Setting up your legions to battle against specific foes

[Yohannius Sincerius]

Good evening gents,

I would like to see if any of you have specific planned-out Roman legions, according to the enemy you are fighting. For example, for taking care of Phalanx-based armies (IE Greeks and Macedonians).
I don't know how many types of armies there are but your input would be widely appreciated. The strategies you use against Egyptians, Britons, all of them! Having an army set up like this would be best:
HHHHHH
PPPPP
T T T T

Not just pre-marian armies, late armies as well. I would also like to know the best way to counter elephants. I'm making a large list of these and will be using these while playing the campaign, sending specific armies to specific fronts. I think it will certainly reduce the number of armies needed and the effeciency of single armies. Would there be a "super legion" that is equally proficient at taking care of every faction?

And keeping in mind that I use Rome Total Realism.

Thanks in advance,
Cheers, Hans

[unfortunate crow]

Well this is my normal post-Marius formation, though if I'm short on units I'll modify it a bit. Works well against most enemies. I like to make the enemy play to my strength rather than me try to play to their weakness. Works well in multiplayer too.

..................................................................
............archer-archer-archer-archer................
.........cohort---cohort---cohort---cohort..........
cav-cav---cohort---cohort---cohort---cav-cav.
..................................................................
...............cohort--1stcohort--cohort................
............................General.............................
...................................................................

Pre-Marius in the early game, I usually send out armies, regardless of overall size in the following formula: 2 parts Hastati, 1 part velite (or archer when I can), 1 part equite.

....................................................................
............................velite.................................
.................hastati..........hastati.......................
...............................................equite.............
....................................................................

........................................................................
.....................velite.............velite........................
............hastati....hastati....hastati....hastati............
..equite....................................................equite..
........................................................................

If for some reason I have a large amount of cavalry (6-10 units), I'll group them as a seperate army and use them as the hammer, and my infantry force as the anvil.

Against elephants I'll send out some light cav as a screen to draw units out of formation and rush my velites or archers into range to focus on the elephants while everybody plays tag with my cavalry...a lot of times, I end up having to sacrifice the cavalry to make sure the enemy doesn't go after the elephant-killers too quickly.

[Yohannius Sincerius]

Is that a standard formation you use, or you use that against someone specific?

[Professor420]

Barbarians: When fighting Barbarian armies as Rome, the goal is simply, do not get surrounded! Your infantry will hack the enemy to pieces from the front, and getting around them in RTR doesn't even make them rout so much quicker. Try thinning out your lines a bit as well to cover more ground, try to make your line longer than theirs. Also, slingers are great against barbarians, since they are mostly unarmoured. The real threat with the Gauls is their cavalry... for this reason, try to keep a unit of Triarii in reserve, or at least, Italian Spearmen (though they will usually lose against a full unit of cavalry). Try to get an advantage in environment by fighting on a hill. Also, especially in RTR because its so difficult to get anyone to rout, if you do get surrounded or have to break up your line, your Principes will be OK for a while. Just make sure to get them some support soon. Its happened to me half a dozen times, if I get a unit free, I will sometimes send them to another area of the battle line where the enemy is about to break, so I will have all those extra units to reinforce instead of just a single one. In RTR, against barbarians, play on the defensive.

Phalanx armies: Velites! Try to get them to the rear of the phalanges before they start attacking, then charge home once the enemy phalanx gets a bit tired. Also remember, your legions are much more mobile than phalanxes, use them to get around the enemy... because phalanges are so bad at enveloping, you can sometimes have 2 enemy phalanges fight a single century to a relative standstill, while you use another one to get behind the phalanx. The only way to break a phalanx is to get behind it, so you must do this, whatever units you have to use. Also remember that Hastai have better endurance than Principes, and Triarii should not be used to flank.

Elephants... use Italian Skirmishers, try to get some archers, whatever you have to do. You will lose ALOT of units, just get some cheap infantry or Hastati and put them into a loose formation, and let the pila fly. Fortunately, if you raid Carthage quickly and destroy the place, you will only have to deal with Elephants once (Greek army in Italy) before you confront the Selucids, by which time, hopefully, you will have enough ranged units to nullify the terrifying elephants.

Just remember, in RTR, as Rome, cavalry is best for chasing down skirmishers. Enemies do not rout easily, and heavy cavalry is expensive. Use it judiciously. You have the best infantry in the game, so take advantage of that.

[IXlegion]

put infintry in front archer behind cav behind each cohort for support

[Nutsack]

...............Hastati...........Hastati.Slinger.Hastati..........Hastati
..........Samnite...Principe.Archer.Principe.Archer.Principe...Samnite
.......Equites...........Velite..............Velite..............Velite...........Equites
...............................Triarii.........General.........Triarii.............................

EDIT: Numbers
1.Melee Infantry
2.Alternative Melee Infantry
3.Cavalry
4.Ranged Infantry

Pre-Marian, Post-Romani reforms.

Works with pretty much anything Especially decimates slow phalanx greeks since i can fire more with my ranged troops (all the pilums, javelins, arrows, and pellets). And i use my Samnites to crawl around to the back of their phalanxes and then even further around with my Equites cavalry. My Triarii and General is mainly for emergency situations, otherwise they would be used to cover the back of the army (in case of enemy reinforcements).

This is with Europa Barbarorum 0.74 (or whatever is the latest). Though this may as well work with Vanilla, feel free to copy (though i know you people probably already knew this one since it's the casual roman formation).

EDIT: Well, it's similar to the casual Roman formation, i have slightly modified it (moved Velites to back etc.).

[Ahiga]

Invade or defend with two armies. One is the field one and the other is the support army, which shouldn't get into the fights unless it's a real dire circumstance. In the former, you have your essentials - heavy cavalry, legion, best archers and skirmishers. In the support, have weaker units which are easily trained in the region. Auxillia, basically. These are both cannon fodder and units to adapt to the circumstances, since in general, your flexibility to different armies tends not to be rooted on expensive units you wouldn't already otherwise have (heavy infantry/phalangites or heavy cavalry).

When you see an army up ahead with predominantly heavy infantry, you might exchange some of your main army units for more skirmishers or heavy infantry. If you see a skirmisher army, you'll exchange for suitable soldiers.