I HATE ELEPHANTS!!!!!!1111!!!11!

[Alexandros Maximus]

I just sent an almost-full stack army from the recently-conquered city of Messana to stop Captain Adonibal from siegeing it.

He had ELEPHANTS!!!!!

I threw volley after volley of spears (from my leves and mercenary peltastai) at them, and they just stood there.

I kicked his infantry's ass, routing 3/4 of them, and he ran @ my troops w/the elephants. I broke them off to get away, and it worked. Then i told them to throw pila @ the elephants, hoping it would cause them to run amok, but it didnt work.

Then they charged my principes and hastati and smushed most of them and they routed. like 3 or 4 units of infantry.

luckily i had some triarii, which i charged into the elephants' flank, and for some wierd reason the elephants didnt smush any of them.

Then i used some of the troops that stopped fleeing to throw their remaining pila at them, and they started running from the spears. Finally the next volley ater that one caused a rout, and they STILL didnt run amok.

I won the battle, and killed the capt. with the pila, but i started the battle with around 2300 troops and i suffered about 1200 casualties.

Adonibal only had 830 men!!!

How do you defeat elephants while sustaining less casualties???

[Ibrahim]

you sure they weren't Oliphaunts? you were doing all the right things (using missles); did you aim at their flanks perhaps? if you didn't=disaster.

but to be doubly effective, use Accensi, they're really good at what they do to elephants (compared with peltastai)

[Alexandros Maximus]

i couldnt get to the flanx...thats probly why. ever time i tried to flank them with the leves, the Aanatim Lubim would just rip them with volleys of spears and then they'd rout, until they got back to my infantry line.

i didnt want to charge the enemy infantry line right away cuz i was afraid of the elephants just phlanking my whole army.

p.s.

Phlanking: verb. When a unit of elephants flanks your infantry and then proceeds to steamroll over your entire line, pwning you.

[Ibrahim]

thought about it some more: indeed accensi are better-always have them with you

[antisocialmunky]

Or go north and get some celtic slingers. Keep them safe at all costs and get gold chevrons and they will kill pretty much anything.

[mcantu]

you didnt mention what difficuty you had battles on...

[zooeyglass]

Phlanking: verb. When a unit of elephants flanks your infantry and then proceeds to steamroll over your entire line, pwning you.

i knew there was a word for the carnage the ellies can inflict. thank you for elucidating.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Let some guys with big pointy things poke 'em; you know like merc pezhetairoi!

[Ibrahim]

they die too easily though...