Parthia

[Doug-Thompson]

I normally don't like discussing "favorite" armies, but have found that I'm following a pattern with Parthian armies.

I'll start out with HA and the starting cataphracts, plus some mercenary camels and cavalry. As I add Persian Cavalry, I'll keep the HA, many of whom are veterans now.

I'll put one or two HA on each end of a long line. I'll put Persian Cavalry on the inside of those. Then I'll put the remaining HA in the middle. Those HA in the center are backed up by lines of my melee cavalry. If there's more melee cavalry to spare, I'll put some out behind the Persian cavalry.

The missile cavalry are spread out as far as possible, put in squares with space between them. If I can give the missile cavalry a height advantage by using a shorter line, I will, but that sort of thing is a matter of judgement.

Deployment's over and the battle starts: The HA on the ends race to get past and behind the enemy. The rest of the front line engages with missiles while the melee cav hangs close, but behind the fighting.

If the enemy charges the middle, they are surrounded by missile cav and facing my best melee cav. If he charges the Persian cavalry, he risks getting flank-charged by the melee cav in the middle. If he attacks the very ends, he can't catch the HA and risks getting flank-charged by the Persian cavalry and any extra melee cav.

The goal is to put the enemy in a "bag" of missile cavalry, all of whom are firing. This is possible even when the Parthians are heavily outnumbered because the HA don't have to maintain a continuous line. In fact, a continuous line is just about the worst thing the Parthians can do. Instead, they have some squares that are as far apart as they can be while still supporting their neighbors, shooting all the time.

The biggest danger has already been described on other threads: The AI sends a melee unit after each of your units. These charges happen a lot more on the harder tactical difficulty levels, when the AI thinks it's Conan.

The best answer to that is to micro the HA that are most threatened, although the details of that are still new. Somebody needs to break free, get in the middle, and start shooting some enemy unit in the back. Once one part of the enemy's "circle" is broken, the whole formation will begin to collapse.

===========

On campaign on the strategic map, I like to go ahead and besiege a heavily defended town with an all-cavalry army and start building sapping points (assuming that a spy hasn't opened the gates and that those open gates don't have boiling oil.)

If I can hire mercenary infantry the next turn that can sap, I'll do that. If not, I'll march up some infantry. Slingers, by the way, are somewhat faster than other infantry, and they can sap.

All that's needed from there is one sap that is somewhere near a decent, wide street leading to the central plaza.