Custom Battle Balanced Army Builds

[Rockapotamus]

Hello once again,

I am just full of questions, hence becoming a member to TWCenter to relieve the nagging questions bouncing around inside my mind.

This one is more for a better understanding of other people's playstyle than any struggle I'm currently having.

I would love to know if anyone has an army build that they frequently use in custom battles? And I don't mean an army of Spartan Pikeman, or Praetorian Guards, I mean a true balanced army that takes some thought and generalship to use correctly. I have been playing against a friend of mine on a frequent basis and I have recently been using Egypt to go against his Roman infantry on a small funds battle.

I use:
1 Hellenic Royal Guard as my General.
1 Thorax Swordsmen
3 Galatian Swordsmen
1 Royal Peltast

[Gal Sword] [Gal Sword] [Hel. Roy. Guard] [Gal Sword][Thor. Sword]
[Royal Peltast]

Depicted above is my usual formation. Galatian Swordsmen being buffed by "Encourage" due to their arrangement, Pike phalanx as an unpenetrable center, wings to support on right and left, Royal Peltasts to offer "Encourage" buff and remaining unengaged allows them to quickly reinforce any breaks in my wings or center, or extend either flank to initiate a crescent moon, forcing the opposing wings to crumble and allowing an envelopment or a potential chain rout.

On occasion I will trade upgrades on my Royal Guard for 1 unit of Mercenary Cretan Archers to route javelinmen before they become a problem while my center and wings are engaged.


Before reading the following army, keep in mind I am most likely incorrect with the number of squadrons controlled by him. I’m going off my memory at the moment, and if it’s crucial I may update this thread in the future to better represent my opponent.

Opponent:
1 Legatus (more health than Gen. + Bodyguard)
1 Praetorian Guard
1 Cavalry (unsure on which, but shock cav. generally.)
2 Javelinment
3 Gladiators or 2 Legionaries – OR 2 and 2

[Legionaries][Gladiators][Praetorian G][Gladiators][Legionaries] [Shk. Cav.]
[Jav. Men] [Legatus] [Jav. Men]
His priority is generally to engage my melee, forcing them to remain stationary. While this is happening, if he’s lucky enough for me to not have brough bowmen or cav, he will move his Javelinmen behind my ranks and pepper their backs with deadly projectiles. This strategy is outstanding if executed properly, by the way.

We have spent many hours repeating the same relative formula for these two armies, both of us limiting our elites due to the balancing issues in Rome 2. With these builds, there is pretty close to a 1-1 ratio wins/losses. Each one is seemingly decided by a decisive maneuver, quick thinking on part of your general (using his abilities and such) or a better approach overall. I’ve even beat him in the snow, on a hill, simply because I was able to out maneuver him. That is the TW I love, and can’t get enough of. It leaves me with goose bumps and the need to watch replay after replay to better evaluate my own battle strategies, and to examine his to further my success.

I reference my post header now, since I stated “Balanced Custom Battle Army Builds”, because (as stated before) an army of Spartan Pikeman will kill 8,000 troops, while only losing perhaps 300 men overall. Praetorian Guards will hold a city gate against double their entire army’s numbers. One unit. I’m serious, I have a replay. So please, I ask with as much respect and love for this community as possible, show me something new, not something broken that’s a guaranteed win. TW is about your abilities to command, and I want some armies that require me to do just that. Thought and execution are too important an aspect of this type of game to me to use a stale “Pikemen in a square, phalanx, and hold” army that’s not going to take a dent.

I need to see my troops waver when I desperately click “Rally” just before plunging my cavalry into my opponents unprotected flank, strengthening my troops resolve and weakening the integrity of his entire force in one swift maneuver that decides the battle that had previously been a tug-of-war with no true winner coming to the forefront.

Well... Anyway, I showed you mine... Will you show me yours?

[Rockapotamus]

Patch 9 makes this post invalid for Roman opponent.