Hi All,


For years I've set-up my roman troops during deployment with 'guard' mode on (and fire at will). I normally try to lure the enemy into charging me (velites make good bait). I simply receive the charge while throwing some pila in his face, then I sit there and grind him out (while my flankers sweep around the sides). In the process I notice that my men don't seem to do much fighting.


As I've read more and more about legionary fighting techniques (and classical warfare in general), I'm starting to think that guard mode is a bit too 'phalanx' for Romans. Without guard mode, my troops mingle more with the enemy (they actually look like they are advancing into combat), but the unit formation ends up as a bit of a mess. So does a roman cohort/maniple stick to its formation like glue, or adopt a more fluid shape during combat? I'm tending to follow the latter now, and reform my unit when the enemy has been dispatched before charging into another enemy unit.


So;

- do you leave guard mode on or off, and why?

- do you charge at the last moment, or do you receive the charge?

- what is the statistical effect of 'guard mode'?


The next question I have is regarding the effect of ranks. What is the benefit of more ranks? Is it worth the sacrifice of frontage? I find my early Camillan armies (5 lines of infantry) are deeper than they are wide (caused the Romans are bloody nose at Cannae doing just that).


Thanks in advance