biblical Selucid Empire faction.

When I first got RS1.6a I basically did custom battles of every faction on a tournament basis to see which one I preferred.

My problem is tactics for a Selucid/Greek/Macedonian faction in terms of battle.

Defence is obvious, long line of phalanx with archers behind and heavy cavalry on the flanks, but what about offensive?

Phalanx and Hoplite units are typically slow and immobile, so how can you organise a proper method of attack? Walk up the hill to be shot to hell with missile troops? Skirmishers won't work because you can't get them back through your battle line and it mucks up your formation, and if cavalry are sent in they just flank the gap.

Elephants Ive always found are "one-shot" weapons, they charge, kill 200 enemies, then die. Chariots are useless, even charging a phalanx from behind they get slaughtered. And the selcids have no horse archers so they get warn out, shot to hell, then creamed by cataprachts.

Any tips on Selucid tactics from you fine people?

[apple]

You meant RS 1.6a right?

[Phoenix Rising]

Yeah, 1.6a running on R:TW Vanilla fully patched. For some reason RS wont run for me on BI...

[xXEsotericXx]

After asking after the game being too easy Ive been pointed towards the apparently biblical Selucid Empire faction.

When I first got RS1.6a I basically did custom battles of every faction on a tournament basis to see which one I preferred.

My problem is tactics for a Selucid/Greek/Macedonian faction in terms of battle.

Defence is obvious, long line of phalanx with archers behind and heavy cavalry on the flanks, but what about offensive?

Phalanx and Hoplite units are typically slow and immobile, so how can you organise a proper method of attack? Walk up the hill to be shot to hell with missile troops? Skirmishers won't work because you can't get them back through your battle line and it mucks up your formation, and if cavalry are sent in they just flank the gap.


Elephants Ive always found are "one-shot" weapons, they charge, kill 200 enemies, then die. Chariots are useless, even charging a phalanx from behind they get slaughtered. And the selcids have no horse archers so they get warn out, shot to hell, then creamed by cataprachts.

Any tips on Selucid tactics from you fine people?

Remember in those times everyting was immobile , beside's mount's Horse's , use them wisely.


i normaly go for 5or 6 phalanx unit's to support them 4 Hopilite's on the side's left and right 2 of them , always good and strong vs melee type's horse's and just out flank them by any needs.

then far side's horse's mostly when i play mascadonian horse men heavy version , light if your light on Dinarii ,behind the phalanx some pheltas 2 or 3 or greek archer's never use fire slow kill but deathly , good vs long arrow shot vs elyphants or cariots .



Hopilis when they engage in battle vs other melee , they can hold them off good or press the hold button off with "D " and they will push and they are good at it. i always let them push the enemey when they are flanking another phalanx unit to support the flanks of my phalanx's or just fill ganks in your line's.

Yeah, 1.6a running on R:TW Vanilla fully patched. For some reason RS wont run for me on BI...

dunno for me , but i saw alot of other players Useing the Alexander RW to play so do i ,no problems seen.


Please edit your posts instead of double posting. Thanks /apple

[TTRouble]

In my Selecuid campaign I've got a few different armies depending on which faction that I'm up against :

I've got an anti phalanx army - fast and mobile, composed mainly of 5+ Syrian Archers, 6 + Peltasts, 2 Phalanx pikemen, sword hoplites (if recruitable), militia cavalry and a unit or two of heavy cavalry. You'll need to get close enough for the Syrian Archers to be able to start attacking, but not too close as the peltasts could get mauled by heavy infantry. I have the peltasts in a checker box formation and with the Phalanx units in the centre or on the flanks. The syrian archers are arranged behind the first row of peltasts or the phalanx and with the cavalry units on the wings. So far I've not lost a single engagement with this against the Ptolemaic and Armenian armies, although its been pretty close when up against the Armenian's with their Legionnaries. I ended up with this by accident really as I wasn;t able to recruit any phalanx pikemen (levy only) or hoplite units in Damascus or in Antioch.

The Anti Parthian - is more heavy infantry but with lots of mobility; 5-6 Phalanax, 4+ Syrian Archers, 4-5+ Peltasts, 2 sword hoplites,2 + Militia cavalry, 1+ SamaritanHorse archers, 2 Cataphracts/Companion Cavalry if you can recruit them. The Syrian Archers are crucial as they will be able to take out the Persian/Cataphract horse archers before they can get close enough to attack your units and then you can train them against the Cataphracts. The Samaritan mercenary horse archers are really useful to have but you need to keep them at a safe distance from the Parthian horse archers.

Other units that you do want to have are the Cretan Archers , slingers and also mercenary hoplites (need these to fight against Pergamon), and once you have taken Pergamon/Cyprus you want their Hoplites. I have another army thats slightly more balanced - a good mix of phalanx, hoplites, sword hoplites, peltasts (5+) and 3-4 syrian/cretan archers plus militia/heavy cavalry. I have recruited a few Silver shield thoratokia units but they've been quiet badly mauled whereas the Pergamon Hoplites in the same engagment's had very few loses. Greek archers are good to recruit esp in Babylon/Selecuia but Syrian Archers are the way to go.

Watch out for the Agema/Elite Phalanax's .. they will devestate all of your phalanx unit types including the silver shields, another reason why I ended up with a fast/mobile offensive army. I sent a mainly phalanx based army from Babylon to defend Damascus only to find that it was decimated by the Ptolyemic Agema/Elite phalanx's.

I'm really looking forward to playing the Selecuid's in RS 2 .. esp with the all of the other units that are gonna be available!

Cheers

TTRouble