The Ultimate Battle Turning Unit

[The Persian Cataphract]

Take a guess at the choice I've picked

[DaciaJC]

Take a guess at the choice I've picked

Well, look at that. I finally see a vote for slingers...

[Andronikos]

I prefer frightening infatry like Celtic champions, rhomphaia guys, peltastai makedonikoi, but also heavy cav. But my cavalry is usualy busy killing archers, heavy non-spear infantry and taking care of already routing units.

[Aemilius Paulus]

But my cavalry is usualy busy killing archers, heavy non-spear infantry and taking care of already routing units.

So just train more cavalry . How many mounted units does your normal army have? My armies usually have a mounted general and 4-5 units of horsemen.

[Macilrille]

I personally find that I rarely rout large portions of the enemy army. Probably cause I like to play Roman and kill Hellenes, whose Phalanxes rarely break and rout en masse.

So, usually I get some cavalry behind them (yes I play on huge), to kill off archers and get ready to charge backs while my own missile troops (I just love Accensii and Cretan Archers) take their toll on vulnerable enemies and one or two of the Hellenic archers firing flaming arrows. Meanwhile I use part of my infantry to chuck pilae at them and go in and hold them till I can concentrate on those phalanxes, meanwhile the rest of my infantry flanks the phalangites and makes them walk all over, breaking their line into isolated phalanx. Then I create local quantitative superiority and concentrate on the phalanxes one by one with infantry and Cav. Some will rout, others not, but even repeated massed cavalry charges at their backs rarely makes a line of phalangites break. So I rout/kill them one or two at a time by creating local superiority, using my superior mobility and all the while cursing these AS Graeculi wannabees, and being sorely tempted to Blitz AS instead of fighting 1-3 phalanx battles every turn.

Hence I rarely have a battle-turning unit. It is a combination of slaughter, flaming arrows and cavalry/infantry charges that routs or kills those damn Phalangites.

The Sweboz owns large parts of northern Europe and are killing off all Gauls, so soon I shall be fighting them, perhaps they rout easier.

[satalexton]

Say Maion, I think this barbaroi has never seen a flurry of dory/sarissae/xyston crushing his own kin. Let's be kind and give him a bird's eye view of it!

*impales Macilrille by the groin and lifts him into the sky*

See? it's simple, Sarissae in the middle, poliskrate on the flanks, and the Hetairoi going ALL HEIL MAKEDONIA at the barbaroi's sorry buttocks.

TRUTH AND HOPE TO FATHERLAND!!! ALL HEIL MAKEDONIA!!!

[Macilrille]

Say Maion, I think this barbaroi has never seen a flurry of dory/sarissae/xyston crushing his own kin. Let's be kind and give him a bird's eye view of it!

*impales Macilrille by the groin and lifts him into the sky*

See? it's simple, Sarissae in the middle, poliskrate on the flanks, and the Hetairoi going ALL HEIL MAKEDONIA at the barbaroi's sorry buttocks.

TRUTH AND HOPE TO FATHERLAND!!! ALL HEIL MAKEDONIA!!!

I think I have already commented on this sort of spam somewhere else.

It would instead be interesting to know how you Hellene Lovers fight the various barbarians.

[Jebivjetar]

1) when playing with Carthage

I usually hold my line with mix of light infantry, kill equites consulares with my superior calvary, and then hit romans from the back and rear with elephants and/or other calvary. Iberi Caetrati are the best for pursuing routing pedites extraordinari and their cowardly comrades. Rarely some romans actually escape from me, and, if some of them escape, they go to their barbaropolis, which i sack in next turn

2) when playing with KH/Makedonia/Epeiros

I just let romans to taste my sarissas in their mouth. Then i tell them a joke, and they really do lough bloody.

[Zett]

It would instead be interesting to know how you Hellene Lovers fight the various barbarians.

As far as I know there is only one barbarian faction in EB, but perhaps you meant Barbarian Ivasion, there you have two barbarian factions of course.
Sorry couldn't resist

About Elephants. I used them sometimes as Epeiros, but they are to expensive and need too much baby-sitting in my opinion. So I stick to cavalery, Prodromoi are a fine unit. If I play as KH, I use Hippeis Xystophoroi (how I already posted).
About the Elephantes Kataphraktoi, I only used them once in my Baktrian Campaign, they where good, but expensive and slow. The main problem I have with elephants is their limited AoR.

Ceterum censeo Romam esse delendam

[Andronikos]

It would instead be interesting to know how you Hellene Lovers fight the various barbarians.

I believe this is no problem. If you can protect your flanks, hellenic army can defeat any army based on non-phalanx infantry (without ahistorical number of elites).
But leading barbarians against helenes is a royal pain in ass. It requires a lot of micromanage, you have to break enemy formation, isolate and outnumber enemy phalanxes, here scary heavy infantry with powerful weapons such as longswords comes handy. You have to attract the phalanx so that your unit can approach from back without fear that the phalanx turns. Elite phalangites fight to the last man. And the unit which is on the sharp end of sarissa tends to rout. I remember fighting Romans who spammed makedonian-phalanx-triarii back in 0.8 as Celts. When Karthadastim and Epeiros become your enemies only then the party begins.

[Maion Maroneios]

even though I voted cataphracts, I must point out that I have often used the elephants. the only problem with them IMHO is their vulnerability to javelins and certan types of archers, however as you said yourself, that's normally not a problem. but the reason I did not vote for them for sure is simply one word: cost. think about it; why have a single elephant unit, when 3 or 4 cataphracts/hetairoi can be made in their place? and far more useful and less javelin easy.

I believe this thread isn't about the cost-effectiveness of units, but their actual ability to cause mass routs and turn the tide during battle. Regardless of cost, whatever anyone says, elephants are just the best. NO other unit can cause, after being properly used of course, as much amok as elephants do.

As for your post satalexton, I'm sorry I can't say anything. I promised the Nice Fairy I'll be a good boy and behave.

Maion

[Macilrille]

I believe this thread isn't about the cost-effectiveness of units, but their actual ability to cause mass routs and turn the tide during battle. Regardless of cost, whatever anyone says, elephants are just the best. NO other unit can cause, after being properly used of course, as much amok as elephants do.

As for your post satalexton, I'm sorry I can't say anything. I promised the Nice Fairy I'll be a good boy and behave.

Maion

LOL, thanks ;-)

But I would like to know how to best use Hellene armies, they are far too immobile for my taste. How do you Hellene Lovers most effectively employ the grinding force of the Phalanx? Just pin the enemy (literally) and flank them with cavalry? What about your skirmishers? Archers?

[Andronikos]

So just train more cavalry . How many mounted units does your normal army have? My armies usually have a mounted general and 4-5 units of horsemen.

General + 1-3 cavalry units, depends on mine and enemy factions. Sometimes I have armies composed only of cavalry with few archers and light infantry, in that case I make enemy army route with cavalry.
But good idea, I'll try using light cavalry more.