Fighting with Phalanxes against Phalanxes

[ezekiel2517]

they must have much more experience and a better general... or you haven't put them in Phalanx formation. I really can't think of any other reason to be beaten with such ease.

[Maion Maroneios]

It's the guard mode that's ausing your men to get slaughtered. You see, while it is good to keep it on against non-phalanx units, it is useless against other phalangites. So if you want to face other phalangites, turn it off. Other factors that may affect your men's performance is your general and the terrain you're fighting on. I try to engage my enemy with my Makedonian armies only on open terrains or if the terrain in rough, I try to provoke them into attacing ME, by besieging a city of theirs for example.

[Swordmaster]

Use mobile troops, preferably with AP weapons such as your Agrinians, to flank the phalanxes.

[Maion Maroneios]

He's not asking how to defeat them, actually he is asking why his own elites are losing against inferior phalangites. It's a guard mode issue.

[Chaotix]

Thanks a lot both Maion and Celtic Punk! I'll certainly try what you said. My phalanxes were on guard mode, which I now know is a bad thing against other phalanxes, and I'll definitely try to "move" past them instead of simply engaging them. I think that must have been what happened- that my phalanx broke formation just before engaging the enemy.

ezekiel, I've definitely got them in phalanx mode (I'm not that much of a noob ), and the enemy units only have 1 exp. max, although the enemy general does have more command than me, but I doubt that's the problem. And swordmaster, I do have Agranians and Elite Makedonian Peltasts along with my cav to flank them- it's just my phalanxes that are the problem.

Thanks again for all of your responses!

[Chaotix]

Well, I fought that battle again, and for the most part, your strategies worked. There was still the problem of my units taking unusually high casualties, but it was reduced, and the enemy took the same kinds of damage that I did. I outnumbered them decently, (they had a half stack while mine was closer to 3/4. I actually could have beaten them w/o your strategy, but my army would've been decimated) and I wound up with about 20% casualties, which is not bad for my skill, and decent considering I had an inexperienced general. Thanks again for your help!

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