Roman army composition

[Sassanid Saxon]

Hey there Stainless Steel community! I'm loving 6.4 and am currently enjoying an early era campaign with the E. Roman Empire. I find myself using very infantry heavy armies with mourtatoi archers/ acritae horse and foot/HAs providing support for massed Skoutatoi swords and spears. I usually keep one or two "mobile" stacks of the Elite troops that can only be recruited from Constantinople too, but I dont always use them at my frontiers. What do other peoples' fortress/large city level Roman stacks look like? Are other folks using the Roman infantry as much as I do? Kastrophylakes all the way!

[Ferdiad]

Mainly cav armies as they can still slog it out with the west for several hundred years along with massed use of cavalarii.

[Nemesis_GR]

My all around-army composition is 1 general 6 kastrofulakes(or scoutatoi spearmen) 5 mourtatoi 6 stratiotae 2 mounted acritae.
I will have a fortress soon so i ll probably use cavalarii(HA) and scoutatoi swordsmen too.

An earlier army composition was 1 general 8 acritae 5 toxotae 6 mounted acritae and it worked great against the HA and spear militia armies of hungarians and turks.Its a low cost-low upkeep army performing really well early at the campaign.
Also u should use ur 2 scolarii-they own!

[David93]

In my early era i had quite a few armies of perfect composition (by which i mean my perfect) that allowed me to conquer pretty quickly consisted of a small line of infantry backed by acostaie and moudatori, the rest cav, worked well. I fiind infantry heavy armies are to slow and therefore take to many casualties.

[Sassanid Saxon]

Nice army ideas guys! I think in my early era campaign (I've just passed the black death) I've settled on 1x BG, 5x Mouratoi archers, 6x scouktoi spearmen, 4x HAs (Cavalarii) and 4x Scholarii...how do folks like the Proniarii?

[AnthoniusII]

I hope the following could help.
[1]
[2]

[Dramatic Cat]

I hope the following could help.
[1]
[2]

Wow!

thats ... awesome! Ill rep u liek fur a week!

[guyverlance]

it helped for me lol.

[StupidAlarmClockGuy]

I prefer following the late Byzantine strategy of "use whatever we can get our hands on" for their army. If it's available, I'll recruit it. Even if it's rubbish.

[Ferdiad]

I prefer following the late Byzantine strategy of "use whatever we can get our hands on" for their army. If it's available, I'll recruit it. Even if it's rubbish.

Even levys?

[StupidAlarmClockGuy]

ESPECIALLY levies.

[Silver Legionary]

Mercenaries are probably a good thing to go for, too, especially in the Late Era
and/or if you're invading somewhere.

[StupidAlarmClockGuy]

Also, the incorporation of regional armies (kind of like the old thematic system). If I take places in Turkey, expect an army made mostly of horse archers and the like. If the Holy Land, expect a lot of Desert Archers and Bedouin units mixed in. And so forth, as long as there's local units available (granted, I do this with all factions if I can).

[Sassanid Saxon]

I do like my regional field armies to be fully re trainable from regional fortresses, hence Proniarii, Acritae and Cavalarii tend to be my field army Cav even very late...wheras Scholarii are grouped with the other "elite" units into mobile fire brigades stationed in Thrace and W. Anatolia.

[Sassanid Saxon]

Here's another idea (thanks for all the feedback!) 1BG/4 Proniarii in reserve line, 8xHA on the wings, forming the flank guards and outflankers and 7x Scholarii Kataphraktoi forming the main line, a little ways behind the HAs on the wings (forming a refused center). I've been reading Byzantine military manuels alot lately, Maurices' Strtegikon and Nicephorus Phocas' Praecepta Militaria or real gems for SS battle planning...

[Ferdiad]

I use gamey tactics, RL tactics are for n00bs.

[Green Warrior]

I play the Byzantine -- I mean, the Roman -- Empire almost exclusively. I love the composition of the Roman army and utilize a battle formation that I find to be extraordinarily effective and powerful. The formation is as follows.

My front line consists of 4 or 5 units of Akritai. As the enemy closes, the Akritai hurl their javelins and then hold their positions for melee fighting.

Close behind the Akritai -- as close as I can place them -- I set 4 or 5 units of Skoutatoi spearmen. Once the enemy are fully engaged with my Akritai, I advance my Skoutatoi directly into the melee.

Directly behind the Skoutatoi I place my archers -- preferably Mourtatoi because they are long-range archers who goad the enemy into charging. I tend to use 2 or 3 units of archers. They can join the melee if needed to prevent the Roman line from breaking or to tip the balance of battle in my favor and cause the enemy to rout.

If I have crossbowmen (usually mercenaries), I place them on the wings. If I have 2 or 3 units of heavy infantry (mercenaries or Spathatoi -- Roman swordsmen), I place them on either side of the Skoutatoi

This line is compact, deep and extremely powerful. But it is worthless without cavalry support. I utilize 2 or 3 units of Ippoakritai (mounted Akritai) on either flank. I also try to have 1 or 2 units of mounted arhers (Magyar or mercenaries) along with the Ippoakritai. The Ippoakritai also has teh job of attacking enemy catapults or ballista.

Supporting these units I have 2 or 3 units of Stratiotai -- Roman light cavalry though heavier than the Ippoakritai. In the eraly years, my general's bodyguard is normally my only heavy cavalry.

My Ippoakritai and mounted archers seek out and attack enemey ligt cavalry -- especially enemy mounted archers. I try to attack 2 or 3 units against 1 or 2 enemy units. I use my Stratiotai in support of my Ippoakritai if necessary. Otherwise they are held to counterattack enemy heavy cavalry that has charged my Roman infantry. Enemy heavy cavalry seem especially attracted to crossbow units. Once the enemy cav is engaged with them, I charge into them with my Stratatoi.

I find this formation and battle plan to be effective and loads of fun to implement. I love holding on against overwhelming enemy numbers -- re-forming my battle line 2 or 3 times, pulling severely weakened units out of the battle and holding on with only a few determined, battle-tested units. I've had truly epic battles using this formation.

[guyverlance]

this method depletes your army in just one battle.

[Green Warrior]

this method depletes your army in just one battle.

Well, not necessarily. I've found it effective in routing enemy armies of roughly equal size and power but also effective against larger, more powerful enemies. Aside from its effectiveness, I've found my formation to be highly enjoyable to utilize.

[Nemesis_GR]

I think u should use 2 or 4 units of acritae behind the infantry line(6 units or swordsmen or scootatoi) or at the flanks and they shouldnt get to melle.
Mounted acritae are general killers but in most cases cavalarii are better.(unless against high armor armies after 1300s)
Also u should use ur stratiotae/scholarii(around 6 total) for hammer and anvil or at least for flanking.

ps.inf heavy armies can be fun-realistic but result in heavy casualties.