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I have been playin RTW Vanilla & EB for a long time now. Anyways ... i always have a problem facing phallanx armies when i myself dont have phallanxes. Im currently playing as the Pahlava & am having a hard time repelling those AS full stacks of phallanxes. Wats the best idea to crush such armies playing as the Pahlava. Hit & run ? rear charge by Heavy cavalry (dont really have good infantry to pin down the phallanx though)? any comments r welcome ...
Prince
1:Use you'r archer cavalry to surround the enemy phalanx. Shoot them from theyr back always you can.
2: Use your superior cavalry and agility agains theyr brute force and lack of mobility. Hit them from theyr back with your heavy cavalry.
3:Use the fire of your exelent archers to brake theyr will to fight.
4:Hire some mercenary phalanx to keep theyr phalanxs occupied, while you flank them with your heavy cavalry.
Phalava is suposed to be that hard, you will enjoy to play with them.These tatics are surely the best way to defeat these 6 meters spear enemies.
Missile fire; Most phalanxes are quite slow, so if you can manoeuvre yourself behind the enemy you can go on a killing spree. Slingers work better for the higher armored phalanxes, as they have an armor piercing attack.
This is of course easier if you have more units available than your enemy. Fighting with say 3 archers / slingers and a family member against 3 phalanx units requires a lot of management, but you should be able to win those battles easily with a minimum of losses. Just don't use auto-fire, as they will shoot whenever the enemy is in shooting distance, but not necessarily highly vulnerable to missile fire. Horse Archers are highly effective, as they will outrun the phalanxes. They are not expensive at all to boot. And pepper them with pointy objects.
In short, just a basic hit and run tactic.
Don't forget to lure the enemies out of formation; a solid line of phalanx units is hard to deal with, but as inidividual units, it is a lot easier. Just use mobile bait to disorganize the enemy.
If the enemy has (limited) missile support try to take those units out first.
Listen my friend, I have never played as a non-phalanx faction yet but I can tell you the most common techniques deployed by most players when fighting against a phalanx-based army:
First of all, if you don't have any considerable medium infantry to lock the enemy phalangites, even if you have many horse archers and such you will mostly lose or win with great casualties, unless you are a strategical genius.
There is one thing that will help you a lot when fighting against phalanxes: tarrain. Use it to your advantage and victory will almost surely be yours. Try and pick places with rocky/uneven terrain, deploy your units on a hilltop and just let them come to you and tire by marching. Use slingers and skirmishers wisely, lure their cavalry away and crush them with yours, harass their light troops or flankers (don't waste your ammunition on phalanxes, especially in the front) and just rain death upon them with, preferaly, slingers.
Now, when the enemy phalanx is close, you have to act fast (this actually depends on the abillity of your soldiers to hold their ground against a pushing wall of pikes). Have decent-armoured troops lock the enemy phalangites, maybe a good general to boost their morale and then flank their troops with your own, or smash their backs with your cavalry.
These, I think, are more than enough tricks to ensure a victory. I am currently playing as the KH and my own tactics are usualy deploying levy or classical hoplitai to lock the enemy phalangitai, lure the enemy cavalry away with javelin horsemen then outflank and encircle the enemy with skirmishers and elite hoplitai, like Spartans.
heres what i do-
split my forces evenly in two, and position my forces on either side of the map. the enemy force will head for one of the forces, most likely the larger one. when the enemy gets close, attack the back of the enemy formation with the group of forces. the line should soon crumble.
in a forested area (forests on one side, preferably), hide your cavalry and horse-archers on one side, and the rest on the other, in plain view of the enemy, who will attack your forces in plain view. then let loose all your HAs, and charge your cavalry into the rear of the enemy formations. while they are busy, round your infantry to the flanks, and soon you will route them.....
You just need horse archers to beat a phalanx based army, as long as you use your arrows to hit enemy from their backs. In my Pahlava campaign, I did use 9-10 stacks basic HA unit, 6-7 stacks armored horse archers, 2 Grivpanvars and a general. With this army composition, I had more movement points to lure my enemy wherever I want to fight.
I do not suggest using basic HA to charge enemy, armored horse archers, Grivpanvars and general sohuld be more than enough. Try to kill enemy general first and taking down enemy missile units, especially slingers, is crucial.
Thanks guys. Very helpful tips. My Pahlavan forces are on their way to forge an empire. We march east to tackle the Bactrian problem first ! :P
Prince
Your light horse archers might as well be spitting on the heavily armored phalanx units from the front. Flank them. Shot them from afar - in the back. Don't waste ammo with the auto-fire. I know it is a lot of micro-management. , but that is the way it is. Good luck!
Something more: as I'm in a Pahlavan campaign too (183BC), my tip is the use of ready-to-die Pantodapoi Phalangitai. I did not use them until I met Elite Seleucid and Ptolemaic Phalangitai.
They are painful. Three groups of two gold chevron armoured horse archers can waste their whole quiver shooting them in the back, and killing only one third of the phalangites.
So it's a pity but if you're not used to withdraw from the battle after spending your arrows (efficient tactics that some use, I don't), you'll need a line of infantery. I know that's a shame for a Wastelander, but well... You are Nomad. But not for long....
I usually field a line of 5 Pantodapoi Phalanx, and don't expect more than one half of them to survive the victory. Two cities per field army are dedicated to the training of replacements. Canon fodder. Use all your horse archers to shoot 1-archers and slingers 2- cavalry 3-weak phalanx from the back and chase rooters. Leave the light infantery and skirmishers for your foot archers and let the elites come to your line. Your horse archers should have emptied their quivers and be ready for the charge, on the ennemy general first.
Heavy losses on your side will consist of 95% cheap phalangites.
So it's a lot of micro-management: toggle auto-fire off on the battlefield and fast fielding of endlessly-needed replacements on the strategic map. Good luck!