Makedon Reforms

I have never played as Makedon till two days ago and I have had this game for around two years...I used the code and gave Rome a huge city and got the Makedon Reforms around 268 BC. I just hate waiting...however the power of their Phalanx is ridiculous!!! I never played them because I hate fighting the Phalanx but wow! Then...and important battle and all the sudden some soldiers in the phalanx started to run amok almost and then the Phalanx eventually broke and the Romans got it and hacked my men to peices...why do my soldiers all the sudden break ranks and run all over the place and cost me the battle? Any help would be great along with any usefull tactics that would be useful as Makedon since my economy is kind of in question....Makedon Rocks!!!!

Capture all of Greece and Thrace first and build all of the high level mines. Then you're economy won't be a problem.

Get like six units of phalanx and line them up. Get about four units of thureophoroi (to save money) and put two on each flank of the phalanx. Put some heavy cavalry behind the thureophoroi. March your line up to the enemy. Once the enemy engages, send your thureophoroi around to the flanks of the enemy, have them throw their javelins and engage the enemy. While you're doing that, send your cavalry around to the back of the enemy and charge them. Also, get some archers and slingers to bother the enemy. You can replace the thureophoroi with better units when you have more money.

That's how I play with the makedonians. I'm sure there are probably better strategies, but this works just fine for me.

Thats great! I always attack Italy for some reason and never thought about Thrace...I have been messing around with those Agrianan Assault infantry and HOLY SMOKES! I think they are the most effective anit-Romani infantry I have found right next to the Sweboz Slugonez...I have two units of them beat back 2 triarii and 2 princepes...pretty impressive...how do the Makedons fair fighting the established Ptolemai and Bactrian Kingdoms?

Other phalanx based factions are pretty easy to fight because the AI doesn't know how to use them correctly. I've never really fought many horse archers in my makedonian game, but lots of archers and slingers would probably do the trick. Use your phalanx as a shield to block all of the arrows while your archers kill everything, then use the slingers to kill the heavily armored bodyguard units. Or get some skythian horse archers from that coastal town above Tylis.

Also, Serdike has mines, which will help your economy, and I think Nikeia (sp?) has them too. Plus, you can get some Thracian Peltasts in those areas, and those things absolutely decimate anything. Use them as flankers like the thuroephoroi and they'll completely slaughter just about anything you put them behind.

Makedonia is an excellent faction. To take pressure of your 2 homeland provinces (which if you are not careful you will depopulate), I use the levy phalanxes extensively. I have usually a stack of levies for every proffessional army. They are more cost-effective, but strategically it is crucial to have reliable armies. I sometimes position half-stacks at bridges, since phalanxes are extremely tough at bridges, freeing up troops for other fronts.

I second the mine suggestion. Makedon has very good mines all over the place. In addition they have pretty decent trade income. One of the best economies, in fact. As well as one of the best unit lineups.

Thrace is really crucial to Makedon, not only does is contain lots of wealthy cities, and is rebel, but it has about half your key unit line up. The Thracians are some Makedon's most important troops, particularly the Peltasts and Prodomoi.

To keep your units in formation and prevent them running all over the place in pursuit, group them in formation and put the group in Guard mode. That way they will emphasise defense and keeping formation. Use that to pin the enemy then as he tires you send in the cavalry you have sent around his flanks, charging him from behind and/or change out of Guard mode and attack. This keeps formation for all factions, but for the Phalanx ones it is essential.

i played Maks 2 times by now, first time i went east to Arabia before my saved games got corrupted and i never got the reformed phalanx. in my curent active game i got them around 220-210 BC. by that time i was already in Mesopotamia. generaly i role-play my factions and i never expand beyond what my objectives are unless the AI gives me no choice. even then i prefer punitive raids instead of conquest. just take the enemy border cities, enslave them or slaughter them and then live them undefended. they will most likely rebel to eleutheroi and you will get yourself a dumping zone.

to conserve my menpower in the early stages i rely on alied troops and mercenaries that compose 2/3 of my stacks or more. try to capure mainland Greece as soon as possible and don't maintain a standing fleet. then expand to Thrace and Iliria as soon as possible as this is where you will have your best assult troups recruited. untill i get to Asia Minor i rely on Cretan archers for long range skirmishes. in Asia you will get Caucasian and Syrian archers.

i noticed that phalanx brakeups ocur mostly when the phalanx is ordered to attack (even then it is a rare event). i rarely use the phalanx to attact actively. i usually deploy the phalanx in 2 elongated blocks composed by 2 units or one longer one composed of 4, depending on how much flexibilty i need and who i am fighting against. braking the phalanx line in 2 will give you ability to sweep left or right after a portion of the enemy line beggins to rout. on each end of the blocks i put some suport units, depending on what's available. theurporoi for the outer flanks and hoplites of some sort for the center "axis". i keep a reserve second line on the flanks and center of whatever assult infantry is available. cavalry in the rearto prevent flanking and to flank if oportunity arises. skirmish or light cavalry on the left and lancers and heavies on the right. slingers and archers in the front to begin the engagement and on the flanks once the engagement begins.

the regular pezhetaeroi are far cheeper then their armoured cousins and only slightly less effective. i use reformed phalanx only because they look so pretty. i group my infantry contigent in 1- 3 groups and only order move commands. when the phalanx front reaches enemy lines or the enemy charges them i punch stop curent orders and let them do their work. it 's the best way to avoid formation brake-ups. i micromenage only flanking and brake-through manoevres. if you split the phalanx with hoplites or spearmen in betwean you can experiment with different tactis like driving a wedge or denying the center or flank, just always be sure to have reliable unit garding the phalanx's sides.

i hope you find this useful :beam:

Great posts guys!!! I am having alot of fun pushing into Thrace...and the Peltast from Byzantium are awesome! Do they get an attack bonus against armor? I just stopped two full Seluecid armies with 3 phalanxes and a few peltasts...kick ass!!!