Carth. vs. Mace.

[DerekBaker]

Been going well as Carthage (on my 5th attempt), but now the Macedons are attacking me in Northern Italy.

The all cavalry forces there (mix of RS, LS and SB) can't live with the pikemen. Am rushing some elephants and Numidian mercenaries from Africa.

Any advice?

Thanks.

[placenik]

Been going well as Carthage (on my 5th attempt), but now the Macedons are attacking me in Northern Italy.

The all cavalry forces there (mix of RS, LS and SB) can't live with the pikemen. Am rushing some elephants and Numidian mercenaries from Africa.

Any advice?

Thanks.
Try schytian srimishing
1. Kill their cavalery and archers and retreat.
2. Hire some scrimishers, attack, use up all misiles, retreat.
3. Repeat 2 untill no more spears.

You can use about any scrimisher in game, spears are very slow.

[Quintus.JC]

what about some SB infantry, they are one of the best spearmen in the game. If they can't beat the pikemen on their own then flank them with your cavalry, obiviously charging straight at phalanx is suicide for any cavalry unit. This might take some time but it works. Charge them in the rear with your elephants and they'll sure to rout.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

I did some tests ..
Sacred Band won every battle against macedonian pikemen and royal pikemen only losing about 15-25 men while the pikemen lost about 100-105 men ..
so .. using them and the SB cavalry is the best way to destroy the macedonians ...

[Hannibalbarc]

Yep, later on once you get phalanxes, start filling your armies with them, especially when fighting phalanxes, cavalry have a tough time with phalanxes if they don't have any support.

[Spartan198]

Your best weapons against phalanxes are still war elephants and armored elephants (but not those wimpy small ones),though.

[Quirinus]

Your best bet is cavalry. True, the Macedonians have good cavalry, but so do you. I've found that these sarissae phalangites rout pretty fast when charged from behind. A mass charge to their rear is particularly effective. The challenge is to deal with their cavalry and missiles.

[Abokasee]

Heres something I did as the Barctrians in RTR, which might work in your game, expect some large casulities though as carthage (I cant remember the length of the peoni and sacred band spears)

Get more phalanx units in a long line
Engage the enemy with each of there pike units fighting
Sneak a Elephant or 2 round the back of the phalanx
CHARGE THEM ELEPHANTS and watch them rout

of course, this is mainly a late game tactic, that will also be pretty effective vs selucids, egypt, basically any faction that recruits large numbers of phalanx units

[DerekBaker]

Thanks for the replies.

Wiped out the Macedonians a couple of days ago using a cavalry/elephant mix.

[RLucid]

Hiring Illyrian mercenaries (available E. Adriatic shore), and fortifying Light Infantry Mercenary warbands can also balance your army.

It is important though, not to let the Warband tire through constantly having to run around, though they are fast they do fatigue and perform poorly if near exhaustion. A combo lets Spear Warband distract, the Javelin men strike into flank and rear, then once softened up, a phalanx can be finished off by Warband charging from rear.

The spearmen help, if you need to establish cavalry superiority. Early in battle you avoid engagement, but provoke enemy cavalry forces, then retreat where the warband can intercept them.

Both units like woods, which encumber Phalanx, but makes command & control trickier, as the RTW units have no way to be told not to impale themselves in frontal assaults on Phalanxes, so require constant baby sitting.

[RLucid]

Corinth fell to Greece right away.

So now only stone walls, spartan and armoured hoplites stand in my way. So I gotta get a move on with the Cretan archers, and see if Macedon do anything more than spy on me, before I can double back northwards.

Julii are still sucking mud, with a huge stack sitting in same spot as Faction Leader starts the game!

May I should re-inforce my allies, even?