bucellarii

[communist]

ugh, does anyone have any good tactics to go with this unit? i only found that they do SUPERB on stonewalls, and it also says it have a combat bonus in woods, though ive yet to try how effective it can be. other than that, all it does on open battle fields is kill about 10 heavy infantry with the first volley, and then run as the enemy charges at you. unless you count tiring your enemy as a advantage. since they couldnt fire from behind the main lines, i found no other uses for them, except for their occasional shots fired at flanking units. any tips appreciated.

[Virridovix]

I've kept them on the flanks with limited success. Cavalry tend to make quick work of them. On the defense you need to look for rising ground and deploy them higher upslope than your mlr. They have some very limited hand-to-hand ability but they aren't good enough for you to encourage that on purpose. I've never recruited them purposefully and just make do with them if they are foisted on my by the game. I suppose if you take excessive care with them for 50 years or so, you might be able to end up with a highly experienced uparmored version that would almost be useful...

Historically the term was used for a variety of retainer troops and many of the mods (IBFD for example) do a better job showing this than vanilla BI. Just after the BI period one of the most famous instances would probably be Belisarius and his household bucellari - Thracian Cataphracts. (plenty of good use for them)

[communist]

yeh, ive already started more testing and ive found that if i keep them on the flanks in a slanted position with cavs just behind them, they can work to some extent. although the range is abit of a problem, their bolts are quick and cant be dodged, and it goes through armors and shields alike. though like i mentioned earlier, they completetly own everything(well, except for siege engines) when they're on stonewalls. and heavy infantry drop like flies when they come.

[dr_plaugexl]

i use them unconventionaly... like terricos in imperial spanish armies i mix them in with legions or spear leigion. in one central block formation surrounded by commaties and flanked with limitie or millitia.
over all strategy is hammer and anvil so the center isint supposed to hold long unless under stress from cavalry. its a good one for online games cause most people dont quite understand why they are the center and rush in anyway... resulting in a quick match :tooth:

[communist]

i use them unconventionaly... like terricos in imperial spanish armies i mix them in with legions or spear leigion. in one central block formation surrounded by commaties and flanked with limitie or millitia.
over all strategy is hammer and anvil so the center isint supposed to hold long unless under stress from cavalry. its a good one for online games cause most people dont quite understand why they are the center and rush in anyway... resulting in a quick match :tooth:

i dont quite get whats going on, if your talking about the corssbowmen in the middle with compensaties on the front and militia on the flanks then that wouldnt since since they cant shoot past their front line. but i am not exactly sure of what your talking abt so,..yea.

[Virridovix]

i use them unconventionaly... like terricos in imperial spanish armies i mix them in with legions or spear leigion. in one central block formation surrounded by commaties and flanked with limitie or millitia.
over all strategy is hammer and anvil so the center isint supposed to hold long unless under stress from cavalry. its a good one for online games cause most people dont quite understand why they are the center and rush in anyway... resulting in a quick match :tooth:

Are you saying the bucellari are basically bait? Or have you found a way to layer them with your heavy infantry where they can give a good account of themselves? I'm trying to visualize your formation.

[wkndwrrr]

As Bucellarii have a shorter range than normal archers, I use them like I use most skirmisher units... Engage the main enemy column with my infantry, then manuveur them around behind the enemy lines, and pelt them from the back.