Units overview for early Julii campaign

[fey]

Please note I said velites are useless against the Gauls. I would expect them to be very useful against phalanxes, for example.

I understand the role of light skirmishers. However in RTW the speed of charging infantry and cavalry is such that frontline skirmishers generally get obliterated before they could do any damage or withdraw.

Against the Gauls I don't need skirmishers anyway. The basic tactic against warbands (and swordsmen) is to pin them down with hastati or dogs and charge equites from the flanks.

Two other negatives of velites are that (1) javelines have a flat flight trajectory making velites less useful as rear-positioned missile troops -- archers are much better with their high-arcing arrows -- and (2) velites run out of javelins very quickly. For killing stationary AI units (e.g. in the city square) archers are, again, much much better.

Fey

[Orvis Tertia]

The advantage that I have found with Velites over archers is that the javelins seem to be much better against armored opponents or opponents with shields. They are especially good against the Gauls' barbarian heavy cavalry and swordsmen.

[Ulstan]

I really like my velites I am fairly archer and cavalry light though, so that might be part of it.

I have appreciated my velites vs gauls as well - javelines do very well vs the guals cavalry and their swordsmen, and the velites have lots of them.

And they are fast enough to get out of the way of the gaul cavalry sometimes. (Using skirmish mode on them seems to be a little buggy).

I don't bring a lot, but I like to have 2 units of them around vs gauls.

They are more useful vs the greeks I think, who have lots of their own skirmishers too and the slow moving phalanxes.

[Cennyan]

I didn't tech to archers till about turn 30 and used velitites exclusively as my ranged unit. Some may think this stupid, but really in the first 30 turns or so, I only saw one or two archer unit's in the gaul and Darcia (sp?) forces. I relied on my Hastati to keep them from being overrun....Throw a couple javalans behind the safety of the Infantry, then I would flank them around the side or back. Yes, they are skirmishers, but they are quite effective as a flanking unit as well.

PS...Dogs rule.

[Spuddicus]

PS...Dogs rule.

Oh yeah ... they love Gaul meat.
But be warned, your dogs will get mauled (couldn't resist that one) against anything with armor.

[Arakasi]

I've not gotten too far into it with the Julii. All of the units so far seem pretty useful. Hastati seem to be the ones I use the most, but equites get a fair share of the work. I've had dogs in battle, but I've not used them on the enemy yet. They've been in reserve most of the time.

Well actually I've not used peasants or town guard, as I expect the earlier to suck and the later to not be terribly good. The best thing I can think of town guard is it is the only spear unit available early on, since it is hard to get Triarii then.

[Slaists]

last nite, the senate gave me this sweet gift of a unit of scorpions... those are nice: long range for decimating any armored veteran units. forget about autocalc though. a human wouldn't put this unit in places where it would get hurt. whereas autocalc depletes it fast.