What unit compositions do you normally employ in your armies?

[scubatim84]

So I know this is a fairly general question, so I don't mean specific unit names/types, but I'm just curious what everyone else uses when they design full armies for conquering, as far as how many missile units, cavalry, line/infantry units, etc.

Granted Scythia is going to be a special case for me, since I'm basically just spamming Thorakitai, but I think once I fight a non-cavalryspam faction again, was looking at making an army of perhaps 4 sacred band, 4 thorakitai, 4 armoured phalangites and then filling in with 3 archer units and the rest cavalry. What do you guys do?

[Calisthenis of Dyrrachium]

Scythia doesn't have any infantry other than Steppe Spearmen, and they're rubbish. I think you mean Thrace.
As for my army compositions, I generally have for Romans:
Pre-Marian
- 5 units of Hastati
- 5 units of Princeps
- 4 units of Triarii
- 2 units of Velites
- 2 units of Equites
- 1 unit of Onagers

Post-Marian
- 1 unit of Legionary First Cohort
- 8 units of Legionary Cohorts
- 5 units of Auxilia
- 2 units of Legionary Cavalry
- 2 units of Auxilia Archers
- 1 unit of Onagers

[knguyen_93]

This is the best formation for Hellenic army: 7 units of Phalanx, 6 units of Thorakitai, 4 units of skirmisher (can be slingers or archers), 3 units of cavalry (u can have 1 general and 2 cavalry but not highly recommended). With this kind of army, you can smash any legion!!!

[scubatim84]

Actually I did mean Scythia, but given what you told me, no wonder they spam cavalry.

Speaking of Roman, I can't wait to try them out on the XGM mod since I haven't yet. I'm having too much fun with my GCS campaign to stop until I own the whole map though.

Knguyen's composition does make sense, 7 phalanxes is plenty to keep the line in play, have thorakitai throwing down a hell of a lot of missiles behind the phalanxes before flanking to either side, archers in the back and cavalry can hit from flank or rear. Although why no general? Don't think it's necessary to try to get a general with a good amount of command stars in an army?

[Dog Fart]

This is the best formation for Hellenic army: 7 units of Phalanx, 6 units of Thorakitai, 4 units of skirmisher (can be slingers or archers), 3 units of cavalry (u can have 1 general and 2 cavalry but not highly recommended). With this kind of army, you can smash any legion!!!

I knew you had Roman Killer in your blood.

My armies are similar when playing a Greek faction against other Greeks, Romans, and barbarians.
7-8 phalanx units
preferably i keep two units of thureophorai on the far flanks for screening duty.
2 hoplites, each behind the gaps of the phalanx and thureophorai to counter any flanking.
4 units of cavalry mostly, atleast two heavy cavalry of some type but always keep politikoi on hand
hypaspits and thorakitai numbers in my westerns stacks vary. But I space them behind my phalanx line just to add the push or fill in any openings.
Skirmishers vary too in number and position. When fighting the Romans I only use slingers and AOR peltasts.

Against eastern armies I reduce the phalanx to 5 or 6 and add more thureos or thoraks. Increasing skirmishers can be good to counter the usual mass of eastern skirmishers but always keep atleast 5 units of cavalry to the least.

Against steppe armies half my stack is made of thureophorai and hoplites for staying power and the other half is cavalry blended with various skirmishers.

[MkdRanger]

wow foot companions can beat spartan hoplite 1vs1

[scubatim84]

wow foot companions can beat spartan hoplite 1vs1

Periokoi or royal guard?

[MkdRanger]

royal guards and the phalanx can hold the line realy good espacialy against barbarians

[scubatim84]

royal guards and the phalanx can hold the line realy good espacialy against barbarians

Oh I know, I have 300 royal guards and about 700 supporting athenian and perioikoi hoplites who have so far wiped out 4,000+ independent gauls and are now about to do the same to the germans.

Which unit type did your FCs beat though out of curiosity? RG or Periokoi?

[MkdRanger]

royal guard but the periokoi look cooler

[nhinhonhinho]

For Greeks faction there're 3 type of main infantry column. All of them use the term "superior firepower"

1.Mobile formation:

_5 Thorakitai: use to shield your thureophoroi

_10-12 Thureophoroi: place in 2 line behind thorakitai. They cause most of damage since they have more javelin and better range. The
enemy often break right after your boys run out of ammo

_The rest is cavalry and general: mainly for flanks guard,last reserve and chase routed enemy

2.Shoot and pike (traditional)

_8 phalanx pikeman. Act as shield and protect 2 flanks. Of course the flanks guard will be your best phalanx units since they will have to use their swords a lot (i consider they're sword hoplite).

_At least 8-10 archers. They will cause most damage and you can always throw them into the rear of the enemy after out of ammo. Just remember: shielded them well and if can use long range (Cretan,Syrian archers) or hybrid archer (Bactrian archers)

_The rest is cavalry and general: mainly for flanks guard,last reserve and chase routed enemy

3.Shoot and pike (anti-armor version)

Okay to answer for these reason: Egypt don't have core archers,sometime you will meet heavily armored enemy that archers can't cause more damage or you are the poor man (can only recruit cheap levy or not have archers yet) while your enemy is more stronger i design this formation

_8-10 phalanx (often phalanx militia or levy phalanx in early game) or thureophoroi

_6-8 slingers

_ the rest is general and 2 cav unit

Place phalanx and slingers alternate each other. Keep firing until the enemy is near. Push your slingers back a little and fire in the gaps your slingers make. Your phalanx and thureophoroi will stuck the enemy while your slingers have the place to fire.

I think the first formation is good at the beginning while the second can defeat any kind of enemy from the East to the West except the extremely brute force (i.e army of cataphract,elite phalanx,praetorian...). Just take care (or remove it with terrain) your flanks well

[Belisarius500]

when i took the greeks to the end of the world and back my armies looked like this

11 units of hypaspists
2 units of thorakitai
2 units of archers
4 units of heavy cavalry
1 general/family mamber

works against all enemies perfectly

when i played as rome it was like this

10 legionary cohorts
2 auxilia units
2 archer units
1 onager
4 units of legionary cavalry
1 roman general

again,no one can stop you(except scythia and parthia,for they spamm cavalry as you say)

[nhinhonhinho]

when i took the greeks to the end of the world and back my armies looked like this

11 units of hypaspists
2 units of thorakitai
2 units of archers
4 units of heavy cavalry
1 general/family mamber

What happen if you meet the horde of HA or worse army of cataphract Parthia in late game often spam cataphract archer?

[Belisarius500]

What happen if you meet the horde of HA or worse army of cataphract Parthia in late game often spam cataphract archer?

well,i'm guessing you get hammered big time in a "crushing defeat"

[nhinhonhinho]

My question is from your campaign and from my own campaigns

well,i'm guessing you get hammered big time in a "crushing defeat"

That's why i often replace Thureophoroi and Thorakitai to Phalanx Pikeman (or more elite phalanx) in mid and late game

Of course i'm still maintain a large number of Thorakitai for siege since i'm not good in "phalanx warfare"

[knguyen_93]

What happen if you meet the horde of HA or worse army of cataphract Parthia in late game often spam cataphract archer?

That happened to my thracian campaign once

[Pinkie Pie]

no ai can stop you?
im pretty sure a human player could counter that quite easily
the greek one can be slaughtered by use of the macedonian elite hypaspists and the roman one would be defeated by 10 units of elite phalanxes 2 hypaspists 4 elite cavalry and 4 slingers

[Belisarius500]

no ai can stop you?
im pretty sure a human player could counter that quite easily
the greek one can be slaughtered by use of the macedonian elite hypaspists and the roman one would be defeated by 10 units of elite phalanxes 2 hypaspists 4 elite cavalry and 4 slingers

yeah,but we are not playing human players,are we?so you adjust tactics accordingly and hammer the AI

[Ninefingers]

In my present Armenian campaign, I've grown fond of using this army composition:

1 x General
2 x Heavy cavalry (javelin)
6 x Horse Archers
4 x Kardakai Spearmen
4 x Georgian Swordsmen

I'll usually leave the rest of the slots empty for interesting mercs or to get some garrison troops built if I take a city. Generally it's the Horse Archers that do the killing, but the Georgians give me options if I want to siege a city (plus they also have javelins, so can provide defensive support to the Kardakai Spearmen) and the Kardakai are just a great all-around defensive unit. I've yet to fight an army that would have given me any real problems except for those #(%)/ing annoying Scythian Horse Archer stacks.

I'll likely switch the Heavy cavalry to Cataphracts and the Horse Archers to Cataphract Archers when I have enough cities that can recruit them - I hate having to trek back and forth to retrain my armies!

[Dog Fart]

not if you know how to mod the EDU before the battle