A new and effective tactic, the twin column

**Silver Guard** · August 08, 2006, 02:33 PM

Done using an army consisting of only Principes and a general, this battle was fought outside Paestum, against two rebel armies.
It started with me splitting the Principes into two halves and setting them in column, they moved to surround the attcking rebel force:

Note the bodies behind the higher column, the enemy will fling soldiers at one or the other, but if they should commit all their soldiers towards one they will be flanked, this level of Indecision and milling around trying to produce and all round defence is best achieved by setting those men in the columns on defence mode and keep them marching round. This way they won't stop when confronted by cavalry or skirmishers but will march OVER them, stabbing as they past, like a gigantic bulldozer.

When the columns reach opposite sides (as you ahve grouped them) shoose the single line formation and drag allong the legth of the column, the units wil turn on the spot to fact the enemy (make sure you drag the right way, or you'll be hit in the back)
Inevitably there will be inaccuracies, one column will be nearer then the others when you reach either side of the opponent, this is where javalin-armed columns are effective, as seen in the higher pic, they can disrupt any attempts at charging them until the other column is in charge range, When the enemy is charged from both directions a twin battle will issue, especialy when the enemy army has near equal armies. However, always load one side of you column higher up their line then the others. The ends will curl round and sweep up the enemy from the side.

The weighted end will sweepm up before the other, this is where it comes in especialy handy fighting against two armies, the weighted end forms a new line, as the survivors on the weaker side are surrounded, leading to a drop in moral, and a fight to the death, in which you always win, don't worry about leaving an escape route unless they have pikes. In taking these pics I made some mistakes, which can be seen in the higher pic. The less weighter end was too far in, and some enemy broke though, killing my general (who I had forgotten about)

However, this never happens when I don't take pics, hense why cavalry are useful in this kind or formation, blocking the ends, and enemy who break through can be surrounded by (preferably 4, if not, 2 will do fine) units of cavalry, even pikes can't stand against being charged from that many charges from different directions, and they will have no rear protection, making it easy work...

Oh, anouther mistake, on one of the pics you will notice one of my units in the middle of the enemy reserves, running away from them (on the radar screen) this unit led a suicide charge on the enemy general while I was taking pics, getting itself wiped out, either extream bravery or foolishness

And thus the end, minimum casualties (pity about the general...I normaly don't have more then 3 family members at one time I kill so many of them), not a single enemy survivor, and a twin line up against the next foe, to use my next tactic, the battering ram, but that is for anouther thread

**Soccer1993** · August 08, 2006, 02:42 PM

wait...you made 2 on the same topic? is there any differnce or anything?

**Silver Guard** · August 08, 2006, 02:44 PM

Sorry, the first is an incomplete version I didn't realise I'd posted as a topic, I've asked for it to be deleted, this is the actual full post with all the pictures and comments

**Soccer1993** · August 08, 2006, 02:48 PM

oh okays then...yeah as i said in the other one...that is a real cool tactic...thoug i dont think it can work well with light, fast manerouvering horsearchers and Numidians.

**Silver Guard** · August 08, 2006, 02:53 PM

When battling AI it works against horse armies. As the enemy ahve no other choice but to either go between the columns (and so you get the same as above) or back away, they can't back left or right or they'll go right into the path of one column or the other. Note though, when upo aginst other players with cavalry, they'll run rings around you. In such a situation deploy your own cavalry behind the columns to stop any flanking

**Zuwxiv** · August 08, 2006, 02:55 PM

But if the enemy is too mobile, they can just attack one flank with all their strength at once, and if you don't get the other half of your army
there fast enough, you are in trouble. "Divide and Conquer", those tactics are exactly what I do when I fight an enemy with reinforcements.
Take on one group with all your strength, so that in that one area you have an advantage.

**Silver Guard** · August 08, 2006, 03:45 PM

This does take on one group with all your strength, the enemy army, if it attacks only one column with all its strength, will get bogged down, the ranks are simply too thick, the other column should hit its rear in seconds, there are variations which have one throwing itself at the enemy center whilst the other flanks (10 units in column hitting 2 units is impossible to stop, you'll split the enemy army in two) Butr the above is by far the most casualty efficient

**Hader** · August 08, 2006, 04:28 PM

hmmm, later i might try something like this in my TE Roman campaign. I have a legion that is bound to meet some rebel sta cks soon. But I wont do exactly what you did, i have some ideas on some tweaks to this strat, maybe a bit of a V type formation. Hmm, I dont know, but i will have to change it a bit because my legion is not made of only Princepes.

**Silver Guard** · August 08, 2006, 04:34 PM

The legion is far more capable then principes, cavarly can block the ends as they're faster then legionaires and missile troops make short work of any rebels, as they tend to hunch together, I just happened to have a full stack of Principes (I now rely on more flexible armies, when three of my Principe full stacks were slaughtered by a pike-cavalry army outside pella, that kind of army is the bane of this formation

**Shaun** · August 08, 2006, 04:53 PM

This is a very good tactic, but timing would be crucial, as if the full force of the enemy went on one column, you better kiss those men good bye.

**Silver Guard** · August 09, 2006, 08:48 AM

Timing is important, I test myself by leading this formation without using the change speed or pause buttons, but I pull it off more often then not. The success is shown in the third picture, as javalin-armed units hold back any assault while the other column manauvers into assault range. In the typical RTW game units can withstand quite a while in combat before breaking or being torn appart (don't use peasants!) and so the other column usualy gets there quick enough.

Usualy...this problem of yours resulted in the destruction of three full stacks in germania, ambushed from several directions the first column to enter the forrest was torn appart before the other can get there. Do not attempt to use this tactic when you can't see the full enemy force! This is vital!

**Spadicus** · August 09, 2006, 05:21 PM

I use a similar tactic against phalanx based armies. It's useful for breaking up an 'invincible' phalanx line producing gaps which can be exploited by cavalry.

But I don't see how it works against more manoeverable armies: surely the way to counter this would be not to march your army straight into the center of the two columns? By attacking one of the columns head on, you can at least be assured of utterly decimating its head before the other column can get near enough to support, and just by making sure your army doesn't get trapped between the two columns you can effectively only fight half of the two-column army.

**penance_of_discord** · August 17, 2006, 06:53 PM

i think your pictures would be much easier to understand if they wernt taken with huge army scale, ive always been a fan of the smallest scale myself. lag = death. :p i think im going to start a topic about unit scale, now that im thinking about it.