fighting praetorians

[daort]

I am playing egyptians (h/h) and i have successfully conquered seleucid, pontus, south parthia and brutii greece. I've took Rome, south Italy, everything were well. And that goddamn Marius reform happend! Is there any tactic to win hordes of legions by egyptian units? Egypt has excellent archers, chariots and stuff, but legions wiping out any infantry i can get.

[rez]

The best way to counter the Solid roman leigions in my experience is to ruin their formation then hit them hard with heavy cavalry. Granted i was doing this with Parthians but the basic principle holds. Since you have a lot of chariots use them to disrupt the enemy then follow with heavy nile cavalry on the flanks of the disrupted units. They always routed far quicker when out of formation for me.

Alternatively you can use the time honoured technique of the hammer and anvil. Pin them on you're solid phalanx and hit them in the rear with you're heavy cavalry or chariots.

But in addition use you're chariots early on to destroy their cavalry and maintain the superior mobility on the field.

[Marcus Scaurus]

Always remember to pin the enemy down with your infantry before attacking with cavalry. Never let the cavalry attack without the support of nearby infantry, especially when the enemy infantry is very strong.

[MasterAdnin]

Not only that, use a lot of infantry, and engage, after that, move your archers behind them, and let loose your rain of hell.

Adnan

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

Hit them with your missiles, you have strong bowmen. Pin them with your phalanx, then attack the rear with any cavalry. It's a basic strategy that always works, but first you will need to eliminate their cavalry. No problem since your cavalry is far superior, but just make sure that you don't leave your Nile Spearmen fighting for too much time or else they will rout. It doesn't matter if they are a phalanx a praetorian cohort can kill them easily with their pila and simply by trying to approach them. Pharaoh's Guards can hold enough until you turn your Nile Cavalry and charge them in the rear.

[Balbor]

line up Onagers right behind your phalanx and just move into range when attacking (its best to start quite a bit back so the romans don't get any ideas about attacking you) then let loose with flaming ammo until you run out.

[Aristocrat]

Sue for peace and beg forgiveness.


Or, try and break their formation up (as previously mentioned) and take them apart piecemeal.
Or, simple tie them down for a short period of time (with your general behind your troops continually trumpeting his rally call to prevent your troops breaking prematurely) while your cavalry....chariots flank the enemy and charge.
ALso go for the enemy general and try to kill him at about the same time your time your cavalry charge...that way the enemy morale really does crumble.

[_GunneR_]

This tactic takes some planning but makes for an easier battle take a full stack of your best units (with missile cavalry this will be simple). Put the stack in the middle of a enemy province mess around with their docks by blocking them from the land seige cities for a year and wait for them to attack you, let them. once in the battle make two solid lines of phallanxes the about 3-4 archers with the heavy cav on the flanks and missile cav at the frontmove the tropps to the farthest point from the enemy and make them march to you as they do this unleash your missile cav on them once they get in range use your pharoahs bowmen andhold your infantry by now they should have taken a quite a few casualties and it's time to move in for the kill. With all their units below strength it's easy enough to rout them

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

Or just bribe their armies and avoid fighting .

[guyyug]

it mayb cheap but form a circle of your spearmen archers in centre and cav ready in nerby woods and flank them with the hammer and anvil or put them in the middle and once they brake mop em up

[daort]

Thanx people for you help, its looks like that it is not dead end of my conquering carreer.)) But anyway the main problem is that i cant advance further in Italy and Africa, they simply outnumber me a lot. I decided to defend Rome and all i had conquered by any costs and take 7 provinces left to win, from armenians and scythians. Anyway marius romans are imba. Dont know how it is historically, but in game it is true.

[Aristocrat]

well after the reforms Rome went on to conquer their known world so....