Gallic Tribes Campaign Advice

[Zen1986]

Hi guys,
This is the first time I have played a Barbarian faction, usually I play with greek based factions or romans. I am not used to the barbarian style of fighting. i notice as one of the house rules that you cannot conquer much in the first 25-50 years, but i am worried about the expansion of rome but dont want to cheat. i just don't see what strength the gallic tribes can use to counter the heavy infantry, none of the units seem to have an advantage, aside from superior archers which i admit i am not good at using. i would like any advice for my campaign i am not yet at war with anyone apart from the free peoples.

[Scipio praeditus]

Against romans it is important to take out their auxilia and cavalry as fast as you can using your superior cavalry and archers, this will allow you to overwhelm their legionary units with sheer numbers.
Soaking up their pilum assaults with inferior units is also a large part of defeating them, you will have to learn to live with substantial losses.

I suggest trying the below tactics which I posted in another thread;

-Open fire with archers placed behind your center, don't use burning arrows.
-Move the cavalry around the enemy flanks, but don't move them so close as to get charged or shot at.
-Cease arrow fire when the enemy is about three unit depths in front of your main line, or direct fire at cavalry\skirmishers in the rear.
-Soak up pila with a few skirmishers that have skirmish mode turned off, are placed two unit depths in front of the main line and are stretched to cover the entire line.
-Let the legionaires charge your skirmish line.
-Concentrate all archers and reserve skirmishers behind your left flank.
-Take out enemy cavalry and skirmish units with your cavalry, but make sure those units are not being shot at by your archers.
-Withdraw your skirmish line behind the main line and at the same time charge with the infantry.
-Move your archers and reserve skirmishers around their right flank (left from your perspective) and open fire into the rear of the legionaires starting on the closest side of their line.
-Rout weakened cohorts with a cavalry charge in the rear while directing arrow fire further along the line.

This tactic works against almost any infantry based army, and also displays the best use of archers and skirmishers.

What I forgot to mention there is that any infantry that can be spared should envelop their left flank (right from your perspective) once the infantry engages.
It is also advisable to let them fight your skirmish line for as long as possible to tire them out.

On the campaign map it would be advisable to take northern Italy before they do, and to set up ambush positions along their borders.

[Zen1986]

thanks Scipio, that is useful advise, i have been taking some serious losses fighting non-romans sheesh lol. what army composition do you recommend?

[Scipio praeditus]

I usually go for one general, three cavalry units, three archer units, three units of skirmishers and the remaining ten units is mostly heavy infantry.

Make sure that you always have all four units of cavalry engage the same unit at once from different directions, that way the engagement is over soon and they can re-position to crush the next unit.

Ambush armies on the other hand should consist of a general, some cavalry and for the rest infantry (heavy or light, it doesn't matter), as missiles are practically useless in an ambush.

[Cannibalking]

I've never really experimented with the Gallic tribe in RS. But whenever I used the Gaul in the normal R:TW I used 1 general unit, 4 calvary, 5archers, 4 light infantry, 5 heavy infantry, and one special unit.